Eight Electric Objects Play Queen's Don't Stop Me Now

The Device Orchestra is Tommi (right), a Finnish YouTuber who creates music covers using electric objects (e.g. electric toothbrushes, credit card machines, typewriters). He controls the devices using a microcontroller, some wires, and his programming skills. 

Check out his awesome cover of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now". It is played by 8 electric devices: 2 toothbrushes, 3 credit card machines, 2 typewriters, and one telephone. It's incredibly satisfying to listen to. 

And I always love the extra step he takes to make the devices look like little creatures by dressing them up in googly eyes and wigs.

 

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. 

Yesterday, Liverpool whipped AFC Bournemouth good and proper. Nine goals and it could have been more. No exaggeration. 

The Reds – they finally delivered – were brilliant and the Cherries had been awful. 

The avalanche of goals started when in the third minute, Luis Diaz rose to powerfully head home the opener and the impressive Harvey Elliott curled in his first top-flight goal with a sublime strike from outside the box three minutes after. Full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold thumped a long-range shot into the top corner in the twenty-eighth minute, with all three goals assisted by Roberto Firmino. 

The Brazil forward went from provider to scorer when he acrobatically converted from inside the six-yard box in the thirty-first minute and Virgil van Dijk rose superbly to meet an Andrew Robertson corner, heading back across goal and into the net fourteen minutes later. 

Bournemouth’s misery was compounded by a goal from one of their own players, just into the wrong net in the forty-sixth minute before Firmino poked home Liverpool’s seventh in the sixty-second minute after a fortunate deflection. FYI, it marked his 100th goal for Liverpool in all competitions. 

The eighth goal was from a threatening ball into the box by Alexander-Arnold which culminated in the ball sitting up beautifully for the Reds’ summer signing, Fabio Carvalho to volley home in the eightieth minute and then, Colombia winger Diaz headed in the ninth in the eighty-fifth minute to complete an incredible victory.

Six different goalscorers in a 9-0 win. And the league campaign is back on track.

Queen Pop-Up Store in London

British rock icons Queen open a pop-up store "Queen The Greatest" in London, UK on Tuesday to celebrate the band's five decades in music. 

Formed in 1971, they went on to have worldwide hits with songs such as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Are The Champions", “Another One Bites the Dust” and "Fat Bottomed Girls". 

Through several themed rooms on two levels, the shop retraces Queen's career up to the 2010s, including their legendary concerts and tours of the 1980s. 

The store will be open for three months on the famous Carnaby Street, the heart of Swinging Sixties London, just a few steps from the shop of another cult British band, the Rolling Stones. 

A variety of memorabilia is on sale, including a Rubik's cube decorated with the faces of the band members, a "Queen" edition of the Monopoly board game and guitars signed by Brian May as well as the ubiquitous T-shirts. 

For Monopoly enthusiasts, they should know that the goal of this Monopoly game has been altered to reflect the band's legacy – instead of buying up real estate and utilities in an effort to bankrupt friends and family, players will instead attempt to achieve Queen-style greatness by following "the amazing gig history of Queen, from their very first at Imperial College in 1970 to their last with Freddie Mercury at Knebworth Park in 1986” and buying "gig locations and hit singles" as they go. 

Aside from the altered board and game narrative, Queen Monopoly boasts an assortment of new playing pieces designed after key moments in the band's history. In addition to May's guitar, players can choose from a robot (inspired by the News of the World album artwork), a bicycle (a nod to the bands' "Bicycle Race"), a vacuum cleaner (as seen in the video for “I Want to Break Free") and a hammer (an allusion to “Hammer to Fall”).

As Monopoly fans are well aware, this is not the first time the venerable game has launched a special edition tying in with some sort of cultural phenomenon. 

In addition to the above, a unique "Queen" pinball machine and concert footage projected onto the wall give the space a fan club feel. The band's greatest hits, such as "We Will Rock You" or "Killer Queen" provide the soundtrack, piped through speakers. 

"For a Queen fan it's an amazing opportunity to come here and be immersed in the world of Queen, to know that you can come here to speak with like-minded people... and be able to find mementos", Keith Taperell, vice president of Bravado, the company responsible for merchandising within Universal Music group, told AFP.

3 Sculptures: Baby Yoda, Freddie Mercury and Venom

On July 13, 2020, I published a post (“Corona + Virus”) featuring 3 time-lapse videos that showcase the attentive and meticulous treatment given to sculpting three of my favorite comic book heroes, i.e. Deadpool, Wonder Woman and Batman – here are another 3 more videos that spotlight 3 more of my favorite characters, Baby Yoda, Freddie Mercury and Venom:

Pretty much the same art materials were used by Amadeus Garuda (aka Dr. Garuda) to sculpt the figurines: terracotta plasticine escultor, acrylic paint, wire, aluminium and lots of love! 

An accomplished artist, a masterly talent, a sculpting genius!

UK's Royal Mail Pay Tribute to Queen

Eight of the 13 postage stamps from the Queen collection. Picture: Royal Mail

One of the Royal Mail Queen presentation packs. Picture: Royal Mail 

UK’s Royal Mail stamps which usually showcase images of royalty and the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth, will now feature a different kind of Queen! 

The iconic band – comprising Brian May, Roger Taylor, John Deacon and the late Freddie Mercury – are to be immortalized on a series of postage stamps from the Royal Mail. The said collection of 13 stamps marks their 50th anniversary next month. 

They will go on sale from July 09 featuring the artwork of the most popular album covers, including Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, News of the World, The Game, The Works, and Innuendo. 

As well as some of the band's incredible live performances too, including pictures of Freddie Mercury at Wembley Stadium in 1986, Roger Taylor at Hyde Park in 1976, John Deacon at Hammersmith Odeon in 1975, and Brian May in Budapest in 1986. 

"It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps", guitarist Brian May (left) said. 

"Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held – we have become a national institution! And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail". 

Drummer Roger Taylor (right) added: “Wow... stamps featuring our albums! What an honour. We must be really part of the furniture now! Thanks Royal Mail for stamping on us! In gratitude”. 

Queen will be the third rock band to receive the honour, following the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.

I Think I've Died

Hey everybody, it is Day 30 of the MCO and I think I’ve died. Except that my brain doesn’t know it yet. 

Bizarrely, something Oscar Wilde once said popped in my head:

All because of the stay-at-home order. 

Maybe, that's why I can very much relate to the Quarantine Song – a cover of Bruno Mars’ The Lazy Song – performed by music maker Chaouch Zakaria aka Maestro Ziikos:

All because of Covid-19:

Angelina Jordan

I first came across Angelina Jordan (left) when I spotted her on an AGT: The Champions episode on YouTube. (This was during the Covid-19 stay-at-home period, you understand and life moves at a snail’s pace). 

She sang an Elton John song, "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" – and I perked up. I savored her voice and I absolutely loved it. Check her out here:

Of course, she progressed to the next stage and she did a remarkable interpretation of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. (I was livid she did not win in the Final – never mind, as far as I am concerned, she's a winner).

And when I googled her, I discovered that she was just 7-years-old when she won Norway’s Got Talent in 2014. 

She has done more than 130 covers and in addition to the two above, I have picked another 3 which make it to my playlist.

Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” (2011):

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “I Put a Spell on You” (1968):

 

I tell you, her version is as good as the other versions whether from Annie Lennox and/or Nina Simone and there are those who would venture to say it’s better than even the original!

Aretha Franklin’s “A Natural Woman” (1967):

Angelina Jordan is simply awesome!

Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

A Filipino Rendition of Freddie Mercury

A strong follow-up to my July 02, 2019 post A Filipino Spin on Michael Jackson – and today, it’s Freddie Mercury’s turn:

Enjoy!

This evening, I went to CP Tower in Jalan 16/11 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor – this time around, I was there for the Siemens Malaysia Toastmasters meeting. 

And in the Table Topics session, their Head of HR, Wan Nor Ailani who attended gamely participated. First speaker, summore! 

At this meeting, I was not only a speaker but also an evaluator for an Advanced speech from the manual, i.e. Specialty Speeches that coincidentally, I’m also working to complete. Both the speaker and I similarly aspire to earn our Advanced Communicator Gold award.

I presented a CC#9 Persuade with Power speech titled The Anger Within. 

I confess it was an interesting speech that came to me only when my name was called. It was about me coaxing anger to surge within me – so I could expel the nervous anxiety that was drowning me just as I was about to speak. 

I cannot explain it but it seems that I always get edgy before any speech. Strange but true.

Anyway, this was for my Competent Communication manual #60.

Peranakan Rhapsody

It’s a testament to how popular a song is when you find parodies of the said song being made. I had shared Jamaican Rhapsody

@ https://helpvictor.blogspot.com/2019/06/jamaican-rhapsody.html in my blog on June 20, 2019. 

And here's Peranakan Rhapsody. This song is dedicated to those who are into Peranakan culture – you get a glimpse of it via this music video:

On Monday, I was one of four Speech Coaches involved in a 3MT workshop @ Tamu Hotel & Suites in Jalan Abdullah, Kg Bharu in Kuala Lumpur. 

We were on Level 40 where we had a wonderful 180 degree view of the KL skyline – the photos were taken on a hazy morning (sometime at about 07:45 AM):

In this YKPG High Impact Leadership session, we weren’t preparing the postgrad students for the 3MT competition – but rather the focus was on Persuasive Communication that used the 3MT format. 

3MT means Three Minute Thesis and it is a research communication competition developed by The University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. 

The said exercise challenges PhD students to present a compelling oration on their thesis topic and its significance – in three minutes. 

3MT develops academic presentation and research communication skills and supports the development of research students’ capacity to effectively explain their research in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. 

An interesting approach, if I may add.