August 2, 2014 –Weird Al Yankovic’s fourteenth studio album, Mandatory Fun goes to No. 1 on the Billboard Album Charts, on this date. It’s the first No. 1 comedy album on Billboard’s charts since Allan Sherman’s My Son, the Nut in 1963 – the album that contained Sherman’s biggest hit, Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh.
Author Archives: dcaligari
Concerts For Bangladesh
August 1, 1971 – George Harrison presented the first of his two Concerts For Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden in New York City, on this date. The concert was mainly intended to provide financial aid to refugees from the Bangladesh area, who were fleeing by the thousands. In total, the concert and other efforts stemmingContinue reading “Concerts For Bangladesh”
A Hard Day’s Night went to No. 1
August 1, 1964 –The Beatles’ single A Hard Day’s Night went to the top of the Billboard Charts on this date. It became the fifth US No. 1 single the Beatles scored in seven months. The title was taken from an expression Ringo used to say. In a 1964 interview with DJ Dave Hull, RingoContinue reading “A Hard Day’s Night went to No. 1”
Yes, once they just played music
August 1, 1981 –MTV launched 44 years ago today, starting with the video, Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles followed by Pat Benatar’s You Better Run. Western civilization has been on a rapid decline ever since.
Eureka
August 1, 1769 –Spain sent an exploratory expedition from San Diego to Monterey on this date, to survey the area and identify locations worthy of settling and converting the locals to Catholicism. The expedition was led by Gaspar de Portolá, nephew of the celebrated Spanish comedian Uncle Porky, and included a number of religious missionariesContinue reading “Eureka”
The Six Wives of Henry VIII debuted in the US
August 1, 1971 – An acclaimed BBC series originally airing in 1970, The Six Wives of Henry VIII premiered on PBS, on this date. Costume Designer John Bloomfield worked for nearly a year on the mini-series. He spent three months doing basic research at the National Portrait Gallery, Windsor Castle, and various libraries, going throughContinue reading “The Six Wives of Henry VIII debuted in the US”
The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premiered
August 1, 1971 –Slotted as as a summer replacement show, CBS television aired The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, on this date. And Cher will outlive us all.
June and July were just practice
The festival of Lammas marks the beginning of the harvest, when people go to church to give thanks for the first grain to be cut. This is the long way of saying that it’s August again. How did a single month become so important? Like almost everything else that’s difficult to understand, the history ofContinue reading “June and July were just practice”
All our times have come
July 31, 1976 –Blue Oyster Cult single, from their album, Agents of Fortune, (Don’t Fear) the Reaper, was released on this date. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper was written and sung by Blue Öyster Cult’s lead guitarist, Donald Roeser, also known as Buck Dharma. It was rumored to be about suicide, but it actually deals withContinue reading “All our times have come”
You have a big mountain there sir
It was on this day in 1954 that human feet first stood upon the summit of Pakistan’s K2, the second-tallest mountain in the world. K2 was known to the Chinese as the “Great Mountain,” and to Indian and Pakistani locals as “That Big Thing Over There.” It wasn’t until 1856, when T.G. Montgomerie of Britain’sContinue reading “You have a big mountain there sir”
The Haus of Dcaligari 