Sweet Jane

Jane Scott turns 90 on Monday. Here's a rotten soundtrack to a cute video detailing but a few of her meet and greets.

A personal anecdote...One time were in the lobby of Swingo's chatting with Jane and Joey Ramone after a Ramone's show at the Agora when a pretty good brawl broke out between some punks and the hotel security.

Cooper and I took this opportunity as a diversion to duck into the bar as I had already been turned away due to the fact that I was not yet 21 years old.

Once we got into the bar, we had a great time talking with DeeDee and Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara (who were also at the Ramones show) as they were in town doing a long forgotten SCTV special from Cleveland.

Good times...good times.

Happy Birthday Jane!

Friday Random Ten

Finer Feelings -- Spoon
Praying Hands -- DEVO
Missing -- Beck
Towner -- Spoon
The Part You Throw Away -- Tom Waits
I'm Outta Time -- Oasis
China Girl -- David Bowie*
Rex Kramer -- Gomez
The Jessica Numbers -- The New Pornographers
Given To Fly -- Pearl Jam

Bonus, just because, cut:

Traffic and Weather -- Fountains Of Wayne

* Funny that both Bowie and DEVO are on the playlist this morning.

In David Giffel's definitive bio We Are DEVO! book he describes Mark Motherbaugh's (or Jerry's, I don't recall), reaction to meeting Bowie when he was trying sign them to a label as, "the nicest reptile we ever met"...

Get Moose and Squirrel!

Nobody is better at propagandizing their villains than the good ol' US of A.

Just take a brief glance at this very lengthy quiz to see how skewed our "image" of Iran is as it relates to the actual facts.

Get ready, 'cause here I come

Since the primary is May 4th and my teaching for the Board of Elections is winding down, I started my Census Bureau Enumerator training today. The class was filled some very nice people who are well represented in this video.

I'm going to Glenn Beck's house first.

Nixonland

Our old pal, Rick Perlstein rockin' the house with Rachel the other night. Ms. Maddow luvs her some Perlstein.

Bill Maher

Bill nails it again. Fave quote?..."It's like thinking that getting a handjob will clean your garage".

Friday Random Ten

Let's get random...

Jump Around -- House of Pain
Seatbacks and Traytables -- Fountains Of Wayne
Time Honoured Tradition -- Kaiser Chiefs
The Once Over Twice -- X
The Bird That You Can't See -- Apples In Stereo
The Bogus Man -- Roxy Music
Him -- Lily Allen
Clock Strikes Ten -- Cheap Trick
Life With You -- The Proclaimers
Suit Of Lights -- Elvis Costello

The Clash

Joe and the boys in NYC in October of '82 at the height of their reign as the Only Band That Mattered. Everything was different then, kids...

It was Twenty years ago today...

Today we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the marriage of myself and the lovely and talented Georgene!

We met in '89, and then got married in April 0f 1990 at Chicago City Hall which is the same building where they have that great chase scene in Harrison Ford's The Fugitive during the St. Pats parade.

We went on a Saturday morning after our usual ritual watching of Pee Wee's Playhouse at 9:00. This made us a little later that we would have liked and there were three judges working that day. The waiting room was filled with every kind of human condition imaginable from entire extended Polish families to pregnant Mexican brides in micro mini white dresses...and us. It was like a scene out of Night Court.

The office closed at noon on Saturday and we were becoming increasingly nervous as the morning wore on and we waited for our name to be called. Finally, I asked a security guard exactly what occurred if we were to not get married by one of the judges before the noon closing. He told me in a rather hilarious and sneering manner that, "Everybody gets put into one big room and da judge marries you all at once...Moonie style". Just as I was explaining this to a somewhat crestfallen blonde, they called our name and we happily avoided a mass nuptial.

We then proceeded to head off with our witness, Mr. Paul Roeder, and got drunk at brunch.

Anyhoo, congratulations to me and the missus. She is, without a fraction of doubt, the best thing that ever has happened to me. May we have many more such happy days filled with joy, love and laughter...

Billmon

The OG of bloggers throws down some rhymes about the modern day G.O.P. over at the Great Orange Satan and their ever burgeoning resemblance to The Ministry of Truth.

Joe Goebbels would be proud, Karl.

(Hat tip to the Redman)

4/20

Have a swell 4/20 everybody. Legalize it....

Friday Random Ten (Thursday Night Edition)

I won't have time to do this in the morning so I'll post it now...
Natural Disaster - Andrew Bird
No Reason -- Nick Lowe
Daddy-O -- Fleshtones
Vibrate -- Outkast
The Car Song -- The Cat Empire
The Owl-- Jihad Jerry and The Evildoers
Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold -- Steve Earle
Pure Love -- Colin Hay
Death Trip -- The Stooges
Neighborhood #4 -- Arcade Fire

Everything fades but the memories

This blog has quickly become the "toast" of NYC due to Lance Mannion's and James Wolcott's linkages so I'll add my log to the fire.

Great little story about being polite to others and À la recherche du temps perdu. Sweet.

High Gloss Finnish

I want to go to there.

Seriously, can anyone out there reading this convince me that things don't suck balls here in Walmart-handgun-sylvania when you compare us to a country like Finland?

Really. Watch the video.

Game 82

The Cavaliers regular season ends tonight. The playoffs start this weekend. They've effectively rested LeBron these last two weeks and hoping it pays off throughout the Finals.

Me too.

People associate on a very emotional level regionally with their sports teams. Manchester United, Green Bay Packers, Montreal Canadiens...these are just a few of the sports franchises that come to mind.

The 2010 Cleveland Cavaliers are special. Being from this area originally and then living in bigger and more successful sports markets has given me an appreciation of what a series of World Championships can do for a Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Let's hope NE Ohio gets a break this time and wins the whole meal deal this NBA season. We could make good use of the positive mojo that would do wonders to lift the spirits of the proletariat.

Tax Day

It's almost the 15th of April. One person making sense of it all is the mayor of Binghamton, NY.

Primary Election

The Primary is fast approaching on May 4th and national attention has once again turned to Ohio politics.

Personally, I like Jennifer Brunner, but I already voted for Lee Fisher via my absentee ballot last week because I feel he has a better chance of beating Rob Portman in the Fall.

Rob Portman is a tool. The Ohio GOP will do their level best to distance Portman from the Shrub, but trust me, a vote for him is a vote for the speedy return to GW Bush economics. And that failed approach just worked out splendidly, huh?

Pale Blue Dot

My pal, Noland in Portland, put this up on his Facebook page so credit all around to him for this find. It is an accompanying piece to Carl Sagan's Cosmos series.

Like it or not, we're all in this together folks.

Drivin' that train...

Save the scant mention of the MTA in NYC, all of the other top ranked subway systems mentioned in this HuffPost slideshow are outside of these United States.

What a pitiful place we live in.

On the other hand, we're "free" to carry handguns nearly everywhere we go so, ummm, we got that going for us...

Mr. Fish

Don't ask, don't tell.

Driving around in Jon Voight's car

Remember that Seinfeld episode where George had thought that he was the proud owner of Jon Voight's Chrysler LeBaron and had a gnawed on pencil from the glovebox as proof? He asks dentist, Tim Whatley for confirmation of the bite only to discover that this is a different John Voight, the periodontist.

At one point, Kramer actually gets bitten on the arm by the real Jon Voight. Here's Voight with Former Ar-Kanasas Gov. Mike Huckadoodle. Too bad Cosmo didn't retaliate for the bite by ripping the head off of this bat shit insane motherfucker...

Malcom McLaren

He made ugly beautiful...

The last words on Malcolm McLaren.

SNL

Tina Fey was positively brilliant last night on SNL. Its almost as if the writing matched her performance which is inconceivably rare.

Dirty Friggin' Socialists

Bob Herbert celebrates the 10th anniversary of Demos.

Here is a link to their nefarious ideas.

And so it goes...

Kurt Vonnegut passed away three years ago today.

My favorite Vonnegut quote has always been, “I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different.”

Poo Tee Weet.

His Rudeness

The Rude Pundit "weighs" in on how morbid obesity is killing our country. Either that, or perhaps, Earl Keyes has returned to earth to spread terror across Texas...

Also, via swanky, man about town, Jim Wolcott, there are two great new recently coined phrases to label these kinds of virulent pinheads.

From here forward, begin and continue to call all right wingers either Teahadists and Hatriots.

Brilliant.

Stick it to the Man

Take your mortgage and shove it up the ass of the "too big to fail" fuckers who've ruined the economy. Or something to that effect...

Malcom McLaren

One of the more exploitative promoters ever to dabble in the music business is dead at 64.

Here's a snap of Malky and the boys having tea at the height of the Pistol's reign of terror. John looks positively thrilled to be there, d'unt he?

McLaren was an oddly accomplished individual for all his folly. I'm sure that Viv Westwood was glad to go along for the ride.

(hat tip to the Rooster)

Friday Random Ten

Looking For A Kiss -- New York Dolls
International Feel -- Todd Rundgren
Squeeze Box -- The Who
Waiting For My Real Life To Begin -- Colin Hay
Retirement -- Kaiser Chiefs
Double Barrel -- Dave & Ansell Collins
Marker In The Sand -- Pearl Jam
Hat And Feet -- Fountains Of Wayne
Highwaterville -- Pere Ubu
Rhythm & Soul -- Spoon

Sarah Palin

Hey, remember when I predicted that Sarah Palin would become a Fox News contributor after she and Johnny Mac flew their plane into the mountain in the 2008 race?

Well, here's my next brilliant prognostication...

Sarah Palin will be the Republican nominee for President in 2012. Sneer and laugh as you may, she will win the nomination.

The Decemberists

I love this band. They capture many of the far flung aspects of music that I dig. They're some kind of weird hybrid of folk, what used to be considered prog rock and a Kurt Weill dirge.

Plus they tell a damn good story.

Rock music for English Majors...

Tom Engelhardt

The numbers are just mind numbing. And they say that Obamacare is going to break the back of the 'Murkan taxpayer. I respectfully disagree...

Matt Yglesias

Young whippersnapper Matt gives some of the best slant on this video which has lit up the blogs today.

This footage is EXACTLY why I oppose War. It turns normal humans into killing machines just because the "enemy" is different and subsequently subhuman to the soldier.

This footage stands a chance to become the My Lai massacre of this horribly protracted conflict in Iraq and a very big deal for the U.S. Military.

Bring. Them. Home. Now.

Don't drink the water

More truth for consumers and less lies from corporate stooges. Here's to World Water Day.

Frank Rich

As widely reported, the NYT website is going to go pay per view sometime in the near future, so I figure I may as well get my free links in to Frank Rich's columns before that fait accompli occurs.

This week's piece is a particularly good one.

Red Sox Nation

Red Sox Announce Plans To Return Fenway To Original 1912 Conditions
With Opening Day fast approaching, The Onion reports that some majors changes have been made to that dump in Beantown.

Rudie

Ya know, pound for pound, there's still hardly anyone funnier, more succinct or truthier than The Rude Pundit.

"Good" Friday Random Ten

On The Night My Love Broke Through -- Cold War Kids
When I Write The Book -- Nick Lowe
Watermelon Man -- Baba Brooks Band
Twelve Thirty -- The Mamas & The Papas
A Legal Matter -- The Who
Ruby Room -- Foxboro Hot Tubs
Time Has Come Today -- Steve Earle
City Of Tiny Lights -- Frank Zappa
Rocket From A Bottle -- XTC
Only The Lonely -- Roy Orbison

Bonus, it's only 7 in the morning and already 66 degrees, cut:

River of Babylon -- Melodians

And BTW, if anyone has a few hundred extra bucks layin' about, I have a really groovy idea as to what to do with it...

And one last thing, seeing that it's Good Friday, here's a shout out to all of you believers in the Christ story. As for me, I'll take science and reason over all of that fantasy lit stuff. Or as Tom Waits would say, "Get down off the Cross, we could use the wood"...