HAM: Sing on Ladies Night and Win a Canned Ham and More!

Subject: Guess Who

Guess who this is. You may know her as Sister Ruth, the guitar sporting nun from the film "Airport 77" who serenades a dying girl in need of a dialysis machine. But Helen Reddy is no novice.

So what ever happenned to Australia's songbird, Helen Reddy. You might know her from her hit single I Am Woman. Who can forget these memorable lyrics:
"But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go..."

Born into a well-known Australian show business family, Ms. Reddy has had a life and a career richer and more varied than anything she could ever have imagined as a girl in Melbourne. She has dined on her birthday with the Prince of Wales, danced in the White House with the President of the United States, and had a tulip named after her in Holland. Best known as a recording artist, Helen Reddy had more than a dozen Top 40 hits in the United States. She was the first Australian to win a Grammy Award and to have three #1 hits in the same year. Helen retired from live performance in 2002 and now practices as a clinical hypnotherapist and motivational speaker.

To learn more about Helen Reddy CLICK HERE

Your leader of lyric, Heather "H-bomb" McCabe, wants to try something a little different this Wednesday. An extra pirize wil he given to someome tht can sing and skip rope at the same time. That's right it's the Jump Rope Sessions.

Personally i don't want to watch my beer gut slapping up into my chest as I get tangled in a jump rope, but there might be someone out there who is more able than I am. See you all this Wednesday on Ladies Night.

Subject: BUSHED

"What the f*** is this?!" you might be asking yourself. It's not a gardener gone mad, it's British siren Kate bush.

WUTHERING HEIGHTS
Born 30th July, 1958 in Bexleyheath Kent, Kate Bush began violin lessons at the age of 9 with interest in the piano. The peeked obsession with the occult happenned later. While enrolled at Lindsey Kemp in the Mime & Dance program, Pink Floyd's David Gilmour took interest in her and introduced her to EMI. Wearing a body stocking she mimed "Produce me." He mimed back "Concept album, baby." Soon a star was born. With Gilmour's help she released Wuthering Heights (based on the Emily Bronte novel) in January of 1978 as her first single. It became a No.1 hit.

She released her debut album "The Kick Inside" in February 1978 and soon caught the attention of former Genesis band member, Peter Gabriel. She contributed her airy vocal stylings to Games Without Frontiers, Gabriel's third album (with the melty face) in 1980. She sky-rockted to pop chart fame with her self-produced "The Dreaming", a concept album about the life of Harry Houdini in September 1982. It was her fourth Top-10 album followed by "Hounds Of Love" in September 1985. She reunited with Peter Gabriel on his album "SO" with the Top-10 single Don`t Give Up. Her concerts sales had nowhere to go but up.

SUSPENDED IN GAFFA
But then tragedy struck, soaring success had actually been her foe. Bush had burned out. She periodicaly resurfaced for album signings, EP releases, remixes, box sets and duets. Then came the all-time low: tribute albums. She grew reclusive.

It was rumored that Kate Bush was kidnapped by her nemesis, Tori Amos, locked high and away in a windowless tower with nothing but a wooden recorder. Amos had become the new Queen of the Fairies. Amos' career took off as a concept album siren in the '90s coinciding with the absence of Bush. But one moonless night, Bush broke free dissolving her bindings with her own tears. They did great battle with many costume changes, hurling lighting bolts and insults at each other on an astral plane. Finally, Bush escaped taking the form of a snow flake, leaving Amos weak, with only enough strength to say "FEH! You're NOT my mother!" Amos then turned into Nellie McKay and vanished in a puff of black smoke.



Such evidence can be seen in this fan-based video collage on YouTube.com: CLICK HERE for the musical play-by-play. Such bru ha ha had not been seen since the astral witch battle of Nina Hagen V. Lena Lovitch.

CLOUD BURSTING
These days, she has made a quiet return to the public. She released "Arial", her first full concept album since 1993. R&B star Maxwell recorded "This Woman's Work" for the movie "Love & Basketball" giving a new generation of sad 20-somethings a peek into Kate Bush's musical magic. She is currently working on her memoirs, working title "Finding Bush".

For more about Kate Bush CLICK HERE.

Subject: Just a Brewster Girl

quijibo wrote: i'm gonna wait right here until you do an expose on laura branigan...

OK, here you have it. On a much more somber note...



"It was a bleak Thursday " recalled Joan Di Tursi, friend and former manager. "when Laura passed away in her sleep." On August 26th 2004, '80s pop star Laura Branigan succumed to a brain aneurysm in her East Quogue, Long Island home. She was 47. Laura Branigan is synonymous with the pop hit Gloria (1982), a '70s Italian B-rate pop song. Laurua Branigan would make it a TOP-10 hit a decade later. Her five-octave range and powerhouse vocals brought her two Grammy nominations.

Born July 3rd 1957 in Brewster New York, Laura Branigan was the fourth of five children. Although from a musical family, this upstate Irish-Italian girl was never drawn to performing until her senior year in highschool. She left for New York City to attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She got her first big break singing backup vocals for Leonard Cohen's 1976 European tour. After returning from Europe, Cohen introduced her to Ahmet Ertegun and Doug Morris, two executives from Atlantic Redords.

She debuted with "Branigan", an album she produced herself and continued release several albums. But after nearly a decade of touring and recording she took a much needed break from her career to attend to personal matters. In 1994 Larry Kruteck, her husband and manager of over 15 years was diagnosed with colon cancer. Kruteck passed away in 1996 at the age of 58. It would be years before Branigan would return to performing and recording.

In 2002, she made a comeback as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical "Love, Janis", for which she won rave reviews. The last album she produced was "The Essentials: Laura Branigan" (2002). Laura Branigan was cremated, and her ashes were scattered over Long Island Sound by friends and family.

www.laurabranigan.com

quijibo wrote: oh shit! i'm sorry i asked now
i need a beer...
where oh where could i find beer? :-k

Bummer, who knew? That blew my night. I bet you were casting the Lifetime movie all evening... OK let's lighten this topic up a bit.

ANNOUNCEMENT: NO H.A.M. in August and September
Master Kro Kei Sung was called on a emergency Buddhist prayer slam. He took his prayer rug walked towards Bayridge. That oriental (the rug) goes everywhere.

A Casey-Kasem-like H.A.M. Summary

In Hawai'i (pronounced "Ha-Vai-Ee") the word mele means song and it also means happy. Everyone had a lolo mele time. Human's Against Music thanks our very favorite haute hostesses Heather "H-bomb" McCabe and Tabby "Rockin'" Rivera. You made this evening very special, just by being you. You packed the room with good times and song. The jump rope thing was pretty cool too.

There were many regulars, Singing Jim, Hank Latimer, Mr. Young, Peter Ego, Roger, Coco, Katie, Banana, that really tall guy that never sings, the little skinhead guy, and what's-her-face. But there were also many new (if not infrequent) voices to be heard, some of you right from this very message board. You could hear "I thought you'd be much taller" and "You're old" throughout the night.

To our ham winner Tron, you made us all blush like Brown Eyed Girls. Who knew OC's MVP was such a showman! He can hit, catch, play outfield and sing. I smell a pro. Hmmmmm.

To Bartender Katie, sorry about the missing ham incident in May, its as if that can sprouted hooves and went. But you Turned Back Time and soon it was Raining Men. Enjoy your replacement ham.

NOTE: Trainsmoke, nice meetin' ya. You're buddy who sang Don't Stop Believing was a H.A.M. candidate. Go ahead and rub that ham in his face. You must be present to collect. See you on the softball field.

The Freebird Gang you rocked all night long with Freebird and your jump rope Toxic act won you "Cheech and Chong: Still Smokin'". The DVD gets a bit skippy, just hit forward. Larry Branigan, you sang the songs that Laura would have loved Moon River and Suspicious Minds, I wept openly and mumbled "Gloria... If everybody wants you, why isn't anybody callin'?". Bret HOLY CRAP-OLI! Who knew a skinny white guy could do Baby Got Back so well. Your trademark What A Feeling is always a winner. K Sarah Sarah, a former ham winner and a rock star. You and your table stole our hearts with songs that are considerably way way much older than you are. Crimson and Clover, Love Wil Keep us Together. Did you grow up in Maine with an 8-track player? Hello Bayridge John, you sang Like A Virgin, but we still don't believe you. Finally to Nacho and KW, that Bungle In The Jungle/Forever In Blue Jeans/I got You Babe medley was something else. Enjoy Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights". It's also a bit skippy, so just hit forward, I'm sure you know how the story goes.

Well, thanks again, I hope we made your evening in Prospect Heights memorable, enjoyable and free from the recent shootings. Have a great summer, keep your feet on the stars and keep reaching for the ground. The H.A.M.kananka bid a fond aloha and mahalo oe. Taua pau.