By Steve Marinucci
Published February 24, 1995, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
WHEN Bob Dylan first recorded "The Times They Are A' Changin' " in 1963, he was commenting on political change blowing in the wind. But today, with Dylan releasing new material on CD-ROM, that title takes on new meaning.
Dylan has joined the artist formerly known as Prince, Todd Rundgren and David Bowie at the forefront of a technology that allows listeners to take part in the audio-visual experience.
The new Dylan CD-ROM -- 'Highway 61 Interactive' (Graphix Zone, $59.95) -- just reaching stores, is the newest and among the most intriguing.
Idea intriguing
While earlier discs concentrated on music alone, "Highway 61" is a scrapbook incorporating historic film footage, observations from Dylan associates such as Roger McGuinn, Lou Reed, Eddie Vedder and Eric Clapton and previously unreleased outtakes from his legendary musical canon.
Why would an artist of Dylan's stature and one with his penchant for privacy consider a project like this?
''He has . . . a set of very creative people who surround him and do a lot of his publishing as well as creative work," says Chuck Cortright, Graphix Zone president and CEO. "They had been looking at this technology, and Dylan was intrigued. When we approached him with it, one thing led to another."
Personally picked
Dylan personally chose several songs on the disc, as well as the title and cover shot. And Graphix Zone received full access to Dylan's archives, says Cortright.
''They completely opened up the vaults, both at Sony/Columbia and Dylan's offices," he adds. "It was incredible having access to the total outtakes of the 'Like a Rolling Stone' session." (Nine of these are included on the CD- ROM, as well as the ledger from the session.) "We had access to some songs that had never been released before."
The disc includes a previously unreleased electric version of "House of the Rising Sun," recorded by Dylan in 1962, two years before the Animals' version hit the charts. This track can also be played on any audio CD player.
''Even little things like posters (from) when he first started playing" were made available, says Cortright. "Sony/Columbia had a warehouse, a secured vault area, where they had all that stuff."
All the archival elements can be viewed through the huge collage that a user first encounters when opening the CD-ROM. Click on almost anything here, and you'll see some element of Dylan's career. You can can take virtual- reality tours of Greenwich Village in the '60s, where Dylan performed in a coffee house; a Dylan recording session from the '60s; and the 30th- anniversary tribute to the artist at Madison Square Garden in 1992.
Though the booklet included with the set and a "read me" file on the disc give some hints about what you'll find, it's more fun to explore the program without them. (However, a time-line on the disc enables you to bypass the collage and click on elements directly.)
As one might expect, there are some surprises. One is the presence of Jimi Hendrix in the collage, which leads to a short clip of Hendrix performing "Like a Rolling Stone" at the Monterey Pop Festival. "They respected each other," says Cortright. "In fact, Dylan has said many times that he loved Hendrix's version of 'All Along the Watchtower' better than his."
Even more surprising is a collection of covers from various Dylan bootleg albums. You access them by clicking on a pair of handcuffs. According to Cortright, that was Dylan's idea. "It's another way of defusing (bootlegs), I suppose."
Another component is an up-to-date compendium that includes lyrics to every song Dylan has ever recorded (including "Dignity," released recently on "Greatest Hits, Vol. 3") as well as a list of all the artists who have covered each song.
Also included are sound bites from more than 40 Dylan songs and two full- length videos -- the classic "Subterranean Homesick Blues" and a video montage set to "Masters of War."
Cortright says Graphix Zone initiated "Highway 61" as a follow-up to a CD-ROM by Prince. "I approached (Dylan's) manager, . . . showed him what the possibilities were, and six months later we got the deal." The disc took about seven months to produce with 18 people working full time.
The disc is being sold by local music and CD retailers as well as computer stores.
Graphix Zone plans other music CD-ROMs. And late in the summer the company also plans a to release a series of comedy/educational CD-ROMs in cooperation with the Improv comedy club, described as "laugh as you learn."
Cortright has bright hopes for the future of the medium. "This is a new form of entertainment. By no means do I think this is going to replace CD audio. (The CD-ROM) allows us to interact (with) every form of media -- CD- quality music, animation, text, graphics.
''I think it's a form of entertainment that's definitely going to stick around."
IF YOU'RE INTERESTED
''Highway 61 Interactive" runs on either Windows or Macintosh. Minimum requirements: For Windows, a 486SX 25 MHz computer or faster, 4MB RAM, Microsoft Windows 3.1 or later, 640x480 screen resolution, double speed CD- ROM, 15MB hard disk space, 16-bit Sound Blaster or Windows compatible sound card and a mouse. For Macintosh, 8MB RAM, System 7.01 or later, 640x480 screen resolution, double speed CD-ROM, 10MB hard disk space.
CAPTION: PHOTO: The new Dylan CD-ROM is a scrapbook incorporating film footage, observations from his associates and previously unreleased outtakes.
950224 EY 45
Friday, February 24, 1995
Friday, July 16, 1993
The Peninsula's Best: The 5 best card shops
By Steve Marinucci
Published July 16, 1993, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
CARDS, JERSEYS, HATS, POSTERS, BALLS . . .
BRINGING BASEBALL HOME
BASEBALL is America's National Pastime, and baseball memorabilia collecting may be America's national hobby. Attending games doesn't seem to be enough. We like to take pieces of the hobby home with us, whether they be autographed balls, cards or jerseys.
Although the hobby has settled down from the near frenzy of a few years ago when card prices were rising almost overnight, there are still many places where you can bring the memory of baseball, either your favorite player or favorite team, home with you.
Here's a look at a few of our favorites in the greater Peninsula area. (Note: We picked them based on the variety and amount of stock that we could see on hand in the store. Customer service was not taken into account.)
COLLECTOR'S CORNER III, 959 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, (415) 327-1085; open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Walking into this tiny shop is almost like taking a trip back through time. The store opened 14 years ago under different ownership and has an older look to it, adding to the historic atmosphere created by the memorabilia in stock.
Owner Jim Pitts has had the store three years, but some of the items for sale are timeless baseball treasures.
How about a Ty Cobb autographed baseball for $1,000?
Or a poster signed by the 11 living members of the 500 Home Run Club, including Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, for $400?
Not everything is that expensive, of course. The shop has new and old cards, including "commons" -- lower-priced cards to help finish out sets.
(hbox)
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS DUGOUT, Valley Fair Shopping Center, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, (408) 247-5580; or 208 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, (415) 323-9790; both stores open during mall hours.
If it's Giants memorabilia you want, these two places are the first stops you should make. Operated by the Giants, they have almost anything you'd want: clothing, posters, baseballs, cards and magazines, plus a place to buy Giants tickets.
The Valley Fair store has been around for seven years, the Stanford store six. There is some merchandise for other area teams, but it's not a good selection. Anyone looking for merchandise from out-of-area teams would be better off looking in sporting goods stores, where the selection is likely to be better. The stores also carry expensive memorabilia of historic value. In the past, we have seen game-used bats, for example, and they're not cheap, even for lesser-known players.
Anyone wanting to hear a Giants game on radio or television can usually find it on in the Dugout, though the day we went to the Valley Fair store, we found the Oakland A's game on the radio in front while the Giants game was on TV in back.
Occasionally, the stores will hold autograph sessions by current and former Giants. Stanford Shopping Center employees say Giants team members have been known to frequent the store when the team is in town. (By the way, the A's have similar stores, called the Oakland A's Clubhouse, at Southland Mall, Hayward, and Hilltop Mall, Richmond.)
(hbox)
BASEBALL CARDS AND SOUVENIRS, 3220 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit D, San Jose, (408) 243-1120; open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Baseball Cards and Souvenirs is now in its third location since opening 10 years ago. The family-owned business is run by Kevin Johnson, son of Jerry Johnson, who originally opened the store.
Besides the newest cards, the store carries a very good selection of hard- to-find older cards from the '40s to the '60s, including many from local teams, plus a huge selection of commons to help collectors fill out sets from past years.
(hbox)
SOUTH BAY SPORTS CARDS, 1350 Grant Road, #11A, Mountain View, (415) 961-8028; open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Open since 1986, the store is small but packed with an excellent selection of cards from all years, including many unopened boxes of older cards. There is also a great selection of local team cards, plus commons. They have some memorabilia, including an autographed Will Clark bat priced at $105.
(hbox)
CAPITOL COMICS & CARDS, 532 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose, (408) 280-7257; hours noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
The first thing that catches your eye when you walk into this store is the sheer number of cards. They're packed up the walls almost to the ceiling.
The year-old store, part of a three-store chain, carries mostly new sports and non-sports cards (no commons), but there's a lot to choose from. One of the more unusual older items is a double baseball card of Ted Williams and Hal Smith priced at $225.
Steve Marinucci is a copy editor and in charge of television listings. He loves watching baseball at ballparks where the Wave is not allowed.
Published July 16, 1993, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
CARDS, JERSEYS, HATS, POSTERS, BALLS . . .
BRINGING BASEBALL HOME
BASEBALL is America's National Pastime, and baseball memorabilia collecting may be America's national hobby. Attending games doesn't seem to be enough. We like to take pieces of the hobby home with us, whether they be autographed balls, cards or jerseys.
Although the hobby has settled down from the near frenzy of a few years ago when card prices were rising almost overnight, there are still many places where you can bring the memory of baseball, either your favorite player or favorite team, home with you.
Here's a look at a few of our favorites in the greater Peninsula area. (Note: We picked them based on the variety and amount of stock that we could see on hand in the store. Customer service was not taken into account.)
COLLECTOR'S CORNER III, 959 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, (415) 327-1085; open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Walking into this tiny shop is almost like taking a trip back through time. The store opened 14 years ago under different ownership and has an older look to it, adding to the historic atmosphere created by the memorabilia in stock.
Owner Jim Pitts has had the store three years, but some of the items for sale are timeless baseball treasures.
How about a Ty Cobb autographed baseball for $1,000?
Or a poster signed by the 11 living members of the 500 Home Run Club, including Ted Williams, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey, for $400?
Not everything is that expensive, of course. The shop has new and old cards, including "commons" -- lower-priced cards to help finish out sets.
(hbox)
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS DUGOUT, Valley Fair Shopping Center, 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd., Santa Clara, (408) 247-5580; or 208 Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto, (415) 323-9790; both stores open during mall hours.
If it's Giants memorabilia you want, these two places are the first stops you should make. Operated by the Giants, they have almost anything you'd want: clothing, posters, baseballs, cards and magazines, plus a place to buy Giants tickets.
The Valley Fair store has been around for seven years, the Stanford store six. There is some merchandise for other area teams, but it's not a good selection. Anyone looking for merchandise from out-of-area teams would be better off looking in sporting goods stores, where the selection is likely to be better. The stores also carry expensive memorabilia of historic value. In the past, we have seen game-used bats, for example, and they're not cheap, even for lesser-known players.
Anyone wanting to hear a Giants game on radio or television can usually find it on in the Dugout, though the day we went to the Valley Fair store, we found the Oakland A's game on the radio in front while the Giants game was on TV in back.
Occasionally, the stores will hold autograph sessions by current and former Giants. Stanford Shopping Center employees say Giants team members have been known to frequent the store when the team is in town. (By the way, the A's have similar stores, called the Oakland A's Clubhouse, at Southland Mall, Hayward, and Hilltop Mall, Richmond.)
(hbox)
BASEBALL CARDS AND SOUVENIRS, 3220 Stevens Creek Blvd., Unit D, San Jose, (408) 243-1120; open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Baseball Cards and Souvenirs is now in its third location since opening 10 years ago. The family-owned business is run by Kevin Johnson, son of Jerry Johnson, who originally opened the store.
Besides the newest cards, the store carries a very good selection of hard- to-find older cards from the '40s to the '60s, including many from local teams, plus a huge selection of commons to help collectors fill out sets from past years.
(hbox)
SOUTH BAY SPORTS CARDS, 1350 Grant Road, #11A, Mountain View, (415) 961-8028; open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Open since 1986, the store is small but packed with an excellent selection of cards from all years, including many unopened boxes of older cards. There is also a great selection of local team cards, plus commons. They have some memorabilia, including an autographed Will Clark bat priced at $105.
(hbox)
CAPITOL COMICS & CARDS, 532 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose, (408) 280-7257; hours noon to 6 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
The first thing that catches your eye when you walk into this store is the sheer number of cards. They're packed up the walls almost to the ceiling.
The year-old store, part of a three-store chain, carries mostly new sports and non-sports cards (no commons), but there's a lot to choose from. One of the more unusual older items is a double baseball card of Ted Williams and Hal Smith priced at $225.
Steve Marinucci is a copy editor and in charge of television listings. He loves watching baseball at ballparks where the Wave is not allowed.
Friday, October 16, 1992
Casting anew to the first "Gilligan's"
By Steve Marinucci
Published Oct. 16, 1992, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
AFTER 38 years, TBS has rescued the original "Gilligan's Island" castaways. Just sit right back tonight at 5:05 and you'll see the never-before-seen pre-series pilot from that popular series, which aired from 1964 to 1967.
(TBS will follow the "Gilligan's Island" pilot with the movie "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" at 5:35 p.m.)
What's unique about tonight's episode is that three of the five familiar passengers on that fateful three-hour tour -- the knowledgeable Professor (Russell Johnson), sexy actress Ginger (Tina Louise) and demure Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) -- aren't on board.
In their place are John Gabriel as a high-school teacher and Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy as secretaries Ginger and Bunny, respectively. (Producer Sherwood Schwartz recast the three roles after the show was sold as a series.) Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.), Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus) and Lovey Howell (Natalie Schafer) are, however, along for the ride.
According to TBS, this lost episode got high marks from preview audiences and was instrumental in selling the series to CBS. But the network declined to use it as the pilot, instead airing "Two on a Raft" as the premiere episode. Some scenes from the unused show were also later used in the first season's Christmas show and also in the 12th episode titled "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk."
Another change involved the calypso-style music in the pilot, which was developed by none other than John Williams, who later did the TV theme for "Lost in Space" and the score for "Star Wars." The series theme became "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," sung by the Wellingtons.
Published Oct. 16, 1992, San Jose (CA) Mercury News
AFTER 38 years, TBS has rescued the original "Gilligan's Island" castaways. Just sit right back tonight at 5:05 and you'll see the never-before-seen pre-series pilot from that popular series, which aired from 1964 to 1967.
(TBS will follow the "Gilligan's Island" pilot with the movie "Rescue From Gilligan's Island" at 5:35 p.m.)
What's unique about tonight's episode is that three of the five familiar passengers on that fateful three-hour tour -- the knowledgeable Professor (Russell Johnson), sexy actress Ginger (Tina Louise) and demure Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) -- aren't on board.
In their place are John Gabriel as a high-school teacher and Kit Smythe and Nancy McCarthy as secretaries Ginger and Bunny, respectively. (Producer Sherwood Schwartz recast the three roles after the show was sold as a series.) Gilligan (Bob Denver), the Skipper (Alan Hale Jr.), Thurston Howell III (Jim Backus) and Lovey Howell (Natalie Schafer) are, however, along for the ride.
According to TBS, this lost episode got high marks from preview audiences and was instrumental in selling the series to CBS. But the network declined to use it as the pilot, instead airing "Two on a Raft" as the premiere episode. Some scenes from the unused show were also later used in the first season's Christmas show and also in the 12th episode titled "Birds Gotta Fly, Fish Gotta Talk."
Another change involved the calypso-style music in the pilot, which was developed by none other than John Williams, who later did the TV theme for "Lost in Space" and the score for "Star Wars." The series theme became "The Ballad of Gilligan's Island," sung by the Wellingtons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)