Wednesday, September 30, 2009
WTF Slate
Further cementing its status as the home of pointless contrariarety (?), here's a serious article at Slate deconstructing Miley Cyrus's new song, and claiming that it is good. Jesus Christ.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Administration screws our allies
Plans to install missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic have been scrapped. And...and the admistration made it public on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland no less. Is the State Dept. that dumb?
A-Team movie casting continues apace
So they got their B.A. I really, really don't know about Liam Neeson as Hannibal; I just have a tough time imagining him pulling it off. Mel Gibson seemed to fit the bill much better, but... well, you know what happened to him. Cooper as Face seems just right; he has all the smarminess that made him such a terrible straight lead (i.e., moral center) in The Hangover.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Re: Cobain
I agree with most of what you say, Nick, although I don't know the extent of his influence. I wouldn't be suprised to find that it was far-reaching, but I'm not willing to say that would be a positive if it were true.
I do disagree with your assertion that he was assuming a character just like Freddie or KISS. I have no reason to believe Cobain was dishonest (by that I mean assuming a persona for entertainment or other purposes) in anyway as far as his character as a musician. I think he and his fans thought much of the appeal of his music was it's authenticity and rebuke of pop and glam. But that itself is kind of pretentious. He thought his rockin' was more meaningful, and maybe part of the problem was that so many people bought into it.
Oh... and the shotgun shells commercial idea is one of the funnier things I've heard all week.
I do disagree with your assertion that he was assuming a character just like Freddie or KISS. I have no reason to believe Cobain was dishonest (by that I mean assuming a persona for entertainment or other purposes) in anyway as far as his character as a musician. I think he and his fans thought much of the appeal of his music was it's authenticity and rebuke of pop and glam. But that itself is kind of pretentious. He thought his rockin' was more meaningful, and maybe part of the problem was that so many people bought into it.
Oh... and the shotgun shells commercial idea is one of the funnier things I've heard all week.
Cobain selling out?
Piggy-backing on the Pearl Jam news, folks is going apeshit over the cartoon representation of Kurt Cobain in the new Guitar Hero game. The objections seem to break down as follows:
1) The makers of the game didn't properly buy the rights to use his likeness (they claim they did).
2) How dare you put cartoon Kurt in your crummy game!
3) How dare you put cartoon Kurt in your crummy game, and then force him to sing Billy Joel songs, Journey songs, etc!
I don't really agree with any of the objections. Cobain's image arguably crossed the threshold long ago wherein it enters into a popular lexicon and therefore can be used an all sorts of creative works. I've always been suspicious of Cobain's overinflated influence on 90's music--I don't for a minute buy all the anti-corporate purity that his fans ascribe to him or his music, nor the sanctification of his life, image, and ideals that was peddled incessantly in the wake of his suicide. If your sense of grunge mystique is offended by a cartoon likeness of Kurt singing "Only the Good Die Young" in a video game, then I think you need to get over yourself and Kurt (hint hint, Dave Grohl).
Any musician that takes the stage is assuming a "character," putting on a costume, putting forth an image. Cobain's grungy clothes are just as much a costume as Freddie Mercury's tight red pants or KISS's silver heels and armor.
1) The makers of the game didn't properly buy the rights to use his likeness (they claim they did).
2) How dare you put cartoon Kurt in your crummy game!
3) How dare you put cartoon Kurt in your crummy game, and then force him to sing Billy Joel songs, Journey songs, etc!
I don't really agree with any of the objections. Cobain's image arguably crossed the threshold long ago wherein it enters into a popular lexicon and therefore can be used an all sorts of creative works. I've always been suspicious of Cobain's overinflated influence on 90's music--I don't for a minute buy all the anti-corporate purity that his fans ascribe to him or his music, nor the sanctification of his life, image, and ideals that was peddled incessantly in the wake of his suicide. If your sense of grunge mystique is offended by a cartoon likeness of Kurt singing "Only the Good Die Young" in a video game, then I think you need to get over yourself and Kurt (hint hint, Dave Grohl).
Any musician that takes the stage is assuming a "character," putting on a costume, putting forth an image. Cobain's grungy clothes are just as much a costume as Freddie Mercury's tight red pants or KISS's silver heels and armor.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Pearl Jam defeated...
...but making scads of money. Slate has some interesting commentary on PJ, their new album, and Target's corporate sponsorship. I'm just hoping the new album is better than the last two (not a high bar). Or do I care anymore?...
You can hear the new single here.
You can hear the new single here.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
no idea how to title this
I just wanna know if this makes Bonnie Tyler better or Axle Rose worse. Total Eclipse of the Heart notwithstanding.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
From P. J. O'Rourke's new book
“I take the demise of the American car personally,” the author admits. “I’m looking around furiously for someone or something to blame. Ralph Nader for instance. What fun it would be to jump on him with both feet and send the pink Marxist goo squirting out of his cracked egghead. And let’s definitely do that even though Ralph is seventy-five and insane.”
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Urban Fantasy?
Judging by this review, it's either really cool or not anything we'd like to see in fantasy.
Friday, September 04, 2009
Thursday, September 03, 2009
A Traficant Sample
TIME TO PASS A FLAT TAX
March 20, 2001From the womb to the tomb, Madam Speaker, the Internal Rectal Service is one big enema. Think about it: they tax our income, they tax our savings, they tax our sex, they tax our property sales profits, they even tax our income when we die. Is it any wonder America is taxed off? We happen to be suffering from a disease called Taxes Mortis Americanus. Beam me up. It is time to pass a flat, simple 15 percent sales tax, and fire these nincompoops at the IRS. Think about it. I yield back the socialist, communist income tax scheme of these United States.
March 20, 2001From the womb to the tomb, Madam Speaker, the Internal Rectal Service is one big enema. Think about it: they tax our income, they tax our savings, they tax our sex, they tax our property sales profits, they even tax our income when we die. Is it any wonder America is taxed off? We happen to be suffering from a disease called Taxes Mortis Americanus. Beam me up. It is time to pass a flat, simple 15 percent sales tax, and fire these nincompoops at the IRS. Think about it. I yield back the socialist, communist income tax scheme of these United States.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Out of Afghanistan?
George Will says now. Frederick Kagan and Rich Lowry disagree. And Mark Steyn seems to agree.
Steyn makes the argument that Will does, although not explicitly adopting it, that our nation-building aims were too broad and unachieveable. I thought it was right to go into both Afghanistan and Iraq, and still do, but I thought Pres. Bush's rhetoric and goals were far too grandiose. Like Derb, I'm inclined to think rubble don't make trouble. As horrific as that may sound, are we really going to create a stable government in Afghanistan where there has never been one? This might be a more successful approach in Iraq where there is some culture, education--civilization--but even there our aims should have been/should be narrower (and I think Bush successfully narrowed them a bit before he left office).
Will recognizes that we will have continuing operations in Afghanistan, but he downplays the extent of doing so as Lowry points out. No clear solution, but certainly a lesson we must learn that our grand illusions of liberalizing the world shouldn't be guiding policy. Against our own sentiments we must have a harder heart about our security and war making. This is not to say leveling Afghanistan and leaving is the solution, it is obviously more difficult than that. But our "principles" perhaps get in the way of clear-sightedness in foreign policy.
Steyn makes the argument that Will does, although not explicitly adopting it, that our nation-building aims were too broad and unachieveable. I thought it was right to go into both Afghanistan and Iraq, and still do, but I thought Pres. Bush's rhetoric and goals were far too grandiose. Like Derb, I'm inclined to think rubble don't make trouble. As horrific as that may sound, are we really going to create a stable government in Afghanistan where there has never been one? This might be a more successful approach in Iraq where there is some culture, education--civilization--but even there our aims should have been/should be narrower (and I think Bush successfully narrowed them a bit before he left office).
Will recognizes that we will have continuing operations in Afghanistan, but he downplays the extent of doing so as Lowry points out. No clear solution, but certainly a lesson we must learn that our grand illusions of liberalizing the world shouldn't be guiding policy. Against our own sentiments we must have a harder heart about our security and war making. This is not to say leveling Afghanistan and leaving is the solution, it is obviously more difficult than that. But our "principles" perhaps get in the way of clear-sightedness in foreign policy.
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