The last video I put up wasn’t at all creepy or disturbing, so I’m making up for that this week. Apparently, Hall & Oates were sitting around in their basement rec room one night getting stoned, and they decided to make a video. So they called up the couple next door and asked them to go to a costume shop and pick up the sparkliest, porn-iest devil costume available in 1974, and walk back and forth in front of them while they kind of pretended to mumble the words sometimes. And then the next day, everyone looked at it and still thought it was worth releasing, and it didn’t nip their career right in the bud. Amazing.  Good song, though, so here’s “She’s Gone,” by Hall & Oates, their first single from 1974.

(Incidentally, I wonder why so many older videos look so bad.  I realize they didn’t have digital recording back then, so these have been converted from VCR tapes.  But still, they look like they were rerecorded from tape to tape about 20 times, and then the tapes were left in the sun for a few years.  Or they were recorded by pointing a camcorder at the TV, possibly through several layers of wrinkly cellophane.)

This one isn’t really a favorite, and there are at least a half-dozen Manfred Mann songs I like better. But when I lived in Iowa, my friends and I used to listen to this one a lot more than it deserved.  It’s got kind of a spooky vibe to it that I like, especially the “Mayday this is Echo Hotel” part.  I have no idea what it’s actually about, and there only seem to be about six lines.  Maybe it really is about being stranded in Iowa.  Unfortunately, there’s no real video, just snowy pictures to go with the song. Here’s Stranded, by Manfred Mann, from 1980.

How would a group of monks who’ve taken a vow of silence sing the Hallelujah Chorus? A group of students came up with one possible way:

(H/T: Inside Catholic)

Here’s a story about a Texas couple, Deidrea and T.K. Laux, who found out the baby they were expecting had a rare DNA problem that probably wouldn’t allow him to live more than a few days past birth, if at all.  They decided to give him that chance and make the most of whatever time they had. Read more »

I usually don’t post on the weekends, because there are usually plenty of things going on, and when there’s free time, it’s best used for resting.  So I think on Sundays I’ll start posting a motivational or inspirational piece that I ran across during the week.  That won’t take an hour or two of writing and proofreading—I hope.

So here’s the first one.  It’s short and sweet, but a good reminder that we all face struggles, and that we can overcome them.  (Hat tip to Fallible Blogma.)

This is the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.  A Ukrainian woman tells the story of the German invasion during World War II, when 1/4 of the people of Ukraine were killed. And she does it by drawing in sand with her fingers.  I’m linking to it rather than embedding it, so you can read the story that goes with it; but seriously, go watch it.

Comments after the video:

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It’s going to be a busy weekend, and I don’t have much time to get ready for it, so I’m posting some “quick” links again.  I promise to actually write some stuff next week.

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Lots of people have the day off today, so I’ll be lazy and catch up on some links I’ve been saving up to share.  First a few fun Catholic ones.  I got a chuckle out of this one, found by St. Louis Catholic:

"If this is a Catholic Church, then where is the CRUCIFIX!"

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Many bloggers take it easy on Friday by offering lists of links, so who am I to argue? Here are some interesting Church-related things I’ve come across lately:

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