2008's Top 10 (and some honorable and dishonorable mentions)

I've never made a top anything list and, to be fair, I really don't deserve to. I haven't heard much of what was released but, what the hell, why should that stop me?
2008 was a terrible year for music as far as I was concerned but there were a few albums here and there that caught my attention and actually stayed in heavy rotation on my iPod.
So, here ya go, the top 10 albums of 2008 as far as me and my pod are concerned.



10. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges.
I hated Z. HATED Z. A lot.
But I love Evil Urges. The title track? The breakdown bridge is better than the rest of the tune but if the whole song was that bridge then I wouldn't love it as much. And that stupid disco tune, Highly Suspicious? I love it for all it's campiness. Aluminum Park is a great little rocker ala Fountains of Wayne and there's enough retro-Dan Hillness to make your stomach churn with nostalgia.



9. Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us
I love Mates of State, even though this is the first full album of theirs that I heard. Their singles are refreshingly poppy and earnest. "My Only Offer" is like a bug that you can't get rid of. Once you hear it you want to sing it over and over. And the rest of the album, which doesn't wear out it's welcome too soon is just as much fun.



8. The Gaslight Anthem.
Okay, I'm cheating here. There are just three or four songs that get crazy airplay but they are so good that the rest of the album counts. (The rest is just as good). This is this year's Against Me!. The descendants of Springsteen, grab the title track and try not to fall in love.



7. Vampire Weekend.
Man I really didn't want to put this on this list but every time A-Punk comes on I wanna dance. Or Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa, Or mansard Roof. Or..... This is just that particularly great first album that we would have devoured in college. Like this generation's Violent Femmes. Equally poorly named. Both start with a V. Both are infectiously great and indefinable. Have you heard it? No? How can that be? Once you do you won't stop. You'll want to kill yourself for loving it, but you will, nonetheless.



6. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
It's a pretty new entry. I just got it the other day. But the truth be told, this album is far and away more accomplished than most music ought to be. Somewhere between Pink Floyd and Coldplay is Elbow. Moodiest fucking album in a long time and a welcome replacement for Yoshimi as music to get high and screw by.


5. Black Mountain - In the Future
I love the idea of this band more than I love the album but I am drawn to it and find, on many occasions that I need to come down and give in to the sludgy goodness. This is a band for whom Spinal Tap never existed and music never progressed beyond Sabbath's Paranoid. We're all better for that, btw.


4. AC/DC - Black Ice
Would AC/DC rated this high had I not done the Listening Post this year? Probably not. But I did. And then I was hooked. And then I heard the album and it's pretty damned good. And then I saw them in concert and, fuck it, this has been in heavy rotation ever since.
Give it a spin. It's the best collection since Back in Black. And I'm not overstating. It's that good.



3. Rick Springfield - Venus in Overdrive
What? Who? really? Yeah, really. Venus in Overdrive is great. I've already talked about here. The single, What's Victoria's Secret proves that Rick can rip himself off while at the same time sounding just like he should, with all that power poppy goodness. This isn't as dour as Anger/Denial......it's a rollicking good time.



2. The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
I was assigned this one when I was writing for ShuffleBoil. I had never heard of The Mountain Goats, never knew who John darnielle was. It was a complete surprise to learn that Darnielle has been recording under this moniker since the early 90s and that this wasn't even considered his best offering. (Tallahassee has that honor). Darnielle is ridiculously literate (Sax Rohmer #1), often poignant (San Bernadino), cheeky (Michael Myers Resplendent) and terrifying (Heretic Pride).
Autoclave would have been a hit in 1981 in the New Wave underground.
This album is perfect. The original review is here


1. Jukebox the Ghost - Let Live and Let Ghost
I use Peel to find new music. It's easier than trolling all the blogs. And I dump a lot of music or just pass it by. Then one day, early this year two songs popped up on a couple blogs by the Washington trio, Jukebox the Ghost; Hold it In and Good Day. After a week of finding myself playing them over and over, during feeding time or on the motorcycle I decided to give the guys a chance and buy their album.
I'm so glad I did. This is, without a doubt, my favorite album of the last 2 years. It's part Ben Folds, part Queen, cheeky and sublime all at once. Towards the end of the album two songs bleed into each other a suite and if that wasn't enough for you, the last three are part of a suite as well.
Eminently hummable, it never gets tired or tiresome. Funny how this has not ended up on anyone's top ten list but is, without equal, the best album of the year and the best debut I have heard in a many a year.

Disappointments:
Hold Steady - Stay Positive. The title might refer to the fact that the boys were putting out an album vastly inferior to 2006's Boys and Girls in America. That album was perfect. This album was considerably less so.

Fratellis - Here We Stand. Costello Music was in my top 3 in 06. This follow up is a severe letdown. Where they had embraced a glam-britpop on that one, this one finds them lacking in ideas and turning to their inner Lennon when they should be all about their inner McCartney.

Weezer - Red Album. This album is on a few top ten lists. It shouldn't be. It should be used to patch up holes in concrete. But then again, I think make Believe is one of the catchiest albums of the decade.

R.E.M. - Accelerate. Too little too late. This is the album they should have put out four albums ago. But where that would have been a nice capper to the 90s this is just a bunch of fogies riding out a contract.

Update:Queen + Paul Rodgers "Cosmos Rocks". This is awful. I actually hate it so much I forgot to include it at first. Holy god, this is an abortion but even more than that it points to the truth that Queen took it's audience for granted and tried to milk every penny out of them. May and Taylor don't love their fans. They know that, like Live Free or Die Hard, if they slap the brand name on it it will move some units. This should never be listened to and, in fact, the unsold cd's should be used to slaughter puppies abandoned at the pound. Don't buy it. Don't listen to it.

Honorable Mentions

The Diviners - The 13th Generation.
The Diviners are 1/4 ex Throttle Back Sparky and 1/4 guy who was thrown out of Throttle Back Sparky. Should I include it? Can I be unbiased?I think so. To be honest I think that lyrically it needs a little polishing. But that isn't supposed to be the record's strong suit. This is conceptual pop rock. And while much of it harkens back to classic U2 and REM, some of it is catchy as hell. There are tracks like Sell Your Childhood, State of Mind and Just Us that, once heard, you can't drop them. (I think a few of them could have been big hits in a different time. Lovin' Gurl is classic 60's garage band, Sell Your Childhood is 90's alternative to a T) For my money I've never been that much of a fan of over production (unless it's Queen) and there is a fair share of it here. But there's a lot of good ideas in there as well. Funnily enough, songs like Mechanical, which i did NOT like upon listening in my car and on my motorcycle, offered more to appreciate when cranked LOUD on a 5.1 surround system. A testament to production, I guess. There's a lot to love on The 13th Generation. I'm excited for this project and proud as hell of David.


Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue.
More of the great stuff that is Ms. lewis. Proving that Blake Sennett was the one responsible for the mess of Under the Blacklight, Jenny offers one of the catchier singles in "Carpetbaggers". I could listen to her mangle her melodies all day long.


Conor Oberst
The eponymous album by Bright Eyes' Oberst is a simple alt-country offering. It's easy and relaxed and "Cape Canaveral captures the right tenor for his weird voice. I look forward to more.


Low Vs. Diamond
More Bruce type rock/80s retro. If you can't have another Nightmare of You album this year, then this will have to do.


Sons & Daughters
new wave gets its due from a band that I expected to be sludgy classic rock sounding with that name and that album cover. But it's not. It's edgy and angular and fun.

So, there ya have it. 2008 is over. Hopefully 09 will offer more and better. But get that Jukebox the Ghost album cuz it's great.

Another Monkey Mixxxxxxxxx!

Six Degrees of Monkey Love.
Splotchy and Coffey joined forces to let the monkeys toss musical feces at the wall and see what stuck.
Here's my choices and how I connected em.

07 - If William Shatner Can I Can Too - Jeff Daniels

Let's face it. Actors shouldn't be rock stars. (Throttle Back Sparky was my toe dip into that land. Although we rocked hard and fucked like monkeys) Who knew Daniels could pluck a little white man blues? Everything I've heard from him has been a treat and this one, well, it's all true. Too true.

08 - Common People - William Shatner
But just because Daniels was right doesn't mean he's also way wrong. Because this cover of Pulp's Common People is rip roaringly better than the 'riginal. It's got Joe Jackson caterwauling, Shatner overcoming himself and Ben Folds producing like a mutha. Get the album. you will NOT be disappointed.


09 - Heroes - David Bowie
Also featured on Shatner's album was Adrian Belew (Excuse me....ADRIAN BELEW!!!!!) Who composed the lead riff for this which is NOT an e-bow but four separate solos layered on top of each other.


10 - Vive Le Rock - Adam Ant
Tony Visconti produced Heroes. And many others. And Adam Ant's Vive Le Rock. An album which is as unheralded as it is great!



11 - Hello, I Love You - The Doors
Alas, when Adam went solo (Which meant nothing since he was the act all along) elektra convinced him to put a cover tune on "Friend or Foe". I was at the concert. He didn't play it. Maybe he did. I don't recall. I was high.



12 - Poor Girl - X
Which brings me to the only song I wish my band had covered that we didn't. I love the poetry, the sadness and the pure punkiness of this track. Which was produced by Ray Manzarek of The Doors.



There ya go. 6 degrees. Completely silly and 100% fun!

Brad Aldous. I knew him when.

My friend, Brad, directed this new video for The Weepies.
It's nice.
It's good.
Way to go Brad!

'Can't Go Back Now' by The Weepies

Transparant Government.

There is no new news over at Barackobama.com
Those days are over (kind of like newlulu.blogspot.com)
Welcome to the new transparency!

WWW.CHANGE.GOV

Gonna be a great 4, no?

Land of Hope (and Dreams)

I never really wrote anything about the actual election.
I've been so busy.
I've been imbued with a sense of hope. What can I say? I drank the Kool-Aid. I'm a believer.
I cried most of last night.
When Ohio came in I readied myself and left the phone bank. I didn't care much for the people who tried to take it over. (They were PISSED when I announced that Ohio was called. Why? Because they wanted to announce everything.
Here we are in a picture that was picked up by Time's Swampland blog.



I'm all the way to the left with the red shirt, right arm bent. Talking to one of the Zamboni people (read the last post).

When I got home I kissed my wife and hugged my daughter and turned on CNN just in time for the West to fall.
Then the calls and texts started to fly in.
It's over.
I am but a humble little servant who learned how to channel his better self by following Mr. Obama's teaching. And anyone who knows me can tell you that for me to spend an entire day (let alone 2 months!!) glad handing, thanking and hugging people means that a seismic change has occurred.
I'm so proud of this nation.
I'm so proud of myself and others.
I'm exhausted.
And I just want a big bowl of ice cream. And Quisp. I want Quisp, dammit!

Here's a little Boss and a great slideshow.
You guys all rock.

California's (and my) part of the election process

Barack Obama to his entire staff of paid and volunteers:
"This has been the best presidential election in the history of American Democracy."
I've seen it in action. I've been a part of it. I concur.
Eric Garcetti to the staff of the Obama HQ on Motor Ave:
"Rare are the times in life that you get to be a part of history."
Amen.
Here are the hard numbers:
Nationwide it was requested that phone banks make 1.5 million calls into the battlegrounds.
California made 1.439 million calls.
2.1 calls were made in total.
Resulting in 1 MILLION volunteers canvassing the streets on election day to GET OUT THE VOTE.
Holy crap. History indeed.

What started with a frustrated Allen wanting to be a part of something he believed in by attending the opening of that office months ago has ended with today. How many calls have I made? I can't even begin to count.
How many callers have I shepherded through their calls? Hundreds. How many times have people mistaken me for someone who has actual control over the work that they are doing beyond stapling? More times than I wish to count. How many egos have been bruised and battered and beat up? Including mine? 6. Okay, more like 6,000.
I am tired. My feet hurt. I've met some of the best people I will ever know. I have met some of the worst. I have fundamentally disagreed with some (like putting a self-described brain tumor recoverer who doesn't make saliva and can't speak for long periods of time in charge of a phone bank....) I have been shown the light on others.
I've probably been more petulant than I should have for my own good.
I've learned that if you work in an office there are two things I can say to you: 1. I'm sorry. And 2. I suggest offing yourself before going back to that job. (vote first, of course)
I've learned that, despite my abject dislike for many people, I am fairly gregarious and do best when I am in a position to teach or edify. Go figure.
I've also learned the hardest way that I can not, under any circumstances, suffer empty egos. By this I mean: If you know from whence you speak, it doesn't matter if you are fluid, soft spoken or authoritative; I will follow you at your word. But if you speak on things with authority and it turns out to be that you are full of blue smoke and piffle, then I have no time for you. Ever. And I wouldn't blink to hear that you had been run over by slow moving Zamboni. Seriously. As Michael O'Donoghue once wrote, "I would kick you in the cunt if I didn't think it would ruin the shine on my shoes." Never have truer words been spoken than about some of the crazed, power hungry, ego driven wannabes that end up volunteering for an election. Which is weird. Since we are all volunteers. (And the O'Donoghue quote goes for men OR women in this case).
I've also learned that I prefer the company of the bawdy and loud to the smarmy and snarky. Which is odd because I've often admired the likes of William F. Buckley though I don't agree with the politics. Trust me. The left has a ton of those, too. (Like the ass who wouldn't count volunteers because "I like to be in charge of things.....")
That's it.
I would document the entire affair but I probably should have created a day to day journal. I just didn't.
There were laughs.
There were tears.
Many of them, mine.
It's all over.
See you on the other side.
Allen
Deputy Field Officer
Phone Bank co-ordinator/trainer
Barack Obama for America.

I'll be back

I haven't posted all that much in the last few days.
Busting my hump for Barack.
California made 1.7 million calls into the battleground states this past weekend.
Next nearest state was NY, with 215,000
Chicago is looking to California to GOTV (Get Out The Vote) from Saturday to Tuesday.
I will be helping the great Tiffany Massey and LaTanya Mangrum with their massive phone bank that has merged with the cooly named "30 Barack" from District 30.
We are expecting over 1000 phone callers to come through our doors over those days.
I promise to resurface at some point.
Please vote.
If you live in a battleground state or know someone who does please get them to vote for Barack.
I've called every election since 2004. I've never been wrong.
Barack will win.
I shudder to think of what the world will be like if he doesn't.

What change looks like.

Been at the Phone Bank all weekend at Culver Studios.
It's awesome. High energy. Great people. You should come to it or go to one in your neck of the woods. Next weekend is GOTV. Get Out The Vote. The most important 96 hours of the campaign. You can be a part of it.
Go to www.voteforchange.com to find out how to early vote and then get your butt to a phone bank.
In the meantime.
This is was change looks like:

Barack Obama in Denver.

100,000 came to hear him.

Battleground state, huh?

The ad I was waiting for.

Use McCain's words against himself.
I guess I was too impatient.
All the more reason Obama is a better choice for prez than me.

Why are we allowing Terror to be incited?

While am loathe to let my own blog become a repository for video links (Sausage links, yes, however and Elk links, which I had today, more so) I am afraid that if I do not repost this Olbermann Special Comment, well, Keith's head might actually explode.
he's dead on here. Why something's not being done about this, I really don't know.
And, oh, yeah. ACORN. If you have any idiot friends who might think they are on the fence because of this piece of ridiculousness, please remind them that even though Mickey Mouse might BE registered, if he shows up to vote, THAT'S the real problem.
And now: Keith.

I am without words for this post's title.

This is vile.


Watch CBS Videos Online

Out of the mouths of babes

Or hands in this case.



Such a sweet and normal family. Kind, too. What values.....I mean. What values?

The Septenary Monkey Mix!

Green Monkey is back! Splotchy has decided to bring back the vaunted series and he opened the submission door with one of my favorite genres: Power Pop.
It's really hard to describe the form. Melodic. Guitar Driven. Kind of emo, too. Better musicianship than glam, which is a forebear, but not as aggressive as pop/rock.
Get it? No? Well, maybe my own choices will help edify:

1. Everybody's Girl - Rick Springfield
Working Class Dog is a prime example of the form. It's a near perfect album in every way. In fact, I would say, that it is one song short of being one of the top 5 of all time. Yes, it's that good. It took me 25 years to discover it. On vinyl no less. But, I am a convert. This song has one of the tightest, build-to-a-climax bridges ever written. I know you think of Rick as "Jessie's Girl", "I get Excited" and "I've Done Everything for You". This is my favorite tune of his.


2. I Wanna Be With You - The Raspberries.
Eric Carmen would go on to write the sappiest uber-ballad, "All By Myself". Yeah, I know. But, his group, The Raspberries, were the real early progenitors of the Power Pop style. Someone else included the dirtiest song of the 70s, "Go All The Way" so I thought I would add to the fun with this catchy piece of pop confection.



3. My Life Still Sucks (in a Bad Way) - The Andersons
You don't know the Andersons? Wha??? Well, I understand. The Andersons were a quartet in Los Angeles in the early part of this century. Featuring some of the best players around, they were sort of the Asia of the local LA Power Pop underground. (he he he). Robbie Rist was one of the songwriters/guitarists and they put on the best shows. All the time. Never fail. It was hard to pick just one song to rep them. This was the first track of theirs I heard, which was also the first track I stole on audiogalaxy lo those many years ago. Not to worry, I bought all their cds. Even after Robbie produced my album. (He can be heard playing drums on 85% of the tracks. Fucking genius)

4. I Knew The Bride - Dave Edmunds
This is, quiet simply, the best song ever written. I think it's Nick Lowe's pen that crafted it, I don't recall. But, it's just perfect. I love Nick's version, probably more than Dave's but in a power pop list, you KNOW that Lowe is going to get his due. And Dave might be left out in the cold.



5. Starry Eyes - The Records
I want you to listen to this song and tell me: Did R.E.M. steal and base their career on this one track? Many point to The Feelies. I think it's the Records. Murmur and Reckoning are all over this. Starry Eyes is the bridge between The Zombies and REM. And that bridge is called Power Pop.



6. I Wanna be Your Boyfriend - The Rubinoos
God I love this song. I love it so much. I already had the Roob's ep. My room mate, John, and I found it in the cutout bin at Sounds. I discovered this track later. You might know them from that goofy theme song to Revenge of the Nerds, but this is their best work. This and "If I had You Back".
Also, if you ever heard Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" and/or you know about the Rubinoos' lawsuit, this is a must hear!


7. Where Have You Been All My Life? - Fotomaker
Oh, that slightly country-twang guitar. The dreamy longing in the lead singer's voice. This treacly piece of sentiment is everything that's great and cloying about the form.


8. Your Daddy Don't Know - Toronto
What? Pat Benatar? Quarterflash? No, it's Toronto! You don't hear a lot of women in the PP genre. Had to find one. This is one of those songs that make you say, "Hey! I KNOW that song! Who the hell is that???? I thought it was Pat!?!" And then you can't get the fucker out of your head.



(Bonus Track[s])
Your Daddy Don't Know - The New Pornographers.

Poor John McCain.

Just dashing this off quick:
Pity poor John McCain.
He coddled the evangelical, hate spewing right. Where once he was actually a decent man, a trustworthy man who followed his gut and whose head was not always up to the task.
So blinded by ambition that he allowed himself to wallow in the trough of partisan hackery.
Then he met the hatemongers at a rally. And found himself defending Barack Obama.
Looked right in the eye of a devout follower, one whose heart he was TRYING to win over with his attack ads.
And she admitted from the bottom of her heart that she is afeared of Barack because "He's a Arab."
John looked like he just wanted to go home. Like he made a deal with the devil and just wants to recant.

Be careful what you wish for.
It's like that trippy Twilight Zone episode where the jewish guy wishes for ultimate power and the genie turns him into Hitler.
So, Pity poor John McCain.
But not so much. Cuz he's an idiot.

Don't panic!

Just because the other side has refused to stop peple from yelling out incendiary shouts to "kill him!" and "Treason!", "Traitor" and the like, there's nothing to really be scared of.
Now, if these lunatics somehow get it in their head to incite their mob and send them out to shoot...someone, then we can worry.
But, truth is, using Jeremiah Wright was something I had been anticipating for a year and the Bill Ayers thing just shows how desperate they are.
So...
Don't panic. Right?

Our scary future.

A Special Comment about a Special Comment

I'm sitting here at my desk which is the peninsula counter in my kitchen, my tuchus half hanging off the stool that is 4 inches too tall for the place where I type. I've just finished watching yet another Keith Olbermann Special Screed, er, I mean, Comment. And I found myself crying a little bit. It's uncontrolled. And I wonder where the tears are coming from.

See, I remember the hate, the vitriol, the despotism that was starting to foment around political parties. I remember that when I was in the 6th grade the social studies teacher asked us who we would vote for in the coming election and I and one other kid were the only ones who wanted Carter.
Carter won but something was growing in that little suburb of hate. The anti-semitism was building. The church had become active in corralling the young people to "retreats" and encouraging them to create a mystery around them by keeping the ongoings and doings a SECRET. It worked. It worked too well. Not only did I resent the church but I was jealous. And I hated myself for not being a part of the group. The clique.

The same organizing philosphy of empowerment through separation was going on in politics.

I didn't think about it until later but I realized at some point that there were a lot of angry people.

Angry that Kennedy ever got into office.
Angry that the war was never "won".
Angry that hippies existed.
Angry that their secluded spherical lifestyle was shattered and that they were expected to think on their own. They loved their cubicles, they loved their money, they clung to, well, not their guns, but their god. They also clung to hate. To "us v. them". They were encouraged to participate and perpetuate this division.
And they pushed it onto their kids.

In other words, the republican right wing got a hold of the youth and brainwashed them into footsoldiers.

Some of us were outsiders and we saw what was happening but we were helpless to do anything. And we didn't have a voice. Well, we did but it was in high-brow, self-congratulatory media like The NYT and The New Yorker.
We didn't have what the right had: Populism.

One day, many years before, balance had a voice. It came in the form of reporters and journalists like David Brinkley and Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace and Edward Murrow. I know the ones from tv because I am a child of that medium.
These were men (and women) that you could trust. They wouldn't tell you who to vote for, they believed that what mattered was the truth and holding someone's feet to the fire.
Then advertising got a toehold and the scales tipped in favor of noise.

It's impossible to be heard through the din of opinion and 24 hour news. I think it was Jon Stewart (a Murrow of his day, history will bear) that said something to the effect that with so much time to fill on a 24 news channel the only thing one can do is comment on what one has just reported on.

And therein lay the groundwork for right wing polemic. They filled that void. They were raised on the Us v. Them and are used to that form of attack. The left has always been more thoughtful and reasoned and, well, Poindexter gets his ass kicked on the football grid, don't he?

But the left grew up, too. It's a half-generation later and they have not eschewed Poindexter as much as they have realized that in order to win we must change the game.

It's not football, and it never was.

It's baseball.

Politics is strategy and a game of inches. A basehit, correctly timed, can be followed by a walk. Then a sacrifice fly. And bloop single. And that one run is all you need to win the game. And you have to win more than anyone else over 162 of them. And even then you have a fresh slate to try to get the big prize and the next year it starts all over again.

But even baseball needs a commentator. A voice of reason. A cheerleader that is willing not to give a Sarah Palin the benefit of any doubt simply because she has been called to the field. We need someone, anyone, to say, "Hey! That was pure politicking, that choice. She doesn't know anything! Am I taking crazy pills? This is THE SHOW, why is a double a ball player pitching!?!?!? Why won't you guys admit that she's just not ready??"

And that person arrived a few years ago in the form of Keith Olbermann.

Yes, he's vitriolic and we are supposed to be above that (blech).

He is the nephew of a movement that is calling someone out when they lie.

I've been waiting for a voice like that and knowing that it is not only popular but giving rise to a form of reporting where the reporters don't just let the spinners take control of the question but repeat theirs if it wasn't answered in the first place fills me with such joy.

Made me very happy.

So happy I found myself actually crying.

So, I include tonight's Special Comment about Sarah Palin because this NEEDS to be said and it NEEDS to be said on a national scale and I'm damned glad it is.

Take it over, Keith.

Bruce Springsteen in Philadelphia

I know, it's more video, but I'm a Bruce-whore and sometimes I wish I lived in a battleground state so I could go to a rally like this.

Presidential Technology.

Seems about right.

Now that that's over...on to....?

Sarah Palin did a fine job reciting memorized talking points.
If I was a money man in the evangelical wing of the republican party I would be asking her to a) pull away from John McCain a bit and b) run for Ted Stevens senate seat. I imagine that there are a lot of gay-bashing, ethnic-hating, simple minded, gun-caressing republicans that see her as their bright and shining future.*
Okay. I don't think a) she will make it for 8 years in the senate let alone win that seat and b) the evangelical, hate spewing segment of the right will even exist in 8 years.
Because make no bones about it:

The next president will be president for 8 years.

Country coming out of two wars? rescued from the brink of depression? Who gets the benefit of the uptick?
The President.
And that, friends, looks to be Barack Obama.

John McCain pulled out of Michigan today. (Big state, little john, didn't feel a thing)
Where will he put his resources? Who wants to bet on North Carolina where Hagel's seat is being threatened? Maybe Minneapolis where Franken is trying to make inroads? Howzabout Oregon where the Dems are really threatening?
The RNC, which runs John McCain's campaign, has seen the light and, unless there is something cataclysmic and unforeseen, they are conceding the presidency in the hopes of shoring up some support for the senate.

In other words: It's all but over.

Unless it's not.

I think that after a month of hate ads, the Palin Hail Mary and the storming of Washington failure, the RNC has seen the light, hell, even Johnny has seen it and they are ready to call it quits.

According to polls they are losing in Florida and Ohio. Must wins for the POW.

(One more thing. Mark my words. Biden's choking up moment will be seen as the flashpoint when the lights went dim on the faux humanity of the Republican ticket. It sure got me.)

So, while we shall not rest on our laurels, we can take a moment to breath and to realize that this is a remarkable moment that we are living in. The end of divisive politics of hatred, the end of failed Reaganomics, the end of two family Dynasties. Most of all, the beginning of a time when the best, the brightest, and the smartest, get a chance to rule.

Onward to November 4th.

*Thanks to Mike Rotman for the insight.

Death by Television: Worst Week (CBS)

Meet the Parents. Every Week. For a half hour.
You decide.
Yawn.

israel for obama

This election will go down in history for many reasons. One of them will be the fact that it is the first election to make use of the web in such a great fashion. Not just as a podium for advertising, but also as a platform for voices and ideas. These voices from Israel would never be heard, the cost to run ads would be prohibitive. Instead, they run on YouTube, are wholly free and can be disseminated and passed on by whom? By us!
When Obama talked about this election being ours he meant a great many things. I know, I've seen the people in action.
He also meant that the voices of the not-rich can be heard, can make a difference. You don't need an ad team and a corporate ad buy. You need a camera and a computer and your voice can be heard.
It is a grand time to be around.

Polling Data: Wildly fluctuating harbingers of false hope...or maybe the sayers of some sooth.

So, here we are, heading into the final stretch. And I've come to learn one thing: Polls don't mean anything.
And this is certainly true. After all, there are a tone of mitigating factors. You must consider the source, first off. Then after that, there's the "bubba vote"; racists who won't vote for Barack no matter what they tell you. "OS votes" the my-spouse-is-looking-over-myshoulder so I won't tell him that I AM voting for Barack" and it goes on. Cell phones mean no one is really where they say they are. blah blah. And polls swing, that is their nature.

After Palin made her speech we watched as the momentum flung the polls hard in to the right. But. after the dust settled, everything was just about even going into the debates.

Where are we now, then? Well, interestingly, what I am going to show is the latest polling data from www.fivethirtyeight.com, a website dedicated to compiling the most comprehensive aggregate simulations of all the polls they can get their heads and hands wrapped around. Strangely, a lot of this isn't all that different than the data before the debate came in.
And what does this mean to me?

Let's take a look:



In this graphic we can see that, although Barack is pretty much tied for the popular vote, that isn't what really matters. The thing is, the Obama camp knows, understands and believes this more than Kerry and Gore last times. That's why the win percentage is 75%. And the electoral swing is huge. But it's not, NOT, much bigger than it was pre-debate/post-nuclear, campaign on hold, McTombstone goes to Washington meltdown. It probably reflects that meltdown, as well as the Palin deflation. I have to wonder if there will be much correction or if the momentum is with B.O. for the rest of the cycle. Bear in mind that I agree that there will be some shifting back to McAble at some point, I just don't see it evening out.
Because....

Since I have started volunteering I have come to see just how this ground team works. It's as though grassroots organizing has caught up with technology and vice versa. There is no way that the other side is prepared for the troops at work. I know there is a lot of lip service being paid to Barack's small donor fundraising efforts. The idea that the campaign is financed by the people is just true, though. It really isn't rhetoric. I know this because I am seeing it in action. Not just at the 300+ person camp Obama I attended. Not just at the opening of the main office that expected 150 and saw 1500 arrive unannounced. Not just the people I have seen become Vounteer Coordinators, Team Coordinators, Deputy Field Officers, etc, in a matter of days, all over the country. Some sparked just by a couple of chats I or someone else had with them on Facebook. All of that is buoyed by the phone calls and canvassing that I am seeing happen.
See, Cali adopted the battleground state of Nevada since we know that California will go for Obama. We put our resources into turning Nevada blue. As you may know, it's generally a red state where we consistently have 2-3 point deficits.
300 volunteers were called for to go TO Nevada and go door to door and find the supporters, register them and get out the vote in that state.
3000 people signed up and have been descending on Nevada like a military operation of grassrootsian proportions.
Look at that map again. Go ahead, blow it up. Look at Nevada.
Light blue. And getting bluer. This is all the work of the ground team. The DFOs, the RFOs, the volunteers, the people.
Might it swing back? Sure. But for right now it's proving that there is something happening. Just what? Who knows? If the trends continue all Barack would have to do is turn another state blue.
See, we are scheduled to win all the Kerry states. Plus a few others. McCain needs to win all of these battleground states. Or most of them. We just needs to turn a couple. Like Florida. Or Ohio. Or Indiana.
An uphill battle.
But look at this:


Both Ohio AND Indiana are turning blue. Could there be a concerted effort to turn those states? Ya think?

But what of the granddaddy of all hanging chads?
I have a friend in Florida. Facebook put me back in touch with her, she being a person from my youth in Maine. She lives in Florida now and was dismayed at the general red feeling her neighborhood had been projecting.
She went to hear Barack speak. She couldn't get close. It was a mad crush of like minded people.
She is now a volunteer coordinator.
And look at Florida's numbers this morning:




That's sort of crazy, eh?

These polls mean nothing. I know. But when I am giving a new phone banker a primer on what to do when everyone on their list either isn't home or says, "I'm voting for McCain!" or "We're Republicans" and hangs up on them, this is the kind of info that keeps spirits up. Because, yes, polls are like tides, but we're making waves.

On that note.
Back to the phones!

You want a populist? You got one!

Favorite quote right now:
"Here in America our destiny isn't written for us. It's written by us."

Political Wonk in training.

Need anything be said?

Amateur Foodie: Toast - West Hollywood

We love Lulu's Cafe on Beverly. I think we started going there because of the the name (what's not to love?) but, after a lunch or two it has become a favorite spot of my wife and mine.
I always order the same thing, because invariably I am on some stupid diet or watching my carbs or something and I get the Paparazzi Salad. It's got the perfect balance of chicken and veggies, most notably Asparagus. I'm sure there's other good things on the menu but I never bite.
The owner of Lulu's mentioned to us that they own another restaurant down the street called "Toast". We have always wanted to eat there but the line is forbidding. The line is also a pain at Lulu's but it's closer to our house.

The other day I was actually looking for another place to eat after I found myself the victim of some scam (long story, father rolling in his grave sort of thing, I shan't be writing about it, too embarrassed). By happenstance I parked in front of the pretentiously named eatery.

After seating I looked up Toast on Yelp and decided to let a reviewer order for me: The Corner Wrap and Sweet Potato Fries. Seemed like it would hit the spot and I was on my way to the gym so I could work off those fries. It also helped that the waiter confirmed this to be one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. Can't always trust those Yelpers, y'know....



Let's start with the Sweet Potato Fries. Yes. Nice. Crispy and delicate. As they melted in my mouth it occurred to me that it had NEVER occurred to me to make these things. And I should. I should eat them every day. While on the elliptical. And crying.
Now, the corner wrap is another story. It's not bad. It's not great. I like the avocado and I appreciate the masking tape that keeps the foodstuffs stuffed in there. Trouble is, the flatbread used for the wrap comes across, rather flimsily, as the sandwich is extricated from the paper.
There was a ranch-style dip but I didn't know if it was for the fries or the wrap and decided against asking since I was over my calorie-indulgent quota already and didn't need a cream sauce to add any more strides to my workout.
In sum:
It's a flavorful meal but it's not very practical and it made it impossible for me to really enjoy my multi-tasking. And isn't that what solo-lunching is all about? Eating while: researching agents, making calls, checking email and listening to Slate.com's political gabfest? Isn't it?
Okay, maybe not.
I'm gonna stick with the Paparazzi over at Lulu's. I like the name better anyways.

Actual soundtrack: Was there any? I can't remember
Suggested Soundtrack: I was listening to Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, but I think I just like the name. Spoon works.

He RE-CUSED HIM-self...........

I know you've all seen this but, really. Did she learn the script phonetically?

Watch CBS Videos Online

Death by Television: Boston Legal (ABC)

I am a Boston Legal addict.
It happened over the summer.
With a dearth of television and movies disappointing me at every turn I turned to the first season of BL and never looked back.
I watched the first three seasons at breakneck speed, check my Netflix history.
I have yet to see Season 4 but last night saw the return for 5 and I, of course, tuned it.
Meh.
The show was decidedly uninteresting. Spader's closing was extremely well written as usual. This time he defeats Big Tobacco.
I think what has finally gotten to me is: Shatner's character, Denny Crane almost NEVER does or says anything remotely humane. Why does Spader, the most lefty crusading bleeding heart lawyer this side the tv world has seen since The Defenders, keep calling him his best friend?
Doesn't make sense.
That said.
Still crackled enough for me to keep watching.

Death by Television: How I Met Your Mother (CBS)

How I Met Your Mother - CBS




Wither the sitcom. Really. The home to the great 4 camera shows of the golden age of TV is really the only place to see (semi) quality situation comedies anymore. And one of those is Two & a Half Men.

I have been watching and loving HIMYM for two years now. Took us a while to get into it. I loved the semi-meta aspect of the show. The episode where they all ate sandwiches as a euphemism for pot was hilarious. I even like the conceit that the lead is telling the story of the courtship to his kids. This conceit is a problem, however, since we all know that Sarah Chalke is NOT the titular mother. So, Ted's relationship with her is doomed as we know it.
Okay, blah blah. This show was never about that. It was about these meta-characters as voices for the detached gen-yers. And that's where the season premiere falls apart. Ted is desperate for his new girlfriend to love his favorite movie of all time. Otherwise, how could they spend the rest of their lives together?
Trouble is: Said movie is Star Wars. That's the favorite movie of, say, my generation. (Yeah, I know this is a flimsy argument, but it's my blog). I would then portend that the movie is either the fave of the creators or that they couldn't think of a more geeked out, universally loved flick.
I agree with those points, after all, I made them. But understanding that didn't make the episode any better.
It all seems to be going the Friends route of "split all the characters up and divide up the A,B & C stories.
It's hard to care at this point.
Introduce the mother and get Barney and Sparkles together or you are looking at your last season.

Death by Television: Heroes (ABC)

Death by Television is a new feature based on a couple things: 1. I love television. I have two tivos, one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen and a dual recording HDDVR in the living room. I can rip anything off the Tivo in the bedroom to my macbook and burn it to my ipod for later viewing. There is nothing I want to see that I can not see.
That said. I find myself disappointed more than ever lately in the state of visual storytelling. For, isn't that why we love TV? To be told stories about people we care about, hate, are jealous of, are scared for, etc?
2. I also enjoy Twitter. Call me names, I don't care, I love the pithy, quick blurbage that our society has descended to.
With that we start Death by Television. Quick reviews of the returning and debuting television shows for the new season.The longest thing in this segment "should" be this introduction. Stop reading if the reviews are more than a couple hundred words. The shows won't be worth it.



Heroes - Season 3 - ABC Mondays

This might have been the most boring, lugubrious, casting off of audience goodwill and currency in the history of TV. Or, maybe, it's just that, after a terrific first season (with a terrible ending) there was no place to go.
Doesn't matter. I couldn't get through this two hour snoozefest and I found myself wishing that these "Heroes" would just band together and solve crimes ala Misfits of Science or Legion of Superheroes.

Chowhound: Vito's Pizza - La Cienega (near Willoughby)

"You can't get good pizza in LA!", go the cries. I've heard them for 22 years. At first I was one of them. Then, truthfully, I forgot that this was even an issue (kind of the way it's easy to forget that LA has two baseball teams).
Over the years I have tried to find a good slice. Joe Peep's in the valley was a stop for a while back. But, that wasn't actually any good. It was just convenient to my apartment and it WASN'T Domino Hut.
20 years ago (and until their recent mass closings) Jacopo's was a standard bearer. A low rent Italian place whose food could best be described as hit or miss.
Yeah, for a while there it seemed like the only thing that passed for endemic pizza in LA was CPK, which is like the Red Lobster of Pizza Joints, except that the variety and flavorlessness exceeds the Lob's.
And Wolfgang Puck had his imprimatur, for better or worse (mostly weird, atchelly)
Then, about 8 years ago a pair of "NY-Style" joints came over the radar. One was the impossible-to-find-parking-at Frankie and Johnnie's on Sunset Blvd semi-across from the Hustler store. The pie was succulent and daring, varied and simple at the same time. Just what you want from Pizza. The beer was cold, the tv was muted and the pie always left you wanting...more, that is.
The other was (and is) a little place across from the now-defunct rock club, The Gig, on Melrose. Albano's reminds of a hole in the wall. It's cluttered, noisy and, some of the finest damn NY style pie I've had.
When we hosted a Pizza Party a few years ago, I made a special trip to the place to get the pies. Which, if you know the area I live in, is no mean feat.
Last week, LAist posted a piece about Vito's. and it has weighed on our minds ever since. I kept the page fresh on my Google Reader all week long.

I met Beth and Zoe at the joint after a long day of Phone Banking for Obama. It really is in a little nook in a strip mall. Even though it's in West Hollywood, there is parking, which is unheard of.
The handmade cardboard sign on the counter that calls for "no networking" made me curious and the waitress told us that its to prevent the proletariat from bothering the stars and producers. (proletariat is my word, stars was hers.)
It took about 15 minutes for us to get our pizza. Half cheese, half pep. (Hey, when you have an 18 month old, you can't afford to take chances on goat cheese and spinach!)
It's always been a treat to watch real pizza makers toss dough and , if you like that sorta thing, you are in for a real treat here.
The owner, a big Gandolfini of a man, throws the pizza while laughing and singing along with the Sinatras and standards and, although he never once made us feel at home, it just felt right being there. Like it was a neighborhood place whose warmth is spread through cheese and sauce. The staff is great. Unobtrusive, quick, friendly.
But, what about the pie?



Easily one of the top 3 pizzas I have ever had in this town. In fact, I rate it as high, if not higher, as many of the pizza joints in NY. I never really understood why everyone thought Ray's was the greatest. It's not. It's good, but it doesn't make me salivate to think about it. And, hell, I would rather be able to sit down any day. My memories of a lot of NY pizza places is standing at high tables, dripping oil on red formica and barely swallowing before heading off to destinations on the double R.
Vito's is everything I was expecting. Everything I want from pizza. It was fabulous.




Soundtrack: Standards, oldies
Suggested Soundtrack: The Ramones.

Listening Post: Aerosmith - Get a Grip

How do the boys from beantown follow up their masterwork?



Aerosmith - Get a Grip -1993 (buy it)


Livejudging Get a Grip:

1. Intro: Great. Nod your hat at the very tune that got you here. Nice.
2. Eat the Rich:Oh, back to the big-ass riffage that you were known for in the first place. Why does Perry sound so good? B+
3. Get a Grip: Did I need that belch? I don't think so. Infectious, but ultimately boring big blues rock.B-
4. Fever: Like Elvis on steroids. Or Horton Heat Lite. Put the top down, find a piece of traffic-free, open road and crank it. A
5. Livin on the Edge: This song gets extra points for being co-written by Mark Hudson, one of the Hudson Brothers from that cheeky Saturday Morning variety show. (And he's Kate Hudson's uncle!) It also helps that it's a pretty good anthemic rock tune. B+
6. Flesh: The first real turkey the band has churned out in years. It's just a wannabe sex-driven, almost Reznor influenced, one-eye-on-the-charts one trick pony that wears out its welcome before the second chorus. C-
7. Walk on Down: What's this? This doesn't sound like Steve---oh. It's a Perry track. No doubt he's taking the vocals. He has that laconic semi-ability to sing where he sounds like a lazy power pop rocker or Kiss on a bad day. If this is what The Joe Perry Project sounded like, I'm glad I never heard it.Pass. C
8. Shut Up and Dance: This is a weird and really poor track. Why weird? Because it's co-written by Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades, the guys from Damn Yankees (And Styx and Night Ranger....) Why is that weird? Because it is the furthest thing from a rock song that I've heard in a while. It's just a melange of competing riffs and licks and it's muddled and ugly and it's these ROCKERS calling for us to dance. Um....no. D
9. Cryin': God bless the big, rustic, farm-tinged, anthem rock ballad. Does it work? Sure. Why not. I almost wish it was bigger. Or I was at the prom. Or dating a young Alicia Silverstone. A
10. Gotta Love It: The Hudson Brother's back but this time everyone was too busy asking him what Goldie Hawn was really like to realize that they hadn't really written a song. "She was my SISTER IN LAW, you idiots!" He could be heard shouting but, by the time the day was done, there was nothing but a future jingle for Cold Stone Creamery and a lot of hurt feelings. C-
Man this album is long........
11. Crazy: When in doubt, mine the territory of so many country-western amblers and toss in a little retro-50's talkin' to your "girl". I always thought this was the weakest of that trilogy, but it did have a couple things going for it: Liv and Alicia, acting all lipstick lesbiany. There's just something so wrong with Steve singing a love song over images of his daughter writhing in her underwear on a stripper pole. Not as bad as his singing a love song over images of Ben Affleck mounting his daughter, but pretty damned close. This piece of junk won a Grammy......blech. C
12. Line Up: Lenny Kravitz gets in on the action with a songwriting credit on this one. Line Up kind of sounds like the theme song to a wacky comedy from the 70s starring Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder and is ABSOLUTELY the kind of song you would expect to hear the Brady Family sing in their Variety Show amidst the ice skating distractions. Oh, wait, is this song still on? Blah. C-
13. Can't Stop Messin': My version of this album has this Japanese B-side right there at lucky number 13. Also co-written by the Damn Yankees boys it kind of makes you understand why that band couldn't go any further than "High Enough". This tune sounds like the kind of drivel Brian May would foist on the band toward the end (Anyone remember Headlong?). Completely unmemorable. C
14. Epic Rock Tune 3, otherwise known as Amazing: Actually, of those three, Celine Dion/Dianne Warren-esque anthems, Amazing is the best. Sounding a bit like Wings with a taste of Jon Brion (who I like to believe they copped from retroactively), this is the song that probably sounds the most like the band is pandering. As it could be Dream On, or Sweet Emotion, or any other Tyler screeching ballad. But where those were heartfelt and dynamic, the later ballads just seem to be begging 15 year old girls to buy into the desperate pleas for emotional validation and, thereby, the records. This from the guys who wrote Cheese Cake. A
15. Boogie Man: Pointlessly useless instrumental closing track. A tedious part of the repertoire by now. D

Sadly, Get a Grip is a real step back for the band whose second act is notoriously brilliant. A hodgepodge at best. A letdown in every way.
Yet it sold a bajilion copies.
Oh well.

Grade C
A Side: Cryin', Amazing, Livin on the Edge
Blind Side: Fever, Eat the Rich,
Down Side: Shut up and Dance, Boogie Man, Walk on Down & Gotta Love It.

Listening Post: Aerosmith - Pump

....a template for how to capitalize on the fluke success of the first hit hybrid of Rap/Rock...



Aerosmith - Pump - 1989 (Buy it)

Here's the way post-Listening Posts work: After I've made my way through the catalog of a band I back up my computer to the EHD. Then I go through the albums from that session's band and I delete anything that wasn't an "A Side" or "BlindSide". Wheat from Chaff.
It is rare, if ever, that I keep more than half of an album. In fact, I don't think I've kept an entire album since the first Listening Post, which was u2.

With Pump I find no reason to delete anything from the list. It's that good. I think this album is better than Permanent Vacation and, dare I say it, better than Rocks. (heresy!)

There's a couple things I noticed during listening to Pump:

Steve Tyler is in top notch form. His voice is elastic and he's having a blast with finding new ways to sound sleazy and bloozy.

The riffage is down to a minimum. Something that echoes the U2 Posts. I am a huge fan of the big electric guitar solo. I love riffs. Gimme more of that AC/DC! But, on Pump, they pull Perry back so far that he's no longer the STAR. There's very little spotlighting of his fretwork and, to be honest, less than memorable, licks. In it's stead we have terrific soundscaping production, a wider sound and a bigger variety of music.
Sure, "Love in an Elevator" sounds way too much like Def Leppard. That's fine. (In fact, when I used it to set a Genius playlist on my iPod the very next song chosen was "Armageddon It", so there ya go.) And Monkey on my Back sounds a LOT like Givin the Dog a Bone, but, what the fuck, it's so tasty you just let it pass.

The album itself, also seems to get better the deeper in you get. And with each listen.

Janie's Got a Gun is unlike anything Aerosmith ever did and boy does it hold up. Not only is the production top notch and ominous as hell, but the song itself is singable in a way that most Aerosmoth songs aren't. It helps that the video was so evocative 19 years ago that when the images come back to mind they only enhance the listening experience.

There is nothing bad on this record. It isn't indulgent, it seems to have put away ego-tripping and drugs as though the band resigned themselves to this machine (and second chance) called Aerosmith and decided to just go with it.

About that second chance. A lot of bands get reprises, second acts. In this case when RUN DMC shot Aerosmith back into the national spotlight, instead of just going with that and making their whole career about being, basically, a novelty act, they hired songwriters, better producers, pulled themselves together and put out the almost perfect Permanent Vacation. The success of that record seems to have imbued the band with a new sense of purpose. There are only two songs credited to an outside producer on Pump, the Uber-Ballad, "What it Takes" written with cash machine, Desmond Childs. But, unlike previous crappy Aerosmith ballads, I actually like this one. Sadly, it will be rewritten over and over by the band in the coming albums, but its great here. And The Other Side, which is credited with Holland Dozier Holland as co writers but that's because they sued, claiming the riff sounded like "Standing in the Shadows of Love" so that doesn't really count.....

Pump. Just great.

Grade A+

A Side: Janie Got a Gun, Love in an Elevator, What it Takes, The Other Side
BlindSide: Young Lust, F.I.N.E., Don't Get Mad, My Girl.....oh, what the hell, everything else.
Down Side: Nothing.

Now that we're done with your childhood, let's rape your adolescence!

This sickens me to no end.

LONDON - Children's author Eoin Colfer is to write a sixth novel in the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series, seven years after the death of its creator Douglas Adams, publishers Penguin said on Wednesday.

The Irish writer, best known for his Artemis Fowl fairy stories, has the blessing of Adams' widow, Jane Belson, to continue the bestselling science fiction saga.

Called "And Another Thing...," the new novel will be published in October 2009. Colfer said he was a big fan of the original books, which started as a BBC radio serial.



On the contrary. Panic, fuckers.

One voter at a time

I phone banked for about an hour at HQ in West LA.
One person was home.
24 year old guy. He's always been a Republican, he said. His dad is. His whole family.
He hates immigration. Wants the wall put up. His family's been here since the civil war.
25 minutes with him.
Not sure what got to him. Energy, maybe. My energy argument is pretty good. Strong, effective and personal.
I Don't know.

I think it was this:

Him: "Also, McCain served in the military. Obama has not."

Me: Well, that's true and he did a great service to our country and we should give him respect and, perhaps, ask him for advice on things military. But...what do you do for a living?

Him: My last job was as an electrician on a construction job.

Me: And I assume you did a good job?

Him: Yeah.

Me: So, should you be the head electrician in Vegas?

Him: (Laughing) No!

Me: Hmmmm...Don't you want the smartest guy to be the president?

Him: Yeah. Why? Is Obama that smart?

Me: He was the head of the Law Review at Harvard. I don't know about you but I think that's a pretty good school.

Him: One of the best.

Me: And John McCain, while at Annapolis, graduated at the bottom of his class of 300 students. Right there, like third from the bottom.

Him: Really.

Me: Well, I do want the smartest person to be president. I dunno, though.

We kept talking for a short bit and at the end he said this:

"You know what? Move me from 'McCain' to 'Undecided'."

I couldn't ask for anything more.

Invigorating.