Secret Service Part III

Part II is here and Part I is here.

Moving away a little bit from the original topic, to just John McCain in general, in the eyes liberals it is a case of "what could have been." In 2000, he was a Republican that we could almost feel comfortable with. In 2004, he was possibly our Vice Presidential candidate for a second or two. And then he went and did this:


His endorsement of President Bush after what his campaign did to him in South Carolina in 2000 is one of those moments that forever changed our attitudes toward him. It's a matter of self dignity. And for McCain it was a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" moment. He would have to sacrifice some independent votes but through his support of Bush he would be the heir apparent and hell, maybe even pick up Bush's endorsement. And that's the way it played out at first in terms of the conventional wisdom of the Chris Matthews of the world about McCain in early 2007...but then they actually got around to asking what Republican voters were looking for...it hasn't been McCain but there is time for things to change...and it might start tomorrow with the endorsement from 9/11 Commission Chairperson Tom Kean.

Embrace -- Nature's Law
Embrace -- Sainted
Both tracks are from the This New Day album.

Secret Service, Part II

Blugold Matt,

I don't think McCain's stance comes from a desire to project a false machismo. To whatever extent he has changed his positions, he has never changed his fundamental persona. He had the same position in 2000, as evidenced by him turning it down after winning New Hampshire. And I think he understands the extent to which we value stable leadership. I think it comes from a fatalism that is acquired after spending 6 years in a prisoner of war camp.

Serious presidential candidates have come to grips with the idea that their public profile is raised to such a point that they can be killed anywhere at anytime. The Secret Service is the best trained and best equipped security team in the history of the world. But they couldn't stop Oswald (or whatever hair-brained conspiracy you can conjure up) from killing Kennedy in Dallas. They couldn't stop Hinckley from shooting Reagan. A determined assassin, who is either very prepared or very lucky, can kill a candidate or president and there is nothing we can do to stop it.

Being a prisoner of war, where your fate is entirely in the hands of your captors and you have that same powerlessness, likely fuels McCain's view on this matter. It gives him a fatalism about being able to prevent a determined man from ending his life. I'm sure that McCain will still have the Secret Service investigate any threats and provide protection for his family -- President McCain's* daughter would have some new friends at school -- but how does having a massive security detail of 50 SUVs prevent the protectee from getting killed? The article makes clear that he isn't waving off all protections. He is just saying that it is overkill and that all the protections in the world don't protect you from a sniper. I think it is an interesting view.

CS

* -- I just like typing President John McCain. It sounds so much better than President Hillary Clinton or President Rudolph Guiliani.

Beach Boys -- Heroes and Villains

The Clash -- Living in Fame

Chuck Norris & Mike Huckabee

Not much more needs to be added to this video:



Chuck Berry -- Johnny B. Goode
From The Definitive Collection.

Mike Patton -- Six Pack (Blag Flag Cover)
From the Rise Above: 24 Blag Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three compilation.

Secret Service

I know I am blogging on dangerous ground as fellow contributor CS is a supporter of John McCain but I can't pretend that this article from the Washington Post's campaign blog "The Trail" is a good idea. Here is a segment of the article:

"It's my intention, if we win this nomination, to reject Secret Service," he said during one of his many conversations with reporters on his Straight Talk Express this weekend. "Why do I need it?"

He adds: "The day that the Secret Service can assure me that if we're driving in the motorcade and there's a guy in a rooftop with a rifle, that they can stop that guy, then I'll say fine. But the day they tell me, 'well, we can't guarantee it,' then fine, I'll take my chances."

McCain rejected Secret Service protection in 2000, after winning the New Hampshire primary. But he wants to go further, rejecting the massive security apparatus should he become president.

"It's the inconvenience," McCain said. "It's the inconvenience it causes people. It's a waste of the taxpayers money. It's just everything I don't like."

Now I'm not sure how much this is McCain trying to be a Republican tough guy and giving a little "bring it on" to potential assassins versus just being incredibly naive about how important a stable leadership is to a democratically elected government of any state, let alone the United States. It's a surprisingly stupid position to have and it makes me seriously doubt his ability to assess threats and dangers that may not be so "clear and present."

Any thoughts CS?

Guided By Voices -- Secret Stars (Live)
From the Live From Austin, Texas double live CD.

Feist -- Secret Heart
From the Let It Die album.

Dancing

This video has been viewed over 65 million times and I had never heard of it before until I tried to find something possibly relating to this Killers song that I love. What does that say about me? And, more importantly, where are all my friends forwarding me these pop-culturally important moments?



The Killers -- Where the White Boys Dance
From the Sawdust album.

Piano Driven

In brief, Sean Jackson is new to me and I really like this single a lot.

Sean Jackson -- Angel Snow

From the album For You.

Sky Blue Sky Bonus EP

If you bought Sky Blue Sky don't forget to get your free bonus EP that Wilco are giving away currently. Here are all the details and directions on how to get it...

Wilco -- Just a Kid
From the SpongeBob Squarepants Movie Soundtrack.

Weezer News

Let's do the Weezer news rundown:

1. Lead singer Rivers Cuomo will be releasing a collection of demos dating from 1992-2007 on December 18th which will make a nice Christmas gift for myself...

2. Album #6 will be ready to roll in April 2008...which will make a nice birthday gift for myself.

Weezer -- I Do (Hash Pipe B-Side)

9-1

As Brett Favre (age: 38) battled Vinny Testaverde (age: 44) today it was a match up for the record books as two quarterbacks this close to collecting social security had never met before...The miracle season continued as the Packers wiped the floor with the Panthers...

Up next for Boys in Green, the Lions on Thanksgiving Day...a win would essentially lock up the division title.

And one more thing...yes, that is the typical size of the lunch that kids in Wisconsin eat.

Damien Rice -- 9 Crimes

From the 9 album.

The Polyphonic Spree -- Section 9

From The Beginning Stages Of... album.

Nine Black Alps -- Attraction

From the Nine Black Alps EP.

Neil McCarthur (Colin Blunstone of The Zombies) -- Twelve Twenty Nine

From the Into the Afterlife album.

No Recess

This week while I am eating turkey, watching the Packers crush the Lions, and preparing for my 5am shopping spree at Best Buy on Friday, the US Senate will still be in session…well sort of…nobody will be there passing bills and raising taxes but they will be “in session” so President Bush cannot use his recess appointment powers…These are some tactics that any parliamentarian would love.

Nirvana – School (Live)
From the From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah album.

Here is a photo of the muddy banks of the Wishkah River that I took in Aberdeen, Washington (Kurt Cobain's hometown)...the bridge in the photo is the bridge made famous in "Something In The Way."

Moving On Up....to Face Bethel

The mighty Blugolds of UW-Eau Claire moved on today with a 24-20 victory over St. Norbert in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The last time the Blugolds were in the DIII playoffs was in 1998; I was a lowly freshman at UWEC and Blugold Matt was a sophomore. Those Blugolds were Cardiac Kids, edging past Central and St. John's before falling in the national semifinals. Here's hoping this year's edition can keep going with a win over Bethel next Saturday.

Dropkick Murphys -- The Gauntlet

Queen -- Play The Game

I Want My MTV -- For Free

In the ever-fluctuating music industry, I am probably safe in making the following two predictions:

1. In 10 years, people will still listen to music.
2. The chief methods of delivering that music will look much different in 2017 than in 2007.

The current methods favored by the music industry, which would be an almost pre-internet delivery using CDs, cannot sustain itself. Even as the RIAA tries to crack down, it can only nab a few thousand people out of the millions who illegally share music. No one ever believes they will get busted and statistically speaking, it is highly unlikely that they ever will. While a small percentage of people might be influenced not to pirate music because of the threat of being sued, most people fall into the two traditional camps: "It's stealing" v. "Who cares? The labels and artists make enough money as it is." We've heard the arguments before, there is no need to rehash them.

SMALL TANGENT: I don't truly fall into either category. While I will admit to having pirated some music, I generally don't because I don't trust most music available via download programs. There are enough Trojan horse viruses lurking in MP3s that are put out there on LimeWire, BitTorrent, etc., that it is safer to get the music through trusted sources. I suppose it can make me feel virtuous, but if there was a program that gave me absolute certainty that the files were safe and of a high-quality, I can't say that I wouldn't regularly use it. END SMALL TANGENT

The music industry can continue to use a kids' sandbox bucket to clean up a raging flood or it can adapt. The situation is probably most analogous to the dotcom bubble. For all of the hype of different programs and methods, the music industry is still sorting out what works and what doesn't. The Radiohead "In Rainbows" experiment is a perfect example. If the new listeners and buzz about the album gets it increased radio play and brings more people to the concerts and helps pad the bottom line, you will see other groups dipping their toes in the water and following suit. But it is going to take continued trial and error to find a new method of delivery that recognizes that many music consumers aren't willing to pay for music anymore -- at least not the type of music they can store on their computer. Personally, I think the future will lie in giving away most music and utilizing some current forms of delivery into a hybrid system where the free stuff is a loss-leader. An artist/label will give away the music online, but the CD version might have some terrific liner notes and an extra track or two that isn't given away online. You use the free music as a way of promoting a concert tour, etc. This much is clear: instead of fighting the uphill battle to make consumers pay for digital music, the industry will need to recognize that it is not going away and use it to its advantage.

This story in the Wall Street Journal about the new music blog Rcrd Lbl (pronounced Record Label) illustrates how some artists/labels are doing just that.

Old Negro Space Program

If you haven't seen this video yet, you need to take 10 minutes out of your day and enjoy.

NSFW: Language.

What Would Potter Stewart Say About The Seeger Sessions?

"Rob, top five musical crimes perpetuated by Stevie Wonder in the '80s and '90s. Go. Sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins...is it better to burn out or fade away?"

Because I only dabble in music, I am woefully behind the times. I am sure that I am going to talk about albums and music and issues that the real music blogosphere probably hashed out long ago. My options are to shut up and let it be or I can talk about it anyways. I pick Option 2, because Option 1 would mean that I have virtually nothing to contribute to the blog except Muppets videos.

At what point does an artist get critical leeway to do vanity projects? Much like Potter Stewart and hardcore porn, it is hard to define a vanity project, but you will know it when you see it. When Springsteen did the Seeger sessions, it was Exhibit A of what a vanity project is. Bruce Springsteen singing folk songs sounds like a bad SNL skit. Springsteen's voice is clearly geared toward the classic rock that made him famous -- he has no more of the twangy acoustic voice that good folk requires than he has the ability to flap his arms and fly to the moon.

But somewhere a long the way, Springsteen earned the right to record an album with one of his idols, Pete Seeger. Again, to harken back to the pornography comparison, I don't know where/when Springsteen crossed that line where he gets that free pass, but he did. (The fact that most of the music on the Seeger sessions is almost painful to listen to didn't keep it from getting critical acclaim, but that is a story for a different post).

It isn't hard to see why artists do vanity projects. When you get to the point that you are so famous that you can meet anyone you want and you can do anything you want without having to worry if you will be forced to fire your butler, it is appealing to do things that you have always wanted to do. Bonus points if you get to hang out with your heroes while doing it.

As an aside, there is nothing wrong with a vanity project that makes legitimately good music. Even if Ray Charles hadn't earned the right long ago, his Genius Loves Company album would be exempt because it was one of the best CDs in years. The Seeger Sessions, by comparison, was not good music, but Springsteen earned the right to explore those kinds of projects.

But where is that line that makes it acceptable for an artist to do a vanity project and get a free pass? I am generally not comfortable with gut instinct tests -- indeed, many young American men and women are patrolling Baghdad right now because of a gut instinct test -- so I like some test or method of determining something. It doesn't need to be a precise mathematical formula, just a list of factors. But if you started listing artists and asking if they had earned the right to do a vanity project and get that "you earned the right to do what you want seal of approval," I would only go with my gut. Elton John? Sure, he's paid his dues. Gnarls Barkley? Uh, no. Lets work on getting a second album out. Eminem? Ehhhhh.....God, that would be a tough one.

It's hard to even think of what factors would be used in this test. I can pretty much concede that if you have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you can probably get a free pass to do vanity projects -- you've done your time, you've proven yourself. I wish I could end this post with a flourish, where I wittily answer the questions I have posed. But I've got nothing. I'm thinking out loud more than anything else and if anyone can rescue me from the recesses of my mind -- a very scary place to be -- I would forever in your debt, I Dream of Jeannie-style.

Ray Charles & Van Morrison -- Crazy Love

Bruce Springsteen -- Froggie Went A Courtin

8-1

I've been having a pretty stressful week at school but every once in a while I will remember that the Packers are 8-1 and all is well in the world.

Babyshambles -- 8 Dead Boys

From the Down in Albion album.

Belle & Sebastian -- The Eighth Station of the Cross Kehab House

From the Help: A Day in the Life charity compilation.

R.E.M. -- Driver 8

From And I Feel Fine...The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 compliation.

Sunny Day Real Estate -- 8

From the self-titled "Pink album"

Alanis Morissette -- 8 Easy Steps

Fromo the So-Called Chaos album.

Frank Sinatra Lives -- and he Smells Like Teen Spirit

I begin with a word to the wise. If you want to build up your music collection on your computer and don't feel like earning the pricey wrath of the RIAA, there is a simple solution: your public library. Nearly every public library has a CD collection. Go there, check out what they have and try some different things out. It is a no-risk way to explore music. While you probably won't find new releases, it is a great way to find things you never knew existed.

Had it not been for the Monroe County Public Library, this blog post would not exist.

At first glance, the CD seemed utterly ridiculous. Insane. A practical joke. Paul Anka would take some 80s hits, set them to swing music and belt them out. He called it Rock Swings -- ugh. Hasn't Canada inflicted enough pain on us already? Smells Like Teen Spirit sung by a Frank Sinatra-wannabe. Good Lord.

If you know me, you know what happened next. I checked it out. I figured that it would be laughably, demonstrably, memorably awful and I could torture my friends by having my laptop blare the swing version of "Eye of the Tiger." Yes, I am a horrible person.

In spite of itself, it works. I can't fully explain it. Anka has an infectious style, very Sinatra-like. He knows how crazy this album is and is enjoying himself. You will play it and crank up the volume. A campy style works when the performer knows it is campy and rolls with it and has fun.

TANGENT ALERT: The A-Team was pure 1980s camp, but because it was done with a wink-and-a-nod and knew exactly what it was, so it was enjoyable. It didn't take long to get the timing of the show. The first two segments set up the problem faced by the helpless victims and the A-Team's role. We quickly saw the A-Team get into trouble and the bad guys (whether it was the crooked businessman who the A-Team was after or the U.S. Army that was chasing them) would pull the same mistake as most Bond villains and either admit their evil to the A-Team or not actually kill the A-Team, deciding to lock them up and take care of them later -- in both cases, because they thought they had the A-Team pinned. The A-Team would regroup and, in a wonderful three minute-montage, would knock everyone out and deliver the bad guys into the long arms of the law before evading those same arms. When Hannibal quipped, "I love it when a plan comes together," it was a wink-and-nod at the audience, because a plan always came together. The show wasn't enjoyable because of the plots -- we always knew that the A-Team would be victorious, come back in one piece and avoid the hapless Army pursuer (Col. Decker was always my favorite). We didn't watch for what happened, but for how it was pulled off and for the joy/familiarity of the characters -- they have a charm that makes them irresistible (they would have loved this video). Compare this kind of camp to Walker, Texas Ranger. They share the same general outline (first two segments set up the problem, third one sees heroes get into deep water, fourth segment sees heroes beat bad guys, fifth segment is the aftermath), but Walker treats the plot as paramount rather than the deus ex machina for seeing our heroes in action. Walker actually expects the audience to be in suspense about whether Walker and Trivette will live to see another day. The distinction between the two explains why the A-Team's intentional campiness is enjoyable, while the laughs that come from Walker are purely unintentional. This album is definitely more A-Team than Walker. END TANGENT.

The songs were very well selected -- they really do work in this setting. I was listening on my iPod on the way home from work and put It's My Life by Bon Jovi and then It's My Life by Paul Anka on back to back and was struck at how both work when you imagine different situations. The angry defiance of the Bon Jovi version that made it an anthem for every rebellious 80s teenager is turned into a Rat Pack style bravado. It has the same underlying "you don't control me" vibe, but the delivery makes all the difference. Imagine a teenager yelling at his parents from the top of the stairs versus Frank Sinatra telling off a broad. I keep coming back to Sinatra, but there really isn't any other comparison. The album is so filled with his cool braggadocio that if Old Blue Eyes wasn't dead, I'd suspect him of singing it and using Paul Anka as a pseudonym.

The best song on the album is his cover of Tears in Heaven. Most covers of the Clapton classic go with a spare acoustic instrumental sound. Anka keeps the swing music, but the sound works. Not all swing/jazz/big band is Dean Martin singing Ain't That a Kick in the Head. It is quite capable of slow, sad songs and this one is.....wow. The "time can bring you down" opening lines were done masterfully and the music evoked the right mixture of melancholy. If even if you never heard any of the lyrics, it would have aroused the proper emotions. You could take away the lyrics and it would work as a movie soundtrack for that sorrowful moment in the plot. Anka kept the right tone, of a mourning father who lost his son, even as his version has an obviously different sound. Had Anka not struck the perfect chord, this could have turned macabre in a hurry.

The same could be said for the entire album.

P.S. Yes, I know that I am two years behind the times on this one. That's what happens when you use the public library to build your collection. The reviews on this one were pretty mixed. You have the love it group and the hate it group. I think this one gets it pretty much right.

It's My Life -- Paul Anka

It's My Life -- Bon Jovi

Tears in Heaven -- Paul Anka

Tears in Heaven -- Eric Clapton

The Suel Forrester Concert

I suppose I should write about the concert that led to me posting here.

Amos Lee was good -- you should definitely check him out. Elvis Costello was great -- sang a great combination of old (Veronica, Allison, Peace Love and Understanding) and new (he ended with a song about a war widow who questions her government, only to be labeled a traitor). I especially enjoyed his cover of Jackie Wilson Said (the Van Morrison fan in me was thrilled).

Bob Dylan? Errrr......

The man definitely has an extra charisma in person that does necessarily come through in any other medium. The man in the black hat mystery man routine only adds to his mystique. So far, so good.

And then he started to sing.

Calling it singing isn't quite accurate. I clearly recognized Spirit on the Water and I am pretty sure that I heard Subterranean Homesick Blues. Sadly, he sang more than two songs. The rest of his songs were a bluegrass sound. His singing sounded like a low, grumbling moan. I always knew that Dylan's talent did not lie in his vocal ability, but I don't think that enunciation and differentiation is too much to ask. Remember the dismal SNL skit where Chris Kattan would play Suel Forrester, who would try to talk and express an idea, but all that came out was unintelligible gibberish? Bob Dylan was Suel Forrester set to music. His band was amazing -- I spent most of Dylan's set just listening to the music and tuning him out. My companion burst out laughing after one song. I asked why she was laughing and she said, "I just realized that this all sounds the same! Every song sounds like the song he just played." We left early.

The difference between Suel Forrester and Bob Dylan is in the reaction. In the mediocre Forrester skits -- I cannot emphasize enough how unfunny these skits were -- the other characters would respond with, "What did you say? Did you just call me a prostitute?" and were bewildered as they tried to translate his gibberish. Bob Dylan's music is treated with a reverence typically reserved for religion or the Founding Fathers. The man can barely sing, but we are somehow supposed to feel honored simply to be in his presence. We should not expect good music, but be content to enjoy a cultural experience.

In sports, there is always a never-ending debate about when a legend should hang it up. It is said that our memories should not be tainted by watching Willie Mays limp in centerfield in a Mets uniform or Michael Jordan being Earth-bound because of lousy knees in a Wizards uniform or Jerry Rice catching passes for Denver. If I asked you what you thought of when I mentioned Mays, Jordan or Rice, this, this and this are more likely what comes to mind. We remember legends for what made them famous and Dylan will always be remembered for his music during the 60s, as a symbol for the counterculture movement. His accomplishments give him the leeway to sing bluegrass music and generally be unintelligible, but I can't say that I enjoyed the experience.

Don't have any Amos Lee music available. But here is a YouTube of him singing "I've Seen It All Before" on Carson Daly. And his website.

Allison -- Elvis Costello

Subterranean Homesick Blues -- Bob Dylan (I'll give you the one song I thought I recognized)

Save the Last Dance for Doc Pomus

One of my favorite songs is "Save the Last Dance" by the Drifters. It turns out that the story behind the song is even more poignant that the song itself. From the story:

"The crowning achievement was the Drifters’ sublime “Save the Last Dance for Me.” In a story straight out of Hollywood, Pomus actually wrote the lyrics on the back of an invitation to his own wedding, remembering how it felt to watch his bride dance with his brother, knowing that he himself was unable to navigate a dance floor. “Under his pen,” Halberstadt writes, “the simple declaration of love he set out to write wavered, giving way to vulnerability and fear.”

This is a book I need to read -- Doc Pomus sounds like an incredible character. Read the whole review.

The Drifters -- Save the Last Dance For Me

The Walkmen -- Save the Last Dance For Me

Hebrew Hammer Strikes Again

As a Brewers fan who was heartbroken by the team's mid-season collapse, I can at least take some solace that the Hebrew Hammer was named the National League Rookie of the Year.

.324 batting average
34 home runs
97 RBIs
.370 on base percentage
.634 slugging

I think I am in love. Please don't break my heart, Pat Listach-style. Or Scott Podsednik-style.

G-Cel, My Time to Shine

The Worst People in the World

Read this story.

And then try to tell me why the neighbors should ever be allowed to walk the face of this Earth. Responsible parents know to be on the lookout for "To Catch a Predator" types on MySpace, Facebook, etc. Who knew that you also had to be on the lookout for manipulative neighbors?

Ugly Kid Joe, Neighbor