Twins.

I wish Thom Yorke would write a song about this guy!

(did someone say something about wearing Santa hats?)

When It Comes Down To It...

there's really two kind of people in the world: those who wear Santa Clause hats to work, and the rest of us.

Look, the rest of this post is going to be about Thom Yorke so if you want something else to do, here. (I imagine my target audience to be Trav and Hamster and Pepe and Seaner. Stevie read on if you like, but when you get bored, here.)


So, I've been locked in on York's solo record for going on three weeks straight. And I mean obsessively. Ask my wife and unborn child.


First things first. If you haven't yet, should you buy it? A great question with a fairly easy answer. It all depends on when you jumped off the Radiohead wagon. Look, Kid A and Amnesiac were purposefully polarizing records (more on that later) and if you thought they sounded more like Asteroids than the Radiohead you had come to know and love, you're going to want to stay way from the Eraser. But for many of us, A Thom Yorke vocal could be dropped over the sound of flatulence and we'd still find ourselves hypnotized and rapt with the beauty of it all. Shame on us. There's one, count them one, track on the Eraser that even hints at a band being anywhere in the building. And by "band" I mean Thom on very simple guitar, bass and kit tracks for a total of one looped measure. Everything else sounds like it came from a Powerbook. A British one. A fucking brilliant British one.



Do what you will with that review, but I'm moving on. As I've said, I've been a bit obsessive over York of late, like Kevin with reptiles. I've been consuming TY interviews and performances a dozen at a time for days. Weeks actually. As I've read, two impressive things continually return to the surface about this guy that are worth noting.


One. Yorke takes what he does VERY seriously. Read his interviews and there's not a hint of pretentiousness. What there is LOADS of though, is a sense of responsibility Yorke seems to place on himself. Over and over and over, he says things like "... as a person who is allowed to think a lot". Yorke has about as deep an understanding of his opportunity and responsibility as an artist than anyone since Bob Dylan. This was news to me. He says his content comes from one of two places: one, nightmares and two, an evaluation of what he sees going on around him and how that effects his environment. I knew about the nightmares. But how GREAT is it to hear an artist say, "look, I'm lucky enough to get to give good hard thought to the things around me and respond to them for a living. My plumber doesn't get to do that as much, nor get paid for it. So I want to take it seriously and be good at it. " Beats doing it for the Nookie.


Two. A repetitive lyrical theme for Yorke is the tension that exists between the systematic and the relational; the exaltation of efficiency over individuality and the doom that will come with it. Personally, I would go so far as to say its this message that lies at the core of Radiohead. Yorke often talks about Douglas Copeland in interviews and Radiohead's music and artwork reflect his ideas seamlessly; something innocent, paired with something ominous and or hopeless:



Alright. Thoughts?

Seaner and Pepe, get the whole record. Kevo and Trav start with Black Swan, Analyze, Atoms for Peace and the title track. Stevie, I hear John Mayer is touring. However, if you were going to appreciate anything on this record it might be Black Swan for the neato bass riff. C'mon, its 99 cents.

P.S. - Pepe this is for you. Stick with it for the whole 8 minutes and think systematic religion.

Nesting

This weekend I baked and decorated Christmas cookies...

and Jesse had many quality hours with Stella.














Jesse sympathy nested with me ALL WEEKEND... sharing in my pregnancy symptoms. I wonder if soon he too will have the heartburn and constipation?

World Peace Achieved For Approximately 30 Seconds

Anti-War Activists Plan 'Global Orgasm For Peace'.

A great idea really. Unless your single. Or have the clap.

Dominican Republic On Strike

The thing and the thing that the man said and the PCD and PPL and such have just gone and done it for the last time! Who do they think they are... by the people for the people right. I think. The country is going on strike Thursday and Friday... and I'm going too. I'm in full agreement with the PCD about the thing that President Leonel said about the thing. I'm so mad... I'm not going to work for the rest of the week! I'm just not going to show up. I'm not going to show up for two whole days, enjoy my weekend and then head back to work on Monday. That's it. I've had it with the thing. I can't believe the President thinks it's going to work. Ridiculous. I'm so enraged I'm... I'm.... I'm going to go play paddle ball on the beach with my friends AND I just might have a Caprese pizza for dinner at Lax! Stupid politicians... we'll show them. Who's with me?

For Hamster and Seanboy; The Only Arkansas I Know

A great NPR piece and new(er) Sufjan song about the Natural State.

Dear God

Dear God,

Last weekend I found this in a marcado on the North Coast. There were many of them. Is this a sign telling us to live in the Dominican Republic forever?

Sincerely,
Chelsea

Terms You'll Need To Know As You Muddle Through Mid Term Election Results

Aristocracy - Rule by a small, private and elite segment of society, typified in the U.S. by the rhythmically challenged, white upper class.









Gerrymandering - Drawing the boundaries of election districts in order to favor a party or individual. Seven year old Maria Santorum, an innocent victim of gerrymandering, cries after new district lines ran over her dog Petey.







Ex Post Facto - Criminal law applied retroactively to the disadvantage of the accused. Also the name of Florida Rep. Dave Weldon's cover band, which in his own words "...caught a huge break getting this mid-term election gig. I mean we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but people in this room, ya know, know people."




Platform - Declaration of principles and policy positions of a particular party or candidate. Democratic candidate Tim Mahoney of Florida's 16th District won easily over Rep. Mark Foley after drafting a platform of 'I don't have sex with children.'






more to come.....

Friday Moment of Zen

The boys at 3TC do it again.

WELL worth it. Thank God the Beast will find its ruin. (And by the beast I mean TBN and its broadcast associates.)

Thanks to our friends at 3rd Chair Trombone for the goodness.

Have a great weekend.

Wanna go to Kenya?

I do... but alas this summer is not looking good. There's always 2008 for the Robertson Family Vacation to Africa. but you should go.... really.

Look at pictures here.
Find information here.

Really... you should, um, go.

St. Louis Takes World Series Trophy, Says Your Stereo Is Next

Yikes...Anyone still up for visiting us over Christmas?

Look, it's not as bad as you think. All of our crimes have a sort of neighborly mid-west flavor to them. Our shootings are the friendliest you'll find anywhere in the nation. Our meth-labs give back to the community whenever possible and our casinos offer a "guns-for-chips" program that has proved wildly effective.

If you want that impersonal type crime they have out East you'll have to look elsewhere. Not here. In St. Louis we're neighbors. And we'll rob you like neighbors.

Go Cards. Or I bust one in yo' ass.

I Owe It All To Pepe

More Fake News

Al Gore Visits Berkeley, Charges Up Prop. 87 rally
SAYS MEASURE TO FUND GREEN ENERGY HELPS TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS
By Rick Jurgens, MediaNews

Former Vice President Al Gore appeared in Berkeley on Monday to lend his celebrity and reputation as a crusader against global warming to a measure on California's Nov. 7 ballot that would tax oil companies to raise $4 billion for green energy projects.

"I'm here to change peoples' minds on the climate crisis, support Prop 87, and I need some new hemp flip-flops'' Gore called to a group of reporters after he emerged from his 100 miles per gallon Toyota Prius that brought him to a noontime rally in a sun-drenched park behind Berkeley's City Hall.

His motorcade also included three motorcycles, two limousines and a Dodge Ram 1500 heavy duty truck. "It's cool though", said the former VP when asked about the large motorcade. "Those vehicles run on alternative energy sources including condor eggs, elephant tusks and bald eagle heads."

Mr. Robertson's Class

Hooray! Yes students... you may rejoice. Mr. Robertson is no longer deathly ill. I know you missed him Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.



So get ready to work because he's back today. Mr. Robertson's Cross Dressing Class WILL be meeting at the usual time today, Monday, October 23rd.





Yes you heard me correctly! Thank the Lord for such a speedy recovery.

With Apologies To Pepe

A few things worth noting:

1- The Bachata music playing before Beltran's at-bat. Welcome to my world. Everyday. But much louder.

2- Joe Buck's call of the first two strikes. Understated. Let the tension do the talking.

3- Then there's Tim Mcarver's call on the replay after strike two. "Fastball strike one...strike two fouled off Beltran's right leg..." Idiotic and inane. Overstating the obvious with his let-me-clue-you-in tone. Classic Mcarver. Almost as rich as his 6th inning gem, "the infield is getting wetter and wetter the more it rains." Someone punch me. Just knock me out.

Thom Yorke Sent Me Some Spam

Caption Please...

Canadian Thanksgiving

This weekend I realized the number one contributing factor as to the way the history of western civilization played out:

Man's absolute inability to find China. Which is funny because it's pretty big.

The Norse, the Africans (and yes African discovery of the America's pre-dates Columbus by a century or two but tell that to the white Euros who wrote the books), and even the ass-rod himself, Chris Columbus, aka The Lord of Smallpox and Native Rape, all bumped into our fine continent thinking they were a tad further east.

Turns out even the Canadians were fooled upon their landing just to the north of us...

Martin Frobisher: "Ahh China. Now, about universal healthcare..."

Inuit Boy: "This is Newfoundland."

Thus, Canadian Thanksgiving. Much like our own American version, Canadian Thanksgiving celebrates a harvest of some sort, although only the good ol' US of A can make the claim that much of that first harvest was stolen from the Natives. Details. Also, Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday in October. They had to be done with the harvesting earlier than the American settlers due to the fact that if you go outside in Canada any later than October you die.

Here were some highlights of our first celebration...











According to custom, Canadians traditionally feast on the hearts of baby seals. We had turkey.









Oddly enough, football is a part of the Canadian Thanksgiving festivities. Here Marita and I take in the Eagles-Cowboys game. Fun because Marita is from Philly and I'm a Cowboys fan by marriage. Not fun because the 'Boys lost. But in following with Canadian tradition Marita and I were allowed only reactions of indifference.







And in keeping with American custom Jaquie, who got in under the dating-a-Canadian clause , helped to force our traditions on all non- Americans present.

Happy Hamster Day

This here is my most favorite album of all time. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. My friend Kevo bought me the original vinyl version when we lived together.

I would venture to say that the overwhelming majority of music worth listening to these days has at least a bit of artistic origin in one of Ziggy's eleven brilliant tracks. I hear Coldplay in Five Years. I hear the Lips in Soul Love and Starman. I hear alt-country in It Ain't Easy. And I hear one of the greatest rock songs ever in Suffragette City.

This record has touched lots of great stuff.


In this, this record is like the Hamster, my friend, Kevin Still.

He likes to touch people.








Men, women, children; indiscriminate is the Hamster, towards those he touches.

So here's to you Kevin. Touching people. It's what you do.








Happy Birthday.