Wild Bill's Rocket Pop Soda

 

Celebrating Independence Day with a Wild Bill's Rocket Pop soda. As suggested by the side of the can, this is soda that's meant to taste like a Rocket Pop (or Bomb Pop) which is a name I only recently learned. Bomb Pops are the red, white and blue popsicles sometimes shaped like rockets.

Does it succeed? It does! It absolutely succeeds in simulating that Rocket Pop taste and it independently succeeds in being a great tasting soda.

If I'm being a soda critic, it comes in a taller, thinner can that's in-style these days, which I don't like and I think the carbonation could be bumped up a bit higher. It's made with sugar, which is nice and it's caffeine-free. One of the things I was curious about with a soda that's supposed to be red, white and blue is what color would it be? And it's clear, so that's as it probably should be.

Happy Independence Day to you.

8.5/10. Very good, recommended.

Ricky Gervais - Finding Leo

 

Gotta love the digital cameras of the early 2000s.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant try to contact Leonardo DiCaprio to do a guest role on their HBO Show "Extras." The audio's a little rough and Ricky's had a few cocktails. I'd actually forgotten all about this - an absolute classic.

The Charismatic Voice - Chicago

 

I'm a big fan of "25 or 6 to 4." Although she doesn't harp on it, for me it's the bass line.

If you'd like to see my shallow dive on Chicago, see this post.

And speaking of the bass, here's a fun fact for your next barbecue or otherwise social engagement...

Three classic rock songs with the same chord progression:

1) Chicago - 25 or 6 to 4

2) Green Day - Brain Stew

3) Led Zeppelin - Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

Eh? Eh? Where else are you going to get that? Granted, I don't have other examples to make this a running thing. Still, pretty interesting, I think. Who did it best?

Visiting a 7-11 at 2:30AM in 1987

 

We're supposed to think that styles and fashion and food all change over time but human nature doesn't. So I'm on very shaky philosophical ground if I suggest that people have changed in the short time from 1987 to now.

The people in this video have joy, particularly mirth, or at least the spark of life. If a teen took out their phone and started filming people in a 7-11 today, would they find anything other than misery and annoyance? I'm generalizing of course, but I think it's true. It would be wrong to say that human nature has changed but - what would you say - the personality of our society has changed.

"New" XFM Audio Uncovered

 

I've listened to The Ricky Gervais show on XFM so many times, I pretty much have it memorized. But now someone's gone back and re-visited the original tapes(?) and uncovered previously deleted audio.

It's mostly stuff like throwing to commercial, but let's face it, how often are you going to get new XFM material?

Re:View - Temple of Doom

 

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" was the first Indiana Jones movie I ever saw and I loved it. When I was a little older and finally saw "Raiders of the Lost Ark" I was a little disappointed - it was clear to me that "Temple..." was the better movie. I was surprised to learn that that is the minority opinion.

These days, the only thing that's clear to me is that my favorite of the trilogy is "Last Crusade." "Temple of Doom" is so dark and weird and the action is so ridiculous, judging between that and "Raiders" is a battle between my brain and heart. Or it's a battle between me as a child and me as an adult. Fortunately it doesn't matter and no one cares. That raft thing is so inexcusable though...