Comparisons

I wanted to pass along this blog entry in which The Guardian's Michael Tomasky, a fellow native West Virginian, shares a tit for tat look at the current presidential campaign.

I think it's important to take a step back and look at how the ugly game of politics can break down someone's character.

Hindsight

As with every visit to You Tube, I went on the site in search of one thing that led me to another and another and so on. That's the circumstance of this find. It's from 120 Minutes in 1994 with guest host Thurston Moore, already an elder statesman of alternative music at the time, interviewing Beck and Mike Diamond.

Beck's noncompliance is astounding, and Mike D doesn't do much to bring maturity to the fold. It's no wonder that generation was labeled "Gen-X"; they played themselves off at slackers... deliberately, apparently. Beck was 23! TWENTY THREE!!! I'm sure both of these artist cringe when (or if) they see this interview. They obviously both went on to be respectable performers in their own right.

My thought is this: what if musicians chose to carry themselves this way in this generation, and during a US military conflict? How ridiculous would someone look if they acted this way on television today? I'm looking at you, Jonas Brothers.

Massholes

I can almost not believe what I'm about to proclaim. New York Yankees fans are not the most annoying sports fans on the planet.

To be more accurate, they are a close second only to the most recent Boston Red Sox legion, or "nation" if you will. I recall a time, before the 2004 World Series, that I rooted, boisterously I might add, for this team that had been suffering such a long championship drought. You see, when I have no investment in either team during a game, I will certainly cheer for the unfavored team, and this was especially true during the 2004 ALCS when the Sox were down three games to none against none other than the Yankees. I understand why there is such a contingency of fans of both of these squads: they win games! It's a well-known fact that winning teams have fair-weather fans that come out of the woodwork when their teams excel. But there are far too many BoSox fans pledging their undying love who were too young to even recall Bill Buckner's error; I'm looking at you, sorority girl in pink Pedroia jersey.

Understand that this is not a criticism of the team itself. The organization is a testament of how to build a team. That being said, I'll be there when the Baltimore Orioles get to the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, standing on my same soapbox, pointing my fingers at the fans that weren't there during these not-so-pleasant seasons.

Go O's.

i can haz Bush

From those limey Brits at the Guardian UK comes a LoL cats rendition of Bush's Olympics visit. U can loOk heer at dem.

One Album Wonderfuls

I was sad to hear that Georgie James, a DC-based pop duo, has decided to disband. I felt they were a rather underrated group that seemed to get overlooked in the plethora of "indie" bands whose music is floating in cyberspace. They were able to release one album on Saddle Creek Records that I hope everyone gets a chance to hear.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to list some other significant bands that for any number of reasons left behind only one album before calling it quits.


The Modern Lovers, The Modern Lovers 1976
   Jonathan Richman's group practically paved the way for art punk bands, probably proven when the band's keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison went to join The Talking Heads. "Roadrunner" and "Pablo Picasso" are just plain fun rock songs, free of pretensions.


Derek & The Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs 1970
   Of course we all know that Clapton is God. But Duane Allman was Jesus, in the sense that he died young and left behind such a relatively small catalog. This recording was a rare case of the stars aligning and two colossal blues proteges working together in the studio. Having Tom Dowd producing didn't hurt much either. Allman died in '71, Clapton kicked heroin, and the rest is history.


Minor Threat, Out of Step 1984

Operation Ivy, Energy 1990
   I'll be the first to admit that I never listened to either of these bands as much as others have, two reasons being I was too young and I lived in small town in a time the pre-dated the internet. But that didn't keep me from understanding the importance of both of these bands and their effects on what became two popular genres in the '90s: grunge and ska-punk. Operation Ivy probably compared notes with their Bay Area neighbors, Green Day, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a modern band that features a distorted guitar that DOESN'T call Ian MacKaye influential. Neither of these bands disappeared from the radar; Operation Ivy practically became Rancid and Ian MacKaye formed Fugazi and still plays all-ages shows with his latest duo The Evens.


The Postal Service, Give Up 2003
   Although technically a side project, The Postal Service's lone album was so popular it could have easily put Death Cab for Cutie out of commission for good. In its initial release, Give Up was only mildly received but its songs were ubiquitous in the next few years, thanks to Zach Braff and every product known to mankind. Rumors abound as to whether we will actually hear a follow-up to this classic, but seeing is believing. But honestly, this album alone could secure the group's legacy.

Of course there are many others not named. Feel free to append.

"... you can't be less than The Wire now and still ring true."

Okay.

I said I was done preaching the gospel of "The Wire", but I couldn't help but share this article from The Guardian about Dominic West (Jimmy McNulty, or as Omar says 'McNutty'). It's noble of quality actors such as West who freely admit that he wants to work on projects that are, in his own words, "interesting". Sounds simple, but I'm sure there are many actors who are working for a pay check and know that their source is crap.

On a side note, Generation Kill premiered this week on HBO. If you don't know, you better call somebody.

The end is near

As the five-season run of The Wire comes to a close this week on HBO, thus ending my obsession of everything associated with it, Time magazine ran this article on Wednesday.

In it, the writers speak about the relevance of the show in connecting its audience to the reality in which we live, as opposed to "reality television" which is all but insignificant. Nice paradox, huh?