Tim Blair points out what should have been obvious. Damn…coffee ALMOST through the nose isn’t fun either.
Via Ken Summers.
Okay, Sgt Mom got me thinking…why not bring it out in the open.
What are the five songs that you’d rather just have someone put you out of your misery before you had to hear them again?
In no particular order and this is just off the top of my head before bedtime:
You Make Me Feel Like Dancin’ / Leo Sayer
Fast Car / Tracey Chapman
I Will Always Love You / Whitney Houstan
Sandman / America
Rock Me Gently / Andy Kim
Yeah, I’m stuck in the past tonight…what can I say? Really though, throw them out there, it’s amazing how good that feels.
Jay Tea over at Wizbang is having a bit of fun trying to speculate who else Jim Steinman could write for besides Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler. Who else has got the pipes for a Jim Steinman rock opera? You can go leave comments with him on that subject, I have to do my obligatory why I love “Bat Out of Hell” rant.
In the summer of 1977 I was getting ready to turn 16 and FM radio was a wasteland of Disco babies singing to that insipid heartbeat backbeat. We also had “Back in The Saddle” by Aerosmith and that was the year that “Rumors” got Fleetwood Mac noticed. Queen hit us with “We Are the Champions.” But we also had Shaun Cassidy torturing us with “Da Doo Run Run” and Dan Hill making the little girls cry with “Sometimes When We Touch.” Just kill me NOW. I’d complain about “You Light Up My Life” but that song got me to second base with a very blessed young lady so I’ll leave it alone. The Ramones were still banished to college radio and the Punk Clubs. My fake ID worked almost everywhere BUT the Punk Clubs.
Midnight Movies were where kids my age hung out. Led Zepplin’s “Song Remains the Same” was at the Uptown or the Nortown, The Fantastic Animation Festival…where Pixar first made it’s splash with the Desklamps was at one arthouse or the other, and a weird cult movie out of Britain called, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” was going into nonstop Friday and Saturday Midnight rotation at The Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue. I’ll admit I did a decent Riff-Raff and even once did a night as Rocky, but I wanted to be Eddie. “Hot Patootie, Bless My Soul…I really love that rock and roll.” Besides…Eddie got Columbia and I LUSTED after the girl playing Columbia.
In the middle of all that throw in hormones raging and Boones Farm down by the lake drinking. Junior year was coming up…no longer a Frosh and already suffering from senior-itis. All of this was swirling around and around and around….out from the radio came a chilling voice…
“On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?” What the f*ck? Turn that up…”On a hot summer night, would you offer your throat to the wolf with the red roses?” “Yes.” “I bet you say that to all the boys.” And “You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth” crashed through the clutter and the garbage and I was dancin’ barefoot in the arms of an angel at sunset on Morse Beach and all was right in the world for those moments. And yeah, we danced at Morse Beach to the radio…you got a problem with that?
The next day found a bunch of us at the neighborhood record store picking up, “Bat Out of Hell.” Produced by Todd Rundgren, backed up by most of the E-Street Band, and holy sh*t, Carla DeVito!!! She’s local!!! No sh*t she went to Loyola…she used to sing at Baby Huey’s…my brother DATED her!
Pure, unadulterated rock taken to operatic levels and with words every teenage kid in the neighborhood could understand. From “I know that I’m damned if I never get out and I know that I’m damned if I do…” to “We were glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife.” we got it. This was an albumn about summer, at the beach, with kissing and making out and all that stuff that made being a teenager bearable.
And that’s why “Bat Out of Hell” is to this day, one of my favorite albumns. Someone out there got it. Someone outside of our circle knew. Cuz ya know when you’re 16…you figure that no one gets you or your friends.
For those of you using Mozilla instead of Microsoft, the latest and greatest version of Thunderbird is out. The Tagline is “Reclaim Your Inbox.” Version 0.9 gives lots of ways to configure how you want to view your email.
Remember to uninstall the previous version before installing the new one. Yes, you can uninstall the directory completely…your files aren’t stored there. Just another reason I like this e-mailer.
And…Firefox 1.0 (Not the Preview) is set to be released on 9 Nov 04. Oh boy oh boy oh boy…I love stuff that works.
A Sad American explains to the Democrats how they lost her vote.
Republicans need to read it too before they get their MANDATE rolling.
Via Kos.
Henceforth to be known as THR/NF Delusions…assuming more pop up.
You know it’s time to decompress from politics for awhile when weather maps with cold fronts make you wonder what alternate universe you’ve woken up to.
As I was reading Mary’s post below, a thought crossed my mind and actually stuck at this late hour:
When Senator Kerry lost on Tuesday, was that the end of the liberals in the Democratic Party?
Discuss.
I was watching The Daily Show the other night when Jon Stewart had New York Senator, Chuck Schumer as his guest. The two men were still in shock from the “ass paddling” (Stewart’s words) the Dems took on Tuesday. And Stewart had the key question and they both kind of missed the significance of it. Stewart said something along the lines of, “Are they right? Are we media elitists who are really THAT out of touch with the rest of the country?”
Yes, you are. And I understand it. When I joined the Air Force I had but one prejudice…Rednecks. Easy Bubbha, I got over it…no reason to get the Dale Earnhardt Commemerative Shotgun down off the wall…we’re cool. But back then I was from a CITY. I was EDUCATED. I was SMART. I knew a lot about THE ARTS. I was TOLERANT. Hence…better than you backwoods treckin’, gone fishin’, sheet wearin’, Jeezuz Lovin’, NASCAR watchin’ crackers who obviously wanted to be us dashing urbanites, but you didn’t know how. Yes…I was that stupid when I was young. Not only did I not know but worse, I didn’t know that I didn’t know…ya know?
Hence the problem with most Urban Dwelling Democrats today. They don’t know that they don’t know. Tolerant of minorites? Sure. Tolerant of Gays? Of course. Tolerant of the folks who live outside the urban and suburban concrete and asphalt mazes and who actually believe in their God, in their country, in their family? Dear…don’t be droll, it doesn’t become you.
For those of you who have been runners for awhile, I’m curious…what music do you listen to when you’re pounding the pavement? Does anyone have a favortie playlist or albumn that seems to work for them? Just curious.
First of all, let me add my congratulations to President Bush and the Republicans. I think it was an amazing race and he stuck to his guns the whole way. I’m simply amazed. It would have been much easier to give a little here or there, but he didn’t do it.
I also have to give a lot of credit to Senator Kerry for not subjecting us to a repeat of 2000. He had 10,000 lawyers standing by and he chose to accept the will of the American people and I don’t care what anyone else says, that’s good on him. I think that’s the most admirable thing I’ve seen him do the entire election and it surprised the hell out of me.
The rest of this was going to be a comment to HerkyBirdMan’s post below but decided that it needed to be right out here on the front page.
Some of us who voted for President Bush strongly disagree with him on his stance on homosexuality and his anti-abortion agenda. I don’t share his values in those areas. Don’t believe for a moment that everyone who voted for the President agreed with 100% of the far-right agenda or are comfortable with the Evangelicals assumed influence on the man.
Yes, in my opinion, there are far too many abortions as birth control, but it’s not my body, nor is it yours. That’s between the ladies and their God, if they even have one. I think there’s got to be a middle ground, no I don’t know what it is, but I’m not willing to have the ladies go back to the days of having abortions in back alley clinics. Their choice, not mine, not yours…that’s what I believe is more important. Free will…it’s a real bitch sometimes.
As for homosexuality…I have never understood how giving gay or lesbian couples the same rights that my wife and I enjoy under the law in any way makes my life any less holy or blessed. What you consider an abomination, I consider perfectly okay. It’s not bothering me or my family if their family has some protection. Do I think the gay and lesbian folks blew it by pushing “marriage” versus civil unions? Yep. And now it’s going to be even harder for them.
Some of us voted for the President IN SPITE OF his Evangelical leanings, not because of them. I’m not trying to blow your party Herk, I just don’t want my silence to pass for agreement.
Not all of us are all conservative or all liberal. There’s still a center in this country, and the first candidate to figure it out next time will have it much easier than this time.
Blackfive describes his problems voting in the 42d Ward in da great city of Chicago.
I’d like to tell you I’m shocked, but folks, lets not forget, it’s Chicago. Home of, “Vote early and vote often.” We love politics in da city. We love it so much, sometimes we vote twice. We love it so much, sometimes we don’t quit votin’ after we’re dead. Dat’s just da way it is. Now I need a sammich and a way to get dis southside accent out of my head.
Blackfive has the contact information to help this guy and his family:
Sergeant Joseph Bozik, an Airborne Soldier with the 118th MP Company (Airborne) from Ft. Bragg, was recently wounded. He has lost both legs and an arm from a landmine, is not not conscious and has many medical complications. On Monday, Sergeant Bozik will be flown into Walter Reed from Landstuhl (Germany).
Unfortunately, the family doesn’t have enough money to maintain themselves in a hotel (let alone buy food) for an extended period. The Army paid for airfare for 2 family members and Soldiers’ Angels paid for airfare for 2 two more. The Angels can cover hotel expenses for only three days. Fisher House is full so they have to stay at a hotel.
Give if you got it.
Glenn Reynolds is back from his trip and links to an article by Michael Barone. It’s your basic analysis of how, if elected, John Kerry is going to have a hard time governing since the Democrats, more than the Republicans have been (officially would be my qualifier) more uncivil this campaign than in any other. How does he think he’s going to unify the country? Yadda yadda yadda. Go ahead and read their opinions, that’s not what I want to talk about.
There are a lot peace activists and war protestors who honestly believe they’re doing good work by trying to stop war. For them there’s no higher calling. Peace is the answer, always, there is no good reason for war…ever. I get it. I don’t agree with it, but I understand it.
Blackfive is contemplating getting out of Chicago…again. But really dude…Texas? (Looking over my shoulder, seeing Mom in full “Don’t Mess with Texas” glory…how do you clean a shirt with rhinestones?…ahem…Texas is nice…especially San Antonio…in the summer…sure good idea…) Who the hell still owns a Colt six-shooter?
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If I’m watching the President and Governor Schwarzenegger during a campaign event and I think to myself, “These guys need new material.” does that mean that the President has become a celebrity or that Arnie has become a politician? Or is this part of some greater disillusionment or alieanation leading me to believe that maybe Al Franken was in reality funny more often than “Deep Thoughts?”
Let’s take that further, if Jon Bon Jovi and John Edwards are on the same stage, which one’s going to win the commercial hair care contract when this gig’s over? Will Jackson Brown sing The Loadout?
I though I’d go ahead and tell you all just a bit about me. Up until last night I was writing over at Digital Warfighter. Thanks to Stryker for letting me figure out if I really wanted to do this blogging thing or not.
Sgt Stryker’s Daily Briefing was one of the first blogs I ever read. I’m very happy to be here.
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I love South Park. I’ve got an intro piece in the works, but wanted you all to see this one.
Via ASV