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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

EW's best 100 albums of the last 25 years.

I find myself sucked into these things. Back in 1987, rolling stone magazine put out a list of the best LPs of the prior 20 years and I had 56 of 100.


*1. Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution (1984): Tosy wrote: "I have a hunch this is going to be one of those albums where I know most of the songs without realizing it." Yes, Tosy, I'm sure it is.

*2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill (1998): I like, not love it.

*3. Achtung Baby - U2 (1991): only my 2nd favorite U2 album.

4. The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004): Not a big rap fan.

5. Madonna - Madonna (1983): Only have her greatest hits

*6. American Idiot - Green Day (2004): the problem with individual downloads is that one loses the sense of the album. This is an ALBUM, which I got from ADD.

7. The Blueprint- Jay-Z: (2001)

*8. Graceland - Paul Simon (1986): one of those albums I own both in vinyl and CD. Not always happy memories of two relationships, but that's not the album's fault.

*9. Back to Black - Amy Winehouse (2007): Someone gave it to me, listened a couple times, not bad. But her personal drama, I think, overwhelms an objective listen.
Curious.

10. In Rainbows - Radiohead (2007)

*11. MTV Unplugged in New York - Nirvana (1994): the Nirvana I used to play at work, before Cubicleland.

12. Stankonia - OutKast (2000): I actually have had this on my Amazon want list for a while. (Note to self: update Amazon want list with new releases by Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, and others.) I have "Hey Ya" on a mixed CD from Fred Hembeck.

13. You Are Free - Cat Power (2003)

14. Disintegration - The Cure (1989). I have one Cure album, not this one.

15. The Marshall Mathers LP - Eminem (2000)

16. Rain Dogs - Tom Waits (1985)

17. Odelay - Beck (1996). I have a mixed Beck album, which I like.

18. People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest (1990)

19. Dangerously in Love - Beyoncé (2003)

*20. Tidal - Fiona Apple (1996): have to be in the mood.

21. The Emancipation of Mimi - Mariah Carey (2005)

22. 3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul (1989): have some De La soul, not this.

23. The Soft Bulletin - The Flaming Lips (1999)

24. Come On Over - Shania Twain (1997)

25. Turn On the Bright Lights - Interpol (2002)

*26. Time Out of Mind - Bob Dylan (1997). Only my 2nd favorite late Dylan album.

27. Funeral - Arcade Fire (2004)

28. Illmatic - Nas (1994)

29. Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson (2004). Bought her debut album for my wife.

30. Appetite for Destruction - Guns N' Roses (1987). Only have the double CD, which I listen to about 60% of.

*31. FutureSex/LoveSounds - Justin Timberlake (2006): given to me. Wouldn't have bought for myself, but more enjoyable than I would have thought. Still, don't play it much.

*32. Life's Rich Pageant - R.E.M. (1985). Better than I had remembered.

33. As I Am - Alicia Keys (2007)

34. Is This It - The Strokes (2001)

*35. Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette (1995): by this point, I'd stopped listening to much radio and STILL heard three of these songs quite a bit.

*36. CrazySexyCool - TLC (1994)

37. The Moon & Antarctica - Modest Mouse (2000)

38. Raising Hell - Run DMC (1986)

*39. Sheryl Crow - Sheryl Crow (1996): probably haven't listened to for a while.

40. Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

*41. Legend - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1984): it's a very fine greatest hits album.

42. Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)- Wu-Tang Clan (1993)

43. Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys (1989)

*44. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams (1998) - Top 5 album of the 1990s for me

45. If You're Feeling Sinister - Belle and Sebastian (1996)

46. Homogenic - Björk (1997): no Björk, though I do have a Sugarcubes aklbum

*47. Exile in Guyville - Liz Phair (1993): listened to this in the car ride to Virginia in April. Still like it.

*48. American IV: The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash (2002). Have all five John R. albums; which one of the first four I favor tends to be changeable.

49. A Rush of Blood to the Head - Coldplay (2002)

*50. Sounds of Silver - LCD Soundsystem (2007): bought this solely on the basis of bloggers I respect. Like it, but haven't played it enough to have imprinted into my soul.

*51. The Score - Fugees (1996). Love and hate in equal measure.

52. Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga - Spoon (2007)

*53. King of America - Elvis Costello (1986). Have on vinyl. Not the first EC I would have thought of.

*54. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 - Janet Jackson (1989): in spite of those perhaps silly attempts to be "relevant", I really like this album.

55. It Takes a Nation of Millions... - Public Enemy (1988)

56. Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco (2002): still on my Amazon wish list. Have earlier Wilco.

*57. Harvest Moon - Neil Young (1992). at least Top 10 album of the 1990s.

58. Surfer Rosa - The Pixies (1988). I have Pixies on vinyl; will have to pull out.

59. Ray of Light - Madonna (1998)

60. Crooked Rain Crooked Rain - Pavement (1994)

61. Paid in Full - Eric B. & Rakim (1987)

*62. OK Computer - Radiohead (1997): don't love it.

*63. The Joshua Tree - U2 (1987). I put this on my desert album list in 1988 and it remains.

64. Mama's Gun - Erykah Badu (2000): have her first album.

65. Elephant - The White Stripes (2003): have White Blood Cells.

66. The Chronic - Dr. Dre (1992)

67. Metallica - Metallica (1991)

*68. Wrecking Ball - Emmylou Harris (1995): I have this friend who loved Emmylou, but hated this Daniel Lanois-produced album. I have a lot of Emmylou on vinyl, but this, my first Emmylou on CD, I quite enjoyed.

69. Give Up - The Postal Service (2003)

70. My Life - Mary J. Blige (1994)

71. Rock Steady - No Doubt (2001): have an earlier album.

72. 1984 - Van Halen (1984): have some VH, not this.

73. The Queen is Dead - Smiths (1986). No Smiths but I do have a Morissey.

*74. Play - Moby (1999). Could have seen him live in 1998 for free, but I had never heard of him. My loss.

*75. Born in the U.S.A. - Bruce Springsteen (1984): my late brother-in-law bought me about six Springsteen CDs for Christmas in 2000, so I have this in two forms.

76. Heartbreaker - Ryan Adams (2000)

77. Dummy - Portishead (1994)

*78. Vs. - Pearl Jam (1991): have four Pearl Jam albums, but this is my favorite.

79. Let It Be - The Replacements (1984). Like the Don't Tell a Soul album; should get this.

80. Back to Basics - Christina Aguilera (2006)

81. The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails (1994)

82. Grace - Jeff Buckley (1994)

*83. Learning to Crawl - The Pretenders (1984): at some level, I suppose I like this album because the band managed to survive the loss of two of its members.

84. Low-Life - New Order (1985): have some earlier remix.

*85. Home - Dixie Chicks (2002): about a week after the political controversy, I was so annoyed with the backlash that I went out to the Rite Aid at lunch and bought this CD. I probably would have eventually - I had the first two Natalie Maines-led discs - but I was prompted to buy it right away. That I liked it was a bonus.

86. Loveless - My Bloody Valentine (1991)

87. All Eyez on Me - 2Pac (1996)

*88. So - Peter Gabriel (1986): one of those annoying things record companies did to promote the new CD technology was to put an extra song on the CD. Since I didn't have a CD player, I bought the vinyl, but was annoyed. Years later, bought the CD. Ditto on this with #94.

89. Bachelor No. 2 - Aimee Mann (2000)

90. Toxicity - System of a Down (2001). Have their debut album.

91. Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins (1993)

92. The Writing's on the Wall - Destiny’s Child (1999). Have the follow-up, Survivor.

93. Either/Or - Elliott Smith (1997)

*94. Synchronicity - The Police (1983): Tosy wrote: "Easily their best, even with 'Mother'." Sounds right.

95. Trap Muzik T.I. (2003)

96. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea - PJ Harvey (2000)

97. Britney - Britney Spears (2001)

98. Transatlanticism - Death Cab for Cutie (2003)

99. Live Through This - Hole (1994)

100. Faith - George Michael (1987)

33 out of 100 this time, if I counted correctly.

ROG

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

SCATHING BOOK REVIEW: Fred Hembeck's TNCEHAO


Fred Hembeck is my friend. We were friends back in my days at FantaCo. After a long hiatus, we've been friends in my period of blogging. So now that I'm reviewing his book, THE NEARLY COMPLETE ESSENTIAL HEMBECK ARCHIVES OMNIBUS, I feel that I should especially tough on his compendium.

Item 1: it's not in color. Of course much of it was not in color in the first place, and it IS 900 pages for 25 bucks. (Truth is, if that page of the X-Men which was used as an insert in Hembeck #2 WERE in goldenrod, I think I would have suffered flashbacks from my days doing mail order at the 'Co.)

Item 2: those CBG pages, which were hard to read at 11 X 17 are even harder to read at 8 X 10.5 or whatever it is. Strange though - I've been reading Hembeck's work for so long (30 years!) that it's not the problem I thought it'd be.

Item 3: it doesn't have the Marvel and DC copyrighted stuff. Hey, if this is a big success, don't you think Marvel will want to follow the trend and package the Fantastic Four Roast, those Marvel Age pieces, that book in which Fred destroys the Marvel universe (what IS the name of that comic book?), et al., all in one piece.

Item 4: it's not paginated. That IS tricky, but I suppose that's why God created the bookmark.

Item 5: in the introductory page to the last section, the village of Saugerties is MISSPELLED! Shocking!

Ah, who am I kidding? I love this book. I started reading the introductory sections first. I was TRYING to bypass the stuff FantaCo published in the early 1980s, but I found myself stopping to read some of the framing stories, such as when bride of Hembeck Lynn Moss meets Bud Abbott and Elvis Costello. Or the time when Fred was going to blow off FantaCo for a mysterious benefactor. I also got to re-remember the wordless story Fred did with Bill Mantlo.

I've had the book almost a month and I'd be lying if I said I had read even half of this tome. But I'm happy to have it, for I can usually pull it off the shelf and read six or eight pages at a time between other duties.

So, despite my savage criticisms, go to your local comic book store, book store or the website of artiste himself and get it!
***
To make up for that brutal review, a short piece featuring one or two of Fred's favorite performers:



ROG

Monday, July 07, 2008

Panic attack

Once upon a time, I used to find myself in bad situations, sometimes of my own making, and I was at a total loss as to what to do. I'm a really big fan of redundancy. For instance, when I'm leaving work after 5:37 and the #27 Corporate Woods bus is running late, I know the #31 Albany-Shaker bus will be by in about 10 minutes; I actually used that particular plan B a couple Fridays ago.

On Thursday past, I was leaving work early to pick up Lydia. I planned to take the 4:07 but it never comes. I went back into the building to check the time, and it's 4:22; the security guard said there is traffic backed up on I-90, which the #27 takes. What are my options? I could have called an expensive cab, but that didn't seem viable either, because there was a guy out there waiting for a cab longer than I was awaiting the bus.

So I decided to walk out the back way out of Corporate Woods and try to catch the #31, which does NOT come into the CW at this hour. My chances of catching it are slim. If I don't, I'll have to walk an additional mile to call the day care and tell them...what?

When I'm really stressing, I talk to myself. Out loud. Apparently in an animated way. One of the people who I've seen on my floor, and who I'm friendly with but don't know extremely well, is driving by in her vehicle. She sees this display, pulls over and asks what's wrong. I note that it's now 4:36 and I have to take two buses to get to day care by 5:15 and the first one's nowhere in sight. First she offers me a ride to where I could pick up the second bus, then getting close to there, decides to drive me cross town to where the day care center is, near one of the Albany hospitals. I should note that she was going to Latham, in absolutely the opposite direction. Also, she was a smoker, but refused to smoke in her vehicle until I was delivered to my destination, which I get to in plenty of time, since was taking Albany-Shaker rather than the highway.

I feel so blessed.


ROG

Sunday, July 06, 2008

I Surrender

There has been an outbreak of listomania amongst the bloggers I read. (Not to be confused with Lisztomania, starring Roger Daltry. I have resisted thus far, yet I find my resolve pretty much shot.

The Top 10 films in 10 categories that the AFI put out in a special last month which I have recorded but not watched; this week for sure.
* means I saw.

Animation
*1. Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, 1937 - haven't seen in years
*2. Pinocchio, 1940 - haven't seen in even longer; those Disney movies used to get re-released every seven years when I was growing it, it seemed, so it was probably 1961
*3. Bambi, 1942 - Ditto, but 1963. Scared the heck out of me.
*4. The Lion King, 1994 - I liked it fine.
*5. Fantasia, 1940 - Actually own on VHS, own the soundtrack. There are slow spots, but the good stuff is really great.
* 6. Toy Story, 1995 - like a lot, though I like its successor much better
7. Beauty And The Beast, 1991 - have I actually seen this all the way through? I've seen so many segments.
*8. Shrek, 2001 - I like it, and I own it on VHS - it was a gift - but I'd put any of the Pixar films I've seen ahead of it, which is all of them save for Cars and WALL-E.
*9. Cinderella, 1950 - but not since 1964
*10. Finding Nemo, 2003 - interestingly, there are chase scenes that terrified my daughter last Christmas when we were at a party, like Bambi freaked me out.
Most egregious omission. The Iron Giant should most definitely be here.

Fantasy
*1. The Wizard Of Oz, 1939 - one of my all-time favorites.
*2. The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, 2001 - I think I'm just not a fantasy guy. Never read the books - I got about 50 pages into The Hobbit - and after seeing this movie, never saw the other two. I know "Horrors!"
*3. It's A Wonderful Life, 1946 - stretches the meaning of the category, I suppose. Actively avoided until my wife nagged me to see it; much better than I would have thought.
*4. King Kong, 1933 - need to see again.
*5. Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 - ditto.
*6. Field Of Dreams, 1989 - was skimming someone's list and complained that this wasn't on the sports list. Probably my favorite sports film, now that I think of it.
7. Harvey, 1950 - would see scenes on TV.
*8. Groundhog Day, 1993 - Top 5 film, irrespective of genre. Own on VHS.
9. The Thief Of Baghdad, 1924
*10. Big, 1988 - has great scenes; I have it on VHS, so sometime, I'll have to see if it holds up.
Most egregious omission: The Princess Bride

Science Fiction
*1. 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 - I'll admit it; I don't quite "get" it.
*2. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977 - everyone says, probably correctly, that Empire Strikes Back is better, but this is the blueprint; Top 25 movie, probably Top 10 for me.
*3. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982 - Dare I say this? I HATED the end of this movie, and I liked it until then. Maybe I was having a bad day.
*4. A Clockwork Orange, 1971 - Horrified me. Own, love the soundtrack, though.
*5. The Day The Earth Stood Still, 1951 - need to see again.
6. Blade Runner, 1982 - probably should see.
*7. Alien, 1979 - it was good for what it was. Never saw the sequels.
*8. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, 1991 - I've seen on commercial TV, which distorts the watching process tremendously.
*9. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, 1956 - prefer to the 1978 remake.
*10. Back To The Future, 1985 - seen so many times on TV, practically know by heart.

Sports
*1. Raging Bull, 1980 - as I noted here, the DVD extras helped me appreciate it more. Still, it's a film at arm's length.
*2. Rocky, 1976 - saw this in a Charlotte, NC movie theater with my mother. Liked it more than i thought I would.
*3. The Pride Of The Yankees, 1942 - sob. It's been years, though.
*4. Hoosiers, 1986 - saw on video this century. Liked it.
*5. Bull Durham, 1988 - great choice.
*6. The Hustler, 1961 - it's been years.
7. Caddyshack, 1980 - did I see this? Again, one sees clips and scenes, but possibly not the whole thing.
*8. Breaking Away, 1979 - I liked this a lot at the time but wonder if it aged well.
9. National Velvet, 1944 - seen scenes.
*10. Jerry Maguire, 1996 - liked well enough.
Most egregious omission: A League of Their Own,

Western
1. The Searchers, 1956 - haven't seen.
*2. High Noon, 1952 - good in the genre.
3. Shane, 1953 - know I've seen the ending.
4. Unforgiven, 1992 - this is when Eastwood started becoming a filmmaker.
5. Red River, 1948 - nope.
6. The Wild Bunch, 1969 - studiously avoided Peckinpah at the time.
7. Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, 1969 - great affection for this film.
8. McCabe And Mrs. Miller, 1971 - Tom the Dog has me wanting to see this one.
9. Stagecoach, 1939
10. Cat Ballou, 1965

Gangster
Not really my genre.
*1. The Godfather, 1972
*2. Goodfellas, 1990
3. The Godfather Part II, 1974
4. White Heat, 1949
5. Bonnie And Clyde, 1967
6. Scarface: The Shame Of The Nation, 1932
7. Pulp Fiction, 1994 - if it weren't so darn funny, my wife wouldn't have gotten through it. Own the soundtrack.
8. The Public Enemy, 1931
9. Little Caesar, 1931
10. Scarface, 1983

Mystery
1. Vertigo, 1958
*2. Chinatown, 1974 -saw it, did not love it.
*3. Rear Window, 1954 - saw in a theatrical re-release. LOVE it.
4. Laura, 1944
5. The Third Man, 1949
6. The Maltese Falcon, 1941
7. North By Northwest, 1959
8. Blue Velvet, 1986
9. Dial M For Murder, 1954
*10. The Usual Suspects, 1995 - I suspect this has not aged well.
Seems I've seen scenes of 6, 7, and 9.

Romantic Comedies
*1. City Lights, 1931 - sweet.
*2. Annie Hall, 1977 - my linchpin film. Seen four times in the theater. Own on VHS.
3. It Happened One Night, 1934
*4. Roman Holiday, 1953 - saw on TV not so long ago, enjoyed.
*5. The Philadelphia Story, 1940 - saw on commercial TV and enjoyed it anyway.
*6. When Harry Met Sally..., 1989 - liked, didn't love and haven't seen since (well, except that scene...)
*7. Adam's Rib, 1949 - TV film; seemed enjoyable when I saw it years ago
*8. Moonstruck, 1987 - that I remember it as well as I do over 20 years later speaks well of it.
*9. Harold And Maude, 1971 - need to see again.
*10. Sleepless In Seattle, 1993 - it was OK

Courtroom Drama
I'm a sucker for these, including TV shows (The Defenders, Judd fore the defense, the lawyers' segment of the Bold Ones, and, of course, Perry Mason)
*1. To Kill A Mockingbird, 1962 - saw again last summer Stellar.
*2. 12 Angry Men, 1957 - only a tad dated, and the core message holds. Own on DVD.
*3. Kramer Vs. Kramer, 1979 does this age well?
*4. The Verdict, 1982 - I loved Newman in this.
*5. A Few Good Men, 1992 - except for the courtroom scenes, this is fading from memory
6. Witness For The Prosecution, 1957
7. Anatomy of a Murder, 1959
8. In Cold Blood, 1967
9. A Cry In The Dark, 1988
10. Judgment At Nuremberg, 1961

Epic
1. Lawrence of Arabia, 1962
*2. Ben-Hur, 1959 - saw on commercial TV, which I suspect doesn't do it justice. Still had some exciting bits.
3. Schindler's List, 1993 - yes, this is an epic. Saw once, talked about it for longer than it ran, will never see again, but glad I saw it and think that anyone who claims to love film should.
4. Gone With The Wind, 1939 - can't, I just can't. And I've actually tried.
5. Spartacus, 1960 - bits and pieces.
*6. Titanic, 1997 - don't hate it.
7. All Quiet On The Western Front, 1930
8. Saving Private Ryan, 1998
*9. Reds, 1981 - this was SO long, it had an intermission. Should have stopped with the first half.
*10. The Ten Commandments, 1956 - hysterically funny.

ROG

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Music That Moves Me, 60-51

60. Day Tripper-Beatles
In some ways, quite anthemic. That hook is swiped often. Love the build on the bridge. I also have a great Wilson Pickett version.


59. All Day and All of the Night - the Kinks.
This was probably the loudest song I remember as a kid. I love how the chords modulate. And the delicious guitar on the bridge! The theme was so compelling that Ray Davies ripped himself off on Destroyer.
Feeling: alive.


58. Dimming of the Day - Bonnie Raitt.
The verse is fine, but it's the harmony of the chorus that makes me play it over again.
Feeling: melancholy.


57. Something in 4/4 Time-Daryl Hall.
From the underrated Fripp-produced Sacred Songs album. Starts off with the keyboard, it rocks in 4/4 time until the bridge. Those triplets are clearly NOT in march time.
Something In 4/4 Time-Daryl Hall. Robert Fripp produced an album called Sacred Songs in 1977, but the label didn't release it until 1980, fearing that it was "uncommercial." 4/4 Time is the great hit single that wasn't. Though the verse and chorus were in regular rhythm, the bridge had interesting triplets an odd time signatures.
Feeling: happy.
You can hear 30 seconds of it here (second cut), but it doesn't express the fulness of this tune.

56. Staples Singers - Respect Yourself
I love the fact that Pops starts the piece, so when Mavis takes over the vocal, it's even more resounding. BTW, the YouTuber misspells Staples as Staple.
Feeling: if you don't respect yourself...


55. Elephant Talk – King Crimson. Not only great beat – I own the dance remix – but fun lyrics.
Feeling: shut up already!


54. Think for Yourself - the Beatles.
It’s the Macca fuzz bass. The verse and chorus don’t exactly flow together, and that’s a good thing.
Feeling: title says it.


53. A Simple Desultory Phillipic - Simon & Garfunkel.
I think I like it because it was one of the those rare S&G songs that really rock. Also the first song I knew that namechecked, in this case, he Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Lenny Bruce, and of course, Bob Dylan, among others.
Feeling: fun.
A snippet here (track 9).

52. A Ballata Of Francesco Landini (ca. 1335-1397) Lasso! Di Donna - Judy Collins.
Some Italian ballad from about eight centuries ago. Beautiful last song on the first side of the Wildflowers LP. A bit of a cheat, using 14th Century music, but it did appear on a folk/pop album in the pop era.
Feeling: it’s a beautiful world.
A little snippet here.

51. I'm Shakin' - the Blasters.
Great rockabilly from 1981. Only have on vinyl.
Feeling: I'm so jittery.


ROG

Friday, July 04, 2008

QUESTION: The National Anthem

Isaac Asimov, the great science fiction writer loved the 'Star=Spangeled Banner.'. All four stanzas. I must admit that I only know the first, second and fourth verse by heart.

Initially, though, one needs to deal with the tune. Not only is it an old English drinking song, but it generates countless complaints from anyone trying to do the difficult melody differently, such as in Spanish.

Back to the lyrics. I know the first one, the second verse confused me, the third verse I hadn't seen since grade school, and the fourth verse made me a more than a little uneasy. That it came out of the little-understood War of 1812 is an issue. But you tell me:
1. Which verses, other than the first, were you familiar with before?
2. What you think of the poetry of the anthem?
3. What is your favorite version of the song? I've always had a bizarre affection for Marvin Gaye's, which I heard in real time. Rhythmically, it is SO strange.
4. Should the anthem be replaced by something more "singable", such as "America the Beautiful"? Not calling for it; wouldn't bother me.

Meanwhile, read the Declaration of Independence today. Preferably aloud.
***
Answer to the question you didn't ask: 26. That's the number of times Bill Withers says "I know" in a row in Ain't No Sunshine. Bill Withers turns 70 today.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

I'm declaring

ROG

I Don't Wear the Flag Pin

I wish I could find the piece done some years back by Andy Rooney of all people, who explained well why he didn't wear a flag pin. Bob Schieffer on Face the Nation addressed the topic more recently here.

But it's more personal than that. Very few people were wearing them before 9/11. Then wearing one not only supposedly "proved" patriotism, the lack of one, or the lack of a flag off one's front porch 24/7 suggested otherwise. I resented it. While people were giving lip service to the concept, the country was being hijacked with "patriot" acts, torture and a loss of civil liberties.

It's also that, save for my wedding ring, and an occasional pair of cuff links (were ARE they anyway?), I just don't DO jewelry. Someone gave me a cross to wear. I'm a Christian, so I tried wearing it for a while. It just didn't fit me; it's back in the box.

This is not to say that I never wear pins. I have a few hundred pins, and I'll pull out one for a special occasions such as St. Patrick's Day - "Kiss me, I'm the Blarney Stone.". I have a number of political buttons, but except for "Choose peace", I almost never wear them. Sidebar: our cars have never had bumper stickers; I mean, what does it really say about you to have a "Kerry/Edwards" sticker on your fender except to say the last 3 1/2 years weren't really your fault?

Every year, i get a pin indicating how long I've worked in the organization - 15 years! - which I wear at our annual conference, then put away or lose it. When I get a gallon pin from the Red Cross - 15 gallons - I tend to wear it for a day or two, then put it away or lose it.

I'd be disingenous, though, if I didn't resonate with this quote from a recent cover story in Time magazine, The State of Patriotism by Peter Beinart: "But for liberals, patriotic devotion without political struggle is often empty. Liberals think lapel pins are fine if they inspire Americans to struggle to realize the nation's promise. But they worry that those symbols can become--especially when wielded by people in power--substitutes for that struggle and thus emblems of hypocrisy and complacency."

I'm loving my country, but I'm not wearing on my sleeve. Or my lapel.


ROG

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

I Might As Well Have Been Speaking Greek


Just about every year in mid-May, our family goes to the Greek festival at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Albany. This year we went on Saturday evening and in spite of the sometimes inclement weather, we had a pretty decent time. There's lots of food and even more music and dancing. there was a point when I had no idea where my wife and daughter were, but I just hung out, knowing they had to cross a particular intersection eventually.

However, there was one incident that hangs in my mind. Lydia and I went into the playground area of the church, along with several other children and their parents. I noticed that one child of about eight whacked her head on a wooden crossbeam of the slide/climbing contraption. Immediately I went to see if she was okay. She was not - it looked as though she somehow didn't even see the beam based on the force of the collision. She ran to her mother, wailing, and I followed; I figured if my child suddenly began crying I'D like to know why. Immediately her mother asked, "What happened – what happened – what happened?" I tried to explain to her what had taken place, but she apparently was suffering from hysterical deafness, for she couldn’t understand a single word I was saying. Her demeanor, though, had that "What did YOU do to my child?" feel. Fortunately, her friend was able to translate for me. Talking about shooting the messenger.
***
Finally got through the Tony Awards; it takes a while when you watch int in 20-minute increments. Someone I know was complaining how unfamiliar he was with Broadway shows; I thought that was odd, since the nominees featured everything from the 39 Steps to Little Mermaid and Xanadu to Young Frankenstein. He specifically mentioned August: Osage County, Boeing-Boeing, Passing Strange and South Pacific. South Pacific? Really? It was only a major Rogers and Hammerstein collaboration, based on the James Michener book, made into a long-running musical as well as a movie. Something I didn't know: the song You've Got to Be Carefully Taught was, in 1949, quite controversial, considered to be contrary to American values because of the miscegenation it seemed to accept.
Here's one of Fred Hembeck's favorite singers performing it:

ROG

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Tragically hip


I was playing my one Tragically Hip album for Canada Day - Tragically Hip being a Canadian band - when it hit me: there seems to be a number of Americans who seem to have ascribed to the dominion to the north powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal countries. They seem to think of Canada as just like the United States, only not on steroids. Yet - and it has been proven in poll after poll after poll - Americans don't know jacksquat about about Canada.

Quick, Americans: how many provinces and territories are there in Canada?
OK, Canadians, how many states are there in the United States? OK, the flag design DOES make that a bit easy.

Americans: Who's the current elected head of government in Canada? What do you call the elected head of the government in Canada?
Canadians: What do you call the...OK, Canadians, put down your hands.

Lessee. Americans: in terms of size, area not population, where does Canada rank in the world? Bonus question: where does the United States rank?
Canadians: Same questions.

Americans: Mame the two houses of the Canadian legislature.
Canadians: Name the two...oh, never mind.

Americans: Name the two largest cities in Canada, and the capital.
Canadians: Help me find fairer questions.

My point is that some Americans have seemed to have romanticized Canada with having any real sense of the place.

There is, however, one thing to be said for considering moving to Canada. when the global warming really hits - as though it hasn't already? - and the maple stops flowing in New York and Vermont because it doesn't get cold enough for long enough, I suspect the provinces at least will be quite temperate.

Top Baby Names in Canada vs. the US.

Background Note: Canada from the US State Department.

Don't recall the source, but it suggested that when dealing with US Customs agents and they ask you how long you'll be in Canada, answer as though you know, even if you don't. Otherwise, you'll appear suspicious. Siounds right.

This site notes that there are 13 states that border Canada; I had forgotten states whose international borders are actually in the middle of the Great Lakes (Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania).
***
I'm not a big fan of Canadian-born singer Sarah McLachlan, but I love this scene from Toy Story 2:


And it's equally affecting in Portuguese.


ROG

Monday, June 30, 2008

100 Things I Love

May I just write music, movies and massages and leave it at that? Probably not. From Jaquandor. Again. In no particular order. Took longer to compile than 100 things that bug me. What does THAT say about me?

1. Government and association websites/databases with a lot of good, free stuff.

2. Blogging. It practically saved my life, created connections I would not have otherwise; among others, it's how I reestablished with Fred and Deborah.

3. Cranberry juice. Often mixed with orange juice, sometimes with a splash of ginger ale.

4. A good massage.

5. Albany will probably withstand the forces of global warming better than most places.

6. Oatmeal raisin cookies.

7. Cinnamon raisin bagels.

8. Music in harmony - it could be Bach or the Beach Boys. I love it. I know unison singing has its place, but it's not my favorite.

9. British invasion music and its American counterpoint.

10. The blues and folk and rockabilly that led to the 1960s music explosion.

11. Pizza. Good pizza, not the stuff at the work cafeteria.

12. The answering machine. Yes, I screen my calls. Got a problem with that? Now, the phone number will appear on my TV screen for me to (usually) ignore.

13. The DVR. We still have in the queue Raisin in the Sun from February, ice skating from April and Thursday night comedies from May. Back in the VCR days, we'd have to keep track of what tape to watch or tape with. I'm also pleased with the limitations of the DVR, about 50 hours, which forces one to watch or delete, thus limiting the amount of TV we can watch. We see very little in real time.

14. The Billboard books Top Pop singles and Top Pop Albums.

15. The World Almanac, which I've been reading since I was 9 or 10.

16. Woody Allen movies of the 1970s and 1980s.

17. Candlelight. The power has gone out in my neighborhood two or three times a year.

18. Hess trucks for Christmas.

19. Oatmeal.

20. Gud grammer.

21. Cats. Used to own them; maybe, someday, I will again.

22. Reading the funnies in the paper, especially Pearls Before Swine.

23. Playing racquetball.

24. Watching baseball, especially at the stadium; maybe I'll see the Cubs in September.

25. Watching football on TV from November on.

26. Pie. Apple or blueberry or peach, slightly warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

27. Builders who seem to have meshed form AND function into design in "green" ways that are accessible to all.

28. Joni Mitchell. Some other singer-songwriters too, but I've seen Joni twice, so we have a track record.

29. Cottage cheese. Goes with everything - fruit, eggs, cold chicken, apple sauce.

30. Maps. My grandfather used to give me his National Geographic maps. I've long been fascinated with how the US and the world changed geopolitically over time.

31. White wine, served with a slight chill. The red stuff gives me wicked headaches.

32. Walking on the beach as the waves roll in. My favorite time was in Galveston about a decade ago.

33. Intentionally getting "lost", just walking somewhere with no particular goal.

34. Newspapers. I like to read, and they're useful for drawing on, etc.

35. The late 1970s music movement: Police, Talking Heads and the like.

36. Giving massages.

37. JEOPARDY! daily calendars.

38. From JAQ: "Older women with long hair. Too often, when women head into whatever it is we consider 'elder years' these days – for purposes of this post, to pick an arbitrary figure, over fifty – women tend to cut their hair short or make liberal use of curlers or something like that. There's always something striking, though, about an older woman with a full head of long, silver hair. Or red. Or blonde."

39. "Picking songs and pieces of music for mix CDs. I like to think I'm pretty good at this." I get rather invested in it.

40. Doing square root by hand. Because I can.

41. License plate math. Thinking of a license plate as an equation and solving for an unknown factor. (Has many rules, listed in the 8th paragraph http://rogerowengreen.blogspot.com/2006/05/pastiche.html here.)

42. Rack of Lamb with Mint Jelly.

43. Cheerios and spoon-sized Shredded Wheat, together.

44. Spinach lasagna.

45. Ice cream.

46. JEOPARDY! But Alex HAS to stop mentioning Ken Jennings every time someone wins more than three games.

47. Hell. The book series by Matt Groening that predates the Simpsons. Especially Love Is Hell.

48. Librarians are wonderful people.

49. Neil Young, just because.

50. Green. Green means go, in the money, environmentally friendly. Green's the color of spring.

*****
Brian Ibbott of Coverville re: someone's controversial opinion: "When you stir the pot, do you prefer a wooden or slotted spoon?"
*****
51. Excellent short-lived TV series, such as My So-Called Life and Once and Again. Maybe they would have eventually gone downhill, but we'll never know, will we?

52. Dictionaries, the less abridged, the better.

53. The Complete Directory to Prime Network and Cable TV Shows by Brooks and Marsh.

54. Hymnals. It's a great way of seeing the transition of the way religion is enacted. I have one nearly 150 years old, with just the words; it was ASSUMED you knew the music.

55. The Simpsons. One of those things I like that my wife does not

56. Romance language, especially French and Italian. I just like the way they sound.

57. Fireworks.

58. "Footbridges and boardwalks."

59. The color blue.

60. Real maple syrup. Probably won't be available in New York and Vermont in the next century.

61. "Sausages."

62. Bill Moyers' Journal. It speaks truth to power.

63. Rum. Don't drink NEARLY enough of it anymore.

64. My birthday, which I share with Jenna Fischer, Rachel Weisz, Luther Burbank and many other fine folks.

65. Taking a bath. I do it rarely enough that it's always special.

66. Jazz, of many kinds.

67. Automatic bill payments.

68. Song of Solomon. A horny little book of the Bible that's hardly ever in the lectionary.

69. The Twilight Zone and Rod Serling.

70. Montreal. I've been there twice and loved it.

71. Motown, especially 1963-1972.

72. The Dick van Dyke Show and everyone associated with it, from Carl Reiner to Earl Hagen.

73. "Popcorn. My favorite of all snacks! I tend to prefer it with butter...",

74. Slippers.

75. "Ms. Pac Man is still my favorite video game, however many years it's been since I first played it."

76. Sorry, the board game I most like to play with children.

77. SCRABBLE, which I used to play with my great aunt when I was eight.

78. The train, my favorite form of transportation.

79. "Shrimp."

80. The promise of the U.S. Constitution. That it sometimes falls short isn't its fault.

81. Many card games, including hearts, spades and pinochle.

82. Comic books. I don't read them much now, but especially that period from 1972-1992, I devoured 'em.

83. The bicycle. In spite of the accident.

84. Thunderstorms when I'm home.

85. Books about movies and the industry.

86. My rain stick. It relieves stress.

87. City buses. I love how the daughter has learned to hail them.

88. Good Italian restaurants.

89. Intelligent movie comedies such as Groundhog Day.

90. Non-chain movie theaters.

91. Headphones, so I can listen to music but you don't have to.

92. Dreamer politicians, such as Dennis Kucinich, who recently took action to have Bush and Cheney impeached. May history judge him more kindly.

93. Sunrise.

94. Sunset.

95. Learning new things almost every day on my job.

96. Optimists. Not sure I'm one, but they're good to have around.

97. Cynics. They have their place, too.

98. Friends I've met, and friends I know only know electronically.

99. Being the alpha male of my tiny tribe. Didn't like it initially, but now I've grown accustomed to it.

100. "You. You know who you are."

And there we have it: 100 things I love.

ROG

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Roger Answers Your Question, Roger and Anthony


Roger from Albany wonders: So how are you feeling now after your accident?

The problem is that I'm healing, feeling better, so that inevitably I overdo. Friday, for instance, I was carrying a bag in my right arm that I guess was too heavy, for my left side, where I broke my rib four weeks ago tomorrow, ended up in pain not unlike what I experienced two weeks ago. Still, I am healing, and I actually lifted my left arm almost straight up. I can't run, but i can trot, which I couldn't do the week before . The only thing that gives me really tremendous pain is sneezing. (Yes, i do talk to myself; ask my wife.) Oh and the picture was stolen from ADD, but then again, he stole my whole post, just as he promised.

Anthony asks: If it is not too late, I would like to ask a question, of a mildly philosophical and yet somewhat personal nature.

What do you think is the most critical quality or characteristic for a politician (make that statesman) to have in order to effectively govern, and why do think this?


First off, you assume that someone CAN effectively govern. Let's posit that that is possible.

Second, you assume it's not too late. After listening to a half dozen podcasts by James Howard Kunstler (curse you, ADD), I wonder. (On he other hand, ADD did have his own quasi-theological treatise.

Third, let me touch on a trait that are NOT necessary: be the kind of person with whom I can have a beer. Besides the fact that I don't much like beer, I've thought it was a bizarre criterion for picking leaders.

I suppose the chief characteristic I'm looking for in a politician is integrity. I think that one can lead more effectively that way. And it's not just beyond reproach, like Caesar's wife. It's a value system that makes one feel that the politician/statesperson wasn't bending to which ever way the political winds are blowing. I'm not saying that John Kerry was doing that in 2004, but sometimes it FELT like that.

Of course, one has to have real Christian values, such as looking out for the greater good, rather than just for his or her cronies. One does not profess to be a Christian, or indeed, a member of any faith, to achieve this; conversely, public piety does not Christian values prove (see Bush, George W.)

I read about this town along the Mississippi River that was flooded in 1993. The town decided to move the entire town to higher ground. So while neighboring towns are inundated again in 2008, this small town is literally high and dry. That took leadership, and an integrity that this was taking place to help everyone.

When I was in college in New Paltz, NY in 1974, a Congressional seat opened up. The Republican incumbent, Howard Robison of Tioga County, decided not to run again in this massive district that ran through at least five counties and looked like a giant curved hot dog, running from Ithaca (Tompkins County) through my hometown of Binghamton (Broome County) all the way to Woodstock and New Paltz (Ulster County). Four Democrats and five Republicans vied for the seat.

I was a member of the New Paltz Democratic Club and we heard from three of the Dem candidates; the fourth the Town of Union (Broome County) supervisor Knopp (or something like that) didn't bother, because the core of the population base skewed east and we were on the western fringe. The three who came were a young lawyer from Binghamton, who at least one member ended up supporting; Bill Schecter (sp?) a Woodstock lawyer and perfectly acceptable choice; and Matt McHugh, the district attorney from Tompkins County. As the anti-establishment type that I was, I felt I would be least likely to support McHugh, whose job title epitomized "The Man". But I wish I could tell you now what quiet elegance the man had where he expressed his viewpoint and I realized that, despite my initial misgivings, it as clear to me that he was the best man for the job. He oozed character. Maybe three or four others (John Vett - who would later become mayor of New Paltz; Tom Nyquist - who would also eventually become mayor of New Paltz; Tom's wife Corinne) also supported McHugh; everyone else went to the local favorite, Schecter.

I never worked so hard on behalf of another person in my life until I cleaned out my mother's shed last fall. I went door to door carrying petitions and got at least 125 signatures. I attended a number of "meet the candidate" house events. One of Matt's great gifts was not only the ability to remember people's names, but specific details about them. "Hello, Mary, how's your husband Bob's lumbago?"

Matt even gave me a ride from New Paltz to Binghamton so I could visit friends, and on the two-and-a-half hour drive debated the issues of the day. I didn't agree with all of his positions. I specifically recall his position against abortion, based on his Roman Catholic upbringing which I didn't share, and yet we found ways to agree to disagree while embracing our common ground.

The results of the primary was that Matt McHugh won the primary. He lost the part of Ulster County in the district, but I was pleased to note that HE WON NEW PALTZ!

For the general election, one of my professors, Glenn McNitt, who had been backing Schecter, helped organize polling phone banks, and I made a lot of calls. McHugh would be running against Al Libous, the mayor of Binghamton, whose politics I HATED. Of course, McHugh won the general election and served until the end of 1992, when he declined to run for reelection.

He is currently on the board of http://www.abanet.org/rol/europe_and_eurasia/board_europe_eurasia.html the America Bar association Rule of Law Initiative.

Anthony, I know I've fallen far afield of your question. Anyway, I think people sense authentic or inauthentic. Well, some of the time.

Oh, and thanks for your defense of me by that "opiate of the masses" guy. Peculiar, the post itself was primarily a thanks to my church choir director, whose last service is today; I never expected that sort of response and feel rather ill-equipped to go one-on-one with that type.


ROG

Saturday, June 28, 2008

MOVIE REVIEWS: Defending Your Life, ID4, Andromeda Strain

Movies I've seen recently, two on DVD, one recorded on the DVR.

Defending Your Life (1991), lent to me by a co-worker, is an Albert Brooks movie, by which I mean he directs, writes, and stars in a film that's about what happens after one dies, a vaguely familiar version of one's earthly existence. But everyone gets to see the highlights and lowlights of their past and have to explain their actions. Brooks' character meets and falls for another of the recently deceased, played by Meryl Streep. It's a comedy, but it did not have many big laughs for me. Still, I liked it, as I found it quite thought-provoking.
There is a movie trailer included but DON'T watch it until after you see the film, as it essentially REVEALS THE ENDING.
***
Independence Day: One of my co-workers lent this to me on VHS. Another co-worker, seeing that I had the tape, brought me the DVD of the film. Apparently lots of people really liked this film, as it was a big hit in the summer of 1996.
I will say that in the July 2 segment, things got blowed up real good. But I never got all that invested in the characters - well, maybe Randy Quaid's drunken alleged former alien captive. I was watching the movie for a number of minutes when I had to look at the package; Will Smith IS in this, isn't he? Yup, billed first, no less.
All the electronic alien encounters was done better in Contact, the meeting of the First Lady with another character stretch credulity, and the President would have been tackled by the Secret Service before getting into the plane. I didn't hate it. More like indifference.

Whereas I hated, hated the A&E remake of The Andromeda Strain. I never saw the 1971 theatrical release. It featured Benjamin Bratt (Law & Order), Christa Miller (Drew Carey, Scrubs), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), Ricky Schroeder (NYPD Blue, 24 - yes, he's back to his Silver Spoons name) and Viola Davis (L&O: SVU) as scientists that are trying to find the reason a town all but died, making all who initially didn't die suicidal or homicidal. TV Guide gave a "jeer" to Eric McCormack's (Will & Grace) wooden performance as a drug-adled reporter, and rightly so. The mutation of the strain seemed almost random. Still,, I watched the second half of this four-hour mess, hoping for the payoff. Instead, it just went stoopid, especially in the last hour. I'm loath to provide spoilers, but suffice to say that: the family drama involving one of the scientists went nowhere; one romantic liaison had no chemistry, while another was highly implausible; the fate of one scientist went totally unexplained, a rescue mission contradicted the movie's own internal logic; another rescue was utterly laughable; the death of one character was unexplained; and worse, the big reveal left me saying, WTF?! Awful, just awful. It's available on DVD, but I implore you: DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS. DO NOT WATCH THIS.

ROG

Friday, June 27, 2008

Songs That Move Me, 70-61

70. The Love You Save - Jackson 5
It's true; I could sing every part of this song except Michael's, and often did sing along, especially Jermaine's part.
Feeling: Joyous.
(starts at 3:05, after some other J5 music)


69. The Supremes - Remove This Doubt.
Back in the bad old days of romance, there would be songs that I would play that reflected my state of mind. This was one. Great strings. Later covered by Elvis Costello.
Feeling: melancholy.


68. Levon-Elton John
I love it, pretty much for reasons noted here.
Feeling: What's it all about?


67. I Got a Line on You - Spirit
A song from college that I have on vinyl that someone put on a mixed CD for me this century. Loved the doubled guitar line.
Feeling; Joyous.


66. Summer Days - Bob Dylan
The live versions I found, and there are several, don't quite provide the same sensation as the studio recording..
Feeling: Like dancing.

A truncated album version.


65. Do What You Want to - Billy Preston.
I saw the late Billy Preston at a concert in college. The song starts slowly then speeds up considerably by the end. Great vocal and organ throughout. From the That’s The Way God Planned It album, produced by the late George Harrison.
Feeling: I will you love you anyway.

64. Spencer Davis Group - Keep on Running
This song lives on the bottom. When I used to ride my bike to work, I had this song in mind when taking an incline. Ah, when Steve Winwood was young.
Feeling: Energized.


63. A Hard Day's Night - the Beatles.
Love that first chord, the shared vocals, the guitar bridge. Indeed, I have a fondness for the two-minute jazz version on the HDN soundtrack.
Feeling: joyous.


62. Lucky Man-Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
Last song on the first album. I used to do a credible simulation of the synth at the end.
Feeling: not so lucky.


61. Pete Townshend - Let My Love Open the Door
I've read that Pete said that this isn't a romantic love song, but a song of religious love. Whatever it is, I'm fond of the instrumentation in the beginning and the harmony vocals as much as anything. Also like the remix he did.
Feeling: loving.

ROG

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Lydster, Part 51: Bigger


When we took Lydia to the doctor’s for her physical shortly after her fourth birthday, she weighed 42 pounds and was 44 inches tall. A couple of months later, when we took her to her allergist, she measured 49 pounds and 47 inches tall. The size 11 toddler shoes which had fit her for several months no longer came even close to getting on her feet. She’s wearing size 13s and is very close to size 1 for children. Inevitably, when I tell someone she’s just had her birthday recently, people say, "Oh, she must be 5, or is she 6?" And invariably, I have to correct them and tell them that she is merely 4. Even her daycare teachers who see her daily sometimes forget.

Meanwhile, she's seemed to have developed allergies to the spring grasses. One night, she was out while Carol (subbing for me) was mowing the lawn, and the next morning she broke into a coughing jag, worrisome because she ended up crying while walking in an unfocused manner. I scooped her up with my right arm - which still hurt but less than doing it on the other side - Carol got her some water, and she seemed OK.

In fact, it was her follow-up trip to the allergist when she gave us more trouble than she has in years. Usually, we have to wake her at 6:30, but that morning, she woke up at 5:30. I'm convinced that the worry awakened her. She was demanding and whiny almost constantly, uncharacteristically. I went downstairs to put the upstairs garbage in with the kitchen trash when I saw an invasion of black ants there, maybe 50 or more. Oddly, I called to Lydia, because she seemed fairly obsessed with few ants we had seen previously. I took out the garbage bag only to find more in the can, which didn't drown easily. Lydia pointed out every escaping insect. (Subsequently, we got traps, which are working.) After this excitement, Lydia was back to her cheerful and cooperative self.


ROG

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Remembering Raoul Vezina

As I've mentioned here before, maybe once or twice, I used to work at a comic book store/publisher called FantaCo Enterprises in Albany, NY from 1980 to 1988.
Raoul Vezina was an artist who worked for and was published by FantaCo, in the latter case, particularly in a series called Smilin' Ed.
Raoul died 25 years ago in November, and I am looking for all things Vezina so I can write about him: primarily recollections, but also samples of his artwork.

Thank you.


ROG

Roger Answers Your Questions, Gay Prof and Scott

Gay Prof offers:
My question: Do you have any theories about the best way to keep John McCain out of the White House?

I do, but unfortunately it's illegal and probably immoral. Wait, there's probably some ageist crack I could make, but I won't.
Look, I don't know why people vote against their own interests, except that they naively by into a bill of goods. The economic boom that we used to be in was helping the John McCains of the country a lot more than you and me. Literally, the rich get richer, with golden parachutes for CEOs of failing companies. I thought Charlie Gibson on ABC News asked George Stephanopoulos an odd question last week: with Barack backing out of public financing, was it "fair" for Barack to have so much more money vs. McCain. I laughed so hard I almost hurt myself again. The GOP has had a lot more $$ at its disposal for decades, and Obama's money is coming mostly from the common people. Is it fair that the government tut-tut homeowners for getting into financial situations that government policies encouraged? I know this doesn't answer the question, but I'm stumped to find out how is John McCain the ANSWER to any of our current woes.

Generous Scott adds: I don't care if you don't answer any of mine, but I certainly hope you can answer Gayprof's and it be something that we can truly do to make it happen.
Well, I did answer GP's, FWIW. And now I'll answer yours:

1. Who do you think will play in the World Series this year, and who will win it?

One team will be a new team, i.e., one we haven't seen much of before. I think before the season I picked the Cubs, so I'll stick with them. Not so incidentally, I'm hoping to see them play in Wrigley for the very first time in September. I thought that Cleveland and Detroit would do better, but alas. So, I'm going with Tampa; it'll probably be Boston, but I've bored with Boston sports teams (except the Celtics, who I picked to win in seven.) It's been 100 years. don't the Cubs get to win every CENTURY?

2. What do you think has been the best (so far) movie adaptation based on a comic book?

Superman. No, Spider-Man. Wait, I liked Spider-Man 2 more than the first one. I didn't see the last Batman or the upcoming one, but saw several others - not those. I did like Iron Man, but not the first Fantastic Four.

3. What are you top five movies?

Always impossible. Annie Hall's on there, and probably Groundhog Day. The others are so fluid, like my favorite songs list or even favorite album. It might include Casablanca, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Field of Dreams, The Iron Giant, Rear Window, the original Star Wars ("episode 4" - feh), Toy Story 2, West Side Story (which isn't a great movie, but the music and choreography hold), The Wizard of Oz, Young Frankenstein, and about a dozen movies I've either forgotten or are of the genres named (Empire Strikes Back, Toy Story); it could be any of the Pixar films I've seen, e.g.

4. If Obama loses the Presidential election, do you think it will hurt race relations and the fight against racism, or do you think that his nomination was already a move in the right direction and that a loss won't set it back?

Yes.




Oh, you want more.

One of those ongoing myths was that Barack Obama was embraced nationally by black folks out of the shoot. Look at any poll that came out in December 2007, and Obama's losing big time to Hillary Clinton with black voters. Part of it, ironically was that he wasn't considered black enough. (And Hillary Clinton was?) But when he won Iowa, black voters gave him another look, and he's been winning the black vote handily ever since, starting in South Carolina. (Which is why Bill Clinton's correct observation that Jesse Jackson won South Carolina irritated so many people; it wasn't just that he was black, it was that he was a black that, since the white folks in Iowa liked him, actually had a chance to win.) All the things he's endured since from what I think is a media obsession with Rev. Wright to the sniping at Michelle Obama to the Muslim thing - regularly, at least 7% of the electorate believes that Barack HUSSEIN Obama is Muslim (not that should matter if he were) has made him more attractive to many blacks, and probably to white liberals as well. Here's what often happens in with black folks when one of their own is put upon; they become more loyal, recognizing the institutional racism involved.

So, if he loses, most older blacks will see it as the same-o same-o. I'm not sure the paradigm holds for younger blacks, especially those who identify as biracial. It's not that they don't see racism, it's that they may see Barack's nomination, to use a football metaphor, as field position. Maybe Barack doesn't score the touchdown this time, but it makes someone else's chances better the next time. Maybe.

5. What album in your collection would probably most surprise your friends?

That would almost certainly be my one Toby Keith album. Not crazy about his politics, but I got it it for free at a convention in Nashville, and I rather liked a couple songs, especially "Let's Talk About Me."
***
Someone, I wish I could remember who, said about Robert Mugabe: If Zimbabwe had oil, we would have invaded by now.


ROG

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Roger Answers Your Questions, ADD

The inimitable Alan David Doane, with whom I spent much of last Saturday afternoon, along with John Hebert, Rocco Nigro and Fred Hembeck wrote: I have five questions, which if you answer them all, I will steal your responses and put on my blog, because that's just the kind of guy I am. And he is. He really is. He's also a guy who hates his cell phone but keeps it charged, whereas I often don't know where the phone and/or the charger are.

What is your favourite comic book story?

Yeesh. I must admit a fondness for the Defenders when Gerber was writing it, and I love a good origin story (Spider-Man, Hulk), but ultimately, I end up with Giant-Size Man Thing #1.

When reading comics, do you focus on the writing over the art, the art over the writing, or both about equally?

Serviceable art will allow me to read a well-told story. The most beautiful art will not save a terrible story line. One of the comic books I hate the most has to be Spider-Man #1. The McFarlane art was tolerable at best, but the story was so gawd awful, I stopped buying the title after 3 or 4 issues. Given the fact that I LOVED-LOVED-LOVED Peter Parker/Spider-Man, it was painful, but necessary. This was NOT the Peter I knew. The Spider-Man was more like Spawn. Loathsome.
When the Pinis used to come to FantaCo to do Elfquest signings, Richard used to rail against the comic fanboys who cared about art to the exclusion of story, and I thought he was absolutely right.
That said, sometimes the art DOES move me. I was buying Sub-Mariner during Bill Everett's second run, and I loved the look.

Who do you think is the greatest comic book artist still alive today and why?

Well, besides Fred G. Hembeck, who should be considered just based on the sheer number of characters he's drawn? I'll cop out and say Art Spiegelman because he helped bring the comic form out of the comic book ghetto.

What's your happiest memory of working at FantaCo?

I almost always loved when our publications came in, but I'm going to pick something rather arcane.
There was a graphic novelization of the Stephen King's Creepshow drawn by Berni Wrightson in the mid-1980s. Having connections in both the comic and horror markets we knew, both instinctively and from comic and horror film stores we dealt with that there was still a demand for this title. The publisher, we ascertained, still had many copies of the book. I wrote to the publisher- nothing. I called the publisher - I was told the book was no longer available, which I knew to be untrue. Finally, I reached someone who acknowledged that they had copies but that it was not worth it for them to send it out only to deal with a huge percentage of returns.
So I said, "What if we bought them non-returnable?" I thought the guy's teeth were going to fall out. "Non-returnable?" So, we took 100 copies of it at 70% off the $6.95 cover price, put them in the store and listed them in a Fangoria ad, and blew through them. So I called again and said, can we have another 100?" By this point other stores were clamoring for this book, so we ordered an additional 500, and sold it to these horror book stores, and a few comic book stores, at 40% non-returnable. The stores got to sell a book they could otherwise not get, we made a decent profit even wholesaling someone else's book, and we kept the Wrightson book from just being remaindered. My persistence in dealing with this publisher was, strangely, my favorite FantaCo moment.

Here's another: I just came across in the past week a letter that one of FantaCo's mail order customers sent to me. Why it should resurface now, I have no idea, since we've only been in the house since 2000. (A 1989 article about the comic book Shriek was also in the pile.) This guy worked for Ryko, and he would send me, his mail order purveyor, free music.
Roger-
Good to speak to you on the phone today (1-26-88)...I'm finding Ryko fans in the strangest places.
Hope you enjoy these guys - I chucked in a couple 3", too. The one with no writing is "They Might Be Giants", a couple of guys from Hoboken, NJ.
I like this not for the swag, but because apparently I was giving him service worthy of him sending me free stuff. Still have that unlabeled TMBG disc.

What do you think is the single best publication FantaCo released in its history?

While I have a strong affection for the Spider-Man Chronicles, which I edited, I'm going to say Gates of Eden, which Mitch Cohn edited. No, I'm NOT going to pick the Amazing Herschell Gordon Lewis and his World of Exploitation Films, no matter how much you beg, Alan.


ROG

Monday, June 23, 2008

Carlin and other family-friendly topics



So I wake up at four a.m. for the third time in the night, because I still can't find a comfortable sleeping position, probably because I didn't take my pain pills all day yesterday, because I didn't want to become habituated to them, so I get up and check Evanier, who notes George Carlin has died, and he writes: "Seven words come immediately to mind. All are appropriate for the occasion." And I check my blog and note that I'd only mentioned Carlin thrice, twice on baseball and football, and once on education, but I recall how I'd been watching Carlin for decades, from the "hippy, dippy weatherman I remember him doing on the "Ed Sullivan Show" to one of the sharpest minds of social commentary, and there's a pain in my heart AND my side. DAMN! (Not one of the seven words.)
***
Since one Kelly Brown specifically requested me to take this test, what could I do?

75

As a 1930s husband, I am
Superior

Take the test!



And speaking of family things, something I saw on the bus last week: Woman and daughter waiting for the bus, get on the bus. Woman sees child's father on the bus, apparently to the surprise of all concerned. She says to child, "Oh, your father's on the bus,' hands the child to the father, saying "YOU take her!!" then gets off the bus. Child cries for mommy a couple blocks, but is eventually soothed by daddy; Arthur would have been pleased.

At least that a better bus story than my wife experienced, which involved a three-year old running on the bus, failing, crying, and the mother screaming at the wailing child, "I told you not to run on the bus."
***
I was watching Bill Moyers again, and I must recommend it. It deals with race in America. One segment is about Slavery by Another Name, Douglas A. Blackmon's book about what the subtitle calls "the Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II."
Under laws enacted specifically to intimidate blacks, tens of thousands of African Americans were arbitrarily arrested, hit with outrageous fines, and charged for the costs of their own arrests. With no means to pay these ostensible "debts," prisoners were sold as forced laborers to coal mines, lumber camps, brickyards, railroads, quarries and farm plantations. Thousands of other African Americans were simply seized by southern landowners and compelled into years of involuntary servitude.
Blackmon has a website addressing the issue.

Moyers also previewed the documentary which opens the 21st season of P.O.V. TRACES OF THE TRADE: A STORY OF THE DEEP NORTH, which tells the story journey of discovery into the history and consequences of slavery and which will air on my PBS station Tuesday night.
***
Someone tipped me about Twilight Zone radio plays produced in 2004 for CBS radio using Rod Serling's original scripts, with Stacey Keach narrating and hosting.

ROG

Sunday, June 22, 2008

A Wizard, A True Star

There have been so many incarnations of Todd Rundgren that I have a difficult time keeping track. Surely, Open My Eyes by Nazz was the first song I connected with.

I own both Nazz albums.

Then he bounced back and forth between being a solo artist and the leader of the group Utopia. From the former category, a painful ballad that asks a question - Can We Still Be Friends - and just from the music, you're pretty sure the answer is no.

Without looking, I'm not sure what I own, though the 1985 A Capella album is certainly among them.

From Utopia, I have Deface the Music (1980), a Beatles tribute/parody, Swing to the Right (1990), and likely other albums.

Utopia hit in 1977 with Love in Action in 1977; this is solo Todd performing in 1986.


Signature tune, first done with Nazz, but a 1972 solo hit, Hello, It's Me:


He has toured with Ringo's All Starrs and has recently performed as part of the New Cars.

Todd Harry Rundgren, born June 22, 1948, turns the big six-oh today.



ROG