Soundtrack of my Life...

A good friend of mine recently came up with the soundtrack of his life on his blog. I've decided to rip off his idea and come up with my own. In the interest of fairness (or something), here's the link to his soundtrack:
http://www.birdseyereview.blogspot.com

Now, while he has limited himself to certain restrictions, ie - "the music needs to have been made in his life", I shall employ no such device of restriction. I believe that just because the Stones heyday was in the sixties, not being alive at that time should not prevent those songs from having an influence on my life. I also will not limit mine to any certain length. I will try to go chronologically (from the beginning of my life to now, Drew. J/K). This could go for volumes folks. So, settle in and enjoy the feast.

"Safety Dance" - Men Without Hats (The Rhythm Of Youth) - I remember hearing this song on my very first portable radio Santa brought me for Christmas. I actually woke my parents so early on Christmas morning by trying to sing along to it. "You can dance if you want to, you can leave your friends behind," That's what I'm talking 'bout. (I wasn't always the cool guy I am now you know, I just thought I was.)

"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson (Thriller) - My dad bought this album, but it spent most of it's time with me. I can vividly recall groups of elementary aged kids roaming around the schoolyard with their tape players, being about as "too cool for school" as you could get. I also wore a (single) batting glove on my hand because Michael wore one glove. What a dork. At least I didn't have sequins on it. All the kids at that time were crazy about "Beat It", but I was more of a "Billie Jean" guy. I really can't listen to him anymore, but at the time he was "IT".

"Let's Go Crazy" - Prince (Purple Rain) - This was the first album I ever OWNED. It was a birthday gift from my parents. A BOOMBOX (or ghetto blaster, whichever you prefer) and the Purple Rain album. What a gift! I must have played this song until it made my parents sick. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life." Preach on Reverend Prince, Preach on!

"Rock Of Ages" - Def Lepard (Pyromania) -
"Gunter glieben glauchen globen" and
"Rise up! gather round,
Rock this place to the ground
Burn it up let's go for broke
Watch the night go up in smoke"
were the funniest lyrics I had heard to that point of life. My friends and I would have "concerts" where we would play this song, ad Nauseum. Good times, good times.

"Panama" - Van Halen (1984) - This is when I remember starting to develop some "taste" in music, only to have it blown away on hair metal, and rap later on. We thought Michael Anthonys Bass guitar may have actually had Jack Daniels in it! Ahh, the innocence of youth. (Or did it? Hmmmmm). This was my introduction to real rock.

"Glory Days" - Bruce Springsteen (Born In The USA) - This was a bit of an anthem for me and my buddies backyard baseball games. We were crazy about baseball and I remember this video played on MTV constantly. For those of you who don't know the song, it deals with thinking back to your youth and the people you knew back then. Kind of fitting for me now. I miss those days and those guys. I still run into a couple of them now and then. They're doing well. That's all you can ask.

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" - Bon Jovi (Slippery When Wet) - "I'm a cowboy, on a steel horse I ride, I'm Wanted, Dead or Alive". We LOVED this album in middle school and this song was always being played among all my friends, except for all the "hipsters" who claimed they were "Love and Rockets" fans or some lie like that. We all know you were listening to this secretly when people weren't watching. Poseurs.

"Holy Mother" - Eric Clapton (August) - A uncle of mine had always been a Clapton fan and I got into him through hearing some of his albums. I got this cassette from my parents for Christmas and I wore out the tape fast forwarding to this song. It's a really slow bluesy thing that I loved. This is one those songs that can take you back to just lying in your room, doing nothing and loving it.

"Still Of The Night" - Whitesnake (Self-Titled) - A guilty pleasure. To this day. Whenever I hear this on the radio I can't help but turn it all the way up and sing along. "In the shadow of night, I see the full moon rise, Telling me what’s in store,My heart start aching, My body start a shaking, And I can’t take no more, no, no" Not exactly Dylan, but a heck of a lot of fun still. I remember listening to this with my cousins at Grandma's house LOUD. Great times.

"Disposable Heroes" - Metallica (Master of Puppets) - This song (and album) was what was in my Walkman sixth grade year. The lyrics deal with the absurdity of war and is actually (sadly) very pertinent to what's going on today. "Soldier boy, Made of Clay, Now an empty shell, 21, Only son, But he served us well, Bred to kill, Not to care, Do just as we say, Finished here, Greetings death, He comes to take you away".
Metallica's music got me through middle school.

"It's so easy" - Guns & Roses (Appetite for Destruction) - I really could have picked any song from this album. They're all great, but I remember really loving this song and listening to it on my walk to school (uphill, in the snow, without a coat, etc...). It's one of the few albums that still sounds great today and can listen to without snickering and saying to myself "I can't believe I listened to this".

"...And Justice For All - Metallica (...And Justice For All) - The enduring memory I have of this album is of listening to it while ice fishing with my Dad. It was bloody cold and I couldn't feel my feet after a while. I (no lie) must have listened to it fifteen times that day and it made the cold bearable. We never did catch anything that day. I listened to this tape so much I wore off the writing on the cassette.

"Straight Outta Compton" - N.W.A. - This was my introduction to rap. I fell hard for rap about my freshman year in high school and was under it's spell until my freshman year in college when a group of my friends set me straight. The only time I listen to rap now is when I'm feeling nostalgic. One of the main reasons I listened to it so intensely is that it seemed to be such a natural thing to have on when playing basketball. It seems I've given both up as of late. I need to pick the basketball up again. I think I'll leave the rap alone. Saying that, it was part of my soudtrack and NWA was one of my favorites. Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, DJ Yella, MC Ren, this group would be one of the lightning rods for controversy throughout their existence. The name alone was enough to scare parents, (I won't repeat what it stands for in the interest of keeping this blog clean). Straight Outta Compton was basically an introduction to where the group came from, what they stand for, etc...

"Return of the Mecca" - Pete Rock and CL Smooth (Mecca and the Soul Brother) - This album went everywhere with me. I was lost without it. Many a walk to school was bumping Return of the Mecca. This was the yang to NWA's yin. Positive to NWA's negative.

"Fight The Power" - Public Enemy (Fear Of a Black Planet) - Loved the movie this was used in, "Do The Right Thing", and loved the song. I had the lyrics to this song on one of my school book covers. It's interesting what memories these songs bring back. My Dad saw the book one day and told me that some people might get offended by the lyrics. He never criticized me and told me to remove them or nothing like that. Looking back on it now, I don't think as a parent I would've been so non-judgmental.
Public Enemy did make me aware that there was another world that we weren't reading about in our textbooks though. That there is still racism today is a reality, though it's maybe not as in your face as it used to be. Something I need to reminded of even today.

"Quicksand Jesus" - Skid Row (Slave to the Grind) - This is a song that takes me back to one of my first "relationships". Met her on vacation up north and fell hard. I wonder what happened to her. We lost touch after a couple of months. This is back when two months felt like forever. If I hear this song, it immediately takes me back to that time.

"How I Could Just Kill A Man" - Cypress Hill (Self-Titled) - This was my song for 91'. While most kids were buying flannel shirts and Nirvana's "Nevermind" album, I was sporting my "Cypress Hill" t-shirt and praying for the next CH album. All the ladies were digging me I'm sure. This is another song we were playing during pick-up basketball games.

"By the Time I Get to Arizona" - Public Enemy (Apocalypse '91/The Empire Strikes Black) - This song reminds me of skipping school and driving to Burnsville with a couple buddies and just wasting the day. The song deals with Arizona's decision to not honor Martin Luther King Jr's day in their state. I can't claim that's the reason I love the song. I just liked the beats. We did have to face the Vice Principal the next day, and that's one of the times I realized that honesty is definitely the best policy. After being honest with her, she let us go with a warning. She was a very cool lady.

"Color Blind" - Ice Cube (Death Certificate) - A buddy of mine played this album constantly in his car whenever we were just cruising. It reminds me a lot of going to football games, or just cruising around looking for something to do. We rarely found anything to do, but I wish I could live that period over again. We had some good times doing nothing. The song calls for an end to gang violence.

"Nuthin But a "G" Thing" Dr. Dre (The Chronic) - This was a huge hit and EVERYONE was spinning this disc. Okay, maybe not everyone, but a lot of people I knew. I remember it seemed I couldn't turn on MTV without this or the "Let Me Ride" video playing. This song was where Snoop Dogg became a huge star. There was a statistic released at that time and it was something like Snoop raps at least over 50% of the album or something like that. I still like this song and it reminds me of a wasted summer of not really doing anything productive. Work, party, sleep. I'll always miss that time.

"C.R.E.A.M.(Cash Rules Everything Around Me) Wu-Tang Clan - (Enter the Wu Tang(36 Chambers) - This is the last I can remember of my rap experience. This was the the last rap album I've bought and probably will buy. This song generally signaled (just look at the title) the end of any meaningful rap music and what it represents today. Money. Plain and simple. Catchy song though. Bling, bling dawg.

"Hummer" - Smashing Pumpkins (Siamese Dream) - This music took me by the nose, kicked me in the butt, and slammed me face down back into rock, where I always belonged. I can't state enough what this album means to me and what it still represents to me today. I STILL get goosebumps listening to this album for like the millionth time. Billy Corgan is still my hero and will always be a symbol of what you can achieve when you work through depression rather than succumb to it. (Cough, Cough, Kurt Cobain.. Cough, Cough). Billy caught a lot of attention for actually wanting to be successful with his band when that wasn't the popular thing to do. Fine, that's fair, but I challenge anyone to question the integrity of the music. You could never call them a sellout because the quality of the music was always so great. This song takes me back to my freshman year in college and irritating my irritating roommate by writing "CORGAN IS GOD" on our freshman dorm room. It's why I wanted to pick up a guitar and learn how to play. I could have picked any song by these guys, but this song has that great Loud-Soft dynamic they used so magnificently.

"Hang Fire" - The Rolling Stones (Tattoo You) - They played this song into the ground at my college job. Looking back at it now, it's a good thing I worked at a restaurant or I would have starved to death. We had money for CD's, movies, and beer but it was tough to come up with the rent at the end of the month. I remember falling in love with this song after about the 500th time I heard it at work. I didn't know it at the time, but it would become one of my favorite jobs of all time. We had a great crew and we had a great time. I hope they're all doing well. Besides, the manager would buy us beer and drink with us after closing. Maybe that's why it's a clothing store now.

"Lover, You Should've Come Over" - Jeff Buckley (Grace) - I hated this guy when he first came out. I remember remarking to a buddy of mine that "this guy's terrible" but after sampling his whole album, I fell in love with it and this song is gorgeous. Many drives to and from Mankato had this playing. I highly recommend it to anyone.

"Sabotage" - The Beastie Boys (Ill Communication) - This song makes me hungry. I think it's because they had it on in the lunchroom at Mankato 24/7. I can't listen to this song anymore without thinking of lunch. Thanks to all the people that kept playing it over and over and over and over... I'm starting to get hungry... Mmmmmm...

"Are You Gonna Go My Way" - Lenny Kravitz (Are You Gonna Go My Way) - This is the song that reminds me most of my very first car, an '81 Camaro. Some people didn't like this car of mine, to them I have nothing nice to say so I'll say nothing at all. Okay, they had a point. It was a dangerous car and I'm lucky a certain friend of mine didn't go flying off the road while borrowing it. It had Duct-taped T-Tops that were all the rage. It was a fashion statement I say. You had to have guts to drive that car. I remember blasting this song in that car and getting chills at the beginning of the guitar solo.

"Crash, Burn" Blues Traveler (Four) - Listened to this song many a time on our way to First Ave's "Danceteria" nights. Amazing instrumental work on this song. One time we go into an accident on the way there, decided we were downtown already, might as well go, forgot that the headlights might not work too well, crap.

"I'd Run Away" - The Jayhawks (Tomorrow the Green Grass) - I remember doing some heavy partying in a parking lot and listening to this record with some friends before their and Soul Asylum's concert at Midway Stadium. That's all I really remember from that night (Southern Comfort), except a friend of mine wanting to fight somebody and me pulling him away. I think that's how it went anyway. Maybe it was the other way around?

"Jellybelly" - The Smashing Pumpkins (Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness) - You didn't really think you'd only see one Pumpkins song on this list did you? "Welcome to nowhere fast, nothing here ever lasts". It's THE disc(s) that were playing in me and a buddies car for the longest time. It still finds it's way in the truck quite often. Although, now that it's on my MP3 player, I don't use CD's as often. I've rigged my truck stereo to be able to plug and play my MP3 player.

"Behold! The Night Mare - The Smashing Pumpkins (Adore) - You didn't really think... never mind. I picked this song because it was the best song the Pumpkins did the night of the Minneapolis Aquatennial. We got there early in the day so we would be right up front come show time. By the end of the night we were way in the back and still couldn't move freely. There were so many people it was ridiculous. They still hold the record for attendance at between 80-90,000. God, I miss this band.

"Age of Innocence" - The Smashing Pumpkins (Machina/The Machines of God) - Last one, I promise. This is the song that was playing when I met the man himself, Billy Corgan. We waited in line eight hours (Geekola, I know) to shake hands with the man and get a couple things signed. It was so worth it for me. (Not sure my wife and my buddy agreed, but she at least found it interesting that so many people would wait in line for hours for a few seconds of someone's time.) It became a bit of a crusade by the seventh hour and we enjoyed the company of those around us. Mr Corgan and the rest of the band were very gracious and polite and seemed to really be enjoying spending the time with the fans. I got my Siamese Dream and a lithograph signed and got to shake his hand (Corgan had abnormally long fingers if you're wondering). Sigh... What a great day!

"Crazy Love" - Brian Kennedy - This was the song that Amy and I had our first dance to at our wedding. (Ahhhhhhhhh...). This was a song that Amy had loved for a while and I certainly loved Van Morrisons version so we agreed on this one. We had a few battles over the music that was to be played during our wedding. It's something I take more serious than most. For some, music is something you have on in the background while cleaning your house or something. Not me, It's an integral part of my life and always will be.

Sorry...

To anyone who reads this once and awhile, it looks like I pulled an Artest (a mistake). In my settings it looks like I was restricting access to the comments section to only registered users of Blogspot. I have changed this and now you all can post disagreements with me. My apologies for my Artestness (stupidity). Hope you all like the new look.

No excuses...

"We must affirm that the NBA will strive to exemplify the best that can be offered by professional sports, and not allow our sport to be debased by what seem to be declining expectations for behavior of fans and athletes alike."
-David Stern - NBA Commisioner

My thought on the brawl between the Pacers and Pistons and the crowd is pretty much the standard "Ron Artest is a thug" type reaction. Nothing too special I know. It's good no one was seriously hurt. It turns out that Artest attacked the wrong guy in the stands anyway. What a moron. Everyone involved should face the business end of the law. Hopefully that will happen. Some people are saying Stern handed out too harsh of a penalty. What? If anything he was too light. Stop and think what would happen to you in your job if you attacked a customer like that? It's simple, you lose your job. Period. No excuses, nothing. You're out of work. This is what should happen to Ron Artest, Jermaine O'Neal, and Stephen Jackson. They physically attacked their customers. By not banning ALL THREE for at least the whole season, sends the wrong message. I understand that the fans were out of control, whoever had a hand in any of it should face criminal charges as well as losing season tickets and being banned from the arena for life. Everyone is guilty in this, the only innocents are the kids in the arena that night who got to see their heroes for who they really are. Overcoddled, overpaid, unmoral, unaccountable fools who have no right to have any association with a league that at one time represented the ultimate in fair play and sportsmanship (anyone remember Magic, Larry and Michael?) and has degraded into a league full of no skill, hack jobs collecting a paycheck.

Top Fifty Bands or Artists of all Time... Period...

Here's my list of the top fifty bands or artists of all time. I think it's at least an interesting list, hopefully you'll enjoy it. I've always tended to stay away from lists with the thought that it was very difficult to say "Well, U2 is better than Elvis, Hendrix is better than "The Boss" when all styles are so different. I certainly tried to do my best. I'm sure Nirvana being missing from the top ten will raise some eyebrows. Let me explain. The test I used for the top ten was simply this: you needed to have released more than one landmark album in a career. I often see Nirvana in the top five of a lot of lists and I personally think this is ridiculous. Yes, they were very important to the movement of alternative or "grunge" or whatever you want to call it, but were they any more important than Pearl Jam or Soundgarden? I don't think so. To have them rank among the Beatles, Dylan, Zeppelin is an embarrassment. The key thinking here is that they released ONE landmark album. Talk to me when you've released more than that. So, with that rant over with, please enjoy:

1) Bob Dylan - Hands down the most respected artist among artists of all time. When you're influencing the Beatles, well it doesn't get any better than that. (Landmark Albums - The Freewheeling Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisited, Blood on the Tracks, Time Out of Mind)
2) The Beatles - The most influential band of all time, arguably. Not only that, they wrote the best SONGS of all time. (Landmark Albums - Revolver, Rubber Soul, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The White Album, Abbey Road)
3) Led Zeppelin - The heaviest band of all time wrapped the blues in a brand new sound and practically invented heavy metal. As Billy Corgan once said about them "Their influence is so severe, that it's hard not to hear them in every rock band since". Amen (Landmark Albums - Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV, Physical Graffiti, Houses of the Holy)
4) Rolling Stones - If I had grown up in the late fifties/early sixties I'm 100% positive they would've been my band. Even over the Beatles. I love them today, but it would've been great to see them live back then. This was the original band to take the blues and make it even dirtier and heavier than it already was. They weren't clean like the Beatles. (Landmark Albums - Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, tattoo You)
5) Jimi Hendrix - The most influential guitar player of all time, for better or worse. He wasn't the most technically perfect player, but who cares? He created sounds where others just played notes. It's almost as if he plays in color to others black and white. Not to mention, he had some great songs. (Are You Experienced, Electric Ladyland, Woodstock)
6) Bruce Springsteen AND the E-Street Band - An artist who's just as relevant today as he's been in his long career. Made his name on his legendary marathon live shows and then some great albums. (Landmark Albums - Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Nebraska, Born in the USA, The Rising)
7) U2 - Here's another band still releasing important music. I wasn't as keen as others on the last record, "All That You Can't Leave Behind", but I can't wait for the new one, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb". They were my favorite band during "The Unforgettable Fire". They are this generations Beatles or Stones, there's no question of their importance to music. Disagree? Give me another band that's been as interesting in the last two decades. (Landmark Albums - Under a Blood Red Sky, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby)
8) Neil Young - Not including his work with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, He'll be remembered as one of the most influential solo acts of all time. When I watch a live show of his, he makes it feel as if he's playing just for you. The kind of artist to watch late at night, curled up on the couch. Watch any acoustic performance of his and you just become transfixed. (Landmark Albums - Harvest, After the Gold Rush, Harvest Moon)
9) Miles Davis - The most influential jazz artist of all time. Unquestionably. He created the single most well known, (and to many, the best) jazz record ever made, "Kind of Blue". He never wanted to stay in one place musically too long though. You listen to Kind of Blue, and then listen to "Bitches Brew", it's hard to believe it's the same person. A note to his greatness - GUITAR World magazine dedicated a special edition to the anniversary of "Bitches Brew". For a TRUMPET player. Incredible. (Landmark Albums - Kind of Blue, Bitches Brew)
10) Elvis Presley - Known as more of a singles artist it's difficult to name some landmark albums from Elvis. His string of singles speak for themselves though. "Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Love Me Tender, etc... The list is literally endless. He did break down into a bit of a caricature of himself later in life, but this doesn't tarnish his legacy in my opinion. He will be remembered as the man who blended country, gospel, Rhythym and Blues, and created the blueprint for Rock & Roll.
11) Pink Floyd
12) Radiohead
13) Metallica
14) Jeff Buckley
15) The Allman Brothers Band
16) The Police
17) The Who
18) Hank Williams
19) Muddy Waters
20) Nirvana
21) Johnny Cash
22) Smashing Pumpkins
23) Wilco
24) The Doors
25) The Beach Boys
26) Cream
27) Van Halen
28) The Replacements
29) B.B. King
30) R.E.M.
31) Guns & Roses
32) Uncle Tupelo
33) Buddy Guy
34) Nine Inch Nails
35) Steely Dan
36) Emmylou Harris
37) Credence Clearwater Revival
38) Eric Clapton
39) Soundgarden
40) Pearl Jam
41) Red Hot Chili Peppers
42) The Cars
43) The Jayhawks
44) Los Lobos
45) Frank Sinatra
46) Rage Against The Machine
47) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
48) Janes Addiction
49) Oasis
50) Primus

Tom DeLay... Scumbag...

Good ole' boy Tom Delay is the House Majority leader for the Republican party. He's also a genuine filthy, unethical, scumbag power player in todays version of politics. He was the mastermind behind the Texas redistricting plan that helped Republicans increase their numbers in Texas. He's also the main man to go through to get any kind of bill passed or to get money for your re-election. He's also the man smack dab in the middle of a fund raising scandal that threatens to take him down. This is nothing new to DeLay, he's had three ethics charges levelled his way and has managed to skate by with slaps on the wrist. This could be the big one that brings him down though. His office is being charged with raising money for charity that was actually being used as political money in Republican campaigns. Yesterday, Republicans changed the rules of what a GOP leader could do when under investigation of foul play. They (what a shock) decided that a man should be treated as innocent until proven guilty. (Kind of like how they treated Clinton, with such repect for him and the office of President). He'll be allowed to continue to serve as majority leader even if he's indicted in this mess. The unbelievable irony of this is that DeLay was the man pushing for the higher ethics standards when Clinton was having his fights with the GOP. THESE ARE HIS RULES! The level of hypocrisy in the GOP is absolutely astounding. It's so funny to see the party that claims "moral superiority" act in this fashion.

Column by Jim Walsh..

This was the most recent article By City Pages Columnist Jim Walsh in response to a "brilliant" letter to the editor he received. I like Jim and he has great taste in music. He was the St. Paul newspapers music reviewer before leaving for City Pages.

We Regret Nothing
Singing the victory anthem of the "loosers" on Nov. 3
by Jim Walsh

Dear Pete A. from South St. Paul,

Got your letter to the editor. It was passed around the City Pages offices the day after the election. It had some real knee-slappers. Especially the first line, "Yep, its official. Kerry is a looser." And the last, "Anyway, that's one less moron on the planet to worry about. Thanks for your non-slanted view of the election, City Pages. See you around First Ave...oh wait...no you won't!"

Funny. Funnier still is what happened that night of November 3. I went to the Cedar Cultural Center to see Jonathan Richman and Robyn Hitchcock, two old mystics who had been scheduled to play First Avenue, which, you're right, was closed and left for dead by its businessman owner the day before. But bars and nightclubs aren't made of bricks and money, they're made of people, drinks, music. Sort of like the Cheers reruns you hole up with every night.

The Cedar is an old building. It smells of history, hops, grains, cookies, and Indian spices from the tandoori dishes that folks serve up in the lobby with dollops of punk-hippie love. When I arrived, the first person I saw was Louie Dunlap. He looks like his mom, Chrissie, who booked bands at First Avenue, and talks machine-gun fast like his dad, the legendary guitarist Bob "Slim" Dunlap. Dunlap the Elder, who was also a janitor at First Avenue, was last seen tearing it up at the Turf Club on Wellstone World Music Day, a modest little gig named for the "looser" whom Bruce Springsteen quoted from a windswept stage in Cleveland the night before the election.

I've got pictures from that night at the Turf. There's an American flag behind the stage and Vote November 2 Kerry/Edwards for a Stronger America signs on the monitors, and bumper stickers plastered on the faces, breasts, eyes, and crotches of the dancers on the floor. The bands are frozen in this moment of promise, purpose, and pride, and they all look like the Clash. You've probably heard of the Clash. Tommy B. plays them on KQ in the morning, in between Foreigner and Journey.

Anyway, Louie works at First Avenue. He was at the Cedar the night after the election helping with the show, alongside a bunch of other First Avenue staffers who had no place to go but out. Robyn played a balm of a set to a few hundred "loosers" and some of their kids, and said he was going to stick around the next day, find a coffee shop, and "try to cheer people up."

Then Jonathan sang about love and danger in English, Spanish, Italian, and Hebrew, and afterward First Avenue manager Steve McClellan took him across the street to KFAI, the "looser"-run radio station where Jonathan ranted on-air about the state of the union for a half-hour. You probably missed it, just like you missed the historic creative/cultural revolution that has quietly fomented over the last two months and which, I swear, has only just begun.

Robyn made good on his cheer the next night at the Kitty Cat Klub. The crowd was made up of independent music and film fans, and the set was heavy on hope and love and between-song banter about the evil empire that controls America. The encore was a song about three gay "loosers" who soap each other up in the shower and decide to get married. You would have been repulsed, but I had a hard-on in my heart.

The rest of the weekend was spent with Paul Westerberg, who sang his guts out at the Pantages Theatre on one of his greatest misses, "Left of the Dial." Back in the day, that song was an anthem for all the "loosers" who felt out of touch and unheard, and as of last Tuesday, that describes millions of us.

If we don't look too down about it, Pete A. from South St. Paul, it's because we've been here before. We've spent our lives listening to music no one gives a shit about, championing silly causes and candidates, and explaining ourselves, constantly, to people like you. We're used to defeat. We've had our radio stations bought out, our clubs closed, our newspapers corporatized. We've seen our country go soft and stupid, and still we get up to fight the good fight. At the moment, I couldn't be happier, because First Avenue is born again, and I'd much rather be a looser than a wiener.

Jim Walsh can be reached at 612.372.3775 or jwalsh@citypages.com .

A Reminder...

Just a reminder that today is Veterans day. Everyone say a prayer for all our troops, everywhere and take a moment to reflect on the sacrifices that those before us have made. Unbelievable sacrifices were made so we could all live the lives we do today. Sometimes we don't remember that. Today is the day to remind us. Thanks to all our troops and veterans everywhere. God bless you.

The Life Aquatic...

This is the new film from Wes Anderson who gave us the memorable "Rushmore" and "The Royal Tenenbaums". I just finished watching the trailer for it and it looks tremendous. I hope it's not a case of the best scenes being in the preview. With lines like "I want you to be on the Zissou team, I'll order you a red hat and a speedo." how can it be wrong. I can see where some people wouldn't get his humor, but I do. My favorite quote from "Tenenbaums" is when Royal (Gene Hackman) is talking to his grandkids about their mothers death for the first time.

"I'm very sorry for your loss. Your mother was a terribly attractive woman."

Another great quote from the movie is when Eli is speaking with his stepsister who he had a crush on:

Eli : I'm not in love with you any more.
Margot : I didn't ever know that you were.
Eli : Let's not make this any more difficult than it already is.

This movie is a classic.

The best quote from Rushmore:

Max Fischer : I like your nurse's uniform, guy.
Dr. Peter Flynn : These are O.R. scrubs.
Max Fischer : Oh, are they?

I hope the new film has the same memorable quotes. The cast is typical Wes Anderson,
Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Angelica Huston etc... It should be good.

First Avenue...

The famed club First Avenue closed it doors this week. This was a surprising (although not entirely unexpected) blow to live music in the Twin Cities area. I fondly remember seeing quite a few shows there, Hum (who were filling in for The Verve), Wilco, The Jayhawks, Zwan, Tragically Hip, etc... I was even roped into going to a few "Danceteria" nights with friends that mostly consisted of trying to look cool and stay away from the dance floor, (which we always failed at miserably, we never danced, but we ALWAYS did not look cool). This was the venue Prince made famous by filming the concert scenes of "Purple Rain" at. I will miss this place immensely. It holds some good memories of youth which I'm desperately trying to cling to. This closing doesn't help. People are hoping that somehow it will find a way to re-open but that looks like a long shot. What I'm praying for is that the cold, soulless monstrosity called Block E doesn't purchase it up and bulldoze it to smithereens to build a new ESPN zone or some crap like that. In my opinion this place is a historical landmark to the state and should be kept open anyway possible. The state gives money to the theater district, we should be able to keep this place open somehow. When you think of all the bands that have gone through the place, Prince, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Husker Du, Sugar, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Black Crowes, Cheap Trick, the list is literally endless. If you were a up and coming band, you played the entry and when you sold a couple records you played the main room. This was THE place for bands to play in the cities. There's a few more now and that's what has hurt "First Ave", but it's a shame to see it's doors close. If you liked music in this town, you no doubt have been to a few shows there. I'm sure everyone has a story about stumbling out of there around midnight looking for a party. It's a sad day for music in the cities.

Open Letter to all Democrats...

Dear Democrat,
Well, what we were afraid of has happened. George W. Bush has won a second term and will likely continue misguided foreign policy, record spending, and an atrocious environmental record. Guess who's to blame for the loss though? You got it, we are! When are we all going to wake up and realize that we can blame the "radical right' and "conservative christian's" all day long and get nowhere? I learned a very important political lesson last night. You can have a crooked administration in power but if you don't offer a more viable option, YOU WILL LOSE! We tried with Gore four years ago and now we tried with Kerry. Look where it's gotten the party. We actually lost seats to continue a tri-fecta for the Republicans. How many more boring senators should we trudge out? Is Christopher Dodd interested? We tried to run a race basing a campaign AGAINST someone and not strongly enough FOR someone. Kerry didn't energize the campaign enough. Can we please never allow Mary Beth Cahill to run a campaign again? This was an embarrassment and we, the Democrats, can continue to blame Bush over and over again until we're blue in the face, but we will not have figured a solution to take a southern state or two. Is that too much to ask guys? One lousy state? Another thing. Can we stop letting the Republicans thump us with the bible? Can we get a little more aggressive in courting some of the rural, middle America conservatives? It's important to court the inner city and minority church vote, but why do I not see a candidate talking to a rural white congregation in Alabama? Or Missouri? My point is this, until we start talking to "middle America" again and let them know we share some of their values and our policies are better for their economies, we might as well let the party burn to the ground and have something else rise from the ashes. (Can I still vote for Nader?) One more request. HOLLYWOOD GET OFF OUR SIDE. All you're doing is presenting a snobbish, elitist attitude that is turning off the average Joe voter. You're not more intelligent than the rural Kansas farmer who's voting on values. Guess what? They certainly know more about what is best for their life than you. They certainly don't agree with you that George W. is a fascist devil. They proved that last night. They must not be hurting as bad as the media would have us believe. I'm as guilty of this as anyone. I for one will never again try to sway votes by talking against a certain candidate as severely as I did this one. I hope I can accomplish this by the Democrats giving me a charismatic candidate next time. Hillary could do the trick. We'll have to see.

Now that it's over...

I'm somewhat relieved the election is over, now I can start blogging on important things like sports, music and movies. The Houston Texans are 4-3 right now and are starting to scare some teams. I'm not saying they'll make the playoffs or anything, but they are improving week to week. Unlike the Vikings who I'm done with. I can't get behind them this year for some reason. Maybe too busy to watch them shoot themselves in the foot later in the season. The Wolves start their championship season tonight. There's some talk up here about unhappy players blah blah, woof woof. They'll get it together after the first couple weeks.
I need a new band. I've tried to get into various things lately and what I always find myself doing is drifting back to the basics. Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, Pumpkins (Wink, Wink). I'm going to try and compile a list of my fifty favorite bands of all time and will post as soon as I finish.

"One Dead In O-hi-O"...

Liberal radio is screaming bloody murder this morning about vote suppression, and provisional ballots. Complain all you want, it's not going to change the outcome. Here's my bigger problem, the Democrats are in serious, serious trouble. This country is tilting to the right and Republican. The Dem's need to look in the mirror and take a long hard look. This President should have been beat by a decent electoral margin. There is a cultural war going on in this country. The democrats better start reaching out to some of these "red" states and realize they won't win another one again if they continue play on Republicans strong issues like gay marriage, gun control, love of Michael Moore. Like it or not, last night the American people gave Bush the "green light" on his policies. All I'm hoping for now is that the Republicans are right and Bush will keep my family safer, because I know that's the only thing that he'll remotely help me with. I won't see tax relief, I won't see enviornmental help, I won't see equal rights for ALL people regrdless of race and sex, I won't see any help to stop the worldwide spread of AIDS, I won't see an end to the Iraq WAR (It's not a conflict anymore, it's a war), I won't see an end to out of control government spending and massive debt that my children will have to pay off, there's a lot more but I have to work for a living. People really want four more years of this?

Celebrity Endorsements...

"Why don't these celebrities just shut their mouth on politics?" I've heard many say recently. Well folks, like it or not, this is America and these people have the right to say whatever they like, when they like. It seems to me a lot of people get quite offended when their favorite actor or musician comes out and endorses a certain candidate for office. Why? For example, Billy Corgan (America's greatest living musician) recently accepted an invitation for breakfast at the White House. Does this mean because he's there he endorses Bush for re-election? My answer is, WHO CARES? I don't care either way. Billy's my favorite of all time and I will continue to love his music regardless. I've based my political philosophy through reading things from different sources, questioning why I've acted certain ways during certain periods of my life, a sense of what I believe is right and wrong, things I've experienced in life. I don't care who Bruce Springsteen thinks is the better candidate for President. I respect Bruce incredible amounts. He's made his living by championing middle class virtues and values through his art for years. While saying this, I will not be basing my vote for Kerry on the fact that "The Boss" says he's the better option. I've done the research and I think Kerry's the choice when compared with Bush. I hope all (and I know for a fact this is not the case) people would do the same. Vote for the person they think better represents their viewpoint. At the same time, I would see these people as extreme hypocrites if they shut their mouth when they think things that are important to them are being discarded by an unnamed administration. Another example is Dave Matthews, he's been championing environmental causes for years through his company "Bama Rags". I would lose so much respect for him if he would not speak out against Bush and his incredibly destructive policies on air, water, forests, conservation in general. Ted Nugent is a huge conservative republican. I love the guy! He says what's on his mind and doesn't care if it alienates fans of his. Ron Silver is another example, I think he's a good actor who's a republican. Loved him on "West Wing". We as fans need to base our opinion of actors and musicians on the work they do. Don't let their political beliefs temper your love of their art or let it influence you to act or speak or vote a certain way. Be yourself.

Notes...

We had about sixty five kids last night for Halloween. This includes the older kids without a costume. It reminded me of the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" where Larry David refuses to give two kids any candy. They got candy, I'm not a curmudgeon like Larry. (Hilarious episode though)...

Rented "The Human Stain" with (get this) Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise, and Ed Harris. With a cast like this how could I go wrong? Well I did. Fast. What a complete waste of time. By the end of the movie (spoiler coming up) I was happy with what happened to the leads in the film. It was torture watching this thing drag on and on and on and on... It was the single biggest waste of a superb cast I have ever seen in film. The movie was basically about a light skinned black man, who makes a choice early on to try and "pass" as a white man. He alienates his family, blah, blah, blah... He's accused of racism later on in life, which causes him to lose his repected job at a university.... And in the end turns in to a pathetic loser who get's involved with another pathetic loser who's being hunted down by (you ready for this) one more pathetic loser.
This movie contains one of the most uncomfortable scenes of two men dancing I've ever watched on screen. Gary Sinise and Anthony Hopkins look ridiculous in this movie. ..

Don't forget to vote tomorrow, it's an important election no matter which side you think is right.

I'll be watching (surprise) CNN's election coverage mainly tomorrow night and giving my remote a workout flipping all over. They have a cool election night setup, with a huge screen giving them up to the minute results all over the country. MSNBC's democracy plaza seems to be kind of a cool place to be tomorrow night too. Not sure what FOX has planned...

The race people have been watching closely here in Minnesota is the Mark Kennedy/Patty Wetterling race. Kennedy, the Republican incumbent has a pretty healthy lead over the challenger and I expect him to win. After a negative campaign initiated by the Republican party trying to tie Mrs. Wetterling to not supporting the war on terror, Kennedy will still win. I thought this ploy would backfire on him, but it apparently won't. Kennedy and the Republicans caught a little flack for this being that Wetterling is a sympathetic figure for what happened to her son, Jacob years ago. I don't agree with others in my party that it was somehow out of bounds for Kennedy to go negative on her. Politics is a dirty game, if you can't give a little back and forth you don't belong in it. ..

The T-wolves start this week, this is the year. They WILL WIN THE NBA CHAMPIONSHIP this year. There, I've made my prediction public...

Here's hoping that whoever wins the election tomorrow night, will do whatever's in their power to keep our troops safe, unite America and end the partisanship and name calling that is the current way in Washington. This goes for both Kerry and Bush...