George Langworthy

Dedication Mastery & Inspiration

2010-01-23T12:47:00.000-08:00

I went to see Brad Mehldau perform last evening in Santa Barbara. Having been a big fan of his for years, I have seen him play many times and he is always amazing but last night was definitely the best show I have seen. He was solo and I much prefer that to with his trio. Taking pop and rock songs and reinventing them with his hybrid Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and myriad of other influences never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Set list included all covers and it was fun seeing young hipsters at the end of the show explaining the song to grey haired jazz aficionados - The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony", Massive Attack's Teardrop, "Needle and the Damage Done", Stone Temple Pilot's "Waiting on a Sunday Afternoon," Nirvana's "Lithium," "A Few of my Favorite Things," Nick Drake's "River Man" and a couple others.

And of course the other amazing part of going to see this show is that my mom got tickets and invited me. I have been really blessed with two super cool parents. As a musician, my mom always introduced me to great music and the joy of live performance. Seeing her play in civic orchestras had a great influence on me and there is nothing quite like seeing live music - whether it be a chamber orchestra, avant jazz, punk rock, drum circle... this list of music I have seen and loved is endless.

Panda Bear Inspiration

2009-12-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

I watched Kung Fu Panda last night and was tremendously inspired. The film shed light on my own work and led me to clarify some improvements on my documentary, Vanishing of the Bees - seemingly so different in nature. These well honed animated features have such great iconic storytelling, so unified.

I have to say that when they are done right - which happens less often than I would like to see - I simply love these gem like crafted big movies with all the fireworks pathos comedy and where every moment counts. And their ability to weave in jokes into tense situations is almost mystifyingly effortless.

I have been comparing the quest of Po, the Panda voiced by Jack Black and that of our main beekeepers David Hackenberg and Dave Mendes. So that is cool. But more interesting to me at this moment is how they prepared the script for Jack Black to play Po, adding character jokes and really tailoring it to him perfectly. The result is hilarious and the amount of transformation Po undergoes as well as his reluctant master is phenomenal.

My Favorite Music

2009-10-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

My favorite music is the music they play during advertisements. I can't possibly describe how much more I like the music in commercials than the "songs" on the radio, which are way too long if you ask me.

Having said that, here are some of the bands I would like if I had time.

Unfortunately, I am just too busy to listen to music these days.

The Country Bears, Badfinger, The Cars, The Partridge Family, Thelonious Monk, Nik Kershaw, Claude Debussy, John Tesh, Doc Watson, 'Lil Bow Wow, Diana Ross, Radiohead, China Crisis, early Mozart, Shaun Cassidey, The Smiths, Oscar Peterson, Jim Neighbors, Chopin, Burl Ives, Louis Jordan, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Tom Jobim, Claudine Longet, Boards of Canada, The Dukes of Stratosphere, Anyone Singing a Karaoke Version of Meatloaf - "Paradise by the Dashboard Light," Elvis Costello, John Denver, Mylo, John Gold, Queen, Peter Gabriel, Notorious BIG, Brian Eno, Queensryche, Public Enemy, James Brown, Jack McKeever, Marvin, Stevie, Aretha, Billie, Joni, Rufus, Townes, Elliot, Engelbert, Miles, John, Charlie, Dizzie, Cannonball, Milt, Philip, Coleman, Duke, Count, Chet, Wolfgang, Buddy, Gene, Benny & Ella.

My Early Years, Life Goals & Favorite Color

2009-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Kansas and like to climb trees.

I always say "God Bless You" when I hear someone sneeze, even if they are really far away.

I love garlic and broccoli and spinach. My spirit animal is the mountain lion, or Puma. I don't own any Puma brand clothing or footwear at present. But that is all going to change once I hit the big time and start clocking duckets. I fully intend to become well known in all forms of magazine articles for my pimp wardrobe someday.

My favorite color is green, and in case you didn't know - it is a proven fact that Buddha's favorite color was green and Doug Henning's second favorite color is green and Tom Waits' favorite color is olive, which is close.

A Little Bit about Me....

2009-10-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

I love advertisements! Nothing beats a really great t.v. commercial, but I like them all - magazine ads, bathroom postcards, billboards, every shape and form. I can't get enough! My one wish in life is that there was more advertising out in the world. Thanks for reading my first blog! Have a great day.