Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Ted Rall


Big Brother up in Wisconsin gave me an electronic kick in the pants today that LMS has been dormant for far too long. In my defense, I've been terribly busy and relatively disinterested in the bloggity-blog goodness of the innertubes of late, but to placate both of my readers, here's a post.

Nothing like Ted Rall to cure what ails ya...I just knew that there was a rationale behind the eunuchfication of Barack Obama.

Clickin' it makes it bigger.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Laughing Out Loud -- The Wallflowers
Please Wake Me Up -- Tom Waits
Black Like Me -- Spoon
Tired Of Waiting -- Green Day (cover)
Radio Bar -- Fountains Of Wayne
Words Of Love -- The Mamas & The Papas
Lost Cause -- Beck
Moth -- Audioslave
Crash The Party -- O.K. Go
And Then So Clear -- Brian Eno

Bonus Opening Night Cut:

Girl Of My Dreams -- Charles Mingus

Friday, September 09, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Have Your Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadows? -- The Rolling Stones
Diamond Road -- Sheryl Crow
Tiger Rag -- Django Reinhardt
You Got It All Wrong -- The Hives
She's Not Mine Anymore -- Robert Gordon
Cold -- Annie Lennox
Dancing For Money -- Graham Parker
Happy Jack -- The Who
Stay Away -- Nirvana
God Don't Make Lonely Girls -- The Wallflowers

Bonus (Cuz'n Mike's Birthday) cut:

15 Minutes -- The Strokes

Friday, September 02, 2011

Friday Random Ten (Labor Day Edition)


Angola -- Ray Davies
Eyeball Kid -- Tom Waits
Eight Days A Week -- The Beatles
Next Year, Baby -- Jamie Cullum
Harmony In My Head -- The Buzzcocks
Lorca's Novena -- The Pogues
Definite Door -- The Posies
Jumpers -- Sleater-Kinney
Urban Lifestyle -- Pere Ubu
One More Robot -- The Flaming Lips

Bonus long weekend cut:

One (Blake's Got A New Face) -- Vampire Weekend


Friday, August 26, 2011

Friday Random Ten


The Other End Of The Telescope -- Elvis Costello
Rave On -- Buddy Holly
It's Over -- Roy Orbison
Besame Mucho -- Bob Conti
Prelude To A Kiss -- Duke Ellington
The Down Low -- Nellie McKay
Here Comes President Kill Again -- XTC
Pretty Girls -- Neko Case
I Walk The Line -- Johnny Cash
One And The Same -- Audioslave

Bonus (the only thing this blog is good for anymore is for posting Friday Random Ten lists) cut:

Watch Her Disappear -- Tom Waits

Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Nothingman -- Pearl Jam
Perfidio -- Duke Ellington
Our Generation (The Hope Of The World) John Legend & The Roots
Come Together -- The Beatles
Really -- Nellie McKay
Under The Bridge -- Jill Sobule & John Doe
Bob-Kick -- Nat King Cole
Layfette Don't Fail Me Now -- Spoon
Love Me Or Leave Me -- Nina Simone
Andromeda -- Paul Weller


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

It's The Jobs Stupid


I keep wondering why everyone is all up in arms about Obama not creating jobs. Businesses (large and small), and Commerce create jobs, not necessarily governments. Sure, government can help, as is the case of Germany mentioned in this terrific piece in today's NYT, but they're not the entire answer.

I lost my job under Bush. I didn't blame him. I still haven't had a full time job under the Obama Administration and still; no blame affixed.

Courage is required here. Businesses need to open their wallets and stop clinging to shareholder's cash. What's the worth of high yields and dividends when you can't find a job?

Friday, August 12, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Bring Your Lovin' Back Here -- Gomez
Project X: First Section -- Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention
I Will -- The Beatles
Rub Me Raw -- Warren Zevon
Burn Away -- Foo Fighters
Ize Of The World -- The Strokes
Smiling Faces -- Joan Osborne
Smoke Dreams -- Jill Sobule
Trippin' On Your Love -- Bananarama
Cradle Of Love -- Billy Idol ( Yikes. I cannot believe that this song is on my iPod Face palm!)

Bonus (get the taste of Billy Idol out of my mouth) cut:

Generals And Majors -- XTC (there, that's better)

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Wasted lives


Maybe this will get the Debt Ceiling stuff off of the front page for a moment and lead us back to an actual debate about ending these fucking wars. Probably not, though.

Friday, August 05, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Something -- The Beatles
Handel: Gavotte -- Andres Segovia
All These Things That I've Done -- The Killers
The Way That We Get By -- Spoon
Switchboard Susan -- Nick Lowe
War Pigs -- CAKE
Hold On -- Tom Waits
Shut Your Eyes -- Snow Patrol
I Get Kick Out Of You -- Frank Sinatra
Five On The Five -- The Raconteurs

Bonus beautiful day cut...

Sometimes I Don't Know What To Feel -- Todd Rundgren

Friday, July 29, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Scarecrow -- Beck
Just About Glad -- Elvis Costello
C'mere -- Interpol
You Still Touch Me -- Sting
City With No Children-- Arcade Fire
Whatsername -- Green Day
Workin' On Leavin' The Livin' -- Modest Mouse
I Felt The Luxury -- Iggy Pop
Let Freedom Ring -- Chuck Prophet
Last Chance -- JET

Bonus (High School Gym Teacher edition)

Away From The Numbers -- The Jam

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

4th Down and 20


Here's yet another stellar piece on the end of our era.

I couldn't echo its sentiment any stronger. I found out that my permanent job was going away right before Labor Day Weekend 2007. That's now fast approaching 4 years. Since then I've scrambled and scraped, applied and submitted and generally wore a path in the rug trying to return to the former glory that was once my job and sense of self worth.

All of that effort has proven fruitless and I now am utterly convinced that not only will I never attain the status and esteem which I once held, and frankly, sadly, treasured; but that I also now realize that I never should've tried to get back to there in the first place.

The deck is stacked, the game is rigged and the house will always win. No more Jello for me, mom.

Listen, I've said it before and I'll say it now. If you're fortunate enough to have dodged this now increasingly historic bullet, I salute and congratulate you on that success. I'm not being maudlin or scolding. It's just the facts of the matter.

However, until you've walked in my shoes and felt my pain, shame and embarrassment, you'll never know the view from this side of the fence. Not to cheapen the experience, but emotionally, I can liken my perspective to that of being a cancer survivor. My carefully chosen daily mood transcends my reality and thankfully, my inner doctor says that I'm currently in remission.

Whew.

I keep finding bizarre, little tiny jobs and ways to make a buck. I'll never earn anything close to what I used to but I don't care about that any longer. It's Okay.

Regardless, it's a goll-damned waste of a perfectly good white boy.

And so, I move on.

I've always said that the Arts are the only thing that matters anyway. History, Wars, Religion, Money...they've all had their hand as world shakers and failed. The painters, poets, actors, authors and singers will always live on.

And so it goes.

Oslo


I've been reasonably mute about the shootings in Norway last Friday.

Yes, it's a very terrible thing, but, aren't we Americans, (the most socially hostile mass of people on the planet IMHO), sadly too numb to really feel anything about this tragedy?

There were over 20 people killed this weekend all over the US in similar fashion and that barely made the papers. (And this link is from the friggin' Mail Online UK!).

Anyhoo, as I am frequently want to do, I'll leave the driving to someone else as it relates to an "official position" on these horrific Norwegians murders.

Handy Andy Sullivan has an excellent comprehensive and focused piece on his site that I would recommend to any sentient person who may be interested in the roots and whys of Breivik's motivation.

I figure I've got about 30 or more years left on this planet to read about these bi-monthly kinds of events. I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Chivalry


Dennis Perrin, a find via Mr. James Wolcott, opines about the increasing lack of courtesy and politeness in our modern society especially in the airport hubs.

I dig his prose but question his use of the word "perhaps" when discussing the veracity of DEVO's freethinking vision of our times. We're a long way beyond "perhaps", Dennis...we're fully engaged there, buddy.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Real Love -- Regina Spektor
Monkey Wrench -- Foo Fighters
Courageous Cat Theme -- New York Dolls
3:00 AM Blues -- Dick Hyman Group
I Only Have Eyes For You -- Harry Connick Jr.
Back On The Chain Gang -- The Pretenders
St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast -- Frank Zappa
Divertimento in D: Allegro -- Mozart
Frescobaldi: Passacagalia -- Andres Segovia
To Hell With Poverty -- Gang Of Four

Bonus heat wave cut:

For Once In My Life -- Stevie Wonder

Friday, July 15, 2011

Friday Random Ten


Stop The World And Let Me Off -- Patsy Cline
Carnival Of The Animals-Finale -- Saint-Saens
Promises, Promises -- George Shearing
Post Rock Defends The Nation -- Bon Savants
The Littlest Birds -- The Be Good Tanyas
Goodnight Irene -- Tom Waits
Nutted By Reality -- Nick Lowe
Pure And Easy -- The Who
Suspicious Minds -- Dwight Yoakam
Blink And You'll Miss It -- Paul Weller

Bonus GG on vacation all week starting tomorrow cut:

Speaking in Tongues -- Eagles Of Death Metal

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Harvey Pekar


Today is the first anniversary of the death of Harvey Pekar. He was the embodiment of a very specific zeitgeist here in Cleveland and he is sorely missed in these days of madness and confusion.

If you're looking for everything Harvey, steer your clickin' mouse in this direction and you'll find a treasure trove of data, memorabilia and like minded folks celebrating the life and times of the man.

Viva le Harvey!

Saturday, July 09, 2011

Frank Rich


It's been a long dry spell at the NYTs since Frank Rich left the fold and migrated over to New York Magazine.

Making a triumphant return, Mr. Rich shreds the Obama Administration to bits on their utter inability or desire to address the unemployment issues here in the United States and instead continue to reward the people who are responsible for this mess.

It's a long and complex read and I've linked directly to the "printable" version of the article so as to make it more readable on your computer screen.

Read it a couple of times. This country, this president and it's ruling class have ruined this nation.

And President Barack Obama is an abject failure.