४ जून, २०२५

"I love this style of clue, where even if you don't know the exact trivia (I've never heard of the band or the song) you can puzzle it out based on the context."

Writes Malika, at Rex Parker Does the NY Times Crossword Puzzle.

Here's the clue: "Girl in Jefferson Airplane's 'White Rabbit.'"

One day everything new will be old, and one day everything will be forgotten. 

६२ टिप्पण्या:

love johnson म्हणाले...

Alice!

Clyde म्हणाले...

Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway did a live video of "White Rabbit" (in Alice in Wonderland costumes) a couple of years ago. Great bluegrass version of the song.

https://youtu.be/LeHlvXvG6vA?si=9e_k-eDMZisqlgyN

R C Belaire म्हणाले...

"...(I've never heard of the band or the song)". That in itself is an interesting and revealing statement.

Mr. Forward म्हणाले...

"Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall."
Jefferson Airplane. May 23, 1970 Camp Randall Field House, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI.
Grace Slick leaned way over the stage to take a hit off my hash pipe and I was enveloped in no bra cleavage. Peak Hippie.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Grace Slick, Marty Balin and Paul Kanter.
David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.

Six fantastic voices!

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Oh, I loved the “Red Octopus” album when it was released.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway did a live video of "White Rabbit" (in Alice in Wonderland costumes) a couple of years ago...."

I went right to Spotify to listen, so I hope these younger NYT puzzle solvers will go somewhere and listen to the Jefferson Airplane.

I'm mildly pained to see how little is remembered as time passes.

Sometime odd things come back to life, like that Connie Francis song we talked about the other day ("Pretty Little Baby").

Wilbur म्हणाले...

And I'm unfamiliar with Jonelle Monae, so I feel you, Mailika (whoever you are).

Is she a frequent commenter or contributor to that blog?

Wilbur म्हणाले...

AA, why should it pain you that artists of our time are largely forgotten now? It's natural.

Many great peformers of 90 or 100 years ago are forgotten now. Van and Schenck, the Ink Spots, Emmett Miller come to mind.

MarkW म्हणाले...

"I'm mildly pained to see how little is remembered as time passes." When it comes to the popular music of the last decades of the 20th century, I think it's unprecedented how much is remembered. In the 60s and 70s, how much of the music of the 1900-1920 period was remembered, performed, and still heard on the radio or as background music in public? I'd say -- virtually none. And 1965 is now as distant from 2025 as 1905 was from 1965.

Old and slow म्हणाले...

There is an excellent BBC show called Ludwig about a professional puzzle setter who finds himself impersonating his detective twin brother to try to solve his mysterious disappearance. Puzzles within puzzles. It's a bit silly, but very enjoyable.

gilbar म्हणाले...

the first thought that went through my brain was,
"HOW would people know the answer is Grace Slick without knowing the band?"

Jamie म्हणाले...

A problem for me with Jefferson Airplane is that they eventually became Starship. That was my era, and although MTV would tell a gal the history of this band singing execrable pop, knowing the history wasn't enough to make me want to spend my hard-earned cash to listen to their original incarnation.

Kids today don't have to spend more money than they already spend on a streaming service, to listen to music of the past. Maybe this is why they all know Southern Cross and such.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
rehajm म्हणाले...

These whippersnappers with their own likes and ideas…

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

Heartless Aztec said...
My high school students know the Beatles and that's about it. Nor do theu care that they don't know. Rolling Stones who?

Reddington म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Iman म्हणाले...

Airplane good! Starship NOT good!

“We built this city”… my keister.

Iman म्हणाले...

“If only you believe…”… BLECH! 🤮

Wince म्हणाले...

For musical, cultural and historic reasons the Woodstock version is my favorite. Stripped-down, intimate yet huge.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vl89g2SwMh4

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"AA, why should it pain you that artists of our time are largely forgotten now? It's natural."

Why should naturalness avoid pain?

I would like the best things to live on. It's good for the bad to be forgotten. Leaves more room.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I don't mind forgetting Jefferson Starship, but I want Jefferson Airplane remembered.

Wince म्हणाले...

My absolute favorite lyric from We Built this City…

“Knee-deep in the hoopla.”

Biff म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said..."I'm mildly pained to see how little is remembered as time passes."

I was thinking similar thoughts while going down a rabbit hole of excellent music from the 70s just yesterday.

Perhaps it's the flip side of people in their 40s and older knowing very little about what today's teens and 20-somethings are listening to. (I'm purposely avoiding editorializing about the actual quality of music. That's not really the point.)

Related: Was it here on Althouse that I learned about @soundwavesoffwax? Short videos of a 20-something discovering music in her deceased dad's vinyl collection. The guy had eclectic tastes, and I've been enjoying discovering music from "my" time that I never knew. Just search for "soundwavesoffwax" to find her vids on your favorite social media channel.

WK म्हणाले...

We were at an AC/DC concert last week in Cleveland and I commented at the time on the number of younger (high school and 20-somethings) in the crowd that were singing along to 50 year old songs. I never listened to 1920s music when I was in high school.

And there seem to be a bunch of you tube videos posted of reactions of “younger” people hearing rock classics for the first time. Multiple posters making multiple videos on that theme.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Was the answer “ALICE” or was it “POORALICE”?

Aggie म्हणाले...

It's easy to see why fewer things are remembered now - most everything in culture is easily found and recovered for inspection nowadays, with a few minute on the internet. The electronic world inhabits a lot more of our consciousness than we think it does, and it shapes a lot more of our thinking and behavior, too.

I still remember using the Dewey decimal system and card catalogs and prowling the stacks to find research material in order to progress my knowledge. You had to remember things, back then, because if you didn't, you lost them and they stayed lost.

Chuck म्हणाले...

There hasn’t been any good rock & roll since the ‘60’s.

AMDG म्हणाले...

Jefferson Starship is better than Airplane which is better than Starship.

Sweetie म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Sweetie म्हणाले...

Alternate musical clue: Willin truckdriver's dallas girl

Deep State Reformer म्हणाले...

I was doing a crossword last week and the clue, from memory, was "the main ingredient in (some foreign word) sauce". There is no way to solve that but to do some internet word searches which to me feels like cheating. I prefer sudokus.

Jeff म्हणाले...

White Rabbit came out 58 years ago, in 1967...When you were, say 16 years old, how many songs did you know from 58 years ago. My (least) favorite moment with a student recently was when he told me he "liked classic movies, you know from the 80's and 90's." Still, what can you do?

rehajm म्हणाले...

It may salve to examine the interest from more than just this one youngster. The twenty somethings in my family are discovering films from mine and yours generations, devouring recommendations and reporting back. I don’t think they listen to music at all- they’re pretty good at turning stuff off, but they were raised well…

…and just me but do we really want to lament she doesn’t recall a hit what was on the billboard for only 10 weeks and in the top ten for two?

Wince म्हणाले...

I’m surprised William Shatner never did a Golden Throats version of White Rabbit, as he’d played Alice’s father in the 1970s TV movie “Go Ask Alice.”

However, here’s a must-see Star Trek version of White Rabbit.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pAX7XVuS70k

Terry di Tufo म्हणाले...

it was so frustrating that I couldn't get "Grace" or "Slick" to work when I filled them in. (But know everything lost will be recovered when you drift into the arms of the undiscovered)

Jamie म्हणाले...

I don't mind forgetting Jefferson Starship, but I want Jefferson Airplane remembered.

Even Jefferson Starship was before my time (actually more like "outside my parents' taste, so we didn't have any in the house). It was straight to plain old Starship for me - bleah.

Although yes, "knee-deep in the hoopla" is a pretty funny line. The rest of the song - could they be more arrogant and yet less emblematic of the Bay Area?

Kate म्हणाले...

What kind of parent doesn't introduce their kid to "White Rabbit"? Dereliction of duty.

Howard म्हणाले...

One of the best uses of a rock song in a movie was Somebody to Love in the Cohen Brothers A Serious Man. Like in Alice, Grace Slick's powerful voice communicates directly to the lizard brain.

Iman म्हणाले...

I remember comedian Paul Rodriguez making sport of Paul Kantner when they were both guests on a panel of a TV show. Kantner would make a comment on a subject under discussion and Rodriguez would smile and say something along the lines of “you took so many drugs that you can’t make a coherent statement about anything, why would any sane person believe anything you say!?”

It was funnier than it sounds, especially Kantner’s reactions.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"One of the best uses of a rock song in a movie was Somebody to Love in the Cohen Brothers A Serious Man."

Agree.

It often comes up in conversation at Meadhouse.

n.n म्हणाले...

Birth.

AMDG म्हणाले...

Here is another trivia question.

In the Van Morrison song “Domino” he asks a DJ to play more rhythm & blues music. The reference was to an actual DJ from radio station WBCN in Boston who went on to greater fame. Who was the DJ?

rehajm म्हणाले...

Who was the DJ?

Rapunzel!

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

I know who the DJ was- I was a big fan of his band growing up.

George Leroy Tirebiter म्हणाले...

After Bathing At Baxters is by far my fave Airplane lp.

Wince म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
"One of the best uses of a rock song in a movie was Somebody to Love in the Cohen Brothers A Serious Man."

Bullshit! It was in the Cable Guy.

Somebody to Love

Wince म्हणाले...

italics off.

Smilin' Jack म्हणाले...

“Jefferson Airplane. May 23, 1970 Camp Randall Field House, University of Wisconsin, Madison WI.
Grace Slick leaned way over the stage to take a hit off my hash pipe and I was enveloped in no bra cleavage.”

Ah, the memories that form the milestones of our lives. Unfortunately, I moved to Madison a few months after that, so I missed that one.

J L Oliver म्हणाले...

In 1967 I loved Harper Bizarre’s version of Anything Goes. My younger teenage brain was blown to find out it was a song from the 1920’s by some guy named Cole Porter.

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

I think the clue would have been better thus: Grace sings about her in 'White Rabbit.' You're looking for a first name after all.

Elliott A. म्हणाले...

@Sweetie Dallas Alice!

Elliott A. म्हणाले...

Many radio stations played in many offices are all 60s through 80s. Not forgotten

Jim Gust म्हणाले...

Sometimes lost art is resurrected. I discovered the Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) by searching for the origination of "I Will Wait for You," which was brilliantly used in an episode of Futurama.

Ted म्हणाले...

If you know this song, I guess you're also old enough to remember when people discussed psychedelic drugs as something other than experimental treatments for depression and anxiety, or tools for increasing productivity among tech CEOs.

Hassayamper म्हणाले...

Haha, you all thought it was Alice, and it was actually the Red Queen.

Iman म्हणाले...

“Now anybody ever seen her
They call her Miss Demeanor
Watch the way she slides from side to side
Move so loose, look so good
Plays in every game she could.

Now she smell so sweet, like apple pie
Oh so good 'bout, 'bout to make me die
For a slice or two I'd be a fool
'Round the neighbourhood they say
She don't give no slice away.”

Left Bank of the Charles म्हणाले...

For the “Somebody to Love” song title, you may immediately associate Jefferson Airplane, I associate Queen, and I’m sure there are some youngsters who associate Justin Bieber.

This likely isn’t a case of forgetting. You can’t forget something you never knew. Here’s the good news. As between Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the right one is being remembered.

AMDG म्हणाले...

Peter Wolf of the J Geils Band

Peachy म्हणाले...

Dave Begley - Me too. Loved that album.

FullMoon म्हणाले...

"Ted said...

If you know this song, I guess you're also old enough to remember when people discussed psychedelic drugs as something other than experimental treatments for depression and anxiety, or tools for increasing productivity among tech CEOs."

Far out, man, far out..
Govt and MSM said LSD made you believe you could fly off tall buildings.
Can't remember if I ever tried that.

NKP म्हणाले...

That was a “clue”? I remember when the NYT X-word was kinda challenging.

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