|
Notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Original analysis and reporting, the rest of the news, and all round media filter.
Live free or die!
|
June 7, 2004
New album releases, week of 6-8-2004
Most likely gamble for music fans amongst this week's new releases would be an album from Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze, Transatlantic Ping Pong.
Also promising: a new album from Etta James, Blues to the Bone.
The extremely much hyped GnR loaded supergroup Velvet Revolver have their first album release, Contraband. Don't know if it's any good, but unlike Axl they have at least actually put out a damned record.
Other artists of note with new studio album releases this week include Gene Simmons, PJ Harvey, Sonic Youth, and Chumbawamba.
CLICK HERE for the complete list of this week's major releases.
posted by Al Barger at 6/7/2004 10:17:17 PM
June 5, 2004
President Reagan - A spiritual leader passes
President Ronald Reagan has finally passed away after years of suffering the indignities of Alzheimer's.
At the time, I didn't appreciate him so much. As a perhaps somewhat strident young libertarian, I objected to him largely for exactly the opposite reasons as his more numerous and vocal liberal opponents. He did NOT in fact slash or really even trim the federal budget generally or welfare programs. (Bill Clinton, of all people, would get more credit for that one.) I enjoyed the pure blind fury that his mere existence gave many of his opponents, but I never voted for him.
You have to give him some credit for his early tax cut, though. "Tax cut" might be somewhat the wrong phrase, in that it absolutely generated MORE tax money by stimulating economic growth. It would be more apt to describe it as a modest "tax reform" largely by lowering the ridiculously high upper tax brackets. What moron thought that a 90% tax bracket was either moral or practical?
In the years since his retirement, though, his greatest value has shown through- something surpassing particular legislative achievements and shortfalls.
I've come to see him as something of a secular spiritual leader. He wasn't going on about God all the time, or such foolishness- Jimmy Carter would have come closer to that. There was a bigger sense of vision, though. He really MEANT that "morning in America" stuff.
Reagan felt this optimism in his soul, and offered it to us all. It didn't entirely make up for all the budget deficits and such what, but then maybe it did. The system pretty strongly tends to roll along no matter what a couple of monkeys at the top think they're going to reform. He couldn't do everything.
He did, however, keep a steady hand on the wheel during the demise of the Soviet Union. Many critics absolutely screamed blue bloody murder at the time over his assured insistence that we were the good guys, and the Soviet government were the bad guys. But a belief in our own goodness is necessary to our ability to think and act rightly: the Soviet Union was absolutely an "evil empire."
Between the evil moral relativists and the weaklings fearful of the wounded Russian bear lashing out, there was a great deal of pressure for appeasement, capitulation and even financial support from America for the dying empire. Reagan had the good judgment mostly simply not to prop the evil bastards up.
He was not belligerent, nor did he in fact make any move to promote some military conflict with the Soviets, as he was so constantly and ridiculously accused of. He simply made it clear that we were standing our ground, perfectly willing and able to spend the money and defend ourselves.
Reagan shouldn't get credit for ending the Soviet empire. That's too much. The Soviet Union collapsed under it's own weight eventually because communism doesn't work. Praise be, though, that as that time came we had a president with the good sense not to cower or prop them up for another ten years with OUR wealth.
From the top, Reagan masterfully projected his vision that America is good and strong and moral- the shining city on the hill. Introspection and self-doubt are important things- in moderation- but you can't live on that stuff.
Nor should we have to. America IS the shining city on the hill.
************
Reagan's best and worst moments
posted by Al Barger at 6/5/2004 05:47:48 PM
June 4, 2004
Tiananmen Square Massacre Anniversary
Fifteen years ago today, on June 4, 1989, the Chinese government openly massacred hundreds, perhaps thousands of peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square- in brazen full view of the world. DETAILS
We've got our hands full right now with the Islamofascists trying to kill us, but they don't need to think that this incident nor the wickedness of the Chinese regime will be forgotten.
We'll get back to you sonsabitches later.
posted by Al Barger at 6/4/2004 10:55:56 AM
June 1, 2004
New album releases, week of 6-1-2004
This week's "Cheap record company bastards ought to send Al a free review copy" pick is Black Power: Music of a Revolution. This two CD set mixes civil rights movement speeches [including Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael and Huey Newton] mixed amongst related musical items. Some are more obvious hits like "Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud" and "Chocolate City." Some are more obscure groups that I haven't heard, such as the Watts Prophets. Please, tell me more.
There are remixed CDs of four highly regarded Eno albums, including "Another Green World." I tried listening to a couple of these years ago as a college student, but even stoned I couldn't talk myself into liking them. Maybe I just wasn't ready for Eno. Perhaps I never shall be.
There's a new album out for all the Dubya hatas in the house, Bushspeak: The Curious Wit and Wisdom of George W. Bush. Cheap fun for you and all your pinko friends!
CLICK HERE for the complete list of this week's major releases.
posted by Al Barger at 6/1/2004 04:35:02 AM
May 30, 2004
Demons Dance Alone - a Residents DVD
The most interesting thing about the Residents is that in 30 years, they've never given out their names or appeared without masks, even during live performances such as the November 2002 New York concert documented here.
Not showing their faces creates a sense of mystery about the band. Also, on a practical level, it means that paying audience members won't know who to beat up in the parking lot later.
This just isn't very good on numerous levels. Main thing: there's not much in the way of SONGS here. If there are no worthwhile songs, then not much else is going to matter. There isn't much in any of this in the way of a hook.
Nor do the lyrics say much. I couldn't get a clear meaning out of any of this. There's an emperor's new clothes thing here, like you'll look foolish for not getting the Deep Artistic Statement that they're obviously making.
Also, these people can't sing. There's exactly ONE person on that stage actually capable of carrying a tune in a bucket. We'll call this anonymous person Girl, as she was the only such on the stage.
On the other hand, there wasn't much for them to sing. The melodies were pretty same-y. I could hardly tell where they were going with song structures, as I couldn't remember how most of these songs went even while I was listening to them to even distinguish verses and choruses. It all just runs together in a muddy soup. Ugh.
This music is not, as they would have you believe, really anything avant-garde or experimental. The screechy dissonant stuff might have been experimental (largely in a failed sort of way)- back when the Velvet Underground was doing it 35 years ago. Hint: merely being unpleasant to listen to does not automatically mean that it's great art. Girl had more of a disaffected German cabaret Marlene Dietrich/Nico thing going in a few places, which was at least a little more listenable.
Their stage show here was somewhat elaborate, but again not very meaningful. OK, so they're all wearing gothic masks and toting lanterns. Then there was the demon, wandering around with a couple of powerful flashlights to shine in people's faces. ART!
Most particularly annoying was the lighting. They were performing their shows on a mostly dark stage, other than the lanterns and flashlights. The thing was apparently shot in infrared, and then doctored to put back some color. They go on in the DVD notes about how it was another artistic master stroke. "This process lifted the production out of the concept of a documentary and into the interpretive world of graphic stylization."
This is just the kind of pretentious nonsense that makes me nuts. It's just very badly lit video. It just looks bad. Again, merely being unpleasant does not make it artistic. The local high school AV team could have done a better production.
By way of throwing them a bone, I'll give at least a passing grade to one song, "Ms Wonderful." Girl cradled the demon in her lap and sang him a lament about the children she was never going to have. This is a discernible meaning. There's some recognizable emotional content. Also, there's a somewhat distinctive tune. More like a couple of hooks, really, with not a whole lot of development. Still, it's somewhat memorable. I'll probably watch that part again sometime.
Also, in fairness they are an OLD group now. How many musical acts are still making credible new music 30 years on? Paul Simon and Elvis Costello spring to mind, not many others. If the idea of the Residents sounds interesting to you, you'd do better to get some of their earlier stuff, Eskimo, Duck Stab, even Diskomo.
Now, I hate to harsh on the Residents. They're something of a nostalgia act for me. I was buying their stuff by mail order as a teenager in the early 80s. I as much as bought the 12" vinyl disco remix of their famous anti-ambient Eskimo album, Diskomo. I even kind of liked it- though in retrospect their late protege Snakefinger was much more musically interesting.
Looking back, it was obviously mostly the IDEA of the Residents that appealed to me. They seemed avant garde, see, and surely none of my dumb Seger and Skynyrd listening classmates would get them. See, I was the only one COOL enough to appreciate this stuff.
Dang, but I was too cool for school. By the time I was getting out of school, though, cool was far less important than musical, and into the ol' memory trunk go the Residents.
posted by Al Barger at 5/30/2004 04:04:27 AM
Michael Badnarik selected as Libertarian Party presidential candidate
Michael Badnarik from Austin, Texas was selected as the 2004 presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party on Sunday, May 30.
Badnarik has a background as a computer programmer and technical trainer. He's known among Libertarians as a constitutional scholar. He offers an 8 hour course on the constitution.
In my limited exposure, he comes off as a low-key but quietly intent rumpled college professor. I dig that feel a lot, at least in this guy. A related comparison: Michael Badnarik may be the party's closest approximation to Lieutenant Columbo.
Even within the party, Badnarik was the underdog. He was a distant third in expectations coming into the convention. We had Hollywood producer Aaron Russo and fairly well known radio talk show host Gary Nolan as frontrunners. Both had better nominal professional skills in public speaking, better name recognition and certainly more money. Badnarik did, however, have what was widely regarded as a good performance in the Saturday debates.
It took three ballots to clinch the nomination. This seems conveniently like just about right dramatically- enough to peak interest, then getting to the denouement fairly quickly before it got boring. Nolan bowed out after the second ballot, offering his support to Badnarik. 405 votes for a majority were required for nomination. Badnarik beat Russo decisively on the third ballot, 423 to 344.
It appears that basically Nolan and Russo significantly enough alienated one another's supporters as to knock them both out. Russo was graceless enough to say on stage (and on C-Span) that he was pleased to support Badnarik, and was just glad that it wasn't Nolan. Bad form, Aaron. Feel free to redeem yourself by raising a couple million dollars for Badnarik.
I don't know just how good Badnarik will do. We've never had much luck at this high level. For all his good efforts and professionalism and best intentions, Harry Browne didn't do much good- even with two bites at the apple. Badnarik probably couldn't do much worse, but he's not nearly the smooth politician that some of our candidates have been.
For example, I was in the room during this hospitality suite exchange between Mr. Badnarik and Mike Kole at our Indiana state convention last month. I concur with brother Kole that he was not particularly impressive there as a politician, specifically. [Little known bonus tidbit: Badnarik is clearly a genuine connoisseur of N/A beer.]
On the other hand, that might not work against him so much as a candidate trying to honestly earn votes. He's not at all any form of professional gladhander. Again, think Columbo stylistically.
However, anyone much attracted to professionalism of that sort doesn't seem likely to be a Libertarian voter anyway. We attract more like the kind of thoughtful kids who actually paid attention in history class. Badnarik would be their teacher- not the charismatic leader appealing to their limbic systems or reptilian brain stems.
Badnarik comes across to me both on tv and in the flesh as truly totally genuine and straightforward. Exactly the lack of professional polish works for me.
Another way of saying it is that even with close and skeptical observation, I've not detected any smell of him trying to tell people what he thinks they want to hear. That's the basic thing any sane person automatically suspects any politician of. It's understandable, and perhaps excusable as necessary to some extent. As skeptical as I routinely am of such things though, even I could detect not the faintest whiff of even the most benign manipulation or even simple cheap gladhanding.
Badnarik is very friendly and approachable, totally unassuming. As my Dad would say, he's as common as an old shoe. He tries to explain himself in a nice way, but if you're around him for even a few minutes you'd think it unlikely that it would ever even occur to him to consider approaching people in the manner of a legitimate politician.
So, I agree with Kole that Badnarik's not much of a politician- but I don't care, and don't think it'll hurt us. His transparent realness as a human seems much more important and vital and like the image I'd like to have for the party than any fancy people skills he may lack- even rudimentary ones like working a room.
I just know that I feel real comfortable with having a fellow like this representing us. Even beyond any particular political issues, I'd be happy to have the public think that this is the kind of people that we are.
Also, his acceptance speech was particularly touching. He got a kiss from old Dad, and absolutely gave Mom the mic for perhaps two minutes. She seemed like quite the character herself. Noting that his brothers had always said that she thought Michael could walk on water, she was now in fact bold enough to hope that this might specifically mean the Potomac.
posted by Al Barger at 5/30/2004 11:40:00 PM
May 29, 2004
The Day After Tomorrow and popcorn fantasy politics
So this new movie from the director of Independence Day looks to be raking it in with a big, over the top disaster flick in which an ice age and tidal waves drown New York and knock the world on it's ear. Tornadoes and earthquakes and an ice age- oh, my! I think the global warming also generates a giant cockroach that eats Cincinnati. I may be mistaken about that last part though.
Now cheesy disaster movies are perfectly fine entertainment. I'll assume for the sake of being nice that the producers are not thinking they're doing anything but making a fun summer movie. This thing looks to be 100 times past the claims of even the most paranoid fantasy mongerers.
As far out in never-never land as this movie is I'd think that serious advocates of global warming scenarios would run as far away from this silly popcorn movie as possible. Rand have mercy, but this looks so far OUT THERE that you'd look STUPID to use this movie in any way to try to make your point. It would have to diminish your whole credibility. It would be somewhat like if right-wingers tried to cite The Manchurian Candidate as evidence of communist infiltration of the highest levels of government.
Yet there's Al Gore, among others, going on about this movie like it's somehow realistic. Oh my god. Gore is quoted as saying "'Could this really happen?' I think we need to answer that question." Here is the correct answer: NO. How disconnected from reality is this guy to even ask such a dumb question?
On the other hand, I'm sure the movie will "raise awareness" among some people. For example the Florida Democrats who were too stupid to use a simple punch card voting ballot may find this movie intellectually credible.
Then there's the PERFECT response that never was from South Park creators Parker and Stone. From E! Online:
"It started when we got snuck a script of The Day After Tomorrow, that Roland Emmerich movie about how global warming causes an ice age in two days," says Stone. "It's the kind of script where you know it's going to make hundreds of millions of dollars, which makes it the greatest dumb script ever."
"We planned to secretly shoot that movie with puppets, word for word, and release it on the same day. We thought that would have been hilarious, but our lawyer convinced us we wouldn't get it released."
posted by Al Barger at 5/29/2004 01:28:14 AM
May 27, 2004
The environment set to go on a drunken orgy
Here's just a little thing that struck me. Fox News Channel ticker noted that "Teresa Heinz has given $200 million dollars to the environment."
Really? What did the environment do with it? I'm thinking cocaine and hookers. I'm guessing that the environment has appetites.
posted by Al Barger at 5/27/2004 04:07:26 AM
May 25, 2004
New album releases, week of 5-25-2004
Not much jumps out this week as being of special interest to cool people.
Everlast has a new album, White Trash Beautiful, which rates as perhaps the top new item of interest. His last album blew, but the memory of the classic Whitey Ford Sings the Blues makes me interested in hearing him out.
The Classic Maritime Music from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings sounds just geeky enough to make me want to hear. The likes of Pete Seeger and Leadbelly sing lots of sea chanteys and such what.
Avril Lavigne has her second album out this week, Under My Skin. Her teenie bopper stuff doesn't do much for me, but she's better than most of her ilk artistically- though that's setting the bar low.
Apparently she has ditched the producers that brought her to the dance, concentrating more on making the record between her and the band. I appreciate at least the intention of musical seriousness in the gesture. Whether or not it'll get her another decent record is questionable.
Under My Skin is currently the #1 CD at Amazon.
Wilson Phillips has a new album of covers of California songs. It does not really look like a particularly interesting set of choices, but does feature a guest appearance from Papa Brian on "In My Room." Might be worth a listen: the girls can actually frickin' sing. With their pedigrees, they ought to be the best singers in the business.
There's also a new John Williams soundtrack for Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban, if you're the kind of person who digs John Williams.
CLICK HERE for the complete list of this week's major releases.
posted by Al Barger at 5/25/2004 01:44:07 AM
May 24, 2004
Tommy Chong's birthday
Tommy Chong was hatched 66 years ago, on March 24, 1938. He's a pretty funny feller who has made many millions of people laugh with his movies, records and other artistic endeavors. He's been a successful businessman and raised a happy family. He's certainly never done any harm.
Nonetheless, Chong gets to spend his 66th birthday in a federal prison for the bogus "crime" of manufacturing glass pipes.
Stay strong, brother. It'll be over soon enough.
I for one am interested in seeing what kind of stand-up or screenplays he draws out of this.
What the world needs now is a new Cheech and Chong movie.
Happy birthday, Tommy!
posted by Al Barger at 5/24/2004 01:58:00 PM
May 23, 2004
That Darned Cat! - New Culpepper poll for The Shield
The Shield season three episode "Strays" ends with Detective Dutch Wagenbach strangling an alley cat to death in some kind of attempt at understanding the "cuddler rapist" turned murderer he had been interrogating.
For those who have seen this episode, how many of these statements would you agree with regarding this incident? Check all that apply. 25 fascinating possibilities!
THIS SURVEY comes through the Yahoo Culpepper Militia group, ie my newsletter group for this site. "Joining" practically means that you get an email from me once or twice a month.
posted by Al Barger at 5/23/2004 02:30:43 AM
May 21, 2004
Fats Waller's 100th Birthday
Surely we would be remiss not to note the 100th birthday of the great Fats Waller, who was born May 21, 1904. Many decades after his passing, his work continues to kick ass. Among other groovy things, he wrote "Ain't Misbehavin'."
His last professional performances were caught in front of Hollywood movie cameras for the classic musical Stormy Weather. You should own this movie and/or the soundtrack. He died a few days later of pneumonia at age 39 on a train headed back to Harlem, December 1943.
Which only adds a bit of poignancy to his spirited performances of the hit, and in a beautiful battle-of-the-sexes duet with Ada Brown, "That Ain't Right". It all looked so fine, then it was gone. As he said repeatedly in his hook line on screen and final public words, "One never knows, do one?"
Among Mr. Wallers more stellar recordings, you might sample some of these:
Ain't Misbehavin
The Viper Drag
Honeysuckle Rose
Keeping Out of Mischief Now
Hog Maw Stomp
Smashing Thirds
A Handful of Keys
Tea for Two
posted by Al Barger at 5/21/2004 03:08:49 AM
Madonna's boring shock tactics
Looks like Madonna's new "Re-invention" tour is going to be shocking and controversial. Ho-hum.
From the New York Post:
The show reportedly opens with a frisky Madonna simulating sex with a female tango dancer - which is quaint compared with other segments of the "Re-Invention" show.
When she sings "Papa Don't Preach," she'll be backed by a chorus line of scantily clad, heavily pregnant babes.
That ought to provide comic relief from the setup for "American Life," when the audience gets to hear the sounds of bombs dropping and watch a video montage of troops battling in Iraq.
A video of sickly, starving children will reportedly unspool while Madonna delivers her cover of the John Lennon classic "Imagine."
I suppose I should start sputtering indignant noises now, and beat the crowd- except that I doubt there'll be much public indignation over these extremely trite, passe and unimaginative gestures. It pretty much sounds like The Onion parodying Marilyn Manson with a "Boo" tour.
As so often, Elvis Costello says it best:
"How many times can you jump out of the cupboard
Before someone gets suspicious or someone gets discovered?"
-Elvis Costello "Worthless Thing"
None of this is challenging the audience, or the general public in any significant way. What, simulated lesbian sex? That might appeal to my prurient interest, but surely is not spiritually uplifting or intellectually provocative in any way whatsoever. What's the point?
Now, I'm all in favor of a good controversy, but mere simulated sexual display is not particularly controversial in most of the Western world. Maybe if you do actual nudity on prime time broadcast network television, but that's still just dumb- and it did not in fact even sell Janet's crappy record.
Here's a hint: Bob Dylan's silly Victoria's Secret ad was MUCH more controversial and intellectually provocative than yet more simulated sex acts from grandma.
What, she's a liberal and doesn't believe in the war? Shocking controversy! She wants to show pictures of bombing and carnage from the war? No, somebody stop her! I am too provoked. Where are my smelling salts?
Oh, she's going to sing "Imagine." If I didn't hate that sappy song and those trite, nonsensical lyrics before, I would by the time she got done with them.
Oh yeah, and she's got an electric chair that she will be executed in at the climax of each show. This may have been provocative or shocking when Alice Cooper was doing such stuff THIRTY YEARS AGO, but sure sounds just plain silly for a Madonna gimmick.
If Madonna took half the effort that she puts into these costumes and sets and cheap gimmicks, and put it into sitting down and writing actual songs, maybe she'd have something worth bothering about.
If Madonna simply came out on a stage with musicians and instruments- no dancers, hookers, or costumes, dressed in t-shirts and jeans- and just actually played her new album, would anyone be able to sit through it?
posted by Al Barger at 5/21/2004 03:07:07 PM
May 17, 2004
New album releases, week of 5-18-2004
Most promising new CD release this week is Patience, the first all new George Michael album in eight years. We'll see if he's still got it, or whether he's let it rot on the vine.
Morrissey has a new album You Are the Quarry, and it's been even longer since he had an album. This is a big deal for some people. Why anybody EVER cared about this guy escapes me. Not a single song of his has made any lasting impression. What's the deal with him, anyway?
Alanis Morissette has a new album So-Called Chaos, already #2 on the Amazon sales chart.
Tori Amos has a live DVD Welcome to Sunny Florida, which includes a bonus CD, apparently with new songs, but I haven't seen a track listing.
Lenny Kravitz used to be pretty big. I don't know how much anyone cares at this point, but he's got a new album called Baptism.
Note that there are several classic Muddy Waters albums being re-issued this week with bonus tracks.
Complete listing of this week's major releases.
posted by Al Barger at 5/17/2004 11:14:12 PM
May 15, 2004
Stockgirl, G-d and Peter Lorre be messing with my brain
I was just digging on the very erudite and sophisticated looking list of best movie picks by Blogcritic John Lars Ericson. I say "sophisticated" largely on the basis that I hadn't seen most of these movies, nor had I even HEARD of about half the titles.
I do however definitely dig M, and I have a little imprinted associated memory that made a perhaps unduly large impression on me. I saw the movie for the first time a couple of years ago (2001?) with Annie Oakley, best friend and future mother of my godson.
Next day we were in Bloomington wandering around a health food store, and I'm teasing with her by wandering around the store whistling the Peer Gynt theme. This was the obsessive theme of Lorre's pedophile killer, and the thread whereby he was eventually caught.
Then I heard the theme. I looked up, and there's this just perfect cute, slightly plump totally delectable stock clerk whistling the damned Peer Gynt theme while she stocked the shelves.
I about fell over. I could hardly choose between being sexually aroused versus having an orgasm of laughter.
Most likely the girl just innocently picked up the familiar theme without even being conscious of it. She was just innocently swinging that pricing gun and whistling away, pretty much oblivious to me or anyone else. God, but I felt like buying her a pretty balloon.
Imagine what kind of conversation we'd have had if I'd tried to explain my great amusement to her, though.
Probably the mace or pepper spray would wear off about the time the police were showing up. Then I'd have gotten to spend the rest of the day on their Group W bench, being checked against their master list of father rapers and such.
It was just as well that Annie was there to shuffle me out the door without talking to the poor innocent child.
She probably just wasn't ready for the Al Barger Experience.
posted by Al Barger at 5/15/2004 01:01:20 AM
May 13, 2004
Stevie Wonder's birthday
Born May 13, 1950 in Saginaw, MI, Steveland Judkins Hardaway aka Stevie Wonder turns 54 today. Happy birthday!
The "8th wonder of the world" (as promoters used to describe him) had his first #1 hit with "Fingertips (Part 2)" in 1963 at the age of 12.
He continued writing and performing big hits and high art for the next twenty years. The hits have slowed down, but it's always a good day to whip out Talking Book. He could have retired there, but we'd have missed out on Songs in the Key of Life, and "Sir Duke."
We'd have also missed out on a big favorite of mine from Characters. "Skeletons" was only a modest hit, but it's definitely in my Stevie top 10. That rubbery bass line kicks much ass, and he really taps into some hard emotions there.
Happy birthday, Stevie, and thanks for all the great work.
posted by Al Barger at 5/13/2004 01:12:50 PM
May 12, 2004
Dennis Miller dumbs it right down
"I wish there was a country called al Qaeda and we could have started the war there, but there wasn't. And Hussein and his punk sons were just unlucky enough to draw the Wonka ticket in the asshole lottery."
-Dennis Miller
posted by Al Barger at 5/12/2004 02:44:20 PM
Barger beats Sharpton!
My name is Al Barger, and I approve of this message.
Having been associated with third party partisan politics for many years, and just on general grounds of being disagreeable and antisocial, I'm used to being on the wrong end of polls, electoral or popularity. Therefore, I take my wins where I can get them.
Accordingly, I'm proud to point out that according to The Waypath Weblog Buzz-o-Meter, Al Barger has more scientifically measured buzz than Al Sharpton.
This is strictly scientific- it has a chart and everything. See for yourself:
So here's the scenario: Already, there is Anybody But Kerry buzz amongst the Democrats, buyer's remorse cause they know they've saddled themselves with a loser. Sharpton was pretty much the last guy standing in opposition, but he's got no juice at this point.
What they need is somebody sharper than Sharpton, a real dark horse candidate with more... more buzz than Sharpton to swoop in at the convention and seize the day.
Hmm. Boston could be interesting.
Of course, on the other hand, al Jazeera had more than twice the buzz of Al Barger and Al Sharpton combined, so I suppose a UBL candidacy must be considered a possibility as well.
posted by Al Barger at 5/12/2004 10:46:30 PM
May 11, 2004
New album releases, week of 5-11-2004
The most promising item in this weeks new CD releases looks like the Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Funeral for a Friend. It's a religiously oriented lineup, including such classics as "Jesus on the Mainline."
Judas Priest has a FIVE DISC set out. Why?
Notice the Rhino Handmade compilations. I recognized only one of the titles from the Hallucinations set, and NONE from the soft pop nuggets set- not even the Monkees title. Coming from Rhino, collections with a high content of unknown songs certainly light my interest.
CLICK HERE to check out the whole list.
posted by Al Barger at 5/11/2004 01:56:13 PM
May 10, 2004
Anniversary of Mandela's ascension
Ten years ago today, May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as the first black president in post-apartheid South Africa.
It seems little less than miraculous to me that apartheid was ended without a full fledged civil war and massacres of white folk. That situation looked pretty grim.
Much of the credit for this seems to go to Nelson Mandela's personal leadership. He could have come out of that prison and called for a big uprising. If he had called on his people to go kill whitey, pretty likely they would have.
Mandela has certainly talked a lot of foolishness in the last several years, particularly statements in some support of Saddam Hussein, or at least opposition to US involvement in toppling him. I'd like to think that this stuff was some kind of intention of loyalty for whatever support Hussein gave him in time.
In any case, when it counted, Mandela was the voice of reason and reconciliation rather than retribution- even though that would have been pretty understandable. I'm not sure I would have been quite so noble had it been me in his shoes.
posted by Al Barger at 5/10/2004 11:54:49 PM
May 8, 2004
Mother's Day CD Mix
I've got a new godson. The Acorn is not quite three months old, which makes this the first mother's day for 40ish Annie Oakley.
The Acorn being but a few weeks old, that leaves me to represent for him this Mother's Day.
To that end, here's the approximately 74 minute Mother's Day CD mix that we've whipped up for Mommy. We start with a couple of popular songs about Jewish mothers, and go on from there, ending up with a classic song of grandmotherly advice.
Loves Me Like a Rock - Paul Simon
Kyle's Mom's a Bitch - South Park
Mama Tried - Merle Haggard
Make Me Mommy - Ben Fold
I Love My Mom - The Roches
Mother - The Police
Mother Maybelle - Osborne Brothers & Mac Wiseman
Mother - Ray Charles
Night Train - Rickie Lee Jones
My Mother the Car - TV theme song
Mother - John Lennon
The Son of Hickory Holler's Tramp - Merle Haggard
Harper Valley PTA - Jeannie C Riley
Little Green - Joni Mitchell
Julia- John Lennon
Klezmer - The Jewish Mother - Itzhak Perlman
Hungry Eyes - Merle Haggard
Leave the Dishes in the Sink, Ma - Spike Jones
Sylvia's Mother - Dr Hook
Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded - Warren Zevon
Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Perhaps you'd like to whip up something similar. Or something a little different. I probably wouldn't give this to MY mother. She's just not quite hip enough for this kind of deal.
posted by Al Barger at 5/8/2004 02:32:39 PM
May 6, 2004
Sideshow Fez by Asylum Street Spankers
I've got a new review up for a concert video by the acoustic Austin, Texas based band Asylum Street Spankers.
CLICK HERE for the review.
CLICK HERE to stream some good MP3s from their website.
posted by Al Barger at 5/6/2004 05:58:02 AM
What torture?
Big grief over some pictures coming to light of American soldiers "torturing" Iraqi prisoners.
Look at those pictures, though: There's no "torture" going on there. These pictures amount to variations on simply making them get naked and taking their pictures. This may be humiliating, but it is not torture- it doesn't involve the infliction of pain or really even the threat of it.
I would presume that such behavior is unwarranted and unacceptable, though there could be mitigating circumstances. One story has it that these things were done under orders for the purpose of "softening them up" for interrogation. If these were nasty Republican Guard members merely being humiliated and not physically molested but mentally broken down in advance of important questioning, that would mitigate if not excuse the US soldiers.
Still, people responsible for these pictures need to be removed from their positions, and possibly otherwise punished. As far as I'm concerned, though, it's punishment for STUPIDITY and bad judgment rather than faked up outrage over the non-injuries they did not inflict.
Doing stuff like this has obvious and predictable negative consequences, and no one not smart enough to have seen them has any business being in charge of anything. Humiliation games with prisoners are a bad idea even just practically. Allowing PICTURES of it to be taken is just inexcusable.
What? Al Jazeera is running these pictures 24/7? Duh! Who could have seen that coming? Of course, al Ja-frickin'-zeera will run these pictures ENDLESSLY, and they will be used in recruiting posters for al Qaeda and so on. Of course, the Arab media will talk crap about the US no matter what, but why give them ammo?
This will obviously cause US some diplomatic problems- though perhaps not that many. A lot of people are going to pontificate and shake their fingers, but mostly only because they are already hostile. This doesn't seem to change much, but it does give them an at least halfway legitimate excuse for complaining.
I'm not that concerned with a bit of embarassment being brought to some Iraqi prisoners, who've done Allah knows what. Frankly, I wouldn't feel too bad if a few of the uglier customers got actually roughed up considerably worse than anything in these embarassing but non-violent pictures- particularly if it were for the purpose of gaining intelligence that might save the lives of US soldiers. But no cameras, please.
However, they've brought embarassment to the US government, and that's different. The people who created these pictures have done what should have been obviously predictable and serious damage to US efforts to make that hellhole of a country livable.
The soldiers and commanders who made those images are guilty of war crime misdemeanors at WORST, but they made a big stupid international stink out of pure dumb stupidity. I don't feel that much urge for moral censure, but they need to take the rap for this situation. It's their doing, and they should have goddam known better.
posted by Al Barger at 5/6/2004 02:32:07 PM
May 5, 2004
I just voted for Al Sharpton
I'm not a racist, and I can prove it: I just voted for Al Sharpton for President of the United Frickin' States. Note that I have voted in previous elections for Jesse Jackson and Pat Robertson. I just like voting for men of the cloth.
Tuesday May 4th was primary election day here in Indiana. I have been waiting for this opportunity for a year.
After waiting this long, the fact that he wasn't actually on the ballot was not going to stop me. I jumped through the hoops to actually cast a write-in ballot for Rev Sharpton in the Democratic primary.
Now, some might think that I did this (and recruited my father to do likewise) just for the purpose of sticking him up in the Democrats and breaking him off. Granted, after the ridiculous race baiting that this party and their co-horts at wholly owned party subsidiaries such as the National Association for the Advancement of (Liberal) Colored People have conjured up, they all richly deserve to be toyed with. Don't think I'm going to forget those nasty James Byrd ads run on black radio in 2000.
Still, you have to agree that my vote constitutes strong evidence that I am a progressive individual. After all, I obviously wouldn't vote for such an utterly unqualified person if I were not DEEPLY committed to civil rights.
I know that his campaign is lagging behind, but perhaps it can still work out. Even some party stalwarts are now getting anxious about a Kerry candidacy. That dude is a total dud. How are we supposed to stand hearing his voice for the next six months, let alone possibly four years as president? Ain't gonna happen. If there's an Anybody But Kerry move, Sharpton could step in.
Rev. Sharpton just needs a good gimmick to leverage him some publicity. Rand knows he's good at that. He needs something to remind people of his credentials, and why he would be uniquely suited.
Here's the last-chance pitch then: Sharpton needs to get some young black girls to write "Sharpton for President" on their stomachs in feces and hang out in front of the polling places. It would be sort of a Tawana Brawley sandwich board brigade.
posted by Al Barger at 5/5/2004 05:30:57 AM
May 3, 2004
The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole
Now here's a different kind of teenage goth kid- specifically Southern Goth.
John Kennedy Toole wrote this short (162 svelte pages) Southern Gothic novel as a teenager, age 16. It shows surprising skill and craft for the creation of one so young. It also shows surprising emotional maturity for one so young.
It reads very well. Toole did an excellent job of creating not just a feel of the little Louisiana town, but several strong characters- most notably his Aunt Mae. He doesn't have a strong "plot" in the sense of a discreet continual storyline, but the succession of events over several years adds up to a statement and viewpoint. He brings it all together with a big conclusion. It works.
This book would be really excellent for high school aged readers. Though the protagonist is a boy, the sensitivities and the dominance of female characters would make this more obviously appealing to a teenage girl rather than boys of that age.
The Neon Bible rates pretty good as a book in its own right for adults or teens, but it really rates as a must-read for anyone who's big on Toole's other book, the Pulitzer winning A Confederacy of Dunces. It gives more clues and depth of meaning to his better known book.
For starters, now I'm thinking about Confederacy as a Southern goth novel turned inside out. Like The Neon Bible, it has all the decaying Southern atmosphere, and the tragic characters trapped by their birth. Confederacy is from one angle a comic Southern goth riff.
There are numerous similarities beneath the surfaces of what seem like very different styles and tones. Both novels have boys dependent on weak, deteriorating mother characters.
Most striking, both of Toole's novels end with their protagonists fleeing their homes, desperately hoping for some kind of unknown deliverance or redemption in some random place far away from a home they've never before left. In both cases, the flight resolves the immediate story lines, yet leaves the character lost and hanging out in space. You can really see how the author was staring into the abyss in both novels.
posted by Al Barger at 5/3/2004 01:14:40 AM
New album releases, week of 5-4-2004
The new Los Lobos album sounds about the most interesting of these new items, pairing them with guest collaborators. Cool people are most interested in hearing the re-invention of "Matter of Time" with Elvis.
I haven't heard this new Magnetic Fields album, but you MUST hear the earlier classic song "All My Little Words."
Note that the Ween album comes with a bonus DVD.
From everything I've heard from him, "It's Not Funny" probably makes a perfectly good description of David Cross' supposed "comedy." If you're interested, though, Sub Pop has several mp3s of him (and numerous other Sub Pop acts) available HERE.
CLICK HERE to check out the whole list.
posted by Al Barger at 5/3/2004 11:06:08 PM
May 2, 2004
Malcolm in the Middle and the art of maternal matinence
Here's just a quickie for you. Malcolm in the Middle tonight had the funniest one line of anything I've seen on television in awhile.
School counselor shows up at the house, and Malcolm really, really doesn't want to have her talking to his mother.
"Don't worry. I have a master's degree in Conflict Resolution."
Obviously she didn't know this family, and Lois in particular.
posted by Al Barger at 5/2/2004 11:31:48 PM
May 1, 2004
Nightline "The Fallen" 721 stories in one
This controversial Nightline broadcast turned out to be mesmerizing television.
I rarely watch Nightline these days, but I tuned in to see what the hubbub was all about. I had considered in advance the basic controversy, and decided on principle that it was perfectly appropriate. Indeed, it seems like a valuable public service to document all these names for general public acknowledgment together. But I also expected it to be extremely boring to just hear a recitation of names. I was very wrong.
In theory, it was extremely simple. Ted Koppel read just a couple of sentences explaining that these were the names of all 721 US soldiers killed in combat in Iraq. He then spent the next half hour simply reading the names of the dead.
They also, critically, showed pictures of the fallen soldiers, going mostly for the simplest mug shot photos- along with their ages and military rank. It was those pictures, two at a time rotating across the screen that grabbed my attention.
Here were 721 lives flashing before my eyes in an instant, but you could get some clue about many of the individuals just from spending those couple of seconds looking carefully. A lot of these were common portrait shots, some fair number were high school graduation pictures, with tassels and gowns.
Some of the people were pretty poker faced, but a lot of them had a great deal of personality implied in just a captured moment. Some of them cast fairly stern poses in their military uniforms- all business. Others had sly smiles, or just a little twist in how they held their heads that said volumes.
There were a few for whom they apparently had no pictures. In their spot, we got the image of the flag draped coffins that were so controversial last week.
I noticed quite a lot of teenagers, at least a hundred. There was of course a wide ethnic mix, black soldiers and white and Latino. There were what seemed to me a surprising number of obviously Asian names. I personally found it a little rougher to digest the images of the women amongst our fallen.
In the midst of this, I felt pained to keep up. A couple of times in these recitations my attention lagged, and my mind started to drift for just a few seconds- and I snapped back to attention. Each soldier's picture was only up for a few scant seconds. That's probably the only time I'll see the name and image of this specific soldier who gave their life for our country.
Blink and you'd miss someone entirely. My eyes were pretty dry by the end of the reading, from trying not to blink.
Professional right wing crapweasel Brent Bozell expressed the general Republican spin on the issue arguing that the show was biased propaganda to simply read the names of the dead without explaining what they died for. Shut up. This show covers arguments for the war and against the war every night. Tonight they highlighted one specific issue- the names of the fallen US soldiers.
Certain parts of the right wing were opposed to this broadcast simply because they thought it would tend to work against public support for the war effort, not because of any reasonable objection to the content. They roused the rabble to start with the typical whining about liberal media.
One media chain had all their ABC affiliate stations pull this broadcast, arguing that the whole reading was just anti-war propaganda. David Smith, President and CEO of Sinclair Broadcast Group, is a jackass. He has a First Amendment right to decide what to put on his stations, but this particular judgment was asinine. It was disrespectful to the memory of those soldiers- as John McCain forcefully noted. It was also injurious to the editorial integrity of ABC News. David Smith is a tool.
At the end, Koppel took maybe two minutes to address the controversy around the show. He gave the most obvious basic way that a war supporter might say that this reading of names shows how we should support the war to complete the mission that our heroes have given their lives for. Then he noted how anti-war activists would take this reading to argue that too many good people have given their lives for a war we shouldn't have been in to start with.
Interestingly, Koppel said in answer to critics accusing him of anti-war propaganda that he was NOT opposed to the war. He just felt it appropriate to acknowledge this cost. A few minutes later, after the broadcast, it occurred to me that he did not specifically say that he FAVORED the war either.
You could take this whole presentation a lot of ways, much like a Rorschach inkblot. 400,000 Americans died in WWII, 58,000 in Vietnam, and now around 750 in Iraq. From my perspective, we're fortunate to have had few enough deaths that we could individually recognize every single person in one simple half hour broadcast like this.
At some point though, it doesn't matter what ABC's special secret agenda was. They told the truth, and quietly publicly acknowledged the individuals who have given their lives in service of their country in Iraq. That is a key part of the costs of this war, and the public needs to know that in order to make an informed judgment.
Spin that how you will. I call it good patriotism, and also good journalism.
By rights, they should show video of this broadcast at every VFW in the land on Memorial Day.
|
|
