Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2008 August 4

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August 4

Sony

Who is Sony's mascot? Les Games (talk) 01:17, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

What gives you the idea that they have a mascot? I've never known them to have one... Is this maybe part of a regional advertising campaign? Dismas|^(talk) 02:09, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

After a quick Google search, this seems to suggest that Crash Bandicoot could be seen by some as an unofficial mascot. Dismas|^(talk) 02:11, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I concur with Dismas that Crash is the closest thing Sony Entertainment (video games) has to a mascot, at least in the US. However, its been awhile since the Playstation 1 days. The most strongly relatable character for Sony right now is Solid Snake from the Metal Gear Solid games in my opinion. --mboverload@ 01:16, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Since the Bandicoot games are cross-platform, it's impossible for him to be Sony's videogame mascot. --70.167.58.6 (talk) 00:41, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

If sony were to have a mascot, it would have to be a character synonymous with playstation, be exclusive and have several games to his or her credit, the few characters who come to mind would be Solid Snake and Ratchet. An alternative would be a console DEFINING character, for whom i have only two opinions, Cloud and Sephiroth of Final Fantasy vii.

Musical Instruments

Is it possible to make a reed instrument that slides (as in, like a trombone)? If so, what is the amximum number of reeds?

Is it possible to make a instrument with a mouthpiece like a recorder's that slides (as in, like a trombone)?68.148.164.166 (talk) 05:47, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Yes to both. See tromboon for the first, slide whistle for the second, and Category:Continuous pitch instruments for possible others. As for the number of reeds, I suppose the theoretical maximum number of reeds on a continuous pitch instrument is the same as the maximum number of any reed instrument. (The highest number mentioned in List of woodwind instruments is six, in the case of the hne, but other online sources seem to indicate that the hne in fact a double reed instrument). ---Sluzzelin talk 10:40, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Incidentally, I once attached an alto saxophone mouthpiece to a trumpet, using a bit of rubber hose as an interface, and was able to play it to a certain extent, but nothing like the source of inspiration for my experiment: the late musician and fabulous factotum Rahsaan Roland Kirk, who rendered a caricature of Miles's "Bye Bye Blackbird" (from the album 'Round About Midnight) using a sax mouthpiece and trumpet with harmon mute (and also caricaturing Miles's voice). It can be heard on the album The Man Who Cried Fire Another saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist, Eddie Harris, performed on a "reed trumpet", a construction of his own. The same should be possible with a trombone, but don't recall any (serious) "reed trombone" recordings. ---Sluzzelin talk 11:36, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

(note) I just read the article on Eddie Harris, and he actually did experiment with a reed trombone and called it the "saxobone". This page has a photograph, though I'm not sure whether it's the same design. ---Sluzzelin talk 05:55, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

A recorder does not have a reed!!! Put a sax mouthpeice on a trombone. then let us know —Preceding unsigned comment added by 193.115.175.247 (talk) 14:33, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

mixed talents

I remember this presentation sometime back in the late 1970s or early 1980s in which Chuck Mangione tried his hand at keyboards and backing vocals while the host was belting out a song. The song had a similar beat to the Wonder Woman theme song. What was the presentation?72.229.139.13 (talk) 11:47, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

how did U2's early fans react to the Joshua Tree

Hi, when The Joshua Tree came out, a lot of people (like me) discovered U2 and then got into their earlier stuff, and decided it was probably better. What happened with people who had followed them from the beginning, or at least since War? Did they warm to the new sound, and the commercial success, or did it cost them a lot of fans? It's been emotional (talk) 18:35, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

These folks can probably answer this question the best. --Endless Dan 19:27, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I think most hardcore fans agreed with the general consensus that The Joshua Tree was a new high point for their music. Other varied emotions came in as well: many were proud they had recognized their talent before anyone else, some were dismayed that their favorite band was now mainstream and lost its indie cachet, but almost everyone recognized that that was a great album even if some still preferred, say, War or Boy. I wonder, how did Brian Eno's fans react? —D. Monack ^talk 19:53, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm one of those earlier fans and I lost interest in U2 after the transition (but then again, maybe it was Bono's weird orange glasses that turned me off). StuRat (talk) 20:37, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I knew of their earlier work before The Unforgettable Fire came out, and I thought they were pretty reasonable, but nothing spectacular - certainly nothing that made them stand out from a host of other bands of the time. With Eno's input, however, it opened up huge new areas of sound for them and made them unique - it was only at that point that my interest was seriously piqued. mind you, I was also (and still am) a big Eno fan from way back, so that would have helped. As far as Eno's fans are concerned, they'd have already been aware of Eno'[s work as a producer (most specifically with Talking Heads, but also with everyone from Michael Nyman to Edikanfo, so it wouldn't have been much of a surprise to them. Grutness...wha? 23:27, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I'm with StuRat on this. U2 were never as good after War and Boy. They went from being a great indie band with something to say, to overblown stadium fillers with a more average mainstream sound. Astronaut (talk) 15:32, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Oh, I agree about the staium stuff - they got interesting when Eno took the helm for The Unforgettable Fire, and when the quirky experimentalism fired thereafter (notably on Achtung Baby) but much of their later work tends to be overblown. I'd regard UF as a peak. Grutness...wha? 01:08, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

When I saw U2 in concert during The Joshua Tree tour, it was a major disappointment. Maybe it was just an off night, but they played for only about 50 minutes in front of a stadium audience. I was certain that when they stopped, it was just an intermission, but nope--that was it. They just phoned it in. I had to apologize to friends who came to the show with me, assuring them that the band had been much better in the past. The Joshua Tree is a wonderful album, but the bland pop tune "With or Without You" was a sign of worse things to come. I never attended another U2 concert, and lost interest in the band with the release of Rattle and Hum. You can still count on them for a good song or two per album, but the days before Joshua was a special era not to be recovered. 24.172.156.74 (talk) 07:01, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Roling Stone Magazine spinoff - 1983

Around 1982 or 1983, the publishers of Rolling Stone Magazine created a short-lived spin-off publication printed on newsprint. Do you know the name of that publication?66.92.147.236 (talk) 19:33, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

• That would be Record. Started in '81. Changed from newsprint to glossy in '83. Ceased publication in '85. --jpgordon^∇∆∇∆ 23:13, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

the fallen (webcomics) - dead in the water?

Hi people. Does anyone know if webcomics The Fallen has been abandoned or just suspended? It has not updated in about two years now, which is a shame, as it was definitely one of the best-drawn webcomics around. The author's blog doesn't answer this question, it seems. Anyone knows anything? --OKMNJIUHB (talk) 23:43, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Why not just ask the author? Algebraist 23:55, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I assumed it would be inappropriate to email Ms. Ota with the question she is probably asked five times a day every day for the last two years. I expect she may have posted a definitive answer to it somewhere, but I couldn't find it with google. --OKMNJIUHB (talk) 00:18, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Well, if she's bothered by questions like that, then she'll presumably either ignore them or post an answer somewhere where it can be easily seen so people don't have to ask her. Generally speaking, though, if someone hasn't updated their webcomic for two years and hasn't even recently commented on that hiatus in any way at the comic's site, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for them to get back to it. It doesn't strike me as an indication of a strong artistic drive in that direction. -- Captain Disdain (talk) 01:26, 5 August 2008 (UTC)