Autumn Souvenir

Sometimes you get ten gems in a row. "N.F.B" : Peter Bruntnell "Better Days Are Coming" : Jimmy Cliff "Did She Overtake You" : Robert Forster "Bled White" : Elliott Smith "I'm In Love With a Girl" : Big Star "Heart On the Ground" : Jay Farrar "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street" : Bruce Springsteen "Horse Head" : 16 Horsepower "Rock Island Line" : Johnny Cash "Sleepy Head" : The Waxwings

Although clearly in the minority, I did not consider the first adaptation of McCarthy's work, No Country For Old Men , to be more than just an average movie. Then again, I was so enthusiastic about the novel, that any rendering would probably have left me disappointed. In today's New York Times , I learned that McCarthy's other masterpiece, The Road , will be arriving on-screen in the late fall. This adaptation stars Viggo Mortensen, Michael Kenneth Williams ( The Wire ), precocious Aussie upstart Kodi Smit-McPhee, as well as various cameos by other Hollywood stars, including Charlize Theron. My interest in present-day film has been waning over the years. Trips to the local cinema used to be weekly occurences, but given the plethora of garbage making its way through studious these days, I rarely find myself energized enough to make the trip to the theatre. Let's hope that the second adaptation of McCarthy's brilliant writing is worthy of the trip.

4Am - Richard Buckner

Old 97's : Fight Songs Elektra, 1999 Luna : Lunapark Elektra, 1992

Color Of A Lonely Heart Is Blue - Old 97s No Baby I - Old 97s My Two Feet - Old 97s

5.27.08

And it's only one week away.

Hillary Clinton's editorial in today's New York Daily News just reeks of the criticism that she desperately tries to deflect. Every time Hillary attempts to justify her reasoning for remaining in the race, we're all offered a glimpse into this woman's true self. Make no mistake, as much as Hillary beats us down with, "this is about the people", when you collect her explanations and justifications, it's quite clear that Hillary Clinton remains in this race out of selfishness alone. I should make it clear that I am not a Barack Obama fanboy. I don't want Hillary to step aside due to my adoration for Obama. If I look back to 2000, Senator Obama would probably be my third favorite democratic nominee. I admire Obama and get chills when considering a half-black man reaching the highest office in our country, but I still have questions about Obama, questions that I've had since he entered the race. That said, one thing is not debatable: Barack Obama is a

Chemtrails - Beck

5.22.08

Chronicles, Volume 1 by Bob Dylan, Memoir, 2005: 7.2 Post Office by Charles Bukowski, Fiction, 1971: 7.5

Aside from Obama's speech following the Reverend Wright controversy, there has been very little open discussion of race during the primaries. That said, this entire run, especially of late, has a cloud of race hovering over almost every primary. Tonight in Kentucky, 21% of voters said that, yes, race does matter. These are the people willing to admit that race matters. One can only imagine that this number doubles (triples?) if we were to count those who wouldn't admit to bigotry. Furthermore, it's been abundantly clear that Hillary Clinton has a firm grasp on the under-educated, blue-collar white voter. Left out of the discussion of her base is the race card. How many of these voters simply ignore Obama's candidacy due to the color of skin? I don't know the answer, but my assumption is that this is a significant number. Then you look at Obama's base. A good portion of his voters are college educated, middle-upper class whites, as well as African Americans. The

Barring any html hiccups or changes in medication, I will stick with this new design. Thank you.

Despite the media's incessant portrayal of him as a polarizing political figure, Senator Ted Kennedy has been one of the most ferociously just Senators in this country's history. He has fought exhausting battles on behalf of women, the poor, and those lacking health care, to name a few. The right has done a magnificent job of permanently labeling such vocal folks as "crazy liberals"; however, if you simply look at the issues, Senator Kennedy has simply wrestled to help those who have a difficult time being heard. No, he hasn't been perfect, but he's a man of integrity and heart. This country needs more politicians who fight the good fight. We lost Minnesota's Paul Wellstone a few years ago, and the Senate hasn't been the same. Let's hope that Senator Kennedy has many more years ahead of him.

It's now been over two weeks since a cyclone ravaged the country of Burma. Given the junta's firm grip on power, there has been very little footage of the catastrophe. However, the BBC has provided the following video .

Could the republican playbook finally have dried up? Has the country finally had enough of their fear-tactics, lies and deception? Have we all really caught on? Lost in the coverage of West Virginia and the heartbreaking natural-disasters worldwide, was an astounding democratic House victory in Coffeeville, Mississippi. In a state that Bush won convincingly in 04 (62% of the vote), the voters scoffed at the predictable republican playbook. First they pulled out the race card and flooded the public of connections between the democratic candidate, Travis Childers, and presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama. When that didn't work (it actually fueled African-American voters and ultimately helped Childers), they called in Dick Cheney, Jhn McCain, Haley Barbour, and even the president himself recorded taped messages that were sent out to voters. Again, nope. Childers shocked Washington and spelled potential disaster for Republicans in November. If the democrats can now swipe seat

There are those moments that we simply can't explain. Sometimes those moments are catapulted by music, art, something said, something felt. But whatever brings on those moments, we know it when they're present. This morning on the long walk to work, I decided to listen to Bruce Springsteen's recent performance at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, New Jersey. This is now a historic show in the Springsteen canon, as not only did Bruce and the E Street Band perform before a mere 1500 people, but they performed Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born To Run in their entirety. Ticket prices were steep, but every penny went to restoring the Count Basie Theatre. Instead of skipping right to the music, I listened to the 12-minute opener. Patti Scialfa spoke about the importance of the theatre and how for tens of years, the Count Basie had been a staple in her life. Then Brian Williams of NBC News took the stage and told some unreal stories about growing up in Jersey. The chills

Noah and the Whale

Hi There, I was about to purchase two tickets for the Old 97's at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Tickets are priced at $25 each. When I went to complete the transaction, the total came up as $73.85. I am sure that this is a mistake. I know that TM has fees, but just shy of 100% of the ticket price seems, well, absurd. Please make the correction so I can purchase the tickets and go yell things at Murry! CC

I mean, it's never too late to educate even the grown-ups of our country. If Obama wins the presidency, perhaps this can be his big plan for education. From today's Financial Times : Democratic country keeps its distance from Obama By Andrew Ward Like most people in Mingo County, West Virginia, Leonard Simpson is a lifelong Democrat. But given a choice between Barack Obama and John McCain in November, the 67-year-old retired coalminer would vote Republican. “I heard that Obama is a Muslim and his wife’s an atheist,” said Mr Simpson, drawing on a cigarette outside the fire station in Williamson, a coalmining town of 3,400 people surrounded by lush wooded hillsides. Mr Simpson’s remarks help explain why Mr Obama is trailing Hillary Clinton, his Democratic rival, by 40 percentage points ahead of Tuesday’s primary election in the heavily white and rural state, according to recent opinion polls. A landslide victory for Mrs Clinton in West Virginia will do little to improve her fadin

Wilco : Sky Blue Sky Nonesuch, 2007

As the world turns to help the suffering people of Burma, this "man" has turned the world away, and sits and watches his own people perish. Along with the leaders of N. Korea, Iran, and dare I say, the United States, this man likely deserves to be atop the list of the planet's most evil men. Burmese Dictator Than Shwe

-Sinkhole somewhere in Texas. I think a tree got swallowed or something. -Charlie Manson may have killed more people than originally thought. -One of Bush's daughter's is getting married to some frat boy. Not mentioned? Oh right, the death toll in Burma could reach 500,000. And my vote for the most ridiculous TV anchor in the history of TV? Erica Hill / CNN

This has to be one of the most historic shows in Springsteen's 35+ years of performing. 1978's Darkness on the Edge of Town still stands as my favorite record of all-time, while 1975's epic Born To Run is the greatest full-on rock n' roll record ever recorded (Sorry Bob, Highway 61 Rev. is a very close second). As he wrapped up the US leg of the Magic tour, Springsteen and the band headed home to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ and shocked the crowd by performing both records in their entirety. Audibles and surprises are common occurences at Springsteen shows, but this is in an entirely different league. I simply can't imagine the emotion, energy and awe-struck eyes running through that music hall. I will now listen to Darkness . And then BTR

We'll hear the obvious names such as Bill Richardson, Wesley Clark, Joe Biden and, of course, Hillary Clinton. But in the end, I'm pretty confident that Obama goes with Virginia Senator Jim Webb. Webb is a decorated war-veteran, a former Secretary of the Navy and is widely considered tough and "patriotic". He could help out with any claims that Obama is soft, while also adding the military nod that McCain will likely speak of every other second. Webb could also cater to the war-loving right, given that his son is currently deployed in Iraq. If not Webb, my backup would be Biden. Cabinet Predictions: Secretary of State: Joe Biden Attorney General: John Edwards Secretary of Defense: Wesley Clark Homeland Security: Chuck Hagel

It disgusts me that this tragedy has brought out so much anger in me. But when I read this morning that Bush had offered up $3.25 million in aid (after an initial proposal of $250,000), I simply wanted to vomit. The people of Burma have suffered through nearly a half-century of hell, and they've just been flattened by one of the worst national disasters in world history, and Bush offers $3.25 million in aid? Folks, I hate to pull Iraq into this, but most estimates suggest that we're spending about $300 million per DAY in Iraq. And we can only muster up a few million for a helpless nation that may be looking at upwards of 100,000 deaths. Sure there's a concern about how to get the money to the right people and aid groups, but our prick of a president should've hopped out of his cozy bed this morning and immediately offered up unconditional assistance to this country. But no. There's no financial reward for him and his scumbag cronies, so let's just shut everyon

It's time to annoint the nominee.

Similar to the troubles facing the music industry (which I hear about daily), the newspaper industry seems to heading down the road. Out here in the Bay Area, we've all heard about the numerous rounds of layoffs at the San Jose Mercury News. A friend who is fortunately still employed by the Mercury has told me that it's now essentially a skeleton crew. Current employees are pulling longer hours and covering numerous duties, while either receiving the same or a decrease in pay. I can understand that some papers will soon be no more, but I'm shocked to hear that even media powerhouses such as the New York Times could also find a similar fate. The Economist reports that The Times' ad revenues for March of 08 are down 12.5% from the same time last year. These are daunting numbers and will clearly bring on change, in some form or the other. The continued consolidation of American media is a truly frightening reality in this country. As reputable outlets such as the Times co

If Obama and Clinton's positions on this ridiculous proposal doesn't reveal the true essence of these candidates, then nothing will. Along with her pal John McCain, Hillary Clinton has proposed a halt on the gas tax throughout the summer. On average, this will save motorists about $2 per fill-up. However, the flipside far outweighs the meager savings that folks will receive at the pump. First off, such a tax break will cost thousands of construction jobs. In addition, such a tax break will increase gas consumption and ultimately drive up the prices even further. To the casual follower of politics, this policy initiative makes Clinton appear to be "for the common man", when ultimately she's doing exactly the opposite. Sound familiar? Yes, this is exactly how the Republicans have run their campaigns for the past two decades. The overall message is, "We're for you, the hard-working middle class", when behind all the advertising and photo-ops at rural ga

FAREWELL TO DANNY Let me start with the stories. Back in the days of miracles, the frontier days when "Mad Dog" Lopez and his temper struck fear into the band, small club owners, innocent civilians and all women, children and small animals. Back in the days when you could still sign your life away on the hood of a parked car in New York City. Back shortly after a young red-headed accordionist struck gold on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and he and his mama were sent to Switzerland to show them how it's really done. Back before beach bums were featured on the cover of Time magazine. I'm talking about back when the E Street Band was a communist organization! My pal, quiet, shy Dan Federici, was a one-man creator of some of the hairiest circumstances of our 40 year career... And that wasn't easy to do. He had "Mad Dog" Lopez to compete with.... Danny just outlasted him. Maybe it was the "police riot" in Middletown, New Jersey. A show we were doing to

The rotund lead singer of the atrocious band Les Savvy Some Shit