( 11:36 PM )
Alive
Geez - has it really been 2 months since the last post? I wasn't intentionally taking a break, but on the other hand....
Anyway - just checking in. And in the process of checking in, I thought I would title this post "Hello, I Love You" since it's been a while. But then I thought, Pearl Jam's "Alive" would be better. So I went to look up the lyrics on their website and found an almost obnoxiously completist site that goes so far as to list the number of times the band has played the song live. It even documents the last time the band played the song. And to my further surprise, five nights ago, PJ played it at Irving Plaza - a venue right next door to where I work. I had no idea they were playing there, but it's probably because I was in Los Angeles at the time. Just thought you needed to know that.
So I'm hoping to get back in the blog groove because I might be pseudo auditioning to blog at another, slightly more popular site. We'll see how it goes and then I'll spill the beans. I know you're all just dying to know.
Peace out.
Is something wrong, she said
Well of course there is
You're still alive, she said
Oh, and do I deserve to be
Is that the question
And if so...if so...who answers...who answers...
I, oh, I'm still alive
Hey I, oh, I'm still alive
Hey I, but, I'm still alive
Yeah I, ooh, I'm still alive
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
--Pearl Jam
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55 comments
( 10:02 PM )
In The Waiting Line
Random ramblings....
Alan Simpson just got upset with Sen. Barbara Boxer on Larry King Live (I'm a publicist damn it. I suffer for my art!) for talking about Californian soldiers who died in Iraq. What Al? We can't even TALK about the people who've died there? I guess if we don't discuss them, then nobody will notice that we're still sending them there to die for no good reason.
Marc Cooper reminds me it's not cool to cheer for the Cuban team in the World Baseball Classic. To be honest though, I was hoping the Cuban team would win because they don't have any MLB players on their roster, not because of Castro or communism or anything.
Since I'm basically the shop steward at my office and a constant critic of big corporate whores, I was following the recent NFL negotiations closely. And I'm psyched that the players got the better end of the deal, netting 59.5% of the revenue sharing when the owners were offering 54% (the players were asking for 60%). Of course there were other factors involved, but that's what I call a negotiation!
Lastly - once again I've been influenced by TV to buy some music. This time it was something I heard in an HBO comp ad for all of their generally great series. The music was this dreamy, mellow groove with a female vocal. I heard it 2 weeks ago, went to HBO's site and couldn't find anything about it and then moved on. But I heard it again over the weekend and listened closely to the lyrics - "do you believe in what you see." I typed the lyrics into the Goog and out came Zero 7. Yes - I am a sucker for audio suggestion and I'm not proud of it. But my ear knows what it likes and I liked this piece of electronica immediately. Check out the vid for "In The Waiting Line" that MTV probably never played here.
Nine to five
Living lies
Everyday
Stealing time
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can
Everyone's taking everything they can
Everything they can
Woooohh
Do you believe
In what you feel
--Zero 7
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1 comments
( 10:29 PM )
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
You know, when one of your favorite things to blog about is politics and you decide that you probably shouldn't blog about politics anymore because so many other people do it better than you, then it takes away part of your reason to blog. But for some unknown reason, I've been stubborn about continuing my postings here and I'm beginning the realize that it really doesn't matter that other people do it "better" than I do. So as I've said a few times before, if you're looking for political insight, you should probably find a "real" information source. But on the other hand, you could do a lot worse than me.
For instance, I've been on the impeachment bandwagon since February 2004. It turns out, it really wasn't as outrageous a thought as it may have seemed. First, Bob Fertik and David Swanson formed ImpeachPac.org to get the proceedings started, then Rep. John Conyers gave the bandwagon a good kick from behind. Next, The Nation saw the necessity of removing the criminal who runs the country from office, and then other media outlets - like Harpers, the Wall Street Journal, Alternet and the Progressive - echoed or reported on that sentiment. Cities in Vermont, Minnesota and San Francisco have passed resoultions demanding a return to the rules of law set forth in the Constitution. Remember how book stores were flooded with anti-Bush books a couple of years ago? Look for the same flood to come this summer with numerous books about impeachment (starting with the Center for Constitutional Rights). And now even a US Senator, Russ Feingold, has taken the timid baby step of calling for the censure of Bush even though Feiny admits Bush's crimes are "in the strike zone" for impeachment (listen, most of the Democrats are big pussies who are more concerned with the political fallout than the principles of law. So it's a huge step.).
All of which got me to thinking. Am I a pundit pioneer? Well, no. I was just hoping/dreaming and got the reasons for throwing the bum out kinda wrong (yeah, yeah - torture, spying, lying to Congress are good reasons, but my favorite is still for failure to uphold his oath of office because he's a complete failure/incompetent/nincompoop - see the execution of the Iraq war or the Hurricane Katrina debacle). It's a slow ride down the impeachment trail, but the best and most important journeys start not with a quick arrival to the end, but with one small step.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond who's rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And it's all over now, Baby Blue.
--Bob Dylan
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0 comments
( 12:38 PM )
Pandora's Box
My favorite website for the past week has been Pandora.com. It's more or less a streaming music site that lets you tell it what songs and artists you like to listen to, then it plays those songs and recommends similar music. The catch is the recommendations are not based on the genre of music you're into, but on the sonic qualities that you seem to like. So liking the Replacements "Nightclub Jitters" might segue into some Miles Davis, or my telling Pandora that I like Concrete Blonde resulted in Pandora playing Orchards & Vines "In The Darkness" because "this track features electric rock instrumentation, acoustic and rock instrumentation, electric rhythem guitars" female vocals and other similarites identified in their "music genome project"". Check it out if you have some time and want to try to discover something you haven't heard. (One note though - don't skip too many songs because their license only allows them to play a limited number of songs an hour. So too many skips will force you to listen to all of the bad stuff that sometimes comes up.)
Sweet Pandora
Good-like aura
Smell like a flora
Open up your door-a for me
--Aerosmith
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1 comments
( 7:42 PM )
Put Out The Fire
I used to consider myself an optimist. If you put that proverbial glass in front of me and filled it halfway with water, I would have said it was half full. But working at a magazine of critical opinion has changed that in two different ways. The first being that there are so many bad things happening here and around the world that my naiveté meter can no longer pretend it’s all good. So I can see that I’m becoming more of a pessimist, but I don’t want to be and I keep fighting against it.
The second is the way I think about things. If presented with the half full/half empty analogy, my magazine would have inspired me to ask some serious questions. Such as why was it only halfway filled up? Who filled it? Did they have more to give or were they skimming a little off the top for themselves? What is it filled with, bottled water, tap water, spit, a clear alcohol? Why was it poured into a glass instead of a cup? And if it’s exactly half full, is the half full/half empty question the right one to ask since both answers would be correct? Way too much thinking going on there, but I do like the approach.
So it was a little inspiring when I recently heard Harry Belafonte recount a story from his days of working with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Belafonte said Dr. King had doubts about the work he was doing because America was in such disarray. And one night, just before King was murdered, he told Belafonte he was worried that trying to integrate black people into white American society may be a bad move because “we’re integrating into a burning house.” Belafonte said they thought about that for a while and asked what should they do about it? King replied, “we must learn to become better firemen.”
And I needed to hear that – to remember the fight will always be on and you have to keep improving. Because even though President W seems to think the Constitution is his personal rolling paper to smoke, I’m going to join the NYFD so I can put his little fire out. Yeah boyee!
Put out the fire put out the fire put out the fire
You need a weapon like a hole in the head
Put out the fire put out the fire baby put out the fire
And let your sons and daughters sleep sound in their beds
--Queen
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0 comments
( 7:04 PM )
Gentle On My Mind
Random ramblings for a Friday...
1) Let's see if I've got this straight. The Dick says it's ok to leak - classified info that is. Bush came, got scrubbed and went. Brown went yellow and finked on his old crony crew. And - well I don't have an "and." I was hoping to put a good joke together, but I'm tired and want to take a nap before I go out. So read on and realize we're still getting screwed.
2) This is the absolute best take on the Super Bowl that I've read anywhere (and trust me, I've been soaking up the moment and the media A LOT. In fact, I just finished watching HBO's Inside the NFL for the 2nd time.).
3) Every semester our interns seem to get cuter and cuter. Is there something in the water or am I just a dirty old man?
4) What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to buy season tickets to the Yankees? Two tix to 46 games split between 2 people. That might be a bit much even for me.
5) I've been meaning to start a blogroll here (or somewhere) so I could give a shoutout to a couple of friends. But I've been meaning to do that for some time now. So I'll take this occasion to highly recommend reading Hambric's Curve and listening to some of the tripped out electronic dub reggae on Mel Gray's ACEtone Studio site.
6) Here's hoping it doesn't snow so I can cure my soon-to-come hangerover by sleeping late tomorrow and then motivate to leave some food for old Aunt Ethel on Sunday.
Cheers.
It's not clingin' to the rocks and ivy
Planted on their columns now that bind me
Or something that somebody said because
They thought we fit together walkin'
It's just knowing that the world
Will not be cursing or forgiving
When I walk along some railroad track and find
That you're movin' on the back roads
By the rivers of my memory
And for hours you're just gentle on my mind
--Glen Campbell
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( 5:19 PM )
We Are The Champions
So the big game is over and I'm still sitting here with a big smile on my face. After the Buckeyes won the national championship way back in 2002, I let out a huge scream (partly because it went to overtime and to say I was tense would be an understatement). But after the Steelers won, I just sat there with a grin soaking the moment in.
Before I take a quick look at my generally wrong predictions, I'd like to clear the officiating issue up right away. The refs DID NOT hand the game to Pittsburgh. They certainly did make some bad calls (like the holding call and Hasselbeck's tackling penalty), but they also made some good ones like the offensive interference call. If you watch it again, you'll see that when the WR pushed off on the defender, the defender goes backwards. It was a clear push that took Chris Hope out of the play and it was absolutely the right call. Roethlisberger's TD? We'll never know because you can't really see the ball. But don't forget it goes both ways. Jeramy Stevens caught a pass, put both feet on the ground (and made the elusive "football move") and fumbled. It was called an incomplete pass.
Outside of that, my picks were off base. Though items 1, 2 (iffy), 4 (ok, Willie wasn't the MVP but he definitely had the most valuable play of the game), 5, and arguably 7 were right (in general), the other half were not. Big Ben stunk up the game so bad that I'm worried his poor play will get in his head the next time he gets back (which should be Feb. 2007!). The cornerbacks weren't really factors, the turnover theory didn't work out (although it's only the 3rd time in Super Bowl history it didn't pan out), and the Hollywood script played out to a Hollywood ending.
No, it wasn't pretty and it was mostly defensive in nature. But the mother krunkin' Pittsburgh Steelers are the football champs of the world and I for one am happy as hell about it.
I've paid my dues -
Time after time -
I've done my sentence
But committed no crime -
And bad mistakes
I've made a few
I've had my share of sand kicked in my face -
But I've come through
We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end -
We are the champions -
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world.
--Queen
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2 comments
( 12:42 PM )
He Who Picks A Rose
Alright - it's time for the hype to end (although I have to admit, I've enjoyed reading and watching the Steelers get analyzed to death) and to get down to business for some Super Bowl XL (extra large) prognostications. Here are 10 thoughts that won't shame me come Monday morning.
1) Steelers OLB Joey Porter is a loud-mouth idiot. In the past he's been thrown out of games before they even started for mouthing off, and it's likely his big trap got him shot before the season began a couple of years ago. I expect Seattle to dominate him all day long.
2) Although the Steelers were the 5th best running team in the NFL during the regular season, they haven't been consistent with it all year long - and especially in the playoffs. I would expect them to pound the ball early to take some pressure off Roethlisberger. If it works, Seattle will be in for a very long day.
3) Now this prediction doesn't make sense with my final one, but we humans just aren't consistent. So my "wild-card" guess is that Big Ben is going to lead a 4th quarter comeback to get the victory for the Steelers and to start writing a new chapter in what should be a legendary career.
4) Willie Parker will be the XL MVP.
5) None of this is to say the Seahawks will not play well. Expect Shaun Alexander to run for 100 yards - a rarity against the Steelers - and for Hasselbeck to have a good game.
6) The biggest question for the Steelers is whether the cornerbacks will play well. They get very little respect, and I tend to think they're good - and will eventually be great (one of the starters is only in his 2nd or 3rd year). The S'hawks have excellent receivers and it will be a challenge to keep up with them.
7) Halftime and the commercials will generally suck. I love the Stones, but can't we all agree they're a little tired and we should all move on. Actually, what we need to do is scrap the halftime show all together. All year long teams have a 15 minute break. Then when the Super Bowl comes around, halftime is 30 minutes + long and it has to be a distraction from playing football.
8) Since the 2 teams are so equal, many people have trotted out the old "it's up to the special teams" guess. I'd like to discount that, but the Steelers' Randle-El and Seahawks' Peter Warrick are threats to break a big one, so they really could swing the game.
9) I hate to get into cliches, but the line I've been throwing all week is the team with the fewest turnovers will win. It's a consistent stat in football and it's a pretty common sense theory - don't make mistakes, succeed at the task.
10) The script for this game is totally in favor of Seattle. They really don't get much respect. They truly do have great football players. And they're led by one of the best coaches in football. The Steeler script is a bit to romantic/Hollywood-ish. Hall of Fame back plays potential last game in his hometown. Near rookie QB goes from championship game to Super game in 2nd season. Coach who missed the playoffs 3 consecutive seasons gets rewarded with a new contract and repeatedly says all he wants to do is give the Lombardi trophy to the loyal owner. That's a bit fairytale-ish for me and it scares me. But as I noted before, I practically bleed black and gold and I'm certainly not copping out now. So the final score? Well, as I said earlier, this goes against basically everything I've written above, but the score I see on the board at the end says Steelers 28, Seahawks 17.
Go Steelers!
--Temptations
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0 comments
( 10:55 PM )
(Song title pending - got a suggestion?)
I was born in Cleveland, Ohio and trained by my parents to be a Browns fan. At the time, the team was coming off of winning seasons and even an NFL Championship. However, since I've been on planet Earth, I've suffered through the Browns' countless losing seasons by putting posters of Jim Brown, Leroy Kelly and Jim Nelson(?) on the walls of the room I shared with my brother. Somewhere down the line, God saved me from the punishment of being a Browns fan.
I wish I could remember when I saw the light, but I can't remember exactly when it was. My mom thinks it was early on because my best friend's father in Cleveland played for the Steelers. But I was 5 and knew better than to cause any trouble that would prevent me from getting fed. The light may have shone down the day of the Immaculate Reception because I remember rooting for the Raiders in that game, and being upset that the Raiders were going to lose because Franco Harris caught the ball. I have no idea why I was rooting for Oakland in that game, but the play was cool enough that I had to change sides. But I'm not sure that play caused me to give up on the Browns either.
So I think it happened when my parents got my brother and I an electronic football game. Im pretty sure we both fought over who would get the Browns, and somehow he "won" and I got the other team. At some point after that, we ordered our own teams and I got the Steelers and the rest is history.
And then by the time of the 1974 Super Bowl I made my first ever bet with my brother, believing that the Steelers would mash the Vikings. I was right and my brother had to make my bed for a week (yes, I was a big spending risk taker from the git-go).
Frankly, I was too young to appreciate and really remember how much fun it was to win those 4 Super Bowls back in the '70s. I know my family was always rooting against me, but I always ended up gloating. Then 10 years ago, I was primed and ready when the "Stillers" faced the Cowboys. I was working at Columbia Records at the time, and they had an artist lounge that was decked out with a big screen Sony TV, various video games, large, comfy lounge chairs and a fridge - the perfect place for a Stupor Bowl party. My pal Monica Hooks and another friend brought beverages and kicked back for a good game. Cowhers's call for an onside kick in the 2nd half remains one of my all-time favorite play calls, because it succeeded and totally changed the momentum of the game. Then Neil O'Donnell threw it all away. Literally.
So I'm back on the precipice again. A win and 26 consecutive years of sad endings to football seasons will come to a close. A loss and it's back to reading sports columnists make up bullshit about Cowher not being able to win the big one. Hopefully my convuluted history of Steeler support will not go for naught in the aughts.
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2 comments
( 11:51 PM )
Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except Me And My Monkey
How doth thy New York Times sucketh? Let thine count thee ways.
First, the Times resorts to borrowing ideas from the magazine I work at. But now they've gone entirely too freakin' far. In this article here that you will only be able to read until January 29, 2006 or so because the Times are such money sucking scoundrels that they only let their articles live for a week on the web, you'll find that Ben Sissy or something reads my blog. It's obvious because he stole my premise of reviewing Love Monkey through the prism of a real music biz A&R guy. Not only does he pilfer my premise, but he reaches many of the same conclusions (albeit in a far less entertaining manner). I'd sue him, but but so many eyes peruse this here blog that it would be hard to prove a friend didn't give him the idea after reading my last post. Bastards. The Times also stole 2Walls patented "live time" reviews when they responded to Georgie Poohs SOTU speech last year (look it up yourself, we've been doing it for years here at the two tee double you 'alls).
Next - this really isn't worth mentioning, but I just saw DL Hughley walking into the Royalton Hotel as I was walking out. I alsmot slammed the door into him and his lady, but apologized when I recognized him. However, the reason I bring it up here is because the last time I saw a celebrity walking into the Royalton as I was walking out was Stevie Wonder. After telling a friend that, he smartly replied, "Did he see you?" So I thought it was worth mentioning for that bad joke.
What was a schmuck like me doing at the high-fallutin' Royalton? Hanging with CAA agent/wiz Brett Steinberg. Brett (aka Bucky) comes to NYC every January for a convention and somehow I got lucky as we stumbled into the habit of having a very good steak dinner each year. This time we visited the Palm and both of us think it was one of the best steaks we've ever had. Ummmm, red meat.
Also - went to Chicago last week and had a very good time with my top boss and co-workers. I really love Chicago and the place resonated enough within me to remind me that it's one of the few other places in America where I could live.
Lastly - in case you missed it, the freakin' Pittsburgh Steelers won the AFC Championship game. I'm happy about it, but not out-of-my-mind excited. In fact, if you had been with me you would have thought I was rather non-plused about the whole affair. And I think that's true. I've ALWAYS wondered why teams say their goal is to reach the Super Bowl. Fuck that. The goal should be to win the Super Bowl because as Coach Cowher said, "No one remembers the team that loses the Super Bowl." So obviously my favorite moment was when you could see Cowher mouthing the words to Steelers owner Dan Rooney "one more." One more indeed. Then I'll be dancing on the ceiling and running naked in the streets.
The deeper you go the higher you fly
The higher you fly the deeper you go
So come on come on
Come on is such a joy
Come on is such a joy
Come on make it easy
Come on make it easy.
Take it easy take it easy
Everybody's got something to hide except for me and
my monkey.
--The Beatles
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1 comments
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