Narco and the financial woes

Frankly I don't know what's sadder: the fact that Don Narcisse was apparently scammed out of his football retirement savings (LP), that a retired BC Lions offensive lineman did more to uncover the Ponzi scheme scams at the time than the RCMP commercial crimes unit or securities inspectors in BC and Alberta (Globe and Mail), or that Narco's total pension from playing 13 years of football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (Wikipedia) is $65,000.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

I know this isn't the kind of "cartoon" these Saturday morning posts are generally reserved for... but, holy crap, this is some of the most extraordinary animation I've ever seen.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Pick of the Day: Stone Temple Pilots

Can't say I was ever a big Stone Temple Pilots fan. But they are in town tonight, so what the hell. When the San Diego-based group first burst on the scene in the early '90s they were dismissed by some critics for simply offering up second-rate Seattle-style grunge in the manner of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Then there's front-man Scott Weiland's much documented struggles with heroin and cocaine addiction. That potent combination ("speedball" is one slang term for the mix) has done in a number of high-profile entertainers over the years, but so far he's managed to survive.

His addiction and legal troubles did lead to the band breaking up for a time, however. After a two album run with so-called supergroup Velver Revolver featuring ex-members of Guns 'N' Roses (who are themselves scheduled to play Brandt Centre in January) Weiland reunited with his bandmates last year. Following this tour, they are supposed to enter the studio to record a new album which is scheduled to be released in 2010. Then STP will be back on the road.

To get you loosened up for tonight's gig at the Brandt Centre, here's video of their 1996 performance of "Lady Picture Show" during a guest appearance on Letterman. (YouTube).

If you're a fan of guitar rock, you might want to check out a doc that's playing at the RPL this weekend too. It Might Get Loud screens tonight at 9:15 and tomorrow at 7 p.m. Here's the trailer (YouTube).