Explosive Stress Syndrome

Yes, the dreaded ESS. Everything's happening at once. Stupid expectations. Why can't "When I get to it, Bucky" be a valid deadline?

Anyway, since I won't have a new post in a while, unless you count this, and I don't, I've created a new a new Radio SFT Playlist.

My sister (known as Aunt Maneen in hour house) requested some new tunes. So this time out I've decided to supply her with the wonder that is the music of Stephin Merritt. Rich, layered, organic and surprisingly poetic and romantic.

Yes, I put the song from the diamond commercial. So if you recognize "Kiss Me Like You Mean It" it is because you've heard it on TV. Also, I included "The Book of Love" because Peter Gabriel recently did a souless cover of it for the souless remake of the very good Japanese film "Shall We Dance". This one is much better.

In this mix you'll hear Stephin Merritt, Magnetic Fields, The 6ths and The Gothic Archies. Mr. Merritt has many moods, and each band reflects one of his musical directions. However, more than any other playlist I've put up, I can vouch for the sheer quality of every song.

They may sound a little different to you at first. But that's okay. Just hold yourself and listen. Eventually you'll realize that Stephin Merritt is like my generation's Cole Porter. He writes in the tradition of the good old standards. But with a Pop/Rock/Folk/Techno slant. Though his electronic songs aren't featured here.

Have a happy Thanksgiving. And consider how thankful you are for the wonder that is the Jell-O mold. Any food that can actively suspend a marshmallow has to be good. Unless you're a vegetarian. Then be thankful that you don't have hooves.

Um, What the Hell?

Apparently there is a book to teach kids about marijuana. It's obviously written by someone who wants to legalize the stuff. I honestly have no opinion on that. (Never touched the stuff, honestly. Seriously. Why do people find that so hard to believe? Yes, I had druggie friends but I have never ingested something illegal. I don't like the lack of control.)

Anyway, the book's website has an excerpt from the book. Look at the furnishings. Of course these people smoke pot. Why else would they decorate their house like that. Only stoners would have those posters. And look at the cactus? Do Mommy and Daddy also practice Peyote ceremonies? And the carpet in the bedroom? Jeez, it looks like Timothy Leary threw up in there. Honestly, I don't think they are making a very good case for marijuana. Apparently it leads to horrible decorating and grooming habits.

Oddly, I want to read the book now . . . I want to know what happens. I need to know if that last page is what I envision. A young child gorging herself on Doritos and saying, "Woah. Have you ever looked at your hand? I mean really looked at your hand."

Oh yeah, marijuana is just a plant. So is tobacco. Technically so is grain alcohol, heroin and crack. They just had a little help along the way.

Update: Okay. Just noticed the stuff on this page. Okay, I can handle taking your child to visit a friend who is illegally growing a controlled substance in his backyard. And I'm happy they visited the counselor. But . . . did they go to the UN? And why is the mom dressed like Sgt. Pepper? And why did she dress her daughter as a samurai.

They just made the case against marijuana for me. Wow. That's just messed up.

Happy Un-Birthday

Rather than give you the traditional, gushy post, I offer to my wife:

This little nugget.

Aching Disappointment

I went to the bank drive through today. I haven't been to one in years, for a variety of reasons. I had forgotten how much fun they are when there's no line. I kept thinking how much Gert would love the pneumatic tube system.

I was pulled from my reverie when the tube plunked down the canister containing my deposit slip. Joanne wished me a fond farewell and offered her appreciation for my choice in banks. And I sped away.

Halfway out of the parking lot I was severely disappointed that I didn't get a sucker. Sure, I'm 31 years old and I don't fit their normal sucker demographic. But, still . . . don't we all deserve some suckers? I want my Dum Dum, the same kind they used to give away at Barnaby's Pizza. Or even better, one of those Saf-T-Pops.

Something that uses a hyphen T hyphen is inherently cool.

Next time I'm demanding a sucker, damn it. I deserve love and confection, not unlike Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. Except without the freakish albino look.

UPDATE: In the name of all things holy and sacred, was this really needed or appropriate?

I Don't Bleed You

Some bastards were able to see Stew in NYC this past weekend. I'm not one of those bastards. And odds are, neither are you.

Adam Duritz and Immy of Counting Crows appeared with Stew for a few songs. While I've never been a great fan of the Crows, I am mightily appreciative of the support they've given Stew over the last few years. If anyone deserves that sort of adulation and support it's Stew.

Anyway, they've posted a pretty damn good version of "Bleed" on the CC site. Enjoy it.

Stew, Adam Duritz, Immy - Bleed (Live at Symphony Space 11/12/04)

Stop Treating Music Like It's a Tennis Shoe

Wired News' Xeni Xardin (ahem, faker . . . Case in point, on Boing Boing she calls the article her "interview with Wilco" . . . Obviously I'm not a big fan of the platinum haired tech whore, but I mean that with the utmost respect) had the luxury of interviewing Wilco's Jeff Tweedy on the band's embracing of streaming audio and downloads.

Jeff seems to have the right idea. Fans are not necessarily criminals. Treating them as such will only serve to further alienate the audience. What's more is the fact that those who download full albums in lieu of purchasing them are more likely to have never bought the album in the first place. Worse still, have you seen the prices of CDs? And who are they actively going after? Teens. Where the hell is a teen going to get $18 for a few CDs a month? Sure part-time jobs pay better than they did when I was a kid, but they don't pay that well.

In most cases I see P2P music as a bad idea for a variety of reasons. But P2P isn't going to stop the crap that the record companies are shoving down our throats. They can, however, serve to help bands like Wilco. Where else are you going to hear the music? Either the band has to offer you a taste for free or you have to find it. Radio doesn't play it, TV doesn't pay attention and while the print media is supportive, no one has yet devised a way for you to listen to a magazine. But I'm certainly not going to pay $18 for a piece of shit. I need to check it out first. I don't personally use P2P to do so, but it certainly is a viable avenue. And if you read the article, fans of good faith are willing to pay for the music. Often more than once.

Anyway, quoth Tweedy:

If they succeed, it will damage the culture and industry they say they're trying to save. What if there was a movement to shut down libraries because book publishers and authors were up in arms over the idea that people are reading books for free? It would send a message that books are only for the elite who can afford them.

Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either . . .

A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that's it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it's just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work. Treating your audience like thieves is absurd.

Or, in other words:



And, on a personal note, I'd like to thank Wilco for streaming their Fillmore show last night. Sounded damn good.

Gert Day

Since I won't have time tomorrow, I'll say it now.

Happy Birthday baby girl. The joy you've brought my life far outweighs the frustration you bring when you hide my keys.

Though if you could give me a tiny hint we're you put them . . . We're out of milk.

Still Kicking

Still here. Gert's birthday is on Saturday and we're feverishly preparing for her shindig. Hiring the dancing clowns, the spaceship, and all the nation's court jesters to please her.

Actually, it's not a big party. But we have to clean the house and prepare. With all the work my wife and I have to do on a daily basis in the first place it seems that sweeping throws us for a curve.

Plus it's that time of year for me. I always get in a funk around Thanksgiving and it seems to be hitting early this year.

Why a funk? Well, in 1978 my dad died right before Thanksgiving. In 1981 I was in the hospital being diagnosed with Diabetes over Thanksgiving. And in 1995 my mom went into the hospital for the last time on Thanksgiving. She died on December 5th.

So, I always feel sad. I'm cool with the whole Diabetes thing. But even after all this time the parent thing still gets me. Maybe the whole sense of loss is what has fueled me to try and not miss a thing with my kids, to the detriment of almost everything else. I suppose I fear something will happen to me and my kids will have regrets. Or not be able to remember me. Or something.

Anyway, I've created a new radio mix on the subject. It's a two hanky rating for my sisters. Don't worry, it's not all sad songs.

It's funny, I have issues communicating my feelings on this subject but I don't mind letting others take care of it. I think "Please Tell My Brother" will send one of my sisters into hankyland. "Circle Game" always does that to another sister. The third? I'm going to guess "You'll Never Walk Alone". Or maybe "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral".

My brothers? They might get choked up, but they won't admit it. Well, Marty would. But the other guys will just say, "Huh? Naw, I'm still stinging over the Don Denkinger call in the 85 World Series. That son of a bitch."

So, listen early and listen often. This one actually has a meaning.

Coffee With Sonar

Dear God I need this. Look at that thing. It has sonar! I can drink coffee and watch the progress of an oncoming submarine!

Droooooool.

Highway to the Lava Dome

Cool! Volcanocam!

And it glows at night! Mother Nature is a hot, saucy bitch.

Bad Week For the Edwards Family

Wow. Not much else can go wrong, huh? Can't wait until some prick makes a really unfunny joke about it just because she's married to the former candidate for VP.

Because it's really funny to make fun of people with breast cancer. Let me tell you. I find it hilarious.

Questions . . .

No. I'm not going to talk about the election. I'm mad. But probably not about what you think. And I don't feel like sharing. Because, honestly, I don't think anyone else will understand.

A fictional man once said, "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." I'm deciding . . .

I'll leave you with a happy thought. I added a new Wilco cover to the Radio station. Local readers will giggle and smile when they see the details.

Added Covers to the Radio Station

I added two new covers to the radio station.

Wilco's "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" and The Negro Problem's "Macarthur Park".

Groovy.

That is all. Go back to your business.

Be Not So Fearful: Vote

Not to steal a line from Wilco’s website. Well, okay, I meant to.

I voted today and I hope you do as well. I mean, I hate people. Generally despise other humans. I find them boring, stupid and often irritating. Therefore, if a solipsistic, anthrophobic misanthrope like me can vote so can you.

I do have one question for my election officials: Where’s my sticker? I was promised a sticker for voting. I have no sticker. I want my damn sticker.

It’s hard to believe that four years ago I was working as the movies editor for a now defunct website. On election night, the news team had planned to stay until the winner was announced so they could post it to the website. When I came in the next morning, they looked like zombies. They had taken turns sleeping on the floor, hoping for a definitive answer. At that point, we all knew that we didn’t have a final answer. However, my sunken-eyed comrades just looked at me and said, “We don’t know. I can’t believe we don’t know. Did you make coffee yet?”

I hope that we know tomorrow morning. God I hope we know tomorrow morning. I cannot take the juvenile fighting between the two parties again.

Still, take today and celebrate the diverse voices. We are a country of many people and yet we are a country of one people. In the words of a dead man (because no one listens to the living):

If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most common basic link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal. –John F. Kennedy

Or, in the words of another wise man, who happens to be living:

Moslem or Christian Mullah or Pope
Preacher or poet who was it wrote
Give any one species too much rope
And they'll fuck it up
--Roger Waters

Something Happening Tomorrow?

I sense something is going on tomorrow. Anyone care to clue me in? Can't be anything exciting involving the election. I mean, the recount and lawsuits don't begin until Wednesday.

Personally, I'm voting for Jon Stewart. I think we could use a president that is willing to call Putin a dick. Other than Cheney, of course.

Speaking of Cheney, my wife and I are wondering if he has a pull chord in his back, like on a lawn mower. "Shit, Cheney's down! Cheney's down!" Vroom. Vroom. VROOOOOOOM. "Okay, he's ticking again."

Oh, and if you don't vote tomorrow I'm going to come over there and personally kick your ass. If you can find the time to vote for the MTV Movie Awards "Best Kiss" then surely you can muster some time to do something important. Okay Ass Monkey? Okay.