zepcowboy

Led Zeppelin Ticket Stub - Tokyo 1972-10-02

2012-01-27T14:41:00.003-05:00

I received an image of this ticket stub in my email today from a friend of my father's with the following text:
______

Wyatt,

Ed P. was in the Air Force in Japan in 1972 when he saw Led Zeppelin.

This is the ticket stub...knew you would like to see it, being the fan you are.

Hope all is well

Don
______

Pretty cool! The title link will lead you to the setlist for the show, which was the first one on Zeppelin's second (and final) tour of Japan. Short (and distant) clips from 8mm film of the event can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmg7XDK2rP8

Led Zepagain - October 29, 2010 - Merrionette Park, IL

2011-09-28T14:26:00.003-04:00

[Concert review originally posted to For Badgeholders Only mailing list]

[My photos here]

Led Zepagain put on a fantastic show Friday evening at 115 Bourbon Street on the South Side of Chicago, in Merrionette Park, IL. They had to deal with more technical issues than Page, Plant, Jones, and Jason Bonham did in 1988 at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary bash, but they pulled off one hell of a show nonetheless. From the opening salvo of Rock and Roll>Celebration Day to the last strains of Whole Lotta Love>Achilles Last Stand>Whole Lotta Love [reprise] (yes, a WLL-ALS medley!), the band captured the spirit of Led Zeppelin, circa Summer '73.

Zepagain followed Fair Warning (Van Halen tribute) and Blackened (Metallica tribute), even though the original program had LZ in the middle position (I joked that someone wised up enough to realize that no band should have to follow Zeppelin). I'm not a huge fan of either VH or Metallica, so I'm probably not qualified to critique either of those tribute acts. I felt a bit sorry for Fair Warning because their repeated attempts to get the crowd involved were for the most part futile. Blackened fared much better in terms of crowd involvement and interest and seemed to do a great job with the material. Zepagain had to set up during - and then wait through the judging of - a costume contest (a guy dressed as Slash [complete with actual guitar] and a woman dressed as Alice Cooper comprised the final two... the Cooper chick won). Before the show, Led Zepagain guitarist, R-O hotel resident, and FBO badgeholder Steve Z intimated that the theremin was not working correctly, and as the band set up, there were signs pointing to what lead singer Swan Montgomery acknowledged later - that the keyboards were also out of commission for the night - perhaps due to malfeasance on the part of a Southwest Airlines employee... thus, no Kashmir, Stairway, et cetera. Since this booking was 1700+ miles outside the band's normal base of operations, they had not shipped their entire instrumental arsenal - notably having to employ Blackened's drum kit (minus the second bass drum that the Sandmen

used). Led Zepagain navigated around, over, and through these obstacles to bring it on home during the course of a ~70 minute set.

I will undoubtedly leave a song out of this account, but the setlist included Rock and Roll>Celebration Day, Ramble On, Black Dog, Dazed and Confused, The Song Remains the Same, How Many More Times, Heartbreaker>Whole Lotta Love/Achilles Last Stand.

Vocalist Swan Montgomery delivered the goods with the rough-edged power and range that Robert Plant had during the 1973 American tour and thus sounded uncannily like he stepped directly out of The Song Remains The Same film. Bassist Jim Wootten's adroit playing stood out

during Ramble On, D&C, and TSRTS. Jim Kersey was relentless on drums throughout but especially impressive during Achilles. Finally, it is difficult to overstate the dexterity, dynamism, fluidity, and pure feeling that axeman Steve Zukowsky exhibited. This is going to sound over-the-top and exaggerated because people will think that I'm just flattering a fellow 'net Zeppelin' person, but I was simply blown away by how great Steve was, especially by all the little nuances he was able to incorporate from Page's work live in concert and the studio into his own style. I soon lost track of how many times I found myself grinning as I recognized yet another aural nod to a particular way that Jimmy had of playing a specific passage. Any Zeppelin fan who has watched much video of the band would also have to acknowledge that Steve has Page's stage moves down to a science, especially the Sorceror-esque arm movements.

The bow solo of Dazed was incredible - the definitive visual showcase of the evening. Apparently the high point of the evening for my wife arrived during the "got you in the sights of my..." climax of How Many More Times, since it was at that moment after "guuuuun" and the band

crashing back in that her attempt to dance with me resulted in knocking the beer bottle out of my hand and shattering it on the concrete floor below. Luckily there wasn't much harm done - it was only a Miller Lite (Miller was promoting the event and not even local favorite Goose Island 312 was available in the room where the band was playing) and it was only about 1/4 full - we laughed about our collective clumsiness and got a look of mild reproach from an employee as they cleaned up the glass. Although I had hoped to hear Achilles, I did not actually expect it, figuring instead that the band would be more likely to play the more 'radio-friendly' staples to a crowd that was seeing three different bands that night and perhaps not containing many die-hard LZ folks aside from myself. Perhaps I can chalk the good fortune of getting to hear Achilles up to whatever misfortune befell the keyboards and the subsequent elimination of Stairway et al? Either way, I roared my approval as the tales of an April morning were recounted, and Albion slept to rise again. As the show ended, Steve tossed a guitar pick my way that I was pleased to actually catch. It all added up to a very satisfying, entertaining, and enjoyable experience for this Led Zeppelin fan.

The general crowd activity and engagement level was pretty disappointing beyond the first ten feet or so in front of the stage. I had never been to that venue before and neither had my wife. She grew up relatively near there, but she said that it was completed right about the time she moved away for college. Despite the fact that no band should follow Zeppelin, the Metallica tribute might have had the best 'time slot' as far as crowd energy was concerned. I think some people left after the costume judging, which took quite a while. As happy as I was to hear such authenticity from the band, I think it was lost on some in the crowd. On the upside, Byrd - the DJ from The Loop 97.9 seemed to have some decent information about the guys, including their

'seal of approval' from Jimmy Page and the fact that Jason Bonham sat in with the band in March '09. I can only compare the crowd at Bourbon Street to the "Led Zeppelin 2" crowd at the House of Blues, which is actually downtown. LZ2's vocalist had real talent (although he didn't really know the lyrics very well), but the rest of the band was not in Led Zepagain's league - yet the crowd was going nuts for them. I hope that Led Zepagain can come back to Chicago soon, at a better location closer to the center of the city, where they will find a more appreciative audience.

Get The Led Out - March 25, 2011 - Grayslake, IL

2011-09-28T14:15:00.004-04:00

Watch Get The Led Out's promotional video here:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=2222424714091

[Concert review originally posted to For Badgeholders Only mailing list]

GET THE LED OUT

Friday, March 25, 2011

James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

GTLO is comprised of:

FBO's own Paul Hammond - Electric/Acoustic Guitar/Mandolin

Paul Sinclair - Lead Vocals

Jimmy Marchiano - Electric/Acoustic Guitar/Backing Vocals

Billy Childs - Bass Guitar/Backing Vocals

Adam Ferraioli - Drums

Andrew Lipke - Vocals/Electric/Acoustic Guitar/Keyboards/Bongos on Royal Orleans!

Diana DeSantis - Vocals on Battle of Evermore

Once upon a time, I really wanted to review concerts for a living, but this delayed effort is another example of how I couldn't meet a deadline to save my life...

It was a distinct pleasure to experience the joy of a three-hour set from Get The Led Out on a Friday night amongst a respectful and appreciative crowd in a fairly intimate theater setting (the place was pretty much packed, with a capacity of ~600). We had a pretty smooth drive up from Chicago with minimal traffic, taking about sixty minutes to make the trip. After reading all the glowing reviews here on FBO, the band had a lot to live up to, but you can now count me among the believers.

Anyway, I'll hit some of the highlights. Since I've Been Loving You was incredible, Ramble on was a real treat, the entire acoustic set was fantastic, Dazed and Confused was appropriately menacing, Heartbreaker was joyous, and - well, I could go on an on, but there are only so many superlatives.

Guitarist Paul Hammond is simply amazing, playing with all the fluidity and speed of Jimmy Page in his prime. I can't adequately communicate just how awesome Since I've Been Loving You was with the combination of Sinclair's delivery and Hammond providing a sublime rendering of one of my all-time favorite Page solos. Excellent. The same can be said with Paul's delicate picking on Over The Hills and Far Away and Bron-yr-aur. Great stuff.

Hammond was ably assisted by Jimmy Marchiano, who shared the spotlight in a phenomenal Heartbreaker medley and spot-on Stairway solo, and jack-of-all-trades Andrew Lipke who played some guitar, keyboards, and even a bit of bongos on Royal Orleans, which was a tremendous surprise to hear.

You knew Billy Childs was going to be great all night after hearing him in Good Times Bad Times, which had me hoping for the addition of The Lemon Song to the set. Maybe next time? Adam Ferraioli rounded out the powerful engine room of the rhythm section and acquitted himself magnificently on Moby Dick as well as (perhaps more difficult but less-noticed) things like Dazed and Confused, and keeping the driving tempo of Kashmir. However, GTLO needs to make sure they mike him up better for the introduction of The Ocean - I couldn't hear that count-in very well!

Vocalist Paul Sinclair is not a carbon copy of Robert Plant (no one is), but he reaches almost all the notes Plant was able to in the 1968-1971 peak years, and does an excellent job channeling Plant with all of his idiosyncratic inflections and flourishes that we all recognize from the studio versions. Sometimes I'll see someone try to do a Zeppelin song and I just end up cocking my head to one side or cringing, but with Sinclair, there was just a lot of nodding and smiling - he was nailing it. It needs to be said just how effectively GTLO employs backing vocals from Lipke, Marchiano, and Childs to augment and enhance what Sinclair is able to do, resulting in a great

layered sound. There are many examples, but Misty Mountain Hop, Good Times Bad Times, and Your Time is Gonna Come particularly come to mind. Certainly the studio version of Ramble On would be impossible to perform without competent co-vocalists, but with Get The Led Out,

it was a pleasure. One can't help but wonder how much of a different live band Zeppelin would have been if Plant could have relied on a little help from the other guys to get through some of the material, as he was able to do later with Charlie Jones in Strange Sensation for In The Light or with Jason Bonham for Misty Mountain Hop at the O2.

The stunningly beautiful acoustic interlude (which begins with a nice nod to The Song Remains The Same film) reached its ultimate height during The Battle of Evermore and the addition of lovely Ms. DeSantis to the mix. It was a cool moment to watch Sinclair reach over to the volume knob on Paul Hammond's mandolin to gradually increase it during the introduction. As their rendition progressed flawlessly, it was difficult not to wonder what the hell Zep were thinking in talking Jonesy into singing Sandy Denny's part on the 1977 tour... who thought that was a good idea? I love JPJ, but surely if they wanted to do the song that badly, they could have found a comely lass with a good voice to bring along with the rest of their large entourage?

It was really interesting to hear the studio version of No Quarter in a live setting. It didn't sound right to Laura because she's been subjected to so many live versions, but of course the studio edition has a bit of a different vibe (achieved, if memory serves, by manipulating the playback to get that slightly druggy, slowed sound).

Thanks to all of Get The Led Out for sticking around for a meet-and-greet session after the show. It was great to meet and talk with the band, especially Paul Hammond, who had graciously included some of my pre-show requests like TY, OTHAFA, and "something from Presence" (Royal Orleans was a real shock - I'd never heard anyone attempt that, and they really pulled it off). Laura and I both had a fantastic time, and I picked up a nice GTLO t-shirt as well. Can't

wait till you guys make your way back to the Chicago area!

The order is incorrect, but the setlist included:

Immigrant Song

Misty Mountain Hop

Good Times Bad Times

Since I've Been Loving You

The Ocean

Ramble On

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You

Bron-yr-aur

Going To California

Bron-yr-aur Stomp

Battle of Evermore

Black Dog

No Quarter

Your Time is Gonna Come

ROYAL ORLEANS!

Moby Dick

Thank You

Dazed and Confused

Heartbreaker (Electric Guitar Showcase Medley)>

Livin' Lovin' Maid

Kashmir

Stairway To Heaven

Over The Hills and Far Away

Whole Lotta Love

DVD Review: Robert Plant's Blue Note

2011-09-24T19:19:00.003-04:00

(Review originally written for the Led Zeppelin email list, For Badgeholders Only)

In the first few minutes, I was rolling my eyes as a rip-off (cover?) of Since I've Been Loving You played in the background while being treated to what seemed like way more clips of bluesmen like Howlin' Wolf and the Rolling Stones than anything from Robert Plant. However, this DVD is not like one of those Biography channel type things which are about 42 minutes of mostly garbage content spread out over an hour timeslot... Robert Plant's Blue Note has a running time of 2 hours, 37 minutes, plus a little 5.5 minute bonus clip discussing Lead Belly and Plant (in terms of Zeppelin and Plant/Krauss). Despite the questionable decision to use the SIBLY cover (it led me to believe that I wouldn't be hearing any actual Zeppelin/Plant music) many times

throughout the video, more appropriate audio and video footage is employed much of the time.

This is not a Led Zeppelin documentary and should not be construed as one - so if you go into it expecting a complete breakdown of Plant's time in Zeppelin, you're going to be disappointed. There is quite a bit of time spent on Plant's influences as a teenager and how they impacted him in Zep, but most of the focus is on the early years, including claims that Plant's position in Zep was not secure even after the first album. There are clips from Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, the Rolling Stones, the Yardbirds (with and without Page), and Zep clips (all available on the official 2003 DVD, like Danish TV), as well as audio from Band of Joy (from Sixty-Six to Timbuktu). The focus on Zeppelin is brief - limited mostly to the band's formation, moving very quickly to spotlighting Kashmir and then skipping over any detail about why the band ended. The lack of emphasis on Plant's time in Zeppelin could certainly be criticized, although the program might have been five hours long if they covered Zep in depth. Skimming over the Zeppelin period did not bother me, since we have all seen quite a few Zeppelin documentaries that skip over the aftermath of the band and the solo years only to tack on a bit about Page/Plant at the end (sometimes with a mention of Jonesy's exclusion).

With those caveats out of the way, I will say that this DVD covers Plant's post-Zep period better than his official Nine Lives documentary or anything else I've seen. Particularly fascinating to me was the in-depth interview with Robbie Blunt, since I can't recall seeing another interview with him anywhere. Blunt was obviously very proud of his work with Robert in those crucial years in the wake of Zeppelin's demise, but he was also enormously frustrated by the way the partnership ended - mystified by Plant's efforts on Shaken 'n' Stirred to distance himself from everything familiar (or commercially successful). Blunt shares a great anecdote about being coerced into working with a Roland guitar synthesizer. Plant had chided Blunt by telling him something to the effect of "well, Jimmy's getting on fine with his", but apparently Benji Lefevre talked to Page's guitar tech, who confided that Jimmy had chucked his out the window by that time... He also talks about Slow Dancer as the most Zeppelin-esque of all the Plant/Blunt compositions - something with which I think most of us would agree. Blunt gives an enlightening and enjoyable interview.

Next up was Phil Johnstone, whose interview takes a similar path from initial euphoria at being on the same page with Robert to eventual frustration at not being able to find common ground and produce a final product that pleased Plant; though he thought he knew what Robert wanted, by the end he also knew that he was not the guy for the job. Johnstone essentially describes Plant's eagerness to combine the American West Coast elements of Moby Grape & others with North African music, all combined together with rock and folk instrumentation/song structure...and Johnstone admits that he is basically a pop guy and wasn't cut out to provide Robert with what he really desired - which leads nicely into the Unledded collaboration with Jimmy Page.

This period is covered well, with a Hossam Ramzy interview providing most of the content. Ramzy raves about being able to watch Page and Plant burn through Since I've Been Loving You on a nightly basis and talks about the difficulty his players had with things like Friends and Four Sticks. Also of note is a fairly extensive piece on the influence of Egyptian vocalist extraordinaire Oumme Kalsoum (many spelling variations exist)on Plant over the years in various incarnations, most of which was new information for me. I would have been impressed if the documentary had also included audio from the 1972 Page/Plant trip to India when they attempted to play Four Sticks and Friends (available on numerous bootlegs), but while those sessions were mentioned briefly, they were not heard.

Unfortunately, Walking Into Clarksdale is glossed over as a disappointing follow-up to the Unledded TV special and subsequent tour, and the documentary moves pretty rapidly through the Priory of Brion years and into Strange Sensation, the music of which in the narrative retrospect of the DVD seems like a logical culmination of Plant's quest for the perfect amalgamation of styles... but just when it seems all is right in his world, we lurch off in another direction toward the mountain music influence on Raising Sand and the collaboration with Alison Krauss and the next step of Band of Joy. It's been a few days now, but I don't remember the Zeppelin reunion at the Ertegun tribute show being mentioned on the DVD, so add that to the short list of grievances.

Robert Plant's Blue Note includes interviews (that were apparentlydone specifically for this DVD) with:

Nigel Williamson (author of The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin)

Barney Hoskyns (the caption claims he wrote a book called "Trampled Under Foot" [sic] about the excesses of Zep, but all I can find is a book on the fourth album for a Rock of Ages series)

Chris Dreja (Yardbirds)

Robbie Blunt (RP guitarist and songwriting partner circa 1981-1985)

Phil Johnstone (RP guitarist/keyboardist and songwriting partner circa 1987-1993)

Hossam Ramzy (leader of the Egyptian orchestra on the Unledded/No Quarter project)

John Lomax III (grandson of John Lomax, son of Alan Lomax - interviewed about Leadbelly and Raising Sand)

All of the other interview footage and onstage clips of Plant, Zeppelin, Page/Plant, Strange Sensation, Alison Krauss, T-Bone Burnett, et cetera that augment the documentary... all of that is brought in from readily available sources like the Canadian radio interview Plant did last year, the 2003 Zeppelin DVD, the Page/Plant Unledded DVD, Strange Sensation Soundstage, Festival in the Desert, CMT Crossroads, By Myself BBC broadcast, Nine Lives DVD and not done specifically for this Blue Note DVD. I didn't see anything "new" in that regard.

Some will find fault with the amount of time spent on discussing Plant's influences (and the inclusion of audio and video of those influences), but with a documentary of this length, I didn't have a real problem with it. Even with the inclusion of material that most fans already have is not a significant issue, since it provides context for the subjects being discussed. The most informative and interesting parts are the interviews with Blunt, Johnstone, and Ramzy. The documentary could have benefited from new interviews with other key contributors (like Justin Adams, Doug Boyle, Francis Dunnery, Porl Thompson, Skin Tyson, and Buddy Miller, for instance), especially at the expense of some of the time allotted to Williamson and Hoskyns, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were contacted and declined. All in all, this is a solid effort well worth watching for any fan of Robert Plant's work, especially for those fans who appreciate at least some of his post-Zeppelin output.

Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience - Live in Merrillville, Indiana - October 21, 2010

2010-10-23T05:09:00.004-04:00

First, some news from before the show. I did not pay the $166 price for the official ticketed meet & greet with Jason, but I met (and greeted!) him nevertheless - outside the venue on his way in from his tour bus. A few other guys were there with their Led Zeppelin LPs, a CD booklet from the In The Name of My Father - The Zepset disc, drumheads, etc. In retrospect, I probably should have brought the Third Eye O2 BluRay cover, but what I did bring was the CD booklet from the Black Country Communion album. This precipitated a conversation with Jason's assistant (spiky-blond-haired gentleman named Burly/Burley/or perhaps Buehrle, like the White Sox pitcher...).

Anyway, Jason and his assistant were both very pleased that I had brought this to get signed and made various remarks like, "oh - see this guy is up to date - he's got the current stuff..." When his assistant asked if I liked it, I replied in the affirmative. It really has grown on me quite a bit, and I definitely have no issues with Jason's drumming on it, so I was being honest. Then Buehrle told me that BCC will be doing another album and will be doing it very soon - either going into the studio again in the new year or actually coming out with the new album in the early part of next year - I wasn't clear on which, but it's more likely that they'll be going back into the studio in January. Jason confirmed this when I got to speak with him very briefly one-on-one. There were only four other guys there, but they kept asking him what the show was going to be like, which I found to be a waste of everyone's time since they'd find out for themselves in another three hours or so... oh well. Regarding BCC, it sounds like the band wants to have two albums' worth of material under their belt before they do a full-scale tour.

One anecdote from Jason regarding the rehearsals for the Ertegun tribute: apparently Jason was asking so many questions about Led Zeppelin that Jimmy Page compared him to a journalist and politely asked him to please shut up! Other than that, I didn't learn very much. Most of what he talked with the other fans about was the emotional nature of doing the show and how he integrated the various film clips. I was going to ask about those five or six songs that he had worked on with Page and Jones in 2008 or at least talk with him a little more about Black Country Communion, but it was obvious that he was being ushered into the venue. Plus, I imagine it's probably not good business strategy to essentially give away for free what you're asking other people to pay a good bit of money for (the meet & greet).

All in all, it was a great bonus to the whole trip. A couple hours later, I was inside the venue and looking for the restroom when I saw the 'official' meet and greet area curtained off, with Jason at a table signing drum heads and signing pictures for a fairly sizable group of people in a pre-gig reception. It looked a lot less cool than the kind of interaction I had outside the venue.
___

Review/Analysis

...As for evaluating the actual performance, I'll qualify my remarks by disclosing the fact that I was in the front row and acknowledging that probably affected my impressions. I bought a ticket a week or so ago but decided to see what was available on the day of the show and ended up upgrading (not knowing it would be *that* much of an upgrade at the time). Unfortunately I forgot my earplugs and it was pretty damn loud sitting directly in front of the guitar amps. My right ear still hurts. Anyway - what I'm saying is that based on my positioning and the volume, I was not able to be as critical as I might have been if I was further away or could hear better and discern individual notes better without being blasted by a wall of sound (which is how it felt much of the time).

It sounded like lead vocalist James Dylan of Virtual Zeppelin did a fantastic job all night. This is not to say he was an auditory dead-ringer for Plant the whole night, but he sang his ass off. I've read some concerns about his ability to get through the entire tour singing this way because no one knows if his voice has been tested like this before, but I have to say that I was very impressed with his power and range. His best moments came during Since I've Been Loving You and Kashmir. Having seen each of the ex-Zeppeliners in concert at solo shows and then at the O2, there's always at least one or two goosebump-inducing moments. I wasn't sure I'd have that at this concert, but SIBLY provided a couple. Dylan's vocals/phrasing during Since I've Been Loving You were so close to what you hear from Plant on the third album that they defied belief. Incredible. This didn't happen with every song, but he's really got that one down. Similarly, Kashmir owed everything to Plant's delivery at the O2 and it was magnificent. I think Dylan's had a pretty fair amount of training and I bet he'll be fine through the end of the tour.

Lead guitarist Tony Catania was not perfect, but he was very good. He has studied Page's technique pretty closely and showed great enthusiasm for the music all night long. There were some missed notes, and sticky-fingered flubs at various times and the tone wasn't always right, but overall he's very competent and capable. Catania's playing was most impressive on Dazed and Confused, The Lemon Song, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, and Black Dog. He had a bit of trouble with Over The Hills and Far Away and some interesting choices in Stairway, but I didn't have any serious problems with his playing. He was infinitely better than whomever played Jimmy's parts in the "Led Zeppelin 2" tribute band.

I didn't pay close attention to bassist Michael Devin or keyboardist/lap steel/guitar player Stephen LeBlanc except during select moments during the show - they were on the other side of the stage from where I was - but they didn't hit any clunkers that made me whip my head over to them to cringe or drop my jaw in awe. Devin played well when I really noticed him during The Lemon Song and during Good Times Bad Times, so I think he was probably fine. I couldn't hear much of what LeBlanc did except Your Time Is Gonna Come, which was fine. When he was adding accents on acoustic and lap steel, it wasn't very audible to me.

To Jason's drumming - he did not disappoint. He has his own style still powerful, but more straight ahead with fewer fills than his dad, and when he does add fills, they're more labored, as in Kashmir for example. However, as weird as it is, one has to realize that he is now older than his father ever got to be, so who knows how quick even John Henry Bonham would have been in his early-mid 40s?

First of all, if you are a complete purist, you will probably find a ton of faults with the show. Obviously with a bald, bearded lead singer, it's not a visual tribute a la Led Zepagain, and it's not completely a Get The Led Out kind of thing with the focus on all the right gear and getting the songs note-perfect. JBLZE has five members, and while there are the requisite Les Paul, Gibson Double Neck, and Danelectro axes, despite the fact that I'm not a gear-head, I made plenty of mental notes during the show where I was easily able to discern that something was 'off' or not quite right. That being said, this show that Jason is doing is definitely not designed for the folks who might be bothered by such things. This audience just wanted to hear some Led Zeppelin music and were thrilled to have it presented by someone with a genetic link to the real thing, and weren't deterred by anything like Jason not having a tambourine on his hi-hat.

You could tell that Jason got emotional during several points in the show. This was - I think - the eleventh show of 37 or so on the tour, so I wonder if those moments can possibly have the same import to him now as they did the first few shows, and whether by the end of the tour he'll be very affected at all.

Photos:
http://tinyurl.com/JBLZEMerrilIN

Set 1
Rock and Roll>
Celebration Day
I Can't Quit You Babe
*Home Movies-Jason Talks*
Your Time is Gonna Come
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
*Jason Talks - similar introduction to what Robert used for this song at O2...*
Dazed and Confused
What Is and What Should Never Be
The Lemon Song
*Jason speaks of emotional effect of next song*
Thank You
Moby Dick - *Jason drums along with footage of JHB at RAH '70 and MSG '73*
Set Break - 20 Minutes

Set 2
*Home Movies - footage of Jason, Pat and John... looks like it's an
extended/full cut of what was edited down for TSRTS film*
Good Times Bad Times
Since I've Been Loving You
Black Dog
When The Levee Breaks - *Jason drums with original drum backing track*
*Jason speaks, takes a Red Bull break...*
The Ocean
Over The Hills and Far Away
I'm Gonna Crawl
*slight break - footage of Jason arriving at O2, voice-over comments
about the gig*
Stairway To Heaven
Kashmir
*Encore Break*
Whole Lotta Love

Twenty songs played over the course of roughly three hours and five minutes, including a twenty-minute set break in the middle, one minor break before Stairway and Kashmir, and then a final encore break before WLL. Probably a solid 2.5 hours of actual Zeppelin songs.

Moby Dick was pretty well done with the video and audio accompaniment from John Bonham from Royal Albert Hall and TSRTS footage from the Garden. I didn't feel that it was too long, but I did feel like it was a little odd to watch Jason watching his monitor and trying to mirror his deceased father's motions. Beyond any psychological analysis, it just invited direct comparison between the two drummers and did not flatter the one who is still with us.

WTLB uses the original JHB drum track from the fourth album to augment Jason's work - this probably had just as much to do with the difficulty of replicating that sound on stage as it did with any sort of tribute. It was pretty cool to see Catania play slide on what I'm pretty sure was a Fender XII (it resembled the guitar that Page played at Jeff Beck's R&R HoF on Bolero/Immigrant Song). Meanwhile LeBlanc looked to be wailing away on his lap steel, but again - it was so loud that I couldn't discern how much he was really contributing.

I'm Gonna Crawl was a real highlight since I've never seen anyone play it live before. Dylan and Catania both acquitted themselves brilliantly - the keyboards also sounded good. I was a little surprised and disappointed that nothing from Presence turned up in the set, but hearing I'm Gonna Crawl partially made up for that oversight.

After IGC, the band left the stage and some footage of the O2 appeared on the screens (footage of the venue itself, not the concert), video of Jason arriving at the arena and sitting by himself in the otherwise empty seats. His voiceover during this talks about how he was handling the enormity of the event in the weeks and days leading up to the show and also says something like "the internet can not be your friend" - talking about negative things he read about himself being named as the drummer for the show and doubting himself... I'm pretty sure he should have left that stuff out. Not that he shouldn't talk about the doubts he had, but to put it in the voiceover and make it a regular part of the show seems like an odd decision. It has the effect of demoting him and I couldn't help but think back to the O2 when the guys all embraced and took their bow, but then Jason bowed to the other three in an "I'm not worthy" gesture. I'm probably reading into things too much, but I don't think Page, Plant, or Jones thought that was necessary or appropriate - it set Jason apart at the very moment that he should have stood with them as an equal.

The drum stool remained empty for the beginning of Stairway and Catania used a standing acoustic guitar to pick the introduction before using the double neck. Dylan had an acoustic strapped around him and played it during Catania's electric solo, which was a little weird, but I had no complaints about the vocal climax and coda, so I didn't stress about it too much. The break in Whole Lotta Love was vaguely 1975-ish, but different. The theremin section was brief.

Parting words... I feel like almost every Zeppelin fan would enjoy the show that Jason is putting on. As I said, I admit that I was probably casting a less critical eye and ear toward things than I otherwise might have, due to my proximity to the stage, it was hard not to get caught up in the moment. There are legitimate questions to be asked about whether Jason should be doing something like this in exactly this way (billing it as a "Led Zeppelin Experience" in lights), but if you approach it as a sort of extra-special tribute band, it's worth the price of admission - you'll most likely have a good time. As long as Jason doesn't make a habit of touring with Led Zeppelin as part of his billing, I don't think there is much wrong with this. There's no reason that he can't go on the road in the future with a band of his choice and play Zeppelin songs, but they shouldn't comprise those entire future sets. I was glad to hear that Black Country Communion will be extended - not because it's the greatest band in the world, but because I think it's healthy for Jason to have his own thing going that is not tied so closely to the identity of his father. This whole tour is probably a bit of a cathartic experience and he will probably mentally benefit from it.

The Star Plaza Theater's capacity is 3400 according to a sign outside the box office. I'd put the show's attendance at roughly 1800-2000. The floor was almost entirely full, but fans in the mezzanine/balcony were few and far between. I can only assume that booking a small theater in Chicago was a lot more expensive and that's why they booked this place in NW Indiana (it was about an hour's drive for me from the city).

Review: Robert Plant - Band of Joy

2010-09-16T18:00:00.003-04:00

Steve Sauer has graciously invited me to post my review on Led Zeppelin News as a guest contributor. I thank him for the opportunity to share my thoughts on Robert Plant's new album, Band of Joy. Steve has done a fantastic job of providing background information and analysis of the original songs that Plant covers on this disc, so I don't feel too badly about not mentioning all of the original artists in my review.

Band of Joy begins with "Angel Dance" - a strong opener with a great groove. Unfortunately the ringing sound (tambourine, I'm guessing) that pops up regularly every so often is very annoying to me - kind of like I suppose a dog whistle would be, if I were a dog... If I could only remove that, it would not just be a good track, but a great one.

"House of Cards" could be improved by making the production a little less muddy. I understand that it was a choice, but to me it just sounds like I'm listening to a static-y radio broadcast. Around 1:44 into the song, the static recedes for a bit for the "and the birds are wheelin'..." section and it sounds fantastic. I love the "and cracked and it's shaking" line - it's delivered perfectly - but then the static aspect returns around 2:15. This song works better live from the recordings I've heard.

I enjoy "Central Two-O-Nine". It's a fun little foot-stomper that would fit in well with a latter-day Zep acoustic set that might also include "Poor Tom".

"Silver Rider" is a dystopian epic - almost up there with "Darkness Darkness" as an enduring favorite cover by Plant. I bought Low's The Great Destroyer a couple months ago to hear this track and "Monkey" in advance of Band of Joy's release. The original "Silver Rider" is a little too achingly restrained for my taste, but Plant's version lets loose just the right amount. A standout track. Buddy Miller plays excellent, haunting guitar, and Patty Griffin's vocal accompaniment might be better here than anything else she does on the album.

Byron House's bass on "You Can't Buy My Love" is satisfyingly dirty and makes the song work much better than it otherwise would. The vocals are fine - there's a trademark Robert moment around 1:50. Not a substantial song, but fun. It probably should not have followed "Silver Rider" on the album and might have been better off appearing later on this disc.

"Falling in Love Again" is a very nice vocal showcase for Plant at this point in his career - his voice sounds rich and smooth. The steel guitar around 1:50 is a little too country/twangy for my liking; a short, sharp electric guitar solo might have improved it, but that's just me.

Unfortunately, "The Only Sound that Matters" begins with more of that extra-twangy steel guitar. The vocals are pushed forward a bit more in this song and sometimes the articulation isn't where it should be - the words sound a little 'thick'. This gets better around 2:15, but then there's more of the twangy guitar.

"Monkey" is perfectly ominous. The rumbling bass and drums, the distorted guitar, the perfectly matched dual vocals... another Low cover, and another standout track. A very good original that is taken to a higher level by Robert and his band. The only thing that detracts is more of that high-pitched ringing that was heard in "Angel Dance". Thankfully there's not quite as much and it's not as noticeable.

"Cindy, I'll Marry You Someday" features some pleasant banjo picking. The vocals are understated, whispered until around 1:40 when they become more forceful. Not my favorite track, but it picks up nicely in the last minute or so.

Plant, Buddy Miller, and Marco Giovino team up to make "Harm's Swift Way" one of the better tracks on the album. There is a confidence and strength to this song that contrasts with the plaintive and vulnerable nature of Plant's singing elsewhere on the disc.

"Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down" could have been a Fate of Nations B-side with Rainer Ptacek like "Dark Moon". Spooky...

I've been struggling to figure out what past Plant album that "Even This Shall Pass Away" sounds like it belongs on, but it's somewhere between Shaken 'n Stirred and the previously unreleased 1987 Now and Zen-era track "Upside Down" that appeared on Sixty-Six To Timbuktu. Either way, it's kind of funky and a little odd, but it works as the final track of the CD, probably about as well as "Brother Ray" did on Mighty Rearranger.

A pretty good album overall - I give it a 7 out of 10 and place it somewhere in the middle in terms of Robert's post-Zeppelin work, below Pictures at Eleven (which has grown on me and really benefited from the remastering job for Nine Lives), Fate of Nations, and Mighty Rearranger, which are all big favorites.

I hope that Robert gets inspired to do some more writing of his own for his next album. Mighty Rearranger was very strong lyrically and musically following Dreamland, which was almost entirely a covers album, so perhaps history will repeat itself and we'll get a strong new collection of Plant originals in a couple years.

Finally Framed - Them Crooked Vultures

2010-06-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

2009.08.09 Metro Chicago
Them Crooked Vultures
First Live Performance

2010.05.18 Aragon Ballroom Chicago
Them Crooked Vultures
Last Show of 2010 American Tour

Back from the framing shop today - they look great up on the wall!

Mystery

2010-03-09T01:45:00.002-05:00

Why did I ever think it would be a good idea for me to choose a career for which I would have to speak to large groups of people every day?

Very stupid.

Gov't Mule - House of Blues Chicago - 2010.02.05

2010-02-08T01:31:00.006-05:00

Gov't Mule
2010-02-05
House Of Blues
Chicago, IL

Dare 2 Dream (To Benefit The University of Chicago's Comer's Children Hospital)
with Jackie Greene
and The Steepwater Band

Set 1
=====
1. Million Miles From Yesterday
2. Slackjaw Jezebel
3. Gameface
4. Temporary Saint
5. Little Toy Brain
6. Patchwork Quilt
7. Mr. Big
8. Forevermore
9. Wandering Child

Set 2
=====
1. Maybe I'm Amazed
2. Frozen Fear
3. Shape I'm In
4. Monday Mourning Meltdown >
5. Drums >
6. Any Open Window >
7. Trouble Everyday
8. Brokedown on the Brazos

Encores
=======
9. Encore Break/Introducing Jackie Greene
10. Loser*
11. Southern Man*

* w/ Jackie Greene

Benefit show started around 8pm with The Steepwater Band. They were a pretty decent opening band - they had some good hooks and a good blues-rock sound, but some of the songs lyrics were pretty repetitive (too much reliance on a chorus instead of an extra verse or two). The singer was fine but did not have a great range. Definitely not the worst opening act I've ever heard, and the lead singer was an excellent guitarist.

Coming on around 9pm, Jackie Greene turned in a very listenable set, but I didn't think he and his band were as entertaining as when I saw them open for Mule back in October. His set included a brief Taxman reference and a cover of what I'm pretty sure was a Grateful Dead song I should know, but don't. The crowd was loving it.

Mule did not take the stage until after 10pm. They opened with the excellent Million Miles From Yesterday and kept things going with the hard-driving Jezebel. The set kind of turned toward slower and mid-tempo numbers though, and while that would have been fine on most nights, it was getting late for people who had been standing up since 7:10 or so like Laura and I had.

The band took a break after the first set. They came back out after midnight with a beautiful cover of Maybe I'm Amazed that brought Laura back from sitting down somewhere to rest her feet. Matt Abts had a great drum solo that seemed loosely modeled after Moby Dick (complete with bare-handed interludes), but it was simply too late and too far into the show to hold everyone's interest. Mule closed the second set with the steady groove of 'Brazos', and returned quickly for the encore with Jackie Greene to cover the Dead's soulful Loser and Neil Young's Southern Man, which was incredible.

An enjoyable show, but one that seemed to sort of drag a little (standing for about six hours total - they ended around 1:15). I'll confess I had a better time at the last Mule show near the end of October 2009.

EDIT: Yep, should have known it, alright - Greene covered The Grateful Dead's Scarlet Begonias. I did recognize it as a Dead track, but I don't know a lot of their titles. He did a good job with it - sounded very smooth.

Widespread Panic/Allman Brothers Band at Northerly Island Chicago September 1, 2009

2009-09-03T19:33:00.002-04:00

Allman Brothers Band

Done Somebody Wrong
Don't Keep Me Wonderin'
Woman Across The River
Hot'Lanta
Stand Back
Revival
Only You Know And I Know @
Feelin' Alright @
Dreams
The Sky Is Crying $
You Don't Love Me $
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed

Encore: Melissa
Trouble No More

@ = w/ Dave Mason, guitar and vocals
$ = w/ Buddy Guy, guitar and vocals
_______________________

Widespread Panic

Disco >
Henry Parsons Died
Bear's Gone Fishin' >
*Ride Me High >
Jam
Diner >
Angels On High
#Just Like A Woman >
#@Turn On Your Lovelight
*Papa's Home >
*Jam >
Drum Solo >
*Climb To Safety >
*Papa's Home >
*Space >
*@North
Encore:
*@Bowllegged Woman

* With Derek Trucks On Guitar
# With Greg Allman On Organ and Vocals
@ With Warren Haynes On Guitar

Allman Brothers Band/Widespread Panic at Northerly Island Chicago September 2, 2009

2009-09-03T19:26:00.001-04:00

Widespread Panic

Send Your Mind
Walkin' >
Jam >
Makes Sense To Me
Pigeons
*Mercy >
*Jam >
*Rock
C Brown >
Love Tractor
Weight Of The World
I'm Not Alone >
Barstools
Provin' Ground
Last Straw
#Me And The Devil
#Last Dance

* With Derek Trucks On Guitar
# With Warren Haynes On Guitar
_____________________

Allman Brothers Band

Statesboro Blues
One Way Out
Ain't Wastin' Time No More
Rocking Horse
Midnight Rider
Leave My Blues At Home
And It Stoned Me @
It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry @#
Black Hearted Woman
Southbound #$%
(Call It) Stormy Monday %
Mountain Jam
JaMaBuBu
Mountain Jam (Reprise)

Encore: Whipping Post

@ = w/ John Bell, guitar and vocals
# = w/ John "JoJo" Hermann, keyboards
$ = w/ Dave Schools, bass
% = w/ Jimmy Herring, guitar

Pearl Jam at The United Center in Chicago - August 23, 2009 (Night One)

2009-08-26T18:38:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit PJ Preston, from Flickr

Set List for Night One
________________
Long Road (Merkin Ball)
Corduroy (Vitalogy)
Why Go (Ten)
God's Dice (Binaural)
Dissident (Vs.)
Small Town (Vs.)
Sad (Lost Dogs)
The Fixer (Backspacer)
Given to Fly (Yield)
-Happy Birthday To Mike Richter-
Comeback (Pearl Jam)
Evenflow (Ten)
Save You (Riot Act)
In Hiding (Yield)
Man Of The Hour (Man of the Hour single, Big Fish soundtrack)
Insignificance (Binaural)
Got Some (Backspacer)
Spin The Black Circle (Vitalogy)

1st encore
Love Reign O'er Me (The Who - Quadrophenia)
Life Wasted (Pearl Jam)
The Real Me (The Who - Quadrophenia)
Alive (Ten)

2nd encore
The Needle and The Damage Done (Neil Young - Harvest) - performed by Vedder solo
Rats (Vs.)
Supersonic (Backspacer)
Smile (No Code)
Rearviewmirror (Vs.)
Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner (Jeremy single/Lost Dogs)

Pearl Jam at The United Center in Chicago - August 24, 2009 (Night Two)

2009-08-26T18:21:00.002-04:00

Photo Credit PJ Preston, from Flickr

Set List for Night Two
__________________
Hard To Imagine (Lost Dogs)
Corduroy (Vitalogy)
In My Tree (No Code)
Last Exit (Vitalogy)
All Night (Lost Dogs)
Nothingman (Vitalogy)
The Fixer (Backspacer)
Even Flow (Ten)
Present Tense (No Code)
Whipping (Vitalogy)
Not For You w/Modern Girl, by Sleater Kinney tag (Vitalogy)
Daughter w/Another Brick In The Wall part 2-Pink Floyd tag (Vs.)
Brother (Lost Dogs/Ten Reissue)
Gone (Pearl Jam)
Got Some (Backspacer)
Do The Evolution (Yield)
Alive (Ten)

1st encore
No More (Vedder - Body of War Soundtrack) - performed solo
Comatose (Pearl Jam)
Grievance (Binaural)
Black (Ten)
The Real Me (The Who - Quadrophenia)
Porch (Ten)

2nd encore
Wasted Reprise (Pearl Jam)
Better Man w/Save It For Later tag (Vitalogy)
Crazy Mary (Victoria Williams)
State of Love and Trust (Singles soundtrack/Ten Reissue)
Fuckin' Up (Neil Young - Ragged Glory)
Yellow Ledbetter w/Star Spangled Banner (Jeremy single/Lost Dogs)

Out on the Porch, PJ Covers Fuckin' Up & the National Anthem

2009-08-26T17:47:00.004-04:00

PJ rocks the middle of Porch.

Pearl Jam covers Neil Young's Fuckin' Up from Ragged Glory. You'll see Jeff Ament and Mike McCready switch bass & guitar around 3:35 into the video, and less than 30 seconds later, Eddie will don a spiky blond wig tossed to him by a member of the crowd.

Mike McCready plays the end of Yellow Ledbetter and segues into Star Spangled Banner to close the second of two amazing nights of Pearl Jam in Chicago

PJ Tix, Pics from Night Two

2009-08-26T17:40:00.000-04:00

I'm Still Alive... Taking to the Air

2009-08-26T17:34:00.000-04:00

Jump!

Six Songs in the Second Encore...

2009-08-26T17:28:00.000-04:00

Yellow Ledbetter

2009-08-26T17:18:00.000-04:00

Them Crooked Vultures - August 9, 2009 - Metro, Chicago

2009-08-10T05:25:00.000-04:00

Concert review: Them Crooked Vultures at Metro
http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2009/08/concert-review-them-crooked-vultures-at-metro.html

The term “super group” gets thrown around way too often in rock, but in the case of Them Crooked Vultures, it applies. The group consists of the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl on drums, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme on guitar, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards. The trio made its international debut and capped off Lollapalooza weekend in Chicago with a 75-minute performance that began at midnight Monday at a jam-packed Metro. Grohl discussed his hopes for the group as many as four years ago, and the three have been working on an album in Los Angeles this year. But the music has been a mystery; none of the tracks has leaked on the Internet, and the group’s future plans are shrouded in secrecy.

After debuting a dozen songs at Metro, the group made it very clear that it’s not only for real, but also has the chance to be the exception to the super-group rule. Most of these Frankenstein projects usually end up being less than the sum of their parts, but Crooked Vultures sounded like it was on to something fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty. Grohl is in many ways the linchpin. One of the great drummers in rock, he was the man who put the wallop in Nirvana, and also anchored the finest Queens of the Stone Age album, “Songs for the Deaf” (2002). His work on this night was astonishing, a clinic in brute force and finesse that was exhilarating and exhausting to observe at close quarters. Homme handled lead vocals and guitar, and was unusually clear-eyed and affable, playing with more precision than he usually musters in Queens. And Jones, whose music with Led Zeppelin is an obvious touchstone for both his bandmates, was a huge presence with his variety of four-, six- and eight-string basses, a match for Grohl’s power and a counterpoint for Homme’s melodies. The group was rounded out by Queens alumnus Alain Johannes on guitar.

The set’s foundation was hard rock and hard edges, with Jones and Grohl going toe-to-toe in the engine room. Homme played more with texture and layering sounds on his guitar, the first memorable riff showing up four songs into the set on “Dead End Friends.” His high vocals were often bolstered by harmonies from Grohl, Johannes and even Jones. There were a couple of red herrings: “Bandoliers”” flirted with tenderness (Homme introduced it as a love song) and “Interlude w/ Ludes” came off as a prank, with Jones on keytar and a shimmying Homme in lounge-crooner mode.

Otherwise, it was wrecking ball time, with the arrangements sometimes taking several turns before resolving. Two epic tracks stood out. “Daffodils,” which hinted at psychedelia with reverb effects on the vocals and a massive bass tone, was capped by a Jones piano solo. And “Warsaw” ebbed and flowed, winding down to a low-key guitar-bass exchange before building back up into a slamming finale. History tells us that super groups usually don’t last very long. But at least this particular one is off to a rousing start.

Them Crooked Vultures set list at Metro:

Elephants
New Fang
Scumbag Blues
Dead End Friends
Bandoliers
Mind Eraser (No Chaser)
Gunman
Daffodils
Interlude w/ Ludes
Caligulove
Warsaw
Nobody Loves Me

Led Zeppelin Ballet (interpretation of Everyman)

2009-06-22T18:17:00.000-04:00

Laura and I went to see a ballet featuring the music of Led Zeppelin on Friday at the Vittum Theater on Noble Street. It was an interpretive dance rendition of Everyman. Obviously, I went for the Zeppelin, but I did enjoy the way the music was employed throughout the performance. Some were probably more of a stretch than others, but most songs perfectly suited the mood that was being portrayed. The director was smart to use instrumental renditions of the songs in certain places so that the lyrics didn't distract. Especially effective in this regard was Kashmir, by Bond.

Below, you can see which songs were used for specific scenes and read a synopsis of the ballet. Some of the songs were edited in various ways to shorten them and emphasize specific sections. For example, the solo in No Quarter was excised, but featured prominently in an edited Since I've Been Loving You.

A bit more about the play, which apparently dates to the 15th century (this differs from the date given in the synopsis in the photo above) and could be derived from an older Latin play called Homulus, can be found here on wikipedia.

The Tragically Hip at The Vic Theatre, Chicago - May 27, 2009

2009-05-30T17:16:00.002-04:00

I haven't been able to obtain a setlist yet, but I hope that I'll track one down soon. The previous night's set was posted by 5pm the next day.

Very entertaining show. I had never seen The Hip live before, although I had listened to several bootlegs after downloading and burning them for Matt and Thom, so my familiarity level was higher than it otherwise might have been. Gord Downie is definitely a dynamic performer and great to watch. The songs I didn't know were strong, and those I did were great. As I note in one of the posts below, I did a little listening before the show to some tracks on the band's website and came across a new favorite - Yawning or Snarling, which I hoped to hear at that night's show. Fortunately, I heard that one as well as some other favorites, like Hundredth Meridian, New Orleans is Sinking, Blow at High Dough, and Little Bones. A high concentration of those favorites appear on Up to Here and Road Apples - burned copies of which Matt furnished me with at JCC back in 2001. At some point, I need to actually buy some Hip, but I'm so behind on listening to music I already own that it's hard to justify too many new purchases.

Downie seemed to have a great rapport with the crowd, which I was kind of wondering about ahead of time, since my impression is that the band's following in the US is not as intense as in Canada, except perhaps in cities close to the Canadian border, like Buffalo. A quick glance at their tour itinerary confirms that most dates are scheduled in the Northern United States, Canada, with a few shows on the West Coast. The Vic is a small place - a capacity of about 1,300 or so, and although I don't believe the shows sold out, there was a closely-packed and energetic crowd on hand. There were several good-natured hockey references made because the Blackhawks were facing elimination that night against the Red Wings (the Hawks lost in overtime), with Gord remarking once, "hey, zero-zero, Hawks lead!" and someone in the crowd replying "we'll take it!" (see the video of It's a Good Life... below).

The pictures and few videos I took have already been uploaded below, and they will probably be more interesting than anything else I have to say, so proceed...

TTH

2009-05-30T17:12:00.000-04:00

There's a pretty clear shot of the bass drum below in the picture of Baker on the slide, and you'll notice there's something extra there.
Apparently it's a Yamaha SubKick, used to capture a better representation of what the drum actually sound like live.
I had never seen one before.

Acoustic Hip

2009-05-30T16:59:00.000-04:00

Bassist Gord Sinclair and rhythm guitarist Paul Langlois switched instruments for the first portion of the brief acoustic set.

Mini-Acoustic Set Continues

2009-05-30T16:52:00.000-04:00

One Night in El Paso...

2009-05-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

Sequential Gordon

2009-05-30T16:36:00.000-04:00

I had never seen The Tragically Hip live before Wednesday night, so I don't know if it is a common practice, but Downie was going through white handkerchiefs or towels at a rapid clip; alternately gingerly handing them to specific ladies in the audience (like Elvis Presley in later years with his scarves) or just firing them into the crowd. He seemed to be sweating heavily (understandably, given his movement onstage) and wondered, "When did Chicago become Memphis?" in reference to the heat (it was quite warm at The Vic). As you might notice in the videos, he also used them as props throughout the evening.

Rob Baker on mandolin and Telecaster

2009-05-30T16:21:00.000-04:00

The Hip at The Vic - May 27, 2009

2009-05-30T16:15:00.000-04:00

The final shot of the night, as Gord was saying goodbye and thanking the crowd, was ruined by the same idiot who was waving his arms (usually one at a time, the same way many annoying girls do when dancing). You'll be able to see him in the videos below. Throughout the evening, he managed to worm his way through the crowd from the extreme right until he was almost centered, perhaps three rows from the front. I caught several people behind him mocking his constant overbearing gestures.
This image does remind me a bit of the head-crusher person on Kids in the Hall if anyone is familiar with that... It wouldn't have bothered me as much if it wasn't the last picture of the night.

A Twist of the Arm Might Weaken You...

2009-05-30T15:36:00.006-04:00

You'll notice quickly that while the video quality is pretty decent here, the audio kinda sucks. The bass at the show was obviously too much for the little microphone of the camera. These were taken with Laura's Canon camera, which is newer and smaller than my Nikon. The audio on my Nikon seems to be better for this type of recording, but the video is normally awful in the dark. I guess it might be time for an upgrade, but that's unlikely anytime soon. In any event, I would recommend enjoying these videos with the volume turned a bit lower.

Twist My Arm

First song of the night I really knew well, courtesy of a burned copy of Road Apples that MK provided me in 2001 at JCC. Thank you, Matthew.

It's a Good Life if You Don't Weaken

I don't know much about this song. I listened to it on The Hip's website a couple hours before the concert along with a few others that I had seen on recent setlists. That's how I 'discovered' Yawning or Snarling, the ominous introduction of which I became an instant fan. I would have captured that song on video, but I knew I didn't have enough space on the memory card. Anyway, '...Good Life...' seems to have its roots in a graphic novel; see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_a_Good_Life,_If_You_Don%27t_Weaken

Hundredth Meridian & Blow at High Dough

2009-05-30T15:12:00.004-04:00

At The Hundredth Meridian

Great song that I've grown to enjoy quite a bit. I think I first heard this either on a jukebox, played by Matt or Thom... or alternatively in the car while riding with Matt and Thom. This track made the list of possibilities at my wedding reception, so if you guys want it played, just ask the DJ and he should accommodate your request.

Blow at High Dough

The memory card in Laura's camera was full at the point of cut-off, about four minutes and forty-five seconds into Blow at High Dough, which was the second song of the encore and final song of the evening. Around the 4:35 mark, you can see Downie get down into the area between the stage and the crowd (where he stayed for a couple minutes, interacting with the audience and holding the mic for fans to yell lyrics) and at 4:40, you see the security guy scamper across the stage and down into the divided area to follow Gord.

NYT: Gail Collins on Bristol Palin's New Gig as Abstinence Spokesperson

2009-05-07T03:40:00.001-04:00

Excerpt:

Now a single mom on the outs with the father of her baby, Bristol wants a new kind of happy ending.

“I just want to go out there and promote abstinence and say this is the safest choice,” she said on “Good Morning America.”

“It’s not going to work,” said her ex-boyfriend, Levi Johnston, in a dueling early-morning interview.

If you have ever watched Levi Johnston on TV for two minutes you will appreciate how terrifying it is when he has the most reasonable analysis of a social issue.

Because Bristol’s own philosophy seems, at minimum, tentative, it’s hard to tell whether she believes that cheerleading for abstinence should be coupled with education about birth control methods. She and Levi used condoms, except when they didn’t.

Her mom has said in the past that she opposes “explicit” sex education, which kind of sounds like ... sex education. And while encouraging kids to wait is obviously fine, the evidence is pretty clear that abstinence education is worse than useless. Texas, where virtually all the schools teach abstinence and abstinence alone, is a teen pregnancy disaster zone. “It’s had one of the highest rates for as long as I can remember,” said David Wiley, a professor of health education at Texas State University.

Chris Cornell - Riviera Theatre, Chicago - April 19, 2009

2009-04-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

Photos courtesy of the very nice Jeffgarden website. My own grainy and distant photos can be found in several of the posts below. Jeffgarden also has a couple videos (Billie Jean and Redemption Song). The visual quality is great, thanks in part to the proximity to the band - but the audio is overloaded for the same reason.

We had a great time at the show, which was a good mix of Soundgarden, Audioslave, and solo material. I was apprehensive about how much stuff he would play from the new album. It did not dominate the set - comprising less than a third, which was good. You can take a look at the setlist in a previous post. His vocals sounded good and were prominent (in a good way) in the mix, especially compared to the Audioslave show I saw almost exactly four years ago, when his voice was pretty much buried. The Scream songs certainly didn't fit smoothly with the rest of the set. Even though they were probably improved by being performed by his band, they still sounded completely different from the other songs because of the odd effects on the vocals, and synthesized crap that predictably sounded very artificial.

I would still say that I enjoyed the Audioslave show more, and I don't think it's purely a case of being in the front row versus being back and off the floor. Instead, I would attribute it to the fact that Audioslave was great, cohesive actual band in concert, while last night's show was definitely a case of a great singer performing with backing musicians.

I had been hoping for the inclusion of a little Zeppelin at the show, but it didn't happen. During this tour, Spoonman has included a little Good Times Bad Times, and Immigrant Song has been featured as an encore at many concerts, but the Chicago show was regrettably unLedded.

This request sign for Down on the Upside's Overfloater was prepared by the people behind the Jeffgarden site. Chris remarked on the sign during the show, took it in hand and placed it on the drum riser, but unfortunately it was not played (perhaps due to the curfew mentioned at the show and the interview here; the link is to the first of an enjoyable four-part interview at a Chicago alternative station... in part two, he addresses Soundgarden rumors).

Chris Cornell @ Chicago's Riviera Theatre - Setlist and Photos from the Front

2009-04-20T18:17:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from the very nice Jeffgarden website. Above, you get a great look at the setlist. As I mention in a post below, the listing for CORNELL between Rusty Cage and Cochise actually refers to a fairly sizable solo acoustic set.

I can confirm that while Spoonman and Black Hole Sun appear on this setlist, they were not played. Apparently there was a curfew at the Riviera on Sunday, which resulted in the set being scaled back. Cornell and his band came on to the stage around 8:40pm and played for just about two hours. The last song was a cool rendition of Like Suicide, and an amusing instrumental 'lounge version' of Black Hole Sun was played over the PA as the lights came up.

More From Chris Cornell at Riviera Theatre

2009-04-20T17:59:00.000-04:00

Chris Cornell in Chicago

2009-04-20T17:48:00.000-04:00

opening with Part of Me/Time from Scream

Can't Change Me/Burden in My Hand

Cornell at the Riv, Continued

2009-04-20T17:32:00.000-04:00

Cornell did a solo acoustic set of songs that did not appear individually on the setlist (only noted as "Cornell"), but included Audioslave's Like a Stone and Dandelion, Soundgarden's Fell on Black Days, and Bob Marley's Redemption Song (hey Thom, Matt, and Kevin - it all makes sense now...).

Chris Cornell - Riviera Theatre, Chicago - April 19, 2009

2009-04-20T05:12:00.005-04:00

Three videos taken from the vantage point of the first railing at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago. I should have some pictures and additional commentary about the show in the next couple days, but here are the songs I captured on video (disappointingly poor quality... these were taken with my Nikon E5600 that was purchased in late 2005... maybe it's time to upgrade).

Hunger Strike

Show Me How To Live

Dandelion > Fell on Black Days

Teabagging

2009-04-15T03:08:00.002-04:00

You may have heard about this crap, which seems largely manufactured by right-wingers and has surely been promoted by Fox News.

Carlin on Golf

2009-04-15T02:58:00.003-04:00

Watched a lot of golf this Easter while trying to stay out of the various fights that Laura's mom and grandmother were having with other members of their family. I don't particularly enjoy golf, and especially hate watching it on television, but I amused myself by thinking about this George Carlin routine...

Jesus Shaves, by David Sedaris

2009-04-10T16:37:00.000-04:00

Jesus Shaves - David Sedaris

Jimmy Page Inducts (and jams with) Jeff Beck

2009-04-05T14:47:00.008-04:00

Audio of Jimmy Page's induction of Jeff Beck, courtesy of Steve Sauer at http://ledzeppelinnews.com

Beck's Bolero>Immigrant Song>Bolero
Jimmy Page on Fender XII

Finale

______________
From Billboard.com:

April 05, 2009
10:13 AM ET

Gary Graff, Cleveland

Jimmy Page appearances are rare, but the Led Zeppelin guitarist was happy to come to Cleveland on Saturday to induct his longtime friend and former Yardbirds bandmate Jeff Beck into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.

"He's been instrumental in pioneering a whole blueprint that was totally unique to him and...has been such a blueprint for everyone else to learn from," Page told Billboard.com before the ceremony. "No one's ever equaled what Jeff's done. He really shifted the whole sound and face of electric guitar music."

Asked after Beck's induction -- during which the two guitarists combined "Beck's Bolero" and Zeppelin''s "Immigrant Song" -- about their enduring friendship, Page noted that "we've known each other since we were...11 years old. We've vibed on the same things, and music's been the main common denominator of us meeting in the first place. So that's always been there. We're respectful of each other's playing and solo endeavors and all the rest of it. Mutual respect, man."

The two did joke around about Beck's ouster from the Yardbirds in 1966. "I was thrown out," he said, to which Page replied, "Not by me."

Beck: "It was your fault! (Page) didn't like me on the stage with him."

Page: "Oh, bollocks..."

Beck and Page also joined Metallica, Aerosmith's Joe Perry, Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood and Red Hot Chili Peppers' bassist Flea for an all-star rendition of the Yardbirds staple "Train Kept A Rollin'," while Beck was also part of an all-star jam on Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock."
_____________

Jimmy Page will Induct Jeff Beck into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Tonight

2009-04-04T20:31:00.002-04:00

Jeff Beck covers The Beatles

Everyone is hoping that the two former Yardbirds will jam together this evening.

Below, three former Yardbirds guitarists collaborate on Tulsa Time at the ARMS benefit in 1983.

Hey, Paul Krugman...

2009-03-30T19:15:00.000-04:00

Excerpt from the Evan Thomas piece in Newsweek:
________
Someone has even cut a rock video on YouTube: "Hey, Paul Krugman, why aren't you in the administration?" A singer croons, "Hey, Paul Krugman, where the hell are you, man? We need you on the front lines, not just writing for The New York Times." (And the cruel chorus: "All we hear [from Geithner] is blah, blah, blah.")

Krugman is not likely to show up in an administration job in part because he has a noble—but not government-career-enhancing—history of speaking truth to power. With dry humor, he once told a friend the story of attending an economic summit in Little Rock after Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992. As the friend recounted the story to NEWSWEEK, "Clinton asked Paul, 'Can we have a balanced budget and health-care reform?'—essentially, can we have it all? And Paul said, 'No, you have to be disciplined. You have to make choices.' Then Paul says to me (deadpan), 'That was the wrong answer.' Then Clinton turns to Laura Tyson and asks the same questions, and she says, 'Yes, it's all possible, you have your cake and eat it too.' And then [Paul] says, 'That was the right answer'." (Tyson became chairman of Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers; she did not respond to requests to comment.) Krugman confirmed the story to NEWSWEEK WITH a smile. "I'm more tolerant now," he says. But at the time, he was bitter that he was kept out of the Clinton administration.

'stache

2009-03-30T19:11:00.000-04:00

I paused while shaving off my beard today. I was tempted to leave it this way for a day or two, but I start class again tomorrow and didn't really want to be 'the guy with the mustasche'.

Plus - it doesn't compare to these guys...

Pearl Jam - Drop in the Park

2009-03-30T18:33:00.000-04:00

Photos from the Drop in the Park double-LP

Ten Collector's Edition Box Set

2009-03-30T18:25:00.000-04:00

Photos of Pearl Jam's reissue of Ten. I couldn't resist the big Collector's Edition 1990-1992 box set... I guess I'm a sucker for that kind of thing. This is a really nice looking set.

I do hope this is the biggest reissue of the series though - not sure I can justify the same amount of $ for each of the other albums unless they have some serious bonus material.

Perfection, in about 7 Minutes

2009-03-24T18:29:00.001-04:00

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

David Sedaris with 'Six to Eight Black Men'

2009-03-24T04:17:00.002-04:00

Sedaris tells a story about Christmas in The Netherlands.

I was unable to stop laughing when I first read this story...

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

To The Roof

2009-03-23T15:43:00.000-04:00

I wanted to get a new profile picture for facebook with the beard, since I won't have it much longer.

Yes, I realize I look foolish.

For Your Life

2009-03-16T18:45:00.002-04:00

Laura took this short (~90 seconds or so) video of For Your Life (unfortunately, it cuts off right before the guitar solo) during the Led Zeppelin show at the O2 in London, December 10, 2007. I had previously uploaded it to Google video, but this is a higher-quality upload. Below the clip, I've included a video of the full song, available on YouTube.

Return of the Beard - Update

2009-03-16T02:01:00.000-04:00

Glenn Greenwald on the Stewart/Cramer Interview

2009-03-14T05:26:00.002-04:00

There's nothing unique about Jim Cramer

The mindless complicity in disseminating false claims is not aberrational media behavior; it is, as they acknowledge, the crux of what they do.

Glenn Greenwald

Mar. 13, 2009 |

Jon Stewart is being widely celebrated today and Jim Cramer/CNBC widely mocked -- both rightfully so -- for Stewart's devastatingly adversarial interview of Cramer (who, just by the way, is a Marty Peretz creation). If you haven't yet seen the interview, you can and should watch it here; if you watch only one segment, watch the middle one and the beginning of the third.

Stewart focuses on the role Cramer and CNBC played in mindlessly disseminating and uncritically amplifying the false claims from the CEOs and banks which spawned the financial crisis with their blatantly untoward and often illegal practices. Here is the crux of Stewart's critique of Cramer/CNBC:

STEWART: This thing was 10 years in the making . . . . The idea that you could have on the guys from Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch and guys that had leveraged 35-1 and then blame mortgage holders, that's insane. . . .

CRAMER: I always wish that people would come in and swear themselves in before they come on the show. I had a lot of CEOs lie to me on the show. It's very painful. I don't have subpoena power. . . .

STEWART: You knew what the banks were doing and were touting it for months and months. The entire network was.

CRAMER: But Dick Fuld, who ran Lehman Brothers, called me in - he called me in when the stock was at 40 -- because I was saying: "look, I thought the stock was wrong, thought it was in the wrong place" - he brings me in and lies to me, lies to me, lies to me.

STEWART [feigning shock]: The CEO of a company lied to you?

CRAMER: Shocking.

STEWART: But isn't that financial reporting? What do you think is the role of CNBC? . . . .

CRAMER: I didn't think that Bear Stearns would evaporate overnight. I knew the people who ran it. I thought they were honest. That was my mistake. I really did. I thought they were honest. Did I get taken in because I knew them before? Maybe, to some degree. . . .

It's difficult to have a reporter say: "I just came from an interview with Hank Paulson and he lied his darn-fool head off." It's difficult. I think it challenges the boundaries.

STEWART: But what is the responsibility of the people who cover Wall Street? . . . . I'm under the assumption, and maybe this is purely ridiculous, but I'm under the assumption that you don't just take their word at face value. That you actually then go around and try to figure it out (applause).

That's the heart of the (completely justifiable) attack on Cramer and CNBC by Stewart. They would continuously put scheming CEOs on their shows, conduct completely uncritical "interviews" and allow them to spout wholesale falsehoods. And now that they're being called upon to explain why they did this, their excuse is: Well, we were lied to. What could we have done? And the obvious answer, which Stewart repeatedly expressed, is that people who claim to be "reporters" are obligated not only to provide a forum for powerful people to make claims, but also to then investigate those claims and then to inform the public if the claims are true. That's about as basic as it gets.

Today, everyone -- including media stars everywhere -- is going to take Stewart's side and all join in the easy mockery of Cramer and CNBC, as though what Stewart is saying is so self-evidently true and what Cramer/CNBC did is so self-evidently wrong. But there's absolutely nothing about Cramer that is unique when it comes to our press corps. The behavior that Jon Stewart so expertly dissected last night is exactly what our press corps in general does -- and, when compelled to do so, they say so and are proud of it.

At least give credit to Cramer for facing his critics and addressing (and even acknowledging the validity of) the criticisms. By stark contrast, most of our major media stars simply ignore all criticisms of their corrupt behavior and literally suppress it (even if the criticisms appear as major, lengthy front-page exposés in The New York Times).

Perhaps the most egregious instance of this media cowardice is that there are very few occasions when media stars were willing to address criticisms of their behavior in the run-up to the war. With very few exceptions, they have systematically ignored the criticisms that have been voiced from many sources about the CNBC-like role they played in the dissemination of pre-Iraq-War and other key Bush falsehoods. But on those very few occasions when they were forced to address these issues, their responses demonstrate that they said and did exactly what we're all going to spend today mocking and deriding Cramer and CNBC for having done -- and they continue, to this day, to do that.

One of the very few television programs ever to address the media's complicit dissemination of Bush's pre-war falsehoods was Bill Moyers' superb 2007 PBS documentary, Buying the War. While most of the media propagandists whom Moyers wanted to interview cowardly refused to answer questions, Tim Russert, to his credit, did appear. Here are the excuses which Russert offered for the general role the media played in spreading Bush administration lies and the specific role Russert played in uncritically amplifying Dick Cheney's assertions about Saddam's nuclear program. I challenge anyone to identify any differences between what Cramer/CNBC did and the justifying excuses Russert offered:

BILL MOYERS: Quoting anonymous administration officials, the Times reported that Saddam Hussein had launched a worldwide hunt for materials to make an atomic bomb using specially designed aluminum tubes.

And there on Meet the Press that same morning was Vice President Cheney:

DICK CHENEY (MEET THE PRESS NBC 9/8/02): … Tubes. There's a story in the NEW YORK TIMES this morning, this is-- and I want to attribute this to the TIMES. I don't want to talk about obviously specific intelligence sources, but--

JONATHAN LANDAY, MC CLATCHYS: Now, ordinarily information like the aluminum tubes wouldn't appear. It was top secret intelligence, and the Vice President and the National Security Advisor would not be allowed to talk about this on the Sunday talk shows. But, it appeared that morning in the NEW YORK TIMES and, therefore, they were able to talk about it.

DICK CHENEY (MEET THE PRESS NBC 9/8/02): It's now public that, in fact, he has been seeking to acquire and we have been able to intercept to prevent him from acquiring through this particular channel the kinds of tubes that are necessary to build a centrifuge and the centrifuge is required to take low-grade uranium and enhance it into highly-enriched uranium which is what you have to have in order to build a bomb.

BILL MOYERS: Did you see that performance?

BOB SIMON, CBS: I did.

BILL MOYERS: What did you think?

BOB SIMON: I thought it was remarkable.

BILL MOYERS: Why?

BOB SIMON: Remarkable. You leak a story, and then you quote the story. I mean, that's a remarkable thing to do. . . .

TIM RUSSERT (MEET THE PRESS), TO CHENEY: What specifically has [Saddam] obtained that you believe will enhance his nuclear development program?

BILL MOYERS: Was it just a coincidence in your mind that Cheney came on your show and others went on the other Sunday shows, the very morning that that story appeared?

TIM RUSSERT: I don't know. The NEW YORK TIMES is a better judge of that than I am.

BILL MOYERS: No one tipped you that it was going to happen?

TIM RUSSERT: No, no. I mean-

BILL MOYERS: The Cheney office didn't leak to you that there's gonna be a big story?

TIM RUSSERT: No. No. I mean, I don't have the-- This is, you know-- on MEET THE PRESS, people come on and there are no ground rules. We can ask any question we want. I did not know about the aluminum tubes story until I read it in the NEW YORK TIMES.

BILL MOYERS: Critics point to September Eight, 2002 and to your show in particular, as the classic case of how the press and the government became inseparable. Someone in the Administration plants a dramatic story in the NEW YORK TIMES. And then the Vice President comes on your show and points to the NEW YORK TIMES. It's a circular, self-confirming leak.

TIM RUSSERT: I don't know how Judith Miller and Michael Gordon reported that story, who their sources were. It was a front-page story of the NEW YORK TIMES. When Secretary Rice and Vice President Cheney and others came up that Sunday morning on all the Sunday shows, they did exactly that.

My concern was, is that there were concerns expressed by other government officials. And to this day, I wish my phone had rung, or I had access to them.

BILL MOYERS: Bob Simon didn't wait for the phone to ring.

BILL MOYERS: You said a moment ago when we started talking to people who knew about aluminum tubes. What people-who were you talking to?

BOB SIMON: We were talking to people - to scientists - to scientists and to researchers, and to people who had been investigating Iraq from the start.

BILL MOYERS: Would these people have been available to any reporter who called or were they exclusive sources for 60 MINUTES?

BOB SIMON: No, I think that many of them would have been available to any reporter who called.

BILL MOYERS: And you just picked up the phone?

BOB SIMON: Just picked up the phone.

BILL MOYERS: Talked to them?

BOB SIMON: Talked to them and then went down with the cameras. . . .

WALTER PINCUS: More and more, in the media, become, I think, common carriers of Administration statements, and critics of the Administration. And we've sort of given up being independent on our own.

Compare Russert's self-defense to how and why he uncritically amplified Government lies ("I wish my phone had rung") to Cramer's pretense of victimization over the fact that CEOs lied to him and so there was nothing he could do but assume they were telling the truth ("I don't have subpoena power"). Stewart's primary criticism of Cramer applies with exactly equal force to the excuse offered by Tim "Wish My Phone Had Rung" Russert, who -- to this day -- is held up as the supposed Beacon of Tough Adversarial Journalism in America:

I'm under the assumption that you don't just take their word at face value. That you actually then go around and try to figure it out.

The point that can't be emphasized enough is that this isn't a matter of past history. Unlike Cramer -- who at least admitted fault last night and said he was "chastized" -- most establishment journalists won't acknowledge that there was anything wrong with the behavior of the press corps during the Bush years. The most they'll acknowledge is that it was confined to a couple of bad apples -- The Judy Miller Defense. But the Cramer-like journalistic behavior during that period that was so widespread and did so much damage is behavior that our press corps, to this day, believes is proper and justified.

The only other occasion when media stars were forced to address these criticisms was when Bush's own Press Secretary, Scott McClellan, wrote a book accusing the American media of being "too deferential" to the administration. In response, Russert's replacement, David Gregory, twice insisted that the criticisms directed at the press for the role they played in the run-up to the war are baseless and misguided -- most recently in an interview with Stephen Colbert (after defending the media's pre-war behavior, Gregory was promoted by NBC to his Meet the Press position). When defending the media's behavior, Gregory echoed exactly the defining mentality of Jim Cramer: pointing out when officials are lying is "not our role," said Gregory.

During that same time period, two of the three network news anchors (with Katie Couric dissenting) defended the media's pre-war behavior as well. In fact, this is what ABC's Charlie Gibson said -- echoing the Cramer view of journalism -- after Couric argued that the media failed to do its job in scrutinizing pre-war Bush claims:

It was just a drumbeat of support from the administration. And it is not our job to debate them; it's our job to ask the questions.

Identically, The Washington Post's David Ignatius actually praised the media's failure to object to pre-war Bush lies as a reflection of what Ignatius said is the media's supreme "professionalism":

In a sense, the media were victims of their own professionalism. Because there was little criticism of the war from prominent Democrats and foreign policy analysts, journalistic rules meant we shouldn't create a debate on our own. And because major news organizations knew the war was coming, we spent a lot of energy in the last three months before the war preparing to cover it.

It's fine to praise Jon Stewart for the great interview he conducted and to mock and scoff at Jim Cramer and CNBC. That's absolutely warranted. But just as was true for Judy Miller (and her still-celebrated cohort, Michael Gordon), Jim Cramer isn't an aberration. What he did and the excuses he offered are ones that are embraced as gospel to this day by most of our establishment press corps, and to know that this is true, just look at what they do and say about their roles. But at least Cramer wants to appear to be contrite for the complicit role he played in disseminating incredibly destructive and false claims from the politically powerful. That stands in stark contrast to David Gregory, Charlie Gibson, Brian Williams, David Ignatius and most of their friends, who continue to be defiantly and pompously proud of the exact same role they play.

Stewart/Cramer on The Daily Show

2009-03-14T04:28:00.003-04:00

Well, for anyone who hasn't already seen this, it's a must-see, in the same way that Stewart ripping Begala and Carlson on CNN's 'Crossfire' five years ago was a must-see. One has to wonder if we'll see 'Mad Money' or similar CNBC shows go the way of 'Crossfire' anytime soon...

This is the full, unedited version available on The Daily Show website, and quite a bit longer than what aired on Thursday evening.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Chris Cornell NPR Interview

2009-03-09T22:53:00.002-04:00

Follow the link to the ~8 minute interview.

Cornell says he's perfectly aware that many of his fans may not follow him on this foray into what interviewer Jacki Lyden refers to as "neo-soul" music with producer Timbaland on his newest album, Scream. Pretty sure I will be among those left behind.

I bought tickets to see Chris Cornell here in Chicago at the Riviera in April, but as that date approaches, I'm going to take a close look at his recent setlists. If they feature a heavy dose of Scream, I might have to consider selling my tickets.

Purchasing the tix through TicketBastard gives me the opportunity to download the 'digital album' tomorrow. After listening to the bulk of it on Cornell's mySpace page the other day, I'm inclined to pass on that chance.

Billy Corgan Sells 'Today' to Visa

2009-03-09T18:29:00.002-04:00

I'm sure people are going to ask me "what about Zeppelin selling 'Rock and Roll' to Cadillac??" Of course, I was not in favor of that either, but to me, R&R is not close to being Zep's signature song - it's a fun song, a light and airy song, on the same level with 'Misty Mountain Hop', for example. I'm not happy they did it, but I can accept that much easier than if they had sold something substantial, with meaningful lyrics (Stairway, Achilles, Ten Years Gone, et cetera).

For The Smashing Pumpkins, the selling of 'Today' is the equivalent of selling their own 'Stairway to Heaven' as far as I'm concerned. I don't know if Corgan is deliberately trying to alienate his older fan base, but if he is, he's doing a hell of a job.

Further Evidence I Should Not Be a Teacher

2009-03-08T01:26:00.002-05:00

Below, please enjoy some selected feedback received after my mini-lesson presentation to my graduate school class on Thursday evening. For the "ice-breaker"/"bell-ringer", I introduced the lesson on the causes of World War II by showing some political cartoons depicting US isolationism. This is some of what showed up under the question 'What suggestions could you make to enhance the quality and/or effectiveness of the lesson?'

_____________

"Your tone at the beginning was too somber & took the humor out of your cartoons"

"You need to up your enthusiasm"

"Maybe try and speak up more"

"enthusiasm"

"you love this stuff Wyatt - act like it :)"

"You seemed very down or upset. Not much enthusiasm"

"Maybe a lil more enthusiasm?"

"Needed a bit more vocal variety"
_______________________

Of course, my favorite was the one that claimed that I managed to sap the humor from the cartoons... that's me, alright - I can extract the joy from just about anything.

Dan Auerbach, Live at The Metro, Chicago, IL on March 6, 2009

2009-03-07T17:58:00.000-05:00

Great show last night at The Metro. I snagged a copy of the setlist, which does not include the encore (two songs, one of which was Goin' Home and the other was one I didn't recognize). Highlights for me were Mean Monsoon, Street Walkin', When The Night Comes, Keep it Hid, and Inside Lookin' Out, but the standout track was Heartbroken, In Disrepair - it sounded incredible.

Auerbach's backing band was Hacienda (one of the opening acts), with the addition of Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket, who served as a second percussionist.

There was a ton of smoke/fog being pumped out from the stage, so most of the pictures didn't turn out spectacularly clearly - except for the ones of the keyboards, which were directly in front of us.

on the prowl

2009-03-07T06:23:00.000-05:00

Mean Monsoon

2009-03-07T06:17:00.000-05:00

Keepin' it Hid

2009-03-07T06:10:00.000-05:00

Closing the Show

2009-03-07T05:42:00.000-05:00

Second Opener for Auerbach: Hacienda

2009-03-07T05:11:00.000-05:00

March 6, 2009
The Metro, Chicago

Hacienda was the second band on the bill. We were right in front of the keyboards; they dominated the sound for the band's set, so it's a little difficult to evaluate their performance.

As you'll see in the photos of Auerbach's set, Hacienda also served as Dan's backing band.

Abraham Villanueva- piano/vocals
Dante Schwebel- guitar/vocals
Jaime Villanueva- drums/vocals
Rene Villanueva- bass/vocals

First Opening Act for Dan Auerbach: Those Darlins

2009-03-07T04:50:00.000-05:00

March 6, 2009 at The Metro in Chicago

First opening act for Dan Auerbach was a band called Those Darlins, from Tennessee. They had some catchy songs and were pretty entertaining. Check out their site here.

Where My Money Goes

2009-03-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Note that the U2 Joshua Tree box set is not mine; I bought that for Laura - she's a fan.

There are actually four books or so (below) I haven't gotten to yet. Damn grad school gets in the way!

Led Zeppelin (and Related) Record Collection

2009-03-06T19:57:00.000-05:00

Above, my 200g Classic Records pressings of Led Zeppelin III and Coda. I have a Classic pressing of Presence on the way. These audiophile pressings can be difficult (and expensive) to track down.

I've been inspired to put up some images of my Zep & related vinyl collection by some recent posts on the For Badgeholders Only (FBO) mailing list. The funny (or sad) part of all this is that I don't actually own a record player. I probably won't buy one until we move out of our condo. We have a limited amount of space for more electronic components, so right now I'm just stocking up.

"For Your Love" and "Egg on Your Face"

2009-03-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

From "Internationational Records", 'For Your Love' (titled for the Yardbirds cover with which they closed the show).

Nope, no idea why "Egg on Your Face" features Joseph Stalin on the cover. This Wonderwall Productions release also gets the year of the performance wrong. This is likely from March 7, 1970 in Montreux, judging by the setlist. By 1971, the band was no longer playing How Many More Times as part of their usual set.

"Berdu" and "Wrench in the Works"

2009-03-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

Both on the "Screaming Oiseau" label.

"Wrench in the Works" is misdated - Zeppelin actually played in Vienna on March 16, 1973 (they did not have a gig on March 18).

Tangible Vandalism (Physical Graffiti Outtakes)

2009-03-06T19:28:00.000-05:00

1975.02.12 and 1977.06.21

2009-03-06T19:21:00.000-05:00

The audience recording of the date now better known as "Flying Circus" after the soundboard recording released by Empress Valley.

One of the more famous and most bootlegged recordings in Zeppelin history, Listen To This, Eddie came from the tapes of the legendary Mike Millard.

Knebworth 79

2009-03-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

From Phoenix Records of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

I found this tracklist inside, composed by someone who evidently considered themselves rather witty...

Live at Knebworth, Part 2 and 'Last Lead'

2009-03-06T19:10:00.000-05:00

Two different albums, apparently both from August 4, 1979. One is a Belgian "Official Led Zeppelin Fan Club of Europe use only" and the other purports to come from Monomatapa Records in London.

Non-Stop, Go! (Now and Zen Promotional Interview Album)

2009-03-06T19:06:00.000-05:00

Below, you can see the tag from The Record Man store in Durango, Colorado. That's where all my Zeppelin-related bootleg vinyl was obtained.

After The Crash, Volume 1

2009-03-06T18:59:00.000-05:00

Date should be April 17, 1988, not April 11.

After The Crash, Volume II

2009-03-06T18:56:00.000-05:00

The Hammersmith date is wrong... it was actually April 17, 1988 when Jimmy Page joined Robert at one of his solo gigs. The track listing is a bit of a stretch... Page played four tracks with Plant:
Trampled Underfoot, Misty Mountain Hop, Gambler's Blues (Medley), Rock & Roll

Gambler's Blues included elements of ICQY and SIBLY

Led Zeppelin 2 at House of Blues, Chicago - February 27, 2009

2009-02-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Movies

2009-02-17T17:22:00.005-05:00

I've seen a lot of movies with Laura since I came out to Chicago in 2006 and saw Stranger than Fiction. I often think about writing mini-reviews of the movies we see (as many of you know, we have a fairly regular habit of seeing a movie every Friday night, unless there's something else going on - like a concert, baseball game, et cetera). I've never gotten around to it and probably won't anytime soon, but I figured I'd write a little bit about some of the films we've seen lately, since the Oscars are coming up on Sunday.

Last Friday, we went to see The International, with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. I like Clive Owen; there were a lot of rumors that he would be the next James Bond after Pierce Brosnan, but of course Daniel Craig got the job. Anyway - it was a good 'popcorn movie', but nothing too special. As I mentioned on Facebook that night, "if you happen to enjoy ridiculously implausible action sequences with multiple uzi's firing hundreds of rounds, this film is for you." The storyline is about a multinational bank that is involved in money laundering, destabilizing the governments of various countries, and illegal arms trading. Several unlikely events during the movie made me exclaim (internally) "what?!"

The previous week, we saw one of the Oscar favorites - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The movie is definitely long (165 minutes), but it held my interest. It's quite predictable, but that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the film, which is beautifully shot and has a lot of great moments. Brad Pitt is bearable, and I almost always like Cate Blanchett. Taraji P. Henson is nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Pitt's adopted mother - she was excellent.

It might be a tough call in that category; I thought that Viola Davis was fantastic in Doubt - she stole a powerful and painful scene with Meryl Streep. I saw The Wrestler as well, and though I have a great deal of affection for Marisa Tomei - I think it'll be difficult for her to win. She deserves some kind of award for doing some great acting while mostly naked for much of that film though... impressive.

I haven't seen Sean Penn in Milk, and he is a favorite among some to win Best Actor. Haven't seen The Visitor with Richard Jenkins either. I'll take Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler over Pitt in Benjamin Button or Frank Langella as Tricky Dick in Frost/Nixon. Speaking as a major fan of professional wrestling from the ages of 8-13 or so, I think Rourke accurately captured the vibe of a former champion on his way down as the glory fades away.

It seems to be an act of sacrilege to speak about anyone but Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor. Maybe it was all the hype surrounding The Dark Knight's release after Ledger's death, but I just didn't think it was that great... good, sure - but it certainly didn't blow my mind. In fact, my mind was intact enough to think that that movie was running a little long - and I like Batman... So - not that anyone cares, but I would definitely give the nod to Philip Seymour Hoffman for his awesome portrayal of a priest in Doubt. Hoffman is among my very favorite current actors, and he lives up to his regularly exceptional standard in Doubt. If Hoffman played baseball like he acts, he would be suspected of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Kate Winslet would be my pick for Best Actress, in The Reader (a hauntingly great film with Ralph Fiennes). We actually went to two movies the night we saw that, following The Reader with Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino. Although Torino wasn't nominated for anything, I felt it was among the best pictures I've seen in the last year.

Slumdog Millionaire may well win Best Picture and a bunch of other Oscars on Sunday. This movie really bothered me. I can certainly recognize that it was very well done, the acting was good, the cinematography was effective... it just made me very uncomfortable. Fareed Zakaria and seemingly everyone else have praised it. I think my dislike and discomfort are my own fault. At some point, I saw a preview that referred to it as an uplifting or feel-good movie. The film is many things, but it is not that. I shouldn't have been taken in by the marketing. I feel like if I had been a bit more prepared for the many disturbing things that happen to the main characters, I would have had different (better) reactions toward it. As it was, I left the theater feeling pretty alienated and distressed by what I had seen. But, it's probable that many film-makers would rather have their audience feel that way than to feel nothing much at all, so they'd probably be just fine with my impressions. Anyway, don't go to see it and think you're going to 'feel like a million bucks' afterward, because you won't. It's a love story - a compelling one, but it's also about the injustices and the realities of the slums of Mumbai.

In Bruges is up for Best Original Screenplay. I think I must have seen that at the beginning of 2008. I would recommend it - I would describe it as a dark comedy or comedy noire or something to that effect. A fun movie.

I could go on, but I've been at this on and off for quite a few hours. Enjoy the Oscars.

Return of the Beard

2009-02-17T17:08:00.000-05:00

I’m in the process of growing a beard again. Laura hates it (and hates facial hair, as a rule – especially on me) and we had a big fight this weekend that stemmed entirely from a conversation about me growing a beard. I have clearly defined the life of the beard, confirming that I will be shaving it in early April, or perhaps right after I return from my ‘bachelor weekend’ camping trip to Shenandoah at the end of March, but that doesn’t seem to appease her. I admit having perhaps an inordinate amount of nostalgia for the days of being able to decide my own appearance without outside pressures, particularly for the bearded days at Allegany in 2002 or in Fort Collins in 2003, or even in Fredonia in 2005. Laura reminded me that she keeps her hair much longer than she otherwise would, purely because of my preference. I think it’s a stupid thing to fight about, but she has a visceral hatred for it – telling me that it makes me less attractive to her and that she’s the one who has to look at me all the time, obviously more than I look at myself.

Robert & Alison - Five for Five

2009-02-10T00:50:00.000-05:00

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Win Five Grammys for Raising Sand

2009-02-09T18:16:00.001-05:00

Discover Simple, Private Sharing at Drop.io

New York Times

By BEN SISARIO

LOS ANGELES — Defeating hard-core rap and arena-filling rock, Robert
Plant and Alison Krauss swept the 51st annual Grammy Awards, at
Staples Center here on Sunday night, with an album of gentle and
luxuriant renditions of old rockabilly and country songs.

Mr. Plant and Ms. Krauss's album, "Raising Sand" (Rounder), took five
prizes, including album of the year and best contemporary
folk/Americana album, as well as awards for three songs on that album.
"Please Read the Letter" — which Mr. Plant had originally written with
Jimmy Page, his former partner in Led Zeppelin, for their 1998 album,
"Walking Into Clarksdale" — took record of the year (which recognizes
the performers of a single track); "Rich Woman" took best pop
collaboration with vocals; and "Killing the Blues" won best country
collaboration with vocals.

"I'm bewildered," Mr. Plant said while accepting the award for album
of the year, although he appeared fully confident and calm. "In the
old days we would have called this selling out," he added while gazing
at the Staples Center crowd, "but I think it's a good way to spend a
Sunday." "Raising Sand" pulled ahead at the end of the night after a
tight contest with Lil Wayne and Coldplay, who had the top two
best-selling albums of 2008.
_________

Memorable Lines in Education

2009-01-27T04:37:00.002-05:00

The professor in my Geography course was drawing a rough map of Europe on the blackboard. He wanted to make sure it was not misinterpreted though... "That's not a penis, that's Denmark," he explained.

Homeward Bound

2008-12-26T07:11:00.004-05:00

Laura and I will be leaving in about twenty minutes to go to Midway Airport to catch our flight to Buffalo. We'll be in the Jamestown area until we leave on January 3rd.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas.

Carol Chomsky, Wife of Noam, Dies at 78

2008-12-21T22:23:00.001-05:00

From the NYT Obituary:

"In the 1960s, faced with the possibility that her husband would be jailed for his activities in opposition to the Vietnam War, Carol Chomsky resumed her education: a doctorate would be useful should she need to become the sole family breadwinner. Though that prospect did not materialize, she earned a Ph.D. in linguistics from Harvard in 1968."

Analysis of It's A Wonderful Life

2008-12-19T20:12:00.002-05:00

This article appealed to my cynical-yet-inwardly-idealistic nature...

December 19, 2008

Wonderful? Sorry, George, It’s a Pitiful, Dreadful Life

By WENDELL JAMIESON

MR. ELLMAN didn’t tell us why he wanted us to stay after school that December afternoon in 1981. When we got to the classroom — cinderblock walls, like all the others, with a dreary view of the parking lot — we smelled popcorn.

He had set up a 16-millimeter projector and a movie screen, and rearranged the chairs. Book bags, jackets and overcoats were tossed on seat backs, teenagers sat, suspicious, slumping, and Mr. Ellman started the projector whirring. “It’s a Wonderful Life” filled the screen.

I was not a mushy kid. My ears were fed a steady stream of the Clash and the Jam, and I was doing my best to conjure a dyed-haired, wry, angry-young-man teenage persona. But I was enthralled that afternoon in Brooklyn. In the years that followed, my affection for “It’s a Wonderful Life” has never waned, despite the film’s overexposure and sugar-sweet marketing, and the rolling eyes of friends and family.

Lots of people love this movie of course. But I’m convinced it’s for the wrong reasons. Because to me “It’s a Wonderful Life” is anything but a cheery holiday tale. Sitting in that dark public high school classroom, I shuddered as the projector whirred and George Bailey’s life unspooled.

Was this what adulthood promised?

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a terrifying, asphyxiating story about growing up and relinquishing your dreams, of seeing your father driven to the grave before his time, of living among bitter, small-minded people. It is a story of being trapped, of compromising, of watching others move ahead and away, of becoming so filled with rage that you verbally abuse your children, their teacher and your oppressively perfect wife. It is also a nightmare account of an endless home renovation.

I haven’t seen it on a movie screen since that first time, but on Friday it begins its annual pre-Christmas run at the IFC Cinema in Greenwich Village. I plan to take my 9-year-old son and my father, who has never seen it the whole way through because he thinks it’s too corny.

How wrong he is.

I’m no movie critic, and I’ll leave to others any erudite evaluation of the film as cinematic art, but to examine it closely is to experience “It’s a Wonderful Life” on several different levels.

Many are pulling the movie out of the archives lately because of its prescience on the perils of trusting bankers. I’ve found, after repeated viewings, that the film turns upside down and inside out, and some glaring — and often funny — flaws become apparent. These flaws have somehow deepened my affection for it over the years.

Take the extended sequence in which George Bailey (James Stewart), having repeatedly tried and failed to escape Bedford Falls, N.Y., sees what it would be like had he never been born. The bucolic small town is replaced by a smoky, nightclub-filled, boogie-woogie-driven haven for showgirls and gamblers, who spill raucously out into the crowded sidewalks on Christmas Eve. It’s been renamed Pottersville, after the villainous Mr. Potter, Lionel Barrymore’s scheming financier.

Here’s the thing about Pottersville that struck me when I was 15: It looks like much more fun than stultifying Bedford Falls — the women are hot, the music swings, and the fun times go on all night. If anything, Pottersville captures just the type of excitement George had long been seeking.

And what about that banking issue? When he returns to the “real” Bedford Falls, George is saved by his friends, who open their wallets to cover an $8,000 shortfall at his savings and loan brought about when the evil Mr. Potter snatched a deposit mislaid by George’s idiot uncle, Billy (Thomas Mitchell).

But isn’t George still liable for the missing funds, even if he has made restitution? I mean, if someone robs a bank, and then gives the money back, that person still robbed the bank, right?

I checked my theory with Frank J. Clark, the district attorney for Erie County upstate, where, as far as I can tell, the fictional Bedford Falls is set. He thought it over, and then agreed: George would still face prosecution and possible prison time.

“In terms of the theft, sure, you take the money and put it back, you still committed the larceny,” he said. “By giving the money back, you have mitigated in large measure what the sentence might be, but you are still technically guilty of the offense.”

He took this a bit further: “If you steal over $3,000, it’s a D felony; 2 ½ to 7 years is the maximum term for that. The least you can get is probation. You know Jimmy Stewart, though, he had that hangdog face. He’d be a tough guy to send to jail.”

He paused, and then added: “You really have a cynical sense of humor.”

He should have met me when I was 15.

The movie starts sappily enough, with three angels in outer space discussing George’s fate. Maybe that’s what turned my dad off, that or the saccharine title. I’m amazed they didn’t spoil it for me in 1981, but I may not have been paying attention yet.

Soon enough, though, the darkness sets in. George’s brother, Harry (Todd Karns), almost drowns in a childhood accident; Mr. Gower, a pharmacist, nearly poisons a sick child; and then George, a head taller than everyone else, becomes the pathetic older sibling creepily hanging around Harry’s high school graduation party. That night George humiliates his future wife, Mary (Donna Reed), by forcing her to hide behind a bush naked, and the evening ends with his father’s sudden death.

Disappointments pile up. George can’t go to college because of his obligation to run the Bailey Building and Loan, and instead sends Harry. But Harry returns a slick, self-obsessed jerk, cannily getting out of his responsibility to help with the family business, by marrying a woman whose dad gives him a job. George again treats Mary cruelly, this time by chewing her out and bringing her to tears before kissing her. It is hard to understand precisely what she sees in him.

George is further emasculated when his bad hearing keeps him out of World War II, and then it’s Christmas Eve 1945. These scenes — rather than the subsequent Bizarro-world alternate reality — have always been the film’s defining moments for me. All the decades of anger boil to the surface.

After Potter takes the deposit, George flies into a rage and finally lets Uncle Billy know what he thinks of him, calling him a “silly, stupid old fool.” Then he explodes at his family.

If you watch the film this year, keep a close eye on Stewart during this sequence. First he smashes a model bridge he has built. Then, like any parent who loses his temper with his children, he seems genuinely embarrassed. He’s ashamed. He apologizes. And then ... slowly ... he starts getting angry all over again.

To me Stewart’s rage, building throughout the film, is perfectly calibrated — and believable — here.

Now as for that famous alternate-reality sequence: This is supposedly what the town would turn out to be if not for George. I interpret it instead as showing the true characters of these individuals, their venal internal selves stripped bare. The flirty Violet (played by a supersexy Gloria Grahame, who would soon become a timeless film noir femme fatale) is a dime dancer and maybe a prostitute; Ernie the cabbie’s blank face speaks true misery as George enters his taxi; Bert the cop is a trigger-happy madman, violating every rule in the patrol guide when he opens fire on the fleeing, yet unarmed, George, forcing revelers to cower on the pavement.

Gary Kamiya, in a funny story on Salon.com in 2001, rightly pointed out how much fun Pottersville appears to be, and how awful and dull Bedford Falls is. He even noticed that the only entertainment in the real town, glimpsed on the marquee of the movie theater after George emerges from the alternate universe, is “The Bells of St. Mary’s.”

Now that’s scary.

I’ll do Mr. Kamiya one better, though. Not only is Pottersville cooler and more fun than Bedford Falls, it also would have had a much, much stronger future. Think about it: In one scene George helps bring manufacturing to Bedford Falls. But since the era of “It’s a Wonderful Life” manufacturing in upstate New York has suffered terribly.

On the other hand, Pottersville, with its nightclubs and gambling halls, would almost certainly be in much better financial shape today. It might well be thriving.

I checked my theory with the oft-quoted Mitchell L. Moss, a professor of urban policy at New York University, and he agreed, pointing out that, of all the upstate counties, the only one that has seen growth in recent years has been Saratoga.

“The reason is that it is a resort, and it has built an economy around that,” he said. “Meanwhile the great industrial cities have declined terrifically. Look at Connecticut: where is the growth? It’s in casinos; they are constantly expanding.”

In New York, Mr. Moss added, Gov. David A. Paterson “is under enormous pressure to allow gambling upstate because of the economic problems.”

“We ease up on our lot of cultural behaviors in a depression,” he said.

What a grim thought: Had George Bailey never been born, the people in his town might very well be better off today.

Not too long ago I friended Mr. Ellman on Facebook. (To call him by his given name, Robert, is somehow still unnatural to me.)

I asked him about inviting us to stay after school to eat popcorn and watch “It’s a Wonderful Life.” He said it was always one of his favorite films, if a little corny and sentimental, and that he always saw staying late with us as part of his job. If anything, he said, there was just as much to learn after school as there was during it.

He reminded me that it was an actual film print we saw; this was before video took hold. And he also proved to be a close viewer. It was Mr. Ellman who pointed out to me how cruel George is to Mary the night they first kiss, and who told me to keep an eye out for Ernie’s vacant stare when George gets into the cab. He said he cried the first time he saw it.

I asked him if he’d continued those December viewings.

“In later years,” he wrote, “it became too difficult to get students to stay. We started doing a festival of student-written/student-directed one-act plays right after the end of the fall show. Everyone was too busy to stay and watch a movie.”

It’s a shame.

So I’ll tell Mr. Ellman a secret. It’s something I felt while watching the film all those years ago, but was too embarrassed to reveal.

That last scene, when Harry comes back from the war and says, “To my big brother, George, the richest man in town”? Well, as I sat in that classroom, despite the dreary view of the parking lot; despite the moronic Uncle Billy; despite the too-perfect wife, Mary; and all of George’s lost opportunities, I felt a tingling chill around my neck and behind my ears. Fifteen years old and imagining myself an angry young man, I got all choked up.

And I still do.

John Paul Jones at 20th Annual Warren Haynes Christmas Jam

2008-12-18T00:30:00.003-05:00

(pictured with Derek Trucks, above)

John Paul Jones at Warren Haynes 20th Annual Christmas Jam

JPJ was a busy man over 3 days in Asheville, North Carolina, from December 11th through December 13th as a guest musician for several acts. He played bass, keyboards, and a lot of mandolin. A round-up of his performances follows, courtesy '3hrsoflunacy' of Led Zeppelin mailing list FBO and LZ website Royal-Orleans:

2008.12.11
1. DEL MCCOURY BAND (1 song - "Angeline the Baker")
2. WARREN HAYNES (2 songs - "Soulshine" and "Going to California")
3. GOV'T MULE (2 songs - "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "Get out of My Life Woman")

2008.12.12
1. DEL MCCOURY BAND (2 songs - "Squirrel Hunter" and "My Love Will not Change")
2. WARREN HAYNES (2 songs - "Soulshine" and "Going to California")
3. ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND (2 songs - "Dazed and Confused" and "Mountain Jam")

2008.12.13
1. MICHAEL FRANTI & JAY BOWMAN (5 songs - "Love Don't Wait", "Sweet Little Lies", "All I Want is You", "Hey World", and "I Got Love for You")
2. BEN HARPER & RELENTLESS 7 (1 song - "Good Times, Bad Times")
3. GOV'T MULE (5 songs - "Livin' Lovin' Maid", "Since I've Been Loving You", "No Quarter", "The Ocean", and "When the Levee Breaks")

(with Warren Haynes, above - and Danny Louis, below)

From the Asheville (NC) Citizen-Times:

December 13, 2008
Jammers rock the night away

Paul Clark and Carol Motsinger

Not to borrow a line from a song played at the Christmas Jam, but really, wonder how tomorrow could ever follow today?

That, of course, is a play on a lyric from Led Zeppelin's "Going to California," which guitarist and jam founder Warren Haynes played with Zeppelin's bassist, John Paul Jones, at around 1 a.m.

In what was the biggest surprise so far in the 2008 Christmas Jam, Jones came farther than anyone ever to participate in the event, Haynes said before introducing Jones, who played mandolin.

Click here to watch video from the Christmas Jam.

Jones played earlier in the night with Del McCoury's bluegrass outfit. His second time on stage featured Haynes on acoustic guitar and vocals, with Jones once again picking on the mandolin.

The duo, who smiled and hugged at the end of their short set, also played "Soulshine" by The Allman Brothers. The crowd sang along, but truly roared with Haynes substituted the word "Carolina" for "California" in the "Going to California" cover.

Derek Trucks Band finished playing a little before 2 a.m., keeping the jam band spirit of the event by playing longer songs stuffed with guitar solos. One tune lasted close to 10 minutes, while the crowd, still strong, swayed along.

The Allman Brothers finished out the night, hitting the stage at around 2:30 a.m. and performing until about 4:20 a.m.
Haynes wailed on his guitar again, and was easily the hardest working man on stage tonight. He's played a few solos with almost every act on the bill.

Haynes has been a long term member of the Allman Brothers.

The band is also continuing the covers trend of the night. They've already played a version of Van Morrison's "And it stoned me."

As the clock clicked past 3 a.m., the crowd thinned, but the the die hard fans rocked to the final band of the night.

Jones surprised the fans that did remain and played the instrument he is most famous for mastering - the electric bass guitar. He jammed to Led Zeppelin's "Dazed and Confused."

The band returned for one encore the Allman Brother's classic, "One way out."
In a rare moment for an event defined by surprise collaborations, Travis Tritt shone brightest alone, with his guitar, on stage during his 2008 Christmas Jam set.

The country crooner sung the heck out of his ballad, "Anymore," before the rest of his band, which included guitarist and jam founder Warren Haynes, returned to rock until 12:40 a.m.

Tritt shared the story behind songs, such as the instrumental "Picking at it." He said the title comes from his mother telling him to stop picking at his bug bites.

Singer-songwriter Joan Osborne finished her set around 11:40 p.m., in which Haynes crossed guitars with Audley Freed, who once played with the rock band, The Black Crowes.

The two traded solos during a blues tune. She also covered a ballad by local favorites, Jump, Little Children, who played in Asheville before they disbanded.

"It's my first time (at the Jam)," Osborne said, "So be gentle with me."

She later thanked the crowd for "inviting her to the party" and warned she might bum rush the stage during other people's sets.

In honor of the holiday, Osborne finished her set with "Christmas in New Orleans."

Warren Haynes and Gov't Mule took the Civic Center stage first on Friday. Against the cascading sounds of drummer Matt Abts' rolling cymbals, Haynes opened with Middle Eastern music-inspired improvisation, then asked the dancing, whistling and cheering crowd: “How're you doing?

“I would ask you how you're feeling, but I think you're feeling good,” Haynes told the crowd. “It's not that I don't care. It's that I already know the answer.”

The crowd returned the love with yells and cheers. The two-night Christmas Jam had begun.

A few songs later, Abts was hammering a wicked drum line to a Warren Haynes solo when Angie White Rikard, a fan from Charlotte, declared Abts “the best rock ‘n' roll drummer still alive.”

Rikard couldn't believe her luck in being there.

She had hoped to attend but didn't have a ticket until her cousin unexpectedly had one to spare. Rikard has been listening to Haynes since he hooked up with the Allman Brothers.

“Something about him strikes a chord with me,” she said, pacing herself for a night that was scheduled to go way past 1 a.m. “This is a great night. You get to see so many bands. You just have to hang in there.”

Dumpstaphunk took the stage next, about 8:30 p.m. And Katy White got her wish.

She loves to dance, and Dumpstaphunk is one nasty dance band.

White was in the middle of the crowd, grooving with about nine of her friends, all of them students at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga.

They came from all over, kind of a family reunion among friends, White said. She's from Savannah, Ga., and she, like most of her friends, would be spending the night in Asheville, she said.

But not until they did some dancing.

It looked like a near-sellout crowd for the jam's 20th year in the 7,200-capacity arena. People had gathered and anticipated the show for hours. Bobby Starnes and Trey Hensley were among the first few hundred fans inside the Civic Center.

Both are guitar players, and both had come especially to see Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks. Starnes and Hensley, both from Johnson City, Tenn., were standing right in front of the stage, prepared to worship at Haynes' feet.

Before the show began, Abts, the drummer for Gov't Mule, was standing backstage, watching the crews make last-minute adjustments to the stage.

He's taken part in 12 of these Christmas Jams, and not just because he's a drummer in Haynes' band.

“It's all about Habitat for Humanity,” he said, mentioning the beneficiary of all the Christmas Jams.

“And this is Christmas,” Abts said. He said he spends Christmas with his family in Los Angeles, but “it feels more like Christmas here” in Asheville, he said, pointing to the audience in front of the stage.

Joe Bonamassa & Doug Henthorn Cover Zeppelin's Tea For One

2008-12-17T18:39:00.003-05:00

An excellent cover in the style of Robin Trower/James Dewar of Led Zeppelin's Tea For One, from the underrated and under-appreciated Presence album.

Doug Henthorn is the lead singer in Healing Sixes - a band I was turned on to when Jason Bonham played with them for a while. Turck and I went to see them play at a small club in Cleveland in 2001. Joe Bonamassa is a great young guitarist; apparently he opened for BB King at the age of 12 (he's 31 now). This cover appears on his You and Me album and features an orchestral accompaniment.

The Smashing Pumpkins at Auditorium Theatre, Chicago on December 8, 2008

2008-12-16T05:48:00.002-05:00

Setlist from spfc.org

* Ava Adore
* Cupid de Locke
* 1979
* 99 Floors
* Owata
* Sunkissed
* Soma
* Cherub Rock
* Zero
* Bodies
* Crestfallen
* I of the Mourning
* A Song for a Son
* Landslide [Nicks]
* Disarm
* Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
* Galapogos
* Gossamer
* As Rome Burns
* The Sounds of Silence [Simon]
> Li'l Red Riding Hood [Blackwell]
* The March Hare
> Suffer
* Age of Innocence

Encore:

* That's the Way (My Love Is)
* I Am One Pt. 2

Billy Corgan on the Future of The Smashing Pumpkins

2008-12-16T05:36:00.002-05:00

From Greg Kot at The Chicago Tribune:

Originally posted: December 9, 2008

Billy Corgan dishes on the Smashing Pumpkins: The past is dead to me

Are rock bands meant to last 20 years?

“No, no, they’re not,” Billy Corgan said back stage Monday at the Auditorium Theatre. Which sounds a little odd coming from someone whose band, the Smashing Pumpkins, had just completed their 20th anniversary tour with a triumphant performance short on hits but long on drama and daring.

The tour was never smooth, with Corgan baiting his fans as much as sating them with a handful of Pumpkins oldies. When the Pumpkins opened a series of homecoming shows a few weeks ago, the 41-year-old west suburban native finished off the opening night at the Chicago Theatre with a combination rant/comedic monologue that angered many in his audience. “What do you want from us?” Corgan said with mock exasperation while fans booed or streamed toward the exits.

But on Monday the Pumpkins embraced delicate ballads, scorched-earth rockers and expansive psychedelia with authority. Corgan was in an affable mood, and the band ended the show by reaching into a coffin and tossing Christmas presents to the cheering fans.

It was a final joke from an artist who has always taken his work very, very seriously --- to the point of self-destructiveness. The 20th Anniversary tour and Corgan’s confrontational onstage antics are merely the latest examples of the band’s polarizing impact. Musically, the Pumpkins can still swing the heavy lumber. Only Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin, the master drummer, remain from the original band. James Iha and D’Arcy Wretzky are long gone. The Pumpkins broke up in 2000, and Corgan says the “door was left open” for Iha and Wretzky to return when the band re-assembled in 2005. But things didn’t work out, and Jeff Schroeder and Ginger Reyes were enlisted to take their place.

The band’s 2007 comeback album, “Zeitgeist,” sank without a trace, but the retooled Pumpkins have developed a chemistry and power on the road since then.

Corgan, wrapped in a bathrobe and towels while chowing down on a post-concert steak, was upbeat and combatively optimistic about the future of Pumpkins Mach II. His message: We’re not a nostalgia band. “It’s not old band vs. new band,” he says. “It’s new band or no band.”

“Calling it a 20th anniversary tour, people expected greatest hits,” he says. “The casual fan who comes in and just wants to see the hits, they were not having it. But we’ve seen a real reactivation in the hardcore fan base.”

Tribune: Did the hostility of some of the audiences bother you?

Corgan: No, what bothers me is the notion that we’re done. We didn’t come back for the cash, we came back to be great again. It made me mad that people thought we’re done, that we don’t have a future. Get out. We don’t want you. We’ve never been that band. That happy band. We picked up where we left off. We’re not the retirement band playing our old hits. ... I don’t give a [expletive] that most of my heroes got lame when they turned 40. I spent most of the last decade thinking about that. Why do they go from this insanely high level of work to diminished echoes of the past? And I think it’s a coziness thing. You do something amazing and you don’t want to lose the crowd that tells you that’s amazing. You’re out in the cold. Well we like to be out in the cold. We’re done with the record business, so we’re free to do whatever I want.

Tribune: So “Zeitgeist” was the last album?

Corgan: We’re done with that. There is no point. People don’t even listen to it all. They put it on their iPod, they drag over the two singles, and skip over the rest. The listening patterns have changed, so why are we killing ourselves to do albums, to create balance, and do the arty track to set up the single? It’s done.

Tribune: So how will you release music?

Corgan: Our primary function now is to be a singles band, that drives Pumpkins Inc. through singles. We’ll still be creative, but in a different form. We won’t do shows like this anymore, where we try to draw a good crowd and balance the past with the present. We’ll go small and do exactly what we want to do and stop playing catalogue. We’ll be like a new band that can’t rely on old gimmicks. I’m not stupid. I want people to feel good about what we do. What we weren’t getting [from playing a more balanced show with older songs] was excitement. We’re in the polarizing business. We don’t want a pat on the back: Good to have you back. We want a reaction, even if it’s a negative reaction.

Tribune: People are still talking about that show you did a few weeks ago at the Chicago Theatre.

Corgan: Energy we can do something with. Apathy we can’t work with. Who’s above us? Who’s lighting the culture on fire? Nobody. We don’t have to live in that world. We have the biggest manager [Irving Azoff] in the world. He tells us we can get there, we will get there. We will crack the egg like we did in ‘92, without doing something embarrassing like working with Timbaland. We will find how to do our thing and make it work. I can write songs. We’re big boys. We’ll do it. Last time I talked with you, I said we’re going to come back and make a better album. The album we made surprised us. We kept going back to this primitive thing. We wanted to do “Siamese Dream II.” Elaborate, orchestrated, but it wasn’t coming from me. It put us back in this organic process, and in this position of fighting back to why we do what we do. Now I understand it. It’s the difference between intellectual process and emotional process. We’re sober, healthy, we understand the business we’re in, and the pragmatic reality of what it takes. We have the skill set, we always have, and we belong in the conversation, and we will kick down the door to get back in the conversation. You take a milquetoast middle-of-the-road fake-tattoo band, we can out-write them. If you come up with the songs, the fans will show up. We found with “Zeitgeist” that the alternative audience isn’t alternative anymore. They’re a pop audience that listens to Nickelback. So doing a 10-minute song, nobody will listen to it. We have to come up with singles like “1979,” and come up with songs that sound good on the radio. We have to write those kinds of songs.

Tribune: Why’d you break up the Pumpkins in 2000?

Corgan: The real story was Iha was driving me out of my mind. He was so negative. The guy literally drove me insane. When I walked out of that band, I didn’t know what to do anymore. I didn’t have a direction, a central focus. I wandered through different things, but I couldn’t find that central thing. As soon as I got back in the band my brain started working again. I was engaged again.

Tribune: Did you make a sincere attempt to invite back Iha and D’Arcy?

Corgan: Sincere in the sense that we have to allow them the opportunity. They have the right to at least have the conversation. We said the door’s open. We were met with complete indifference. Darcy doesn’t care. And James, it was a money thing. They haven‘t done anything musical since they left. They were never that into it. They were into it in ‘92, when it was fun. When it got crazy, everyone went their separate ways. It’s like a bad marriage. So we opened the door [to them returning]. But there was no way they were gonna want to work like we want to work, and take on the crap of the business again. But we gave them the opportunity if they wanted it. Now that we’ve found people who we trust and are really dedicated, the door is closed. They’re done. They’re never coming back.

Tribune: But why call it the Pumpkins? It gives people a chance to doubt the band’s legitimacy and your motives.

Corgan: It’s my band. Anyone who doubts the legitimacy of this band can go [expletive] themselves. That’s old thinking about bands. Show me any band that lasts for any tenure, they don’t have the original members. This world doesn’t care about that. They just want to hear the songs. They got karaoke singers now fronting big bands.

Tribune: You said a few years ago that you were going to try and keep your mouth shut and let the music be the story. But that hasn’t been the case.

Corgan: I tried that for a while and it wasn’t working. I’m cemented in an image. I have to move to France to change that. I’m not a humble musician, but I am a humble human being, I have perspective, I have God in my life. [In the band] we talk a lot about spirituality and about why God made us musicians and why we’re here to do what we do. And we have decided in our estimation that God put us here to try new things, and be innovators. With all that’s going on in the world, is that the worst thing?

Tribune: That would seem to be the artist’s role.

Corgan: Let me be blunt. When Bruce Springsteen puts out a new album I pay attention. Same with Neil Young. Because they’re major artists who have something to say. I consider us in that category. When we do something it should be taken seriously, even when we’re off. If we’re marginalized by the culture, we’re not going to play dead and say thank you for our B-plus status. I poured my blood into my songs. I’ve had a bad marriage and seven bad girlfriends in a row. I make sacrifices to do my work. That’s not victim talk, that’s nobody’s fault, that’s a choice I made for me.

greg@gregkot.com

__________________

Billy published a post-interview "clarification" on the Pumpkins website:

I enjoyed talking to Greg. He is a very well-liked and respected writer, and outside of one small misquote (I don't recall saying we needed to write songs like '1999'. I think I said '1979'), the interview is an accurate potrayal of my feelings. But let's be clear here. I never said I would never play any old songs ever again. That's just drama if that's what people hear, or want to hear. What I've said is that we aren't going to play most of those old songs any more because it locks us into permanent reunion band mode, and we are over it. For some fans to be upset at a band that plays 48 songs over 2 nights, the great majority of which are old, shows you the level of insanity we deal with. The word is called entitled. If they are entitled to demand, we are entilted to be who we are without reservation. There is no apology in that. We feel good, happy, and strong, and that should be the story here. Nobody owns us. We own us. Where is the happy ending of 'the band that once self-destructed is back and playing great and is looking forward to the future?'

If you come see us on some crazy big tour you will hear a few familiar songs, because that is the right forum for it. But it certainly won't be the main focus. When we play small venues we won't be playing those songs pretty much at all cause that won't be the place for it anymore. But that doesn't mean we are even gonna play at all. It doesn't make sense to some now and we understand and we are ok with those that leave because they are stuck in some year from a different decade. We'll be fine without them. Thanks, and goodbye. Just remember us when we say 'I told you so'. Because we are on our way back, and that's that. (Insert smiley face right fucking here). As I said to some fans, if after 20 years we are one song, or one show away from losing your loyalty, good riddance then. We don't need that energy around us.

Our message has been consistent: don't ask us to do or be anything that will once again lead to the death of the band. The band's survival comes first. We can debate aesthetics and marketing platforms later. If you want us to fall away, fade away like some dust and relics it aint gonna happen. We are here to stay. We deserve to be here, and are proud of what we have gotten right thru the years. And we are truly grateful to those fans that trust us like family. The kind of extended family where you can make a mistake, say something not quite the right way, and still be welcomed home. There will never be anything wrong with flying too close to the sun.

God bless everybody here, BC

One Year Ago Today...

2008-12-10T19:53:00.002-05:00

...I witnessed Page, Plant, Jones, and Jason Bonham at the O2 Arena in London.

An incredible experience.

Here's one tiny part of a very rambling email retrospective I wrote for the Zeppelin email list For Badgeholders Only today about my emotions that night:

We waited fairly patiently through the opening acts. I hadn't had
anything to drink since around 2pm because I was intent on enjoying
every bit of Led Zeppelin without thinking about how much I had to go
to the men's room. This might not have been the most intelligent
idea, since I felt like I was literally going to pass out about three
songs into the set from a combination of locking my knees while
standing up for hours and the sheer unbelievability of the moment I
was witnessing, but at the time, it seemed imperative. Even though
the line we had been standing in was fairly long, it compressed down
into a surprisingly small area as we were assembled outside the inner
doors of the arena, prior to having our wristbands checked. I recited
to Laura the same thing I had been saying for the past few hours... I
had only seen Jimmy Page play once - in Pittsburgh in 2000 with the
Crowes - and for that reason, I would like to be on the right side of
the stage. However - if there was an obvious difference between right
and left in terms of how close we could get, I'd move like a bullet
for Jonesy's side (I had seen JPJ play three times and met him on two
occasions). Well, the crowd was seven rows deep on Page's side when
we race-walk/jogged in past the disapproving O2 staff, while the crowd
was paltry on John Paul's side. JPJ's side it was - and we settled
into the second row - able to grasp the rail when we needed it. We
were positioned just slightly to the right of Jonesy's Korg keyboard
rig, and I was understandably ecstatic about that turn of events. As
the concert transpired, the guys seemed to huddle around the drums
anyway, so I felt like we certainly made the right choice.

Prior to Good Times Bad Times:

I felt as if I was about to collapse. My back felt as if rigor mortis
had set in, but my legs were jelly. I clamped down on Laura's hand as
the tears welled up in my eyes and I yelled some guttural sound of
triumph and vulnerability. It was really happening, and I was there.
The culmination of ten years of becoming an increasingly obsessive
fan, over the years of 16 to 26 - the memories of subjecting friends
and relatives to hours of the albums and the bootlegs... I was living
it all in those brief moments, even as I was singing '...when I
whispered in her ear, I lost another friend...' From Puffy and Jimmy
on SNL in May 1998 all the way to December 2007...

Here's Whole Lotta Love (the first encore):

Jon Stewart and Mike Huckabee on The Daily Show

2008-12-10T14:42:00.003-05:00

Part One -

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 1

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Part Two -

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Black Crowes at The Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL - December 5, 2008

2008-12-06T14:25:00.003-05:00

Setlist from http://crowesbase.com

Wounded Bird
A Conspiracy
Thick N' Thin
Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution
P.25 London
Dirty Hair Halo ->
Wiser Time
Whoa Mule
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
Good Friday
Movin' On Down The Line
Wee Who See The Deep ->
Take Off From The Future ->
Spider In The Sugar Bowl Blues Jam ->
Thorn In My Pride
Jealous Again
No Speak No Slave
- encore -
Cold Rain And Snow
God's Got It

# Vetiver opened the show.
# last "Spider In The Sugar Bowl Blues Jam" - 11/8/96

Kristof on Georgia, Russia, and Obama

2008-11-20T01:21:00.000-05:00

November 20, 2008

Op-Ed Columnist

Obama, Misha and the Bear

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF

TBILISI, Georgia

A wounded, angry bear is loose north of here, and it has people terrified.

The bear has ravaged this lovely country, a booming capitalist enclave that worships America, relies on a much-praised flat tax and has uprooted corruption almost overnight (in part by firing every traffic cop in the country).

A main road here is named for President George W. Bush, who visited in 2005. Everybody studies English, sometimes in the local McDonald’s franchises, and people seem bewildered at Western doubts about their behavior toward the Russians.

“We thought we had escaped them, and they came back and raped us,” said Alexander Rondeli, who runs a think tank in Tbilisi. “And people in the West are saying we have to tell them to be our guest.”

The architect of today’s Georgia is Mikheil Saakashvili. Misha, as he is universally known, is young, brilliant, charismatic, American-educated and staffs his government with people like him. You get the sense that any given Georgian cabinet official is about half the age and double the I.Q. of his or her American equivalent.

Now with Georgians mauled by the bear in the brief August war, they desperately want to join NATO for protection, and one of the few things that Barack Obama and John McCain agreed on in the campaign was to oblige by continuing the process of admitting Georgia into NATO.

In fact, that’s an awful idea. President-elect Obama needs a new approach to Russia if we want to avoid a new cold war, and we also need to get over our crush on Misha.

Look carefully and you see that Georgia isn’t quite the shining beacon of democracy that Americans sometimes believe.

“Journalists are basically forbidden from telling real stories,” said Sopho Mosidze, a television journalist. “If you watch Russian TV or Georgian TV, it’s the same. It’s government propaganda.”

Ms. Mosidze is bitter partly because the station she was working at a year ago was stormed by special forces carrying guns while she was anchoring a news show. She said that troops cut off the signal and then beat up some of the journalists. The channel soon was reborn as a pro-government station. Indeed, today all nationally broadcast TV stations are in effect controlled by the government.

Then there is the Georgian War of August. It’s still not clear exactly how the war started, but what is certain is that Misha’s narrative — an unprovoked Russian invasion that forced Georgian troops to try to defend their territory — is nonsense.

The most likely explanation is that Misha, tired of continuous Russian provocations and emboldened by American support, saw a chance to recover territories that Russians were nibbling on. That was spectacularly reckless, and as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented, the Georgian Army (along with Russia’s) fired cluster bombs that harmed civilians.

“It was possible to avoid this war,” said Nino Burjanadze, a former close ally of Misha who last month formed an opposition party to challenge him. “Because of miscalculation, my country was involved in a war it was clear that it would lose.”

Russia took advantage of the war on the territory of one of Georgia’s breakaway republics to invade Georgia proper, and, if it hadn’t been for forceful American and European protests, Russian troops might well have overrun Tbilisi.

Since then, the United States has announced a $1 billion package of aid for Georgia. We should remember that military assistance would be a waste, for Georgia’s Army will never be strong enough to deter Russia. In contrast, trade and investment give Georgia international economic weight and probably help discourage a Russian invasion.

Note to Mr. Obama: It would be a nightmare to have our troops tethered through NATO to Misha. In any case, Georgia doesn’t obviously qualify for NATO membership since it doesn’t control its full territory, while the talk about NATO pushes all the wrong Russian nationalist buttons.

“NATO is not Georgia’s future,” said Amy Denman, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia. “Georgia’s future is economic growth. If they can continue the economic growth cycle they’re on, they’re safe.”

Because Russia behaves irresponsibly — including its latest disgraceful threat to base missiles near Poland — the temptation in the Obama administration will be to continue with NATO expansion and perhaps even with the ill-advised missile system for Europe. (We have so many better ways to spend money!) Instead, let’s engage Russia as we engage China — while still bluntly calling Russia on its uncivilized behavior.

Poking badly behaved bears is no substitute for sober diplomacy. We don’t want Barack to be another Misha.

Chomsky on the 2008 US Election (from October)

2008-11-19T04:51:00.002-05:00

Chomsky actually surprised me a bit here by stating quite clearly that there IS a difference between Democrats and Republicans. While he stopped well short of a whole-hearted endorsement of Obama, he still urged people to vote against McCain. He cites the difference on health care in particular, and makes some excellent points about the marked differences between 2004 and 2008.

Et Tu, Fox?

2008-11-06T00:52:00.001-05:00

Courtesy Talking Points Memo: "Here's Cameron telling Fox's Shep Smith that while trying to prep Palin for her interviews, McCain's staffers supposedly learned that Palin thought Africa was a country rather than a continent and didn't know what countries were signatories to NAFTA. And there's still more ..."

Newsweek Tidbits and Thoughts on The Day After

2008-11-05T14:50:00.003-05:00

Obviously pleased with the outcome last night. I started to post something last night, but couldn't come up with anything profound... not surprising, I suppose. I'm a little more reassured about living in the United States now. Turns out that the majority of us can ignore idiotic implications about "past radical associations" and the laughable charges about being a socialist.

Just because a Democrat has been elected does not mean that I think all is right with the world, everything will be fine, and that I will be happy with everything that the Obama Administration does. I'm cautiously optimistic, but there will be the inevitable disappointments.

The early indications are that Rahm Emanuel will be offered the position of Chief of Staff. I'm willing to be persuaded, but this might be his first mistake. Emanuel worked for Bill Clinton's White House and was responsible for pushing NAFTA and other not-so-liberal policies. Not a great sign. He knows the House of Representatives well and would push back against Pelosi if needed, but I guess we'll just have to see.

Many people have said that Larry Summers will be picked as the new Treasury Secretary, and I'm not so sure about that either. I'd favor Bob Reich, former Secretary of Labor, but he probably won't get it. I don't think it would ever be offered to someone like economist and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman - whose columns I often link to here - although I don't really see why not.

Like many others, I'm very curious what the first priorities will be, or whether there will be a flurry of activity on all fronts. The wheels are certainly greased with the expanded Democratic majority, so hopefully the right things will get done quickly. Congressional Dems want to pass a stimulus package, but I don't think we need more small checks mailed to everyone. I think they should work on the infrastructure improvements that Obama promised - upgrading roads and bridges, hopefully a focus on a better and broader rail system that isn't so confined to the east coast, as well as broadband lines for rural communities.

I'm not overly encouraged about the prospects of any kind of education reform/progress. The rhetoric seemed in line with the status quo during the campaign. This has become more obvious to me as a vital issue since I've decided to enter the field.

Environmental initiatives need to be put into place within the first year - otherwise everything could conceivably fall back with a Republican congressional victory in 2010. Things are only getting further and further out of hand, and I haven't seen much to demonstrate Obama's focus on the issue. Perhaps he simply wasn't spending much time on it because it wasn't big issue with voters, but climate change is likely the most pressing crisis... it's just that the pace of the pressing is too slow for people to notice when their minds are on the economic downturn.

Obama's main interest seems to be in foreign policy. I don't recall hearing much from Obama on the subject of missle defense, but I'm very interested to see how he feels about what the Russian president had to say today/yesterday on the subject. His first statement about the Russian/Georgian situation was much more measured and careful than McCain's simplistic (and wrong) posturing, but then Obama came nearer to the ignorance of McCain/Scheunemann's position (that it was all 'Russian aggression'). Hopefully he'll be able to back off from that now that he's not campaigning (he was obviously worried about being seen as weak or "appeasing" Russia). Most people who have read anything about the conflict know that it's a hell of a lot more complicated than what McCain was telling Americans, especially his "We're all Georgians today" load of crap.

Pakistan and Afghanistan will be the most problematic, and could overshadow everything else if there is another attack in this country. If you want to know what the US faces, I would recommend reading this or watching this as an introduction.

I'd love to play analyst for a bit longer, but I have so much work that I've neglected... and now I have to get ready for class.

I congratulate Barack Obama and wish him the best of luck.

The Daily Show Investigates "Community Organizers"

2008-11-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

Jack White & Alicia Keys New Bond Theme

2008-10-28T14:36:00.002-04:00

"Another Way To Die" from the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. I like it. Surely better than the travesty for which Madonna was responsible in 2002. Maybe even a step up from Chris Cornell's "You Know My Name."

JPJ Confirms Page, Jones, & Jason Bonham are Working with Various Vocalists

2008-10-27T15:05:00.003-04:00

Jonesy says that Robert Plant "just doesn't want to make loud music anymore" and confirms that rehearsals are under way with 'the odd singer.'

Talking Shit

2008-10-17T04:49:00.001-04:00

From Salon.com, this is kind of an icky topic, but it's an interesting article.

____________
Let's talk crap
Our frank interview about human waste may horrify you about how the world cleans itself down there.

By Katharine Mieszkowski

Oct. 16, 2008

If you're one of those Americans who does not leave the house without showering and applying deodorant, you may be surprised to learn that hundreds of millions of people around the world likely think that you're unclean, if not downright disgusting.

It's all about how you clean your butt.

In cultures that use water to clean down there after defecating, dry toilet paper as a substitute is something of an ass abomination. Yet to those of us raised on Charmin, using a bidet, even though it's more hygienic, is just as foreign.

Bathroom hygiene is just one of the foul and frankly fascinating aspects of what's euphemistically known as "sanitation," which British journalist Rose George explores in her new book, "The Big Necessity: The Unmentionable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters."

For her reporting, George ventured into the bowels of London's sewer system with an emergency breathing apparatus strapped on her waist. She squatted in a doorless public toilet in China. And she visited slum dwellers in Mumbai who live in areas with 100 public toilets for 45,000 residents.

Here in the industrialized world, where we happily flush it and forget it, it's hard to imagine that literally billions of people elsewhere have no access to a toilet. It may also be difficult to believe that 90 percent of the world's sewage ends up untreated in oceans, rivers and lakes, some of that filth burbling out of our supposedly sophisticated sewage systems. While the humble toilet has added decades to the lives of those of us lucky enough to have one, George reports, it's also created a whole host of environmental problems.

Salon talked toilet, latrine and bidet with George by phone from London.

Some 2.6 billion people have no access to a toilet whatsoever, and that includes a latrine, a bucket or a box. They literally have nowhere to go. Can you talk about what that means?

Anyone who has traveled to India and taken an early morning train will know exactly what that means because all you have to do is look out of the window. What you'll see is people just simply squatting there, doing their business where they can.

What it means in terms of public health is catastrophic. Human waste can be extremely toxic. It can carry millions of bacteria, viruses and worms. And you don't want that kind of stuff lying around. But these 2.6 billion people, who have absolutely no sanitation, have no choice but to use the nearest bush or roadside. That means it's being tramped around in the human environment. It's getting into people's food, it's getting into their water, and it's making them extremely sick.

The death toll from diarrhea, which is largely caused by poor sanitation, is astronomical. It's the second biggest killer of children in the world after respiratory diseases.

Why isn't this more of an international health issue?

It's quite simply that we don't want to talk about it. There is a linguistic problem. We don't have the language for it anymore because we've resorted to euphemism. In the West, we've been able to resort to euphemism because we have the wonderful flush toilet and waterborne sewage system, which gives us the luxury of being able to flush something away and assume it will be treated elsewhere.

We literally flush it out of our mind as well, and it's not in public discourse anymore. This wasn't always the case. Three hundred years ago it was considered an honor to attend kings when they were seated on their toilets. People in the West have this great system and I think they just assume that it's the same for everybody in the world.

Is there a celebrity out there who wants to be the Angelina Jolie of toilets, making this a popular issue?

Matt Damon has started to talk about school latrines, which is great news. It's inevitable because he does a lot of great work on clean water. For example, if you go to a school in a village in Africa, you've got a nice clear water supply, and you've got the nice tap, but you've got no latrines. So obviously the kids are going to be contaminating the water supply because they simply have no sanitation. You've got to make the connection. You can't have clean water without decent sanitation.

You found in your research there's no single solution. Why not?

The answer is not that everybody should have a sewer or everyone should have a toilet. That is simply impractical, and most countries can't afford it. Culturally, in sanitation, we're very different around the world. People have different attitudes to hygiene and toilets. Some countries are fecal-phobic and some countries are not. China is quite at home with excrement, and uses it as fertilizer, whereas Indians are not. They're quite averse to any use of human waste.

In Benin, Africa, some very interesting research was done into what would make people buy a latrine. Mothers, who didn't have a latrine, could see that their kids were getting sick every week with diarrhea. They were spending money on medicine, and their kids weren't going to school, but they still wouldn't buy a latrine.

An academic named Mimi Jenkins discovered that the biggest incentive for someone to buy a latrine in Benin was to feel royal, because the royal family had one. It was a question of pride and status, it wasn't about health. Health messages never work, because nobody wants to be nagged, even when they've got the evidence in front of them.

So telling people, "This is where the cholera is coming from," doesn't have as much impact as appealing to their pride?

Exactly. It's what I call the "doctors who smoke" understanding of people. Doctors who smoke know it's bad for them, yet they still do it. What a lot of sanitation activists are saying is that we have to make people want toilets. It has to be something they aspire to and desire.

Isn't part of that incentive making defecating in the outdoors unappealing?

Yeah, and there's a very interesting movement going on in many developing countries, including India, Cambodia and Bangladesh, called Community Led Total Sanitation. It appeals to people's sense of disgust.

A few visitors will go to a village, and the villagers will want to show off their village to the guests. They'll take them around the village, and then at the end of the tour, the visitors will say, "Well, yes, that's nice, but can we see your open defecation grounds?"

Because they're polite, the villagers will take them there. The technique is to make people stand there and confront it, to not be able to turn away from the fact that they're shitting in the open, and that their kids are tramping it back into the village, and that they're all eating it. Someone calculated that people in villages who are doing open defecation are probably ingesting 10 grams of shit a day. That's pretty disgusting.

People will run off and dig latrines. Once the whole village is cleaned up, nobody will want to be the dirty person in the village. And once the village is cleaned up, the clean village will be in competition with the next village, and that village will want to clean up. It's a chain reaction.

Don't some governments pay for latrines, and the people don't always use them?

Yes. For 20 or 30 years, India has been pouring money into sanitation, and has been building, or subsidizing, lots of extremely nice latrines all over the country. But because they're nicer than people's houses, they get turned into a temple, or an extra room, or a goat shed, or simply used for storage. Because people have this engrained habit of going out into the bush, they don't see anything wrong with it.

Well, if you're used to going outside, maybe it's kind of gross to go inside, in a bathroom, or even near your home.

That is a problem, and that's what makes sanitation very tricky. In India, it is considered unclean to have a latrine close to the home. The answer is to make sure that it is a decent latrine, and it doesn't smell. It has to be an adequate latrine, it has to have some kind of fly-proofing, and some kind of vent pipe so there is no odor. If it's a decent enough place, then people get used to it.

Let's talk about some of the slums you visited where there are 100 toilets for 45,000 people. What happens then? People don't end up using the toilet, right?

They use it if they can. But if it takes half an hour to get from one side of the slum to the other, or you're waiting in line and the doors are falling off, and it's unpleasant, then people won't use it. They just go in the street, or on the roadside, or they find the nearest beach. There are beaches in Mumbai that are absolutely filthy.

What are flying toilets or helicopter toilets?

A flying toilet is a plastic bag. You defecate into the plastic bag, you wrap the plastic back up, and you throw it. Hence it's a helicopter or flying toilet. This is the only form of sanitation available to a lot of slum residents in Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania. At least it's potentially containing the toxic human excrement, but obviously it's not ideal, and they're all over the place in the slums. It's quite a nice phrase for an extremely unpleasant practice.

Isn't it true that your own shit isn't a danger to you, it's other people's?

If you wanted to, you could probably ingest your own shit, but it wouldn't necessarily be toxic. But the problem is that shit is such a good vehicle for disease transmission. That's why we in the West have such good sewer systems and waterborne waste treatment. In about 1850 or so in London, a doctor called John Snow realized that cholera was being carried in drinking water, and it was being carried in human shit.

By some accounts, the toilet has added 20 years to the modern lifespan, so this thing that we won't even discuss is actually responsible for perhaps decades of all of our lives.

Yes, exactly. Last year, the readers of the British Medical Journal voted sanitation the biggest medical advance in the past 200 years. It is an amazing thing -- the toilet. We do live longer because of the toilet. Before sewers and toilets became popular in the 19th century, one in two children in London died before their 5th birthday. There was an enormous mortality rate, and that dropped dramatically, especially when soap and hand washing also became popular. We should be on our knees before the toilet.

We should worship at it.

We should worship the toilet. It's been an enormous medical advance. It's been fantastic, so I think that we should give it its due.

Even in industrialized nations, where we have sewer systems, our bathroom habits vary widely. For instance, there are two main ways of cleaning your butt. Can you talk about what those are, and who does what?

The world divides into water cultures and paper cultures. This comes into quite stark relief in Japan because Japan used to be a paper culture. Two hundred years ago they used sticks or stones or paper. And now, because Japan has had a toilet revolution, they've turned into a water culture, and they have very high-tech toilets with in-built bidets and drying systems that can massage you and probably sing to you.

But the U.S. and the U.K. stubbornly remain paper cultures, and attempts to introduce bidet toilets have failed. Hygienically, bidet toilets are infinitely superior. Using toilet paper to clean yourself down there makes about as much hygienic sense as cleaning yourself with a towel and imagining you're rubbing off the dirt. We've got a very unhygienic way of cleaning a place of our body that we would like to be very clean.

Actually, we're pretty disgusting, and we just don't realize it.

We are kind of disgusting. I'm being polite about it. In water cultures like India, where you see all these people going to do their business with a little cup of water, they think we're extremely dirty. They can't believe it. Muslims, who have to be scrupulously clean according to the laws of the Quran, also think it's kind of weird that we have this habit of using paper, and imagining we're clean. We're not.

Can you talk about the attempt of the Japanese company Toto to bring bidet toilets to Americans?

In Japan, Toto is an enormous company, and it's one of the great names of Japanese industry, like Sony or Mitsubishi. More households have a Washlet toilet, which is a bidet toilet, than have a computer. They've had astonishing success in Japan, so quite reasonably they thought, "If we can do it in Japan then we can do it everywhere else," because Japan was also a paper culture.

So Toto USA started about 20 years ago and they've been trying to introduce the high-tech or high-function toilet over here. Americans really aren't that interested. The Neorest, which is this stunningly gorgeous toilet, the top-range Toto toilet, has been installed in various places, including one large casino hotel in Las Vegas. It's apparently popular with celebrities.

What are some of the features of one of these high-end toilets?

One of the basic features is the lid will lift automatically. It will deodorize the room. It has special dirt-repelling, extremely advanced chemicals layered on the ceramics. They all have a remote-control panel next to the toilet so that you can adjust the heat. All the seats are heated; that's just standard. Some of the toilets can check your blood pressure. Some can test your urine. Some of them can weigh you. They can play you music. You can plug in your MP3 player. I think the only thing they can't do is read to you.

There is so much technology fetishism in the U.S. about things like our iPhones, but we just don't seem to have much interest in innovations in toilets?

The way to convert someone to the beauty of a Washlet toilet is to use one. I've spoken to lots of people, Americans included, who have been to Japan, and they just go, "Oh God, yeah, the toilets are amazing." But because they're not the widely spread yet in the states, most people don't come across them.

So, we're just content with these high toilets, which actually physiologically are kind of impeding our normal bodily processes. You actually don't want to be seated high up on the toilet. That's not helping your evacuation processes.

Squatting is better for you?

Squatting is better. I'm not suggesting that we all go and get squat latrines. But certainly toilets in the U.S. are very high now because they're like thrones or chairs, and that's not the best physiological position.

What's the story with ecological toilets?

In Germany, ecological sanitation is quite popular, and one of the most common ecological toilets is called a urine-diverting toilet. It makes very good ecological sense because if you make sewage less liquid, it's much easier to treat afterward.

What happens with the urine?

You can just pipe it off somewhere else. It's a very good fertilizer. It contains a lot of nitrogen and phosphorous, so you can put it on your garden if you want to. The toilets require men to sit down to pee, so that is a bit of a stumbling block. But Germans do it.

There's also the composting toilet, which uses no water whatsoever. It used to be known as an earth closet. You just have a toilet and you add some kind of ash, or soil, and it just decomposes and it's apparently odor-free. You can use it in your garden if you leave it composting long enough. It should be perfectly safe and pathogen-free, but you have to do it properly. There are lots of composting toilets in America now. They're particularly useful in rural or mountain areas.

I spoke to an ecological sanitation professor in Norway -- Norway is also very fond of ecological sanitation -- and he said that he has a friend who has a composting toilet. He said the friend has a little girl who had obviously grown up using a composting toilet, and when she went to school and saw this normal water toilet she was freaked out. She said, "What is going on? There's all this water," and she couldn't believe it.

Because we have such water issues these days, we really do have to question whether throwing several liters of clean drinking water into a toilet, dirtying it and then spending millions and a loss of energy cleaning it again is really the best way to proceed.

Besides using water and energy, what are the other environmental impacts of industrialized sewage systems?

When human waste is treated it is separated into effluent, which is the cleaned liquid. Then it's put back into the water system, and what you have left is solids, or sludge. That's all the dirt that you've cleaned out of the sewage. In the states, the most common way of dealing with this is to apply it to land. It's been renamed "bio-solids," and it's applied to land all over the country.

There is an increasing activist movement which is very unhappy with bio-solids being applied to land. One of their concerns is that there are heavy metals in the sludge, because our sewer system is set up so that everybody can put anything down their toilets, or their sinks. A recent investigation found that it's common practice for hospitals to put their unused pharmaceuticals down the sink or down the toilet.

We don't know what's in the sludge; it can change from day to day. The people who are against sludge being applied to land say that, quite reasonably, until we know more about it, let's be more cautious. On the other hand, bio-solids proponents are saying it's perfectly safe, it's all regulated, the EPA thinks it is safe, so it's safe.

How have your own bathroom habits changed since you started researching this book?

I put the toilet seat lid down before I flush. When you flush with it open there is a very fine spray of whatever you've just flushed all over the room. So, I thought, well, I'll just put the lid down, and I've become a bit of a nag about that idea.

Otherwise, I do think about our sewers. You can find motorbikes down sewers. You can find hospital aprons or syringes. There are all sorts of chemicals and pharmaceuticals and storm water. Grit -- anything that comes off a road and goes down a drain -- ends up in a sewer.

So I really think about what I put down the drain. I won't put cooking oil down the sink anymore because I've seen congealed fat blocking a sewer. It was disgusting. It's just these enormous blocks of fat. That's what really disgusted sewer workers, more than excrement. They hate it. It gets into their pores, and it makes their lives extremely dangerous because they have to remove it. And it blocks the sewers. It's just a very bad idea. Restaurants are pouring used cooking oil down the drain but so is everybody. And so I've become a bit of a puritan about that. I will wipe it out of pans and pour it on the garden.

I wash my hands differently. I wash them a bit more and I wash my wrists as well, because that's in the CDC's hand-washing guidelines, which are five or seven steps. But I also frown when I'm in a public toilet and people don't wash their hands. I give them looks.

-- By Katharine Mieszkowski

The Man Behind the Whispers About Obama

2008-10-13T00:32:00.001-04:00

The New York Times

October 13, 2008

By JIM RUTENBERG

The most persistent falsehood about Senator Barack Obama’s background first hit in 2004 just two weeks after the Democratic convention speech that helped set him on the path to his presidential candidacy: “Obama is a Muslim who has concealed his religion.”

That statement, contained in a press release, spun a complex tale about the ancestry of Mr. Obama, who is Christian.

The press release was picked up by a conservative Web site, FreeRepublic.com, and spread steadily as others elaborated on its claims over the years in e-mail messages, Web sites and books. It continues to drive other false rumors about Mr. Obama’s background.

Just last Friday, a woman told Senator John McCain at a town-hall-style meeting, “I have read about him,” and “he’s an Arab.” Mr. McCain corrected her.

Until this month, the man who is widely credited with starting the cyberwhisper campaign that still dogs Mr. Obama was a secondary character in news reports, with deep explorations of his background largely confined to liberal blogs.

But an appearance in a documentary-style program on the Fox News Channel watched by three million people last week thrust the man, Andy Martin, and his past into the foreground. The program allowed Mr. Martin to assert falsely and without challenge that Mr. Obama had once trained to overthrow the government.

An examination of legal documents and election filings, along with interviews with his acquaintances, revealed Mr. Martin, 62, to be a man with a history of scintillating if not always factual claims. He has left a trail of animosity — some of it provoked by anti-Jewish comments — among political leaders, lawyers and judges in three states over more than 30 years.

He is a law school graduate, but his admission to the Illinois bar was blocked in the 1970s after a psychiatric finding of “moderately severe character defect manifested by well-documented ideation with a paranoid flavor and a grandiose character.”

Though he is not a lawyer, Mr. Martin went on to become a prodigious filer of lawsuits, and he made unsuccessful attempts to win public office for both parties in three states, as well as for president at least twice, in 1988 and 2000. Based in Chicago, he now identifies himself as a writer who focuses on his anti-Obama Web site and press releases.

Mr. Martin, in a series of interviews, did not dispute his influence in Obama rumors.

“Everybody uses my research as a takeoff point,” Mr. Martin said, adding, however, that some take his writings “and exaggerate them to suit their own fantasies.”

As for his background, he said: “I’m a colorful person. There’s always somebody who has a legitimate cause in their mind to be angry with me.”

When questions were raised last week about Mr. Martin’s appearance and claims on “Hannity’s America” on Fox News, the program’s producer said Mr. Martin was clearly expressing his opinion and not necessarily fact.

It was not Mr. Martin’s first turn on national television. The CBS News program “48 Hours” in 1993 devoted an hourlong program to what it called his prolific filing of frivolous lawsuits. He has filed so many lawsuits that a judge barred him from doing so in any federal court without preliminary approval.

He prepared to run as a Democrat for Congress in Connecticut, where paperwork for one of his campaign committees listed as one purpose “to exterminate Jew power.” He ran as a Republican for the Florida State Senate and the United States Senate in Illinois. When running for president in 1999, he aired a television advertisement in New Hampshire that accused George W. Bush of using cocaine.

In the 1990s, Mr. Martin was jailed in a case in Florida involving a physical altercation.

His newfound prominence, and the persistence of his line of political attack — updated regularly on his Web site and through press releases — amazes those from his past.

“Well, that’s just a bookend for me,” said Tom Slade, a former chairman of the Florida Republican Party, whom Mr. Martin sued for refusing to support him. Mr. Slade said Mr. Martin was driven like “a run-over dog, but he’s fearless.”

Given Mr. Obama’s unusual background, which was the focus of his first book, it was perhaps bound to become fodder for some opposed to his candidacy.

Mr. Obama was raised mostly by his white mother, an atheist, and his grandparents, who were Protestant, in Hawaii. He hardly knew his father, a Kenyan from a Muslim family who variously considered himself atheist or agnostic, Mr. Obama wrote. For a few childhood years, Mr. Obama lived in Indonesia with a stepfather he described as loosely following a liberal Islam.

Theories about Mr. Obama’s background have taken on a life of their own. But independent analysts seeking the origins of the cyberspace attacks wind up at Mr. Martin’s first press release, posted on the Free Republic Web site in August 2004.

Its general outlines have turned up in a host of works that have expounded falsely on Mr. Obama’s heritage or supposed attempts to conceal it, including “Obama Nation,” the widely discredited best seller about Mr. Obama by Jerome R. Corsi. Mr. Corsi opens the book with a quote from Mr. Martin.

“What he’s generating gets picked up in other places,” said Danielle Allen, a professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University who has investigated the e-mail campaign’s circulation and origins, “and it’s an example of how the Internet has given power to sources we would have never taken seriously at another point in time.”

Ms. Allen said Mr. Martin’s original work found amplification in 2006, when a man named Ted Sampley wrote an article painting Mr. Obama as a secret practitioner of Islam. Quoting liberally from Mr. Martin, the article circulated on the Internet, and its contents eventually found their way into various e-mail messages, particularly an added claim that Mr. Obama had attended “Jakarta’s Muslim Wahhabi schools. Wahhabism is the radical teaching that created the Muslim terrorists who are now waging jihad on the rest of the world.”

Mr. Obama for two years attended a Catholic school in Indonesia, where he was taught about the Bible, he wrote in “Dreams From My Father,” and for two years went to an Indonesian public school open to all religions, where he was taught about the Koran.

Mr. Sampley, coincidentally, is a Vietnam veteran and longtime opponent of Mr. McCain and Senator John Kerry, both of whom he accused of ignoring his claims that American prisoners were left behind in Vietnam. He previously portrayed Mr. McCain as a “Manchurian candidate.” Speaking of Mr. Martin’s influence on his Obama writings, Mr. Sampley said, “I keyed off of his work.”

Mr. Martin’s depictions of Mr. Obama as a secret Muslim have found resonance among some Jewish voters who have received e-mail messages containing various versions of his initial theory, often by new authors and with new twists.

In his original press release, Mr. Martin wrote that he was personally “a strong supporter of the Muslim community.” But, he wrote of Mr. Obama, “it may well be that his concealment is meant to endanger Israel.” He added, “His Muslim religion would obviously raise serious questions in many Jewish circles.”

Yet in various court papers, Mr. Martin had impugned Jews.

A motion he filed in a 1983 bankruptcy case called the judge “a crooked, slimy Jew who has a history of lying and thieving common to members of his race.”

In another motion, filed in 1983, Mr. Martin wrote, “I am able to understand how the Holocaust took place, and with every passing day feel less and less sorry that it did.”

In an interview, Mr. Martin denied some statements against Jews attributed to him in court papers, blaming malicious judges for inserting them.

But in his “48 Hours” interview in 1993, he affirmed a different anti-Semitic part of the affidavit that included the line about the Holocaust, saying, “The record speaks for itself.”

When asked Friday about an assertion in his court papers that “Jews, historically and in daily living, act through clans and in wolf pack syndrome,” he said, “That one sort of rings a bell.”

He said he was not anti-Semitic. “I was trying to show that everybody in the bankruptcy court was Jewish and I was not Jewish,” he said, “and I was being victimized by religious bias.”

In discussing the denial of his admission to the Illinois bar, Mr. Martin said the psychiatric exam listing him as having a “moderately severe personality defect” was spitefully written by an evaluator he had clashed with.

Mr. Martin, who says he is from a well-off banking and farming family, is clearly pleased with his newfound attention. But, he said, others have added to his work in “scary” ways.

“They Google ‘Islam’ and ‘Obama’ and my stuff comes up and they take that and kind of use that — like a Christmas tree, and they decorate it,” he said. For instance, he said, he did not necessarily ascribe to a widely circulated e-mail message from the Israeli right-wing activist Ruth Matar, which includes the false assertion, “If Obama were elected, he would be the first Arab-American president.”

He said he had at least come to “accept” Mr. Obama’s word that he had found Jesus Christ. His intent, he said, was only to educate.

Kitty Bennett contributed reporting.

Rolling Stone: McCain as "Make-Believe Maverick" (By Tim Dickinson)

2008-10-05T19:37:00.004-04:00

This is a devastating article that will doubtless be dismissed by McCain supporters and surrogates as character assassination (if it is talked about at all and not dismissed out of hand as just a production of the 'left-wing media'). However, I would like to see some of the more salient points refuted with facts rather than simply shooting at the messenger, which is what is more likely to occur.

The article is lengthy and not all of you will read it in its entirety, but to give you a flavor of it, here are some excerpts:

"In its broad strokes, McCain's life story is oddly similar to that of the current occupant of the White House. John Sidney McCain III and George Walker Bush both represent the third generation of American dynasties. Both were born into positions of privilege against which they rebelled into mediocrity. Both developed an uncanny social intelligence that allowed them to skate by with a minimum of mental exertion. Both struggled with booze and loutish behavior. At each step, with the aid of their fathers' powerful friends, both failed upward. And both shed their skins as Episcopalian members of the Washington elite to build political careers as self-styled, ranch-inhabiting Westerners who pray to Jesus in their wives' evangelical churches.

In one vital respect, however, the comparison is deeply unfair to the current president: George W. Bush was a much better pilot."

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"He was a huge screw-off," recalls Butler. "He was always on probation. The only reason he graduated was because of his father and his grandfather — they couldn't exactly get rid of him."

McCain's self-described "four-year course of insubordination" ended with him graduating fifth from the bottom — 894th out of a class of 899. It was a record of mediocrity he would continue as a pilot.

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Even those in the military who celebrate McCain's patriotism and sacrifice question why his POW experience has been elevated as his top qualification to be commander in chief. "It took guts to go through that and to come out reasonably intact and able to pick up the pieces of your life and move on," says Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff, who has known McCain since the 1980s. "It is unquestionably a demonstration of the character of the man. But I don't think that it is a special qualification for being president of the United States. In some respects, I'm not sure that's the kind of character I want sitting in the Oval Office. I'm not sure that much time in a prisoner-of-war status doesn't do something to you. Doesn't do something to you psychologically, doesn't do something to you that might make you a little more volatile, a little less apt to listen to reason, a little more inclined to be volcanic in your temperament."

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Following his failed presidential bid in 2000, McCain needed a vehicle to keep his brand alive. He founded the Reform Institute, which he set up as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit — a tax status that barred it from explicit political activity. McCain proceeded to staff the institute with his campaign manager, Rick Davis, as well as the fundraising chief, legal counsel and communications chief from his 2000 campaign.

There is no small irony that the Reform Institute — founded to bolster McCain's crusade to rid politics of unregulated soft money — itself took in huge sums of unregulated soft money from companies with interests before McCain's committee. EchoStar got in on the ground floor with a donation of $100,000. A charity funded by the CEO of Univision gave another $100,000. Cablevision gave $200,000 to the Reform Institute in 2003 and 2004 — just as its officials were testifying before the commerce committee. McCain urged approval of the cable company's proposed pricing plan. As Bradley Smith, the former chair of the Federal Election Commission, wrote at the time: "Appearance of corruption, anyone?"

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McCain is sensitive about his physical appearance, especially his height. The candidate is only five-feet-nine, making him the shortest party nominee since Michael Dukakis. On the night he was elected senator in 1986, McCain exploded after discovering that the stage setup for his victory speech was too low; television viewers saw his head bobbing at the bottom of the screen, his chin frequently cropped from view. Enraged, McCain tracked down the young Republican who had set up the podium, prodding the volunteer in the chest while screaming that he was an "incompetent little shit." Jon Hinz, the director of the Arizona GOP, separated the senator from the young man, promising to get him a milk crate to stand on for his next public appearance.

During his 1992 campaign, at the end of a long day, McCain's wife, Cindy, mussed his receding hair and needled him playfully that he was "getting a little thin up there." McCain reportedly blew his top, cutting his wife down with the kind of language that had gotten him hauled into court as a high schooler: "At least I don't plaster on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." Even though the incident was witnessed by three reporters, the McCain campaign denies it took place.

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In September 2002, McCain assured Americans that the war would be "fairly easy" with an "overwhelming victory in a very short period of time." On the eve of the invasion, Hardball host Chris Matthews asked McCain, "Are you one of those who holds up an optimistic view of the postwar scene? Do you believe that the people of Iraq, or at least a large number of them, will treat us as liberators?"

McCain was emphatic: "Absolutely. Absolutely."

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