Bill Geist's Zeitgeist

Star Trek Before Star Trek

We were hanging out the other night in Salt Lake’s funky Bar X, savoring a way cool combo of Bourbon and Absinthe with a hint of orange, diggin' the vibe of this retro throwback with ulta-modern mixologists.

Bar X is also known to show B movies on its flat screens (which totally completes the experience). And, on this particular night, it’s the 1956 semi-classic “World Without End.”

OMG...it’s Star Trek a full decade before Gene Roddenberry brought the genre-changing franchise to the little screen. Other than the landing party using six-shooters (as opposed to phasers) to eliminate threats, it’s all there! The uniforms, the sliding doors, the cheesy control panels, the desolate planet topography. And, yes, the scantily-clad chicks that so want to do the visiting earthlings (though the Kirk-esque Rod Taylor doesn’t get to try out a blue one).

And it’s not just Star Trek that apparently drew from this low-rated classic, as one of the alien races with which the landing party engages has skull caps that are so Galaxy Quest that we totally laughed our asses off. And then, started talking like the Thermians the rest of the night (I swear it wasn't the Absinthe).

There’s no question it’s tough finding this B-movie gem...but, if you’re a fan of the Original Series, it’s so worth looking for.

Gene...you little thief.

Boz

Madison doesn't have the notoriety it deserves as a breeding ground for exceptional musicians as do places like Seattle, Austin, Nashville and Oklahoma. But, the list is surprisingly long.

Richard Davis, Garbage, Clyde Stubblefield, Jane Wiedlin, Timbuk3...the list is eclectic and, depending on one's definition of "famous," can go on for pages. Kyle Henderson, Michael Massey, Jay Moran & Emmettville, Ari Herstand, Freedy Johnston, Bascom Hill...you get the picture (and j'excuse to those friends I've skipped).

The "supergroup" that no one, at the time, knew was a supergroup was the Ardells, the precursor to the Steve Miller Band, which not only included Les Paul's young, ambitious protege but future jazz legend Ben Sidran and '70s-80s pop phenom Boz Scaggs.

As summer gives way to autumn and as the leaves begin to turn, we offer one of the Boz-man's best..."We're All Alone" on this last Music Friday in September.

Signs, Signs...

As we've mentioned from time to time, it often takes an outside pair of eyes to see something that stares locals in the face each and every day.

I recently went to meet with the Deputy Director of an Economic Development unit. As I entered the lobby of the County Building, I saw the pictured office locator kiosk that identified that the office I sought was on the second floor.

Suffice to say it wasn't. It was across the street.

When I asked the receptionist when they had moved into their new crib, she cocked her head quizzically and said...

Wait for it...

"5 years ago...why?"

Yet the sign across the street survives.

Simply Sensational Targeting

Unless you are Vegas, relying on a message to the masses is futile. And, thus, a colossal waste of resources.

The smart ones target. And Meet Minneapolis just nailed a beauty in my hometown of Madison.

Minneapolis was recently named the 10th Gayest city in America by Advocate.com...and it's nearby neighbor was named Number 8. But, there's a big difference.

Same Sex couples can marry in Minnesota. They can't right next door in Wisconsin.

So Meet Minneapolis has brilliantly rolled out the red carpet for their cheese-loving friends...in Madison's alternative weekly (click the image to enlarge the full page ad) with a custom invitation that calls Madison out by name.

Perfect...and Perfect.

Well played, Melvin and crew. Exceptionally well played.

The Boxer

While there are some singers that can inspire goosebumps, it is often the pairing of two voices that creates the magic we all love in music.

It's playing out in the latest Bon Jovi tour as Richie Sambora watches from the sidelines. For, as good as Jon is, the sound that sold a bazillion records relied on Richie's harmonies. When Jefferson Starship transitioned from Grace Slick to Mickey Thomas, people said Mickey sounded a lot like Grace...but it was David Freiberg's backing vocals that people were really hearing.

And, as much as Paul Simon is one of rock's most distinctive voices (and songwriters)...it was the pairing with Art Garfunkel that created the magic.

On this Music Friday, we offer you Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer," live from Central Park an amazing 32 years ago. And, as a two-fer, check out the live cover version from Shawn Colvin and Alison Krause.

Yeah...goosebumps from both.

Like it Was Yesterday

Y'ever reconnect with old friends that you haven't seen in years? While there are a handful in which the conversation goes painfully cold within a few minutes, if they were really good friends...it's like you never left.

Yesterday, I bumped into a friend from B School at the airport in Atlanta. Today, I hung with the ex-CEOs of Wisconsin's Destination Marketing Organizations.

What an amazing 36 hours. Especially with the former DMO execs. Especially with the two guys that constantly picked at each other for over a decade at State Association meetings. Always in a good way (like Cramden and Norton) and ...and always eliciting a laugh from their peers.

We weren't two minutes into lunch and they started in on each other...and the laughter was infectuous.

Like we never left.

Good friends are such a gift. Long lost friends are even more so.

Thanks to all of mine. And, you should really reach out to connect with all of yours.

Resistance is Futile

If you're still holding onto hope that this whole mobile thing will right itself and we can all get back to traditional screens...think again.

New research from IDC estimates that 87% of all connected devices will be Tablets or Smartphones within four years.

For those that struggle with math...that would translate to, ummm, 13% of screens will be laptops and desktop computers.

Yeah...good luck with putting off that mobile strategy much longer.

Smart, Targeted Trial

I'm always amazed when I slide behind the wheel of a rental car that is equipped with Satellite Radio...and the only station it plays is the "Preview Channel."

Really? Satellite Radio is over a decade old. With the exception of those just entering the market, the vast majority of consumers have made up their minds whether this is a worthwhile expenditure. No amount of advertising is about to materially move the needle on this product.

Trial, on the other hand, will. And the location where trial is most likely to convert a customer is, yes, in a rental car.

A concept that has not been lost on Porsche...which has just provided Delta with 8 Cayennes designed to shuttle their most elite fliers between flights with tight connections. On the tarmac.

Porsche's Trevor Bleedorn says, "What we're getting is roughly just over 80 people a day. Delta's high value customers. They're collecting them for us and we're getting them to touch and experience our product directly."

Porsche has invested $400,000 in Cayennes for this Atlanta test (which is likely to expand to New York, Minneapolis and L.A. in the weeks ahead).

Satellite Radio? It's witholding an essentially free (to them) service that will result in squandering millions in lifetime value of potential converts.

No, I don't get it either.

 

Dracula: A Rock Ballet

A slight departure on this Music Friday...but time is growing short to score tickets for the command performance of the Madison Ballet's "Dracula: A Rock Ballet."

Scored by our friend Mike Massey, we caught the world premiere last spring...and the soundtrack hasn't left the CD tray in the car since its release in June.

If you're near and want to see a thrilling steampunk mashup of several mediums...this is the ticket, at the Capitol Theatre, October 23rd through 26th.

On the fence? Enjoy this just-released trailer of music and eye candy from the premier.

De-Icing with Cheese

Say what you will about my State's politics, calling water fountains "bubblers" and our affinity for all things cheese, you gotta love the minds here in Wisconsin that cooked up the idea that we could reduce the environmental impact of de-icing roads with rock salt.

We've already tried beets and molasses.

Now, we'll attempt to enhance winter driving safety with cheese.

Or, more accurately, cheese brine...which is a waste by-product of the cheese making process.

Milwaukee is moving ahead with its plans to test the concept this winter.

No word yet on whether it will turn the white lines to yellow.