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April 30, 2006
Radio Curmudgeon, May Day Edition
I know... the most pressing question on your "enquiring" minds this Sunday morning is: What is Mudge listening to these days? (I've had to accept my role as cultural signpost. The pressure is intense, but I have decided to shoulder it. I'm swell that way.)
So here's a list of the latest songs I've downloaded off iTunes (remember, ClearChannel iand media conglomeration is evil and has killed broadcast radio... iTunes or XM/Sirius is the only acceptable place to get music from anymore). I don't make any claims that all of these songs are good or that you'll have the same tastes as I do. Hell, even I'll admit that I am sometimes embarrassed about what I listen to. Anyway, in no particular order, here's a little of what's currently on Radio Mudge (and be warned, I was in country music country last week, so my playlist is heavy on it right now):
-- "Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy," Big and Rich. 2005's most annoying and ubiquitous country novelty song has suddenly arrived on my airwaves in spring 2006... I wasn't really into this song last year when it was #1, but when I discovered a country radio station during last week's drive from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, this song was the one on when the "scan" hit 107.9. And all of a sudden, the song -- complete with its pretty rock and roll back guitar line -- doesn't call NASCAR to mind ... I think of barreling down that desert highway with the windows down, the dust in the air, and feeling freer than I had in a long time. I downloaded it as soon as I got home. And Doc, I know you have it on your iTunes as well... I think you and I have our next song for the next karaoke night (no matter how bat-crazy it makes Mrs. Doc that we're doing country.)
-- "Worldwide Suicide," Pearl Jam All right, so I'll join the chorus of bleating sheep who are proclaiming that Pearl Jam are back and that this is their best work since "Ten." Because you know what? This song, the first single off the new album out next week, kicks total ass. It's so good, it almost makes me forgive them for "Last Kiss."
-- "The Nth Degree," Morningwood Destined to be one-hit-wonders. For real. No band that has ever referenced itself and its own name in its debut single has ever lasted. Even doing it in later songs is a poor gimmick that indicates total lameness ("Hangin' Tough" by the New Kids is probably the most egregious example of such suckitude). But you know what? This song also proves the value of an intriguing video. It was running on MTV Europe while I was in Italy, and it stuck in my head because of the video. Sure, Liz Phair did the whole "album covers from different eras" concept in 2003 with "Why Can't I?" (and Liz, you know I still love you, baby... call me). And the concept owes a great deal to the internet memes that have floated for the last few years about worst album covers of all time. But I don't need it to be original to be fun. Heck, if I ever had access to two days of photographers and had the money for vanity shoots, the album-covers-through-time concept is kinda fun. Anyway, while I doubt I'll ever hear from the band Morningwood again once this song has cycled, it's still fun.
-- "Sweet Nothings," Venice Maki Think of what it might sound like if Seal and Jack Johnson musically mated and produced a singer/songwriter offspring. That's who Venice Maki is. Great voice, and every song on his debut CD is strong. I've really been into him since hearing him for the first time about a month ago. I'm wishing I'd heard him about two months ago -- he was just in New York City in late March, and had I known I would have really wanted to see his show. Anyway, I think this guy's really talented, and "Sweet Nothings" is my favorite among ten really good songs on this first CD from him. Of every artist on my current playlist, he's the one I recommend most unreservedly. (Except for you, Beav. He'll be too soft for your taste.)
-- "Why," Jason Aldean Another country song that stuck in my mind after hearing it a few times while in New Mexico last week. By the numbers "I done her wrong" song, but I like the guy's voice, and since every guy has been a jerk at at least one point to at least one woman he's loved, it's a relate-able song.
-- "Foxy, Foxy," Rob Zombie Because I still have a rocker side to me, and between Rob Zombie's new album and the Arctic Monkeys, this is how I indulge it.
Posted by Christopher at 10:46 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBackWhen Promotions Attack!
In one of the best examples I have ever heard of a promotion going wrong, police in Santa Clarita, California, detonated a newspaper box yesterday because of Tom Cruise's new movie.
No, it wasn't because they finally heard too much about Cruise, his zombie bride, and the poor child born not only into Cruise's cult family, but with the unfortunte paparazzi nickname of "TomKitten," and just snapped. (For the record, I am still firmly in the camp of those who believe that ol' Tommy's touched Katie about as much as I have, and there was about as much reality in that pregnancy as there is in your average Xbox game. If that brainwashing idiot Cruise really knocked up Katie Holmes, then I'm responsible for Britney's rumored #2.) And it wasn't because of Scientology (though it might be fun if it were). No, it was because of a publicity stunt gone awry:
The Los Angeles Times rack was fitted with a digital musical device designed to play the “Mission: Impossible” theme song when the door was opened. But in some cases, the red plastic boxes with protruding wires were jarred loose and dropped onto the stack of newspapers inside, alarming customers.
Yeah, in an environment when people are jumpy over anything that looks suspicious, let's take plastic boxes with wires sticking out of them, and put them in newspaper boxes! That's great!
The only redeeming virtue in this story is that it was a Tom Cruise movie getting the negative publicity.
Posted by Christopher at 09:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBackApril 28, 2006
United 93
I haven't seen it yet, so this isn't a review. (For one of those, I recommend my friend Pete's review over at FilmThreat.) Rather, I am talking about the discussion over whether United 93 is "too soon" after 9/11 to have been made or released, as is the argument from some corners.
Let me say up front that I understand how scarring and searing that day was and remains for so many Americans. As a New York resident who also spent several years in Washington DC, I felt the day acutely; both of my homes were under attack. I had gone to work meetings in the Pentagon many times, had my best friend in DC working in the building that day, and we couldn't find my younger brother, also in DC and who occasionally is in that building, for most of that maddening afternoon. I understand the trauma associated with it, and I don't mean to disrespect anyone who cannot watch this film or its trailer. I'm just offering a perspective: that there is a difference between "too soon" and "too traumatic," and I think most of those opposed to this film are missing the distinction.
United 93 is the first feature film about 9/11, it's true. But anyone arguing that it's too soon must not have had the television on for the last five years. Six months after the attacks, CBS aired the Gaudet brothers' superb documentary. Every year on the anniversary, the cable news networks devote time to re-airing the footage and examining the events of the day. The National Geographic Channel has an entire documentary mini-series of the events of that day. The History Channel and Discovery Channel have repeatedly aired examinations and speculations as to what caused the actual collapses of the WTC towers. The History Channel has even shot an episode of their series "Zero Hour" (which intersplices real audio and video footage with re-enactments) around the final hour of American Airlines Flight 11. And of course, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have wrapped themselves in the trauma of the day for political advantage for 55 months now.
All of these things predate United 93. So how can Paul Greengrass's movie -- by all accounts respectfully shot, brilliantly written, and as unsensational as possible -- be "too soon?"
We've been living with 9/11 -- both its echoes in how we now behave, think and feel, and the images of the attacks, both still and moving -- since the day it happened. I understand the trauma and pain of those who feel it so deeply that this movie disturbs them. But to call it "too soon" is to suggest that the wounds haven't been pecked at, poked at, torn open since the day of the attacks. We rip the scab open every day... when we walk through an airport and take off our shoes before heading through the metal detector... when we get ready for a trip and have to think about what items we can pack... when we get nervous if we see an unattended bag in a public place... when we look at the New York skyline and see only blue sky where our memory tells us buidings ought to be... when we discuss immigration, when we talk politics, and even -- for some -- when we choose where to go on vacation and how to get there.
Many of us have tried to heal and move on, much like a person who's lost a limb might do; while part of us may now be missing, we still have life to live. For those who are so traumatized by 9/11 that United 93 is discomforting, I would argue that the wounds have never healed -- so suggesting that this film might open them is, while not disingenuous, certainly a misunderstanding.
It won't surprise me if United 93 is #1 at the box office this weekend; it also won't surprise me to see it open weakly and not make money. People's reactions to 9/11 are still too diverse to accurately predict how they'll respond to this movie. Is it too traumatic? Possibly, for some. But is it too soon?
I say not.
Posted by Christopher at 09:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBackOther and Child Reunion
I am a bad human being. In the mail, I recently got an invitation to my 20 year high school reunion. Am I terrible because I have absolutely no interest in going?
Before you answer, keep in mind that I was part of the planning committee for the 5 and 10 year bashes, and that I spent plenty of time wishing eternal diarrhea on those of my classmates who, in 1991 and 1996, couldn't be bothered to reward the hard work of the planning committee (okay, I was mostly concerned about me) by simply attending a party.
But this year, despite plenty of success to show off (and despite being single enough to be a potential target for the hot divorcees from my class after their third cosmo), I just can't get myself to be interested in going. I just don't want to go. So I won't be.
Now am I terrible?
The idea of going back to Minnesota just holds no appeal to me. It's a fine state and I'm not ripping the people, but I left there under what you might call challenging emotional circumstances... and I am a firm believer that emotions can imprint themselves so deeply and so physically on a place that it resonates long after they would otherwise have faded. I got proof of this concept this week, when my flights to and from New Mexico connected through Minneapolis. (For those in my extended family in Minny or those from my childhood who've managed to track me down here in blogtopia, don't get your girdles in a bunch... I was literally there for under 30 minutes each way... enough time to get off my arriving plane, walk to the other gate -- both times in another terminal -- buy a newspaper and hit Starbucks, and then board my departing plane. There was no time to spare, and no time to call anyone.)
Even though I was there for less than an hour in total, I was struck by how quickly the old emotions that had imprinted themselves on me about my former home state came back. I got a stomach ache, a tension headache... my irritability level spiked dramatically (you wouldn't have wanted to be the person in front of me standing in the "walk" aisle of the moving sidewalk thingy, let's just say that), and for the entirety of my walk between gates I had this sense of dread that I would run into somebody -- not just the somebody, but any somebody. This is a very odd thing, because it's not like the incident that led to my leaving home and moving 1000 miles away affects me outwardly now... I mean, it still colors my general outlook I suppose, but other than having turned me into a curmudgeon it's not like I've consciously thought about it in a long time. And yet, here I was walking through the airport feeling absolutely tense and crushed and uncomfortable. I couldn't wait to get on the plane and be gone. And once we were airborne, the physical symptoms indeed receded.
But beyond the discomfort of returning to the physical location, there's another reason I don't want to go. Again, this is with all due respect to the people I went to high school with... but since my life is pretty much divided into pre-move east and post-move east, high school and everything about it just feels like it was another lifetime ago. CRHS and everything associated with it just isn't me anymore... in 1996 I had only been gone 20 months when the ten year came about, and my parents still lived there, which meant that I was still getting back two or three times a year -- so there was still some residual "old me" left that drew me to attend. But this time? My parents moved in the spring of '99, and I haven't been back to Minnesota since Christmas 1998 -- despite still having family there, including frequent contributor Cuzin' Jose. I haven't spoken to anyone there -- not even my closest friends while growing up -- since 1999 either. (A couple of them have tracked me down on this blog and made a comment or two, but those have been of the surprise variety and not planned.) Minnesota, wonderful place though it may be, is firmly ensconced in my rear-view mirror.
Whether it's a good thing -- a case of having moved on and reinvented myself in Gatsbyesque fashion -- or a bad (forgetting one's roots and developing an all-too-common case of northeastern self-superiority), I have cut the cord, moved on, and left just about everything from my life up to the age of 26 behind. I am a different person now -- in name, in outlook, in persona and personality -- and going back "home" for the reunion wouldn't just be visiting people who remind me of my previous life. It would be like paying an in-person visit to the old me.
And I think that's really why I don't want to go.
Anyone who's undergone a reinvention -- whether self-engineered or by circumstance -- faces that moment where their new self has to confront the old one. I guess I'm not ready for that. And so the Class of 1986 will hold its reunion this summer without me.
Posted by Christopher at 07:08 AM | Comments (11) | TrackBackApril 27, 2006
Note to Self
Whenever one door closes, one more opens.
It takes wisdom to recognize this. It takes courage to know it.
Posted by Christopher at 10:29 PM | Comments (4)Ego Boost
Actual conversation from the hallway of a Manhattan hotel this morning outside the conference room where I'd just spoken, between a man from a very large company in Michigan and yours truly:
Person: "That was really great. You really hit home with a couple of your points; you gave me some great ideas about what we might do at (big company) regarding blogging."
Me: "Thank you, that's very kind of you. I'm glad you found it useful."
Person: "Hearing you was the only reason I paid to attend this conference and come all the way out here."
Me: "Wow. I'm... well, I hope you feel like you got your money's worth."
Person: "And then some. I'd pay it again. Actually, would you be interested in flying out to (city nearest their HQ) and speaking to our whole leadership team?"
Someone paid money and flew all the way out to New York just to hear my song & dance. And they actually felt like it was worth the time and money.
Coolest. Thing. Ever.
Posted by Christopher at 10:22 PM | Comments (6)April 26, 2006
Santa Fe-mous
Made it home, and I have to say this was probably the best conference I have been to yet. I was more "on" during my talk than I think I've ever been before; we had a great audience and the others I spoke with were interesting as well. I really enjoyed the whole conference too -- learned a ton and actually enjoyed the organization. I'll be joining them as a member if they'll have me, I think. Anyway, it was a great conference that I was proud to be a part of. Even had a couple of the organization's members recognize me in the airport this morning and come up to me to thank me and tell me they really enjoyed my talk the day before.... so this was a great trip for my ego. A few unexpected things this trip, too... all in all, as tired as I am of running around right now, this is one I was very glad to get the chance to attend.
Other New Mexico stories:
-- I have often wondered, when pondering the way I drive, whether I don't go more than 75 usually because I am concerned about getting a speeding ticket, or perhaps am just squeamish about speed. After having driven the 54 mile stretch of I-25 between Albuquerque and Santa Fe twice in the last few days, I can definitively say that it's only the fear of the speeding ticket. The speed limit on that stretch of interstate is 75. I doubt I was below 85 at any point in the drive. I loved every second of it.
-- "Glad to be alive" moment #1: Sunday afternoon, driving up to Santa Fe from Albuquerque... bright sunny day in the high desert, with sagebrush occasionally tumbling across the highway, dirt devils visible off in front of me as the highway would reach the top of another plateau... the Sandia Mountains in the distance... the brilliant warm colors, the rusts and oranges and deep browns of the desert surrounding me... all the windows in the rental Kia Sorrento rolled down, the wind whipping through my hair (and now that I've been growing it out for all of 2006 and ditching the corporate short-hair style, there's actually enough of it again for the wind to actually whip through)... a country radio station cranked up loud (god, I miss country radio up here in NY)... this was one of several moments during the trip in which God tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Are you sure you're not sure if I exist?"
-- We stayed at one of my top five favorite hotels/resorts I have ever been to, the Inn at Loretto. I'd been there once before, and it made just as good an impression on me this time as the last. Santa Fe and the New Mexico north country are wonderful places to visit, and if you ever have the opportunity to go there, I can't recommend the Inn at Loretto strongly enough. Love that place.
-- The last time I was there, in 2002, I was there as "just" the speechwriter, being the guy without a name tag in the back corner of the room, taking furious notes and grading an executive's performance as someone else delivered words I'd written. This time, I was there as a featured speaker in my own right, and I couldn't help but feel kind of proud about the difference three and a half years made.
-- I ate elk. On Monday night, we went to dinner at one of Santa Fe's trendiest and most well-reputed restaurants, Geronimo (if you weren't aware, Santa Fe is an art and culinary mecca, and there are chefs there that are among the world's best, graduated from some of the most prestigious culinary schools in the world... it's a great place to be a foodie). When perusing the menu, the idea of elk intrigued me, and when I inquired the waiter informed me that it was the chef's signature dish. That was all I needed. And I was glad I ordered it; it was one of the better meals I've eaten in a long time.
-- After finishing my part of the program on Tuesday, some new friends and I walked over to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. I had never had as much appreciation for O'Keeffe as I had for other artists, but that changed with this visit. I am so glad that I went! Bought a print that I'll be framing and putting in the new apartment, too.
-- "Glad to be alive" moment #2: To close the conference, we had a reception and dinner at Museum Hill, where I witnessed probably the most breathtaking sunset I have ever seen. My new friends took a couple of photos of me, which I've been promised via e-mail soon. (If I don't look like too much of a dork, I may share one just so you can see the scenery and the sunset.) Gotta tell you, this was another one of those moments where God showed up to ask me in person whether I still thought of myself as agnostic. The wind was whipping through the mountain pass (the museums are even more elevated than Santa Fe, which is at more than 7,000 feet), the sun was setting, the air was so clean, it just felt good to breathe. I'll not forget those 20 minutes standing outside, watching that sunset. Ever.
-- My favorite museum of the ones on the Hill: the Museum of Indian Art and Culture. I wish I'd had more time to explore it (we only had a short time to look around, maybe 30 minutes or so, before dinner was served), but what I did see was fascinating. I especially liked the "Here, Now and Always" exhibit which traced Native beliefs about the origin of humankind and how we're all still connected to the Earth's energy. Native cultures have this beautifully balanced and pure sense of spirituality and belief; I greatly respect and admire their culture. I loved the museum and would love to go back.
Those're about the only stories I'm willing to tell... but overall Santa Fe made just as wonderful an impression on me this time as the first time I visited. I have to rank it as among my five favorite places I have ever visited or ever been to. If you ever get the chance to visit, I can't recommend it enough. (Hell, I might even try to tag along with you.)
Posted by Christopher at 08:57 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBackApril 22, 2006
South by Southwest
Actually took some time to write for myself a little bit today. Not sure if it will turn into anything worth continuing, but it was fun to just try and be creative again.
I'm flying out on the first plane out tomorrow morning to Santa Fe; there's a conference there for the next few days that I am both attending and speaking at. I'm back home on Wednesday evening, and I'll try to get something up then.
Have a good rest of the weekend.
Posted by Christopher at 09:50 PM | Comments (2)April 21, 2006
Sounds Worth Saving: Abbreviated Version
Don't just just hate when you accidentally fall asleep without having set the alarm, and then oversleep in the morning? I had planned on not only doing the next entry in this series last night, but I even had a couple of others in mind. It would appear that the sleep fairy had other ideas. So you get an abbreviated entry this morning in this series. Sorry. I was tired, I guess.
15. The Ramones, 1976 There are really only a handful of albums over the course of rock history about which it can be said that, in hindsight, rock history or the direction of popular music changed after their release. There are some brilliant albums that, while totally enjoyable and classic in every other way, don't meet that particular criteria. Among the handful that do, you've got Sgt. Pepper's, Nevermind... and The Ramones.
Brent and Sarah will hork up a lung at me for saying this, but pop music by the mid 1970s had become a parody of rock and roll; art rock and arena rock had virtually killed rock and roll's rebellious spirit, and the pop charts had become full of schlock like "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" and "Shannon." It took four guys from Queens to remind us all of what rock was supposed to be about in the first place -- to re-introduce the rebellion and attitude and energy and the primal nature that rock was supposed to be about. They couldn't really play, had the musical sophistication of a Tom & Jerry cartoon... and they were absofreakinglutely brilliant. There are a few albums I might have enjoyed a little bit more, but there is in my mind only one other that was this important (stay tuned for that one).
14. Nixon's "Checkers" speech, 1952. This is the media rat and history geek in me coming out... Nixon's speech was more than just a brilliant manuver to save his own skin and force Eisenhower to keep him on the Republican ticket in 1952 (although it certainly was that; Eisenhower and his advisors had wanted to remove Nixon and were reputedly discussing how and when to do so at the time Nixon forced their hand). It was also the first demonstration of the power of television as a political medium. Everyone always points to JFK and the debates with Nixon in 1960 as the pioneering political TV moment; I'd argue that it came eight years earlier
If you're not familiar with the story, Nixon was the Vice Presidential candidate in 1952 with Dwight Eisenhower. Ethical allegations surfaced against Nixon, charging that he had acquired a "slush fund" from campaign contributions and was becoming quite wealthy while in public office. Nixon went on TV -- at a point where not even half of all Americans even had a TV yet -- and laid all of his cards on the table. In a brilliant if humiliating speech, he laid out his family's finances, tax returns, assets and debts, in excruciating detail, as if to say "now you know everything about my finances, so you tell me if you think I've gotten rich illegally in this job."
He concluded his revelations with a cynically brilliant tug at viewers' heartstrings. "One other thing I probably should tell you, because if I don't they'll probably be saying this about me, too. We did get something, a gift, after the election. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog. And believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore, saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was? It was a little cocker spaniel dog, in a crate that he had sent all the way from Texas, black and white, spotted, and our little girl Tricia, the six year old, named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and I just want to say this, right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we're gonna keep it."
Did it work? Hell yes. In one paragraph, he saved his political career. Whatever one might think of Nixon, it was a briliant move. And the "Checkers" speech, as it came to be known, wins inclusion in my list of audio recordings worth saving. Listen to the speech here.
More tomorrow.
Posted by Christopher at 07:07 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBackApril 20, 2006
Sounds Worth Saving: Part II
Continuing on with the list of 25 sounds I'd save for posterity:
20. The 911 calls and NYFD/NYPD transmissions from 9/11 So that we never forget.
19. "Linus and Lucy" by Vince Guaraldi, 1965 Has there ever been music that so closely fit the visual it was composed to accompany? Has there ever been a more evocative cartoon soundtrack? Go on, tell me that you don't get a smile on your face as soon as the familiar deep piano intro begins. Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack to the Peanuts cartoon specials in the 1960s were a brilliant fusing of modern jazz with classic characters and stories. The Charlie Brown cartoons remain holiday classics 40 years after they were made, and some of the most heartwarming characters of all time resided in the world called to mind whenever you hear this song. Other cartoons were much, much funnier. But few, if any, ever made you feel so good. And their theme song deserves to be saved for that reason alone.
18. Orson Welles & The Mercury Theater's production of "War of the Worlds," 10/30/1938 How many other radio programs ever sparked national panic? The response to this production demonstrated the true power of the medium of radio. (As a side note, when one listens to the program or reads the script, it's impossible not to note the unrealistically sped-up timeline -- the reporter's "charred body" is identified in a hospital not three minutes after his report is abruptly cut off in mid-sentence, for example -- and wonder "how did people fall for that?") Regardless of the suspension of disbelief required to actually think it was a real live broadvast, however, it's a classic production that's worth preserving. LIsten to the entire program here.
17. Walter Cronkite Announces President Kennedy's death, 11/22/1963 There are, approximately every two decades, "where were you when you heard..." moments that sear their way into the memories of every member of the generation that experiences them. 9/11. The Challenger disaster. Pearl Harbor. But the granddaddy of them all was the Kennedy assassination in November 1963. As television was just emerging at that time, carrying this event live was the moment media historians now say was the moment when TV "grew up" and permanently became locked into American society as the medium of choice for news. CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite was visibly shaken -- his voice cracks as he remarks that Vice President Lyndon Johnson will soon be taking the oath of office -- and Cronkite's emotional response became one of the most indeliable memories of the day for anyone who lived through it. LIsten to Cronkite's announcement here.
16. Opening monlogue to Star Trek, William Shatner, 1966 "Space... the final frontier." With those words, William Shatner kicked off forty years of the most successful franchise in television history, forty years of geek conventions, forty years of parody, forty years of being ingrained in popular culture. If you're questioning my inclusion of this clip, ask yourself how many other TV shows' beginnings you could recite from memory -- even if you never watched the show? I'm not a Trekker (though I did enjoy The Next Generation), but I will acknowledge that the show's opening is probably the most famous and well-known TV theme ever. And if I'm saving audio for posterity, I think that such reknown qualifies the Star Trek theme for inclusion. LIsten to it here.
Posted by Christopher at 05:37 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBackApril 19, 2006
Sounds Worth Saving: Prelude
Over the weekend, I couldn't help but notice one of my favorite kind of news articles: another list. And I figured that if nothing else cold get me out of my "I don't feel like blogging" rut, it could be making another list. So I have the National Recording Registry to thank for inspiration here. See, they just released this year's list of recordings that are going into the Library of Congress' collection of historic recordings. Once deemed worthy of inclusion in the collection, a recording is preserved with the latest technology, similar to the way they protect old books or documents, so that the master tape degrades as little as possible, and the recording is kept alive for posterity.
They came up with 50 this year, and the whole collection is now at 200. I could probably come up with 50, or even 200. But it would take too long, and I'm trying to break a blog rut. So my list is only 25. But I started thinking about it... which recordings and sounds have been the most indelible in my life? Which things either made a distinct and permanent impression on me, or are such that I can recognize their historical value (remember, way back when and before I became a professional blog-type person, or a speechwriter, or a PR flack, or a political hack -- geez, I've had a lot of incarnations during my professional career! -- I was a history major in undergrad and entertained thoughts of one day teaching history, so I actually do have a little sense of historical value, even if 15+ years after getting the degree I've still never used it)?
In other words.... be they musical recordings, great speeches, audio of events, whatever... if I had the ability to save just 25 audio clips for posterity, and leave all others exposed to the ravages of time and the chemistry of whatever medium they were recorded on... which 25 would I save? Bear in mind, in this role I am acting partially on behalf of humanity, not just for my own self-interest... so songs or albums I just happen to really like shouldn't go on the list just because I like them. (That's a good thing, too... otherwise The Buggles' "Video Killed The Radio Star" or the Violent Femmes' Greatest Hits might end up getting saved for all time while a real part of history gets lost forever.)
Some of these I included for their historical import. Others (particularly the sports ones) are getting saved by me because they're particularly evocative or meaningful to me personally (I am a man, and it is a well known "fact" that men are only allowed to cry over sporting scenes -- Rudy, Field of Deams, The Rookie, or Hoosiers, anyone? -- and I have included at least two in my list that to this day make me well up like a little kid with a skinned knee). But the beauty of spit like this is that it's open to interpretation by everybody... no two people would have the same list. You're going to read these and say, "What about (insert recording here)? You put (other sound) in, and you left off (first one)? Are you stupid or something?" To which I promise not to reply "Stupid is as stupid does," because I hate that movie. Rather, I'd just tell you to make your own list... because these are my sounds that I'd choose to save. I hereby grant you the magical power to save your own 25 sounds for all time.
So anyway, I'd planned on just listing 25 sounds with links to them where I could find them online. Then I realized that I am physically incapable of just listing something without writing some sort of a justifiation for why I included it (why do I always feel like I have to justify my decisions? Gotta ask about that one in therapy.) And that would make for one long-ass post. So I'll split them up a little.
Ordering these suckers is quite the challenge, by the way. Deciding a recording should go on the list is one thing. Deciding which one is more historical or more important than another? Not so easy. If you think it is, then make your own list of 25 recordings to save for posterity, and then try to value-judge them. Heh? I thought so. It's not so easy, is it?? So while the bottom 15 or so will be in a vague order, I think my top ten aren't going to be. They'll just be "top ten" recordings.
So with that... off we go to my list of 25 Recordings Worth Saving.
Posted by Christopher at 07:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSounds Worth Saving: Part I
The first entries in my list of recordings I would save for posterity:
25. Thomas Edison, Mary Had a LIttle Lamb, 1927. True, he made the first actual recording of the human voice in 1877, and that one's lost forever. But in 1927, he re-recorded it for posterity... and while a track of the greatest inventor who ever lived reciting a nursery rhyme may not be particularly compelling, it's worthy of inclusion because a) we wouldn't be here doing this list without this recording; and b) it's a recording of Thomas freaking Edison, man. So the recording that started it all gets included as the 25th and final entry on my list. Listen to it here.
24. "Purple Rain," Prince, 1984 Okay, true... growing up in Minnesota unfairly biases me in favor of this album, because between 1982 and 1986, it was state law that every radio station in the state, regardless of format, had to play at least two Prince songs every hour as a way to boost the local economy and music scene. (Not really, but it might as well have been. Besides, I think it would have been quite funny to hear a religious station playing "Darling Nikki" right next to "Nearer My God To Thee.") So my perspective on how monumental an album this was is admittedly skewed.
But I'll still stack this CD up to "Thriller" every time. Most of the King of Popping Little Boys' stuff sounds dated and cheesy now ("PYT?" "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'?"), while I'd argue that every track on Purple Rain still sounds pretty good. And for about two years there, Prince owned the whole world. This album influenced pop music not just during the time in which it was hot and new, but for years afterward. From a pop culture standpoint, It was as influential and emblematic as "Thriller," and it stands up better. Plus, Prince only engages in freaky weird sex with adults; no little boys were harmed during the making of his life. So MJ's out, and Prince is in.
23. Howard Cosell, "DOWN GOES FRAZIER!" 1973 The reaction of an announcer can go a long, long way toward making a moment indeliable and historic. (Can you imagine if Al Michaels had ended the 1980 Olympic hockey game with a simple, monotoned "And the United States wins the game, 4-3?") And Howard Cosell's surprised, excited, top of his voice reaction to George Foreman knocking out Joe Frazier in their 1973 title bout is one of those moments. It's Cosell's signature call, even more than anything he said on Monday Night Football. It's perhaps the one boxing call that even people who hate boxing know. It's been parodied and lifted for three decades since Cosell delivered it. And it's one of sports' all time best known calls. So onto the list it goes; you can listen to it here.
22. The Hindenburg crash, 1937. The first live news coverage of a disaster as it happened. Reporter Herbert Morrison's complete loss of professional dispassion and becoming so emotionally wrapped up in his story that he breaks into tears and can't continue reporting. His overwrought, melodramatic delivery. And of course, the classic line "Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers!!" There's certainly historic value in this recording, and I'd argue that for all the times that someone has reacted to a story with a sarastic "Oh the humanity!" (like someone hearing about an ugly co-worker getting laid, for example), it's also got pop culture import as well. Here's Morrison's full report; the first part of the recording is just his calm description of a blimp landing -- which was a big deal in 1937... and then about a third of the way into the file, the Hindenburg bursts into flames, and Morrison cries his way into history.
21. Eisenhower's Farewell Address ("The Military-Industrial Complex" speech), 1961 If you're a consporacy theorist, this is the first example of an American president trying to warn the people that they were no longer in charge. If you're a realist, this was an American president imparting some final words of wisdom to his people, and explaining that time and circumstances had led to the development of a new dynamic in American society, one in which defense and armament had become the primary industry of our country.
Having been in both the military and now the industrial half of the complex, I'm not sure I buy all the conspiracy talk. (Hell, I guess I'm supposed to be part of the conspiracy now, huh?) Then again, when you see garbage like the current regime has pulled in enriching Dick Cheney and Halliburton, it's impossible to wholly discount, isn't it?
The excerpt that the lunatic fringes of the left always pull from this speech is this one: "Now this conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence -- economic, political, even spiritual -- is felt in every city, every Statehouse, every office of the Federal government... In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes."
That excerpt is certainly, when taken out of context, foreboding. But when you look at the context of Eisenhower's speech -- which was all about the need for balance, and the imperative of not getting so caught up in the Cold War that we as a people ignored the other elements of American economy and society -- it's less so. When the speech is looked at in whole, it's a brilliant plea for moderation and clear thinking (as opposed to hysteria and demagoguery). Eisenhower also talked about the promises, challenges and potential threats of technology and technological progress as well... and warns about the danger of a culture in which scientists compete not for a new and better idea, but for a government contract and the money and power that come with it. Somehow, the academics and fringers who always cite the miliatry-industrial complex conspiracy part manage to skip over the warning about a conspiracy of the academic elite.
Read or listen to the whole speech here. It's my personal belief that the entirety of the speech, with its pleas for balance, its warnings against excess, and its reminders about what values really ought to be reflected in American conduct and society, is Eisenhower's finest moment. And his words -- all of them, in the full context -- especially bear remembering today.
Posted by Christopher at 06:54 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBackApril 15, 2006
Shocker
Gee, I am stunned. Barry Bonds is under heavier scrutiny than ever for steroid use this season... and he's gone the first two weeks of the year without a single home run. What a shocking coincidence.
And now, as the news breaks that 'Roid Rage is under investigation by a federal grand jury for perjury, he has suddenly developed a chronic injury in his elbow; all of a sudden, Barry has bone chips and might retire.
Getting a little warm in the kitchen, Juicy Juice?
April 14, 2006
Goodbye, Mileah
I feel like I was kicked in the stomach this morning.
One of the truly rewarding things about having a blog is that you get to establish friendships with some of the people who read you. You exchange comments with someone for long enough, then someone sends an e-mail, and the next thing you know you feel like the person is a friend, even though you've never met them.
I just learned that one of my friends died last month.
This morning, while doing my usual perusal of my blogroll, it struck me that I hadn't seen an update on my friend Mileah's blog in a few weeks... and I realized that I hadn't seen her here commenting lately either. I clicked over to her blog, and found this sad entry announcing her death. From her hometown paper, the Austin Chronicle:
Mileah Jordan, logistics manager for Stubb's barbecue sauce division and former Liberty Lunch office manager, died overnight March 16 at her Austin apartment. The cause of death was unknown, but Jordan, 43, had had multiple health problems in recent years, said former boyfriend and neighbor Rob Cooley, who found her body the next morning. Jordan grew up in Abilene, studied art history at the University of Dallas, and moved to Austin in 1984.
I never met Mileah; we only sent an e-mail every now and then. We 'fessed up over where we each worked and what we did, we exchanged political rants and anger over the Bush regime, we sent the occasional greeting if we hadn't heard from one another in a while, and that was it. I don't want to overstate things; it's not like we had become mightily close or anything. But I still feel like I knew her. I'd been reading her blog (and blogrolling her) since the angry election campaign of 2004; she was a passionate advocate for her beliefs who loved her country and hated what was happening to it. But more than that, she loved music, she loved art, and she loved writing. She was a good soul. She was my friend.
I've been so focused on the craziness and hectic pace in my own life in the last few months that I haven't kept up with friends all that well... and so it is that here, almost a month later, I am just now learning that a friend of mine has died. I'm sorry, Mileah. I'm sorry that I didn't know until you'd been gone a month. I'm sorry that I didn't leave one last comment on your March 15 entry, the last one you ever wrote, to let you know I was still reading you. I'm sorry that I didn't send an e-mail just saying "I'm really busy right now, but just wanted to say hello." I'm sorry that you're gone, because my blog experience was better for your having been a part of it. Thanks for being there.
Goodbye, Mileah.
Posted by Christopher at 07:27 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBackBurn, Barry, Burn
Tick... tick... tick...
Hear that sound? It's the sound of Barry Bonds' miserable existence and his blight on Major League Baseball coming to an end.
Steroid Man, his deception and cheating revealed by recent books, is being investigated by a federal grand jury for perjury.
The whole world already knew that Bonds lied on the stand regarding his steroid use. Now, the legal system is working on confirming it. And please, please, please... for the love of god and for the sake of all that is holy in baseball... don't just indict the SOB.
If Barry Bonds goes to jail for perjury, it will be the best thing that's happened in baseball since the Red Sox won the World Series.
April 11, 2006
This Post Has No Good Title
I have a question for my fellow bloggers out there. Do you ever find yourself thinking that maybe you've "outgrown" your blog? Not your blog friends -- because you'll always appreciate anyone who actually takes the time to read your writing -- but just your blog? Maybe outgrown isn't the right word -- maybe there's a better one out there -- but have you ever just had the sense that, I dunno... I guess what I am thinking is that, for the past three years, with a two month exception, I have been doing the Curmudgeon blog... and for the last year, blogging and then podcasting have become my career, and I have lived/ate/slept the world of blogging. I took a 10 week hiatus last spring to clear my head and have a fling and get ramped up for my new job... but other than that, last week was the first time in three years that I went a week without blogging something.
I almost didn't miss it.
What does that mean? Am I quitting again? No. But am I coming up on a burnout stage? Quite possibly. I'm sure it's not helped by the pace of work in the first few months of this year -- between the traveling and the project I'm working on, I've been scorching both ends of the candle for 3 1/2 months now and I'll admit it, I am tired. But something inside just feels like maybe I should have missed blogging more than I did, and maybe it's not just beinig physically tired that's at the bottom of it. I haven't run out of things to say -- god knows that's not the case! -- and I haven't stopped loving the simple process of writing, no matter what I'm writing about. I just ... I don't know, I just should have missed blogging more than I did.
This isn't a lame cry for attention, by the way. I'm not doing this post so that people will comment and say "no, don't quit!" (Not that anyone would, but you get my point.) I'm aware that there are people who actually read me, and who have stuck with me even through my hiatus last year... and I am grateful for every single one. So this isn't about falling in the forest and seeing if anyone hears me.
So for my fellow bloggers... when you hit burnout points, what do you do to re-energize yourself? How do you get back "into it" when you've sort of lost your enthusiasm for it? I'm looking for the equivalent of a weekend away at a bed and breakfast without the kids, the "tonight let's try something different" ... that thing that you do to get a spark back when you've gotten used to something. Any and all ideas are welcome.
Posted by Christopher at 07:19 AM | Comments (15)Cynthia McIdiot
Wow, the mice were busy while this cat was away, weren't they? Three idiots were busy making noise while I was gone; you'll pardon me if I am a little behind, but when stupid people do stupid things, you can't expect me not to comment, can you?
Take Cynthia McKinney. What a total idiot. This woman is an embarrassment to her people -- the American people. McKinney did more damage this past couple of weeks than any brain-dead redneck with a confederate flag and a hood could do.
Racism exists in this country. There are still signs of it everywhere -- from the overt, like the disproportionate application of the death penalty to black defendants, to the more subtle, like glances or treatment that black customers still get in stores. But a security officer doing his job at a security checkpoint is not racism. Stopping a person at a security checkpoint who is not wearing the proper ID (the members' lapel pin) is not racism. Calling to the person three times before placing a hand on her arm is not racism. And no matter how much faux outrage McKinney tries to spew about the kind of respect and treatment she believes she is entitled to, what that security officer did -- especially in the post-9/11 era -- is never going to be racism. It's always going to be "doing what he was supposed to do."
At McKinney's press conference, when she was laughably telling her version of the story, when she tried to play her drama card and spit out the words, "me... a female... black... Congresswoman," you could hear crickets chirp. No one bought it. And worse yet, McKinney and her "oh no he dih-int" attitude were just reinforcing every negative stereotype that the uninformed and racist among us want to have. She just gave them a poster child to confirm every piece of slop that they want to spew. And she just made it that much harder when real, honest to goodness cases of racism occur, for the skeptical out there to take it seriously or really explore it. McKinney has cried wolf, and done a tremendous disservice to all Americans in doing so, no matter our color. As one newspaper put it,
Cynthia McKinney's cheapening of race discrimination just made the fight against it harder. Thanks, congresswoman.
For the record, lady, you hit a cop. Doesn't matter what the circumstances were, you hit a cop. That's a no-no -- a big one. I hope the grand jury indicts this trash, and I hope she gets a jail sentence for assault. I've long since lost faith in the American public's ability to show judgement -- Tom DeLay got re-elected every year, and people still treat Al Sharpton like he's a serious person, for example -- so I won't place my faith in the citizens of Georgia's 12th district to remove the McKinney cancer from the Congress. I'll just believe that the grand jury will do its job. But one way or the other, McKinney needs to go.
Posted by Christopher at 06:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackApril 09, 2006
Home... from Rome...
... if only I were creative enough to work up a title with Dome and Foam in it. Then I'd be set.
I'd intended to post tonight, but a nine hour flight on top of a six hour jet lag has caught up to me, and I am wiped. I'll write more tomorrow. In the meantime, here's a couple of shots to keep you occupied.
April 02, 2006
Rome If You Want To
As I've mentioned, I am about to leave on another business trip, so this blog's gonna be empty for the next eight days or so. I meant to do a few more posts before I left, but time and lack of sleep caught up to me, and I didn't do as much writing as I'd have liked to.
I hope you all have a fantabulous week, and I'll catch you all in another eight days or so.
Posted by Christopher at 12:25 PM | Comments (2)When We Were Kings
The first Saturday in April means only one thing: the rotisserie baseball draft for our league, FLAKS. (We're all communications and PR people... trust me, it makes sense.) In 2004, I did an extended write-up on this blog after the draft... and I won the league. I skipped it in 2005 because it felt wildly self-indulgent, and besides I wasn't blogging then anyway... and I came in dead last out of 15. In the interest of superstition and tradtion, and in the hopes that I will recover 2004's magic, I'm doing it again. (For those of you who don't care about baseball, this is your hint: the rest of this post is not going to interest you. Feel free to tune out if you wish.)
I rechristened my franchise this year; "Kings" is the short version of the full name. If you know my real last name, you'll figure out why it's a good name. If not, trust me... there's a decent little pop culture reference involved.
I have been in one of my patented moods all week, but it had the curious effect of focusing me yesterday at the draft. I'm well known in the league for being easy to rattle from my planned strategy (someone else gets a player I really wanted by paying more than I thought he was worth, and suddenly my whole plan is messed up and I get frustrated and thrown off), but yesterday I was more focused and determined than I was even the year I won the league. I got 8 of the 9 offensive starters I planned on getting, and 3 of my 5 starting pitchers. Nothing like irrational rage at the world to keep me centered on a goal and the plan to get there, I guess. All in all, while we do have a few weaknesses, I am generally thrilled with this year's team - I feel as good coming out of the draft this year as I ever have, including 2004. And when I look at the other franchises' drafts, I feel like we can really compete this year. No more first to worst for this franchise... we're going to be in it this year. I can feel it.
So, cue this year's theme song, "Click Click Boom" by Saliva... dim the house lights and fire up the spotlight... use your imaginations to hear me doing my best Michael Buffer impression (he's that boxing announcer who does "Let's get ready to rrrrrrrrrummbllllllllllllllle!")... and here we go. Llllladies and gentlemen, here they are..... YOUR Kings!
Starting for your Kings... at first base, the 2005 National League Rookie of the Year and 2006 Grapefruit League home run leader, from the Philadelphia Phillies, Ryan Howard! At second base, the most highly rated player at his position in either league, also from the Phillies, Chase Utley! At third base, former World Series MVP and slugger, from the Toronto Blue Jays, Troy Glaus! At shortstop, one of the best up and coming young shortstops in the game, from the Cleveland Indians, Jhonny Peralta (and yes, that's how you spell his name, no typo there)!! At catcher, one of the heroes of last year's post-season and well-known agitator (and a personal favorite), from the world champion Chicago White Sox, AJ Pierzynski!!
In the outfield, a five tool stud who has the honor of representing my beloved Red Sox on this year's fantasy team... and owner of the best name outside of breakfast cereal, from Red Sox Nation, outfielder Coco Crisp! Also in the outfield, from the Toronto Blue Jays, a guy who's shown flashes of greatness in the past, is better protected in the lineup this year, and is turning the magic age of 27 this year, outfielder Vernon Wells! And rounding out your outfield will be a platoon of promising young guys who each have a ton of potential: Chicago Cubs' rookie left fielder Matt Murton, Tampa Bay Devil Rays' rookie speedster Joey Gathright, Houston Astros' spark plug Willy Taveras, and Minnesota Twins' sleeper candidate for AL Rookie of the Year, Jason Kubel.
On the mound... your #1 starter is last year's NLCS MVP, Houston Astros' Roy Oswalt! Your #2 starter is the wily veteran and future Hall of Famer, from the Atlanta Braves, John Smoltz! Your #3 starter is a promising youngster with tons of upside and poised for a breakout year, from the Los Angeles Angels, Ervin Santana! Your #4 starter: the Toronto Blue Jays' Gustavo Chacin! And rounding out the rotation at #5, an emerging star from Philadelphia, promising young Phillies right-hander Ryan Madson! In the bullpen, one of the most consistent relievers in baseball, from the Seattle Mariners, "Every Day Eddie" Guardado! And finally, Atlanta Braves' closer Chris Reitsma!
Rounding out the roster on the bench: Arizona first baseman and potential NL Rookie of the Year Conor Jackson... the Angels' second baseman Adam Kennedy... Milwaukee Brewers up and coming shortstop phenom JJ Hardy... the Cincinnati third baseman coming a scorching hot spring, Edwin Encarnacion... young Braves' catcher Brian McCann... and two young pitchers who might emerge, Florida's Jason Vargas and Boston Red Sox youngster Jonathan Papelbon.
I'm shocked, actually...being totally and completely honest with you, this is virtually the lineup -- including some of the bench -- that I planned. With the exception of that platoon at the third OF position, this is the exact lineup I wanted on offense. I also really wanted Jackson, Hardy and Encarnacion for my bench. The only "accidents" on offense were Adam Kennedy (I wanted Placido Polanco as my backup 2b, but knew I wouldn't get him for $1 and had to save the money to get Madson and Encarnacion), and the platoon in the OF (and honestly, I had wanted to get two of the threesome of Gathright and Murton and Kubel for my bench -- I just was hoping to land Detroit's Curtis Granderson as my third starter. So on offense I have almost exactly the team I expected.
Pitching... Oswalt was non-negotiable, he was the #1 starter I wanted. I expected to get Oakland's Rich Harden as my #2, but my friend Tim jacked his price up to $35 -- which, though Harden is really good, would have been too much to pay -- so I grabbed John Smoltz instead. But he was still rated at #10 overall among pitchers in my book, so I accomplished my goal of grabbing two of the top dozen starters. At #3 I wanted the Angels' John Lackey (who I think is a sleeper candidate for the AL Cy Young Award this year), and wanted Ervin Santana at #4. But Lackey's price escalated, and I had spent a little more ($29) for Chase Utley than I expected, so I wasn't able to go up to get Lackey. Gustavo Chacin is a decent replacement at #4. And Ryan Madson has emerged as a potential stud in Philadelphia -- winning a slot in the rotation as a starter -- and could end up being a hero as a late round pickup.
We're going to do well in most of the offensive categories; Howard, Utley, Peralta, Glaus and Wells will all hit home runs and drive in at least 75 RBI each, Gathright, Taveras, Crisp and Utley will give me plenty of speed and will score runs... we might come up a bit short in batting average, because I don't have a natural .300 hitter in the lineup -- but it's a small price to pay for an offense that's well rounded in every other way. Our pitching will be solid; I'll stack my 1-3 up with almost anyone in the league, and if Madson emerges I could have a very promising full rotation. If Papelbon becomes a starter with the Sox it gives me another really good option. The glaring weakness in pitching is my bullpen. It sucks. Guardado is 97 years old and plays on a lousy team, and Reitsma is both injury-prone and inconsistent; I don't expect him to be closing by Memorial Day. I usually consider relievers an afterthought in the draft, because saves is one category and I feel okay about punting that category... but I outdid myself on that score this year. And even if it's only sacrificing 7-10 points in the saves category, those are points that could be critical in the stretch.
But all in all, I feel really good about this team. We're going to be competitive, at the very least... and if a few things break right (i.e., Madson emerges as a star, Santana has the breakout year I expect he will, and either Murton, Gathright or Kubel turn into stars this season), I think it's even possible for me to return to the winner's circle in October. I really do feel that good about the Kings.
So I'll keep you posted... if I can figure out how to do it without incurring storage charges on my blog, I may even experiment with doing a short weekly podcast for the league and putting it up here (because yes, I am that creative, and yes, I am that geeky), so you may hear even more frequently about the league and the Kings. In the meantime, the season starts tonight. Click, Click, Boom.
Posted by Christopher at 10:23 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBackApril 01, 2006
Jill's Music Meme
Tag, I'm it! Jill has tagged me and also challenged me to respond before I head out. And seeing as how a) I am doing a few posts tonight to fill the blog while I'm in Italy; and b) I can't resist a damn meme, I have complied.
The challenge is to answer the following questions using only the song titles of your favorite musician/band. While I have way too many favorites to narrow it down to, across several genres, I decided to use Green Day in this effort. So, Jill, I have thus fulfilled your challenge below:
Are you male or female? Disappearing Boy
Describe yourself: Walking Contradiction
How do some people feel about you: American Idiot
How do you feel about yourself: Havin’ A Blast
Describe your ex: Good Riddance
Describe your current significant other: All By Myself
Describe where you want to be: Holiday
Describe how you live: Burnout
Describe how you love: Nice Guys Finish Last
What would you ask for if you had just one wish: I Want To Be On TV
Share a few words of wisdom: No One Knows, Road To Acceptance
Now say goodbye: Westbound Sign
