Autumn Souvenir

With Al Gore seemingly out of this presidential race, after watching numerous debates and following the democratic field for some time now, I will now only be pleased if either John Edwards or Joseph Biden win the nomination and land in the White House. Both are longshots at this point, with Biden's chances being extremely slim at best, however, these are the only candidates that I have faith in. I watched Hillary and Barack last night and TRIED to believe in one of them, but they virtually did nothing for me. Once Hillary voted in favor of the Iran resolution, and then waffled endlessly about immigration last night, I've completely lost faith in her. Obama? There are things I like about him, but he's WAY too unseasoned. Most of his answers seem overly rehearsed, and when caught off-guard, he seems to just jump around in hopes of landing on a position. All told, I don't really understand the Obama hype. He hasn't impressed me at all. Anyone who knows me knows quite...

HBO remains the sole reason why I won't cancel cable. Ok, and maybe Animal Planet. I watched the first episode of "Tell Me You Love Me" about a month ago and found that the gratuitous sex scenes were a bit absurd. I liked the character development, but the over-the-top sex scenes seemed to be a cheap way try and lure in viewers. About a week later, I decided to give it one more shot. And now I'm hooked. I just finished watching episode 9 and I can barely wait for the season finale. This is the best show about the highs lows and in-betweens of relationships that I've seen in ages. As anyone who knows me knows, I am sucker for media with character development. Whether it be the writing of Paul Auster or Haruki Murakami, films such as "Ordinary People" or "You Can Count On Me, or the lyrics of Jeff Tweedy or Bruce Springsteen, I am always roped in by art that involves deep character analysis and development. "Tell Me You Love Me" is probably ...

As a lifelong Yankees fan, I am happy to see the A-Rod era end. His tenure with the Yankees was way too much of a distraction. There was so much focus on A-Rod and this hampered the Yankees' ability to create cohesive units as they did in the late 90s. Rodriguez never truly fit in in New York, and although he claimed to "love" New York, as has always been the case with Alex, it's about the money. The Yankees were willing to offer him approximately $27M per year, yet he wouldn't even meet with them to discuss. So long, A-Rod. Be prepared to be the most hated former-Yankee ever.

Ok, it's certainly not the worst...

There's no more need for discussion. Josh Ritter's "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter" is HANDS DOWN the best record released this year. Actually, I can't think of a better record since maybe Richard Buckner's "Devotion & Doubt" in 1997. This is Bob Dylan meets Springsteen meets The Beach Boys meets Josh Ritter. Lyrically, musically and spirit-wise, this is a remarkable piece of art. It's the first five-star record of the 2000s. "What's it take to make the time drop, all these kids who think they're quick on the draw"

How do these assholes get away with this? And the White House scolds them? Hilarious. I know I'm speaking the obvoius, but we need this administration to end NOW. NOW. NOW. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21490838/

Off of the top of my head, I can think of a few shows that really changed things for me. These were shows that brought rock n' roll or some emotion(s) into me and wouldn't let go. It's why music drives me. It's why music has always meant so much to me. There was Marah in '98, Apollo Sunshine at SXSW '05, Slobberbone at SXSW '99, Wilco at Irving Plaza '97 and of course, all of those Springsteen shows. Last night it happened again. I never really knew much about Josh Ritter until a friend kept pushing him on me. At first, "The Animal Years" didn't hit me that much. And with the plethora of music out there, for some reason, I didn't return that often. Then came "The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter". Wow. This record has BLOWN ME AWAY. I hear early Springsteen, The Beach Boys, Highway 61 Dylan. Ritter's new record might be the best record I've heard in ten years. Last night I got to see him perform live for the first t...