Savage Distortion

CREDIT WHERE IT'S DUE

‘ALL THE BRICKS’

Produced and arranged by Chris Pace and Ted Wilson for Smoke And Mirrors Productions Inc., with the notable inspiration and assistance of George Vitray and Via Skyway Productions Inc.

Recorded at Smoke And Mirrors Sound, Williamsburg, Brooklyn between Oct 2003 and December 2004, with the exception of ‘Mother’ and ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’ which began their respective lives at an earlier date.

Written by Roger Waters except "Young Lust," "Comfortably Numb," "Run Like Hell" written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour; "The Trial" written by Roger Waters and Bob Ezrin; "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot" written by Tommie Connor, Jimmy Leach and Michael Carr
Original Orchestral Arrangements by Michael Kamen

Art Design by Fred Caputi


TRACK LISTING:

Disc One:
Intro
When The Tigers Broke Free
In The Flesh?
The Thin Ice
Another Brick In The Wall (Part 1)
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
Mother
Goodbye Blue Sky
Empty Spaces/What Shall We Do Now
Young Lust
One Of My Turns
Don’t leave Me Now
Another Brick In The Wall (Part 3)
Goodbye Cruel World

Disc Two:
Hey You
Is There Anybody Out There
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb
The Show Must Go On
In The Flesh (Part 2)
Run Like Hell
Waiting For The Worms
Stop
The Trial
Outside The Wall


The Smoke And Mirrors Band:

VOCALS:

Chris Pace, Ted Wilson, George Vitray, Annie Rusoff, Mike Ingenthron, Dave Cavalier, Chuck Debruyn, Kevin Lacey, John Andersen, Dean Bohana, and Pat Phillips

GUITARS:

Chris Pace, Ted Wilson, George Vitray, Andy Rock, Dave Cavalier

BASS:

Chris Pace, Ted Wilson

DRUMS:

Rob Machold, Kevin Lacey, Chris Pace, Ted Wilson

KEYBOARDS:

Chris Pace, Ted Wilson, John Andersen

CELLO:

Gordie ‘ONION BABY’ Smith


Though we stood on the shoulders of giants, we could not have made this record without some giants of our own; everyone listed above, Fred Wilson, Charles Lahti, Paul Daly, Pat Goehle, Brian Farrelly, and Pink Floyd. I would also like to thank Annie Rusoff and Deittra Wilder for their love and compassion, but most of all, their patience. My mother and father, though they inspire me plenty, had nothing to do with this record, and God can thank Himself.

WHY THE WALL

It’s November 30th, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the release (in the UK) of Pink Floyd’s opus, ‘The Wall’. Chris and I tried very hard to bring our production of this classic record to an end by this date, and we did, sort of. The music is done, but now we have to work on packaging. This is very important seeing as how we can’t sell it anyway, which brings up the point of this blog; why? Why did we do this. Why did we spend fourteen months covering twenty-eight songs? Why in God’s name would we embark on such a crazy endeavor? There certainly is no profit motive. Was it because we love the record? No, we do love it, but it’s not our favorite Floyd record (Animals), or the best (Dark Side). It is the longest, and that’s closer to the point. Let’s go back in time to October 2003. At that time we had already covered ‘Mother’ for an off Broadway production of ‘Hurly Burly’, and ‘Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)’ for shits and giggles. Chris and I have both always loved the movie version of ‘Empty Spaces’, which includes a second part called ‘What Should We Do Now’ and as we began recording that number, I remember Chris walking back into the control room and saying: “That’s it, we gotta do the whole record now”. And so we did. Not out of love, not out of respect, but for the oldest reason there is, because it was there. It was our Everest. The biggest dare we could dare ourselves; to do our version of this massive piece of work, and to include all the songs (Bricks if you will) from both the movie, and the record. I knew two things going in: one, that it would be a highly valuable educational experience, and two, that come hell or high water (a bit of both) we would see it through to the end. I am very pleased with the results. I will steer clear of such stupidity in the future, but I’m overjoyed with our Wall, ‘All The Bricks’. It will be ready before the holidays, so if you are interested, let me know. We can’t sell it, but we’re happy to give it away.

DIE KINDER SIND GUT

Fortunately for yours truly there was no whiskey involved in last night’s vinyl session. I do have a travel day ahead of me, so it’s a good thing I stuck to the suds. The Night began with T.Rex, ‘The Slider’. Always a good choice, and it’s no stranger to this blog. We moved to the obligatory Billy Cobham, ‘Spectrum’. In less than a month this record had become legendary and god-like in stature in Andy Rock’s Listening Room, and again is no stranger here. I put on Frank Zappa’s ‘Zoot Allures’ next; Andy and The Guy were definitely appreciative of ‘Black Napkins’, as any guitar player should be. For more virtuosity I played Thin Lizzy’s ‘Black Rose’, a fun and lengthy jaunt through Irish folk themes, both lyrical and instrumental. They love their sixteenth notes those Irish musicians. As the evening wound down, I remembered a quote from Neil Young, where he said his music was ‘late night music’, so I took him at his word and put on ‘Everyone Knows This Is Nowhere’. I was prepared for Andy to react negatively, but I wasn’t prepared for the zeal with which he and The Guy embraced it. “That’s the sound of vinyl! That’s what records should sound like, it’s so warm, and so present, so there.” Indeed Andy, indeed.

YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST

Gang Of Four is regrouping, I doubt they'll make their way stateside, but at least I get some vindication:

"This year, Gang Of Four has been the subject of renewed interest thanks to the success of Scottish rock act Franz Ferdinand, to whom its music bears a strong stylistic resemblance."--Billboard

GOING SOLO

How often we hear about band members embarking on a ‘solo career’. Whether in an effort to gain creative control, or just to get out of a bad ‘marriage’, it seems singers and guitar players are always looking for that greener grass. How often, however, are they successful in the endeavor? ‘Diamond’ David Lee Roth, though he got off to a decent start, failed to sustain his solo career. Mick Jagger’s efforts outside the Stones have been lackluster to say the least. Keith’s two solo records are great, but it’s evident that he never really had his heart set on a solo career, he was just killing time until Mick was ready to get back to work. I guess Neil Young and Joe Walsh fit the bill, though their former bands (Buffalo Springfield, James Gang) are more of a footnote in their respective careers at this point. Lou Reed certainly has had a successful solo career. Since there was an Elvis Costello prior to the Attractions, he doesn’t count. John Lennon did a good job of it, as did George. The best thing about George’s solo career is that he didn’t put out shitty records just to be putting out records, he worked in his garden until he had a good record to put out. Paul seemed to lose the ability to write a good song sometime around the time Denny Laine left, but I’ll still call him a successful solo artist. Ringo, well he tried, and with a little help from his friends he did well. I hear he’s got a new record coming out, and I hope it’s good, but, well, if anybody has heard his 1982 release ‘Stop And Smell The Roses’ then they too will be a little apprehensive about a new Ringo record. Bjork is a successful solo artist, whose output surpasses that of her old band, the Sugarcubes. I guess Ritchie Blackmore had success post Deep Purple, but less than ten years down the road he was putting out crap (‘Straight Between The Eyes’). Ozzy Osbourne definitely qualifies as a successful solo artist, and I guess Ronnie James Dio does as well, though I could never take him seriously on his own, too many swords and burning torches…..I draw the line at chain-mail. Johnny Rotten did well, as did Morrissey, though I still can’t figure out the whole Smiths/Morrissey thing, not my cup of tea I guess. If I give Joe Walsh credit I suppose the same goes for Sammy Hagar, though nothing he has done tops the Montrose record. Both Mick Jones and Joe Strummer had solo careers after The Clash. Mick’s Big Audio Dynamite was more successful Than Joe’s Mescaleros, but both of them seemed to have been more involved with the Clash post Clash, than they were with their respective solo ventures. After Bauhaus broke up Peter Murphy had success, but not as much as his former band mates who became Love And Rockets. Roger Waters has put out some really good records as well as launching some of the more successful tours in recent years, which is more than Syd can say. Does Luna count as Dean Wareham solo? I don’t know. Bob Mould and Paul Westerberg have had marginal success, more critical acclaim than record sales, but they’re still at it. Bob Marley never really ‘went’ solo, but the result was the same, and he was very successful, I only wish he could have lived to see all the royalties come in. Gwen Stefani is breaking out, and I’ll go on the record as saying that in five years people will be asking; ‘Who’s No Doubt”. Peter Gabriel did very well outside Genesis, and I suppose I have to say the same about Phil Collins though it pains me ever so much to do so. Alice Cooper, one of the best examples of a singer making it solo. Beck and Clapton count as successes. Clapton has outsold Beck consistantly, but as we know taste counts for very little. Some people like boring old farts. Are the Foo Fighters merely a Dave Grohl solo act? I say yes, yes they are, and a good one too.
I’m sure there’s more to say about this, so please comment away….

FIFTY BEST?

I’ve blogged about lists before. I’ve stated their inevitable worthlessness, and made a few as well. Fred is posting his Fifty Best Albums Of All Time. Hoo boy. I’ll mention some that should be on such a list, but I’m not making one. If Fred includes some of these, great, if not, great. To start, since I’m in a Pink Floyd mood, which Floyd do you choose? I assume you can’t pick them all. Many would include Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, I wouldn’t. I would pick Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. How about the Stones? Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile, and Some Girls. Okay then what about Lou/Velvets? The Velvet Underground And Nico, Loaded, Transformer, Berlin, New York, and Set The Twilight Reeling. Hmm, Bowie? Hunky Dory, Ziggy, Diamond Dogs, Low, and Scary Monsters. I’d put The Stooges Funhouse on there. The New York Dolls first record. The Ramones first four records (Ramones/Leave Home/Rocket To Russia/Road To Ruin). Never Mind The Bollocks. The Clash, and London Calling. Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures. The Buzzcocks Single Going Steady. Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Abbey Road. Krafwerk’s Autobahn and Trans Europe Express. Bauhaus’ In The Flat Field. Gang Of Four, Entertainment. The Replacements’ Tim and Don’t Tell A Soul. Neil Young; Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush, Tonight’s The Night, On The Beach, Rust Never Sleeps, Harvest, Harvest Moon. The Who’s Tommy, Who’s Next, Quadraphenia. Frank Zappa’s Apostrophe, Zoot Allures, Sheik Yerbouti. Spiritualized; Pure Phase, Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space. Thin Lizzy’s Jailbreak and Bad Reputation. Mott The Hoople’s All The Young Dudes. Allmand Bro’s Live At The Filmore. The Grateful Dead’s Working Man’s Dead and American Beauty. Deep Purple Machine Head. Nazareth Hair Of The Dog. Prince Purple Rain. The Cure; Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me. Kiss Destroyer. Eagles Hotel California. Fleetwood Mac Rumours. The Band, The Last Waltz. Yes; Fragile, Close To The Edge. Genesis; Selling England By The Pound, The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway. Peter Gabriel’s first (Wet Car), third (Melting Face) and fourth (Securitry). Ian Hunter; Live At The Club. Black Sabbath – everything up to and including Sabotage. Blue Oyster Cult’s Fire Of An Unknown Origin. T.Rex Electric Warrior and The Slider. The first Two Iron Maiden records (Iron Maiden, Killers) Motorhead Ace Of Spades. Judas Priest Hell Bent For Leather. Cheap Trick's In Color, At Budakan. Elvis Costello’s first three (My Aim Is True, This Year’s Model, Armed Forces). The Kinks Low Budget and Give The People What They Want. AC/DC High Voltage, Let There Be Rock, Highway To Hell, Back In Black. Aerosmith – everything up to and including Draw The Line. U2 Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree. Flaming Lips; Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Vs. The Pink Robots. Bjork’s Debut and Post. Beck Odelay. Pulp Common People. Radiohead The Bends, OK Computer. Soundgarden Superunknown, Badmotorfinger. Jane’s Addiction; Nothing Shocking. Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique. Nick Cave, The Boatman’s Call. Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream. Pearl Jam’s Ten. Nirvana Nevermind. Foo Fighters The Color And The Shape. ZZ Top’s Tres Hombres. Van Halen I and II. UFO Strangers In The Night. Peter Case’s first record. Billy Cobham’s Spectrum. Jeff Beck Blow by Blow. Dire Straits Making Movies. Spinal Tap. Meet The Rutles. Jesus Christ Superstar Original Cast Recording. Alice Cooper Billion Dollar Babies. King Crimson; Discipline, Three Of A Perfect Pair, Red. ELP Brain Salad Surgery. I think you get the point…….

WALL UPDATE

Eight days to go. A huge thanks to Dave Cavalier and Mike Ingenthrone for keeping us tracking vocals ‘til three in the morning Friday night. We made a huge amount of headway. Chris and I could work on this record for the rest of our lives, but guess what? We don’t want to. It’s time to wrap this rabid mutt. God willing.

NFL WEEK IN REVIEW

I went 10 for 15 with one to go. Unfortunately I think I’ll improve to 11 of 16 with tonight’s Pats win over K.C. Gang Green pulled it out, the G-Men did not. Carolina is killing me; I should pay them more attention. New Orleans I’ve given up on, Oakland too. Seattle may be turning it around again.

NFL PICKS WEEK ELEVEN

Arizona over Carolina
New Orleans over Denver
Indianapolis over Chicago
Pittsburgh over Cincinatti
St. Louis over Buffalo
Seattle over Miami
Giants over Falcons
Green Bay over Houston
Baltimore over Dallas
Minnesota over Detroit
Jets over Browns
Tampa Bay over San Francisco
Tennesee over Jacksonville
Oakland over San Diego
Philly over Washington
New England over Kansas City

Or not.

NAZARETH

It wasn’t easy for Manny Charlton, Dan McCafferty, Pete Agnew, and Daryl Sweet, the men who comprised the original Nazareth line-up. Mostly because of that age-old adage about business; location, location, location. Not only were they not from London, where the UK’s music scene began and ended back in the late sixties, they were from Dunfermline, Scotland, which is about as removed from the hustle and bustle of London as one could get in ’69, and still be a citizen of the U.K. They had to slog it out in the ballroom/club circuit in Scotland for years, doing mostly covers. This only served the band in the end, because they would have their biggest success doing other people’s songs. Their first two records; ‘Nazareth’, and ‘Exercises’ did reasonably well in the UK, but it would be 1973’s ‘Razamanaz’ that put them on the international map with the hits ‘Broken Down Angel’ and ‘Razamanaz’. Once international interest in the band developed, they began that familiar cycle that every successful 70’s band knew all too well; tour, record, tour, record, tour, record….
In 1974 they released ‘Loud N’ Proud’, produced by Roger Glover of Deep Purple, it featured a cover of Joni Mitchell’s ‘This Flight Tonight’ which was a smash hit in Canada, and led to Ms. Mitchell’s claim that the song was no longer hers, it was now a Nazareth song. Later that year they were back in the studio between tours, again with Roger Glover, and the result was ‘Rampant’. The single ‘Shanghai’d In Shanghai’ disappointed, but the album showed the band’s growing ease in the studio, and offers a diversity and sense of experimentation that many rock fans found satisfying enough to put the album in the charts even though the single failed to do as well as expected. It was 1975, however, that would be the big year for Nazareth. Wasting no time, they went back into the studio, this time, and for years after, Manny Charlton, the guitar player, would produce. ‘Hair Of The Dog’ is the quintessential Nazareth record. The fact that the million selling ‘Love Hurts’ single (again a cover) comes from this record belies its true worth. The entire record is fantastic. Ranging from traditional blues (‘Whiskey Drinkin’ Woman’), sheer rock (‘Changin’ Times’), to progressive experimentation (‘Please Don’t Judas Me’), ‘Hair Of The Dog’ is a complete package, and it sealed success for the band for years to come. Massive touring followed, and it wasn’t until the next year, 1976, that Nazareth had another record in the shops. ‘Close Enough For Rock And Roll’ followed suit with the trend that the band seemed to be destined for, doing poorly in the U.K. but taking off in the U.S and Canada. The single ‘Carry Out Feelings’ didn’t do well, but U.S. and Canada’s burgeoning adult oriented rock radio took to Nazareth as one of their staples. Continuing in this vein, ‘Playin’ The Game’ came out in ’76 as well, and contained the same quality rock that they were becoming known for. Covering Joe Tex’s ‘I Just Want To Do Everything For You’ gave them another successful single as well as the self penned ‘Born To Love’. On 1977’s ‘Expect No Mercy’ the band continued down the path toward Heavy Metal. They had always been a heavy band, but the expectations were higher, and they felt that a heavier direction was called for. Spawning no hits, ‘Expect No Mercy’ is another fine record by a band that just wanted to rock.
In January of 1979, Nazareth released ‘No Mean City’. Expanded to a five piece with the addition of second guitarist Zal Clemson, ‘No Mean City’ contained the last single that would chart for the band; ‘May The Sun Shine’. I saw them on this tour with my brother Fred at the Capitol Center in Maryland. I was fourteen, and completely blown away. I would simply never be the same. Neither would they. By 1980’s ‘Malice In Wonderland’ Manny Charlton had handed the production over to Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, who simply didn’t get it. The album is the first in a succession of poor releases, though it does contain what I call the last good song; ‘Big Boy’.
The Nazareth story does not end here, it continues to this day. Unfortunately Nazareth couldn’t sustain the unified vision they had in the 70’s. This division, mostly due to lack of label support, culminated in the departure of Manny Charlton in 1990. But McCafferty and Agnew (Daryl Sweet sadly died of a heart attack in 1999) are still making the rounds, hitting the boards, and releasing records. God bless them.

RADIO RADIO

On December 17, 1977, during an appearance on Saturday Night Live, Elvis Costello stopped the Attractions during the first verse of ‘Less Than Zero’ and launched into ‘Radio Radio’. In doing so he pissed off Lorne Michaels, a feat that almost guarantees future success, but mainly he was commenting on a growing trend, a trend that has only gained momentum - the decline of Radio at the hands of corporate ownership.

“They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don’t give you any choice
‘Cause they think that it’s treason
So you had better do as you are told
You better listen to the radio”

“You either shut up or get cut up
They don’t wanna hear about it
It’s only inches on the reel to reel
But radio is in the hands such a lot of fools
Tryin’ to anaesthetize the way that you feel”

But Elvis was not the only artist of his day voicing his concern. In 1979 Joey Ramone lamented the state of radio on ‘Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio’ from End Of The Century.

“Do you remember lying bed
With your covers pulled up over your head?
Radio playin' so no one can see
We need change, we need it fast
Before rock's just part of the past
'Cause lately it all sounds the same to me”

And again in ’81 from ‘We Want The Airwaves’ on Pleasant Dreams:

“Where's your guts and will to survive
Don't you wanna keep rock n' roll music alive
Mr. Programmer I got my hammer
I'm gonna Smash my Smash my Radio

We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves
We want the airwaves, baby
If rock is gonna stay alive”

In 1979, Rush chimed in with ‘Spirit Of The Radio’ from their LP, Permanent Waves.

“All this machinery making modern music
Can still be openhearted.
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question of your honesty, yeah,
Your honesty.
One likes to believe in the freedom of music,
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity”

Neil Peart, lyricist for the band, is talking about more than just radio, but also a trend toward a sort of clinical sterility that comes hand in hand with the advancement of technology in the field of music, or any art form for that matter. His major concern, however, seems to be the impact of big business on music through radio.

“For the words of the profits were written on the studio wall,
Concert hall
And echoes with the sounds of salesmen.”

There are still a handful of ‘real’ radio stations left. There’s only one in the metro New York area, which I know of, and please fill me in if I’m uninformed, but as far as I know WFMU is the last bastion of DJ oriented music in the New York area. Even college radio seems to be on the decline, an institution that was essential to breaking bands like R.E.M. and the Replacements in the 80’s has been shoved even further underground to make room for more Clear Channel and Viacom affiliates. This trend makes little sense to me, particularly in a culture where we have hundreds of brands of toothpaste and deodorant, but an ever-dwindling number of options on the airwaves.

When I was growing up, in the Hudson Valley, we had a number of options. Many of them still exist, but are no longer privately owned, and must now kowtow to a program director who’s sole motivation is to climb the corporate ladder, not to provide quality content for the listening public.

Howard Stern claims that he will bring about the death of radio, terrestrial radio, as it now needs to be termed, through his move to satellite. I do believe that satellite will take off, and I’m sure that Howard will be somewhat responsible for making it happen, at least speeding up the process, but terrestrial radio, our old style radio, is not going to die. There will always be a market for it, particularly in sports and talk radio. As far as music goes, I guess it comes down to taste. If you like the crap on Z100, then nothing is going to change for you. You’re buying what they’re selling, and that’s fine. I want something else, and I may have to join Howard in the sky to get it.

ON THE OTHER HAND

I have been accused of being lopsided in my expressed opinions of Mr. Bush and his administration. While I stand by most of what I've said (it is called Savage Distortion for a reason folks), I will take a moment here to give some credit where its' due. This does not mean that I have given up my opposition position, but I do want to be fair minded.

The following is a comment from Fred's blog, and I pretty much agree with it's content.

"I think the president has undertaken some incredibly bold reforms. No Child Left Behind is right up there with Clinton's welfare restructuring in terms of its scope and goals. For the first time, the government (both democrats and republicans) have said that every child must be proficient in reading and math. And it is telling that democrats aren't calling for a repeal of the law. There is some proposed tweaking and a never ending battle on funding (despite Bush providing the largest increase in US history) but there is no political support to do away with the law.

You (Fred) mentioned alternative energy and the President has a pretty good record here too. He has dedicated $1.7 billion over five years to develop hydrogen fuel cells and related infrastructure needed to support hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The 2005 budget includes $228 million for the Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, a 43% increase over 2004 funding, to develop the technologies to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel-cell vehicles, electricity generation, and other applications. The budget also includes $4.1 billion worth of tax incentives to spur the use of clean renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies.

The President also launched the FutureGen program in 2004 which invests $1 billion to create the world’s first zero-emissions fossil fuel plant.

More future-oriented, in January 2003, Bush committed the U.S. to participate in ITER, the largest research project in the world designed to prove the viability of fusion energy.

There are other examples as well - prescription drug card for medicare. Wanted by democrats for years and delivered by the President. The first modernization of overtime regulations in more than 50 years. The willingness to tackle social security and tax reform.

Say what you want about the President. He definetely demonstrates a willingness to take on consequential issues."--PJID

And I do say what I want about him, and I will continue to do so, but for the record, he has done some good.

JAILBREAK

"Tonight there's gonna be a jailbreak, somwhere in this town" Phil Lynott warns as the title track of his 1976 album Jailbreak kicks off the record. From beginning to end, this record is a masterpiece. This is the golden age of Thin Lizzy. Before bad behavior took over. "Tonight there's gonna be trouble, I'm gonna find myself in." Well that's certainly true. Phil found himself a whole heap of trouble, but before his problems got the best of him, he put the best of himself into this great record. 'Angel From The Coast' comes next, and it's one the best examples of how talented of a lyricist he was.

"The sacred heart is bleeding
Go tell the Holy Ghost
That the junkie is still cheating
To get the thing he needs the most
Lady Luck has me covered
Keeping her watchful eyes over me
The lovers are discovered
The charge is first degree"

Not to mention the cool jazzy riff that Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson groove with. 'Running Back' follows, this song single handedly got me through some tough adolescent heartbreak.

"If I said I was sorry
Would you still leave me?
I never thought you'd go 'till you did
Believe me

When they say it's over
It's not all over completely

'Cause I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again
Yes I'd come running
I'd come running back to you again"

There's a killer horn section on this track as well. They really pulled out all the stops on this record. I think my personal favorite is the next track 'Romeo and The Lonely Girl', probably for the same nostalgic reasons as 'Running Back'.

"Romeo he had it rough
The guy you'd like to burn
But everything that Romeo had
You can bet it was well earned

For all his good looks there were scars that he took
And a lesson to be learned
Never judge lovers by a good looking covers
The lover might be spurned"

Damn straight. Great catchy chorus too. 'Warriors' comes next, and delivered within is the greatest wah solo ever. Side Two begins with the hit 'The Boys Are Back In Town'. I particularly like this quatrain:

"Friday night they'll be dressed to kill
Down at Dino's bar and grill
The drink will flow and blood will spill
If the boys want to fight, you'd better let them"

'Fight Or Fall' is Phil's ode to Marvin Gaye type soul with conscience a la 'What's Goin On'.

"Brothers fight or fall
It's man for man and one for all
No more can we crawl
Brothers, brothers heed the call

After all this time
I tell myself that I'm
Not just wasting time
Oh you know I'm not that way inclined"

Although there are many references to men of color in the Thin Lizzy catalog, this is the only example I know of where Phil is addressing, or owning, his own blackness. 'Cowboy Song' is everybody's first favorite Lizzy tune. It's just so damn cool. The riff is completely addictive, and Thin Lizzy really seem to capture a slice of americana, not bad for an Irish band a full decade before 'Rattle And Hum'. The coolest bend (guitar lick) appears in the song as well.

"Roll me over and turn me around
Let me keep spinning till I hit the ground
Roll me over and let me go
Riding in the rodeo

Roll me over and set me free
The cowboy's life is the life for me"

The only thing cooler than the song is the way they incorporate it into 'Rosalie' on the live album, i.e. 'Cowgirl's Song'. Rounding out the album is the Irish folk lore inspired 'Emerald'. This song is just plain bad ass from a chops perspective, lyrically, however, it's a sort of toss off. Phil would do better on 'Balck Rose' as far as an ode to Irish legend.
If you don't own this record already, you should be ashamed of yourself. If you do, you should listen to it more.

GIVE 'EM ENOUGH ROPE

Well it seems that Bush is getting his 'dream team' assembled. He will now have no voices of opposition in the White House. In other words, he's amassed quite of bit of rope. Let's just hope we don't get hanged as well in the process.

OCTOBER

After getting all excited about U2 yesterday, I broke out 'October' when I got home. The Guy had nevber listened to it, and I remember always claiming it as my favorite. Not anymore. There are still awesome songs; 'Tomorrow', 'October', 'I Fall Down', and 'I Threw A Brick', but over all the album does seem rushed (as the band has claimed), and under written (Bono's notebook got stolen in Seattle just prior to the recording of the album). 'Gloria' is a mess. If I had been in Steve Lilliwhite's shoes, I wouldn't have let that one out, but that's easy for me to say, I wasn't there. All in all, it's not a bad record, no U2 record is bad, but it's no 'Unforgettable Fire', my new number one.

MIKE MAKES GOOD

Mayor Bloomberg has officially done something I approve of. The City will recognise gay marriages, and 'partners' of City employees will now be eligable for health care coverage just like those of their 'straight' co-workers. In other words, some sort of equality for the City's gay and lesbian population. Mike knows which on side his bread is buttered. It's about damn time too.

AN OBVIOUS PLOY

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska has been approached about becoming agriculture secretary in the Bush administration, according to two sources. His appointment could add a second Democrat to Bush's Cabinet, as well as possibly increasing the GOP's Senate majority. Republican Gov. Mike Johanns would get to choose Nelson's replacement, which could increase the GOP's advantage in the Senate to 56 seats.--CNN

We see what you're trying to do, but it won't work, right Ben? Ben? Ben? Hey Ben! Where ya going?

I hope he turns them down, I'd rather a stacked Cabinet than a stacked Senate.

SPEND ALL YOU LIKE, WE'LL MAKE MORE

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democrats and Republicans clashed over deficits and tax cuts Thursday as Congress moved toward sending President Bush an $800 billion boost in the government's debt limit. The bill would increase the debt ceiling from its current $7.38 trillion, marking the third massive increase since Bush took office in 2001. The government reached the cap last month, paying its bills since with cash from a civil service retirement account, which it plans to repay.--CNN

I'm confused, aren't the Republicans supposed to be the tightwads, and the Democrats the spendthrifts? What happened? Oh yeah, we became a monarchy. Who needs fiscal responsibilty, the King's retinue is much more important, gotta keep up appearances. Guess how the vote is going? Yep, red vs. blue all down the line. It's going to be a long four years.

STERN AT THE SQUARE

I just returned from Howard's appearance at Union Square Park. I work around the corner so it was easy for me to drop by. It was a full crowd scene, and as I am done with my days of getting to the front (MAIDEN!), I just took in the scene for a bit and split. I did hear him say that this was the beginning of a new age free from constraint (I paraphrase). He was giving away, as expected, free Sirius sattelite radio systems. And yes, there were well endowed women in tight white belly shirts, God bless you Howard, you know what we like.

AS RUPERT SEES IT

In today's Post (I know I said I'd stop reading it, but they give it away on the bus) there was a two page spread on what was NOT in the Clinton library, specificaly a blue dress and other sordid reminders of a time I'm sure Bill would rather leave behind. Well Rupert Murdoch wants to make sure we remember, but c'mon, I don't think there's a Deep Throat exhibit at the Nixon Library, and I'm not sure if there is a Reagan Library, I'm not sure Reagen could read, but if there is, I don't think there's an Ollie North room. The one thing I do know is that much like Bill, I enjoy a nice blow job too.

PUT THE KID TO BED

Why is your child, who is too young to see Nicolette Sheridan's naked back, not butt, but back, still awake and watching Monady Night Football at nine o'clock at night? If you have a problem with THAT, have you seen what's on the other channels at that time, on ANY day of the week? The technology is available, and affordable (v-chips are required to be installed by the manufacturer on any monitor over 13 inches) to help you manage your child's viewing. Allowing your child to watch television is your choice, not ours, your kid, your problem.

OIL FOR FOOD

Who's stupid idea was this anyway? It seems Tony Alva was right about this, but what I want to know is who actually thought this was a good idea? Any cheap grifter could see it as ripe for a play. Corruption is what Saddam does, it's his bag. How could anyone think this would not have been the outcome? As far as linking him to terrorism through this program, it seems to me that Saddam was primarily interested in Saddam, if he had to play ball in the local ballpark, well so be it. If, in order to line his pockets, some of the ill gotten gain went to nefarious organizations in the region, well that was the price. I don't think Saddam was willingly subsidising terror. If he could have, he would have kept all the money, but when you deal in the down low, the underground, the black market, well who's there to deal with? Other criminals. And who are the most organized criminals in the Mid East? A marriage of convenience, but dangerous none the less. Fodder for invasion? I'm not completely sold. Is the U.N. corrupt? Maybe. What of the French, are they to be held responible? Certainly the French businesses and citizens who were involved should be indicted, but the French government? I think they might have turned a blind eye, kinda like George and Ken Lay, but now the jig is up as they say, and 'Everything's a mess I guess'.

GUNS OVER GAYS

(AP) -- A homecoming tradition in which boys dress like girls and vice versa in a tiny Texas school district won't be held Wednesday after a parent complained about what she regarded as the event's homosexual overtones. As a substitute for "TWIRP Day," the schools ranging from elementary to senior high decided to hold "Camo Day" -- with black boots and Army camouflage to be worn by everyone who wants to participate.---CNN

Why is violence more acceptable than sexuality? I'd rather have a living gay son than a dead straight one.

HOW CAN THAT BE?

An archaeologist from the University of South Carolina on Wednesday announced radiocarbon tests that dated the first human settlement in North America to 50,000 years ago -- at least 25,000 years before other known human sites on the continent.--CNN

Sorry, it's not in the Bible, so it can't be true. In the future check with King George before you publish nonsense of this sort. By the way, dinosaurs never existed either, it's a conspiracy developed by the scientologists. Or was that the Raelians?

WHAT THE F*CK?

"I wonder if Walt Disney would be proud," said Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Co.---CNN

Who cares? Disney was a wacko. Way too much is being made over this. When are we going to get over this puritanical prudity. Nudity does not kill, it will not send you to hell. Who get's hurt here? If a child sees a naked woman on TV, is it worse than walking in on mommy in the bathroom? It's silly. Stop being silly america. If God made us in his image, why are we so ashamed of it?

BAD

Do You remember July 13, 1985? I do, mostly because of U2's twelve minute version of 'Bad'. I had never before, or have since, seen a band so commited, so in tune, and so damn on as this performance from Live Aid. The DVD is being released, and I'd buy it simply to watch this one song, over and over. Two chords never went so far as they did on that day. Unashamed enough to borrow heavily from Lou and Mick, Bono gave the performance of his career. Unfortunately I think Live Aid did more for U2 than Africa. I'm also hoping they didn't edit the Bob Dylan performance, I'd love to see Keith break a string and take Ronnie's guitar again. Well he certainly wasn't going to take Bob's.

THAT WAS FAST

I smell a staffer, but I respect the reply:

November 17, 2004

Mr. Edward Wilson
xxxxxx Street
2f
Nyack, New York 10960

Dear Mr. Wilson:

Thank you for sharing with me your concerns regarding
broadcasters and their accountability for the materials aired on
their systems. I agree that the most basic civil liberty, the
foundation for all other freedoms, is the freedom of speech.
Indeed, it is important to ensure that the basic and necessary
functions of government do not infringe upon the freedoms
guaranteed to the American people under the Constitution.

Nevertheless, I believe that it is also important for broadcasters to
take the content of their programming into account when they
broadcast to wide audiences. Broadcasters who have use of the
public's airwaves also have an obligation to serve the public
interest. Certainly, exposing impressionable viewers such as
children to explicit or graphic material has a questionable public
interest value and broadcasters should have the responsibility to
ensure that their material is appropriate for the audiences they
reach.

However, I certainly believe that a dedication to preserving
individual liberties such as speech and expression while protecting
children from inappropriate materials are not mutually exclusive.
Please be assured that I will continue to be vigilant to ensure that
future actions by the government or the Federal Communications
Commission to curb the content of programming do not
unnecessarily curb legitimate expressions of speech. As the debate
over this issue continues, I will be sure to keep your views in mind.

Again, thank you for writing. Please check my website at
http://clinton.senate.gov for updates on this and other important
issues being discussed before the United States Senate.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton

HOW ABOUT DOING THE JOB YOURSELF

Instead of pushing the responsibility of raising your children on to the government, who apparently is more than happy to do just that, why don't you do what my folks did, do it yourself. Growing up, my parents monitored my television viewing, mostly by enforcing a bed-time until I was mature enough to handle late night programming. I know you're busy America, but what's more important than your child?

KING GEORGE

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Moving to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay, House Republicans want to change party rules to ensure that DeLay retains his post if a Texas grand jury indicts him as it did with three of his political associates. A grand jury in Travis County, Texas, is investigating alleged irregularities in 2002 state legislative races. Republican victories in those contests enabled DeLay ultimately to win support for a congressional redistricting plan that resulted in the GOP's gain of five House seats in Texas in this month's elections.--CNN

Why are republicans allowed to lie, cheat, and steal? I guess divine providence gives them a blank check. So much for democracy, hail the new Monarch, George I, first King of America.

GET INVOLVED

In response to Jeff Jarvis' post, I acted. So should you. This is the e-mail I sent to Hillary:

Dear Senator Clinton,

I urge you to oppose, and lead opposition within the Senate against the propsed Broadcast Decency Act. Senator Brownback's legislation is dangerous. We need to stem the tide of repression in this country. You can lead us back to the road toward freedom instead of away from it. I don't have to tell you what a slippery slope it is when legislation curtails freedom insted of insuring it. What is decent and appropriate should be determined by the individual, not the government. I know you will fight on the side of reason and conscience.
Say hi to Bill.
Sincerely,
Edward Wilson

And this is the letter I sent to Chuck:

Dear Senator Schumer,
I am writing you, my Senator, because I’m concerned about the curtailing of freedoms that is going on in our country. I feel this is very dangerous. People, brave, courageous people, fought and died to ensure freedom in this country. I cannot stress how concerned I am, my family is, and the decent people that I work and live with, are about this issue. Particularly we are concerned with Senator Brownback’s Broadcast Decency Act. We see this as a first step in a very wrong direction. I urge you Senator Schumer to not only vote against this horrible affront to our freedom of speech, but to lead the fight in the Senate, and oppose the war on freedom that seems to have begun in earnest. I voted on November second, and though not everyone I voted for won their office, I participate in the process, and feel that my voice should be represented.
I know you will do the right thing.

Sincerely,
Edward Wilson

You can contact Hillary at:
http://clinton.senate.gov/

And Chuck:

http://schumer.senate.gov/

Do it, do it now before it's too late.

AN ANSWER AFTER TWENTY YEARS

I'm reading the 'Ask Keith' section on the Keith Richards website, which I highly recommend, and I was given an answer to a question I've had for many years. There's a Stones video called '25X5', which is a collection of live Stones footage. In one clip, from the '81 tour, a fan rushes the stage and Keith clocks him with his Telecaster, BAM, upside the head. I have often wondered about the aftermath. Now you may be thinking that I'm concerned for the guy who get's wacked by a Tele, and that answer is given, he survived, was jailed, and bailed out by none other than Keith, but for me, the real question is; when Keith strapped the Tele (Deluxe) back on, was it still in tune. The answer, yes, of course, it's a Fender. Thanks Keith, Thanks Leo.

HAPPY BITHDAY VALVE/TUBE

Jason Chervokas has a great post on the 100th anniversiary of the vacuum tube. As a guitar player and audio engineer I am deeply indebted to Mr. Flemming.

SPECTER'S UP-HILL BATTLE

"We want the Republican leadership to clearly understand the appointment of Senator Specter, as chair of the Judiciary Committee, would be a slap in the face to the millions of pro-life, pro-family Americans who helped elect the president," said the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition.--CNN

What about what we want? There's milllions of us too, shithead.

REALLY BAD VIBE

Y'all better cut it out or Cosby's gonna call you out. Seriously though, will there always be violence attached to Hip-Hop? Is this a case of 'you can take a brother out of the hood, but you can't take the hood out of the brother'? I don't know. I do know that the hip hop clients that I have worked with have been peaceful hard working people, until you put two of them in the same room. Is it a deep rooted competitive nature that produces violence? I hope, for the sake of the music, that something changes in the Rap dynamic. Then again, violence at concerts was a huge part of Rock and Roll for twenty years or so, ask Keith, or Pete Townsend. Maybe it's just growing pains.

MY TRIAL, OUR TRIAL, THE TRIAL

As you may have read on previous posts, my partner Chris and I are trying to complete over a year's worth of work on a cover of the entire Pink Floyd 'The Wall' record. The second to last song on the record is 'The Trial', and oh boy is it. I really must take time out to curse the very soul of Bob Ezrin, without whom we'd never be in this predicament. Anybody who knows this record well can probably understand what I'm talking about. It's a song which a) should never be covered, and b) is proving difficult to do just that. On the Pink Floyd album the song has a melancholy vaudeville feel. Pink Floyd, and Bob Ezrin, had access to an orchestra, we don't. What to do? Stack up the midi tracks? Chris and I finally came up with a concept that worked for us....conceptually. I worked on it some last night, adding bass and drums, I thought it was improving, getting better, or at least moving toward a goal. Then George came in, the bubble burst, and I began to have second thoughts. George left, in his whirlwind fashion, and I finished up what I was doing, shut down, and went out for chinese. On the way back I started singing something in my head, something that just might save 'The Trial'. 'You gotta be crazy' after all......

PUTTING THE PROPER PUPPETS IN PLACE

Well Bush gave Colin's post to Condie, no big surprise, she's proven she's loyal, she can keep a secret, protect the big lie. I wonder who's going to be National Security Advisor. I'm sure we'll get another yes man, or yes ma'am. Somebody who will give Bush the intelligence he's looking for, not necessarily intelligent intelligence, but handy intelligence, intelligence he can use to further his goals. Lies in other words, big ones.

NFL WEEK IN REVIEW

It seems Quincy Carter has all the skills necessary except one; clock management. NY teams disapointing, what else is new? I'm 7 for 13 with one to go. I picked Philly, but I'll route for Dallas.

THE DRAWING OF THE THREE

Jeff Jarvis has been a good citizen and a better reporter. We all need to look more closely at what's going on. The wool is very large, and our eyes are too small it seems. We need to wake up and DRINK the cofee, get off our collective ass, and do something before we live in a Stalinist type enviroment of censorship. Freedom of Speech is the very essence of democracy. You decide America, despotism, or freedom. Oh yeah, you already did.

THE SHIP ISN'T SINKING, YET

"We started last year getting a lot of calls from Americans dissatisfied with the way the country is going," Kischer says. "Then after the election, it's been crazy up here. The Canadian immigration Web site had 115,000 hits the day after the election -- from the U.S. alone. We usually only get 20,000 hits."--CNN

I'm not leaving! I won't give up. I believe we can turn the ship around, back toward freedom instead of away from it. The forecast is not good. With Powell out we lost the one voice of reason, in terms of foreign affairs, closest to the President, and it seems if Senator Arlen Specter (R- Penn) wants to inherit the Judiciary post he is in line for, he must swear an oath of fealty to Bush, otherwise the Bush administration will change the way our governmnet works, screw checks and balances, and put his own loyal Senator on the job. Screw tradition, screw the Conststution, screw freedom, all in the name of Jesus, Lord can I get an Amen?

THE ROAD BACK TO THE DARK AGES

ATLANTA (AP) -- First, Georgia's education chief tried to take the word "evolution" out of the state's science curriculum. Now a suburban Atlanta county is in federal court over textbook stickers that call evolution "a theory, not a fact."--CNN

I'm getting my wheelbarrow back into working order, I'm thinking about learing a trade, maybe blacksmith. I hear that they're building a new cathedral in the town, that should help the market. My neighbor Roland has been getting excellent results in his feilds by planting a different crop each year, he calls it rotating, sounds neat. As long as the Lord of the Manor plays nice with the other Lords in the region this year we can expect an good harvest. Ah, what's a serf to do?

THE KIDS ARE MOST DEFINATELY ALRIGHT

I finally got around to listening to some of my birthday vinyl. We, The Guy, Andy Rock, Bob Mlansky, and yours truly, started off with the Billy Cobham record, 'Spectrum'. The minute I pulled it out Bob recognised the cover, and said "Is that 'Spectrum', no way!" Apparently it's a drummer thing, I had been turned on to it by another drummer, Rob Machold. Anyway it went over extremely well. The Guy and Mr. Rock were floored. Andy said it's his new favorite album, and now he needs the CD so he can listen to it in his car. It is an impressive record, featuring the drums of Mr. Cobham (Mahavishnu), keyboards by Jan Hammer (who else), Mr. Leland Sklar on bass (the guy with the long beard like a Tolkien character) and Tommy Bolin on guitar (It's Tommy's playing on this record that made me purchase his two extremely tame solo records). It's out there, and it rocks like only real good jazz fusion can. Says Mr. Cobham on the gatefold; "What is life but a spectrum, and what is music but life." Next up came the Budgie record. I was half expecting to be disapointed, but was pleasantly surprised. We put it on and this very stacatto riff emerged, The Guy and Andy in unison yelled "Breadfan!", which is the name of the song that was playing. This album came out in '73, and I had never heard it, but The Guy and Andy, who are twelve years my junior, had. Whenever this happens I know what's next; Metallica covered it. It is a good record, the vocals take a bit of getting used to, but it stands up well. Sort of somewhere between Zepplin and Sabbath. We took a break from the vinyl to persue the prog rock fest with 'Col Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains', which features Les Claypool and the drummer from Primus with Bernie Worrel and Buckethead. If Billy Cobham had heard this record prior to making 'Spectrum', he might have said "why bother". Col. Claypool's record is so way out there, I wonder if they'll find a way back to earth. Maybe Bernie can ring up his old buddy George Clinton and borrow the Mothership. I took us down a different road when we got back to the vinyl. I pulled out The Staples Singers 'Be What You Are'. Holy guacamole! Another fantastic record. Again recorded in '73 (so was Spectrum) for Stax, I dream of making records this good. Mavis Staples is simply the most emotive singer on the planet. There's a quality to her voice that makes one weep instantly (regarless of the key, Dm or not). I played a few songs of off some of the other records; the Coney Hatch would have been better left in the bin where I found it, the Tommy Bolin not much better, and Uriah Heep "Firefly' was decent enough. With the Bowie and Scorpions I already knew what I was getting, but I couldn't resist playing 'The Man Who Sold The World' and 'Width Of A Circle'. As it turns out I bought a slightly warped copy, and 'Width Of A Circle doesn't play without some serious needle jumping, oh well. Off of Scorpions 'Lovedrive' I played the instrumental 'Coast to Coast' which features Michael Schenker, then I put on the record that started all this madness, Nazareth 'Playing The Game'. Loved it. I already knew 'Born To Love' and 'I Wanna Do Everything For You' from their greatest hits record, but the rest of the record is excellent as well. As the night progressed, and the bottle emptied, for yucks before we headed to the bar I put on Accept's 'Breaker' LP. Laugh if you must, but man that Udo had some set of pipes. At the bar we watched a great cover band. They played alot of road/trucker tunes, some Buddy Holly, some CCR, but the shinning moment of their set was the Bee Gee's 'To Love Somebody', it just doesn't get better than that. After their set we chatted briefly with one of the guitar players, he knew the Cobham record too. What else have I been missing out on?

QOUTE OF THE DAY

"Talking about creationism in biology class is like talking about nudism in sewing class." -- Chris Pace

NFL WEEK 10 PICKS

Hue got his up, so here's mine.

Kansas City Over New Orleans
Jets over Ravens ( I just can't give up on Gang Green )
Jaguars over Lions
Atlanta over Tampa Bay
Steelers over Browns (Blue Collar Bowl)
Seahawks over Rams
Chicago over Tennessee (a hunch)
Indianapolis over Houston
Washington over Cincinatti
Green Bay over Vikings (Green over Purple, across the board Hue!)
Giants over St. Louis
Panthers over San Fran
Bills over Patriots (I've lost my mind)
Eagles over Cowboys

IT'S TOO LATE

Lately i've been thinking
And how the whole world's come undone
Everybody's got this sinking feeling
Feeling they're on the run
But i know a place where time stands still
I can picture it in my mind
But i'm not sure if we can get there

(there is no reason reasons rhyme
Why can't you see we're almost out of time)

It's too late it's too late it's too late
To cover what you've done
It's too late it's too late it's too late
To call for anyone at all
Well i guess i should be so brave to think that i'm the only one who knows
It's too late it's too late it's too late
To cover what you've done

Oh no we need a change (this world's stranger now)
Now is not the time to run away (there must be a way)
A way that we could listen to the warning signs so pay attention
This is my intention to prevent this fate before it gets too late

And as the hands of the clock go round and round
And the world keeps marching on
Can you afford to let it fall now?

(the fish in all the streams are dying
Fluorocarbons fill the sky
And i don't really want to die before my time has come)

It's too late it's too late it's too late
To cover what you've done
It's too late it's too late it's too late
To call for anyone at all
Well i guess i should be so brave to think that i'm the only one who knows
It's too late it's too late it's too late it's too late
Now now
It's too late

(lately i've been thinking
Haven't had that sinking feeling now)
---- Bob Mould

In 1990 Bob released his acclaimed 'Black Sheets Of Rain' LP. It's a very dark album, and very fitting for us, now, fourteen years later. I'd like to think that it's not too late, that we can change direction, but man is it getting hard to remain optimistic.

IT'S ALL ABOUT SEX, PT.2

NEW YORK (AP) -- Indignant conservative groups are protesting this week's opening of the film "Kinsey," denouncing it as propaganda seeking to glorify the researcher they blame for inspiring the sexual revolution.

God forbid we know more about ourselves. This is what it really comes down to I'm afraid. They are scared of sexuality. I think they're jelous of those of us who are comfortable with our sexual nature. When the lines are drawn, I'll be on the side of fuckin'. By the way, are there any non-indignant conservative groups?

THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

"Would the FCC conclude that the movie has sufficient social, artistic, literary, historical or other kinds of value that would protect us from breaking the law?" WOI-TV President Raymond Cole said in a statement appearing on its Web site. "With the current FCC, we just don't know."--CNN

Will Private Ryan be saved? You may never know. The only indecent thing about this movie is the lack of Brittish, Austrailian, New Zealand, and Canadian troops. In America we tend to think that we accomplished D-Day all on our own. Anyway, the current climate of fear, in this case fear of being fined by the FCC, is running rampant. I can't believe this is happening in the 'land of the free'. Now tell me Stern's move to satellite has nothing to do with free speech.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? OH YEAH, SEX.

It is tough when "the vast majority of citizens in your state not only do not understand you but take hostile steps to change the constitution to take away rights we never even had," Matt Foreman (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) said. "There's no way you can put lipstick on that pig."--CNN

Somebody explain why homosexuality is so threatening. Why do 11 states need to take such measures?

12 GOLDEN COUNTRY GREATS

In 1996 WEEN released this country themed album. They went to Nashville, hired all the best session guys, and made a country record. Except it's not a country record in any classic sense, because it's a WEEN record. Songs like 'Japanese Cowboy', and 'Piss Up A Rope' do for country what Weird Al does for polka. 'Mr. Richard Smoker' is an off color shot at a certain segment of the homosexual community, it's very un-PC, but like South Park, very funny. 'Powder Blue' is a pretty number that somehow veers off course in that very WEEN-like fashion, and 'Help Me Scrape The Mucus Off My Brain' is pure genius. This is my favorite of all the WEEN records, it's certainly the most focused. In the end WEEN is not for everybody. If you can appreciate Zappa, then you're in the right ballpark. If you are easily offended......well, then screw you!

I HAVE NOT COME TO MOURN HIM

I have come to bury him. Arafat is dead. And....? What does this change? Very little. He had no real control over the monster, the terror machine, that he helped create, and claimed to lead. All he did was stuff money into an account, and now those who would be next in line are scrambling to get at it. Palestine will never have a peaceful nation state. There has been too much bloodshed from both sides. It would take an amazing individual to bring together all the rougue elements in what was once the PLO, and an even more amazing individual to broker peace with Isreal. I cannot advocate murder, so I cannot support the Palestinians. On the other hand, I do not support Israel either. The foundation of Isreal was done wrong. UN sanctioned, US backed land theft is still land theft, even if that land is being donated to a group thet deserves a home. It was somebody elses home at the time. Let's face it, nobody bothered with the Arabs back in 1950, and we're paying the price now. Some will say that Israel won the land in a war, fair and square. That's bullshit. They won that war because they had Uncle Sam on their side. Without our tanks and guns, Egypt, Jordan and Syria would have booted them out. What's fair about moving in and taking over through force? Might makes right? I don't think so. Again I say say fuck them all. Let them kill each other, what's the big fuss, oh yeah....religion, our number one killer.

UPDATE: I started to respond to Tony Alva's comment in a comment of my own, but I ran long, and decided I'd just add it in here as an update. You may want to read Tony's comment first.

I'll have to look into it further. I am not aware of any persecution of Jews by the Arabs prior to the foundation of Israel, in fact I'm not sure how many Jews were in the region prior to late 1940's when the Zionism thing got going full blast. I could be wrong, but I've never heard about it. From what I understand, and I get this from reading Leon Uris, it was a 'c'mon everybody, we're moving back to where we belong' type thing. Hell, the book is called Exodus for a reason. And I'm not against an Israeli nation state, though I think religion and politics is a bad mix, the Jews, as a people, as a race, certainly deserve the security of a nation. 2000 years of being persecuted throughout europe gives them a certain status, like the bald eagle, they need to be protected from extinction, I'm all for it. What get's my nuts in a bundle is the way it went down. It was tantamaount to saying; "Oh. the Arabs? Don't pay them no mind, they don't really count." I mean, yeah, they we'rent exactly an organized bunch back then, but then again, why would they be, they had just gotten free from the yoke of Brittish imperialism themselves, they we'rent given a chance to get their thing together before all the european Jews started showing up, saying; "excuse me, uh, this is my home now, please fuck off." It wasn't right.

MAPS

There's been alot of blogging and posting of maps pertaining to the geographical nature of the election results. It's all very interesting. I'd like to add to this discussion a concept which came to me while reading Bob Mould's blog; Washington D.C. is as blue as you get. We own the capitol, and most of the capital.

ANONYMOUS, WHERFORE ART THOU ANONYMOUS

"For the people who continue to use Michael Moore’s movie as factual evidence in supporting their claims of superiority in democrat views, I’m sad to tell you that you are very narrow minded. Try to look in to the situation a little bit more thoroughly before you make ignorant statements. If our democrat presidential candidate can be more precise with their differences in, so can you. Michael Moore’s movie was that, a movie. Edited to fit a framed point of view that he has with president bush and the Republican Party. Prove your points with facts, instead of opinions. You will surely look more intelligent."

This came to my e-mail. It was a comment on one of my posts, but for the life of me I can't find it. Anyway, maybe 'Anonymous' would look more intelligent if he/she could put a sentence together:

"If our democrat presidential candidate can be more precise with their differences in, so can you."

What is that? I don't know what it means. And I'm ignorant?

As for using F/9-11 as factual information for my blog; my blog is not a home for factual information, sometimes I do use facts to support my opinions, but mostly I just say what I feel, and if you don't like it 'Anonymous', then fuck off. Obviously since you don't have the balls to share your name with us, then you have no voice here. If you chose to let us know more about you, maybe then I would pay some attention to the content of your comment. As it stands, your comment is gibberish, and doesn't even deserve the time I've spent on it, except that it pleases me to use you as an example of the kind of fools who are now running the country. I suppose you are against a woman's right to choose, but believe that it's good for people to keep guns around the house so our kids can accidently shoot their friends or themselves. Michael Moore's film may be just a movie, but I've yet to see any documentation that refutes any claims made in the film. If you have some evidence of this sort, please share it with us, and your name you cowardly piece of shit. Oh yeah, go die.

YOU CAN'T HAVE YOUR PILL AND TAKE IT TOO

Apparently you cannot take your pills anytime you want. If you can't fill a prescription, don't be a pharmacist. I bet they have no problem dispensing Oxycontin, or any of the horrible drugs commonly prescribed. I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it get's better. For now we can look forward to a host of unwanted children. The only thing that could possibly help in the next four years is for a Bush twin to get knocked up.

LOLLAFALLUJAH

I haven't ever commented directly on the Iraq Conflict. It's time I give some props, and make some comments. First and foremost I am a son of the military. A proud son. That's why I have not been blogging much about the war. I have nothing but the utmost respect for our military personnel and the job they do. Nobody loathes war more than the soldier. I commend them on the taking of Fallujah, from the reports coming in, it was a place that needed cleaning up. That being said, does anybody actually think this whole ordeal is going to produce the desired result? I do not. I think we are creating more opposition, more terrorists if you like, every minute we are there. The only plan for peace that I can see at this point is to nuke the entire region. Either we kill them all, innocent along with guilty, or we face an eternal struggle. That's the position the President has put us in. When we went Osama hunting in Afghanistan, we were justified, hands down, no argument. At that time we could have still negotiated a plan for peace in that region, we had the support of the international community. We have lost that support, while Osama lives, and laughs directly at us. I hope we can find a way to bring our troops home, to secure a peaceful enviroment at home and abroad. It looks like I'm going to be hoping for some time to come.

ASHCROFT BAILS

Before we celebrate, let's see who the replacement is. I've seen Rudy's name on the list, and though he said some really horrible things during the campaign, I'm willing to forgive it as a sort of 'election madness'. I'm not sure Rudy wants the post, however. As Fred said in his post, Bush can heal or divide with his choice. I'm leaning toward more division, any takers?

UPDATE: It appears that Gonzales has gotten the nod. He's good ol' buddy of G.W. from back in his govenor days in Texas. I think divisive wins.

WANNSTEDT BAILS

I don't know if bailing mid season is good for the team, but as a Jet fan I'll take what I can get. Maybe Dave wants to hang out and get high with Ricky.....who doesn't?

THIS OUGHTA BE GOOD

'Bush reviewed developments in Iraq in a meeting Monday with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.'--CNN

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall for that one. I wonder if they used any pentagrams or candles in their rituals. The destruction of society is a heavy burden, I'm gald they have eachother to share the load. How I'd love to get Rove, Ahscroft, Rumsfeld, Bush and Cheney together in a room with a couple of guys I met when I lived at South Street Seaport. I'd like to review those developments.

THIS MUST BE STOPPED

WASHINGTON, November 8, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Karl Rove, a top political aide to US President George W. Bush indicated Sunday that the President would again push for a federal constitutional amendment to protect the traditional definition of marriage. Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Rove said, "If we want to have a hopeful and decent society, we ought to aim for the ideal, and the ideal is that marriage ought to be, and should be, a union of a man and a woman." Asked if Bush would push the Congress again on the amendment, Rove responded, "absolutely."

I cannot stress how fascist this idea is. This is a crime against humanity. It devalues the ideals that this country was founded upon. Don't they teach history at Yale. I am absolutely convinced that we have put the country in the hands of religious zealots, very dangereous people. Please, for the sake of humanity, I beg of you, save our country, and return it to the path of freedom.
Bob Mould has a good post on this issue.

WISCONSIN HEADS FOR THE DARK AGES

It's starting already. Of course there is a God. Something has to be resposible for existence, but the Bible is fraught with error on this account. There's millions of years unaccounted for, and that's what science is all about, to fill in the gaps.

THERE'S A MOON IN THE SKY, AND IT'S CALLED THE MOON

In 1979 the B 52's unleashed their self titled debut, and the world forgot it's woes, however briefly, and danced again. An undeniable record, produced by Chris Blackwell, The B-52's is chock full of great grooves and good times. It proves without a doubt that simple can be better. 'Planet Claire', '52 Girls', 'Dance This Mess Around', 'Rock Lobster', and 'Lava' comprise the first side, and I can't think of a better album side to stop thinking and start dancing to. The vocal harmonies, a la Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson, are beyond reproach, and Fred Schneider...well we all love a loud queen now don't we. The late Ricky Wilson, whom we lost in 1985, brought surf sensibilities into punk rock guitar. Think Dick Dale on Thorazine. The B-52's is a great album by any standards, and probably their best offering.

D.U.M.B. EVERYONE ACCUSIN' ME

Again, don't shoot the messenger.

C'MON GUYS

Our second trip to Grey Cat Sound outside Atlanta was another great experience, both on the educational and recreational sides. I commend Tony Alva on the way he handled himself during the 'great hum debacle'. Fifteen years ago there would have been much 'filth flarn filth' spewed. I chalk it up to fatherhood. Improvements to the Pavillion are growing exponentially. The only question that remains is: will there be any friends at Ya Ya's house?

KEITH

It seems that Keith Richards will star in the sequel to Pirates of The Carribean as Capt. Jack Sparrow's father. Johhny Depp used Keith in his character research for the first film, and now Keith has agreed to make his feature film debut. Keith is no stranger to piracy or the carribean, so Bruckhiemer may have alot on his hands, but in the end I'm sure it will be well worth it. I hope they don't try and make him speak coherently, Keith's manner of speech is a comedy goldmine. I quite enjoyed the first film, and I'm all a twitter over the prospect of seeing Keith in the second. It will certainly top Sean Connery's role in the third Indiana Jones movie.

RUMSFELD SINGLED OUT

In the new issue of Rolling Stone, a clearly biased periodical, there is an article written by former members of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff (I think there are ten) who outline what has gone wrong in Iraq. Though there is a division among them on weather or not we should be there at all, they are unified by one aspect: Donald Rumsfeld has screwed up the whole thing from the get go.

OVERSIGHTS

In my best live albums blog I neglected two great albums; Lou Reed 'Rock And Roll Animal', and Aerosmith 'Live Bootleg'. The live Lou record I already blogged about, 'Live Bootleg' deserves mention because it's a great record despite of itself. It does not chronicle a tour, or a concert, but close to a decade of touring and club gigs. I like it because of what they didn't do. It's uncorrected, mistakes o' plenty, but the feel is there, the feel of a Rock band finding the groove. The versions of 'Back In The Saddle', 'Last Chlid', and 'Sweet Emotion' smoke the original studio cuts. 'Come Together', and 'Mother Popcorn' are great covers, and along with 'Chip Away At The Stone' are not available on any studio record. It's great to get bonus material from a live rercord. I've never owned a cd copy of it, but the record had lot's of great liner notes and photos to boot.

NFL WEEK 9 IN REVIEW

8 for 14 isn't bad, and I beleive that Indianapolis will make it 9 for 14, but it was still a miserbale sunday for this hometown fan. I'm just disgusted with both New York teams. The only positive note is Pittsburgh knocking off Philly. I like this team more and more.

CLOUT

This weekend's headlines were all about G.W.'s clout, and how he's going to spend it. I'm sorry, but a 3% margin of victory does not spell clout to me. He won, yes, but it was a close race. Nearly half of the country clearly is not behind him or his agenda. If G.W. feels that he has earned some sort of political dividend, it's simply because this time there's less dispute about the outcome, which is tantamount to saying that last time he did steal the Presidency, i.e. he feels legit for the first time, and now he's really gonna make us pay.

IT'S ALL ABOUT SEX

That's the conclusion I have come to. We're comfortable with it, they aren't. We enjoy it, they wish they could. The collision of pride and shame can really get some folks dander up.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN

The front page of England's Daily Mirror says it all.

WHO'S NEXT

A great record by The Who, but that's not what I'm on about this time. I mean really, who's next. Dean? No, he's almost as dangerous as Bush, a zealot of a different color. Hillary? I hope not. Her politics are fine, but she bothers me. It's not what she does, it what she apparently doesn't do..... like Elizabeth Hurley.....don't make me say it. The Reverand Al? That would be a hoot, I'd pay admission just to watch that, but the whole Tawana Brawley thing will prevent him from ever becoming President, and maybe deservedly so. Certainly not Kerry, I guess it turns out the referendum was on him, too bad. The GOP did such a number on him that folks will be believing those lies for years to come. Edwards? Maybe. Looks and talks good, politics fine. We'll see. Joe Lieberman? We'll have to see what the world climate is like in '08. He doesn't come off too tough, but I like him fine. Can he be sold to the interior? I'm not so sure. Any Ideas? I'm going to shock the lot of you with my endorsement of Senator John McCain for President in '08. I think he's the guy that can heal the division. We need a moderate conservative, a left leaning republican to ease the nation back to the center, away from faith based politics, and back to a more sensible approach for all Americans. Then we'll get a democrat in, maybe Obama?

NFL WEEK 9 PICKS

Arizona over Miami
Kansas City over Tampa Bay
Oakland over Carolina
Detroit over Washington
San Diego over New Orleans
Houston over Denver
Baltimore over Cleveland
Cincinatti over Dallas
Jets over Buffalo
Pittsburgh over Philly
Giants over Chicago
Seattle over San Francisco
New England over St. Louis
Indianapolis over Vikings

HA HA, CHARADE YOU ARE

A comment on Fred's blog offered up Pink Floyd's 'Animals' as the worst record to excercise to. I agree. But it is my favorite Pink Floyd record, and a timely one too.

From the opening 'Pigs On The Wing Pt 1':

"If you didn't care what happened to me,
And I didn't care for you,
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain.
Wondering which of the buggars to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing."

Through 'Dogs'

"You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to,
So that when they turn their backs on you,
You'll get the chance to put the knife in."

'Pigs (Three Different Ones)':

'Hey You White House, ha ha charade you are"

'Sheep':

"What do you get for pretending the danger's not real.
Meek and obedient you follow the leader
Down well trodden corridors into the valley of steel.
What a surprise!
A look of terminal shock in your eyes.
Now things are really what they seem.
No, this is no bad dream."

To the closing 'Pigs On The Wing Pt 2':

'You know that I care what happens to you,
And I know that you care for me.
So I don't feel alone,
Or the weight of the stone,
Now that I've found somewhere safe
To bury my bone.
And any fool knows a dog needs a home,
A shelter from pigs on the wing.'

It seems Roger Waters knows what a struggle it is to keep a society on an even keel. And the value of keeping up the fight, of believing in the better nature of mankind. Can one be a cynical optimist?

A BETTER MAN THAN I

Bob Mould sums up the pragmatic view. I seem to be vascillating between the comfort of this mind set and the vitriolic venom spewing that get's me blood up. Old habits. Here's my favorite bit, but the whole post is worth the read, as all of his are.

"Today is not much different than two days ago. We all move ahead, focused on our hopes and dreams; we review priorities, make adjustments, and continue forward with our remaining days. We still care for the ones we love, the ones we need, the seemingly insignificant moments in each day that add up to something much greater than intolerance and greed. The unconscious choices, rooted in our upbringings; in compassion and understanding, the core beliefs that guide us through the obstacle course of life. These are the fragments which assemble themselves to make us complete beings, and no political party can change our individual templates - unless we let them. Unless we let them."-- Bob Mould

FOR MORE ON WHY

Jason Chervokas has a good post on why. He also gives us a great new term; 'christianists'. He gives us some background on how as well. To that end I'd also like to add that in the early nineteen-thirties, when Hitler was vying for power in the Reichstag, he gained his majority by co-opting the Center Party, the Church.

IS THIS WHY?

"No gloating here from me, but Kerry was a terrible candidate. You guys know it and you better find a leader for your party that is more conservative on social issues or you'll get bitch slapped even harder in 08. You lost considerable ground in your own black and hispanic base this time, and that trend will continue if you don't change. All in all, this blog is not just a place for liberal commisserating, but it's an excellent example of how many liberals really loathe democracy and have no idea how to govern by compromising with the opposition. The anti-christian bigotry is repugnant here."--Hector

This again from the comments on Fred's blog. Is this the answer? Is this the 'why'? Do people really think we're uncompromising? I so totally feel the opposite, but I'd like to know. I do know that I am a christian, and am currently working on a christian rock album for a group that is affiliated with an actual church organization. I also know that faith based politics always comes with bloodshed, and usually a great lot of it. Faith based politics is what we're dealing with in Iraq. So call me anti-religion, but not anti-christian. Hector, you say we must change, and then you say we have no idea how to compromise. What you're saying is that we must become you, and that's sounds like you're not willing to compromise, that you loathe democracy. There's a place for us all under the sun, so crawl out from under your rock and join us.

THE JACKSON PLEDGE

I pledge to accept George W. Bush as the duly elected President of the Uninted States of America. I pledge to not like it. I pledge to support our military personell around the world in whatever capacity they are serving. I pledge to not like that either. I pledge to get on with the business of my life, and leave this election behind. I pledge to keep a watchful eye on our civil liberties. I pledge to blog about any infringement thereof. I pledge to support the marriage of two persons in love under law regardless of sex or race. I pledge to defend a woman's right to choose to have an abortion. I pledge to support anti handgun and assault rifle legislation. I pledge to defend the seperation of church and state. I pledge to support legislation that defends the integrity of our natural enviroment. I pledge to support a larger tax burden on the rediculously wealthy. I pledge to question the motives of our President and his administration. I pledge to be an American. While I'm at it; I pledge to clean my room, make my bed, take out the trash, walk the dog...I don't have a dog....I pledge to get a dog and then walk him. In the meantime maybe I should just pledge to walk Chris and Annie's dog.

EVERYTHING GONNA BE ALRIGHT THIS MORNIN'

Muddy said that. Muddy knew what it was like to be down, to be a minority, to be feared and thusly repressed. We, the lefties, the perimiter, the metropolitans, the free-thinkers are in the minority today. The God and Guns crowd, the middle bit, the interior, the rural middle class are the majority.

'How about trying to understand why?' This is from Duncan's comment on my brother's blog. Why? Why do people believe homosexuality is immoral? Why do people think abortion is murder? Why do people believe conviction outweighs reason? Why does Bush do well with voters who have lower IQ's. Why did New York, remember us, the ones who were attacked, vote Kerry?

I don't know Duncan, please tell me....why?

I'M WITH DYLAN

(In response to the Jarvis Pledge)

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
--Dylan Thomas

TRUE DAT

"Here's a thought for all of us... Why don't we go home tonight and NOT turn on the TV and spend some time with our wives, kids, and significant others." -- Tony Alva

It will be hard for those who have invested too much of theirselves in this mess we're calling an election, but not for me. I plan on spending the night playing my new records in Andy Rock's room, smokin' da weed, and sippin' da whiskey. Come tomorrow, I'll be hungover, and, hopefully, we'll have a President-elect. Maybe we'll just have a President, and that will have to do.

Life goes on.
It happens ev'ry day.
So appreciate what you got
Before it's taken away.
Life will hit you
When you're unprepared,
So be grateful and take all
That you can while you're there.
Get that frown off your head,
'Cause you're a long time dead.
Life goes on and on and on.
Life goes on and on and on.
--Ray Davies, 1977

DOG EAT DOG

Well it's a dog eat dog
Eat cat too
Some Frenchie eat frog
And I eat you
Businessman, when you make a deal
Do you know who you can trust?
Do you sign your life away?
Do you write your name in dust?

Hey, hey, hey
Every dog has his day
It's a dog eat dog
Dog eat dog

Dog eat dog
Read the news
Someone win
Someone lose
Up's above and down's below
And limbo's in between
Up you win, down you lose
It's anybody's game

And it's a eye for eye
Tooth for tooth
It's a lie
That's the truth
See a blind man on the street
Looking for something free
Hear the kind man ask his friends
"Hey, what's in it for me?"

--Bon Scott, 1977

ONE LAST THING

It's all over but the voting, and the shouting, and most of the voting is already done. People will vote for their guy, or persons. Armies of lawyers stand at the ready to litigate the hell out of a close call, but in the end someone will win, and someone will lose. With any luck this will be my last political post. I truly hope it is. But just in case, I want to make one thing perfectly clear, in case anybody missed it the first few hundred times; George W. Bush is a doody head. Good night, and God bless.

OUTDATED

Two things I feel we as a society have outgrown the uses for are Daylight Savings Time, and the Electoral College. Who's time is being saved, where are they saving it, and when will it be used? How come nobody ever graduates from the Electoral College?

A TALE OF FIVE RECORDS

Over a year ago, Chris and I embarked on a truly assenine journey; to cover Pink Floyd's 'The Wall'. A few phrases come to mind; 'getting in over our heads' and 'biting off more than we can chew'. Well, it's not that bad, almost, but not quite. We have had the help of many esteemed friends: Rob Machold, Andy Rock, George Vitray, Annie Rusoff, Onion Baby, Dave Cavalier, Mike Ingenthron, Kevin Lacey, Chuck DeBruyn to name a few. It has been educational to say the least. About a third of the way into it, we began work on a second album that would become Brain Shivers, an original record written by Myself and Chris with gigantic contributions by Rob Machold, George Vitray, and Onion Baby. This second record kept us busy for about six months, every now and then retreating to 'The Wall'. Both projects are near completion, but there is still much work to be done, mostly on 'The Wall'. What better time to start a new project? Three months ago Tony Alva asked us to help him make a record for a christian band he was working with down in Georgia. Proper tracking began last month at Tony's studio, Grey Cat Sound, outside Atlanta, Chris and I flew down for the first session, and we're flying down again this weekend for what we hope will be the final group tracking session. Tony will record the vocals and overdubs without us, and then we will mix the record at Smoke And Mirrors in Williamsburg. Around the same time we flew down there, Rob Machold approached us to help with his new 'solo' project. Chris and George are more involved with it than I am, but needless to say it's another pot on the stove to stir. As if that wasn't enough, Rob's band, Microdot, started work on their next record a few weeks ago as well. I'm very happy to be so busy, I'd be happier if we were making enough money for me to quit my day job. Then again, I'd never blog without my day job.

FOOTBALL STEW.

I love football, I love to cook, and I love to eat. This weekend I planned a big repast for the games, it being my birthday weekend and all. I went to the store early, got all the goods, and had a pot on the stove by 11:00 AM. The first thing I do when making Stew is to put on a big pot of water. Usually I'll add a couple cans of beef stock, but in this case I used a bunch of boullion packets. The second thing I do is get really high. Then I start with the first phase of ingredients. I used about eight red potatos, peeled and quartered, two turnips, prepared the same way, half a small head of cabbage roughly shredded, and two carrotts, chopped in largish peices, I added them to the pot, along with a pound of beef, cubed, and two lamb necks on the bone. I bring this to a boil, then turn it down to medium simmer. Now comes phase two; I finely chop an onion, another carrott, the rest of the cabbage, three chillis, and a leek. I sautee this second group in olive oil, and when it gets good and hot I add a half cup of red wine. I also dump some red wine into the pot at this time. When the sautee is ready, the onions getting transparent, I dump that into the pot. I let that simmer for a few hours while I watch Green Bay maul the Skins. During the fourth quarter, I start phase three. In large peices I chop three plum tomatoes, a yellow squash, and a yellow pepper, which I dump into the pot. After another hour we're into the Pittsburg game, they are already up by three touchdowns, and it's time to boil up the ravioli over which I will serve the stew. Pittsburg trounced New England, the Stew was wonderful, and I got beaten at chess by my Girl. A great day.

A VOTE FOR JOHN KERRY

At eight o'clock this morning, in Nyack, New York, at the Depew Manor I voted for the second time in my thirty-nine years. I voted Mondale/Ferraro in '84, and well, let's just say I was soured by the experience. This election, no wait, this administration has changed that pessimistic outlook, you gotta be in it to win it, and this time there was too much to loose. I stood on line with three others, a young woman in her twenties, and a couple in their thirties, while the matrons of the polls, all in their seventies, slowly, but meticulously, processed our registration, and sent us behind the curtain. Pulling that lever is a very powerful experience. I was very happy to be using the old style lever machines, having read so much negative press on the electronic ones. It's very scary, hearing for an example, how machines in Pennsylvania came loaded with hundreds of Bush votes already on the machine. I trust very little these days, exept that the current administration will stop at nothing to get re-elected. I do not put tampering and cheating beyond these criminals. I pray that everything goes smoothly, but I doubt it strongly.

NFL WEEK 8 IN REVIEW

A great week! Not only did the important games go my way, but I 'm ten for fourteen with one to go, and well, the Jets Vs. Miami? No problem. Thanks go to Brett Favre, a big win in a very big game. Hue, you must have done it for me, thanks. And how about Pittsburgh? Who's this Roethlisberger dude? Where did he come from? He's a monster! I love it! The pansy Pats go down, yeah! Oh how the mighty crumble.

JOE'S RECORD PARADISE

Located in the wilds of Rockville Md, resides the greatest place on the earth, Joe's Record Paradise. This is where my girl found me that copy of Nazareth 'Playing The Game'. It is also where she took me on my birthday. I bought some records, all of which I will tell you about now.
Uriah Heep - 'Firefly', 1977. Most likely not a great record, but the collection calls, I must answer.
Budgie - self titled, 1973. Early heavy prog band, cover art by Roger Dean.
Mick Ronson - 'Slaughter On 10th Avenue', 1974. First solo record post Bowie. It was supposed to be the next big thing, didn't happen.
David Bowie - 'The man Who Sold The World', 1970, 1972. Reissue with different cover, black and white Bowie with guitar, original cover not in my budget.
Tommy Bolin - Teaser, 1975. This is the first solo Tommy Bolin record, not the one that I already blogged about, that one is the second. I hope this one is better.
Scorpions - 'Lovedrive', 1979. Original American cover with shitty logo. I have the bubble gum cover, classic, but the collection demands both, damn!
Coney Hatch - 'Outta Hand', 1983. I had to. I owned it back in the day. I remember liking it. I saw them open for Maiden. At least the singer for Coney Hatch could pronounce Poughkeepsie, Bruce Dickinson could not.
Billy Cobham - 'Spectrum', 1973. The prize. The nugget of joy. Rob Machold has been extolling the virtues of this jazz great, and the guitar on the record is played by...Tommy Bolin.
Grateful Dead - 'American Beauty', 1970. I may already have this one, it's getting to that point, I need a database. I need it one way or the other, an American classic, so better safe than sorry, for $5.50 I can deal with it.
Grand Funk - 'Live Album', 1970. See above.
Grand Funk - 'We're An American Band', 1973. There are too many sub standard G.F. albums, but this one is a must. Produced by Todd Rundgren.
Jeff Beck - 'Beck-Ola/Truth', 197?. A reissue of two Beck LP's in one. Andy Rock will flip his gourd.
Jeff Beck - 'With The Jan Hammer Group', 1977. A 'Wired' era live album.
Lou Reed - 'Transformer', 1972. Bowie produced classic. Never find this on vinyl in NYC.
Lou Reed - 'Berlin', 1973. Bob Ezrin produced follow-up to 'Transformer'. Most depressing LP ever. Again, never find it here. Complete with lyric book, a steal at $5.50.
Rush - '2112', 1976. I had to replace my twenty-five year old copy.
Staples Singers - 'Be What You Are', 1973. Gotta have a Stax record in the collection. Now i can listen to Mavis and weep any time I like.
DEVO - 'Duty Now For The Future', 1979. Smart Patrol, need I say more.
Peter Case - self titled, 1986. Tony, I found it! The first Peter Case, and my favorite.
Now guess how much I spent.