MERRY CHRISTMAS

I just wanted to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year. The photo I'm including probably doesn't measure up to the creativity of Bill's Christmas cards, but I thought that you might like to see him when he was Billy and those Christmas cards hadn't even crossed his mind. From sometime late 50s or early 60s - and now the cover of my latest Christmas compilation CD - Billy & Santa Claus.

Cheers!!!

PARROT JOKE

I am working on a few things in the way of posts which will appear sometime in the New Year. Until then only a few smalls posts will appear. A friend forwarded this joke and when I read it I could almost hear Bill laughing.


A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back.

John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hands, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

KAYO AND MARY ON BIG 2

For those of you who are family members, you may want to visit The Big Bukowski II. Starting yesterday and running for 40 days I am featuring Kazimierz (Kayo) and Mary Urbanowicz (known as Dziadzi and Babci to my brother, sister, my nephews and I) - aka our grandparents. Here's a sample:

AEROSMITH IN 3D

As most of you probably know, Bill worked on an Aerosmith 3D concert film back in 1982 or 1983 (during a period when Joe Perry was not with the band). If I remember correctly, Bill told me that the film was shown in the Far East even though it never made it to the screen in America. So, while the U2 3D film may be the first to utilize the latest digital technology, the Aerosmith 3D film may have been the first rock concert shot in 3D. Take that Bono!

Here are a few photos from the Aerosmith shoot, including a couple of rare photos of Steven Tyler on drums. The originals are in the form of stereo slides. That's Bill behind the camera in the first photo.

U2 IN 3D

'U2 3D' On Screen in January.
from U2.com

'U2 3D', the first live action movie ever shot, produced, and exhibited in digital 3-D, is set to open worldwide in late January. National Geographic Cinema Ventures have confirmed the details and we've got the first photos.


Filmed during the band's Vertigo Tour dates in South America last year, the movie is directed by Catherine Owens and Mark Pellington and will be released in both digital 3-D (REAL D and Dolby) and IMAX theaters from late January 2008.


"When the reviews came in after our screening at Cannes, we were thrilled," said Owens. "We wanted to use this technology to make viewers feel like they were actually at the concert and sometimes even onstage. The feedback from fans, critics and the industry was phenomenal."


Owens, a friend of the band since they were teenagers in Dublin, directs visual content when U2 are on tour and directed the 2005 video for Original of the Species. Pellington also goes way back with the band - at the helm for a version of 'One' back in 1992 (featuring artist David Wojnarowicz's buffalo imagery) and helping create to the unique visual vibe of ZOO TV.



Here's the trailor.

STONES VIRTUAL TICKET

Bill cerainly would have enjoyed the Virtual Ticket feature on the The Rolling Stones site. The feature allows you to view concert footage from Stones shows. Click here to have a look for yourself.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 29

To conclude this month's photo feature, here are a couple of photos from Bill, of Bill, from March 1980.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 28

Early in the month I focused on a different type of garden. I don't think this was Bill's garden, but I am sure he appreciated it.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 27

On the occassion of his 26th birthday, here a couple of photos of Bill's nephew/Godson, Joe (left), with his brother Robert. Joe is approximately 6 years old in the photos; Robert is 2.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 26

Michael can certainly vouch for Bill's obsession with ducks. Here's a different slant on duck photos, with Sheila lending a hand in New York's Chinatown, December 1982.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 25

I'm not sure of the reason so many photos (at least 10) were taken of foil-wrapped food, but here are two of those photos.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 24

More from Spain, 1980.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 23

Here are few photos from Spain taken in 1980.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 22

Here are three photos on location (Spain) from "Comin' At Ya!"

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 21

Two photos from the desert in 1988.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 20

From 1987, a photo of our Mom and a photo of our Dad and our nephew Jason.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 19

A couple more from Catalina.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 18

Here are two photos from Catalina Island, date unknown.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 17

On the water around Vancouver in 1986.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 16

More from the cable cars.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 15

Another day at the Expo - this time from the cable cars.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 14

Not the best of the photos, but since I have always been a big John Lennon fan, these have sentimental value. A few photos of John's car (a Bentley?) from the Vancouver Expo.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 13

I was able to track down the hotel in this photo, and my previous suspicions were corrected: the photos on the slide reels which are being featured are all from the Vancouver area.

PICTURES FROM BILLY, DAY 12

I am going to guess that these photos were taken in or near Vancouver.