So here I am in my apartment in the 919 on a beautiful Fall Sunday morning. It's crisp and blue and about 68 degrees outside. I've got coffee brewed, Austin City Limits on the tele and I've settled in for a nice quiet read of The "News And Observer" and...MY GOD! The news I'm reading is just making me CRAZY!!! Since misery loves company, I've gotta share some of this crap with both of the lost web surfers who have stumbled across this entry from my blog:
ITEM #1: Madonna leads the nominations to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!And the other nominees include-Chic,Donna Summar,John Mellencamp and Africa Bambaataa! I am not joking.
But ofcourse. Who can forget "Mr. Bambaataa's" great ROCK AND ROLL contributions...to RAP FUCKING MUSIC!!!!!!? And can someone please tell me what ANY of the aforementioned really have to do with ROCK AND FUCKING ROLL??? And don't give me any jazz about John Mellencamp. That asshole has never had any real rock and roll credibility in my book. Anyone who came out as "Johnnie Cougar" and has remained one of the all time most annoying posers should not EVER be even considered for the same institution that exists to remember the likes of Elvis, The Beatles, The Stones, The Kinks,etc. And...Madonna???? The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame??? Madonna's a "rock and roller"? By what definition exactly?
The only nominee who reasonable rock and roll fans should consider worthy of induction is Leonard Cohen and-watch- he'll be the only one to NOT make it. God better save rock and roll because Man (i.e.,corporate America) has done everything it can to destroy it!
ITEM#2: Simon Cowell made $45 million damn dollars last year....
ITEM#3: There's a new Right Wing, wealthy conservative propogandist organization that calls itself "Freedom's Watch". It's organized by a cadre of scary and powerfully rich industialist types who are well connected to "Dubbya" and his clan and include the 6th most wealthy billionaire in the world(who heads up The Las Vegas Sands Corp),and they are already buying up TV ad time to-get this-feature spots from alleged Iraq War vets and families, championing the Iraq war and touting all the good it's brought to that region.
Remember 2 things folks:1) As Dylan has sung, "Patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundral clings..." and 2) Q: What was the lesson of Watergate? A: Follow the fucking money.
What short attention spans and memories we Yanks have.
ITEM #4:Just a few pages from the story about "Freedom's Watch" is a story about how, since the Iraqi "liberation", the suicide by fire rate among Kurdish women and teenagers is at an all time high. You read this right-suicide by fire. Young kurdish women are showing up in ERs horribly burned from suicide attempts. Freedom's on the march,right?
ITEM #5: You know that e-mail that went around telling everyone about how telemarketers were about to be permitted to call your cell phone? Then "Dubbya's" FCC spokeswoman,Rosemary Kimball, made the rounds telling everyone that it was not true,blah,blah,blah?
Turns out that neither the e-mail or the Administration's spokeswoman got it right. It is true that there is no scheme afoot to make it legal for telemarketers to make automated calls to you on your cell phone-if they do-it is still illegal. BUT-they can legally call you if they dial your number manually!!
There is still a "Do Not Call List" that protects you from getting called for the next 5 years. To register, you can contact (888)382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov There's probably no downside to putting a cell phone number on the list.
Is it me or does it seem like there are vipers everywhere these days...more than ever? No wonder I can't get to noon on a Sunday without inhaling a couple of Bloody Marys.
Oh well. Fuck it,Dude. Let's go bowling.
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3 comments:
Well, I'm the first to agree with you that I'm an idiot. Not gonna take the other side of that argument. But, since you were brave enough to submit your comment under the handle of "Anonymous",I felt that the least I could do was to publish it-instead of trashing it, as I could easily have done.
I'm also willing to admit that I may have been a bit harsh in my criticsm of Mr.Cougar-Mellencamp. I probably was overly influenced by his getting booed off the stage in Atlanta when he opened for The Kinks(in the "Cougar" era),released a single as a truck commercial for Chevy or Ford or some damn company because he feared that noone would play it on the radio otherwise,,outshone Dylan by rhyming "tasty freeze" with "between her knees",etc. I agree with you-I have not listended to all of his records all the way through. Come to think of it, once I get turned off of an artist, I tend to not listen to their records 'all the way through' and am probably missing out on pure gold that is hidden in 'dem dare hills'. But as Jules Winfield said," Sewer rat may taste like pumkin pie,but I'd never know cuz I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfucker." So let's
agree to disagree. I respect your opinion and that's why I published it. No offense was intended to you or to any Mellencamp fans out there. But what do you expect from an idiot?
Thanks for responding and publishing my somewhat bitter response. The point I'd like to make is JM seems to get more undue criticism than any artist I can think of. Its like there's some perception out there that he's "lightweight" or "bad Springsteen wannabee". The fact is though, his sound is rich and quite unique, using a multitude of different sounds and instruments. His band is top notch. His lyrics, while I do admit are sometimes clumsy, are at least as sincere and heartfelt and speak to the hearts of many Americans. He has made a series of very fine albums for 25 years. Even Rolling Stone gives most of them 4 stars. What really bothers me is criticism from people who haven't taken the time to really listen with an unbiased ear. Thanks again Monty for your consideration.
Touche'. Know what? You've convinced me. Despite my prejudice and cynicism when it comes to Mr. hyphonated name Mellencamp,I gotta admit that he 1)has written an impressive number of mainstream rock and roll hits over the past 25 years-perhaps equalled only by Tom Petty and you are living proof that he 2)has developed a VERY loyal fan base that has sustained him for almost 30 years. This is, in itself, worthy of induction into The R&R Hall of Fame when one considers the life span of today's musicians and their fan bases. My slagging him is kinda like Barack O'Bama supporters dissing Hillary. It completely misses the point that we're all supporters of the same basic philosophy of music. It's heartening to find ANYONE these days who will buy even 1 entire CD, instead of downloading 1 friggin song from ITUNES, let alone someone who feels as passionate as do you about a rock and roll band. You, my friend, are to be commended for being an intelligent rock and roll fan and for making a thoughtful,cogent argument to support your opinion...once you put the name calling aside. So-I am now a full- on supporter of Mr.Johnnie Cougar's nomination and am willing to concede to you that I may have let my morning espresso get the better of me in my original posting. Now I guess I'm gonna have to brace myself for Mr.Bambaataa's coalition.
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