The Weekender | March 14th-16th

The Weekender

The Weekender is your guide and open thread for the weekend, presented by the fine folks at Viva The Matadors. Things to quote, read, look, watch, and listen to for the weekend. Let's do this.

We help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day with some education on The Parting Glass. We read about the myth of Pancho Villa and the cyclist that broke the color barrier. We look at the Paralympic athletes and we listen to the Toadies.

Quote

The song, The Parting Glass, is one of those songs that you are supposed to drink to when you get together with your friends. It is an Irish drinking song in many ways and you’ve probably heard it, you just don’t know it. The funny thing is that The Parting Glass wasn’t originally an Irish drinking song, but a song originally from Scotland (via Just Another Tune). There’s a ton of history on the song at that link and it’s interesting (to me) how the song became what it is today. Also, you probably need to know about this since St. Patrick’s Day is Monday. Sliante.

The Parting Glass (via Contemplator).

Of all the money e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm I've ever done,
Alas! it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit
To mem'ry now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be with you all

Read

I have a couple more articles in my list of articles from Smithsonian Magazine from a while back that I very much enjoyed because I didn’t have any idea about them.

Uncovering the Truth Behind the Myth of Pancho Villa, Movie Star (via Smithsonian Magazine) .

The first casualty of war is truth, they say, and nowhere was that more true than in Mexico during the revolutionary period between 1910 and 1920. In all the blood and chaos that followed the overthrow of Porfirio Diaz, who had been dictator of Mexico since 1876, what was left of the central government in Mexico City found itself fighting several contending rebel forces—most notably the Liberation Army of the South, commanded by Emiliano Zapata, and the Chihuahua-based División del Norte, led by the even more celebrated bandit-rebel Pancho Villa–and the three-cornered civil war that followed was notable for its unrelenting savagery, its unending confusion and (north of the Rio Grande, at least) its unusual film deals. Specifically, it is remembered for the contract Villa was supposed to have signed with a leading American newsreel company in January 1914. Under the terms of this agreement, it is said, the rebels undertook to fight their revolution for the benefit of the movie cameras in exchange for a large advance, payable in gold.

The Unknown Story of "The Black Cyclone," the Cycling Champion Who Broke the Color Barrier (via Smithsonian Magazine) .

Yet one of the first sports superstars emerged from this curious and sordid world. Marshall W. Taylor was just a teenager when he turned professional and began winning races on the world stage, and President Theodore Roosevelt became one of his greatest admirers. But it was not Taylor’s youth that cycling fans first noticed when he edged his wheels to the starting line. Nicknamed "the Black Cyclone," he would burst to fame as the world champion of his sport almost a decade before the African-American heavyweight Jack Johnson won his world title. And as with Johnson, Taylor’s crossing of the color line was not without complication, especially in the United States, where he often had no choice but to ride ahead of his white competitors to avoid being pulled or jostled from his bicycle at high speeds.

Look

The 2014 Winter Paralympics (via The Atlantic).

Last Friday, the 2014 Winter Paralympics officially opened in Sochi, Russia. During the next several days, 550 athletes with disabilities, representing 45 countries, will be competing in the facilities built for the Winter Olympics. Skiing, hockey, and curling are the primary sports, and there are divisions in the alpine events for athletes who compete sitting or standing, or who are visually impaired. Competition will continue until the closing ceremony on Sunday, March 16.

Watch

This video, of all things, is an advertisement for whiskey using the song, The Parting Glass, and this is what advertising should be. Pretty sure that 90% of you are about to go find some place rainy and drink some whiskey. Or maybe you'll just drink whiskey.

Listen

You want to feel old? It’s been 20 years since the release of The Toadies album, Rubberneck. The big song off of that album, for you youngsters was a song called Possum Kingdom and pretty much everyone I knew thought it was awesome. Of course, with the Toadies being a Dallas band, I wasn’t sure if it was just me or if this was something that happened all over the place. Turns out that both KWas and SARR are both big fans of The Toadies, which means that they at least made it to Midland and/or San Antonio.

With it being the 20th anniversary of that album, they released a 23 minute documentary on the making of that album (via DMN). If you don’t have time for that, then check out the live acoustic set from lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis (via KXT).