Politics Sucks #2

September 29, 2007 | Filed Under Main, Politics | 6 Comments

I hate these people.

It is one thing for the right-wing suck-ups to do everything they are told by this dipshit president like good little soldiers. But WORSE is watching those spineless gobs of goo who call themselves “Democrats” piss their pants every time they are asked to stand for something. Not only would NONE of those useless candidates say they would get our troops out of this half-baked “war”, but they also backed some fruity resolution to censure a newspaper ad! Come on!! No one asked to censure those “Swift Boat” assholes when they were lying about Kerry. Why do they fall for this shit?! Democrats have become the four-eyed-geeks who have “kick me” stuck to the back of their shirts all through high school. No wonder no one votes for them.

Added to iPod

September 29, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments

let’s see….

Stray singles by Foghat, The Mighty Lemon Drops and The Beastie Boys.
Frank Zappa - “apostrophe” Who you jiving with that Cosmic Debris?
The Monkees - All the best of the Monkees. They DO deserve a place in the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. If the Bee Gees can be there, then the Monkees are GOD!
Milla Jovovich - “The Divine Comedy” Most people think of Milla as their favorite, sexyist zombie killer (I have seen ALL the Resident Evil movies). But she is also a singer! Her vocals have appeared on a number of electronica albums - including Crystal Method’s great “Legion Of Boom”. This record was recorded in 1994 - when she was 19. Think of a cooler Sarah McLaughlin. The Gentleman Who Fell was the sort-of hit.

Also an “Arabic in 60 Minutes” CD for my trip next Saturday to Kuwait. You HAVE to know the basics for ANY country you visit. Even if you stumble through - the attempt means everything.

Added to iPod

September 23, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments

on to lighter material….

The Guess Who - “Greatest Hits”
Robin Lane & the Chartbusters - From Boston. Their first and best.
Robyn Hitchcock - “Eye” From 1990, this is a mainly acoustic record. I got it mainly for the lovely “Queen Elvis”, but there are some very good cuts here.
The Beat Generation - Just cherry-picked my favorites from this 3-disc box set of beat jazz, readings, interviews and more. Mostly music, though.

Democracy In Action

September 23, 2007 | Filed Under Main, Politics | No Comments

I wondered how long it would take for the fabulous Iraqi government to un-bannish the American Balck Water Security force after they gunned down a bunch of people for no reason? Could it have been a whole 24 hours? When the “investigation” begins, do you think all the eye-witness reports from Iraqis being shot at will carry the same weight as some American general or American diplomat who might have been nearby?

A free and democratic Iraq! They’re going to love it if we have to give it to them over their own dead bodies.

Kuwait - Part 2

September 20, 2007 | Filed Under Main | 1 Comment

Looks like I am going for my first visit and my face-to-face with those looking to hire me in two weeks.

So - what do you wear to the desert? Think Kuwaitis are into gangsta-rap or Barry Manilow? Will the SPF 50 be enough for my very white, Irish flesh? Hmmmm….

Fantasy Football

September 16, 2007 | Filed Under Main | 4 Comments

Yes! For the second straight year, I have been sucked into a fantasy football league. I know NOTHING about football. You throw a ball, you catch a ball, you tackle the guy who catches the ball until he has a concussion. (Right? Isn’t that the rules?) The only sport in the world where you WANT a 320 lb. guy who is only five foot eight on your team.

Well, last year I had a respectable run. But I didn’t have a star running back or wide receiver. This year - I have the wide receiver AND the running back… but I have no quarterback. I SHOULD have a quarterback in New Orleans’ Drew Brees. He and Reggie Bush (my other running back) were brilliant in the pre-season. Now, suddenly, they can’t score to save their lives. The season begins - and I’m stuck with lemons.

I shouldn’t even care. But I don’t want to seem like a total sports loser…

Added to iPod

September 15, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments

First, I had to chance down that song from the new iPod commercial. Turns out to be a song by Feist called “1234”. Feist is also one of the singers from Broken Social Scene but is having a nice solo career as well.

And:
The Who – “Who’s Next”
Sex Pistols – “Never Mind The Bollocks” Every iPod should come with this record…
Elvis Costello – “Blood and Chocolate”
Loreena McKennitt – “The Visit”
Velvet Underground – “Live MCMXCIII” Their reunion concert in Paris.

I also have my October Global Rhythm CD that takes us from Sweden to Cuba to Zimbabwe to Brazil and back. All kinds of good sounds here: an easy reggae from Toots & the Maytals, Bossa Nova from Luciana Souza and a fun tune by an Italian/Somali woman named Saba called “Jidka”. And 12 other bits of the World….

Added to iPod

September 8, 2007 | Filed Under Music | No Comments

where was we…?

Adrian Belew - “Desire of the Rhino King” This is an amalgam of his first three solo records.
Steve Hackett - “Time Lapse” One of his many live records.
Pink Floyd - “Animals”
Soundgarden - “Superunknown”
P J Harvey - “Dry” Her great first album.
Dr. John - “Gris Gris” Gris gris gumbo ya ya…

Then there was this little oddity I picked up the other day. It is a two disk set called Rogue’s Gallery and it is calls itself a collection of “pirate ballads, sea songs & chanteys”. I don’t know where they found these songs but they are too cool. AND they are sung by a wide assortment of artisits: Bryan Ferry, Bono, Nick Cave, Richard Thompson, Loudon & Rufus Wainwright, Stan Ridgway and more. Some of these songs are FILTHY!!! (check out “Good Ship Venus”) But it is a surprise a minute CD and I HIGHLY recommend checking it out.

Grace Live!

September 8, 2007 | Filed Under Main | No Comments

Grace Potter! The Nocturnals! Central Park! Wicked Pissah!!

sorry…

But on Thursday she arrived and it was a MUCH needed respite from the idiocy of my day job. At first, I thought I would miss the show because I (finally) looked at my ticket and it said doors open at 4:30PM! Could it be? Would they start a show at 5 or something? I couldn’t even get out before 5 and I HAD to have a drink before just to get the knots out of my back. So I downed a quick martini in Union Square and headed for the Park – hoping that a) it would be an hour before the bands came on and b) there would be another opening band.

Of course – I was correct.

Now the headliner for this show was a band called Gov’t Mule. I have heard of them but never heard them. But they have an interesting following. Where as at the Warped Tour I was one of the older people there (along with the members of Bad Religion), at THIS show I was really skewing toward the younger end of the scale! Most of the audience were men, age 50 and up. Many bandanas, tattoos and gray hear (hey, I have gray hair…). When I went to get my GP concert t-shirt, I also picked up a pack of Gov’t Mule rolling papers. (Catch my drift?)

But good music was every where. The first band, Earl Greyhound, were a retro power trio trying desperately to channel Cream. Tall, long-haired skinny guy on lead guitar and vocals, large black guy in a dashiki wailing on drums and a gorgeous black woman with a major fro and white go-go boots playing bass. They sounded terrific (however – thought the sounds were good, there was no charisma. No show for all this flash.)

But Grace and the boys – that was heaven! At first I was a bit put off. Grace was dressed up! With makeup and a little black mini-dress and new bangs. Not the Grace I was used to. But when she moved to rhythm guitar and stepped out from behind the keyboards, everything was cool. I sensed a real played show being crammed into 45 minutes of fun. Indeed, some of my favorite songs are ballads and there was no room for ballads if you only have 45 minutes.

But she was a star and so was the band. So if you have the opportunity, you have GOT to check them out. They deserve big things!

Kuwait?

September 3, 2007 | Filed Under Main | 3 Comments

I was watching TV briefly and the characters were talking about blogs. One said to the other that a blog is supposed to be a narrative – going from one personal experience to another. I find that hard to do since “experience” is a rather grandiose word for my life. I work nine hours a day, commute for 4, sleep for six and drink, watch TV and do chores for the balance. Like most people. The watching TV part is irregular and seasonal. During the summer, I am tortured by the Yankees inconsistency. Heroes begins a new season in a few weeks and Top Chef has a few more episodes to go. Occasionally, I’m allowed to watch movies (a different conversation). Occasionally I find the brain-space to write, though my notebooks are filled with orphans. Occasionally I take to the stage when there is something worth performing. But that’s about it.

Which brings us to Kuwait. Back in June, I received a phone call – out of the blue – from a headhunter in LA. She wanted to know if I would be interested in doing what I do for a larger firm based in Kuwait. This firm has six other offices and a huge staff of over 1,500.

Of course I said yes.

Listen, how many of these opportunities come your way? For me – not many. And I’m getting up there age-wise. So the chance to do what I do for a big player in a region that I have never seen but that every firm in this country wants a piece of seemed perfect. It is the type of experience I have always wanted (ever since being a movie star became out of reach). And – I have been told – the money would be good. So I had a couple of interviews – including one with the current finance manager in Kuwait.

Then – nothing. The next two months of summer brought total silence. Oh, there was a brief flirtation with a job in San Francisco and a strange possibility in (gasp!) Vermont. But nothing from Kuwait. Which I knew would happen. It’s August, after all. Nothing happens in August. Nothing except acute anxiety over the fact that nothing was happening and I can’t stand holding my breath until September (when – suddenly – the working world comes swiftly and violently back to life).

Sure enough, on September 2nd, I spoke again with Kuwait. And it seems that they want to offer me the job. But first – in the near future – I will have to visit the region. I will keep everyone informed. Because THIS is material for a blog.