andee's world

I'm Tired of Everyone's Opinions, Including My Own

2010-07-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

Until this changes, I'm done blogging.

2009: The Fight Against Nihilism

2009-12-29T11:46:00.000-08:00

This isn't really the end of the decade.

No, that would be this time next year, at the end of 2010.

And this isn't really the end of the year; but hey, everyone else is eulogizing it, and the oughties, and it's hard not to get caught up in that. So here I go, with my own impressions of the last 52 weeks or so.

I'll leave all the world events and politics, the gossip and the pop culture recaps to everyone else. For me personally, 2009 wasn't the best year I've ever lived thru. Sure, it was another year that I managed to keep the electricity on and the rent paid just by being a musician. That's a great thing. But if you're a musician or artist or you know one -- then you're already aware that being an artist is a mixed blessing. Along with all the freedom and the rewarding moments come mountains of frustration and disappointment.

For a good portion of this year, that shit caught up with me and hammered me hard. It wasn't the first time, but it was maybe the worst. The question "why bother?" was a constant buzzing undercurrent to my waking hours. I sleepwalked through a lot of days. I got depressed and wrote a dark blog that made my close friends call and leave alarmed messages on my voicemail.

As much satisfaction as I get out of making my music, the futility of it often occurs to me. The more time I spend making music, the more I realize that it is lost on most people. I hate to say it, but so many of the population have tin ears. The empty-calorie stuff they ladel down their proverbial throats is unbelievable. So why should I lie awake at night worrying about how to perfect those three-part harmonies? What, indeed, is the f*cking point?

I played 60-some shows in 2009. Many of them were gigs I'd rather not have had to play, but paid money I couldn't refuse. My good friend and drummer Matt Farley moved to Nashville in the summertime and BST the live band officially went on hiatus. I wrote about 40 songs this year (and as many instrumentals). I did music for a short film. Produced recordings for other people. Traveled a bit. I released an e.p. of some of the best music I've ever done. It features guest performances by people who have been musical heroes of mine for almost as long as I've been playing. And the endorsement of these folks is one of the few things that makes me wanna wake up every day and keep doing it.

Fighting complacency and cynicism is a full-time job, and it doesn't get easier. 2009 was testament to this fact.

Oh well, let's get on with it. Happy New Year.

Favorite Artist of the 00's

2009-12-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

There were so many great ones who emerged in/made their mark in the last ten years. Off the top of my head: Eminem, TV on the Radio, MIA, Dresden Dolls, Ladytron, The Knife, !!!, The White Stripes, Hot Hot Heat, Nellie McKay, The Kills, KristeenYoung, The Faint...

But for me the most thrilling, the most innovative, the most restless and the most utterly enjoyable artist of the last decade is a British duo who put out four genre-smashing albums (their debut was in '99, that makes five altogether), collaborated with an inspired and kaleidescopic array of guest vocalists (from MeShell N'Degeocello and Siouxsie Sioux to Yoko Ono, Santigold and JC Chazes) and raised the bar on pop music production to ridiculous new heights.

BASEMENT JAXX, for me, whipped everyone's ass.

Happy holidays.

Winfred

2009-11-29T15:56:00.000-08:00

True story: On Monday of this week I realized that I'd left behind a bag of guitar gear at some point on the previous Saturday night between leaving the gig and getting home.

Panicking, I ran to the club to see if it was there. No dice.

Disconsolate, I shuffle home in the rain. It's not been a good year for me, in terms of equipment being lost or stolen -- this was the last thing I needed.

I got home and saw a note on my apartment door; it's from the cab driver who drove me home Saturday night, telling me he's got my gear. Left his cell number and the number of the cab dispatcher in the Bronx. This guy -- Winfred's his name -- actually remembered my damn apartment building, and tracked me down in order to get my stuff back to me.

Wow. I am blown away.

Some people go to ridiculous lengths to do the right thing. Easy to forget sometimes.

The Oughties in Seven Minutes

2009-11-14T14:53:00.001-08:00

Click the headline for Newsweek's commemorative video of the first decade of the new millenium.

R.I.P. Jerry Fuchs

2009-11-12T15:02:00.000-08:00

The great drummer of !!!, one of my favorite Brooklyn bands, died tragically this week in an elevator shaft in Williamsburg. Click the headline.

Fall '09 Music

2009-11-10T19:21:00.000-08:00

The Dirty Walk - self-titled......Gus Gus - 24/7...........Todd Rundgren - Arena, The Hermit of Mink Hollow

Living Colour - The Chair in the Doorway......Omatic - Dog Years.....Duchess Says - Anthologie des 3 Perchoirs (this is my favorite new band -- click the headline to connect to their Myspace)...

Annie - "I Don't Like Your Band" (single)..........Model/Actress - self-titled....Basement Jaxx - Scars

Buddy

2009-11-06T13:17:00.000-08:00

Best cat in Brooklyn.

Obama Derangement Syndrome

2009-10-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

While hard-right pundits and rabble-rousers waste their energy screaming indignantly about Obama's Nobel Prize, Rachel Maddow presents one of the saner responses to the hullabaloo. Click the headline.

Who Says Any Publicity Is Good Publicity?

2009-10-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

Faux News troglodyte Glenn Beck has been praising Muse's new album on his radio show, claiming some sort of political affinity with the band -- and they actually asked him to retract the endorsement. Click the headline.

"Fragile Families of Choice"

2009-10-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

Vernon Reid elucidates on the time-honored struggle of Being In A Band. Click the headline.

Teabag This

2009-09-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

Glenn Beck's intellectually challenged acolytes in lurid, living color:

Footsteps On A Wire pt 2

2009-09-14T16:16:00.000-07:00

First, my shoes mysteriously appeared on a phone wire in front of my apartment (click the headline for the original story)...

Now they've been moved, a block down:

1982

2009-09-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

Today I got a restaurant check that totaled $19.82. And that made me start thinking, for some reason, of all the great albums I know that were released in the year 1982. A few popped to mind right away: The Cure's Pornography, Michael Jackson's Thriller. When I got home I decided to search for a complete list of album releases from that year. And here are a few -- just a few! -- from that list:

REM Chronic Town
Robert Plant Pictures at Eleven
Led Zeppelin Coda
Bauhaus The Sky's Gone Out
The Go Go's Vacation
Venom Black Metal
Judas Priest Screaming for Vengeance
Iron Maiden Number of the Beast
Accept Restless and Wild
Culture Club Kissing to Be Clever
Adam Ant Friend of Foe
Bad Religion How Could Hell Be Any Worse?
Circle Jerks Group Sex
The Clash Combat Rock
Fleetwood Mac Mirage
Gary Moore Corridors of Power
Violent Femmes Violent Femmes
Prince 1999
Janet Jackson Janet Jackson
Pete Tonwshend All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes
Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel
Motorhead Iron Fist
Mercyful Fate Nuns Have No Fun
Misfits Walk Among Us
A Flock of Seagulls A Flock of Seagulls
Depeche Mode A Broken Frame
Meat Puppets Meat Puppets
Kate Bush The Dreaming
King Crimson Beat
Billy Idol Billy Idol
Cocteau Twins Garlands
Dead Kennedys Plastic Surgery Disasters
Descendents Milo Goes to College
Queen Hot Space
The Replacements Stink
Van Halen Diver Down
The Damned Strawberries
Squeeze Singles 45 and Up
The Scorpions Blackout
Siouxsie and the Banshees A Kiss in the Dreamhouse

Is it me, or is that a MIND-BLOWING amount of per-capita awesomeness? Good lord!

I mean, are great albums being put out at that rate today?

Wait, don't answer that question...

Click the headline for the entire list.

Best Albums of the Oughties?

2009-09-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but we're about to put a bow on the 2000's. And when a decade ends, it's time to make up silly lists. Like this one.

My Fave Albums of the 00's (all of which, by the way, are represented in the media player above):

PRML SCRM Xtrmntr (2000)
A searing, exhilarating blast of white-hot electronic noise and seething lyrical venom from the reinvented Scream. Still inspiring today.

NELLIE McKAY Get Away From Me (2004)
Stunning tour-de-force (a double CD debut album, no less) from the frighteningly talented McKay, who shows prodigious musical chops and fantastic wit.

HOT HOT HEAT Make Up the Breakdown (2003)
File this under "perfect albums". Fresh, inspired songwriting, flawless execution, brisk pacing. Not a dull moment to be found.

EMINEM The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
Eminem explodes on his second album. The genius is positively blinding.

JUSTICE Cross (2007)
French duo inherit Daft Punk's mantle, thanks to a head-spinning debut album filled with innovation, style, and F-U-N.

MOKE Carnival (2001)
Speaking of justice, if there were a shred of it in the world, you would know this English quartet who, in 2001, quietly put out a masterpiece -- and nobody even showed up for the event. Impossible to categorize, Moke's gut-level rock riffs and muscular grooves punch your speaker cones out while immaculately textured soundscapes provide a magic carpet for singer John Hogg's honeyed, world-weary blues. You can find this album for pocket change -- go get a copy.

KRISTEENYOUNG Orphans (2006)
If David Bowie guests on your album, you're probably good. And KY is way better than good -- she's kinda scary good, brandishing her piano like a hot guitar and conjuring Kate Bush with bracing vocal dramatics.

DRESDEN DOLLS Yes, Virginia... (2006)
One of the best and most original bands of the 00's. Amanda Palmer's got it all -- smarts, attitude, skills and style.

M.I.A. Kala (2007)
In an age of sound-alike celebu-tarts, M.I.A. comes along and puts the Ga Gas, the Perrys and the Lavignes into perspective. Full of personality, verve and charisma, MIA is a pop star for the ages.

GRAND NATIONAL Kicking the National Habit (2006)
I could easily put GN's second album in here, too -- both of this English duo's full-length platters are jam-packed with world-class English pop songwriting and constitute my favorite musical discovery of the last year or two.

ANNIE Anniemal (2004)
Bubblegum dance pop at its most transcendent. Please make another album, Annie.

RICHARD X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 (2003)
Mr. X would factor heavily in the brilliance of the above-mentioned Anniemal record, as well as Roisin Murphy's superb Overpowered (more on her later). On this, his "solo" record, he flexes his formidable production muscles with a host of guest vocalists like Kelis, Jarvis Cocker and Annie herself. Completely irresistible.

TV ON THE RADIO Return to Cookie Mountain (2005)
If there's any common thread to all these artists, it's individuality, of which Brooklynites TVOTR have in spades. Know how I know? It's almost impossible to describe their sound, which reaches terrifying heights of sonic menace and beauty on this, their second LP. Again, if Bowie sings on your record, you ain't no slouch...

KUDU Death of the Party (2006)
Darkly alluring electronic dance-pop ("tropical goth" is one clever description I've heard) from a Brooklyn-based chanteuse and her wildly talented drummer. I love love LOVE this record.

LADYTRON Witching Hour (2005)
Their first two albums were ace, but the third one was really the charm. Haunting and dark, with unforgettable highlights like "Destroy Everything You Touch" and "Last One Standing". The whole album shows what distinctive stylists these Liverpudlians have become.

THE KNIFE Silent Shout (2006)
Creepy, atmospheric, uncompromising electronic masterpiece by strange Scandanavian duo who usually appear in masks.

ELEVEN Howling Book (2003)
One of the best bands you've never heard (although you've probably heard their work -- with Chris Cornell, Queens of the Stone Age, Dug Pinnick). Check out the self-titled album and all subsequent releases by this uncommonly gifted trio who sadly lost their irreplaceable vocalist and keyboard virtuoso Natasha Schneider to cancer last year. R.I.P.

THE FAINT Danse Macabre (2001)
This album proved why The Faint would become standard bearers in the darkwave sweepstakes of the new millenium; the band's edgy agenda is irresistible. Synths, bracing beats, sex and paranoia, all in an ultra dancefloor-friendly package.

YOHIMBE BROTHERS The Tao of Yo (2004)

The musical partnership of Vernon Reid and DJ Logic yeilds colorful and vastly entertaining results on the duo's second album. Hip hop, cut 'n' paste electronica, hard rock, spaghetti western drum n' bass, weird metallic jazz, reggae and plenty of other stuff gets thrown into the blender, while guests like Traz, Latasha Nevada Diggs, Taylor McFerrin add Bush-era political raps and cultural observations to the mix.

THE FUTUREHEADS News and Tributes (2006)
The ambitious Brits come roaring out of the gate with much to prove on their second album, and by the time it's over, you know they've beaten the pants off of Franz Ferdinand, Kaiser Chiefs and the rest of the guitar-weilding headline gobblers from the UK. Musicality, velocity, intelligence and pathos.

CHAD VANGAALEN Skelliconnection (2006)
One of the most inscrutable artists I've heard in a long while, this Canadian one-man band exploits indie electronica, creepy folk and barn-burning rock and ends up with something utterly unique.

MUSE Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
Muse's Wagnerian fusion of Depeche Mode and Queen is really quite unlike anything else I've heard. Epic, multi-textured and extremely well-played. I am a fan.

!!! Louden Up Now (2004)
Wanna know what "dance-punk" is? Listen to this, the ferocious Brooklyn collective's second album -- hard-edged, incredibly funky, uncompromising and whip-smart. Fantastic live band, too.

MADONNA Confessions on a Dancefloor (2005)
You know Madonna was confident about this release -- she played the whole thing on her subsequent tour. Some of the lyrics are cringe-worthy but the production is top-notch and Madonna sounds inspired. Play the whole thing in one piece, like she wants you to.

SELF Gizmodgery (2000)
Don't buy this just because it was made entirely with toy instruments -- buy it because it is the best assemblage of virtuoso quirk-pop gems Matt Mahaffey's ever committed to disc. Don't miss the brilliant cover of "What a Fool Believes".

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (2004)
How do two guys make such a huge, wonderful racket? It's a wonder to behold. And a rare example of "punk rock" going somewhere new -- let the spirit continue, even as DFA79 themselves have broken up.

SIOUXSIE Mantaray (2007)
One of the most exciting and unexpected comebacks in recent memory, Mantaray finds the ice goddess of punk more inspired and committed than she'd been on the last umpteen Banshees records. And she looks unbelievable at 50. All hail.

IMA ROBOT self-titled (2003)
Canny LA-based group channels Bowie, punk, glam pop and new wave with charm and skill. What a fun record. Just stay away from the crass follow-up.

KING'S X Ogre Tones (2005)
The tireless Texas hard rock trio have never made a bad album (in 20 years!!) but this is the liveliest thing they'd done in a decade, easily. Their fortitude and stamina humble me.

CURSIVE Happy Hollow (2006)
Saddle Creek indie champs craft a brilliant concept album with loud guitars, erudite lyrics and a horn section. Grabs you by the lapels and doesn't let go.

BASEMENT JAXX Rooty (2001)
Virtuosic dance music producers break down the door with guns blazing on their second album, a kaleidescopic platter of brightly-colored pop music that is nothing less than a musical box of chocolates.

THE SHINS Wincing the Night Away (2007)
Brilliant pop songwriting, packed with memorable melodies and musical twists, and impeccably recorded. Absolutely gorgeous.

ROISIN MURPHY Overpowered (2007)
The Moloko mouthpiece crafts a sublime dance-pop record imbued with taste, sharp personality and top-notch producers. Untouchable.

KYLIE MINOGUE X (2007)
Perfectly honed pop music from an impossible-to-hate artist who always delivers the goods. "Speakerphone" is my fave, but the whole album is delectable.

THE RAPTURE Pieces of the People We Love (2006)
Brooklyn dance-punkers expand their palette and the results are winning. The giant cowbell is still there, but now we also get Queen-sized harmonies and some sublime pop warmth. Bravo!

R.I.P Victor Fiore

2009-08-14T12:30:00.001-07:00

1918-2009

R.I.P Michael Jackson

2009-06-25T16:35:00.001-07:00

Let's not forget that, before mega-celebrity twisted him into bizarro tabloid fodder, Michael Jackson was truly a visionary and musical genius.

Click the headline for an insightful eulogy by Andrew Sullivan.

R.I.P. Michael

13 yrs ago...

2009-05-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

...today i moved to NYC.

i have less money now than i did then.

hooray!

R.I.P Harry Kalas

2009-04-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

The long-running announcer for the Philadelphia Phillies died today.

This may be hard to believe, but I watched a lot of Phillies games while growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, and Kalas's distinctive voice was a huge part of the experience. I am even known to do a pretty good impression of the man.

I haven't followed a sports team for eons now, but nonetheless, it is sad to know that Kalas is gone. Click the headline for the full story.

R.I.P Kurt Cobain

2009-04-07T19:08:00.000-07:00

Fifteen years ago Sunday, Kurt Cobain took his own life. During the past week I've been thinking about him a lot, listening to a bunch of Nirvana music, watching videos, etc. It's always a wistful and nostalgic experience, revisiting the music of this band, because it is ultimately a reminder of the last really exciting global music phenomenon worth mentioning. Nirvana was a band that, for once, rose to the top for all the right reasons. And, for a few years, they kept the pop music world tantalizingly interesting. Who could forget their audience-baiting performances on SNL and Top of the Pops? Or their moment on Headbanger's Ball, dressed proudly in drag? Yes, Nirvana stood for all that was good and righteous.

Ever since Kurt's suicide, rock and roll has gotten very tame and predictable, in my opinion. I would sure love to have some of his honesty, humility and sheer fuck-it-all abandon ricocheting around us in 2009...

Watching the videos of Nirvana circa 1991/92, one gets the sense of something beautiful happening; a very small but undeniably awesome rock band unwittingly becoming the biggest cultural force in the world, against all odds and prevailing logic. And for good reason: they had undeniable songs, were thoughtful and intelligent musicians and exhibited that rare and spontaneous quality, danger. They were the real deal, through and through.

There's more to say on this, but suffice it to say that I miss this band and I miss Kurt very much. It sure would be great to have Mr. Cobain around today -- I can only imagine his presence would do us all some good. But obviously the man was not at all ready to be annointed "voice of a generation". He was mortified and appalled by his mega-celebrity and eventually it did him in.

It's an awful shame that this incandescent talent couldn't survive the experience of his own success -- for the short time that he made music, he and his band changed everything in rock, most definitely for the better. I can only imagine that, had he lived, his presence in 2009 would serve as an antidote for the overwhelming proliferation of manufactured, safe, insincere and unoriginal SUCKINESS that rules the day.

Or maybe even Kurt wouldn't be able to make that much of a difference. Either way, rest in peace, Kurt and Nirvana. You are much missed.

i give up

2009-03-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

dont let anyone tell you good work will get you anywhere

or that talent will be recognized

or that good deeds will be returned in kind

putting stock in these notions will only get you beat down more

dont let anyone tell you originality will be celebrated

only mediocrity and greed reap rewards

at best there is occasional grudging support from friends

and niceties mouthed with glassy-eyed half-sincerity

but these come purely from a sense of obligation

(you dont want to know what they really think, you really dont)

KNOW THIS:
integrity means nothing, it is a valueless commodity

talent and vision without the right publicist will only earn bored stares, obscurity and squalor

taking the 'high road', being fair, good and generous wont get you a goddamn thing -- except a reputation for being easy

IM TIRED of giving and creating and pouring myself into the world and receiving nothing but massive, yawning indifference in return

im tired of watching the wicked and the talentless go home with all the rewards

im tired of struggling against the tide of attention-seeking, insincerity and snark

im tired of trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel when i know that it isnt really a tunnel, but a collapsed mine

im tired of trying to pretend theres a silver lining when i know the sun hasnt come out for years

im tired of trying to remember what it was like to have hope and dreams, like trying to remember your fifth birthday

im tired of this pointless story that had such a happy beginning but lately just seems to go on and on with no plot, no modulation, no moral and no virtuous characters

im tired of standing on the corner in rags and playing my symphonies to tone-deaf and disinterested passerby

im tired of the robotic utterance of the lie, 'things will get better'

im tired of giving the benefit of the doubt

im tired of believing promises that arent kept

im tired of trying to smile and be positive and pretend like all this is gonna add up to something. all it adds up to is unpaid bills and the ongoing rush of a soulless, indiffferent race bent on plastic wealth and genocide

im tired of competing against cheaters, card-counters and runners on steroids

im tired of sustaining myself on ideals that hold no water in the real world

im tired of trying to see the romance in poverty

im tired of trying to find a place and a purpose in this pointless, lifelong popularity contest

im tired of the daily reminders that my art has no value

plus im just tired

R.I.P. Randy Rhoades

2009-03-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

It was 27 years ago that the great guitarist Randy Rhoades perished in a tragic and senseless plane crash.

As a musician, he was an unbelievable stylist, by turns incendiary and poignant. His unforgettable riffs and innovative soloing style were the foundation upon which one washed-up Ozzy Osbourne launched one of the most unlikely and enduring comebacks in rock history. Since Rhoades's death, Ozzy has remained consistently active and highly visible, but has yet to reach the artistic heights he achieved with his original guitarist.

R.I.P. Randy!

(click the headline for more on Ozzy's classic first two albums)

The Republican Party Today As Seen by a Former Evangelist

2009-03-10T14:24:00.000-07:00

Telling...

(thanks Lou!)

The New Face of the GOP

2009-03-03T12:10:00.000-08:00

First Palin, then Joe the Plumber, and now? The Sultan of Schadenfreude himself, Rush Limbaugh.

Conservative scribe David Frum is sober enough to recognize how devastating this could be for his party. Click the headline.

The View From My Window

2009-03-02T00:03:00.000-08:00

Hooray!

I love the snow. I love winter, cold weather and short days. I don't mind wearing extra clothes and I completely enjoy periods of relative quiet and long hours of solitude at home.

I like seasons, cycles, variation, ebb and flow. I think extremes are healthy and keep life interesting. I would go insane living in a place like L.A., where each day is a carbon copied repeat of the last, all blue skies and comfy temps.

During the winter months, I want intensity! Give me cold clear air. I'll even take cutting winds. Give me snow and lots of it! I think slanting winter sunlight is beautiful. I get a perverse kick out of waking late on a winter day and having my first coffee as the sun is punching out for the day.

Mild winters make me feel ripped off. I don't want it warm and balmy in January. I like the threat of snow to be real up til Easter. A good winter makes spring feel like a well-earned reward.

It's a proper blizzard out there tonight and I couldn't be happier.

***********************************************************
Recommended Snowstorm Music:

Cocteau Twins, Lullabies to Violaine
R.E.M., Murmur
Kowanko, Kowanko
Smashing Pumpkins, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Cure, Disintegration
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love

Which One Looks Stoned?

2009-02-27T14:42:00.000-08:00

FOX News dissolves into self-parody. Click the headline for an entertaining interview re: pot legalization in California.

Moving Pictures

2009-02-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

I got a Flip camera last fall and have fallen in love with making videos.

A visual travelogue of a recent tour I did:

Click the headline for more clips by yours truly.

The Real Maverick Is...

2009-02-22T13:45:00.001-08:00

Bristol Palin: abstinence is "not realistic".

There might just be hope for this kid.

28 New York Moments

2009-02-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

1. I was crossing 10th street on a green light, walking north on 1st Ave. First car at the light drifted into the crosswalk, rolling into me. I punched the hood and told the driver to wake up; she was literally asleep.

2. One night in the fall of 2004 I got thrown out of two bars -- Happy Endings and Mars Bar -- for no reason. They were the only times I've ever gotten thrown out of anywhere.

3. Lost my wallet on New Year's Eve at the Scrap Bar. It got returned to the bartender with everything still in it.

4. My ex-girlfriend's apartment burned down so she temporarily shacked up with friends-of-friends on 8th Avenue near MSG. I went there to see her once. The apartment had a living room that looked more like a waiting room -- magazines on a coffee table, little else. The kitchen had no food, just a credit card swiper. The bedrooms held no personal items, just bowls of condoms on the night stands. The place was immaculate. An immaculate whorehouse.

5. I walked out of the subway into Herald Square one morning. The news stand on the corner was smashed to smithereens and surrounded by yellow police tape. I went into the building where I worked and asked what had happened. Turns out a man had jumped from a high window and impacted on the kiosk.

6. A guy started screaming at me on the train -- "I hope you die of AIDS!!", he bellowed, and threatened to kill me just in case. His eyes were burning. His friends held him back but they wanted to kick my ass, too. As they dragged him off the train at the next stop he threw his beer at me.

7. Walking home with my girlfriend in '98, a block away from my building. Drunk macho man across the street starts yelling "faggot", etc. I suggested that maybe he was the faggot -- after all, I was with a girl and he was with some dude. He comes running after us, foaming at the mouth. His buddy tries to restrain him and advises us "run, he'll kill you". We didn't run, but still got to my place just in time; the door closed in his twisted, screaming face and he pounded on the glass like an enraged gorilla.

8. I had one of my Halloween parties, this one at an apt I was subletting on 9th and C. Some unsavory -- and uninvited -- thug-types showed up and started casing the joint. My friends and I politely asked the two gentlemen to leave and they got hostile. After some gnashing of teeth, they grudgingly left. Then they shattered the building's front door.

9. Lost my license in a cab one night. A few weeks later it was returned to me in the mail.

10. This junkie used to stand at the corner of Metropolitan and Union and ask for change "to get a cup of coffee". One day I took her up on it and bought her a coffee at the diner. It wasn't what she really wanted, of course, but she always liked me after that.

11. Met some strangers on the street late one night and invited them up to my place. We danced til 8am.

12. Waiting at the light to cross the street to my apartment, holding a just-purchased can of beer in brown bag. Cop car driving by stops abruptly, window goes down. "Is that open?" comes out. "No", I answer, and show them the sealed beverage. Cops drive off. There clearly wasn't much happening on a Saturday night in BKLN.

13. I'm crossing the street in Alphabet City one night in November. Police car idling at the light, cop rolls down window, yells at me, "hey, Halloween was last week!" I prayed that a crane might fall on the car and crush the pigs.

14. I'm crossing Marcy street and a car drives in front of me. Windows come down and a chorus of synchronized voices, male and female, ushers forth in my direction: "FREEAK!"

15. My band played CBGB. This girl I knew had come to see the show from far away. At the end of the night I found her collapsed on the floor of the ladies room; someone had roofied her. She spent the night in the hospital.

16. I passed Fred Schneider from the B-52s in the street on Halloween night. I turned and said "love you, Fred!" He looked back and smiled.

17. My band played a pretentious new nightclub down on the Bowery. The club had installed bathroom attendants, so I pissed on the dressing room floor. Twice.

18. I met Tony Bennett on 57th Street in December of '96 and he took his glove off before shaking my hand.

19. My friend and I were standing on the corner of 14th and 2nd one late-night. A jolly looking middle-aged man approaches and asks if he can buy us dinner -- and then have us piss on him.

20. This nice old guy in my building died. After they removed his body, the landlord sent some men over to throw his belongings out on the curb and get the apartment ready for the next tenant.

21. I saw a rat come out of a hole in the wall in the L train station one quiet night. It started gnawing furiously on one of those ancient pieces of chewing gum you see on the subway platforms all the time -- completely black and trampled flat. That gum looked like a dull piece of obsidian but the rat was really into it.

22. A rat chewed through my roomate's wall and into his room. After residing there for a few days (and pulling an entire loaf of bread behind the radiator, where it feasted privately), the beast finally scaled the curtain and jumped through an opening at the top of the window. Somehow it got itself into an opening in the eaves and escaped back into the building.

23. Electricity blew out in my apartment so I descended into the murky basement to flip the breaker back. A rat scowled at me from atop the fuse box, its long tail draped over the switches. I think it was the same rat that jumped out of the window.

24. I was illegally subletting an apartment in the East Village. When the landlords got wind of this, they not only evicted me, but tried to sue me for $10,000. I packed quickly and left in the middle of the night.

25. Standing on an uptown train, wearing my Slayer shirt and listening to music on the earphones. Just over the music, I hear some kind of ruckus behind me and notice other passengers looking in that direction, then at me, then back again. I turn to see what it is.

An insane looking man with burning eyes is staring at me and screaming the lyrics to Slayer's "Angel Of Death". I turn back and ignore him. He continues at the top of his voice:

"Auschwitz, the meaning of pain, the way that I want you to die/slow death, immense decay, showers that cleanse you of your life/forced in like cattle you run, stripped of your life's worth/human mice, for the angel of death..."

...and so on. He did the whole song.

After this morbid, lunatic recitation, the guy finally approaches me. I take the earphones off and he queries, "hey man, you going to the Bon Jovi show?"

26. Loudly jabbering schizophrenic man on the 1 train gets into heated exchange with another passenger. In the middle of an incoherent screed, he spins around and punches yours truly right in the nose.

27. Massive, city-wide blackout in summer of 2003, so we walked over the Williamsburg bridge from the Lower East Side, bought warm beer at the deli and spent the night up on my roof. The hot streets were full of candles and laughter.

28. Standing on 6th and B with an iced coffee in summer of '98. Some Latino kids hanging out, talking trash in front of the deli by all the fresh fruit and flowers. A young girl walks up to the group -- she's maybe 15 and shows a slightly protuberant abdomen. One of the group sez, "girl, you pregnant again?"

"Yeah", first girl sighs.

"From who?"

Nonchalantly: "this guy from the Bronx"

Conversation resumes to earlier topic, as if this little exchange were nothing more than talking about the weather.

R.I.P. John Updike

2009-02-03T12:34:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite writers passed away last week. A short overview of the man's extraordinary career from Flavorpill.com:

***************************************************************

John Updike remembered
Sifting through a literary great's prolific past
John Updike John Updike's death last week signaled the loss of one of America's most prolific writers. Though widely recognized, Updike's canon is daunting for the first-time reader; we present an overview of his must-read legacy.

Everyone relates to Rabbit. Some of Updike's most-loved novels focus on Harry "Rabbit" Angstrom, who peaks as a high-school basketball star, only to spend the rest of his life dulled by regret and stunted ambition. Two books in the series received the Pulitzer Prize.

Updike's prose gets it on. The author was well known for his overt sexuality and graphic descriptions of bedroom exploits — his 1968 novel Couples caused a national uproar, while The Witches of Eastwick was widely criticized as a masculinist fantasy. Updike was even nominated four times for the Literary Review's playful Bad Sex in Fiction Award, and earned last year's lifetime-achievement honor.

He was both creator and critic. In addition to his 28 novels and hundreds of short stories, Updike was an inexhaustible literary critic. The archives of the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books are rife with the literary anthropologist's essays and observations.

Listen to Updike discuss his work, read TIME magazine's 1968 cover story about Couples, hear New York Review of Books founder Robert Silvers' NPR tribute to the author, and buy the Rabbit series.

- Chelsea Bauch

Footsteps On a Wire

2009-01-28T12:58:00.001-08:00

From the "Only In New York" file:

So, about a year ago I officially retired yet another pair of boots after literally running them into the ground for a good 16 months or so. They were standard black hiking boots, distinguished only by the little white stars I painted on their sides.

I thought it might be cute to throw them over a telephone line; about halfway down my block, there's a wire that currently supports a bunch of defunct and dangling shoes, so I figured I'd add mine to the mix.

Kept putting it off, month after month. I wanted it to go down at night, when there would be the least amount of possible witnesses. But alas, my street has become a busy one, with bars and all-night delis and people seemingly always on the street. Cops, too. Seemed like every time I went out there, planning to do the deed, I'd chicken out. After all, it takes several attempts to get a pair of heavy boots to successfully wrap around a telephone line 20 feet above street level (I'm estimating that height).

Then a couple of weeks ago I finally got tired of looking at my old boots, standing sadly by the door of my apartment. I was either gonna get them up on the wire or throw them out. I tied their laces together and took them down the block. It was late but people were still out, smoking and talking. I looked up at the hanging shoes over Metropolitan Avenue, then down the block. I finally decided I wasn't in the mood for hurling the boots up in the air, so instead I placed them on the sidewalk, against the wall of the nearest building, and left.

A few days later I walked out of my apartment building and happened to look up -- my boots are hanging from the telephone line right in front of my building.

Thank you , mystery boot-thrower! It's good to know someone is looking out for me.

Records and Concerts and Life In General

2009-01-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

During these past arctic weeks in New York, my CD deck has been keeping warm thanks to a heavy rotation of Tomahawk, The Damned, TV on the Radio, Cocteau Twins, Zappa, R.E.M, Replacements and Cure B-sides.

My new favorite artist is Kristeen Young (www.myspace.com/kristeenyoung). Wow. Imagine Kate Bush stripped down to a Dresden Dolls-esque presentation style and given an economical but modern production makeover, and you might be in the same room with this phenom. But she's really got her own thing. Plus she designs her own gowns, which make Bjork look like Martha Stewart. She's earned the breathless praise of Bowie and Morrissey (both of whom she has recorded with, btw). Big thanks to Joe W. for turning me on to this music!

I got a chance to see the great Marshall Crenshaw a couple of weeks ago at the Highline Ballroom and not only that, I sat right in front of the man. What a treat! To me this guy is as great a pop/rock songwriter as any other, and I grinned ear-to-ear, $7 Stella in hand, as he and his band (bass, vibes and drums) ripped through a set of solid gold tunes from past and present. Marshall burns on guitar, too. It's no wonder he's been playing for the post-millenial MC-5 of late. It's criminal that more people don't know this guy's music. I strongly urge you to pick up Rhino Records' flawless The Best Of Marshall Cranshaw: This Is Easy if you've never indulged.

On the opposite end of the quality matrix was Crystal Castles' New Years Eve shitshow at The Williamsburg Music Hall. What a waste of 40 bucks. I like CC's clever, cut-up garage electro recordings as much as the next guy but their "live" show was a farce; in the first song, the singer's mic went on the blink and nobody bothered to replace it. Not that it mattered; all she does is scream and the chorus vocals are all piped in from a laptop. So nobody, including the band, seemed to care. Pitchfork-approved Brittney Spears. I walked out after three songs. The band stole my money, but I wasn't about to let them steal the rest of my night.

Despite that dubious intro (and don't worry, NYE got much better), 2009 has been pretty swell so far. I spent the first three weeks without internet, which was curiously kinda great. Much more time making music, that's for sure. This portal to the world sure is dangerously addictive. It lures you in and it's hard to come out. You waste a lot of time. Anyway, here I am again.

Been busy playing gigs in NYC with my new band and a few with others as well. Gonna be doing some touring in the next few months that will get me out of town and probably overseas as well. Looking forward to that.

Loving the snow and the cold, making things, watching our new prez get to work. Things feel better already and the hangover's slowly wearing off.

It's Over

2009-01-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

I almost cried when I looked at my "The Official George W. Bush
Days Left In Office Countdown" clock (on the right) and saw...a line of zeroes.

Welcome, President Barack Hussein Obama.

putting a lid on this baby...

2008-12-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's time to breathe an enormous sigh of relief, kids. Two-thousand-eight is finally almost over. And inauguration day is only three weeks off...

I haven't been blogging much here since election day, but I figured that since it's Christmas night, I'm near my parents' liquor cabinet and don't have much else to do in these small hours, I'd scratch a few words of non-political reflection on this bathroom wall before year's end.

First of all, I gotta say that I'm damn lucky to still be making a living as a musician, particularly in these lean times. I've been super-busy the last few months, getting my new band Black Sugar Transmission off the ground (we're two shows in and getting warmed up!), playing guitar for Acey Slade (East Coast tour in February!), producing tracks for Jen Urban and the Box, Alex Calibur, Patti Rothberg, Teenage Millionaire and Nuclear Blouse. And pretty much all the musicians I've worked with are really f*cking good, which makes life really f*cking good. This is NOT punching the clock. Thank god.

And it seems like, just when my coffers are about to run dry, I get a call to go do a gig somewhere -- my favorite was backing up the adorable (and capable!) drag queen Peppermint and a slew of other performers at a Chelsea bar one Friday night a few weeks ago. I'm no stranger to the drag scene and it's always great to go back to it -- there's always a tremendous amount of support, enthusiasm and FUN with a capital F in those rowdy circles.

Also super fun was DJ-ing at the Com[mutiny] XXXmas party. For those not in the know, Com[mutiny], formerly called Byte, is a loud, kinky, gorgeous and uber-popular monthly party at The Delancey, in NYC's (otherwise bland) Lower East Side University Campus. I hadn't DJ-ed in awhile but it's like riding a bike, as they say, and the Com[mutiny] folks told me to indulge myself however I saw fit (which, of course, is a relief -- if you've ever DJ-ed before, you know what a drag it is when club owners try to micro-manage your musical choices and breathe down your neck all night).

I haven't seen a ton of shows lately, but the ones I've attended have been stellar. Austin's electro-rock duo Ghostland Observatory turned Terminal 5 into a sweaty bump-n-grind-fest, thanks to their wickedly brilliant frontman Aaron Behrens, who proves that an outrageous voice, great dance moves and 100% commitment will make anyone forgive the fact that most of the backing music is canned. I mean, damn. What a great show.

Also one of my favorite nights of the last couple of months was a cold Sunday at Teneleven bar in Alphabet City, where a bunch of my super-talented friends played loose, inspired sets to an enthusiastic roomful of friends. Vero was sultry and captivating, backed by trombone and electric hollowbody guitar; the glittery Jen Urban and the Box stretched their normally taut dance tracks into semi-acoustic confessional/jam sessions and pint-sized super-cutie Fiona Silver shocked everyone when she opened her mouth and delivered a set of disarmingly personal tunes in a gorgeous breathy soprano at the end of the night. Meanwhile, bartender Leslie Van Stelten conducted body shots on the bar! What a great night.

I saw King's X for the umpteenth time last week and while watching their typically crushing performance, I was reminded again just how much this band has affected me over the years. It's impossible to imagine what kind of songs I'd be writing now if it weren't for the intervention of the mighty King's X.

Furthermore, I marveled again at how each of these three guys is so goddamn good at what he does, and that these three uncommonly brilliant musicians found eachother and established such a special chemistry, and made truly original and meaningful music together, and that, finally, they are still together, playing each show like their lives are on the line. I tried to articulate this to the band after the show, but it all came out silly. But they know. They are beyond loved and respected.

Been listening to a handful of new-ish records this month. The Damned put out a surprisingly bouncy collection of new songs on So Who's Paranoid, an album that easily stands alongside Strawberries-era Damned. Pretty amazing that after all these years, these snot-noses are the only first-wave punks still standing. They were the ones always voted "least likely" in the early days of English punk. Great to see them having the last laugh.

The Faint put out a new record called Faciinatiion, which maybe doesn't offer any stunning revelations but further establishes the ultra-stylish niche they've carved for themselves over the last decade. At times the record sounds too familiar, but other at other times, songs will jump out of the speakers and head-butt you, like the razor-sharp "Machine in the Ghost."

As for Tv on the Radio's latest album Dear Science, I have to say, I don't see what all the fuss is about. I know it's topping all the critics' lists (big deal) but to me its streamlined, more accessible approach just doesn't suit the band. What I loved so much about Cookie Mountain was its stunning ambition, the caustic noise, the dark menace of it. Dear Science, with its digestible arrangements and catchy choruses, sounds perfectly nice but incongruously lightweight for such a heavy band. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy listening to it, and there are some real strong spots, and their sonic identity is still remarkably recognizeable, but it's not rolling me over like their old stuff. I wonder what kind of marks this album will be getting in hindsight, ten years from now...

What else? I've been loving my Flip camera, making videos, watching Worst-President-Ever crash and burn in excruciating interviews, recording instrumental music in November (best time to do so), dusting off my Cocteau Twins discs for the first snowfall of the year. Above all, my friends are the best anywhere. I spent Thanksgiving/my birthday with five other holiday castaways at Club Chavez (aka Dario and Michael's place), eating yummy food (When Stoners Cook!), getting drunk, hula-hooping and watching The Man With Two Brains. I can't think of a better way to go.

Despite everything, it hasn't been a bad year for me. But I'm lucky. Lucky to be alive, to have my friends, my family, to be doing what I love. In 2K8 I've made a ton of music, worked with really talented people, made new friends (there are phenomenal humans around every corner in New York), collaborated with some of my all-time heroes and slept late most days.

And if that's all there is, it ain't so bad.

Dick Cheney Gets a Puppy Chipper

2008-12-07T12:57:00.000-08:00

Jon Stewart offers highlights of departing president G.W. Bush's recent Charlie Gibson interview:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

End Times Countdown - Bush Exit Interviews

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Unfinished Sympathy

2008-12-03T17:42:00.001-08:00

One of the most devastatingly beautiful tracks ever....

When the year starts winding down and the days get short, this one always knocks me over:

Oh, That DJs 'Round the World Would Give These Songs a Long, Long Rest:

2008-11-22T18:05:00.000-08:00

Dancing With Myself
Turning Japanese
Just Like Heaven
Blister In the Sun
Don't You Forget About Me
Bizarre Love Triangle
Love Will Tear Us Apart
Inbetween Days
Rebel Yell
Come On Eileen
Our Lips Are Sealed
Take On Me

and so on....

One wonders, now that the 80s revival has endured for years longer than the 80s themselves,

Will people ever, ever, EVER grow bored of these obvious, tired and perennially overplayed songs? Or will we march on into the coming decades forever locked in this state of arrested development?

And will the 90s ever get a turn in the nostalgia sweepstakes? Who else is excited for a Gin Blossoms/Bush/Seven Mary Three/Joan Osborne/Meredith Brooks/Counting Crows/Wallflowers/Hootie/Semisonic/Marcy Playground/4 Non Blondes/Crash Test Dummies comeback and possible package tour? Anyone?

The Mormons Can Dish It Out...

2008-11-17T12:08:00.000-08:00

...and they bloody well better be able to take it.

My contempt for organized religion has never burned hotter than now. The fact that a tax-exempt organization like the Mormon church sees fit to dump millions and millions of dollars into a purely hate-based initiative like Prop 8 is enough to get me seeing red.

And now -- oh, the hilarity! -- they cry foul when peaceful protesters descend upon their precious churches? Fuck them.

Dan Savage is also pissed:

When political attacks are launched from churches, political responses will be delivered to churches. If goddamned McDonald's had organized and paid for Prop 8, we'd be marching on goddamned McDonald's.

Andrew Sullivan elaborates:

I strongly support civility in this struggle. Religious services and practices should be scrupulously respected. But when a church, like the Mormon church, makes a concerted effort to enter the public square and strip a small minority of basic civil rights, it is simply preposterous for them then to argue that the Mormon church cannot be criticized and protested because they are a religion. I have never done anything - nor would I do anything - to impede or restrict the civil rights of Mormons. I respect their right to freedom of conscience and religion. In fact, it is one of my strongest convictions. But when they use their money and power to target my family, to break it up, to demean it and marginalize it, to strip me and my husband of our civil rights, then they have started a war. And I am not a pacifist.

I do not intend in any way to remove a single right from Mormons. I do intend to protest their imposition of their own religious dogma - that marriage is always between a man and a woman and it is eternal and will be replicated in heaven by the couple physically present - on civil rights protections vested in a civil constitution.

I should add that I dated a Mormon man for a few months a while back. What he told me about the LDS church's psychological warfare on their gay members, the brutality and viciousness and intolerance with which they attack and hound and police the gay children of Mormon families, would make anyone shudder.

Keith Olberman on Prop 8

2008-11-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

That One

2008-11-07T12:59:00.000-08:00

Reactions From Around the World

2008-11-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful night.

Click the headline.

44

2008-11-05T13:58:00.001-08:00

Please Vote for Barack Obama

2008-11-03T12:13:00.000-08:00

Dante said that the hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who in time of crisis remain neutral, so I will now say my piece about the choice we have tomorrow at the voting booths.

We all know America is in bad, bad shape. Today our once-loved country enjoys its lowest standing in the world community to date. We are at war, our economy has tanked, our resources are waning and our civil rights are under constant attack from a government run by theocratic bullies.

The presidential administration of the last eight years has embraced and freely inflicted torture techniques (on both the guilty and the innocent) that flagrantly defy international law, human rights and basic decency -- and while doing so, has systematically immunized itself from legal accountability.

The top al Qaeda leaders believed to have orchestrated the 9/11 attacks of seven years ago are still at large and gaining strength, while our military is stretched to the breaking point in Iraq, where we have killed 93,000 of its civilians since 2003 in the name of "Operation Iraqi Freedom". Meanwhile, the country's infra-structure is still in shambles and in-fighting and sectarian violence continue unabated there.

Bush-Cheney have defiled the constitution, tapped our phones without warrants, detained and tortured anyone deemed suspicious without due process and essentially given themselves a blank check to perpetrate illegal and amoral actions under the bogus banner of Homeland Security.

Speaking of Homeland Security, I wonder how secure the citizens of New Orleans feel at home -- their entire city was nearly washed off the map a few years ago thanks to Bush's sheer negligence.

This administration has tirelessly fought against gay rights, tried to overturn Roe Vs Wade, and has promoted an insidious anti-intellectualism that would have our children taught the crackpot junk science of "Intelligent Design" in public schools.

And now we find ourselves in a financial shitstorm worse than anything any American has seen since the late 1920s.

It leads one to wonder, could it get any worse?

I would daresay that it could indeed get worse, much worse.

Tomorrow we will elect a brand new president for our country. And we have a chance to at least begin to turn things around -- and to my thinking, the only realistic choice is Barack Obama.

John McCain is surely a decent man at heart. And the sacrifices he made for America as a POW are enormous and undoubtedly heroic. But he is unqualified to run this country, much less lead it out of the deep quagmire it is in.

Among the reasons why is the fact that for eight years McCain has walked in lockstep with Bush-Cheney, policy-wise, at least 90% of the time. Hardly an agent of change.

Employing the same evil masterminds who smeared his own good name in the 2000 election, McCain has run a shamelessly rabble-rousing and disgraceful campaign this year, easily marking a historical nadir. Short on substance, McCain's message is about instilling racism, fear and xenophobia into the American people. As you've seen in countless Youtube videos taken at campaign rallies, McCain and his strategists have deliberately stoked the most bigoted and vile tendencies of its constituency, even standing mutely by as talk of assassination gets carelessly bandied about.

Perhaps McCain's biggest disqualifier is his choice of running mate, Sarah Palin. Potentially the next president of the United States, this proudly ignorant woman believes creationism should be taught in schools, while sex education should be banished. She is an adherent of the kind of fanatical religious fundamentalism that lives just a hair's breadth way from the Islamic extremism we all condemn.

As we have seen in the few interviews she granted before she was swiftly muzzled by her advisers, Palin possesses only the scantest and most infantile understanding of the world (she's only once traveled outside the USA); it's no coincidence that her handlers have since kept her under lock and key -- she is worse than embarrassing; she's terrifyingly unqualified. And so for the first time in US history, a would-be president has not granted a single press conference.

Consider this: McCain's first important -- no, crucial -- decision as a potential United States president was Sarah Palin. It must be his last.

Some would see Barack Obama as merely the lesser of two evils in this election, and at the very least that is true. Barack Obama should not be viewed as a knight in shining armor, much less a messiah or celestial entity. But he is nonetheless the only way to go at this point.

Obama is an extremely capable and highly intelligent man who stands for goodness and equality. A true American success story, he embodies all the promise and opportunity this country has to offer and as such, he has been the most transformative political figure to come down the pike in generations.

Obama has the kind of temperament that has been missing from the White House for a long time and desperately needs to be restored. He is strong, principled, patient, calm, thoughtful, open and decent. After eight years of rashness, thuggery and boastful, swaggering ignorance, don't you think these qualities would make a refreshing change?

He has carefully chosen as running mate an experienced and decent statesman in Joe Biden, and clearly understands the importance of collaborative leadership, unlike McCain, whose bizarre and indefensible choice of VP can only be called hasty, rash and shockingly thoughtless.

If elected president, Obama will be tested mightily, as he stands to inherit Bush's legacy: two disastrous wars in progress, un-stemmed economic hemorrhaging and the seething contempt of many of our neighbors. There's no way Obama or anyone else can put out these fires in one term, but I believe he can at least get this ship moving in a straight line again.

Perhaps most importantly, Obama also has the ability to unite. You've witnessed the seismic changes in the political landscape these last few weeks: lifelong Republicans have declared their support for him; white folks who never thought they would vote for a black man (much less ever have the chance to) are overcoming their bigotry. An Obama presidency would be a devastating blow to the culture wars and long-festering racism in America; it would put an awful lot of rottenness behind us.

Watching this man's unlikely ascendancy these last few months has been terribly encouraging, inspirational and exciting -- and I want to see it continue. I beg you all to get out and vote tomorrow, and to vote for Barack Obama. I believe it is the only sensible option.

Thanks,
*A*

Prop 8

2008-11-01T22:07:00.000-07:00

San Diego's Republican mayor comes around on gay marriage. A must see clip:

Vote NO on Prop 8 if you live in California!

The Onion Predicted Joe the Plumber 15 Years Ago

2008-10-31T10:39:00.001-07:00

Fall 2008: Music

2008-10-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, time to break from the campaign, drink some wine and talk about music. Here are some of the platters that have been engaging me the most this fall:

Metallica Death Magnetic

The much-touted return to form from the once-mighty Metallica is indeed a kick to listen to. Apparently Rick Rubin used his Jedi mind tricks to get the band to think it was 1986 again -- and the ruse almost worked. Even though these cats will never, ever, ever be what they were 20 years ago (duh), Death Magnetic should at least encourage the obituary writers to put their pencils away for another couple of years. Nothing but Metal with a capital M here -- killer riffs galore (my favorite arrives at 3:58 of the album's second song "End Of the Line"), long arrangements and a mix that's so buried in the red, it clips (Ted Jensen, the mastering engineer, had his name withheld from the credits). And Kirk Hammett, making up for past abuses and lost time, hate-fucks every song with shrapnel-blast guitar solos. Good for him.

Ben Folds Way To Normal

In recent reviews, Ben Folds has been chastised for carrying his patented adolescent snark (made famous in his old band Ben Folds Five) into his 40s. I suppose that could be a problem if you're married to the guy, but I do still love his piano-pounding power-pop tunes (Folds is a master songwriter) and enjoy his state of emotional arrested development...from this comfortable distance.

(Whatever and Ever Amen still rules, btw)

And Also the Trees Green Is the Sea

Gotta thank my old friend Jeff from Pennsylvania for posting this CD to me just in time for fall. AATT remind me of Echo and the Bunnymen, Cocteau Twins, and tempests of swirling autumn leaves on steely-skied October days. If you want to know the kind of trouble Jeff and I get up to in our spare time, check out our fake black metal band.

Cibo Matto Stereo Type A

Thanks Joe for loaning me this (and several other discs on this list!). I've been loving Cibo Matto's first album Viva La Woman for years n' years but never bought this, their second effort. It's not as consistent as their debut, but the highlights are unbelievable, particularly the bumping hip-hop NYC travelogue "Sci-Fi Wasabi", which shines so brightly, it's blinding.

The Netherlands Gato Au Chocolat

A few months ago, my dear friend Hannah called and invited me to see her play bass/synth with this band The Netherlands at the Rock Star Bar, here in Williamsburg. I went to the show and had my clock cleaned -- they became my new favorite Brooklyn band, bar none. Wonderful terrifying guitar noise with screams, shrieks, Moog synths, leather masks and really fucking amazing musicianship. Timo Ellis, the genius mastermind/singer/guitarist of the band, is a multi-instrumentalist visionary, who, oddly enough, was once a member of Cibo Matto (he's all over the aforementioned Stereo Type A album). He's put out many records under various names, including The Netherlands, Gluttonius and The Off Scene.

Come see this band.

Fire Zuave Sand Fastened

I played on a bill with these Floridians during Meanyfest a few weeks ago (at Arlene's Grocery) and really enjoyed their melodic and rough-hewn indie-rock. So much so that I caught them a couple nights later at Trash. Their singer/guitarist Chuck Andrews was kind enough to give me a copy of their current release, Sand Fastened, which reminds me of the kinds of bands that populated the Ace of Hearts label in the 80s (Del Fuegos, Lyres). His cousin is the main guy from Of Montreal (forget his name).

Autolux Future Perfect

If this band had a target audience in mind when they made this album, then my back may as well be painted over in red concentric circles. Autolux do unisex shoegaze guitar art rock better than any band since Pink Noise Test (a shiny nickel to anyone who remembers that band). And "Angry Candy" owes at least a few nickels to Sonic Youth's "Sugar Cane". Produced by T-Bone Burnett.

Bozzio Levin Stevens Black Light Syndrome

Attention normal people: this record will probably bore you. But music geeks who love hearing instrumental virtuosi stretch out over voice-less compositions that last forever will drool over this confluence of head-cutters Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Terry Bozzio (Zappa, Missing Persons). Each is frighteningly good at his craft, a fact that is more than amply clear by the time the 14:37-long opening track reaches its halfway mark. It does get a bit wanky at times, but there are some lovely moments, like the ornate "Back of Hours".

In Flagranti Wronger Than Anyone Else

My favorite Brooklyn dance act of the moment -- this whole CD is a visceral disco blast which inspired me to write a song or two of my own in the late summer (with favorable results, btw!!). Lots of divas, dirty words and kick drums that crush my skull. I found out about my neighbors by listening to Pandora.com.

USSA The Spoils

Spearheaded by two veterans of abrasive rock, ex-Jesus Lizard guitarist Duane Denison and ex-Ministry bassist Paul Barker, USSA offers up a satisfactorily anti-social puree of nihilism, cold textures and industrial-era angst. The key players' musical smarts generally succeed in lifting their material from the quagmire of post-NIN generica, but not always.

Motorhead Motorizer

Once again, Motorhead soldier on, impervious to trends, climate change or fashion. No surprises here, but a solid set, as post-millenial 'Head goes. All the usual subjects are touched on: sex, life on the road, injustice and war. Lemmy lies, btw, when he claims to eschew politics in his music; at least one song per album throws politicians under the bus ("When the Eagle Screams", this time).

Thanks, Mean Joe!

A Religious Fanatic and a Proud, Boastful Ignoramus

2008-10-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Christopher Hitchens weighs in on the atrocity of Sarah Palin. Click the headline.

Good Sense Over Party Allegience

2008-10-23T00:53:00.000-07:00

More lifelong Republicans who'll be pulling the lever for Obama:

Powell's Endorsement

2008-10-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

The tectonic plates are really moving now:

Last Night's Debate

2008-10-16T11:16:00.001-07:00

starring Batman as Obama and the Penguin as McCain:

"He Thinks Us White People Are Trash"

2008-10-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Huh??

Here's what's left of the McCain/Palin base:

The Association Is Complete

2008-10-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to McCain, Palin and FOX News: after months of implicit and explicit insinuations that Barack Obama is a terrorist, they've managed to convince many Republicans that it's true.

Unfortunately for them, the dirtier-than-dirty tricks approach to campaigning, for once, is backfiring big time. Sure, the racist, intellectually challenged rabble shown in the photo above (taken at a McCain rally this morning) are swallowing this tripe but most Americans are appalled -- and Obama's crushing McCain in the polls.

McCain Is Playing With Fire

2008-10-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

Click the headline for a short, incisive New Yorker piece by George Packer, in which he addresses the alarming ugliness, racism, fear and xenophobia the McCain/Palin ticket is instilling in their constituency lately. This stuff is no joke. The clip below shows it all in lurid living color.

Update: McCain is attempting to rein it in a bit.

Memoirs of an Ex-Republican Obama Supporter

2008-10-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

(in Texas, no less!)

click the headline.

Creepy Old Ads

2008-10-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

Found these on Andrew Sullivan's blog. Click the headline for creepy fun.

George Will Slams the McCain/Palin Ticket

2008-10-01T11:21:00.000-07:00

Long-time conservative scribe calls things like he sees them. Click the headline.

John McCain Believes in Deragulation! John McCain Believes in Regulation!

2008-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

New Playlist

2008-09-29T11:48:00.000-07:00

I put new songs up on the playlist -- enjoy. Remember, you can open it up as a pop-out player if you want to go to other pages in this blog without interrupting the music.

This Could Be Your Next President

2008-09-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Sarah Palin gets formally blessed against "witchcraft".

I have so much more to say about this nutjob and how out of his tree McCain is for picking her as running mate (clearly, this race is nothing but a game to him), but I just don't have time right now.

Again I say it: be afraid, be very afraid.

Frankie Teardrop

2008-09-21T00:02:00.000-07:00

Been listening to Suicide again this fall and decided to repost this from my Fall Music Blog of two years ago (click the headline if you wanna revisit the original post):

Suicide -- Self-titled and Ghost Riders

I've been hearing whispers about Suicide for a long time; adjectives like "influential," "underrated," "difficult" get bandied around quite a bit. Curious, I picked up Ghost Riders first, not knowing it was a live album. Still, it hooked me in and compelled me to dig up more of their stuff and read up on the band.

This decidedly unorthodox New York duo cut their teeth for most of the 1970s before finally releasing their first album in '77. As "punk" as anything else out there, Suicide eschew volume, noise and bombast in favor of cheap-sounding synth-drum loops and super-repetitive, eerily subdued electric keyboard patterns. Over this hypnotic sonic foundation (provided by Martin Rev), vocalist Alan Vega unleashes streams of harrowing verbiage and primal scream therapy. Vega's tortured narratives are as evocative of pre-80s New York as anything by Lou Reed, I'd wager. Check out "Frankie Teardrop" -- yikes.

Suicide's first two albums (both eponymous, as far as I can tell) are packaged on a single compact disc. The first one is better, in my opinion; the band's nightmare evocation of urban decay is best viewed under the harsh white light of a naked bulb, and the debut is as stark and raw and unadorned as can be. But the second album, produced by Ric Ocasek, oddly sounds, in some ways, more bizarre than the first. More conventional-sounding (although nowhere near commercial), Ocasek's production job couches Suicide's desperate worldview in smoothe, schmaltzy, chintzy sonics. It is so weird. In some ways it's more subversive -- halfway between pleasant and unbearable. I still haven't got my head around it but it's fascinating to hear.

The live disc Ghost Riders captures a live performance from 1981 (originally released on cassette-only ROIR) and gets much closer to the vibe of that unsettling debut. I can't imagine how confused the audiences must have been...

This Is Your Nation on White Privilege

2008-09-17T17:31:00.000-07:00

By Tim Wise. Click the headline.

R.I.P Rick Wright

2008-09-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

The legendary Pink Floyd keyboardist died today.

Rick and his band have made an incalculable impact on modern music (I for one was changed forever by The Wall). Seminal Pink Floyd releases like Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here set a high water mark for what could be achieved in a rock album, paving the way for countless bands (including Radiohead, The Cure, etc).

Click the headline for the story.

"He Will Make Cheney Look Like Ghandi"

2008-09-11T19:07:00.000-07:00

After five years in Iraq, we have already killed over 93,000 of that country's civilians.

If McCain becomes our next president, we could remain there for 50, "maybe a hundred" more years -- and, by his own estimation, "there will be other wars".

Watch this clip and think hard about who you pull the lever for in November. Think real hard about it.

The Straight Talk Express

2008-09-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

While the McCain campaign kicks up alotta dust over pigs and lipstick (side note: McCain himself used the "lipstick on a pig" analogy as recently as a few months ago -- in reference to Hillary's health care proposal, no less! -- AND his former press secretary, Torie Clarke, wrote a damn book called Lipstick on a Pig. Get your own copy here: http://www.amazon.com/Lipstick-Pig-Winning-No-Spin-Someone/dp/0743271165/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221154270&sr=1-1),

Here's what the elaborate smokescreen is supposed to keep you from noticing:

Click the headline for more McCain "straight talk".

McCain-Palin: The GI Joe-Barbie Ticket

2008-09-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

By Matthew Schneeberger. Click the headline.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-09-06T21:24:00.001-07:00

This blog is four years old today.

The Resentment Strategy

2008-09-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Click the headline for an excellent Paul Krugman piece on the Republicans' uncanny ability to fabricate enmity and resentment toward progressives -- and instill it in the voting public.

Running From Reality

2008-09-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

McCain and his far-right cronies are getting more cynical, more out of touch and more nutty by the day, are they not?

Of late he's been positioning himself as an "everyman", or a "maverick", yet he can't even keep track of how many houses he owns. He's walked in lockstep with the Bushies, policy-wise, for the last eight disastrous years; yet he fancies himself an agent of change??

And now he's made an alarmingly rash and whimsical choice of running mate in Sarah Palin, a proud proponent of God, Guns and the sesession of her home state of Alaska. She's also an apologist for the Iraq war (pretty unforgivable at this late date) and has zero experience in foreign policy. This woman could be our president, people. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Click the headline for a dead-on Bob Herbert piece on McCain's descent into lunacy and political desperation.

Gentle Metal-heads and Indie Rock Slackers

2008-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

I thought this was an interesting article. Click the headline.

(thanks Beenie!)

Palin on the Gender Card

2008-09-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

God bless Jon Stewart.

Fun Facts About McCain's Running Mate

2008-09-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." ^{1, 2}

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" ³

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact.⁴

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade." ⁵

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. ⁶

Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. ⁷

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. ⁸

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." ⁹

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." ¹⁰

Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13701-6892066-waTpwTx&t=6

2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war," ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13701-6892066-waTpwTx&t=7

3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September 3, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13701-6892066-waTpwTx&t=8

5. Ibid

6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

7. Ibid

8. Ibid.

9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time, September 2, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13701-6892066-waTpwTx&t=9

10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Hope-Mongering

2008-09-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I'm one of those people who considers American elections to be empty, meaningless charades -- pointless formalities that merely keep a docile public thinking they've got some kind of control over their lives, as the same political players get shuffled around a little bit every four years or so while the richest one percent continue to run the USA from on high.

I feel that way sometimes -- it's hard not to. Our system only has two corrupt -- and often indistinguishable -- parties to choose from and only the mega-rich have a shot at the presidency. How could that be a good thing? What kind of choice is that?

But I admit, it's hard not to get excited over Obama. He's built a grassroots campaign funded by real citizens; he's articulate and impassioned without seeming haughty or dramatic. He comes not from a super-rich family, but from the humblest of single-parent households. He's strong but not arrogant, a characteristic that goes a long way in dealing with our neighbors in the world.

I like when Obama talks about "our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters". That's bold. John Kerry would have never used that kind of language because he was too busy trying to appease everyone, including the bible-thumping dumbfucks in Arkansas. Fuck that. It's time to move on. It's time for those people to catch up with you and me and the rest of the world.

I like how Obama doesn't use his religious convictions as a bludgeon. I like how he takes the high road, always, when dealing with his competitors. And most of all, the mere fact that a black man is running for -- and is likely to be -- president of the United States this year, when just a few decades ago blacks couldn't even take a seat on the front seat of a damn bus, makes me think that maybe elections aren't meaningless after all. That positive, progressive change in this country is indeed possible -- it just takes time. Obama's very presence in the 2008 election bears this out.

John McCain is a venerable war hero but he's also an old man (with a lunatic running mate), he has agreed with most of GWB's lame-brained policies and decisions, and he doesn't even know how many damn houses he owns.

(Side note -- can you imagine losing track of how many houses you own?)

I don't know what Barack Obama will be like as a president, but at the very least, he'll be a great precedent (sorry for the pun). I'm a hopeful cynic. Let's give this guy a whirl. Let's shake up this dull-ass party and see what kind of stuff happens. Let's see if we can move this glacier forward another few inches.

RIP Natasha Schneider

2008-08-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

I just found out (rather late, as it happens), that one of my favorite musicians, Natasha Schneider, passed away over a month ago.

She and her husband Alain Johannes made up the nucleus of one of my alltime favorite bands, the extremely underrated ELEVEN. I first saw Eleven open for Soundgarden in 1994 and they blew my doors in. Since then I have bought all their albums and followed their many other musical projects, which include stints producing Chris Cornell, touring with Queens of the Stone Age, and most recently, guesting on Dug Pinnick's solo album.

When I first moved to NYC in 1996, I met Alain and Natasha on the street and they were two of the sweetest, kindest and most approachable people. It is so sad that this woman is gone. What a voice, what a player. My heart goes out to Alain, her husband and musical co-conspirator for the last 25 years or more. I can't imagine the loss....

Following a battle with cancer, Natasha died on July 2nd at 11:11am.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natasha_Shneider

Click the headline to visit Eleven's Myspace page.

Buy ELEVEN's music.

I'm Gonna Keep on Loving You

2008-08-11T15:48:00.000-07:00

...from the Department of Random Weirdness:

So I was hanging out in King's X's dressing room last Monday night following their rather scorching set at Irving Plaza (I still say this is the greatest American rock band roaming the Earth), discussing the virtues of buying boots on eBay and the (apparently) surprisingly great selection of rock teeshirts available at Target. When suddenly, and quite apropos of nothing, in barges....Kevin Cronin!

I looked up at this strange, older man beaming maniacally at all of us and thought, "I don't know why I know this, but that's the singer of R.E.O. Speedwagon!"

I can't remember the last time I had beheld his likeness, but it was surely many years ago, and it was most likely some retro VH1 clip of his band in their late '70s/ early '80s heyday. Back then, a much younger Kevin wore a mop of curly hair black hair, and it's that circa-1980-ish image that has stayed with me.

But this was KC, 2008-style. He burst through the door, grinning like some game show host wacked out on crystal meth. His close-shorn hair was all grey and he had his share of wrinkles, yet immediately, I recognized him.

I don't know what he was doing at the gig, but apparently it was his first exposure to King's X and he couldn't stop gushing about how awesome they were. He introduced himself all 'round and assorted chit-chat followed (which included a passing allusion to the fact -- heretofore-unknown-to-me -- that Speedwagon guitarist Gary Richrath had passed away).

A little later Dug started cracking up and said that suddenly he felt like singing R.E.O. songs. I decided to lead:

"You should've seen by the look in my eyes, baby
There was somethin' missin'..."

A few others joined in but we didn't make it to the first chorus cuz we were laughing or we forgot the words. Kevin was into it. He seemed like a really good guy.

At the end of the night Kevin asked me where could find cool stage clothes in New York. I grabbed a paper plate and wrote:

Trash and Vaudeville
St. Marks and 3rd St.
ask for Jimmy

And he folded it up and squinted his crazy smile at me. "It's time for me to fly", he said, and left the room. I'm sure he had a storm to ride out...

"When I said that I love you I meant
That I love you foreverrrrrrr......."

This Blog Now Has a Soundtrack

2008-08-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

Please enjoy the lovely music while wasting time here at my blog. If you want to keep the player running continuously while moving from page to page, click the "pop out player" button and it'll go sit in the corner like an old Victrola.

I'll be changing the songs periodically; the current batch is pretty representative of what I'm listening to at the moment. Hopefully you'll get turned on to something new or smile at something old.

AFSCME

2008-07-28T20:31:00.001-07:00

My New Favorite Band Is

2008-07-16T22:07:00.001-07:00

Grand National.

Two Brits referencing much of what's great about the last 30 years of pop music. Click the headline to link to their Myspace page.

Day of the Tentacle

2008-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:00

This is cute.

Click the headline.

FOX Sinks to New Low

2008-07-06T15:22:00.000-07:00

Seriously??

This is supposed to be a news network?

Click the headline.

The Secret News -- by George Carlin

2008-06-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

Good Evening ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for the secret news.

Sshh.
Here’s the secret news:
All people are afraid.
No one knows what they’re doing.
Everything is getting worse.
Some people deserve to die.
Your money is worthless.
No one is properly dressed.
At least one of your children will disappoint you.
The system is rigged.
Your house will never be completely clean.
All teachers are incompetent.
There are people who really dislike you.
Nothing is as good as it seems.
Things don’t last.
No one is paying attention.
The country is dying.
God doesn’t care.
Sshhhhhh.....

George Carlin

2008-06-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

Rest in peace, brother.

Keeping My CD Player Warm These Days:

2008-06-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Portishead's third album, which arrived a full 11 years after its predecessor. Damn, alot has changed since then, hasn't it. But Portishead seemed to have been cryogenically preserved. If anything, Third is a renewed statement of purpose from this mysterious, influential and ridiculously awesome Bristol band. I've been spinning this baby a LOT.

.
Muscular modern metal with an eye toward the 1970s, and plenty of memorable choruses to make repeated spins consistently enjoyable. See also: The Sword.

The Futureheads' third album is a strident, breathless blast of tuneful guitar pop that continues to carry the torch for forbears like Billy Bragg, XTC and Joe Jackson, although there's nothing here quite as flawlessly catchy as "Skip to the End".

It's incredible that this band is still going, and even more impressive that their songwriting is still so good and their performances still so strong. But ya know what? King's X is simply still HUNGRY. My only complaint is Michael Wagener's production -- not so much "production" as just very nice recording. I would love to hear KX in the hands of a more visionary producer again (it's been a long time since the Sam Taylor days). Still, their fifteenth album is a fine one. What else would one expect?

I am not crazy about Hard Candy. It just sounds like ordinary post-millenial chart fodder, what with the presence of Timberlake, Timbaland and Kanye. I could definitely live without all them. The music is a bit cookie-cutter, and Maddy's parts sound phoned-in; Confessions was a much better, much tighter dance-pop record. I would love to see Madonna do something more along the lines of Bedtime Stories next time around -- the sexy-but-mature vibe of that record (and all of her 90s output, really) seems much better suited to a woman of her age. She doesn't need to compete with the half-nude celebu-tarts anymore -- she's Madonna.

Patti's brand new album unsurprisingly hits the ball out of the park on all counts: super-catchy songs, lyrical witticisms, pathos and world-class production courtesy of Freddie Katz, who also happens to be her guitarist and boyfriend. The Ramones, Bowie and Patti Smith are all channeled into the proceedings here, but Patti's milieu is its own thing, at the end of the day. Meticulously prepared yet loose, spontaneous, fun and affecting, Double Standards is a more-than-worthy follow up to Candelabra Cadabra.

Iggy on the Dinah Shore Show '77

2008-06-17T12:13:00.001-07:00

I can't get enough of this.

You may recognize the keyboard player too.

Frank Zappa Proposed iTunes 25 Years Ago

2008-06-17T10:51:00.001-07:00

A PROPOSAL FOR A SYSTEM TO REPLACE
ORDINARY RECORD MERCHANDISING

Ordinary phonograph record merchandising as it exists today is a stupid process which concerns itself essentially with pieces of plastic, wrapped in pieces of cardboard.

These objects, in quantity, are heavy and expensive to ship. The manufacturing process is complicated and crude. Quality control for the stamping of the discs is an exercise in futility. The system is subject to pilferage (as, in some instances, pressing 'over-runs' have been initiated, with the quantity pressed above the amount of the legitimate order removed from the premises and sold on the black market).

Dissatisfied customers routinely return records because they are warped and will not play.

Large numbers of people are employed in the field of 'record promotion' . . . these salaries are, for the most part, a waste of money.

New digital technology may eventually solve the warpage problem and provide the consumer with better quality sound in the form of Compact Discs [C.D.'s]. They are smaller, contain more music, and would, presumably cost less to ship . . . but, they are much more expensive to buy and manufacture. To reproduce them, the consumer needs to purchase a digital device to replace his old hi-fi equipment (in the $700 price range).

The bulk of the promotional effort at every record company today is expended on "NEW MATERIAL" . . . the latest and the greatest of whatever the cocaine-tweezed A&R Brass has decided to inflict on everybody. More often than not, these 'aesthetic decisions' result in mountains of useless vinyl/cardboard artifacts which cannot be sold at any price, and are therefore returned for disposal and recycling. These mistakes are expensive.

Put aside momentarily the current method of operation and think what is being wasted in terms of GREAT CATALOG ITEMS, squeezed out of the market place because of limited rack space in retail outlets, and the insatiable desire of quota-conscious company reps to fill every available niche with THIS WEEK'S NEW RELEASES.

Every major record company has vaults full of (and perpetual rights to) great recording by major artists in many categories which might still provide enjoyment to music consumers if they were made available in the right way. MUSIC CONSUMERS LIKE TO CONSUME MUSIC . . . NOT PIECES OF VINYL WRAPPED IN PIECES OF CARDBOARD.

It is our proposal to take advantage of the POSITIVE ASPECTS of a NEGATIVE TREND afflicting the record industry today: HOME TAPING via cassette of material released on vinyl.

First of all, we must realize that the taping of albums is not motivated by 'stinginess' alone . . . if a consumer makes a home tape from a disc, that copy will probably sound better than a commercially manufactured high-speed dupe cassette, legitimately released by the company.

People today enjoy music more than ever before, and, they like to take it with them wherever they go. THEY CAN HEAR THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AUDIO AND BAD AUDIO . . . THEY CARE ABOUT THAT DIFFERENCE, AND THEY ARE WILLING TO GO TO SOME TROUBLE AND EXPENSE TO HAVE HIGH QUALITY 'PORTABLE AUDIO' TO USE AS 'WALLPAPER FOR THEIR LIFESTYLE'.

THE ANSWERS TO PERPLEXING QUESTIONS

presenting: "Q.C.I."

We propose to acquire the rights to digitally duplicate and store THE BEST of every record company's difficult-to-move Quality Catalog Items [Q.C.I.], store them in a central processing location, and have them accessible by phone or cable TV, directly patchable into the user's home taping appliances, with the option of direct digital-to-digital transfer to F-1 (SONY consumer level digital tape encoder), Beta Hi-Fi, or ordinary analog cassette (requiring the installation of a rentable D-A converter in the phone itself . . . the main chip is about $12).

All accounting for royalty payments, billing to the customer, etc. would be automatic, built into the initial software for the system.

The consumer has the option of subscribing to one or more Interest Categories, charged at a monthly rate, without regard for the quantity of music he or she decides to tape.

Providing material in such quantity at a reduced cost could actually diminish the desire to duplicate and store it, since it would be available any time day or night.

Monthly listings could be provided by catalog, reducing the on-line storage requirements of the computer. The entire service would be accessed by phone, even if the local reception is via TV cable.

The advantage of the TV cable is: on those channels where nothing ever seems to happen (there's about 70 of them in L.A.), a visualization of the original cover art, including song lyrics, technical data, etc., could be displayed while the transmission is in progress, giving the project an electronic whiff of the original point-of-purchase merchandising built into the album when it was 'an album', since there are many consumers who like to fondle & fetish the packaging while the music is being played. In this situation, Fondlement & Fetishism Potential [F.F.P.] is supplied, without the cost of shipping tons of cardboard around.

We require a LARGE quantity of money and the services of a team of mega-hackers to write the software for this system. Most of the hardware devices are, even as you read this, available as off-the-shelf items, just waiting to be plugged into each other so they can put an end to "THE RECORD BUSINESS" as we now know it.

Williamsburg Today

2008-05-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

i miss U jennylee

2008-05-17T00:52:00.000-07:00

Dear Jennylee,

I don't know where you are right now but I miss you.

Wherever you are, I hope you're happy, and inspired, wild and still dreaming. But New York needs you.

I am floating around in a bizarre, whitewashed, zombie-fied New York City that has become the exclusive domain of boring rich people with no imagination or style. This place was once the natural habitat for creatures like you and me. But now? It belongs to the poachers.

I remember the days and nights when we would wander Manhattan together, looking like a glorious, technicolor eyesore. Everybody on the street loved you, from children to old folks -- because you were authentic and unfiltered, and you acted no differently toward them than you did toward me, your club-kid friends, or anyone else. You were unpredictable, colorful and real -- you were everything that was great about New York, personified.

Do you remember the nights at Coney Island High, Speeed and Mother, dancing together in a cloud of glitter, buzzing on cheap alcohol? Or the night we first met, at Squeezebox? Those parties are long gone now, and so, it seems, are the brilliant characters that made them crackle with creative life.

We collided ten years ago in a city of kindred spirits that was still our playground. That whole summer was one adventure after another; we were Sid and Nancy, or Bonnie and Clyde. And trouble followed us everywhere.

I was just walking through the intersection of 9th avenue and 14th street tonight. Back in the days when you and I held court in that neighborhood, the only people we'd see on a Saturday night were Click and Drag freaks and trannie hookers working that traffic island.

Now that place is a claustrophobic, swarming sea of cookie-cutter human automatons in shiny shirts, queueing up to buy rounds of $12 drinks at velvet rope lounges. The meatpacking district used to reek of meat; now it reeks of cologne, Ketel One and crisp benjamins shooting out of ATMs. Walking through there tonight, I felt like an animal that had escaped from the zoo.

Now it seems impossible that that neighborhood -- or the L.E.S. or Alphabet City -- was once a place where a human as brilliant and crazy as you might be found. But luckily for me it was, and I'm glad to have been there at the same time.

I miss u, Jennylee! You inspired me and made me use my imagination. Thank you for that. It makes me smile to know that you're still out there somewhere, beautiful and crazy, chewing up the scenery. But I wish you were here -- this place desperately needs some color, some character and some chaos.

American Soldier Refuses to Serve in Iraq

2008-05-16T18:08:00.000-07:00

Click the headline.

And if there's a single person left in this country who actually believes we're "winning" in Iraq, this story ought to turn you around.

If not, just keep pushing that noggin deeper into the proverbial sand, I guess.

On Criticism

2008-05-07T13:59:00.000-07:00

more from David Eggers, from the same interview that spawned the "keeping shit real" rant...

"I think criticism, more often than not, completely misses the point, yes. The critical impulse, demonstrated by the tone of many of your own questions, is to suspect, doubt, tear at, and to take something apart to see how it works. Which of course is completely the wrong thing to do to art. I used to tear books apart, and tear art exhibits apart - I was an art and book critic for a few years in San Francisco - but my urge to do that was born of bitterness and confusion and anger, not out of any real need to help or edify.

When we pick at and tear into artistic output of whatever kind, we really have to examine our motives for doing so. What is it about art that can make us so angry? Is it healthy to rip to shreds something created by an artist? I would posit, if I may, that that's not really a healthy impulse. Now, as far as I know, out of maybe 100 or so reviews that I've been made aware of, my own book has received only one negative example. That's pretty lucky, especially when you consider that Wallace, for example, has gotten pretty abused by some people, people who for the most part don't have the patience his work requires.

But criticism, for the most part, comes from the opposite place that book-enjoying should come from. To enjoy art one needs time, patience, and a generous heart, and criticism is done, by and large, by impatient people who have axes to grind. The worst sort of critics are (analogy coming) butterfly collectors - they chase something, ostensibly out of their search for beauty, then, once they get close, they catch that beautiful something, they kill it, they stick a pin through its abdomen, dissect it and label it. The whole process, I find, is not a happy or healthy one.

Someone with his or her own shit figured out, without any emotional problems or bitterness or envy, instead of killing that which he loves, will simply let the goddamn butterfly fly, and instead of capturing and killing it and sticking it in a box, will simply point to it - "Hey everyone, look at that beautiful thing" - hoping everyone else will see the beautiful thing he has seen.

Just as no one wants to grow up to be an IRS agent, no one should want to grow up to maliciously dissect books. Are there fair and helpful book critics? Yes, of course. But by and large, the only book reviews that should be trusted are by those who have themselves written books. And the more successful and honored the writer, the less likely that writer is to demolish another writer. Which is further proof that criticism comes from a dark and dank place. What kind of person seeks to bring down another? Doesn't a normal person, with his own life and goals and work to do, simply let others live? Yes. We all know that to be true."

On Integrity, Selling Out and "Keeping Shit Real"

2008-05-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

This is a fantastic rant from writer Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and the founder of McSweeney's magazine.

The piece is sort of a long-form response to a question he was asked during an interview with Harvard Advocate. The Q, which dealt with the issue of "maintaining street cred", ended thusly:

"Are you taking any steps --- are there any steps to be taken -- to keep shit real?"

Anyone who who has ever cried "sellout" or criticized someone's art (that's basically all of us) should read it.

My good friend Keeta forwarded this to me a few years ago and I dug it up again today. Click the headline.

(thanks Kta)

Hillary Makes Nice With the "Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy"

2008-05-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago they were the bane of her (and Bill's) existence. But these days she's using them to advance her Obama smear campaign. Click the headline.

Death Metal, Disco and Robot Rock: What I've Been Listening to this Spring

2008-04-30T11:34:00.000-07:00

Various Artists Grindcrusher
This charming Whitmann's Sampler of death metal and grindcore features genre kingpins like Napalm Death and Morbid Angel, alongside less-likely inclusions like Naked City and Old Lady Drivers (whose "Colostomy Grab Bag" wins first prize for best songtitle of the bunch -- which is saying alot).

Best band name goes to Lawnmower Deth.

Public Enemy Fear of a Black Planet
An amazing album by any measuring apparatus, FOABP also represents the golden era of the pre-litigation sampling era, along with the Beasties' Paul's Boutique. Listen closely and you can hear beats swiped from Big Audio Dynamite, the unmistakable cackling of Vincent Price (from "Thriller") and Prince's (sped up) solo flameout from "Let's Go Crazy", among many many many more.

Chris Kowanko Spell
I've been listening to singer-songwriter Kowanko's brilliant, self-titled, Lenny Kaye-produced disc since it came out in 1993. Its single "Grey Crayon" got a lot of play on alternative station WDRE in those days. I thought he sounded a bit like Chrissy Hynde, with a very unique vocal delivery and gorgeous lyrical imagery.

Recently I decided to look him up online and found out that he'd released a little-known follow up called Spell in 2001. I bought a copy and was positively delighted to find the man in fine, undiminished form on the rather delayed sophomore effort.

I also found a very cool Kowanko website and decided to email Chris and tell him how much I loved both records. I also asked what he's up to nowadays. He emailed me back promptly and said he had a new band upstate called Monsterbuck...

Monsterbuck Land of Makebelievers
...and offered to send a free copy of their CD if I wanted one. I said "of course" and emailed him my Williamsburg address. He replied by saying that he'd lived right around the corner from me from 1985-1994...meaning that he wrote that first album right here in my 'hood. That is so cool! I live for stuff like this -- finding out that an album I've been listening to for 15 years was written literally a stone's throw away from my apartment. So cool!

I asked him what W-burg was like in those days and his reply was:

The old neighborhood was like it is now, only different proportions of everything and everybody. Now there are hundreds of places to drink and eat and spend money. For the first few years we had to take the train to 1st ave to get a slice. It was pretty creepy at night. Garbage in tidal swirls under the street lamp, long shadows, ratty prostitutes. The days were blaring with salsa music. Gentrification was underway but it was like the quiet munching of termites. Not all that visible. It's so interesting how a new city forms right where another was. Same name, different place.

Poetic, to the last.

Chris sent the Monsterbuck CD, as promised. Between it and the Spell album, I've been wallowing in a wonderfully unexpected Kowanko revival lately. Monsterbuck has a rustic, loose, band vibe (it was recorded mostly live in a barn) but Chris's haunting sensibility is still front and center. What an incredible musician, what a great guy. Unfortunately still a secret to most.

The Kills No Wow

I saw the Kills years ago, opening for the YYY's, and, maybe because I wasn't in a very good mood at the time, they didn't make much of an impression other than "here's another male/female duo with a drum machine." But lately I've been hearing some pretty scorching Kills songs that remind me of all the things I love about rock. Their music is ultra-sexy, all oozing attitude and sensuality slathered over mechanized beats and incredibly grungy lo-fi guitars. This album is pretty hot -- and their new song "URA Fever" is just molten.

Kraftwerk Trans Euro Express

Incredibly fresh sounding robot rock considering its late-70s release date. Fuck it, this record sounds new. All electronic music and hip hop owes a debt to Kraftwerk, as you all know.

Various Artists Disco Not Disco
This is the third volume of the DND compilation series (subtitled Post Punk, Electro & Leftfield Disco Classics), and sadly the first two are impossible to find. Features lost gems by the likes of Material, Delta 5, Quando Quango and loads of bands no one has ever heard of. Great fun and perfect to hula hoop to!

songs on my new stick drive/MP3 player

Here I go again, demolishing my hearing.

Don't worry, I'm keeping the volume down.

Art vs Commerce

2008-04-29T13:38:00.000-07:00

"Middle-class America has withering words for its men of feeling, for its young
of experimental intelligence, who do not show immediately that their endeavors
pay off on a cash basis. But if a civilization falls, is it cash the inheritors
find among the ruins? Or is it a statue, a poem, a play, a song?"
Truman Capote, 1946

(thanks Kta)

Soldier Loses Both Brothers, Then Comes Home to Discontinued Benefits

2008-04-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Click the headline for an example of the American government's current chew-em-up-and-spit-em-out policy towards their own military.

I'm So Tired of the TMI Ggeneration

2008-04-16T22:08:00.000-07:00

The TMI factor has nearly killed rock and roll dead. Too many candid photos, too many sex tapes, too many reality shows, too many tell-all books and painfully personal blogs. There's an art to cultivating mystique. That's right, mystique -- mystery. It's what makes an artist alluring and dangerous. The bands of the 1970s knew how to do it. Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath. No photos on the album cover, or maybe just a real misty, creepy, iconic one that made you wonder if they were even real people.

Music has so much more power when you know less about the performer. Who wants all the mundane, unflattering, humiliating details? A splash of urban legend and innuendo goes a long way; who needs more? I want my Jimmy Pages ensconced at fucking Loch Ness, their libraries stocked with magic spells and their basements littered with the bones of virgins!

I'm so sick of seeing little myspace celebu-tarts promoting their "music careers" with a handful of trite, utterly forgettable, Pro Tools-damaged songs propped up by three hundred photos of themselves in various states of undress. I'm sorry, but if you have that many pictures of yourself on your website, you are instantly disqualified from Being Taken Seriously.

Hey, you! I know you just can't get enough of yourself, but I gotta tell ya -- all the overexposure is making you BORING. We know too much about you and unfortunately knowing too much means knowing how little there actually is to know. Your pathetic live journals and self-administered surveys only illustrate how fascinated you are with yourself -- what makes you think we want to pore over the boring minutia that makes up your life?

I close with the lyrics from one of my favorite songs:

move my feet and touch my sole
bass and drumbeat rock and roll
just play that music
i don't care what key it's in,
where it's come from, where it's been
just play that music

i don't need to see your face
don't need no autographs
i can't play your interviews
can't hear your photographs

you don't need to be profound
in fact don't speak
just play that sound
just play that music
i'll turn on my radio
if you've got a great live show
just play that music

if it's hitting make it stick
do your job, just play music
critics mags and interviews
who cares about bad reviews?

does it have to be so tame
do i have to twist and shout
do we have to play this game
or be down and out?
it don't have to look the same
i keep tryin' to tell 'em
it don't have to all sound lame
i sing the song, you sell 'em

if it's hitting make it stick
do your job, just play music
if you need an ear to lend
i've got the cash to spend

move my feet and touch my sole
bass and drumbeat rock and roll
just play that music

--Big Audio Dynamite, 1988

Stephen Hawking: It's About Time to Blow this Popsicle Stand

2008-04-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Give Therapeutic Violence a Chance

2008-04-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

one of McCain's foreign policy advisers offers pearls of wisdom on democracy in Iraq:

“If we can’t leave a democracy behind, we should at least leave the corpses of our enemies. The holier-than-thou response to this proposal is predictable: ‘We can’t kill our way out of this situation!’ Well, boo-hoo. Friendly persuasion and billions of dollars haven’t done the job. Give therapeutic violence a chance.”

Buchanan on the Blacks

2008-04-13T14:25:00.001-07:00

"First, America has been the best country on earth for black folks. It was here that 600,000 black people, brought from Africa in slave ships, grew into a community of 40 million, were introduced to Christian salvation, and reached the greatest levels of freedom and prosperity blacks have ever known." -- Pat Buchanan

Sony Killed My Ears

2008-04-11T00:24:00.000-07:00

On the Christmas of 1996 (the first year I spent in New York), I got a Sony Walkman. I had asked for one. I'd decided that for all the time I spent walking around the city and waiting for subway trains to arrive, I should have an ongoing soundtrack.

It was the yellow "sports" Walkman, remember those? I don't know what made it "sporty" -- was it waterproof? Did it hold up better during raquetball matches? Who knows. It fell off my person many times and never shattered on the sidewalk, so maybe that owed to its rugged sportiness.

I didn't care for the bright yellow, so I painted it with black nail varnish ("I see a Walkman and I want it painted black..."). I clipped it to the waistline of whatever I was wearing and went storming out into the city with the volume maxed, every time I left the apartment. I never left home without that thing for at least seven years.

Ok, I'm exaggerating, it wasn't the same Walkman for all that time. Eventually I wore the first one out and had to replace it. I usually went to a video rental/electronics store on 1st Avenue. I can't estimate how many walkmen (I'm using the lower case now because the machines weren't necessarily Sony) I went through -- oh hell, I'll estimate. Maybe a dozen, or 20.

I made stacks of mix tapes, which still cover a wall of my apartment. They're great time capsules. They always represented whichever albums I was into at the time, plus bits from compilation CDs, scraps gathered randomly from the radio (in the middle of some tape from '98, there's a snippet from the Howard Stern Show's news segment -- about some poor soul whose lower intestine was sucked out of his body in a jacuzzi -- that still makes me clench my teeth when I hear it).

The tapes had weird names and random inserts -- sometimes my own artwork, sometimes magazine clippings. Sometimes the songs were listed on the liner but more often, they were not. To me, it was more fun not knowing what was on the tape. When I pressed play, it was a surprise. When I listen to those tapes now, my favorite bits are all the forgotten songs, the greatest hits of long-ago traded-in discs (think Machines of Loving Grace, No Doubt, Lard, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Fugees). So many of those songs belong solely to their respective time periods. Hearing them in context is pretty powerful and highly nostalgic.

Some of the tapes had themes; I'd made tapes of strictly dance music, strictly metal, strictly goth, strictly punk rock. Some were just fall music, some were just spring music. Some were just one band. I've got mix tapes devoted exclusively to Van Halen, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Queen, Big Audio Dynamite, KMFDM, King's X, Gene Loves Jezebel, The Damned, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, piL, Slayer, The Cure, The Cars, Eleven. I've got at least six Motorhead mix tapes and they're all completely different.

I made tapes for cloudy days, tapes for early summer, tapes for Halloween, tapes only to be heard in December. Tapes for my birthday, tapes for road trips, tapes for sleeping. I have three volumes of Social Terrorism, which is all metal and techno mixed together. I have six volumes of Fall Back, which is all music from autumn.

But above all, the mix tapes were made for the walkman. I never left the house without it. The tapes were for subway rides, for my jaunts around the East Village hanging flyers, or en route to clubs, for trips out of town. If you ever saw me between '96 and '03, chances are, I had the 'phones on.

New York is a noisy place. The 'man had to be cranked to be heard. On the streets and especially the subway, if the volume wasn't pushing into the red, you weren't hearing the tunes.

After two years of this, I discovered I had full-on tinnitus. For those who aren't familiar, tinnitus is a chronic condition wherein one's ears ring 24 hours a day. It's not hearing loss per se, just a constant ringing. You notice it especially in quiet rooms. Some folks who suffer from tinnitus keep the television on at night when they go to sleep, to drown out that dreadful sound. It's been said to drive some to suicide. I don't let it bother me that badly but I must say, when I find myself in a really quiet place (like my parents' house in Pennsylvania at bedtime), the loudness of it is pretty scary.

Anyway, after a certain point I decided to end all walkman use. For one thing I got tired of the tape players' heads wearing out, of the earphones going bad, and yes, I got tired of the feeling that I was constantly MAKING THAT RINGING IN MY EARS LOUDER. I figured I should quit while I'm behind, for my ears' sake.

Around 2003 I bought my last walkman. After its motor wore out I threw it into the kitchen garbage can along with the coffee grounds and banana peels -- and put my vast catalogue of mixtapes into dusty retirement.

These days I read books to keep me entertained on subway platforms. I never got into ipods and still don't own one. So, I'm now susceptible to all the idiotic conversation, insults, dumb quips thrown from passing cars and every other type of noise pollution that rents the city air day after day. I'm actually engaged in the real world.

Now I've been off walkmen for five years. My mix tape production ground to a screeching halt at the same time that I stopped using. Oh sure, I still make the occasional mix CD, just to mark the passing of a season, but it's mainly for posterity. No longer are the songs of my todays burned inextricably into experiences of running down cold avenues in Manhattan, or lingering in sweltering train stations, or drifting through canopies of spring buds on Brooklyn side streets, or riding the J train into the lower east side on impeccable and steely autumn afternoons. For me music is now mainly consumed at home. Songs are no longer associated with individual events, just with my kitchen.

But that ringing, that infernal ringing, is the soundtrack to every waking moment, no matter where I am.

Fun Facts About John McCain

2008-04-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.¹

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."²

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.³

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."⁴

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.⁵

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.⁶

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."⁷

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.⁸

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."⁹

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.¹⁰

*************************************************

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html

"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council^® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/

"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

Rush On Feminism

2008-04-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

"[Y]ou have to understand the mindset of a lot of these feminists and women. They think they're owed this — just like Obama supporters think they're owed this. These women have paid their dues. They've been married two or three times; they've had two or three abortions; they've done everything that feminism asked them to do. They have cut men out of their lives; they have devoted themselves to causes and careers. And this — the candidacy of Hillary Clinton — is the culmination of all of these women's efforts. And if it gets stolen from them [by] a rookie, radical black guy who can't tell the time of day, they are going to be so miffed," - Rush Limbaugh.