Analogalicious

bumped, because there's absolutely no reason you should have to read my lame joke before this masterpiece - wobs

I had a wonderful working weekend at the Oregon Coast last weekend. I would gladly put AFT 3544 up for "Most Kick-Ass Union: All-Around" if such a competition existed. 16 people working together in harmony and good spirit, willing to do whatever is necessary to make the union better. Love.

The point of this post, however, is to recount two very special people who went above and beyond the call of union brotherhood and entered themselves into a a more special category which has no name. Okay the name is "men," but it would be sexist if I said so.

Our little retreat faced one crisis, namely that there was an Oregon Duck football game happening in the middle of the retreat. It was originally supposed that the game could easily be recorded and viewed when the business portion of the retreat had ended and the more important socializing began. What better way to socialize than over some good clean college football? Kidding, of course. It might surprise you to learn that, in the general, graduate employees are not big fans of the college athletics, believing, instead, that scarce resources might be better used to pay them.

Unfortunately, VCRs have gone the way of American labor unions -- once ubiquitous and useful, but now largely seen as antiquated and annoyingly analog. (BOOM!) There was a VCR on site (we rent a large house), but the remote had long been replaced with a universal remote, which is fine, unless you have a standard video tape, which is good for 2 hours, unless you use the remote to adjust the recording setting from "Standard" to "Extended Long Play." So we were faced with a (potentially) four hour game and a two hour tape. Now, a lot of grad unions would have packed it in right there, devolving into an acrimonious debate about the futility of "taping" anything. Not the GTFF. It was calmly suggested that I purchase another tape when I drove into Waldport to to pick up more wine and beer. Brilliant.

Football watching crisis number two happened when the grocery store in Waldport didn't have blank tapes. And, when you think about it, why the hell would they? The 17 year-old who I asked practically laughed at me. Then he said the words that will haunt my sleep for some time, "I can't think of any place that would have them in this town." I should mention that the game had already started and I was under a tight deadline. But before I mention that, you might find it interesting to know that my sleep was actually haunted last night by a dream wherein I had to stop a suicidally depressed Keith Appleby (no relation) from shooting himself in the head. With a gun. It was pretty intense. Somehow this dream later morphed into me stopping Sarah Palin from shooting herself in the head. Less intense.

Anyway, I was on a deadline and beginning to start my mind whirring about alternatives, if I was unable to secure a second tape. I was driving a short distance down Highway 101 when I noticed a drug store. I hoped that mixed in with the notions and pills might be a dusty old video tape. I should stop here to mention that all of my interactions regarding the video tape were complicated by the fact that I now pronounce the word "video" as "vidja" after Hank Hill in a family-beloved episode of King of the Hill. The fine service industry employees from Waldport suffered repeated queries about the possibility of me purchasing a "vidja tape" from them. As I was walking into the drug store I had a stoke of genius. Failing to secure a regulation video tape, I could attempt to purchase an old video tape from one of the many, many junk antique stores that make their home on the Walport shopping strip and tape over the tabs and use it to record the game. For some reason I was picturing the movie being Curly Sue.

The drug store "used to have" video tapes, but I could tell by the woman's reaction to my question that the "used to" was sometime in the '90s. She did, however, suggest that I check out the Radio Shack. She asked me if I knew where it was, god bless her sweet little heart. After getting directions, I started out. On the the half-mile journey to the Shack, I passed a video store, a grocery store larger than the one I had patronized earlier, and an ACE-brand hardware store. All potential tape-purchasing resources. Lesson here? Do not trust 17-year-olds in Waldport to help you find technology that was being phased out when they were born.

The Shack had two options for me, the regular "6 hour" tape or the super "9 hour" tape. The "9 hour" tape -- really a three hour tape without the ELP -- would come in handy if the game went into OT, but it was $5.99 as opposed to $1.99 for the regular tape. I made the snap decision to save the four bucks and go standard.

All went smoothly as far as swapping the tapes out. It happened to be halftime when I went downstairs where the tv was playing the game -- I loudly sang the UO fight song in case the announcers were talking about how awesome Oregon was looking and kept my eyes lowered, unnecessarily as it turned out. Those paying attention might notice that having one tape completed at half time means that we are pushing it for getting the whole game in, but I wasn't worried as it was the end of the halftime break and I figured the game got a late start. Those really paying attention will note that I don't know if "half time" is one word or two.

Around 3:30 pm the retreat had concluded business for the day, but the tape still had an hour to run. No problem. We could just let the tape run until it was done and watch the game at 4:30 pm. Unless...unless the game went into overtime. Then we risked missing the crucial last plays of the game. Yes, we could catch the 11:00 pm replay of the game, or more to the point, wake ourselves up at approximately 3:30 am to catch the last few minutes, but this seemed extreme. I might mention here that by this point it had become pretty clear that only two people at the retreat actually cared about the game, myself and the aforementioned Appleby, who later that night would go on to become my "wine stain" buddy, as we managed to slob all over ourselves.

That is one Glenn "GMo" Morris stepped up to the plate, offering to check to see if the game was indeed going to finish before the tape did. His first report to us was that there would be no problem. This was a relief. Appleby and I even briefly contemplated a trip to the beach with the intention of watching the game whenever we got back. While we schemed, Glenn reported to me that he had earlier been mistaken and there were indeed thirteen minutes left in the game. We had approximately 20 minutes of tape. Given that all football games are legally required to stop the clock every forty-five seconds to give Americans a chance to weigh their purchasing options, we knew we were in trouble.

That is when a second "man" stepped up to the proverbial plate and offered to stop the tape during the commercial breaks, so that the tape didn't run out. Wes Shirley is his name, becoming my hero is his game. Not only did he perform this vital function, he also got up and pushed the fast forward button through all the commercials for us during the game.

Now, it may have a occurred to many of you that Glenn's earlier "mistake" about the time was an indication that the game went into overtime. You are better than me. Or more sober. And less likely to underestimate Glenn's knowledge of football.

In addition to these two awesome men, who never ever once let on that the game went into overtime, let alone who won, the entire house, save me and Appleby (and maybe Katie, I can't remember), knew who won the game and they never let on in the least, even as we were punching things, cursing the fates, and then running around the house in jubilation.

These truly are brothers and sisters. I love them. Again, I will put these people up against any union in the country. Bring them on. We'll tape it.

Dear POW McMaverick

If you want people working for you who will wander off-message in spectacular ways, I'll offer my services to you at half the price you're paying your current crop of amateurs. As my co-bloggers will attest, I can blow a talking point eight ways to Sunday.

Sarah Silliness

I have been consuming large doses of Sarah Palin satire lately, probably in an urge to laugh to keep from crying. In case you missed it (or you're too "Regular" to read something as Elite as the New Yorker), this is good for a chuckle.

So, when Barack Obama says he will put some lipstick on my pig, I am, like, Are you calling me a pig? If so, thanks! Pigs are the most non-Élite of all barnyard animals. And also, if you put lipstick on my pig, do you know what the difference will be between that pig and a pit bull? I’ll tell you: a pit bull can easily kill a pig. And, as the pig dies, guess what the Hockey Mom is doing? Going to her car, putting on more lipstick, so that, upon returning, finding that pig dead, she once again looks identical to that pit bull, which, staying on mission, the two of them step over the dead pig, looking exactly like twins, except the pit bull is scratching his lower ass with one frantic leg, whereas the Hockey Mom is carrying an extra hockey stick in case Todd breaks his again. But both are going, like, Ha ha, where’s that dumb pig now? Dead, that’s who, and also: not a smidge of lipstick.

A lose-lose for the pig.

Also, did anyone else catch Jon Stewart's bit on the not blinking last night?



Good stuff. UPDATE: Now with the right good stuff. Not that all of Jon's stuff isn't good.

McCain Not Fit

Comments?

What's Changed?

Answer in the comments.

By the Way

Yesterday during Hardball, I swear to Christ I saw a 527 ad featuring a contemporary of McCain's from the Hanoi Hilton that accused the Maverick of being too angry, too temperamental and too rash to be allowed to occupy the White House.

Is it on? Has anybody else seen this ad?

Broken face

It appears that the Eleventh Commandment might no longer be operative:




(h/t tbogg)

To be sure, there's a bit of self-interest reflected in these vids. The former is the beta testing for Mitt! v.2012 (see update below). I have a sneaking suspicion that the latter reflects the propagandists at FOX recognition that their ratings bread will be buttered by flinging poo at an Obama administration rather than carrying water for Bush's third term.

However, I think there's something more interesting going on here (and with Rove's recent posturing) that lies beneath the surface. As dr has pointed out, there is a ferocious power struggle within the GOP right now, with three different constituencies fighting over who will control the party's corpse.

It's not news that McCain is not a particularly popular figure with the party faithful, and his campaign strategy of running against the GOP while promoting the party's ideas seems to me an impossible task. But with his selection of Palin, he's essentially sold his soul to the social conservatives who are a big enough plurality of the party so as to call the shots.

There's also a lack of recognition among the GOP about the bankruptcy of conservatism as a governing philosophy (a point which Obama is starting to hammer) - they basically think that their shit is an essential ingredient in eau de toilette.

All of this is to say that I think the internecine backstabbing within the GOP is to prepare McCain as a patsy for a loss in November. You'll note that Palin, despite her inexperience, corruption, and cronyism, is spared any criticism from the right, presumably in the belief that she is the amiable Bush-like character who can sell the extremist Republican agenda four years down the road. Should the GOP ticket lose in November (a possibility which many Republican pooh-bahs either recognize or are now actively abetting), the blame can be fixed on McCain's inept campaigning rather than the obvious shortcomings of conservatism (which, of course cannot fail - it can only be failed).

updated: via kos and Stoller, the Mitt! video is from the primaries. But I'll still stick with my conspiracy theory.

Holy Fucking Shit!

I know we try to make the political analysis a little more sophisticated than "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!," but in this case, "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!1!!11one1!!"

I'll see you on the dark side of the moon

RIP Richard Wright.

The Times, They Are A'Changin'

We have GTF in the office rocking the pink polo with the popped collar, over-sized sunglasses on the head, scruffy beard. He's from Buffalo.

The OG v. the Eighth Commandment

The results are in...and we're going to hell!

Number of readers who openly admit to breaking the eighth commandment: 4 -- 20 Hail Marys

Number of readers who admit to breaking the eighth commandment, but with shame in their hearts: 7 -- 10 Hail Marys

Number of readers who break the eighth commandment, but seem to think there's a "really good reason" clause in the bible: 5 -- 20 Hail Marys, 10 Our Fathers

Number of readers who cop to the sin of ignorance: 2 -- 4 Our Fathers

Number of readers who walk the righteous path, but will enevitably fall because no person is without sin, might we mention pride?: 3 -- 1 Our Father

Postmodern Bank Runs

from Krugman:

as the unknown unknowns have turned into known unknowns, the system has been experiencing postmodern bank runs. These don’t look like the old-fashioned version: with few exceptions, we’re not talking about mobs of distraught depositors pounding on closed bank doors. Instead, we’re talking about frantic phone calls and mouse clicks, as financial players pull credit lines and try to unwind counterparty risk. But the economic effects — a freezing up of credit, a downward spiral in asset values — are the same as those of the great bank runs of the 1930s.

What is next, investors jumping out of virtual windows, or mmorpgs for soup and bread???

Unfortunately, the pain is very real.

PRM

Lips' latest mix directly inspired this PRM, making me dig around the YouTubes for some vintage Stevie Wonder. It also made me realize that we don't have nearly enough Stevie on hand around the casa de wobs.

"I Don't Know Why"


"Living for the City" - even Taylor Hicks couldn't ruin this song for me.


And a "Superstitious" that makes Sesame Street more funky than it has any right to be. Seriously, where the fuck are the 6+ minute funkathons on Barney?

What Digby said...

Wobs, I feel for you. I have a fundamentalist cousin who sounds much like your sister.
On that topic, I just came across this at Hullabaloo:

Rove's job, and by extension McCain's job, is to basically nuke reality and leave everything open to question. In a world where there is an objective reality, Republicans can't function and certainly can't run their electoral strategy. They need two things - ignorance and an unknowable truth. That's been true since well before the Mayberry Machiavellis arrived in Washington and will be true long after they leave.

And so Sarah Palin's ignorance of the Bush Doctrine is OK, because most Americans don't know what it means either. In fact, the less knowledge a world leader has, the better, because they can't be muddled up with all those facts about how occupied countries historically resist occupation or how countries become interdependent or which country wields power over their sphere of influence, or such related nonsense. Candidates who have little interest in foreign affairs are "authentic" and the kind of reg'lar folks we need to rule with their gut-level belief.

If ruling from the gut is good, voting from the gut must be divine...

In happier news

The Cubbies have the best record in the National League, the biggest run differential in the majors, a magic number of seven and shrinking, and they seem to have snapped a nasty early September slide. On top of that, Zambrano throws the first no-hitter for the Cubs in 36 years.

I've moved beyond cautious optimism into the "fuck yeah!" stage of baseball fandom.

Arguing with god

I recently commented on a post by ash that, via Facebook, I found out my sister was on the Maverick Express and that I planned on asking her why. Which I did in as friendly a way as I could (sis could, of course, be the one providing the bone marrow for a transplant one of these days).

I should mention that my sister doesn't pay much attention to politics, which is no big shakes, considering she's right there with the majority of the electorate. Her reasons for supporting McPalin were that 1)she's conservative, 2)McCain has more experience, and 3)she's concerned that Obama "changes his mind" too much. Admittedly, I did want to sway her, but knowing that lecturing someone isn't the most effective way to change minds, I asked further questions.

What does it mean when you say you're a conservative?

What is it about McCain's experience that appeals to you?

What has Obama changed his mind about that concerns you?

She responded by telling me that she's a Christian conservative, that 20+ years in the Senate plus military experience is greater than 4 years in the Senate, and that Obama's flip-flopping on the war concerned her (she doesn't believe in Obama's plan to "pull out in one day"). She also had a "gut feeling" that Obama wasn't the right person for the job and, as they say, you should "always listen to your gut."

So far, all well and good. I'm on terrain where I'm comfortable. While I might vehemently disagree that people should base political decisions on religious values (whether they be on the left or the right), I've had enough churchin' and independent study to be able to argue about politics on religious grounds. The experience angle is a legitimate point that can be mooted. And the flip-flopping objection is clearly a factual error that should be pointed out for reconsideration.

Knowing that my sister really isn't in to these sorts of conversations, I decided to not go overboard with my response. I left her still very vague definition of conservatism alone and ignored the experience argument. I did, however, let her know that Obama has never been for an immediate withdrawal from Iraq and that his position, as shown in legislation introduced in the Senate and from his campaign policy positions, has been remarkably consistent. I also told her that she should rely on her head rather than her gut in making important decisions like this. At this point, I said I'd leave her alone, but offered to talk to her more about it if she's up for it.

Two days later, I get a note from my mom asking me to leave sis alone with the politics. Trés third grade, to be sure, but old familial habits from childhood die hard, I suppose. That would have been the end of it if mom hadn't included in there word that sis wouldn't vote for Obama unless "god told her to." The quotes are from my mom.

This, needless to say, has seriously shaken me up. I can't argue with god, and I sure as shit can't argue with someone who thinks that god is talking to them.

I keep asking myself where the hell this came from. My parents are both religious people, but I'm almost certain that they don't believe that god talks to them. They're more of the "god gave you a brain to make decisions, you know from the good book what god thinks you should do, so it's up to you to do the right thing" school. And while they're socially conservative, I wouldn't put them anywhere near the Dobson camp. They're simply not ideologues. On top of that, sis has a college degree from a Research I public university - it's in finance, to be sure, but it's not like she went to Liberty U.

It's one thing for me to think that a member of my family is making decisions with recourse to values that she's learned that are at odds with my own. Again, there's enough of a common ground to engage and have a serious discussion. It's a whole 'nother ball of wax to have a family member who eschews even the smallest amount of research because she knows how god wants her to vote. I've been stewing all weekend thinking that not only is sis crazy, she's actually a danger to our democracy. She's literally one of the people against whom I've been fighting for my entire adult life.

I keep telling myself I'm overreacting, that she's like any other of the millions of low-information voters out there who will cast their votes on the most dubious of grounds. Maybe it's because she's kin. But this is far beyond anything I've been faced with before, and it's no fun thinking that my sister is a complete fool.

Um... holy shit

I'm not up on my current analyses of finance capital, but I'm fairly certain that this is what political economists call a clusterfuck. Consider this the official OG bat-signal for lips to make some sense of this. Or, alternately, use the comments thread to begin dancing on the smoldering ruins of capitalism.

New Old Sunday Tape, entitled "Still the Same, Mapes"

(This is a mixtape made for Thanksgiving 2007, subtitled 'yachats2.' Due to troubles re: "partitioning" my external hard drive, my archival, monthly playlists have been mangled and lost. Luckily, hard copies still remain. Anywho, this means that I will be getting a little craftier about "music posts" on this Board. Get ready for extensive use of the vinyl-to-cd burner, and get ready for some rock writing that tries to "return the favor" to the likes of Detailed Twang, Hardcore for Nerds, Zen and the Art...etc. Anyway, download this 29-song "event" that premiered at a weekend rental on the Oregon Coast: it is as close to a "desert island" thing as i can ever imagine myself getting. Except for that it's not. Anyway, it's a chunky file, but worth it. We're covering a lotta ground, here.)

1. Waylon Jennings Brand New Goodbye Song Listen to the pocket that forms between the drums and bass on this track. What genre of music is this, with the deep pockets and the wash-y, phased telecaster? A standout track on Ol' Waylon, which is a half-great, half campy covers album.
   
2. The Walkmen Good for You's Good for Me Again, I said there were "desert island" qualities to this song selection. People who drop the U2 comparison are way off, because this stuff is sonically more interesting and lyrically more sophisticated. This music is dour like Rod Stewart doing "Cindy Incidentally" and Lou Reed doing the '69 Live version of "Some Kind of Love." Is it just me?
3. Shutout Walker Brothers, The Yeah, that's a fucking galloping bass, there. Oh, the comeback Walker Brothers album! Scott belongs alongside your Bowie and your Roxy when it comes to insane, disco-y Pop antics.
   
4. It's All Around You Tortoise Heavy hitters, friends. They should be on Blue Note, don't you think?
5. Sounds Don't Come Around Here Testface One of my hometown heroes here. What a guitar figure.
   
6. Superman (Where Were You When I Needed You) Stevie Wonder Yes, I actually would say that Music of My Mind is my favorite Stevie. The live shit from this period goes really well alongside the (admittedly brasher) Miles fusion stuff. This is way out there American soul expressionism. What do you want?
   
7. Stones Sonic Youth Speaking of American institutions...this is from my beloved Nurse. God, there were so many awesome gtr departures generated during the Jim O'Rourke era.
8. When the Sun Hits Slowdive An all-time great. The guitar sounds following the chorus, folks. I have decided that my next album will have unprecedented amounts of overdubs and sparkly haze, partially under the effects of classic albums like Slowdive's Souvlaki, which is like the shoegaze Bad Moon Rising.
9. Farewell Farewell Sandy Denny And now a beautiful and frightening woman will make you wretch from feeling too much.
10. What Sin Replaces Love Cardinals Cardinals have moved on from their doctrinaire Dead worship into more of a mixed bag (lotsa Sonic Youth, Crazy Horse and Faces in there, too)... but this tune should not be forgotten. This is their take on a late 60s Dead, Viola Lee Blues vibe.
11. Love is the Drug Roxy Music Did I mention Pop-Art disco? I need this song on 12", if anybody's wondering about me and the holiday season.
    
12. Fool to Cry Rolling Stones Real Stones fans know that Black and Blue and Goat's Head Soup contain real wonders, right?
    
13. Whoo! Alright-Yeah....Uh-Huh Rapture, the I cannot find my cd copy of the so-awesome Pieces of the People We Love, which bums me out because this is the ultimate ex-urban-christmas-shopping music. You know what I mean. Are they the biggest Gravity band ever?
    
14. Poptones Public Image Limited Lest we forget that most of the great rock of the last half-century was made in the 1970s. Maybe "rock" is not the word for this. Maybe "punk" isn't either. I'm a Sex Pistols fan, but I don't think that classic stuff even gets near the greatness of the first 3 PIL albums. Maybe you disgaree?
15. Psychic Power Control Pitchblende Underrated DC math warriors. I love the changes. 'Saw them, Chisel and the Monorchid one enchanted evening at the Cooler.
    
16. Haunt You Down Pavement In my mind, this is Pavement's high-water mark. This was the A-side of the bonus 7" that accompanied Crooked Rain. The gtr solo, the haunting moog, and SM's vocal delivery haunt me. Haunt, haunt, haunt! The ultimate sleazy, creepy sex music for overeducated prudes.
    
17. Tony Baines Oxes Speaking of braniac rock, this is the music I listen to while taking comprehensive exams. 'Gets me psyched, gets me active and gets me agile. The oxes rock way more than most math bands, I think.
    
18. You Can't Escape the Hands of Love Otis Clay Otis Clay, telling you the truth.
    
19. Between the Bars Mojave 3 Wispy, strummy sadness from the Slowdive people a decade on.
20. Ain't No Use Meters (live) Guitars everywhere.
    
21. Wailing Like Dragons Lungfish Coincidentally or no, I stopped listening to GBV once I started listening to Lungfish.
    
22. Hey Cowboy Lee Hazelwood From Cowboy in Sweden, this sexual conversation is overdetermined by the piercing, unrelenting "Land of the Midnight Sun." Let me explain to you that I have never used powders or pills, so I cannot hope to identify with the vapid kind of panic just below the surface of Hazelwood's smirking, "easy" delivery. I would like to hand a large brass trophy to whoever produced this recording session. Maybe the best horns ever?
23. Summer Madness Kool and the Gang You've been down this road with me before... I love the escalating synth shards!
    
24. Out of this World John Coltrane From Live in Seattle, an album of massive personal significance for me and my fictive kin. Coltrane and Pharoah are out of hand early on this track, and McCoy Tyner's (late Modernist) way of "holding it down" with thick, elegant and minor chords. This is music made by people looking for a needle in the flamestack.
    
25. Chinatown Jets to Brazil Blake S. from Jawbreaker telling a Gen-X-cum-beatnik story about the boys down in New York City.
    
26. Escape-ism James Brown 'Speaks for itself.
    
27. Move on Up Curtis Mayfield A life-affirming anthem. We all have Curtis, right?
    
28. Radio Towers Boys Life Creepy, momentum-building, momentum-stifling operations from a band with some of the best dynamics of any of the post-Spiderland 1990s crop. Their epic Departures and Landfalls was recorded by Bob Weston, from Shellac of North America .
29. Balanced on its Own Flame Labradford If anybody actually lives up to the desire that rock critics call "post-rock," it is Labradford. From the early, excellent A Stable Reference, this really sounds like a punk band playing Eno's Music for Films.

When you've lost Turd Blossom

Even Karl Rove thinks McCain has a small problem with the truth:



Parsing that out, it's clear that Rove doesn't have a problem with lying per se, but rather lying in campaign ads that have the imprimatur of McCain approving the message. Had the lies come out in, say, an ad put out by a 527 or in a push-poll, I'm sure he would have been high-fivin' Chris Wallace after delivering his "objective" analysis.

SEIU anti-McCain

What.a.weird.commercial.

Is the bit about keeping your kids "looking nice" supposed to cut right through the moral semiotics of Working America?

Around the Horn to the Left

• I am indulging in Jameson on Jameson, as of yesterday. "We could say, following the initial Frankfurt School account of the "Culture Industry," that capital is in the process of colonizing the most remote part of the mind - the aesthetic - that traditionally seemed to resist its logic (being governed, as a classical aesthetics taught us, by "purposefulness without a purpose"): on Mandel's account, then, consumer society would be a thoroughgoing push into this area of the mind - culture the unconscious, whatever you want to call it - and a final rationalizing, modernizing, industrializing, commodifying, colonizing, of the non- or precapitalist enclave left surviving there. But that does not mean the "end" of culture: on the contrary, it might just as plausibly be argued that the conquest of culture and its traditional spaces and instruments by capital now determines an enormous expansion in culture proper - its semi-autonomy lost, its isolation a thing of the past (neither praxis nor knowledge, Kant told us), it now becmoes coterminous with the social field as a whole, and everything becomes in that sense "cultural" - politics, economics, law, ideology, religion, daily life, sexuality, the body, space, et cetera, et certera. "
  

• • Doug Henwood revieiwing Robert Kuttner's The Squandering of America. Henwood does not give Kuttner an easy time, and wonders aloud just who, exactly, Kuttner is writing to. This is a relevant question, given the "socialist Democrat" posture some people sometimes assume:
    

  Kuttner nonetheless imagines that a full-throated populist appeal could win the Dems millions of votes. The only things stopping them are their timidity and their donors. Unlike many liberals who complain about the Democrats’ alleged lack of spine, Kuttner is fully aware of the influence of big money on their vertebral integrity. But he repeatedly forgets that influence to land in some kind of unspecified hope that the party will just come to its senses. And like many liberal analysts, he underestimates the appeal of laissez-faire economic policies to many white Protestants, who view the market as an admirable and tireless system of punishment and reward, perfect for a fallen humanity given to shirking and freeloading.

  It’s not clear who the audience for this book is. At times it reads like it was written for policy wonks (who really cares about the second take on the Basel Capital Adequacy standards?—and I count myself as someone who should). At others it seems pitched to Democratic strategists. The liberal netroots maybe? But they’re less ideological than Kuttner and they don’t read books anyway. Some inchoate popular formation? A popular formation organized around what?
  

  • The excellent left blog Kasama has continually caught my attention with self-effacing, searching criticism of the (mostly Maoist) American "far left." The blog also has a whole crowd of readers and commentors who span the ranks of the american left. En particulier I'd point you to these two seminal discussions on 1) the Far Left Parties en general and 2) the Persistence of "Trotskyite" as an in-crowd perjorative lobbed between factions like so much facepaint. Kasama also led me to related recent engagements on the topic of red-baiting within the 'NEW" SDS. Again, this makes me wanna wonder aloud as to whether or not any of the grad employees among us have engaged with SDS at all....what say you?
    

  • How about the shake-up at MSNBC? I for one am ready for a timeout from Keith -Olbermann-as-news-anchor, who I honestly think fits in better on Football Night in America.
    
  • a must: Balance Sheet on Two Years of Indigenous Post-Neoliberalism in Bolivia. This is very even-handed, I think. Whether you come down on the side of the racist bourgeois oligarchy or the democratic-socialist-indigenous movement is up to you: a matter of Trust, Billy Joel might say.
    

  • I'm glad and sorta surprised (, sorta not) to see that International Socialist Review is still doing lengthy treatments on the Russian Revolution. What could possibly be more relevant for socialism in the United States than that? But you know me, I'll read anything that mentions Trotsky.
  • 

  
  

I ♥ Tina Fey

It's a shame Obama wasn't able to make it to SNL last night, but Tina Fey's guest appearance more than made up for it. In case you need a lighter take on Palin (not to mention a great commentary on the media sexism meme):

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Could we please get less media banter about lipstick on a pig and more of this, please?

The more I learn about Sara Palin, the more she scares the shit out of me. (And by the way, before I go on can I just say that, speaking of learning more about Palin, has anyone else noticed how freaking awesome The Bellman's ongoing dissection of the VP nominee has been? Damn, ya'll. That's some good blogging.) John McCain may represent a continuation of many of the Bush administration's policies (wait, wasn't that the point Obama was making with the "lipstick on a pig" comment?) But it seems more and more clear that Palin represents a frightening continuation of Bush's (really fucking scary) leadership style.

Palin has surrounded herself with friends who are selected for their personal ties and loyalty rather than their competence (to wit, the high school chum who was appointed to direct the State Division of Agriculture based on her "lifetime love of cows."); fired, intimidated, and pursued vendettas against those who cross her (Troopergate being just one example. And by the way, look out, DR: you've probably already been identified and labeled a "hater" and should be getting the "You should be ashamed! Stop blogging. Stop blogging right now!” call any day...); has demonstrated a stunning lack of knowledge of crucial issues; is a remote, isolated, and often MIA leader (prompting leaders in Juneau to wear "Where's Sarah?" pins); and operates under an unprecedented veil of secrecy (right on down to insisting that everyone in her administration use private e-mail accounts to conduct significant state business because, as an assistant told her, e-mail messages sent to a private address on a personal device like a BlackBerry “would be confidential and not subject to subpoena.”).

Seriously, we can't live through another 4-8 years of this. Or at least I can't. Please, o please could there not be more attention and scrutiny to the completely batshit crazy narrative the McCain campaign (and the governor herself) has constructed about Palin being an experienced, anti-corruption reformer?

I'm not holding my breath. Because as unpopular as George Bush is, he's already primed the electorate to believe that it's no big deal to try to ban a book you haven't even bothered to read because "you don't need to read that stuff." Or that it's perfectly normal to mine your high school yearbook or church directory to replace knowledgeable professionals in key government appointments, arguing that they'll "learn on the job." Or even that being ignorant yourself is not only not a flaw that precludes you from aspiring to the highest office in the land, but actually kinda cute and charming. Someone will always be there to strategically place a color-coded stack of index cards telling you what to say behind your nameplate. And cover up for your mistakes. And guard the evidence of your incompetence (and even wrongdoing) with their lives. And brand anyone who tries to question this as "bad people who are anti-Alaska." And sexist. That's the exciting new twist, I guess.

We can't let this happen again.

UPDATE: Frank Rich characterizes McCain as an even weaker Bush to Palin's Cheney in his column today. Maybe that's what makes her so frightening to me: the melding of the worst elements of the current White House occupants.

This is getting ridiculous

John McCain was a POW, part MMDCXLVII.

For chicken little

First contact

There's a reason they sequestered her away from the press:

Enabling, but not fully explicable

People’s practices have variable possibilities, democratic as well as nondemocratic. They draw their energies and orientations from the social imaginaries and institutional arrangements within which they are embedded at a given historical juncture. One might, following Charles Taylor, define “cultures of democracy” as a regional subset of the larger social imaginary, the enabling but not fully explicable symbolic matrix within which a people imagine and act as world-making collective agents. This regional imaginary is further marked by the primacy of the “political” in a people’s engagement with the world. In our times, not abruptly but following an enduring historical trajectory, a people’s mode of being political is imagined and constituted primarily within a democratic idiom. Nowhere is this more evident than in the unshakable link forged since the onset of modernity between the idea of democracy and the doctrine of popular sovereignty. Therefore, the boundaries of the political, always under contestation but not always identical with the democratic, are expressed in and through the practices of the people. The stress on “practices” is deliberate because they are, aside from their pragmatic and phenomenological valence, inscribed with (as in a habitus) and articulate (as with symbolic forms) a people’s collective values, sentiments, and understandings (as with theories). In short, a people’s practices might be regarded as an indispensable hermeneutic key to deciphering their political imaginary.

- Dilip Parameshwar Gaonkar, "On Cultures of Democracy" in Public Culture 19 (1).
(Note - I am okay moving from talking about "politics" to talking about "the political (as such)"... but I am not sure about the definite article in "the democratic.")

New Poll -- Borrowing Without Asking!

Hey all,

Go ahead and give us some feedback in the new poll up on the right. I'm looking to take the temperature of the OGians on illegal media downloads. I have a feeling we will have a diversity of opinion not seen since we all weighed in on the Biden pick (good times, I remember them fondly).

I also ask because I recently stepped up my downloading (or 'renting, as some would have it), as I missed the first half of the new Battlestar season and have no interest in waiting for it to come out on DVD, amongst other things. My daughter got wind of this and was all over my gravy about it. What do you all think, should I amend my ways, get back on the straight and narrow, wait a year to pay $79 for some BSG action?

Poll results will published Monday, so vote today!

Department of Hookers and Blow

All this time I've been thinking the action was in the Crystal City hotels across the interstate from the Pentagon. Who knew that the party was happening over at Interior? Next I suppose we'll be learning that the BLM actually stands for Booze, Lechers, and Meth.

Let it go Learn to read wobs

The media has gotten so hooked on the cheap high of the Obama/Hillary tiff that they'll try to spike a vein with any low-grade junk that comes their way:

Joe Biden told supporters at a town hall Wednesday afternoon that Barack Obama might have been better off choosing Hillary Clinton as his running mate.

“Make no mistake about this, Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Let’s get that straight,” Biden said testily when a voter told Biden he was glad the Delaware senator had been chosen and not Clinton.

I'm sorry, the only way to read Biden's statement is as a self-effacing pol speaking in defense of a colleague. You've got to be incredibly desperate for a fix in order to twist that into an admission that the Democratic campaign would be "better off choosing Hillary Clinton."

I know that detox is a bitch, but people really need to let this one die.

[updated]: per ez in the comments, I'm an idiot. How's that for self-effacing!

Welcome To My World

Sometimes it is nice to know that others are having the same problem as you, even if it is small consolation.

YouTube/Falsh videos stop working for me after 2 seconds in both the Firefox and the Chrome.

Work just fine with the IE.

As long as I am here, let me say that I liked the new Seinfeld-Gates surrealist commercial. Which I can't link to. Because I can't open youtube videos.

Is Anything Weirder than Liberalism?

Human history is full of earlier, hierarchical regimes…But the progress of what we call modernity, in its different forms, undermines all these traditional ideas and eventually makes them incredible. In the end, the only basis for stable legitimacy we can fall back on turns out to be that we should obey our rulers because in doing so we are really obeying ourselves.
- Charles Taylor, "Cultures of Democracy and Citizen Efficacy" in Public Culture 19 (1).

Lipstick Hot

and good on us for making it the entire 24 hours or whatever it was WITHOUT having had to comment. (h/t: dylan matthews as ezra klein - good read, btw.)

Your New Job

Not bad, huh? But it's 3 minutes long, so where it is supposed to run?

Enter the Strawman

Anyone else notice how McLame/PaLIEn aren't campaigning against any known arguments?

McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent wants to teach babys sex ed... we oppose.
McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent wants to raise everyone's taxes...we think that is unwise.
McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent doesn't even want us to drill for water...we like very much.
McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent thinks we should coddle all terrarists...we would liquify them, my friends
McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent supports all earmarks (even Alaska's)....we have always opposed all thing earmarkish.
McLame/PaLIEn: My opponent wants to put lipstick on all pigs....we are against it.

Is there a trend? How does one combat such tactics?

EZ POLLING- LATE EDITION

results of the past week(and a half)'s polling are as follows:

14


I believe Dave will be conducting the next poll....

but I shall return to polling in a few weeks
(much like Macarthur only without any troops)

Hillary Never Would Have Done This

In case you all missed it, Obama gave teachers the ol' "Fuck you" yesterday calling for more charter schools, merit-based pay, and making it easier to fire teachers who "aren't up to the job."

Obviously, Obama is pandering to the "independents" who, along with a great many Americans, have bought into the idea that by the very act of giving birth (or completing adoption papers), a person automatically acquires the knowledge to know when a teacher or school is "good" or "bad." Coupled with this intuitive skill is the fact that God conveniently correlates a teacher's crappiness with the performance of little Johnny or Sally in the classroom. When Johnny gets bad grades or does poorly on a test or (and you know I am just joking here) gets sent to the principal's office, a parent is able to know that this is a crappy teacher in action.

Obama's actions are stupid, stupid, stupid. He just threw teachers and teacher's unions under the bus. The Democratic Party now supports merit pay. Oh, I know that he will try to weasel when he's talking directly to the NEA and AFT. He'll try to say that "merit pay" can be based on any number of criteria. He'll try to say it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with testing. "Charter schools" could mean any number of things. "Vouchers" can mean any number of things. The important thing is we "reach out" and move into a "post-partisan" education policy.

Somehow Barack Obama thinks that the collective bargaining rights teachers in America should be modified or curbed or abridged or taken away so that it is "easier" to fire a "bad" teacher. Which is, of course, the subtext here. Obama needs to show that he's independent of those evil, evil teacher's unions who are dragging down education in this country with their insistence on quality at all schools. Their recognition that which kids from what background end up in their classes is not up to them, so paying them based on how these kids do on standardized tests is ludicrous. These crazy teacher's unions that believe that if employers want to fire their workers, there should be a written process as to how that gets done and that process needs to be negotiated.

The Democratic Party candidate for President just bought a whole host of right-wing talking points. And for what? Do you think that the Republicans are now going to stop attack the Democrats as being in the pocket of the teacher's unions? Does Obama think that joining with the Republicans in demonizing teacher's unions will mean that the Republicans will stop demonizing teachers? Does anything in Obama's experience lead him to believe that the Republicans will accept his proposals as fair compromises between two positions? That they will meet him in the middle?

Of course they won't. The goal of the Republican party is to smash public education in the US. Education is the great equalizer. The Republican party does not want equality. Hell, I think that's their official motto. They are not going to suddenly abandon that goal. They are not going to reach across the aisle.

The conversation in about education in America just took a giant leap to the right. Thanks to Barack Obama, who stood up to his allies instead of his enemies.

Moral Relativism

You all know that I am not a smart man, so help me out here.

Having sex outside of marriage is a sin, yes? But apparently, not that big of a sin.

From what I understand, abortion is murder, which is a huge sin. Big time. Not having an abortion qualifies someone to be vice president and definitely overrides the sin of having premarital sex.

But, volunteering to participate in a war of conquest and killing someone (be they combatant, or, as is more likely, innocent civilian) is not murder nor a sin.

Do I have this right? Because, if so, it seems to me that it is fair to say that the decisions one makes are influenced by a particular set of circumstances and what is "right" or "wrong" can depend on those circumstances or even a particular point of view.

Hmmm.

What happened to good drug etiquette?

Thanks to the NYT, I spent the evening familiarizing myself with the whole genre of Salvia trip YouTube videos (as an added bonus, it's also the first time I recall having seen the word "bong" appear in the Times). Back in my younger and wilder days, I was no stranger to all manner of psychedelics, and to be perfectly honest, I enjoyed them. Salvia, however, was my least favorite - I tried it once and had the worst experience of my life. It wasn't a good time. Some people enjoy it, and that's fine by me, but it's definitely not my cup of ('shroom) tea.

Watching the videos, though, made me realize we were downright civilized in our little adventures. A few thoughts:

• Tim Leary always talked about "set and setting" in having a good trip. We always managed to either be outside in a safe environment, at a show or club, or some comfy place to chill out. Watching these jokers get blasted in their dingy apartments doesn't seem like a lot of fun to me.
• You know what sucks when you're tripping? People pointing and laughing, and some jerk trying to "trip you out" with some sort of nonsense. People, just let the person enjoy their voyage.
• You know what would've sucked even more? Someone waving a camera in my face and documenting my trip.
• And really, posting it on YouTube? I don't care if the shit's legal, broadcasting to the world how fucked up you were is one of the stupidest uses of technology I've seen.

Take the advice from someone who's "been there," kids - turn off the camera, light up a doob, put on Dark Side of the Moon, and just relax. It's much easier on your constitution.

< /cranky old man >

Oh, fuck it. This one's pretty fucking funny.

The RNC in One Minute

From 23/6:

Presenting Matador Recording Artists...

Sonic Youth!!!?!?!? Talk about an idea 'whose time has come.' We'll see if it works out better than their previous stay with Gerard "CantStopTheBleeding" Cosloy over at Homestead?

Crap/Not Crap - Craft Union Voluntarism

The Federation adopted an equally interesting political strategy, for Gompers sought to make voluntarism and the craft unions' nonpartisan civic education a source of political strength rather than weakness. Trade unionists would debate and deliberate political issues within their own councils, formulating a cohesive set of policy demands. They would then present labor's agenda to each of the political parties, and educate their members on the parties' response. The AFL, as in the past, would not affiliate with a political party; in fact, the strategy would only work if they did not. Gompers itended to forge unions into a highly knowledgeable, independent bloc of swing voters, so that all parties seriously contesting elections would have to address labor's needs. Organized labor would not be apolitical or partisan but would pursue "aggressive nonpartisan political action." As he explained it, "labor does not become partisan to a polititcal party, but partisan to a principle." - Schools of democracy : a political history of the American labor movement by Clayton Sinyai

Part 2 of the Sub-Saga/Around L'Horn

• Today I will meet with an anthropologist whose book about the labor movement i like a lot. This will entail my first jaunt outside of the house in many, many hours/days. After so much traveling, I am overcome with the odd sense of beginning the regular season. I hope it's a championship season (insert semi-finals reference here for all the sewanee blokes and women.)
• How can it be possible that there will be a Ghostbusters remake with the Office people writing it?
  
• Speaking of Ohio Rock Gods, do we all know the New Bomb Turks, whose first two albs rank alongside your Rockets to Russia and your Fun House and (especially) your Pink Flag? If you don't, get to know them with this well-written bit by the main man from Last Days of Man on Earth. It situates their music within the larger, overlooked Columbus scene.
  
• And speaking of Last Days of Man On Earth, this post dedicated to the wide variety of left and right- political postures that accompanied the Great Punk Seven-Inches of 1986! It is a must-see.
• Oh, and Wobs.... the Greatest-Ever, Better-Than-The-Velvets-Maybe? first Pere Ubu 7", over at the already-missed Detailed Twang.
  

Teh Youths for John McCain

Speaking of idiots on Facebook and the election...

Because I am on Facebook primarily in a "professional" capacity, I am "friends" with many (very young) undergraduates who are affiliated with the Women's Center and, hence, have access -- whether I want it or not -- to many details about the lives and happenings of 18 year olds. I generally try to skip over the embarrassing drunken photos they post of themselves (the bumper crop from the recent "Dress to Get Screwed" event on campus being the most recent example where it was necessary to avert my eyes). But when my news feed indicated that one of my young associates planned to attend the "I will not attend school on Wednesday, November 5 if John McCain is elected" event, I clicked out of curiosity.

This appears to be some sort of high school protest. And so far the response has been less than positive. My favorite comment:

Caleb Reid (Washburn) wrote
at 1:48am

screw that!!! I am will attend school with joy!!!!

the only reason I would not attend school would be in the case in that I am hung over from celebrating!!!

Brilliant. I am will weeping for the youth of today.

And he totally digs Clarence Thomas too

From IHE (second item):

Adam LaDuca, a Kutztown University student, quit his position as executive director of the Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans last week following criticism of comments he made on his Facebook page about Sen. Barack Obama’s lips, The Allentown Morning Call reported. LaDuca wrote that Obama has “a pair of lips so large he could float half of Cuba to the shores of Miami,” and later followed that up with a posting that said that “if sayin’ someone has large lips is a racial slur, then we’re ALL in trouble.” LaDuca told the Morning Call that he is not a racist, citing his admiration for Thomas Sowell, a conservative black economist, as evidence. “I have eight of his books and I think he’s brilliant and he’s a black man," LaDuca said. "If I were racist, would I be reading this stuff?”

To his credit, LaDuca didn't resort to the some-of-my-best-friends-are-black line because - obviously - they're not. All the same, pretty lame, Milhouse.

Oh, and Adam - you're a fucking racist.

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Dear Editor of the Register Guard,

Back in my day, August 2008, there was a certain stigma attached to being an unwed teen mother. Now that Bristol Palin has received a standing ovation at the Republican National Convention, I am relieved to assume that this is no longer the case.

I am also assuming that organizations such as the Heritage Foundation, Dobson's Focus on the Family, and the Family Research Council will be joining with groups like Planned Parenthood and Doulas Supporting Teens in working to make sure teen mothers have all the support and information they need as they navigate difficult times.

Now that conservatives and liberals have joined together in recognizing that unwed teen mothers need society's support and encouragement, I also assume that we will see an expansion in the number of programs designed to help young mothers and an increase in funding for those that already do, no matter which party wins the presidential election.

Lastly, as long as I am making assumptions, I will go ahead and assume that, now that the Republicans are celebrating unwed teen mothers, we will be hearing a lot less about abstinence-only education, as we have just seen that no one really takes it seriously.

Community Queens

Thanks Chris Matthews! for at least being intellectually honest enough to ask the question: "is community organizer the new welfare queen? does community organizer have Al Sharpton connotations?"

Of course it does, Chris. As Chuck Todd and Mr. Rothenberg just attested to, most Americans glaze over when they hear the term. But for activists on the Right, "organizer" evokes "urban," "troublemaking," and, yes, ACORN.

We all know Obama has gained from bringing something of an "organizing model" to the national elections process. But we may have to agree with Todd and Rothenberg, that they may wish they'd left the discourse of organizers and organizing out of Barack's autobio.

Report from Prospectus-Burg

Okay. So I don't want to sound grouchy or anything, but how come none of you elders ever gave me a heads-up about the ugly truth that dissertations are completely insane? Oh, this is going to be a wonderful year. Oh, Human Subjects, indeed!

Also, there's the deep obligation I feel to treat my next year of living with all the respect that "going into the field" deserves, even though on the surface it almost seems like I'm not "going" anywhere. I'm going to see a lot of Oregon (and probably a lot of my own twenty-nine year-old self) in the course of listening to workers from the public/service sector talk about who they think they are and what the hell it is they think they are doing. What do they think elections are? What do they think unions are?

That is, if I can pull it off like I want to - and it seems like these things never, ever go as planned. And, lurking underneath my entire ethnographic program is the self-centered Lex Dexter question, wouldn't you rather work as an educator within unions than as an educator who teaches about unions? I'm not really sure I've the professional bona fides to qualify for either choice, of course. And that makes me wonder, shucks, if I shouldn't just try to figure out a way to flip houses or do freelance record reviewing or join the marines or publish an incoherent novel on a vanity press funded by my ebay revenues won when i hock my copy of Neu 2!

PRM

What we really need around here (other than more cowbell) is some DEVO to liven the place up. How awesome are these guys?

"Mongoloid"


"That's Good"


"Smart Patrol/Mr. DNA"

Making Somethings With Nothings - Sunday Addition

I'll tell you what, I'm glad to hear that Bar Obama and Wil Clinton are planning on a luncheon this week - you? Is Barry going to hire James Carville at some point? How involved are HRC/WJC willing to get? And does BHO stand to gain from a dose of the Clintons in specific geographic locations?

(ps - is the above photo fake? did Senator Barack Obama and former Governor Bill Clinton have some "casual embrace" moment that I missed somehow?)

Best. Rick Roll. EVER.

Sunday Tape - December 2007

(Download the Dec 2007 tape, which I gotta say showcases a lot of guitar rock despite some serious pop-dips.)

Can't Feel My Soul Teenage Fanclub, You can get this at insound for $6.64...don't be a fool! I love the great, Sonic Youth-y lead gtr run that comes in with the chorus. Less on the Big Star tip, this third track on the great alb showcases the "indie rock" side of the Fannies.

Spinning Shiner from the split with the Brandon Butler/Giant's Chair collaboration, the Farewell Bend. The only think that keeps me from worshipping Shiner are the vocs, which're a little bit bellow-y and dated. But the lyrics are sharp, and plainly put this band ranks with Chavez, Unwound and Giant's Chair in the just-below-slint tier of inventive 1990s gtr rock. The dark, descending hook and its doubly-dark, douby-descending reprise make it more than worthwhile endure the B- vocs.

The Silence Between Us, Bob Mould Golly, the advance single off of District Line, an album which seems bound for my 2008 top 5. At first the aggressive Yamaha chugging made me worry, but the chorus comes down with a sickness/sweetness/electricit that reminds me of "Helpless" from Sugar's essential Copper Blue.

Deluxe, Lush In the last year I've busied myself with investigations into the Brit-pop/shoegaze contemporaries of my beloved Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. I could imagine jumping rope to this song.

Golf Hill Drive, Boys Life And now the mixtape veers into dissonant guitar territory with the opener from this KC outfit's debut lp. Though their swan song, the Bob Weston-produced Departures and Landfalls, deserves mention alongside Ben Hur, Spiderland and Rusty when it comes to atmospheric hardcore of the 1990s... this is more than just their Tweez.

Blue Light, Mazzy Star Oh jeepers, this record will always remind me of a secret room we once built into our fraternity house. Staring out a window at a tree that looked like a face, thinking this sounds like the Velvets, then, this sounds great.

Ten Percenter, Frank Black (6/13/94, the Wetlands) this is actually from a live recording i found on the amazing captain's dead. The Wetlands was the kind of place that would have the occasional Earth Crisis show, but mostly showcased Blues Traveler, the Samples and John Densmore side projects. Enjoying this righteous recording in light of that bitta history really doubles my pleasure. Such a great guitar intro, the one that startes this song.

Stab Your Eyes, Kerosene 454 More from this band very melodic hardcore band, going further down the noisy emo road through this mixtape.

Mrs. E. Coli, Freemasonry This song - a crushing song marred, mebbe, by slightly pretentious vocals, is classic 90s Atlanta emo. In concert with the Hal al Shedad, Inkwell, the Forty-Two and others, Freemasonry comprised a 'moment' in Hotlanta that deserves mention alongside other key 90s scenes in Louisville, San Diego, Chicago, etc. Good thing the Shedad's own James Joyce has done the saintly work of compiling so many primary Hotlanta texts for download at his place, beyond failure. Par example, Freemasonry's sparrin' with the varmint is available to you through said lovely site.

Acetone Angels, Son Volt Here's Jay at the piano, dropping what plays like a classic Neil Young piano downer from Goldrush and/or Time Fades Away. 'Cept of course, these lyrics are simultaneously more opaque and more miserable. Beautiful.

Blue Vegas, The City on Film The thing about Braid/Hey Mercedes' guy Bob Nanna's "singer-songwriter" profile is that even it rocks hard with the shimmering SGs. Very beautiful arrangement, and I must confess I am something of a sucker for his crooning, tho I don't like the idea of it on paper.
Light Workers, Bright Channel Let me tell you I quite enjoy Bright Channel's Albini-produced s/t from a few years back. They have an ability to sound like U2, Codeine and Helmet at the same time.

Roland, Interpol I guess I just have a soft spot for baroque-y, melodic guitar punk. But it's in spite of, not because of, penchants for wearing all black, living in Brooklyn, etc.

Cast No Shadow, Oasis Ry-Ry Adams would have us believe these're a buncha real friendly blokes and shit, which is fine. All I know is that the Morning Glory alb is really something, all the way through. Do you disagree?

Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School, Warren Zevon The title track from a Zevon alb I checked out of the library, ripped, and took back, never to listen again. This came up on shuffle and I couldn't not love the choppy, chunky, stop-start guitars and Warren's absurd "call and response" mouth-moves. This guy definitely reminds me more of the poet Paul Muldoon than any other poet I can think of (that being a compliment.) I need to know more.

Pink Frosty (demo), Fugazi Just nice and creepy, slow-moving and bass-driven atmospherics from the massive and fascinating Instrument soundtrack. This alb, Red Medicine and End Hits
are easily my three fave Fugazi slabs.

The Eyes of Sarahjane, The Jayhawks I've screamed enough about this album, for certain. Varying a bit from their always-Byrds-y stock and trade, this song sounds like it could've been employed to powerful effects by the Bob Seger System-era Bob Seger

Running With Your Eyes Closed, Mojave 3 Hey, let's have fun with our girlfriends! We'll go skating!

Bossa Rocka, George Benson Quartet Yeah, another whimsical choice at the library! Standard, Blue Note-y jazz gtr fare from the late 1960s. A moody, snappy, swanky number - the sort of thing you'd like to have playing as guests arrive at your dinner party, except for the fact that said move ('Yo, I like guitar jazz, come in and get comfortable!') is endlessly contrived assuming you don't live in a wannabe Woody Allen movie.

Whirlweek, David Grubbs Now we're talking. From the beautiful and intelligent Spectrum Between, here's D. Grubbs at some of his most-not-unlistenable. I like to think I rip off his gtr playing every time I strap it on, but the troof is that I couldn't play with his fluency or his "individualism" anywhere, anytime.

Hey, Citronella!, 90 Day Men
Talk about a Rod Stewart-level waste of potential. This band started off great with tracks like this (and the whole first ep), only to slowly turn into a kinda stilted (if nonetheless interesting) Tortoise-y experiment. These days I hear one of the dudes is in TV on the Radio (who I guess I should check out?) Anyway, enjoy this creepy, tough and brash number from a band who, for a moment, seemed like a Great Leap Forward in the tradition of the long-missed June of 44.