Soup To Nuts
March 1, 2005
Column by Alexander Washburn

The Phantom Menace

Former Vermont Governor and Newsweek Nominee Howard Dean had to give a better performance than Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby in order to make the Democratic Party establishment believe that he is the sure bet to steer the rudderless party. Dean being nominated for DNC Chairman was an idea floated at a cocktail party somewhere on the Upper West Side or Bel Air that somehow got out of hand.

The reason Dean sits poised as DNC chair is that people remember him for his 2004 grassroots organization and fundraising ability. The Jackass Party wants nothing more than for Dean to repeat those feats in 2005 and beyond. First off, the Democrats are going to raise money, it doesn’t matter who DNC chair is. As for his grassroots organization – it didn’t quite step up during what Michael Jordan use to call “winning time.” Despite the countless stories of armies of Dean volunteers scouring the streets of early primary and caucus states, on Election Night, you didn’t see any balloons falling down on Dean’s head.

If his low-on-results political skills don’t scare you, then perhaps Dean’s real record in Vermont will. Yes, the Jackass Party is now being lead by a man with a 100% rating from the NRA. Lets take that message ring out in Watts and East St. Louis. Or lets head to Eugene, Oregon and talk about Dean selling out the environment to developers.

From every angle, it seems that with Dean, Democrats are getting more than they bargained for.

Lipstick, Cherry All Over

While New Yorkers amazed at the unveiling of The Gates this month, down here in South Florida, we amazed at the unveiling of Duran Duran's first full line-up tour in XXX years. It was lost on me why Double Duran opted for the Office Depot Center in Sunrise. That is, until Simon Le Bon announced his mother was in attendance. No doubt, Mrs. Le Bon is among the crew of snowbirds that make driving in Broward County a terrifying experience.

The crowd maintained its excitement even though the band kicked off the show with three songs off the new album. Not a sole in the audience had heard it, nor did they want to hear it. What they wanted to hear was the show's fourth song, "Hungry Like the Wolf." And there it went. When the band launched into MTV hits like "Say a Prayer," "The Reflex," "Girls on Film" and "Ordinary World," the singing along from the 30-something crowd made it feel as if you were in the world's largest karaoke bar.

You had to be blind not to see all the press Bright Eyes has received this month. GQ, Esquire and Paste, all did spreads on I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn the two new releases Bright Eyes dropped this month. Even Ft. Lauderdale's lame alternative newspaper City Link put Bright Eyes lead singer and songwriter Conor Oberst on a recent cover.

I'm Wide Awake… is perfect. Poignant, powerful and a damn good New York City record, as heard on "Lua" where a solo Oberst sings such poetry as: “I know that it is freezing but I think we have to walk. I keep waving at the taxis they keep turning their lights off. But Julie knows a party at some actors west side loft. Supplies are endless in the evening by the morning they’ll be gone.” Some say its folk, a throwback to the 60’s and Oberst has been woefully compared to Bob Dylan in most press reports. That’s just laziness on the part of many a writer. With these two releases, Bright Eyes has redefined popular music. They have paved their own trail and in the process will introduce a generation of fans accustom to weak beats and even weaker lyrics, the true joys of what great music is.

The iPod Punch List

Bright Eyes was a lock to be deemed the elusive iPod worthy category. In addition, to seven tracks from I’m Wide Awake, also making the iPod cut this month are: "Some Rainy Sunday" and "Dirty Dog" from Juliana Hatfield’s new record In Exile Deo; "Girl Inform Me" and "Pressed in a Book" by The Shins; "Careful Who You Idolize" by Johnny Vidacovich, George Porter Jr., and June Yamagishi; "Everyday I Have the Blues" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells and; "Lynch Blues" and "Congo Square Rag" from the Corey Harris record Greens from the Garden.

(Alexander Washburn is a volunteer staff writer for 2Walls and mourns the passing of B-3 Organ Legend Jimmy Smith.)