Friday Random Ten

Wonderful Remark -- Van Morrison
Where I Can Be Your Friend -- Glenn Tilbrook
Buena -- Morphine
Good Golly, Miss Molly -- Little Richard
Human Being -- New York Dolls
Time Won't Tell -- Joan Osborne
Yesterday -- The Iguanas
Dashboard -- Modest Mouse
Brown Eyed Girl -- Van Morrison
Passing Over -- Brian Eno

Bonus fuckin' rock:
All The Negatives Have Been Destroyed -- Spoon

Wayback machine

Seeing Brother Dave's exhortation to support the outstanding candidate we've been promoting for a while now, I thought that it'd be of value to look back to when I turned the corner on Mr. Obama.

Hindsight usually being 20/20, I couldn't have been more correct in my assessment at the time. Whew.

Like the Redman says...it's Obama time.

Our Man

Headed back to the Buckeye State in the morning, so thought I'd drop one more before I hit the road...

Just watched Barack Obama's 30 minute spot. What a man. Maybe the most inspirational, exciting candidate of my lifetime. I'm afraid, like my brother, I think this country might be damaged beyond redemption, but if any one single person can make a difference, this guy can. We're beyond fortunate to have him today.

Let's do this for him... for all of us.

Dow Jones

We're rich! Rich, I tell ya!! The average up nearly 11%. At least its headed in the proper direction...

Glenn Tilbrook

And now for something completely different. Mr. Entertainment himself with a musical homage to one of the better bars I've ever had the pleasure of entering.

What Atrios Said...

Dr. Black (and Cleveland Bob) have for some time been stumping for rail travel to be expanded in this great land of our'n. I know this is prolly, like, 723rd on the to-do list of the hopefully soon Obama administration given they'll spend the bulk of the next (again, hopefully) eight years cleaning out the Chenyites' diaper hamper. But it would make a ton of sense and, you know, create jobs and help alleviate some of our dependence on furrin oil and maybe even lessen the impact on the environment.

And that, my friends, is trains we can believe in. Audacious!

Yard Sign

Tip o' the ball cap to Mr. Benton on this one...

The death of the GOP

I Gary Kamiya

The Dean

From Kos, a great piece from the Las Vegas Sun about Howard Dean and what he’s meant to the Democratic Party. Money graf(s):

“The Scream.” It’s still funny.

But here’s the thing: Dean was right.

His hypothesis was simple: To be a national political party, you have to compete everywhere. It was called the “50 state strategy,” and it was unveiled in 2005.

Remember 2005? That’s when Karl Rove was building a permanent Republican majority, and when President George W. Bush was going to save Social Security by privatizing it.
In 2005, Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, campaigned among grass-roots activists to become chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Campaigned to be head of the DNC? That’s an establishment job, hand-picked.

Howard Dean? What a loser.

But politics is all about a little prescience and a little luck. Dean had both. He had the wisdom to know Democrats could win in a lot of places if they bothered to show up and make an argument.

Howard Dean was the first person to get me off my ass. I had for years been an interested observer, but aside from talking up the cause to some co-workers and others, I’d done nothing. Along with Bob and a few friends, I went to a coupla Dean meet-ups in early ’04 ‘cause I liked what he had to say. “The Scream", which was widely and wildly misrepresented in the MSM, sunk his run for the presidency that year, but he knew what was what and has wisely and vigorously led this party to what might be the brink of retaking control of Washington. Obama may win this election, but I think the true credit goes to the good doctor from Vermont.

Maverick?

Ummm...I think not.

Tim Dickenson of the Rolling Stone uncovers just a few of the marketing points that shore up the charade that is the McCain campaign.

It's a jarring video at best and nearly beyond comprehension that we're being sold this bill of goods all over again about the Republican candidate. They're a party of cheats, liars and thieves.

Whaddya say we bury these fuckers once and for all next Tuesday, eh?

Moose Murders

Ha. Sen. Hulk Tubes and Caribou Barbie on the teevee circa 2006. Heh indeedy.

Via Atrios.

More like this, please

Biden wasn’t my choice for VP. (Hillary was… I woulda loved to’ve seen her take it to Sarah Poledancer.) But he’s it. And he does the right thing here…

Via TPM

darkblack

The ever brilliant, (and I choose that word very carefully), darkblack, has rewarded us yet again with one of his pieces of art that speaks for itself.

I'll add nothing to his ouevre save that he's a attached a stirring video on his post that captures the Doors at their poetic best.

It's become fashionable in recent years to dismiss Morrison and the Doors as hacks and one trick ponies in certain circle of rock critique. While that may be true of the Velvet Underground and some of their ilk, the Doors were hugely influential for me personally if for no other reason than Ray Manzarek produced the first two albums of one of the greatest American bands ever to make music.

X, who, by the way, are on Craig Ferguson tonight.

Frontline

Although the Cavs open their season this evening and I'll be tuned in to that particular program, Frontline will be the selection of choice on the DVR.

It promises to be a searing and honest glance at the wars, (remember those?) in which we're currently engaged in overseas. Tune in and broaden your mind...

Facts don't lie

If any of your mouth breather relatives or co-workers tell you that they're voting for McCain 'cause they trust the GOP, just go right ahead and kick 'em in the balls with these here data points.

Whatta bunch of daft cunts.

Kunstler

Brother Dave does some nice navel gazing downthread here that has a calm rationl tone, but I'm feeling a tad more masochistic this afternoon so instead I'm gonna provide a link to that crazy fucker Jim Kunstler.

Cheese and Crackers! We're doomed.

Hulk Smashed

Ha, Ha... Ted Stevens guilty on all counts. Guess he'll have to start honoring the name of his hometown once he goes to the Big House: Girdwood. Stick that in your series of tubes, Senator...

Alexander the Grate

I loves me some Alexander Cockburn. The longtime lefty curmudgeon, who lives to be the turd in the punchbowl, wrote in a recent Nation about how the bailout settled the outcome of the election a month before November 4th. More specifically, rather than determine the victor (which he assumes will be Obama), this action will establish how the next administration will rule. Citing past examples of how past elections have forced incoming leaders to tailor their approaches or agendas to new developments in the reality-based world, he thinks the new prez will “meekly surrender” to the financiers on Wall Street.

In Obama’s case, Big Al sees what he considers Obama’s acquiescence to the Paulson-led bailout to take the teeth out of any plan to do anything real in the face of the current fiasco. I dunno... Cockburn is left of left--he describes Paul Krugman as a centrist-- and as such he would tend to think that anything that doesn’t totally restructure the government as tepid at best. But aside from a rather glaring factual error (Lloyd Bentsen was Clinton’s first Treasury Secretary, not Bob Rubin), his larger point is accurate and something I think we all need to expect from an Obama Administration.

Current events will of necessity force the new kids on the block to focus on matters at hand rather than try to enact what they’ve run on, which is why I wish Obama would stop talking about tax cuts. There will not and can not be anything of the sort. Our taxes will be going up. End of story.

Futures

Here's a news flash from across the pond this morning portending the Monday morning nosedive that the NYSE will no doubt take when it opens in an hour and 15...

Life's an illusion, love is a dream

Blogger Nation

Here's a shout out to my fellow actor in Goldstar, OH and blogger extraordinaire, Sarah M., who is working her side of the street in Blogsylvania.

Go pay her a visit and bookmark that link. Beyond being a stand out stage performer, she is an all around good egg and just figured out how to post videos on her site.

Sarah rulz.

The Gray Lady

A couple of nice pieces from the Sunday NYT on this penultimate weekend before the Election.

This first one should come as no surprise as anyone with a pulse would've known that the Times would be endorsing Sen. Obama for President, but regadless, it's very well crafted and worth reading in its entirity.

The second post is slightly more of an opinion piece but also a nice little eye opener into the soul of the party tht wrecked America.

Tally ho.

Wassup, indeed

Wow...



Via Watertiger

Hilarious

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Just to follow up on big brothers post downstream, here's a tribute to 70s (and earlier) teevee and movie characters endorsing the junior Senator for IL via a short clip from little Ronnie Howard that's just terrific.

Henry Winkler's performance is brilliant.

That's probably the first and last time I'll ever write that sentence about the Fonz.

Far out, man

Just had the wildest and ultimately coolest conversation I've had all fall. While standing in line for lunch, I found myself standing next to this Tommy Chong-looking dude, decked out in camo flecked with cheap cigarette ash, sporting black and orange Harley suspenders, about a dozen brown teeth and an Obama button. He was talking to his son and anyone who would listen about the historic importance of this election, hoping for a landslide.

As we started talking, he offered that he was an old hippie, taking the afternoon to go deer huntin'. Formerly an Edwards man, he's very impressed and excited by Obama, calling him the FDR of our times. "We need to totally change the game and get these mutherfuckers outta there. We need someone to look after us", poking me in the chest for emphasis. "This guy can do it." He rattled it off-- the economy, health care, the war(s), the greed and avarice of the right, the phony anti-elite horseshit. All. Of. It. Stressed the need to get out the youth vote 'cause in 10-15 years he'd be "wearin' diapers and droolin'." Fucking hilarious. And spot on...

This is it, boys and girls. If we can get this guy, here in the great white north-- and I'm not referring to snow-- maybe even his pals, we can do this. I'm ashamed to admit that at first glance I thought, redneck. But after dealing with all the smug, suburban douchebags at work and their Drudgy talking points, this guy was a total breath of fresh air. Informed, humorous and passionate. Our kinda guy...

We are gonna get our country back.

Friday Random Ten

Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Welcome to the East - Wyclef Jean
Sari - Nellie McKay
Sweet Virginia - Gomez
Reinventing The Wheel - Glenn Tilbrook
Surrender - Cheap Trick
Fear Of Sleep - The Strokes
Lovin' Up A Storm - Jerry Lee Lewis
All My Dreams - The Pretenders
Long Live Rock - The Who

You say Obama, I say Ohio!

What up for next Wednesday? Jay-Z and LeBron are doin’ a house party for Obama at the Q.

Maybe Amy Poehler can line up her crew…

Better Angels

From Politico on early voting in Indiana:

For me the most moving moment came when the family in front of me, comprising probably 4 generations of voters (including an 18 year old girl voting for her first time and a 90-something hunched-over grandmother), got their turn to vote. When the old woman left the voting booth she made it about halfway to the door before collapsing in a nearby chair, where she began weeping uncontrollably. When we rushed over to help we realized that she wasn't in trouble at all but she had not truly believed, until she left the booth, that she would ever live long enough to cast a vote for an African-American for president. Anyone who doesn't think that African-American turnout will absolutely SHATTER every existing record is in for a very rude surprise.

Via Sullivan

Don’t Make Me a Target

© Bill Watterson

For my money, RFK was the best of the Kennedy brothers… and his namesake is perhaps the shiniest apple to fall from that fruitful tree. Among other things, he wrote the definitive piece on WTF happened in Ohio back in ’04 for Rolling Stone.

He’s still hard at it, penning another RS must-read (which has been a frequent occurrence of late) about the voter suppression efforts still bubbling to the surface of the GOP thunderjug, especially the bit about bumping voter reg forms with other official government documentation and disqualifying voters on the basis of discrepancies between them. I know, personally, as a toddler prole launching my career as a teenage pearldiver at a local eatery, I ended up with a Social Security card with my name printed as “Dave” instead of the more formal David W. I still carry that card (and, yes, it’s printed on parchment) so if some asshole wanted to make an issue of it, I’d be outta luck.

RFK Jr. was pimping this piece on Rachel Maddow’s show the other night. If you’ve not yet checked her, do so without delay.

Rudie Don't Fail

No...not The Clash song...I'm talking about our old friend, the Rude Pundit. He's gives ol' Joe the Plumber the once over, twice.

Let's lob one into the mens room at the RNC

I love this-- maybe even more than Eisenhower's granddaughter's going for Obama. CC Goldwater, the granddaughter of the patron saint of the far right, has also come out for the Democratic ticket.

Ha, ha...

Hot Teutonic Man Love

Well, well, well...it appears that the wingnuts of of the American right haven't quite corned the market on weirdly closeted/denial freaks.

In case you hadn't heard, Austrian FPO party leader Jorg Haider was one bad mutha who espoused nothing but racial hatred and xenophobia for the past 20 years was killed in a drunk driving accident last week. No great loss there IMHO.

But now we get this back story to really put the cherry on this particular Black Forest cake. Perhaps they'll commemorate his demise with the Larry Craig memorial toiletten stall at the Vienna hautbanhof.

Huh, maybe he's this year's model of Ernst Rohm...

Assholes.

Open Left

I agree with Paul Rosenberg over at Open Left. We will win the election and Barack Obama will be the 46th President of the United States.

However, that's when things will get ugly. The right wing and their flying monkeys, (Limbaugh, Savage, O'Reilly, Coultler, Malkin, Ingraham...etc.) will try to drown out any sense of rational sanity and continue to blather on every single day about William Ayres and Jerimiah Wright until they can nominate Sarah Palin and her running mate, Chuck Norris for the 2012 election.

So just keep that in mind, everybody. Just 'cause we won, won't mean that we will have won. We need to crush these pinheads into dust and prove to the voting populace that the Rupublican "brand" is sour milk never to be visited upon our nation ever again. And the way to do that?...deeds and actions via quality governing and bold desicion making.

Enthusiasm officially Curbed

Larry David gives us an update 12 days before the election. It's a sentiment I'm confident that we can all relate to...

Akron Rocks

Chrissie Hynde, center, performs with Akron bands including Devo and the Black Keys during a final encore after their performances at the Akron Civic Theatre on Friday, Oct. 17 2008, in Akron, Ohio. (Karen Schiely/Akron Beacon Journal)

God damn, I hope summa y’all got to see this show…

Devo's benefit concert whips up vote
Chrissie Hynde, Black Keys join other local acts in raising money for Summit County Democrats

By Malcolm X Abram Beacon Journal music writer
Published on Saturday, Oct 18, 2008

It had been 30 years since Devo performed in Akron, and it took a cause important to the band to bring the group back home.

Friday night, the band returned to the same venue — the Akron Civic Theatre — where it had performed in 1978. Back then, it was a triumphant homecoming for a band that was about to move to California. Friday night, the reason was a benefit concert for the Summit County Democratic Party, which inadvertently became a celebration of some of Akron's most popular groups, with both the Black Keys and Chrissie Hynde performing.

...

The show began with local singer-songwriter Chris Allen, who performed a few of his originals and a cover of Bob Dylan's I Shall Be Released. Next, Akron blues rock duo, the Black Keys, who performed a sold-out show last week at E.J. Thomas Hall, played a loud and wild eight-song, half-hour set.

''We don't feel special. We're honored to be here. We're just average Joe Plumbers,'' Black Keys guitarist-singer Dan Auerbach said, mocking John McCain's debate topic. Another local singer, Rachel Roberts, performed a quick pair of songs. Then Akron's Chrissie Hynde played a quiet set of three new songs from the Pretenders' latest album Break Up the Concrete, which she described as ''being written about Akron.''

...

Devo's Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casale and longtime drummer Josh Freese filled out their yellow jump suits more than they did 30 years ago, but they performed a taut, energetic 70-minute set of hits and fan favorites, including Girl U Want and Uncontrollable Urge. Before Whip It, Gerald Casale talked about the ''eight-year nightmare'' of the current administration and asked the crowd, ''Are we gonna whip it on Nov. 4?'' The answer was a resounding yes.

The show ended with all of the night's performers joining in a ramshackle and fun version of the Pretenders' Break Up the Concrete that had the crowd dancing in the aisles.

Wow… I can’t even imagine how fucking cool that musta been. Like V said, "A revolution without dancing is, indeed, a revolution not worth having." I’m really homesick for NEO right about now and the Akron I lived in for 8+ years is at … um … the heart of it all. Devo and Chrissie are hugely important to me. (I still think The Pretenders is not only the best debut of all time, it’s one of the best records in all of rock.) And The Black Keys are great keepers of the Akron flame. For that to’ve taken place in the gorgeous Civic all for the most important cause of the moment does Ohio proud.

That’s Good!

It's all about money, ain't a damn thing funny

Been out with a bout of the Cheddar Flu, so am just catching up…

So, Helicopter Ben signs on, huh?

Personally, I’m pleased to see Paul Volcker sitting next to the O-Man. For all the fawning over Alan (“I Lost My Virginity to Ayn Rand”) Greenspan, this guy’s guidance of the Fed was a major factor in stabilizing the economy in the 80s. (I actually ran into him in NYC about 10 years ago, fittingly-- or ironically, take your pick-- on 5th Ave. in front of Tiffany’s.) I'm thinking he knows his shit better than that fine whiner Gramm...

But I’m still holding out hope that Krugman is the next Secretary of the Treasury…

More Video

If you didn't see this on SNL this weekend, you missed something special. Amy Poehler is brilliant.

Fastball

For all of you Power Pop fans out there, the three piece outfit from Austin that released this little gem about ten years ago is coming to the Beachland in November on the 23rd. I'll be through with Goldstar, OH by then and we'll also have a brand new president elect, so me and the missus will be out on that particular Sunday evening fo sho' and celebrate accordingly.

Mash-up

Here's a good one mashing two faves of mine...Gwen and the Coen boys. Ha.

Boo!

Smart guy Dave Neiwert is on the case of the GOP scare tactics.

These pinheads are yet again doing their level best to turn the attention of the sheeple away from the legitimate issues of the election and get them to focus on the strawman of voter fraud.

I, as usual, have an opinion on this.

Every Halloween for the past three decades, we've heard horror stories of children's candy being riddled with syringe marks, lysergic acid, needles, various poisons and things generally agreed to be bad for the little tykes that go out trick or treating.

Lemme ask you...do you personally know, or even know of anyone that someone who has ever witnessed any Halloween candy tampering? No? Me neither. Take a load off and I'll tell you why.

Because it never happens. Now I'm not saying that there may have been a rare occasion where something may have been poisoned or some such thing. But it's mostly a non event and by now probably only done because some idiot heard it on the news and wants to be a celebrity.

The reason of course is commercial in nature. When I was a kid, there were two types of treats that you'd get when hitting the streets on the 31st of October. You either got home made goodies such as candied apples, fudge, popcorn balls, cookies...or you'd get full size Clark Bars, 3 Musketeers, Hershey's with Almonds...whatever.

The not rich peeps handed out the home made stuff and the not so poor folks gave out the most excellent full size candy bars. Well guess what...the candy companies took notice.

Now everything is single wrapped and miniaturized. This way, everyone can hand out hermetically sealed, safe, inexpensive BRAND MARKET items and we all win...especially M&M Mars, Hershey Corp. and the various international banks that probably own them.

Now I'm not saying that these large multi-nationals are perpetuating these urban myths, okay...maybe I am, but they certainly don't seem to want to engage in suppressing these stories as they would lose their primary source of annual revenue if homes across the United States returned to handing out domestically manufactured treats instead of their commercially made bite sized items.

So, that's what the GOP is doing this Halloween. They're scaring everyone about something that rarely, if ever, happens...with poisoned ACORNS. Too bad too, because it's taught and reinforced an institutional distrust of our neighbors that the GOP embraces which will never return to American life. Like I've said before, right-wing thinking people have ruined our country and it's up to those of us with adult brains to take it back from them even if only in little increments.

Here endeth the lesson.

Billmon

Back in the salad days of the innertubes, circa 2004, brother Dave and I found Whiskey Bar, an incredibly well crafted and beautifully written opinion blog created by a guy named Billmon.

Well, he disappeared into the ether a couple of years ago and much to ours, and others collective dismay, he never surfaced again...until last month.

He's now writing the occasional post on Daily Kos and up until now, it's basically been linky type stuff but there have been none of his ribald opinion pieces of yore.

Until now. Read it and weep everyone. Billmon nails it on how, where and what the GOP has been doing to 'Murka for the past 40 years...and how it might just get fixed this time around.

It is teh funny

A trailer of Oliver Stone's other new movie...

Sy Hersh

There was a great friggin' profile of my favorite reporter in yesterday's Guardian UK. A very long but very worthwhile read folks.

Notices

The review of Goldstar, OH was in the Plain Dealer yesterday and it was very acceptable by many standards. I actually quite agree with his assessment of Act II.

As for me, in case you need to look up avuncular, it means: of or pertaining to an uncle. Personally, I think it's just code for fat.

Great...I'm Cleveland's Ricky Gervais.

Digby goes to the dogs

Nice story.

W

I haven't seen it yet, but Ebert seemed to like it. I'll go next week.

Oh, Yeah...

Here's another show I'm pissed off that I'm missing. A double bill of Devo and The Black Keys at the Akron Civic tonight. Check out the hilarious poster art work for the show on the Civic website thingy.

Friday Random Ten

Yep. It's Friday.

Sound Round - The Who
Heart Of The City - Nick Lowe*
On The Road - Tom Waits
The Night That Never Ends - The Cat Empire
Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis
Call It Off - Tegan & Sara
Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
Any King's Shilling - Elvis Costello
Baby Watch Your Back - Nellie McKay
Caring Is Creepy - The Shins

*Mrs. Cleve Bob saw The Basher Weds. evening at the Beachland Ballroom. Her review was glowing to say the least. This was NL's first appearance in Cleveland since we moved here in '97. I was, of course, unable to attend as we opened the Goldstar, Oh this week.

Not only did I miss Nick Lowe, I'm unable to go to David Byrne's show this coming Thursday. Swell.

Byrne Down The House

Went to see David Byrne at Milwaukee’s beautiful Pabst Theater last night, one of my new fave venues, where I saw Spoon throw down a killer set a year ago. A real gem-- lovingly restored old vaudeville hall with great acoustics and sight lines.

Dave was in fine form. For a 56 year old dude, he was lithe and lively, the shock of white hair the only giveaway of his years. As usual, he was surrounded by a large onstage contingent with four musicians, three singers (one of whom is Jenni Muldaur, Maria's daughter) and three dancers all dressed in white. In fact, nearly everyone danced, especially DB. It wasn’t Madonna-type choreography, but rather some amalgam of hip-hop and modern dance all woven through the performance.

Musically, it was great. Dave’s voice is excellent, the guitar playing crisp and funky. The theme was music he’s done with Eno. He played about 5 songs from the new record, a few rarities and a lotta Heads, including fiery renderings of Houses in Motion, which received a nearly 5 minute, show-stopping ovation, and Crosseyed and Painless. He also did a lovely version of One Fine Day from the new one, after which he said he hoped that November 4th would be that day. Other than that, he said little, but he was having a blast.

He’s in The Cleve next week. If you have the chance, do not miss this show! Check out some tour pics here for a taste.

Oh, and there was also this debate thingy last night, too. Did I miss anything?

One last video

There are several right wing heavy hitters in this piece. None other than Ed "Fuckbag" Rollins says it's Obama in a landslide. Ed Rollins. Wow.

Jack Cafferty

I've loved Jack Cafferty since I lived in the city and he was the soft news anchor with Sue Simmons on Live at 5 on WNBC.

He captures perfectly in this clip, the righteous indignation of all of as it relates to Sarah Palin. I've studiously avoided much mention of her on LMS, but this one is too good to pass up.

Frontline

Tonight is the season premier of the Frontline series. It promises to be a beauty so set those DVRs, VCRs and make sure you watch this episode.

Viva Paul

How friggin' cool is to have-- just weeks before a hugely important election in the midst of a rethuglican fueled economic meltdown-- the current administration's chief and most notable financial critic win the Nobel for Economics? And he's been so much more. Maybe because he's especially good at rendering the dismal science in ways that I can understand, I've always been a huge fan of this guy. He's been totally out there fighting the good fight for a long time now and is the only reliable voice of the left on the NYT editorial page, besides Herbert, of course...

Whatever... congratulations to The Shrill One!

The Good Earth

Here's a companion piece to Brooding Jim's screed below the fold in my previous post.

Luckily for me, Mrs. Loud Mouth Soup has proven to have an excellent green thumb over the years, so next Spring, we're definitely putting in some vegetable beds in the back.

Kunstler

Mr. Cheerful is up and at 'em this Monday morning. Read it at your own peril.

The Party That Wrecked America

Bob Herbert weighs in with his usual calm insight on the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

Anyone...Anyone...who votes for the GOP is a fool, a bigot, a homophobic hater and hopelessly delusional about themselves and their government.

Chrissie

She's still looks like a million bucks. Nice rockin' skiffle song too...

Max

I heart Max Blumenthal.

TBogg

TBogg knocks one outta the park as he's want to do. Plus he's got those great bassets with all of their glorious droopiness.

Our nation is an embarrassment of riches...of, well...embarrassment.

Friday Random Ten...Happy Birthday, Big Brother edition

Suddenly I See -- KT Tunstall
Walk This Way -- Run-D.M.C.
I Want You To Want Me --Cheap Trick
Waiting On The World To Change --John Mayer
Thank God, It's Not Christmas --Sparks
Scarecrow --Beck
Attack Of The Ghost Riders -- The Ravonettes
Whatever Happened To? -- The Buzzcocks
Be Good -- Tokyo Police Club
Lazy River -- Leon Redbone

Bonus Track
How Many Worlds -- Brian Eno

We're All Okies Now

From Salon, a comic from Ruben Bolling gets into something I’ve been chewing on lately. The word “Depression” comes up a lot these days. And what will that mean? Will we all be selling apples for a nickel on street corners? Just how the hell will we handle this shit? I think he’s onto something here.

Go shopping!

John

John Lennon woulda been 68 today. Amazing. (LMS bonus trivia: CleBob was born the day after McCartney and I was born the day after Lennon. Fascinating, no?) I know we all see later, more iconic images of him in bed with Yoko, or with his “New York City” t-shirt or whatever, but this is the way I think of him: young, fresh (perhaps baked, as well) and holding his black Ric… which was the coolest thing I saw at the Rock Hall.

He was no saint, certainly wasn’t perfect. But he put himself out there and made peace a priority. We still miss his voice.

Foo Fighters

You tell 'em, Dave. Have any of these fools never heard of the term cognitive dissonance?...

My Fellow Prisoners?

Yeah, that's what he said alright.

So, seeing that the Dow just fell another 2% again today, and most of us will be Wal-Mart Greeters well into our Octogenarian poopy diaper years, "prisoners" sounds just about right.

I love how the crowd goes all cricket chirping after he says it too. What a schlub.

Facts don't do what I want them to…

Facts just twist the truth around…

Do they? Another thought fightin’ through the sludge last night was that I wished they’d been fact checking as the night went along. I had a co-worker (a rare, sentient carbon-based unit) mention to me she was a little put off when Obama had to fight back to counter the poo McCan’t was flinging.

But, you know, fuck that-- the ol’ Maverick was lying. I thought Obama was forceful and immediate in his efforts to set the record straight. Or, really, hitting the needle when it got stuck in one of Johnny’s grooves. Maybe that’s a good analogy, given McCan’t is an analog asshole in a digital world…

Anyhoo, check out this page from CNN in which they do a little fact checking. Bottom line? Obama – Truthful. McMaverick – LIAR. Oh, wait… I guess he did oppose Raygun’s stance on troops in Lebanon in 1983. How relevant…

BTW-- speaking of DB, I’m seeing him on tour featuring his music with Brian Eno next week in Milwaukee, hometown of one Jerry Harrison.

Awesome

Throughout the debate last night-- especially the cute little “That One” moment-- I kept hearing the esteemed analyst Jeffrey Spicoli (D-MJ) laying into McCan’t the way he addressed Mr. Hand after he tore up Spicoli’s schedule:

“You Dick!”

Seriously, what a pusillanimous putz. Full on “get off my lawn” mode. And what was with the stalking around? In every way Obama won. He was more measured, assured and WTF-- honest. You know, presidential. Ain’t nothing like a sure thing, baby, and I hate to count my roosters ‘fore they’re hatched, but unless the O-Man really steps in it between now and Nov. 4th, I think we win. Let’s just hope there’re some spoils left to the victors…

WCPN

Hey, I almost forgot...there's a piece about Goldstar, OH on the Around Noon show on WCPN in about 50 minutes today starting at noon.

Feel free to tune in or you can stream it live here.

Poll Dancing

However amazed I remain at the folks who tell us in these article/interviews that they've yet to make up their minds as to who they will be voting for one month from today, I'm buoyed by this latest WaPo/ABC News Poll.

Read it and weep my bitches.

McPenguin

Burgess Meredith eat your heart out...

Are we not Democrats?

From the ABJ:

Devo to make appearance in Akron in support of Obama
By Beacon Journal staff
POSTED: 02:38 p.m. EDT, Oct 06, 2008

Akron new wave legends Devo will be making a very rare concert appearance in their hometown Oct. 17 in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Proceeds will benefit the Summit County Democratic Party.

The ''Duty Now for the Future'' concert, which will be the band's first performance in Akron in more than a decade, will happen at the Akron Civic Theatre. Tickets go on sale Tuesday via Ticketmaster (http://www.ticketmaster.com or 330-945-9400) and at the Civic box office.

Ticket prices will range from $25 for the upper balcony, to $150 for VIP seating and an after-party with the band.

''Duty Now for the Future''? Right on. Do NOT miss this show!!

'Xactly!

Andrew Leonard, in his great Salon series How The World Works, gets into something that has me wondering why the hell the Dems don't say that it's the Rethuglicans, stupid!

Money quote:

The moral authority of the Reagan revolution has collapsed. It will be many, many years before a Republican can address the nation with a straight face and declare that what we need is more deregulation. Oh, they'll try it -- I've heard Senators and Representatives make that very case this week. But the majority of Americans will not pay attention to their garbage.

Again, why is this not being pounded by Obama, Biden, Dean... all of them? Haven't we proven-- at least twice now-- that the Reagan-Norquist-Gingrich axis of bullshit is utterly, fatally wrong? It's not just Bush and McCan't, it's the whole fucking party. They were wrong 30 years ago, 20 years ago, ten years ago and now.

Keating!

Well, this is a start...

But at the moment, one in which the markets drop roughly 4% within minutes of the opening bell, it's hard to see how all this turns out. We all want Obama, but there may not be a hell of a lot left to govern by the time January rolls around.

Stuck as I am here in northern Wisconsin, where the women wear camo and all sound like Sarah Palin, the menfolk are all excited about huntin' season. I overhead a conversation about killing a doe and some wild turkeys this morning. As fucked up as that is, at least these folks'll be eating this winter...

You betcha!

Eulogies

I found two very sweet and low key remembrances about Paul Newman over the last week. One was Dave Letterman who was obviously very touched by Newman's influence on his life.

And then today I found this piece by the director Sam Mendes in The Guardian. Nice.

Biden v. Pale One

Well, Palin exceeded expectations last night and actually didn’t do that badly, although that’s relative. She’s the heir of the Quayle-Chimp legacy: ignant but on message. She was clearly using cards and didn’t answer the questions, instead just running down bullet-pointed talking points. But she did it with verve and energy…

That said, she’s still a scary, fundie moron. Yet, she’s also telegenic and personable which will allow her to maintain something of a career. With the core of the repiglicans being winnowed down to the far right, she might just become a playa. Sorta a 21st century Phyllis Schlafly. But the good news is she won’t be vice president to a 72 year old cancer survivor. Despite the fact that she didn’t implode, I don’t think this changes anything. She ain’t gonna win this one, but she mighta saved her career last night.

Bill Maher

Religulous opens today.

If I get a few free hours this weekend, I'm gonna go see it. How's about you?...

Pre-Friday Random Ten 'cause I'll be too busy tomorrow morning

A to B -- The Futureheads
Spanish Harlem Incident--Bob Dylan
Wet Nightmare -- The Cramps
I Put A Spell On You -- Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Save The Population -- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pretty Words -- Elvis Costello and The Attractions
Let's Call It Love -- Sleater -Kinney
It's Not Enough -- The Who
The Real Thing -- Gwen Stefani
Sweet Little Lisa -- Dave Edmunds

Wow...that's a pretty fuckin' random bunch of songs.

Acting!

So this might be a little intense this evening.

In lieu of rehearsal, (that's "play practice" for you, Linda G.) we're going to be at the Brook Park branch of the Cuyahoga County Library tonight performing excerpts from the play.

Why intense?...well, the 4 Marines which the play is based on were based and deployed out of the Brook Park Armory of the 325 Battalion of the Marine Corps...so Brook Park has a very special relationship with these guys, so there's that.

Secondly, we've been told that many, if not all of the folks being portrayed in the show will be coming to the play at some point, but one lady in particular, a very outspoken mother of one of the Marines, Nathan Deyarmin, will actually be at the reading tonight.

Edie Deyarmin has one of the more powerful speeches in the entire play and our fellow actor, Jill Levin, has a heavy load to carry tonight what with both playing and meeting this Marine's mother at the reading.

I'm thinking it's gonna be kind of a two-ply tissue event.

Plus ça change...

Plus c'est la même chose...

Where the hell is Bush? Seriously. Except for a few brief appearances, he’s been pretty much AWOL this whole time. I mean, fine, he’d only make things worse, but still… he’s the fucking President! How ‘bout a little leadership?

Must be crowded in that undisclosed location…

Register to vote

Yeah, yeah, I know that these celeb pleas get awfully treacly and silly after a while but this one's not bad and that Sarah Silverman is one funny chick. Don't forget to vote...

Author, Author

By the way, for all you Loud Mouth Soupers out there, since I'm buried with a combination of civic and Thespian activities, my big brother Dave, aka Reddy Rooster in the blogospere, is pitching in and doing some posting to the site his own damn self.

So please, welcome Dave with the same deafening silence that you afford me on any given Wednesday.

Fall Classix

Ah yes, it's the post season and we're back to watching ex-Tribe stars help other teams do their October thang.

Thome's home run making the White Sox the AL Central Champs? Check.
CC Sabathia's almost singlehandedly putting the Brewers into the postseason for the first time since 1982? Check.
Manny's carrying the Dodgers into first in the NL West? Check.
Paul Byrd going 6-2 in the last two months for the BoSox? Check.

And let's not forget Charlie "Mumbles" Manual managing the Phillies.

I know this is nothing new, but it seems really pronounced this year. Maybe it's 'cause I'm in Brewerland and have been "thanked" many times for Sabathia. Whatever... Go Crew!

McMess

Check out this piece from Rolling Stone today. There's nothing totally new in it, but it does a nice job of rounding up a complete portrait of the maverick as an old man.

And why the fuck are we not hearing the word "Keating" every single day? Lessee-- a senator beholden to a rogue who used new and misunderstood financial instruments to gamble on real estate values, the outcome being the massive failure of financial infrastructure that the taxpayers had to bail out to the tune of billions. Sound familiar?

Pop Rocks

The sound is a bit tinny, but here's one of the great pop songs from the late '70's. John Wicks and The Records perform Starry Eyes.

Go ahead and sing along...you know you wanna...

Earmarks? We don't need no stinking earmarks...

This seems like ancient history now, given the events of the last two weeks, but you can bet that McCan't will continue to say he'll slayeth the earmarks to "fix" Washington. Yeah? Well, via Sullivan, here's a handy little graphic that shows just how critical that is.

Quinnipac!

Suck on this you moose-jawed muthafuckas.