Between 2010 and 2019, Cauli Le Chat (2006?-2020), feline roving reporter for Mooresville Public Library (Mooresville, Indiana), reported all things interesting to cats (and humans) happening at the library. Related stories from across the state (and beyond) were also included.
Thanks to Karaoke-version.com, I've now got a (nearly) fully functional theme song! You may recall I blogged about this awhile ago, when I posted the lyrics to "I Pawed a Blog," which is a musical parody of "I Fought the Law," by the Bobby Fuller Four (1966). Now that we have a Karaoke soundtrack for the song (a bargain at $1.99 per download), will a music video be far behind? Apparently not.
Since it's Karaoke, you'll have to sing along with the music. Don't worry about being out-of-key; it doesn't stop my "cub" reporter, Harley Quinn, or my homeland security special correspondent, Gracie ("Baby"). [You've probably read some of their special blog postings, but here (and here) are a couple of samples. And here, too.] These two howl something fierce, and shrill doesn't even begin to describe it.
So SING ALONG, why don't ya? You know you want to. Yes, you slobberdogs may join in the chorus.
When Will the Royalties Start Rolling In? Just Asking,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Music News Beat
P.S. As a point of reference, here's the original song, "I Fought the Law," by the Bobby Fuller Four (1966).
P.P.S. Did you know that the Crickets first recorded "I Fought the Law" (1959)? Sonny Curtis of the Crickets wrote the song, which was recorded a few months after Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash.
In the face of crushing poverty, can hope grow like a tree in Brooklyn? In her 1943 novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith embarked on a journey through poverty-stricken Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, during the first two decades of the 20th century. It is a complex tale, with extensive flashbacks to establish plot foundations and character development. The novel is vividly detailed and expressively imparts the harsh realities of New York City urban life (at least in this part of Brooklyn) during the first two decades of the 20th century.
Will a family's love and determination prevail against overwhelming odds? I'm no spoiler. You'll find out when you read the book. Check it out using your Evergreen Indiana library card. It is available through the E.I. online catalog.
Drama doesn't get any better than this novel. If it doesn't move you to tears (some sad, some not so much), then you need to check your pulse.
Hope is a Tree in Brooklyn,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Readers' Advisory News Beat
P.S. "Brooklyn Roads," by Neil Diamond, breathes life into the memories of growing up in Brooklyn during the 1940s and 1950s. The song first appeared on the LP Velvet Gloves and Spit (1968).
Saturday, December 3, 2011. That's a mark-your-calendar moment if ever there were one. Mooresville, Indiana is having its annual Victorian Christmas Celebration, and you know you want to be there, or be square.
Details are available in the handy, dandy notice (above). You don't want to miss the fun. We'll be participating in the festivities at the Library, so you'll be sure to drop by to see what's happening. You already know about the North Pole Critters program. Here's some music you'll want to hear, for sure.
Click to Bigify
It's guaranteed to be a great entertainment value for your money (ADMISSION IS FREE!), so come one, come all. Maybe I'll be dressed as Santa riding a sleigh. Or not.
Love Celebrations With Food; Just Saying,
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Local Festival News Beat
P.S. Here are two of my Library's book trailers combining Victorian and Christmas. Great books, if you can get them. Thanks to Evergreen Indiana, you can! Click here to place holds using your E.I. library card.
I am a huge Scott Joplin fan. He is one of Scowl-Face's musical heroes. That may be the first time ol' Scowlly and I have shared something in common.
If you have never heard of the King of Ragtime, and if you have preschoolers or early elementary school children, then you should all read (or readaloud) Scott Joplin: King of Ragtime, by Mary Ann Hoffman (Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2010). The book is one of the Inspiring Lives children's series. Watch our book trailer below for details.
Click the Image to Play Our Book Trailer
My introduction to Scott Joplin was in a previous life, when I was hanging around the neighborhoods of St. Louis, Missouri, around the turn of the 20th century. I lived much as I do now--visiting several "guest homes," panhandling free suppers from the public (right now, library patrons), and dumpster-diving--but I always had good meals at one particular house.
Scott Joplin House, St. Louis, Missouri
I used to be invited inside to listen to the latest ragtime compositions. I even got to play the piano using the classic feline four-paw trounce technique, which, in some ways, sounded a bit like barrelhouse piano. (Usually, this display of feline musical talents was accompanied by being led to the kitchen for a saucer of milk.) (By the way, I looked a little like the cat at the end of our book trailer in that particular previous life.) Those were exciting times, when the air was filled with innovative, invigorating syncopations.
Scott Joplin House, ca. 1902
Although Scott Joplin spent considerable time living and working in the St. Louis area, his "home base" was Sedalia, Missouri, to which he moved in 1894 and performed in local clubs, notably with the Queen City Cornet Band. It was in 1899 that music publisher John Stillwell Stark first heard "Maple Leaf Rag," composed and performed by Joplin, which Stark bought for $50 and paid Joplin a royalty of one cent per copy of sheet music sold. Stark initially printed 5,000 copies of sheet music; over one million were sold. (Stark, by the way, grew up in Indiana.)
Scowl-Face, who discovers interesting things decades after the fact, learned about Ragtime generally, and Scott Joplin particularly, when he heard The Entertainer (1902) played on AM radio in 1973, when the motion picture The Sting(1973) filled theaters. Joplin's music, conducted and arranged by Marvin Hamlisch, was used in the soundtrack. Hamlisch did a fine job adapting Joplin's various compositions to fit the movie, but you should listen to Scott Joplin Piano Rags, by Joshua Rifkin, pianist; or to The Complete Piano Works of Scott Joplin, by Richard Dowling, pianist; or to The Complete Works of Scott Joplin, Volumes 1-5, by Richard Zimmerman, pianist. There's also Joplin Playing Joplin, compiled by Peggy Adler, which is a set of digitally enhanced original recordings performed by Scott Joplin himself (presumably for piano rolls in the early 20th century). You can search for Joplin music CDs in the Evergreen Indiana online catalog (if you have an E.I. library card) or go online to a streaming service or online music seller, or YouTube, or wherever. They don't pay moi to be a reference librarian; that's Scowl-Face's job.
Readers of all ages interested in learning more about Scott Joplin should find several biographies available in the Evergreen Indiana online catalog to be both interesting and informative, although some have been criticized as being speculative when details about Joplin's life have been historically sketchy.
For myself, I have only fond memories of the King of Ragtime. He shared many a tin of meat and saucer of milk with moi in my former days as a St. Louis kitty-about-town over a hundred years ago. If you had been walking along the street, you'd have heard some mighty sweet piano-playing from Scott Joplin's home. You might even have heard my stylings on the ebony and ivory keys.
Four-Pawed Piano Playing is a Gas; Can You Dig It?
Cauli Le Chat
MPL Roving Reporter
Biographical News Beat
P.S. For this version of the "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899), Scott Joplin played the piano to create the "master" for the piano roll from which this recording was made. Enjoy!
Guess what's happening at the Indiana State Fairgrounds South Pavilion this weekend? Go ahead, give it a try! Can you guess? Give up? Okay, can I tell you now? Can I, can I, can I pleeease?
[You'd better humor her; otherwise, she'll go on like that for hours. --Editor's Note from Cauli.]
The 2011 Cat Fanciers' Association National Cat Show, that's what! November 19-20, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., both days. If you don't know where the state fairgrounds are, here's an address for your GPS: 1202 East 38th Street, Indianapolis. I'll even throw in a telephone number for good graciousness: (317) 927-7622.
Admission prices are: Adults, $6; Children (ages 4-12), $5; Seniors $5. (I assume we're talking humans here.) No indication of how much felines will be charged.
There is an assortment of activities planned. It's a pretty full dinner dish, I'd say.
There are educational sessions, in which you may learn breed histories, feline nature (a very deep subject indeed), how to select a companion kitty (nice to know), and cat grooming techniques.
Thrill at feline agility as cats complete an obstacle course!
Visit the CFA Breed Council education booths for lots of learning moments.
Cat-Adopt-a-Thon, where forever homes may be found for 100 rescue cats. This is VERY important, so make sure you get involved.
Discover how cats are judged at cat shows and how they operate (shows). Well, maybe how kitties operate, too.
VENDOR AREA! FREE GOODIES ALERT! Make some new friends and discover lots of feline-friendly products and services.
What better way to spend your weekend than with us show felines? You could rake leaves, clean the gutters, or put away the lawn furniture instead. Now make a choice! Easy, wasn't it? Kitties win everytime, paws down.
CFA shows are pretty exciting, even for us regular kittens. If you love cats, and you should, naturally, then you will have a grand time. We felines know how to entertain and educate.
Can I Be Best of Show? Can I? Huh? Pleeeease? Can I?
Harley Quinn
MPL "Cub" Reporter
CFA News Beat
P.S. "Three Cool Cats" (1958), by The Coasters, was the B-side to the group's hit single, "Charlie Brown." Among several other groups, the Beatles covered the song, but the Fab Four didn't handle it nearly as well. A rare fumble by the boys from Liverpool! Enjoy this vintage stereo recording.
