When I first started blogging here in July of 2006 I hardly knew what blogging was. My friend Jane Hamsher asked me if I would do a play-list every week and I kind of turned that into The Spin I’m In. Well, it’s been just over two years that I’ve been writing and it’s been a blast here at Firedoglake with all of you, but most good things must come to an end. I have some other projects that need full time tending to… mainly working on new music, and diving deeper into Cash Music, a new platform for artists that hopes to create meaningful interaction between music lovers and music makers. I want to thank Jane and Christy for having me here and for all of their support. A special thanks goes to Joh Padgett (finifinito) for being my digital roadie every week and for being such a gracious co-host with me in “comments”.
One of my favorite things that I’ve enjoyed doing here has been posting strange videos when I’ve come across them. So this being my last Spin… I just had to leave you with some over the top camp. I love Ann Margret as much as any red-blooded American female, but this has to be one of the most un-catchy jingles that I’ve ever heard. The video just gets more bizarre as it goes on, and the fashions are to die for.
So for the last time people… what’s The Spin You’re In this week?



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DONITA (sob)
SHIT!!
thanks for the spinz, Donita, and good luck!
Donita!
Finifinito
Majorly Bummer!
Donita,
Thanks for the tunes and happy trails to you. We’ll be listening for you on the other side.
When ya coming to Portland so I can meet ya ?
This place ain’t gonna sound the same and it still needs some fixin up… where’s the handy man?
Happy Friday everyone :)
Donita, I’m gonna miss coming on here every Friday and chatting with you and all the other great people who come on :( . It’s a good thing I did these up this week or else I wouldn’t have another chance to show you them, but I drew a few pictures of you, hope you like em:
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs3….._Kefka.png and http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs3….._Kefka.png
Thanks for the run… and reschedule those W. Coast tour dates already!
Sad news for us! But we wish you well in your new adventures and hope that you’ll come back and visit us often. That goes for you too, Joh!
and kudos to fini finito for his under-the-hood work.
Thanks, Donita. It’s been really great!
G… We are going to miss you. It’s been fun visiting with you on Friday. Please come back and visit sometime.
Good luck Donita hope your career takes off big time for! You have the talent and with a few breaks you will hit the BIG time!
Donita and fini finito, thank you for your work here. You taught my lurking self about a lot of great music — thanks for sharing those gifts!
Thanks everyone, I have had a lot of fun doing this. Donita is one awesome lady to work with and she is one of the kindest human beings I have had the pleasure to meet.
Help us out with some love at these links, let the world know we’re all hanging out here right now:
http://digg.com/submit?url=htt…..l+Spin+Out
http://digg.com/music/Donita_S…..ireDogLake
http://www.buzzflash.net/story.php?id=61434
http://www.blueindiana.net/sho…..aryId=2799
http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…..5?new=true
Canada Dry must have lost market share with that one.
From looseheadprop:
I’m shattered.
How will I find my way?
Rock On Donita
The spin I’m in hasn’t changed much in the past two years or so, but i could always count on something different on Friday afternoons.
Yer awesome!
;~P
Ahh, I’ll miss all of you here, but I’ll be lurking and keeping a creepy eye on all of you. I’m might even put my two cents in from time to time.
the spin I’m not really into this week is the new Beck album, at least what I’ve heard via youTubes. kind of OK/mediocre, but I’ll give it a chance. his albums ususally grow on me. then again, Guero set a pretty high bar for excellence.
Donita, thanks for the two and a half great years you put in here. You’ve always been a great and fun read. We’ll miss you. But I want you to know how much we appreciate you.
Those are awesome Young Jess!
Where did the green one come from? I’ve never seen that photo.
BUMMMER!
There’s was never anyone like Margaret, and there will never be anyone like you, Donna.
Happy trails, and I hope you get yourself some of those vintage outfits!
They’d fit ya to a T.
*going off in corner to pout now*
Ann-Margaret appeared live at the Castro Theatre some years ago for a chat.
She was magnificent.
As are you, Miss Donita. Thanks for these swell Friday afternoons, and thanks to you and fini for ’splaining that iTunes icon on my mac. I sure do love it now, and you both helped me understand that crazy world….
Miss you. Love you. Thanks!
Donita, Good Luck in all you do and thanks so much for posting here.
I really enjoyed your music lists. Again Thanks..
Peace and love as you journey on….
Hi everyone.
in response to Donita Sparks:
Sad to hear. :-( You know, you will be missed here.
So what’s to say: Good luck and success with CASH music and the future in generally!
Thanks again for widening my musical horizon with all the playlists!
Thanks Donita :)
The green one I found on an L7 fansite, I’m pretty sure the site said the image came from a picture book
Same here, my younger son will be bummed.
But Donita will be making music and making moneyz.;)
Teddy SanFran!!! YAY! How are you man? I will always remember teaching you about mp3s and iTunes, that was really cool. Glad we could help!
Here’s a PSA by chris crocker. And by the looks of it, he’s switched his alliance from Britney to Julia Roberts.
Donita, I am going to miss coming on here every Friday, it was the only thing I’d always look forward to every Friday, is there any way we could possibly keep in touch? My mom is also very sad to hear this is your last night.
Thanks for the great “spins” Donita and finifinto. Best wishes.
Bustednuckles my Wildman! We’ll be re-scheduling those shows in the fall sometime. Check my website for updates honey:
donitasparks.com
Donita and I are still working together at her website at DonitaSparks.com and you can always connect with her on MySpace and Imeem. We’re not going away entirely, and I will always drop by and leave drive by YouTube videos.
Melancholy
Some Independed music I stumbled across last week:
The Barnkickers – Apology Song
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aD5GhnCyse8
and something more commercial from a couple of year ago (you have to be in the mood though):
AIR – Playground Love
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eLnrXNXO1FE
Thanks for all the music you provided for us, Donita. Always a joy.
That video you posted? Crazy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5_G6A28uYs
Donita, here is a sappy little video for ya.
You can bet yer @ss I will find you when you get here.
Happy trails and the best of luck to ya hon.
It’s been a blast.
rap, The video sucked anyway.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..re=related
((((( Donita & Fini )))))
From the resident yoga/meditation guy … keep your body healthy, it has to last a lifetime …
Continued success in all your endeavors !
I love Air, and I know Donita does too, she’s had several songs from them in her playlists here. One of the coolest things about working with D has been she and I have extremely similar taste in music, but she ALWAYS finds something even I can’t find. That’s rare taste and it’s one of the coolest things about her.
Fini Fini, my man, keep in touch. Bustednuckles AT gmail .com
I can’t let this final Spin go by without drawing attention to the first video Donita posted, the Two Chinese Boys sing along to Backstreet Boys.
absolutely, anyone can get me at finifinito AT gmail and I am on GTalk daily at the same address. I’ll still drop by comments at random like I do.
Wow — good luck Donita and thanks! You picked a most fitting video to leave us with :-) Thanks finifinito for the extra links back here too!
Thanks so much. Music is such an important part of life.
Donita
you have turned me on to so much wonderful music and given me great joy these past years. Your a great talent. Love live Donita!
OH man, I forgot about this video that she shared. I WANTS ONE!
Thanks for the fun, Donita!
God, I’ll miss this regular feature.
The playlists have included so many different genres of music, so there was something for everybody. But you’re right on the rare gems. I get overfed with easily with what’s played up and down on the radio. Those playlists here were a nice relief from that.
Donita, the very best of luck and fullfillment in your future!!
Off topic:
Don’t go to Capital Hill Forum to blog, because if you’re an Obama supporter, you are not welcome to join their community or even talk to them:
http://capitalhillforum.com/index/
They’ll bust your kneecaps just like Tonya Harding and then will play the world’s victim for the rest for the rest of their lives! See? No different than the neocons.
Donita, Finifinito, and Young Jess…we’ll miss you on Friday afternoons for sure.
Don’t be strangers, though!
You know, the first “comments” I ever had here, everyone in the FDL community was so welcoming to me. I’m very touched that you’re sending me such a sweet bon voyage. Thanks very much, you’re the best.
((((((( DONITA)))))))
Keep rockin’ yer socks off.
A lot of people have mentioned how Donita always turned them onto something new. Here’s her post from November 2, 2007 titled Gimme Somthin’ New which is a perfect example of the kind of new and obscure stuff she always dug up from the archives of her brain. Awesome stuff.
Donita thank you SO much for all you have given us — it’s been wonderful!
[…passes damp handkerchief on down to Busted…]
What’s that number again, Bob? I am so getting rid of my current kegelcizer and getting a Hawaii chair!
Here’s Hitler and crew discussing Burning Man plans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV4i7dWeu0c
Which reminds me of the the strange video with the vacuumer that was shyly hidden on Google Video, far away from YouTube’s omnipresence. One day I will find out the deeper meaning. :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gc-1Dq3uQQ
This is an interesting one :)
what was the Thor one ?? remember the guy in Vegas? or am I mixing two together??lol
Good luck and good fortune to you both!
One of the things I’ve noticed in our time here at FDL is the fact that Donita has a larger than usual fan base amongst the music biz folks who hang out here. I understand why they hang out because I am one of those club sound guy/DJ dudes who always worked with folks like Donita when they would come to town to play.
So I can sympathize with columns like this one that she wrote right after coming off the road with the Stellar Moments on The Donnas tour. It had a great Daft Punk video and a great inside the biz kind of story that makes Donita so cool to her fellow music people.
samson@62
wow. thanks for digging that up for us. i love it! Donita…care to explain? :-)
Wow, you found it!!!! I think you may be the only one!
I found her column but the video is not on YouTube anymore. I did however find it here.
aw Donita
I’ll miss you
Oh man, you hid this from me? On Google Video? HAH! I love this!
Fini
thats right! the bluegrass band in the background. lol. classic. thanks Fini!
As probably the one and only prize-winner of “The Spin I’m in” I wanna say I covet my 8×10 glossy and tee shirt.
Will miss laughing so hard at the videos and groovin’ to the tunage.
Thank you so much for your efforts to make us laugh.
I’m, heart broke.
I’m laughing at myself right now because I watched the video in that post and found myself staring and drooling without saying a word. LOL Is this what Fox News does to the neocons? Good gawd! I hope I’m not becoming one now. LOL Bluck.
One of the odd fascinations Donita has is with Bollywood movies. I will never forget the video she shared of a Bollywood movie from the 60s. I found it to be oddly transfixing.
*hugging Bustedknuckles* I bet Ms. Donita will pop in now and again to say ‘hi’ to you and everyone. ;-)
It’s a very cool video but very odd. Daft Punk are kind of like video artists really, their tunes are very visual oriented and they always have an interesting video.
Donita!
Will miss your great friday mixups w/ dj finifinito!
ciao bella!
I can still treasure my personalized, autographed CD.
That was one of the coolest things, ever.
I still owe RBG lunch for that.
I’ve usually ended up reading this thread long after everyone had gone to the discuss later threads but as a half-a**ed musician/songwriter, I’ve usually found something innovative to appreciate. Thanks Donita and Fini for that.
I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Very cool video. I enjoyed it. ;-)
It’s hard to believe this, but when Donita started this, not everybody in the music biz had embraced videos on YouTube yet and she featured links to a video from The Ditty Bops called Angel With Attitude that the folks at Warner Brothers had shared with her to use here.
Of course that video is now in YouTube and Warner Brothers has an arrangement with YouTube to let users share their videos now. The Spin has been a great mirror on the times we live in with the modern music business.
You do that.
Thanks for your work here, Donita — and thanks, too, to your behind-the-curtain-wizard, finifinito!
Hey, I grew up watching these movies … they’re great for boosting morale on ‘blue days’
I want to thank Jane, Christy, Siun, Pachacutec, TRex, and all the LurkingMods and techs behind the curtain backstage for helping me when I’ve gotten stuck, rescuing my flubs and foulups and allowing me to break the comments section and margins on a regular basis without screaming at me to quit being a clown in the backend of the place.
Oh and someone else needs to clean up the corner of the green room backstage, I think someone puked in there.
Donita, this guy was India’ Elvis … Link
Here he is doing India’s version of It’s a Hard Day’s Night… love those Wigs … *g*
Until we meet again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YRqkRmRocQ
Damn link thingy is busted.
Pish! That’s nothing compared to when she found Indian Thriller!
OMG … that should come with a spew warning … here’s a fav at the Lake … Benny Lava
Happy Trails, Fini ! Should you find yourself in Toronto, the first two rounds are on me !
“Clean-up crew to the Green Room please, STAT!!!!!”, *putting microphone down* LOL
Fini, we expect to see you around here, too. Especially with the fun that seems to be heating up in Indiana, election-wise.
Don’t make The Lurking Mod come to find you.
Wow Petro, Looks like that Indian Elvis practiced on his SWING WING a lot.
Ooo, I’ve never seen him in a mop top before! Thanks for the linkage.
I Want to Hold Your Hand, not A Hard Day’s Night ;-)
I prefer the original. :-D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_eIzpZzGKo
(sorry, couldn’t find a video without an annoying bug that takes up half the screen)
They mixed both tunes but it’s primarily the tune from “A Hard Day’s Night”
Oh I will, and believe me, I have my eyes and ears on Indiana for you. In fact, if you all want to keep up with what I am onto these days, I am Internet Coordinator for several Indiana House candidates and Barry Welsh running against the evil Mike Pence in Indiana’s 6th District. I blog regularly at Blue Indiana under my name finifinito and will be posting lots of videos about the candidates I am working with in the coming weeks on my YouTube channel. There are already a few in there now of Pam Hickman and John Barnes.
… or so sayeth the music director … *g*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhNrrrCCTdA
OK everyone, new thread upstairs by John Gorenfeld.
Love and thanks to all of you.
Fight the power!
xxox
Bye Donita!! I’m gonna miss you lots!!!! ;_;
The end of an era at FDL.
Crap.
Gorenfeld link
Auld Lang Syne
We’ll take a cup o kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne.
Goodbye and God Bless.
Thanks for sharing….you will be missed. Good luck and happiness with your new direction. Change can be very good and revitalizing!
Well folks, the next post is up and it’s time to say the final official goodbye from The Spin I’m In. I’ll hang around in comments here more, and this won’t be the last you heard from Donita for sure. Keep up with both of us at her website at http://www.donitasparks.com and I will see you all soon.
well, donita, i hafta say in a way i feel PISSED,cuz i just got highspeed and can FINALLY listen to all that you and fini offer, and can FINALLY hear l7 and you……..
but the artist side of me, and being a friend of artists, visual and audio/musicians, knows how things develop, and how you need to focus the parts of you that have to do with ’output’…..so, take your creative energies and use them to their best purpose…..but why not have a once a month or so visit? would that be drawing too much from your focus?
and fdl, maybe a regular music thread? i’ll host it, if you can’t find anyone. music, as in all of the arts, affects how things get done. should always be a music thread here. and other arts, is what i was going to write in a diary. if i submit it. that’s what it would say.
thanks also for the iraqi artists post,
http://www.iraqi-art.com/
was a wonderful thing for you to do.
and i would like, as a send-off and a thank you, to leave you with a wonderful surrealist artist that friends of mine found in maui–i pissed him off already with an off-hand mention of images/subject matter that he has in common with dali and escher—was a blubbering letter comparing his quality of work to robert henri’s book the art spirit…wasn’t meant to insult, but now he’s pissed. emails back and forth. i lost…and i really really liked what he does…..kinda like that fan that spills a beer on you i guess…oh well.
http://www.linkinn.com/_Surrea…..h_Pictures
you can find more on google vladimir kush
and my other favorite images link-
http://www.fractal-recursions……/anim.html
and a song?
two
chaka
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjqqcAxA9eA
hesitation blues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT196UksWxc
thanks donita. come back and see us real soon.
(sorry for all of thelinks mods)
Best of luck Donita. It was a great party every Friday.
Dang, Donita — how in the hell am I going to find my cool new tunes, now? I’m an old fogey when it comes to music these days, and you were keeping me swinging every week.
Thanks so much — and drop by and let us know how the new album work is coming along, will you? ‘Cause you know we’ll all want to get a copy…
I haven’t done any commenting, but I will miss you. Thanks so much for all the good music.
:-((((((!
I have the “original” pic on Myspace…
oh noes, Donita!!
so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye
*waving -sniff- to Young Jess*
fini, you better not be going very far!
The Spin we are out, then…
:-(**********
Cio God’, bye guys!(for those who care;-)
That video was radically not cool. Thus, this made it cool…I believe. Go forth and kick ass, DS. The world is your spin dryer.
*waving goodbye to Elliott* :(
Gonna miss ya :(