George was the most reverent and ironic comic for the last 40 years and he will be missed. I watched all of his HBO specials. Even though it seemed impossible for him he actually got crankier and more crotchety as he got older.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
We're Fine.
An AP story posted on the Drudge Report recites a litany of catastrophes that are currently besetting the world: gas prices, floods, earthquakes, mortgage prices, and so on. Armed with this list, the authors go on to wonder aloud whether “everything is spinning apart” – whether we are witnessing a “great unraveling of some things long taken for granted,” such as our belief that our perseverance and courage will bootstrap us out of our current problems. By writing the article in the first place, the authors remain only one step short of answering their own question, of course.
Lost in the analysis, of course, is any sense for their (and their counterparts’) complicity in creating the grounds for asking the question in the first place. While it might be correct to say that not everything is going exactly as planned these days, it might also be correct to say that not everyone is reporting exactly as things happen, either.
I just returned from a day trip to Kansas City today. Nothing about that trip was any different than it has been in the past. I had a bite to eat at a Ruby Tuesday (I had the Cajun chicken sandwich), I witnessed two people get married (the bride cried throughout the entire ceremony), and I bought gasoline at a price that I’d prefer not to pay (Has anyone ever thanked BP or Exxon for their perfectly reasonable prices?).
In certain parts of the world, people will wake up and fill more sandbags to stop flooding, while others hope their utilities don’t black out. In others, the restaurants will open again, society will see more people wed, and gas might get a little more expensive. And in still other corners of the less-examined globe, people will start what has the potential to be the best day of their lives.
Don’t buy that the world is collapsing. It’s just moving, and we do ourselves no favors by focusing only on the parts we wish would stay still.
Lost in the analysis, of course, is any sense for their (and their counterparts’) complicity in creating the grounds for asking the question in the first place. While it might be correct to say that not everything is going exactly as planned these days, it might also be correct to say that not everyone is reporting exactly as things happen, either.
I just returned from a day trip to Kansas City today. Nothing about that trip was any different than it has been in the past. I had a bite to eat at a Ruby Tuesday (I had the Cajun chicken sandwich), I witnessed two people get married (the bride cried throughout the entire ceremony), and I bought gasoline at a price that I’d prefer not to pay (Has anyone ever thanked BP or Exxon for their perfectly reasonable prices?).
In certain parts of the world, people will wake up and fill more sandbags to stop flooding, while others hope their utilities don’t black out. In others, the restaurants will open again, society will see more people wed, and gas might get a little more expensive. And in still other corners of the less-examined globe, people will start what has the potential to be the best day of their lives.
Don’t buy that the world is collapsing. It’s just moving, and we do ourselves no favors by focusing only on the parts we wish would stay still.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Speaking of a Deer in the Headlights...
Last Saturday I got up early to perform a recreational activity where I repeatedly hit a little white ball and chase it around a big park. Most of the time it is about as fun as it sounds, but I keep doing it anyway. Mrs. Brown Walker asked that I drive her car (which is new) because she needed to run some errands and wanted to use the car that gets better gas mileage. It was a seemingly innocuous request that I didn't figure would have any consequence whatsoever.
So, I play my round of golf. Meanwhile Mrs. BW heads towards Independence (the whys are not important). She was driving East on I-70 when she noticed a deer running on the West-bound side of the highway up ahead of her. She thinks: "That thing's going to get blasted." The next thing she knows, the deer bounds over the median and stops - head turned and looking right at her - in the middle of her lane. There is no time to do anything. There is no room to do anything. Her next thought was that she heard somewhere about people getting killed when they hit a deer because the deer thrashes about when it is stuck in their windshield.
Impact. Mrs. BW later says that she can't remember if she even had time to hit the brakes. She likely plastered the deer at somewhere north of 70 mph. The deer is launched over the hood and over the roof of the car, landing in a heap in the median.
The car is fucked, although still driveable. The hood is smashed down, the bumper and grill are both destroyed, and the driver's side front quarterpanel is pulled apart. The first thing I noticed when I arrived on the scene was that there was a patch of fur on the bumper. It looked as if it was growing there.
Mrs. BW was damn lucky. At that speed, if the thing had hit the windshield she could have been killed. We were told later that had she been driving her car, which sits much higher than my car does, it would have been more likely that the deer would have hit the windshield. I don't really believe in fate, or cosmic Jewish zombies that save your soul when you eat their flesh, but fuck - that was a narrow miss.
So, I play my round of golf. Meanwhile Mrs. BW heads towards Independence (the whys are not important). She was driving East on I-70 when she noticed a deer running on the West-bound side of the highway up ahead of her. She thinks: "That thing's going to get blasted." The next thing she knows, the deer bounds over the median and stops - head turned and looking right at her - in the middle of her lane. There is no time to do anything. There is no room to do anything. Her next thought was that she heard somewhere about people getting killed when they hit a deer because the deer thrashes about when it is stuck in their windshield.
Impact. Mrs. BW later says that she can't remember if she even had time to hit the brakes. She likely plastered the deer at somewhere north of 70 mph. The deer is launched over the hood and over the roof of the car, landing in a heap in the median.
The car is fucked, although still driveable. The hood is smashed down, the bumper and grill are both destroyed, and the driver's side front quarterpanel is pulled apart. The first thing I noticed when I arrived on the scene was that there was a patch of fur on the bumper. It looked as if it was growing there.
Mrs. BW was damn lucky. At that speed, if the thing had hit the windshield she could have been killed. We were told later that had she been driving her car, which sits much higher than my car does, it would have been more likely that the deer would have hit the windshield. I don't really believe in fate, or cosmic Jewish zombies that save your soul when you eat their flesh, but fuck - that was a narrow miss.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Speaking of Star Wars Prequels.
I just went to the imdb.com page for Star Wars: The Clone Wars because I wanted to confirm that Sam Jackson and Chris Lee are doing the voices for Mace Windu and Count Dooku respectively. When I got there the board was full of negativity. So I had to post this:
Why is everyone being so negative? This is going to be a fun summer cartoon for the whole family, with lightsabers. How is that a bad thing? I'm going to see it, and when I do I'm going to have the same attitude I had when I saw, and enjoyed, the prequel films. These are awesome spectacles with awesome space battles. That's what we loved about Star Wars the first time, but for some reason we feel the need to raise the standard.
Was Return of the Jedi a great movie? Was it on par with Casablanca or The Godfather? Not even close. It had bad acting, muppets, and a rudimentary story. But it is beloved by Star Wars fans because when we were 10, we were enthralled by the cool visuals and the baddest bad guys to ever appear on screen.
I'm going to this film with my whole family and we will have a great time. The rest of you can have fun complaining, it is what you do best.
Why is everyone being so negative? This is going to be a fun summer cartoon for the whole family, with lightsabers. How is that a bad thing? I'm going to see it, and when I do I'm going to have the same attitude I had when I saw, and enjoyed, the prequel films. These are awesome spectacles with awesome space battles. That's what we loved about Star Wars the first time, but for some reason we feel the need to raise the standard.
Was Return of the Jedi a great movie? Was it on par with Casablanca or The Godfather? Not even close. It had bad acting, muppets, and a rudimentary story. But it is beloved by Star Wars fans because when we were 10, we were enthralled by the cool visuals and the baddest bad guys to ever appear on screen.
I'm going to this film with my whole family and we will have a great time. The rest of you can have fun complaining, it is what you do best.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Sgt. Pepper of the '90s (2008)
I feel about Weezer 2.0 as I feel about the Star Wars prequels. In both cases fans were subject to many years of anticipation, which turned into utter and complete doubt that the project would ever, in fact happen. Then, when The Phantom Menace and the Green Album came out, we had grown older, our tastes had matured, and when they weren't the best things that had ever happened in the history of the world ever, fans rebelled and both the prequels, and Weezer's comeback albums were panned by fans and critics alike.
The plain truth is that both the Star Wars sequels and the new Weezer albums are being compared against themselves, and not their competition. Weezer's albums are better than anything else most rock bands are putting out there. Just like Episodes I, II, and III had to live up to IV, V and VI instead of their contempararies, they had to live up to the Blue Album and Pinkerton. That is a tremendously high and unfair standard.
The Green Album was a bit boring, all the songs sounded alike, but it hung its laurels on two incredible radio tracks, Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun. Maladroit is a forgotten gem. Its singles never soared on the charts but the album is solid. American Gigolo, Dope Nose, Slob and Possibilities would be at home on any Weezer album, pre or post Matt Sharp. Make Believe is an unmitigated disaster, and almost ruined the band for me, but Perfect Situation redeems it. You know how sometimes one of your favorite bands has that one album that totally sucks except for one song? That's Make Believe and Perfect Situation.
For some reason, Weezer is a band that totally speaks to me. Musically they hit the perfect balance between hard hitting rock and beautiful melody. No other band has ever made music that so hits me right where I need to be hit. So, even with the failure that was Make Believe, I still bought the Red Album when it came out.
Finally I feel like Rivers Cuomo and company have exceeded the musical genius that was their first two albums. The album is a sonic marvel that goes to places that no Weezer record has ever gone before. There is much similarity to a certain Beatles album released in 1967. From the funny outfits the quartet wears on the cover to the new palette of sounds they employ, it seems like the Weez are finally ready to break out of their 3 minute pop ditties.
DISCLAIMER: When listening to this album do not focus on the content of the lyrics, Rivers and the other song writers (that's right, every member of Weezer gets at least one credit on this album) aren't making poetry here, the lyrics are trite, and cheezy. Look past it, focus on the sonic aspects of the album and you'll be truly happy.
TROUBLEMAKER: Another Weezer song about not wanting to get a job, this introduces the first new sound right off the bat, rap. This album has a ton of Cuomo melody, but there is also a strangely large amount of one note, pseudo-rap. Don't be afraid, this isn't Fred Durst, its catchy, and good. The chorus kicks in with some classic Weezer.
THE GREATEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED: I don't think that Rivers thinks that he's the greatest man that ever lived, although he has sold millions of records and has many, many degrees from Harvard, so the song could be truthful. This is an opus that starts out like Across the Sea meets A Little Help From My Friends, then goes across the musical spectrum from rock, to blues to funk to soul to jazz to chamber choir to jazz and finally to some classic Weezer, with laughs and cries and entertainment all the while.
PORK AND BEANS: The first single, I take it you've heard it. Pretty straight forward Weezer with a great video featuring internet stars and lightsaber drumsticks!
HEART SONGS: iTunes described this as a "Jack Johson" song. My fiancee called it a "Boy Band" song. It is certainly mellow, and not what you'd expect from W, but I like that he pays tribute to his influences, and it picks up in the grunge part.
EVERYBODY GET DANGEROUS: My favorite track on the album, mostly because of the "Boo Ya!" Its mostly a one trick pony riff with a hooky chorus, until the middle when it breaks down into some pretty sweet lyrical acrobatics and a guitar groove.
DREAMIN': Dreamin' sounds like Why Bother until the middle when it breaks down into some really sweet lyrical play. Its like call and response in the round with expert harmony and unique melodic intervals. This is the kind of stuff I expected from Pinkerton 2. Then it kicks in the rock again because Rivers doesn't want to get with the program!
THOUGHT I KNEW, COLD DARK WORLD, AUTOMATIC: These are the songs that Brian Bell, Scott Schreiner and Pat Wilson wrote. The album loses a lot of steam through this stage, although Automatic is slightly better than the other two. The album would have been better served had they been spread out more.
THE ANGEL AND THE ONE: This song is the A Day in the Life of the Red Album, and puts a fitting end to the package, like the entire album it is classic Weezer, and something brand new all at the same time.
If you bought the deluxe edition you get five bonus tracks, none of which is that memorable. I like Miss Sweeney because of the silly story it tells. It reminds me of a song I'd write (not a far stretch considering Rivers Cuomo is one of my top 2 musical influences.)
I boldly predict this will go down as the best album of the decade, a strong feat for an album that should have been made ten years ago.
The plain truth is that both the Star Wars sequels and the new Weezer albums are being compared against themselves, and not their competition. Weezer's albums are better than anything else most rock bands are putting out there. Just like Episodes I, II, and III had to live up to IV, V and VI instead of their contempararies, they had to live up to the Blue Album and Pinkerton. That is a tremendously high and unfair standard.
The Green Album was a bit boring, all the songs sounded alike, but it hung its laurels on two incredible radio tracks, Hash Pipe and Island in the Sun. Maladroit is a forgotten gem. Its singles never soared on the charts but the album is solid. American Gigolo, Dope Nose, Slob and Possibilities would be at home on any Weezer album, pre or post Matt Sharp. Make Believe is an unmitigated disaster, and almost ruined the band for me, but Perfect Situation redeems it. You know how sometimes one of your favorite bands has that one album that totally sucks except for one song? That's Make Believe and Perfect Situation.
For some reason, Weezer is a band that totally speaks to me. Musically they hit the perfect balance between hard hitting rock and beautiful melody. No other band has ever made music that so hits me right where I need to be hit. So, even with the failure that was Make Believe, I still bought the Red Album when it came out.
Finally I feel like Rivers Cuomo and company have exceeded the musical genius that was their first two albums. The album is a sonic marvel that goes to places that no Weezer record has ever gone before. There is much similarity to a certain Beatles album released in 1967. From the funny outfits the quartet wears on the cover to the new palette of sounds they employ, it seems like the Weez are finally ready to break out of their 3 minute pop ditties.
DISCLAIMER: When listening to this album do not focus on the content of the lyrics, Rivers and the other song writers (that's right, every member of Weezer gets at least one credit on this album) aren't making poetry here, the lyrics are trite, and cheezy. Look past it, focus on the sonic aspects of the album and you'll be truly happy.
TROUBLEMAKER: Another Weezer song about not wanting to get a job, this introduces the first new sound right off the bat, rap. This album has a ton of Cuomo melody, but there is also a strangely large amount of one note, pseudo-rap. Don't be afraid, this isn't Fred Durst, its catchy, and good. The chorus kicks in with some classic Weezer.
THE GREATEST MAN THAT EVER LIVED: I don't think that Rivers thinks that he's the greatest man that ever lived, although he has sold millions of records and has many, many degrees from Harvard, so the song could be truthful. This is an opus that starts out like Across the Sea meets A Little Help From My Friends, then goes across the musical spectrum from rock, to blues to funk to soul to jazz to chamber choir to jazz and finally to some classic Weezer, with laughs and cries and entertainment all the while.
PORK AND BEANS: The first single, I take it you've heard it. Pretty straight forward Weezer with a great video featuring internet stars and lightsaber drumsticks!
HEART SONGS: iTunes described this as a "Jack Johson" song. My fiancee called it a "Boy Band" song. It is certainly mellow, and not what you'd expect from W, but I like that he pays tribute to his influences, and it picks up in the grunge part.
EVERYBODY GET DANGEROUS: My favorite track on the album, mostly because of the "Boo Ya!" Its mostly a one trick pony riff with a hooky chorus, until the middle when it breaks down into some pretty sweet lyrical acrobatics and a guitar groove.
DREAMIN': Dreamin' sounds like Why Bother until the middle when it breaks down into some really sweet lyrical play. Its like call and response in the round with expert harmony and unique melodic intervals. This is the kind of stuff I expected from Pinkerton 2. Then it kicks in the rock again because Rivers doesn't want to get with the program!
THOUGHT I KNEW, COLD DARK WORLD, AUTOMATIC: These are the songs that Brian Bell, Scott Schreiner and Pat Wilson wrote. The album loses a lot of steam through this stage, although Automatic is slightly better than the other two. The album would have been better served had they been spread out more.
THE ANGEL AND THE ONE: This song is the A Day in the Life of the Red Album, and puts a fitting end to the package, like the entire album it is classic Weezer, and something brand new all at the same time.
If you bought the deluxe edition you get five bonus tracks, none of which is that memorable. I like Miss Sweeney because of the silly story it tells. It reminds me of a song I'd write (not a far stretch considering Rivers Cuomo is one of my top 2 musical influences.)
I boldly predict this will go down as the best album of the decade, a strong feat for an album that should have been made ten years ago.
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