(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Kitchen Table Kibitzing 12/31/2023: New Year's Eve [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-31 Good evening, Kibitzers, and happy new year! This is the last Sunday :crosses fingers: that side pocket will be away, for now anyway, so I will quietly slink back to Tuesdays when 2024 arrives. I am not sure how many people will be hanging out here on New Year’s Eve — I myself have a Zoom party to attend, but since the hostess is on the west coast, it won’t start until 11 pm EST, well after this space usually quiets down. I hope that at least some of you have something special to do, but I realize we are all of us not as young as we used to be. I’ve just tossed a few things below the fold, to entertain anyone who shows up. This ambiance video pretty much covers the bases — living room with Christmas tree and teensy woodstove, with glass wall overlooking snowstorm plus New Year’s fireworks above a mountain town. [10:59:28] In case you missed the recent Geminids meteor shower the nights of December 13 and 14, Subaru Telescope, atop Mauna Kea in Hawaii, has you covered with this time-lapse video of both nights. The telescope is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. [2:46] And if you have wondered what the deal is with Auld Lang Syne, Vox has you covered. [6:34] This video has been up for a week, and has already been posted all over DK, which disappointed me because I’d saved it for a KTK immediately on seeing it. But, if I have learned one thing here, it’s that, just because someone posted something, that doesn’t mean everyone saw it. So here it is, for those who have not seen it and those who’d watch it again. As part of the Letters Live performances I wrote about last year, Edie Falco reads an open letter to white supremacists written in 2017, shortly after Charlottesville, by a Salt Lake City resident named Jonna Ramey. The letter was published in The Salt Lake Tribune. [2:44] As noted in KTK comments a few days ago, in 2000, the Firesign Theatre did a live broadcast on Pacifica Radio, narrating the Rose Bowl Parade. True to their improv style, they were narrating the actual Rose Bowl Parade in real time (and they encouraged listeners to put the parade on TV with the sound down), but the events they described in no way corresponded to the events in reality. The show audio is available on the Internet Archive here, and is funny enough with no visual, but now, thanks to the miracle of YouTube, we can see the parade in question with Alternative Parade narration. [1:59:48] Director Denny Tedesco, who brought us the film The Wrecking Crew documenting a group of amazing session musicians, has released a new film this month, Immediate Family. It’s about a later generation of amazing session players, featuring Danny Kortchmar, Leland Sklar, Russ Kunkel, and Waddy Wachtel. It’s now streaming in All The Places — here’s the trailer. [2:01] I don’t usually post Tasting History episodes, because I know you know they’re out there. I’m making an exception for this special appearance by distinguished historian of African and African-American foodways Michael Twitty, showing Max how to make proper Hoppin’ john for New Year’s, and discussing its history. [22:02] Intrepid domino artist Lily Hevesh brings us a festive new year’s display of things knocking other things over, in a carefully-planned sort of way. [1:12] Let’s close with some music! For classical fans, this Johann Sebastian Bach cantata (BWV 28) is entitled Gottlob! nun geht das Jahr zu Ende (“Praise God! Now the year is ending”). One imagines he didn’t mean it the way it sounds. Performance by the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir, conducted by Ton Koopman, with soloists Deborah York (Soprano), Bogna Bartosz (Alto), Jörg Dürmüller (Tenor), and Klaus Mertens (Bass). [13:25] For Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year’s Eve, BBC Scotland does an annual concert show. In 1997, James Taylor was their guest, and performed with Scottish artists Dougie MacLean and Karen Matheson. Taylor’s YouTube channel has been dropping songs from that show all month. First, Scottish/Irish folk song Wild Mountain Thyme, with Colin McFarlane (dulcimer), Phil Cunningham (keys), Kevin Wilkinson (drums), Jim Prime (keys), John Saich (bass) and Michael McDoldrick (Uilleann pipes). [3:30] And then, perhaps inevitably, Auld Lang Syne, aided by enthusiastic audience members, some in kilts. [2:21] I learn, from some tangential link I read while writing this, that the ever-cautious Scots do not wish people a happy new year before midnight has struck, because that would be bad luck. Instead, they wish them happy Hogmanay, and “Happy new year when it comes”. Sounds right — why borrow trouble? Happy Hogmanay, my friends, and happy new year when it comes! May our path be clearer and more free of trouble than it may look. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/31/2214346/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-12-31-2023-New-Year-s-Eve?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/