'TBH Politoons'
Thanks, again, Tim!
Baron Dave Romm
New CDs from Old Friends
By Baron Dave Romm
Pre-9/11, George Mann and Julius Margolin's CD Hail To The Thief jabbed at Bush Lite's weak character: He was dumb, uncaring and an unelected fraud. Those flaws seem minor now, with greater evil eminating from the Bush administration every day. Self-described "labor folkies" George and Julius mainly take on the failed economic policies in their new CD A Few Bad Apples (order info and sound clips here). Just as 30's Depression songwriters ignored the looming Nazi threat and Stalinism in the Soviet Union to concentrate on the hard times, the labor folkies of the 00's are skimping on the international and ecological threats to take on scandals such as Enron, Worldcon, Bush Corporation Thieves, the forced genuflection of Bush and Ashcroft in Praise Bush (from a Wobbly tune), the plight of the working man in Lucille, Lucille My Little Girl and take another jab at Bush's stupidity with an uncredited track 15 If I Only Had A Brain. As with all good Depression songwriters, amid the bad news is a song to lift the spirit of pride, Great White Hope.
Very much a throwback to Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, A Few Bad Apples is the musical counterpoint to the hard-hitting exposés of Joe Conason and Sydney Blumenthal. Sometimes they're union organizers, sometimes they're singing around the hobo campfire. They eschew biting political satire for plain talk and real emotions. And they're on tour! This week's gigs (see their website for more details):
If you liked Hail To The Thief, you'll like A Few Bad Apples. If nothing else, the two of them should be left out as conversation pieces when friends drop over...
Earthier, from a blues rather than folk background, Rev. Billy C. Wirtz' latest CD, Rev. Elation, is a live concert from Chicago. As it says in the liner notes, "It's not my best show of the year, but it's far from my worst." The best way to appreciate the rev is at one of his concerts. He really knows how to work a crowd.
I had the privilege of playing host to Rev. Billy on a recent gig here in Mpls. Despite the rigors of a long road trip, he brightened up as soon as a microphone was in his face. I'll digitize his Shockwave appearance and put it up on my audio page soon. (To air his live concerts, I have to do some judicious bleeping...) In concert, he was great. The place was jumpin' and everyone was getting into it.
His songs range from the very personal love story, The Woman on Page 63 to a pretty dissection of another Rev., Jerry Falwell, Down In Lynchburg. Rev. Billy's has the amazing ability to interrupt himself, interact with the audience, play a different song, and then continue as if nothing happened. His patter is as much fun as the songs, as in the kinky Roberta. He gets his political licks in too, with En-Ron-Ron.
Rev. Elation is not the best introduction to Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, but if you're a fan, or if you saw him in concert and want to recapture the feeling of a slightly twisted and high-energy Southern revival meeting, then this is a worthy addition to your collection. Spiritual, liberal, personal, hilarious and just two shades of blue, there's no one quite like him.
I get to see Tonic Sol-Fa at the Minnesota State Fair. The a cappella boy band has been around for a number of years now, and have a devoted following. They give a fun concert, often bringing a member of the audience up to dance with them. This year, their lead-off concert was on the short side, but they had a good excuse: The release of their new album, Red Vinyl. Unlike their other albums, this was mostly originals, with only one cover. It holds up pretty well. My favorite song is Boston to Beijing, about travelling being a dislocation of the senses, with Virginia, about the new girl, also good. While their covers are great, exploring new territory is working too. (What doesn't work very well is their web site, which doesn't want to load on my system, so I can't give you lyric links and such.) They don't get out of Minnesota much, but they're worth a look if and when they come to your town.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia with a radio show, a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here, and you can hear the last two Shockwave broadcasts in Real Audio here (scroll down to Shockwave). Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air, and I'm collecting extra-weird stuff for a possible CD compilation.
He's Been Busy!
The Worried Shrimp
Reader Request
'Poetry Attack'
A message from a
friend in Buenos Aires, where even a used book of
poetry is an expensive and precious commodity.
Reader Review
DC/911
If Showtime had sponsors for this propaganda posing as docudrama, one of them would have to be Kraft since it was the cheesiest attempt at making George W. Bush look legitimate since that photo-op landing on an aircraft carrier. I sat stunned as the writers of this nonsensical disinformation gave perfect articulation, precise enunciation, and flawless projection to a man who, in reality, can't say the word "diction" without snickering at the first syllable.
The movie's first scene tries to give a sense of credibility to Donald Rumsfeld by having him tell congress, "Social Security is a wonderful thing, Congressmen, but without national security it won't be much use." It isn't until after this statement that we see the devastation of 9/11. This leaves the viewer with the impression that national security was the top priority of this administration from the beginning. For those of us who were paying attention, terrorism didn't even make the top twenty. In fact, Condi Rice considered the matter insignificant when President Clinton's National Security Advisor briefed her.
The next scene shows Mr. Bush scurrying around the country like one of his daughters searching for a misplaced bottle of Captain Morgan. He is given several macho lines while he's on the run such as, "If some tinhorn terrorist wants me, tell him to come and get me! I'll be at home, waiting for the bastard!" and "I've got to get back to Washington because I'm not going to let those people keep me from getting home." But my favorite line was the Freudian slip, "People can't have an AWOL president!" You can't unring a bell Mr. Bush! At one point while he is on Air Force One he asks how Laura and the girls are and says he wants them to have full security. I expected the camera to cut to a shot of a Secret Service agent pulling Jenna off of a barstool at her undisclosed location.
The rest of the movie is just more mind numbing drivel spouted again and again in meeting after meeting in an attempt to brainwash those who have drifted off into a boredom induced coma by now. The movie ends (thankfully!) with Mr. Bush giving a speech to a joint session of congress that the writer would have you believe, after the speechwriters were done, he fine-tuned himself. If an enemy truly wants to embarrass Mr. Bush, they should just challenge him to a spelling bee.
Sam H.
Great job - thanks, Sam!
from Mark
Another Bumpersticker
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Still too warm.
Local TV is reporting Ahnold wants Gray Davis to apologize for making a crack along the lines of 'you shouldn't be governor if you can't pronounce the name of the state.'
And they say Gray Davis has no sense of humor. But, he's right - I don't live in Caul-li-for-nyah.
Thanks to Pepperdine, I spent 1972-73 in Heidelberg. It seems to me that Germany learned the hard way - when an Austrian steps forward, offering simple solutions to complex problems, everybody pays dearly.
2 new daytime shows start today: 'Starting Over' on NBC and 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' (syndicated).
Tonight, Monday, CBS begins the evening with a RERUN 'Yes, Dear', followed by a RERUN 'Still Standing', then a
RERUN 'Raymond', followed by a RERUN 'King Of Queens', then a RERUN 'CSI: Miami'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Dave are Jack Black and Anthony Hamilton.
Scheduled on a FRESH Craiggers are Juliette Lewis and Joey Lawrence.
NBC opens the night with a RERUN 'Fear Factor', followed by the Season Finale of 'For Lu$t Or $'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jay are John Larroquette, Oscar de la Hoya, and Nick Lachey.
On a RERUN Conan are Kim Cattrall, Eric Bana, and Stephen Koch.
Scheduled on a FRESH Carson Daly are Gabrielle Union, Djimon Hounsou, and Jay Mohr.
ABC is all 'MNF'.
Scheduled on a FRESH Jimmy Kimmel are Wilmer Valderrama, Mischa Barton, and the Starting Line.
The WB offers a RERUN '7th Heaven', followed by a RERUN 'Everwood'.
Faux has a RERUN 'The O.C.', then a FRESH 'Parasite Hotel'.
UPN has a RERUN 'The Parkers', followed by an hourlong RERUN 'Girlfriends', then a RERUN 'Half & Half'.
A&E has 'Biography' ('All My Children'), 'Cold Case Files', and 'City Confidential'.
AMC offers the movie 'Saturday Night Fever', followed by the movie 'Waiting To Exhale', then the movie 'The Slums Of Beverly Hills'.
BBC -
[6pm] 'BBC World News';
[6:30pm] 'Parkinson' - Russell Crowe;
[7pm] 'Ground Force' - Isle of Man;
[7:30pm] 'Changing Rooms' - Northumberland;
[8pm] 'Red Cap' - Cover Story;
[9pm] 'Rebus' - Mortal Causes;
[11pm] 'So Graham Norton' - Katie Holmes;
[11:30pm] 'So Graham Norton' - Pamela Anderson;
[12am] 'Rebus' - Mortal Causes;
[2am] 'Red Cap' - Cover Story;
[3am] 'So Graham Norton' - Katie Holmes;
[3:30am] 'So Graham Norton' - Pamela Anderson;
[4am] 'Rebus' - Mortal Causes; and
[6am] 'BBC World News'. (ALL TIMES EDT)
Watch the UK original series 'Coupling' (before the NBC-version debuts) in a marathon airing of season one - Friday, September 19th, and Friday, September 26th from 9pm to 2am/et.
Bravo has 'West Wing', 'Queer Eye', 'Reality of Reality', another 'Queer Eye', then 'West Wing', again.
On a RERUN Jon Stewart it's TBA.
History has 'Terror Tech', 'World Trade Center: Rise & Fall Of An American Icon', then 'The Fireboats Of 9/11'.
SciFi is all 'Stargate SG-1' all night.
TCM has a little bit of something for everybody, from kids to military misfits - and 'Dr. Strangelove', too!
[6am] 'MGM Parade Show #18 (1955);
[6:30am] 'The Invisible Boy' (1957) [co-starring
Robby the Robot, fresh from Forbidden Planet (1956)]
;
[8:30am] 'Magic Boy' (1960) [AKA: Shτnen Sarutobi Sasuke (1959)] ;
[10am] 'Jack And The Beanstalk' (1952);
[11:30am] 'Hans Christian Andersen' (1952) [where
Danny Kaye has the classic line: ''You'd be surprised how many kings are only a queen with a mustache.''];
[1:30pm] 'tom thumb' (1958);
[3:15pm] 'Lolita' (1962);
[6pm] 'Dr. Strangelove Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb' (1963);
[8pm] 'The Wackiest Ship In The Army' (1961);
[10pm] 'Operation Petticoat' (1959);
[12:15am] 'You're In The Army Now' (1941);
[2am] 'Private Benjamin' (1980); and
[4am] 'Keeper Of The Flame' (1942). (ALL TIMES EDT)
The Dalai Lama (L) escorts former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali from the Chamtse Ling temple, for a dedication ceremony in Bloomington, Indiana September 7, 2003. An estimated crowd of over 5,000 people attended the event, with a traditional Tibetan ceremony to dedicate the temple.
Photo by Frank Polich
The Information One-Stop
Moose & Squirrel
Playing Miami MotoRock Concert
Elton John
Elton John and his band have announced that they will perform at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida at 8 p.m. on Saturday (September 27), marking the singer-songwriter's first-ever performance at that venue. The concert for MotoRock Miami 100--Battle By The Beach is part of the Grand Prix Americas festival, which is presented by MotoRock LLC, and the Trans-Am Road Racing Series.
Grand Prix Americas is a weeklong festival of events culminating with two of North America's premier racing series.
Elton John
Make Opera Debuts
Supreme Court Justices
Anthony Kennedy likes to listen to the opera while working, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dreamed of a career as a diva and Stephen Breyer has twice performed on stage albeit a half-century ago.
Despite their limited performing arts resumes, the three made rare special appearances, with non-singing roles, in the Washington Opera's season-opener "Die Fledermaus" on Saturday night.
The trio make their entrance, the petite Ginsburg flanked by the trim tall Breyer and Kennedy, just in time for a solo by tenor Placido Domingo and exotic performance by tango dancers. The justices do not join in the dancing, a difficult undertaking in their long black judicial robes. They are introduced as "guests supreme."
Ginsburg and Kennedy have more recent on-stage experience. Ginsburg and Justice Antonin Scalia were extras together in 1994 in a Washington Opera presentation of "Ariadne auf Naxos." They wore white powdered wigs. Kennedy has several previous assignments including one at the Opera House in Sydney, Australia.
Supreme Court Justices
Washington Opera
A Hindu woman carries a pot burning camphor on her head during celebrations by Paris' hindu community marking the birthday of the worshipped elephant-headed god Ganesh, who removes obstacles in the path of his devotees, in Paris September 7, 2003. All along the route, devotees smashed coconuts to offer their hearts to Ganesh.
Photo by Jacky Naegelen
Shown to Produce Weird Sensations
Infrasound
Mysteriously snuffed out candles, weird sensations and shivers down the spine may not be due to the presence of ghosts in haunted houses but to very low frequency sound that is inaudible to humans.
British scientists have shown in a controlled experiment that the extreme bass sound known as infrasound produces a range of bizarre effects in people including anxiety, extreme sorrow and chills -- supporting popular suggestions of a link between infrasound and strange sensations.
Dr Richard Lord and his colleagues, who produced infrasound with a seven meter (yard) pipe and tested its impact on 750 people at a concert, said infrasound is also generated by natural phenomena.
For the rest, Infrasound
Observing 10th Year
Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien didn't really know what he was getting into replacing David Letterman on NBC's "Late Night," and he's not trembling about becoming a dad for the first time at age 40. His wife, Liza, is expecting in October.
This is shaping up as a memorable fall for O'Brien. In addition to impending parenthood and a fitful baby will undoubtedly give him the chance to watch himself on TV more often at 12:35 a.m. "Late Night" is up for its first Emmy Award as best comedy or variety series.
On Sept. 14, NBC is also celebrating the 10th anniversary of O'Brien as host with a 90-minute prime-time special, taped before an audience at New York's Beacon Theater.
For a lot more, Conan O'Brien
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Finally Gets His Oscar
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski, a fugitive from justice in the United States, finally received the Best Director Oscar he won in March for "The Pianist" -- at the Deauville film festival in northern France.
US star Harrison Ford, who accepted the award on his friend's behalf at the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood, presented Polanski with the golden statuette at a laid-back reception in the fashionable Normandy coastal resort.
Polanski is head of the jury at the 29th Deauville festival -- the annual showcase for American cinema in France -- while Ford opened the event on Friday by introducing his latest movie "Hollywood Homicide", a police action caper.
Roman Polanski
Set on Fire
Third Iowa Bridge
A third historic covered bridge was set on fire near the setting of "The Bridges of Madison County," but this time passers-by doused the flames before the fire caused much damage, sheriff's officials said.
The 97-foot-long Hogback Bridge, which was built in 1884 and was featured in the Robert Waller novel, was set on fire Saturday afternoon, said Madison County Sheriff's Deputy Craig Busch.
The fire followed a blaze two days earlier that destroyed a covered bridge near Delta, about 100 miles east of Winterset.
That bridge, with a rare Burr arch roof, burned on the one-year anniversary of an arson fire at the famed Cedar Bridge in Madison County. The Cedar Bridge was destroyed on Sept. 3, 2002. There have been no arrests in that blaze.
Third Iowa Bridge
A 10m giant lantern is displayed at Hong Kong's Victoria Park September 7, 2003, as part of festivities for the upcoming annual Mid-Autumn Festival. The Hong Kong government will bid to include the lantern in the Guiness World Records as the world's largest lantern.
Photo by Bobby Yip
'Checks' Out Classic Rock Sounds
DMC
While the members of Run-D.M.C. may have decided to hang up their microphones as a trio after the death of group member Jam Master Jay, DMC has decided to launch a solo career.
The Queens, N.Y., native has been working on his solo debut, "Checks, Thugs and Rock & Roll," for a while now -- but don't expect him to carry over the group's signature sound to his new set.
"I listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones -- classic rock," DMC says. "This music isn't old to me, because I never heard it before. For me to keep rapping, we've got to dominate the universe now. We've already dominated the world in mind and thought. It's all about the music. I'm a little older now. I want to be the Bruce Springsteen, Roy Orbison of music. I'm going to keep rapping, but I want to try to make it better for everybody."
DMC
Helping Find Art Stolen by Nazis
Web Site
People searching for art that was stolen by the Nazis have a new tool: a Web site that allows U.S. museum collections to be checked for long-lost pieces.
The Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal http://www.nepip.org is a searchable registry for people looking for items that disappeared in Europe between 1932 and 1946. It goes online Monday.
So far 66 museums have signed up to participate in the program overseen by the American Association of Museums. They include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Chicago Institute of Art. The Web site has indexed 5,761 of their objects and an additional 1,663 are in process.
Similar sites in Europe will be reachable through a link with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington.
Web Site
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
American Association of Museums
Formerly 'The Vidiot'
Ahnold's Oui Interviewer in Spotlight
Peter Manso
Twenty-one years before a raunchy Oui article surfaced to haunt Arnold Schwarzenegger's California campaign, another skin-magazine article by the same writer helped deflate the gubernatorial dreams of New York Mayor Ed Koch.
In 1982, just days after Koch announced his bid for higher office, Playboy published Peter Manso's 17-page interview with Hizzoner, which was widely credited with dooming his campaign.
A similar story may now be unfolding in California, where a 1977 article by Manso recounting a young Schwarzenegger's confessions of sexual escapades and casual drug use has added another strange twist to a political contest already rife with weirdness.
Less than three hours after the long-dormant article appeared online last month, Manso was fielding calls from news organizations seeking interviews or copies of the tapes. Within a day, he was on CNN.
For the rest, Peter Manso
Would Love Bad Guy Role
Harrison Ford
Action hero Harrison Ford said he would love to play the bad guy in a film but never gets any offers because the evil characters never get the lead role in Hollywood movies.
In an interview with Der Spiegel magazine to be published on Monday, the American actor said he would enjoy the challenge of a bad guy role for a change of pace.
Ford has starred in four of the 10 top-grossing movies made -- "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Return of the Jedi."
Harrison Ford
Rowers dressed up as old Venetians open the historical regatta in Venice, September 7, 2003. The traditional historical regatta opens with a boat race in which crews compete from all over the Venice lagoon.
Photo by Crosera-Smith
Broadway Bound
Jenna Elfman
Jenna Elfman is stepping onto the stage, signing on to make her Broadway debut in "Nine" opposite Antonio Banderas.
Elfman is set for an Oct. 7 start, taking over the role of Carla from Jane Krakowski, who recently earned a Tony Award for her performance in the musical.
Directed by David Leveaux, "Nine" opened April 10 at the Eugene O'Neill Theater in New York, where it is playing through Jan. 4. In addition to Banderas, the musical stars Chita Rivera, Rebecca Luker, Mary Stuart Masterson, Nell Campbell, Jacqueline Hendy, Mary Beth Peil, Saundra Santiago and Myra Lucretia Taylor.
Jenna Elfman
Possible Shipwreck Probed
Blackbeard
Archaeologists are investigating whether a burned shipwreck off the North Carolina coast is the remains of the last ship captured by the pirate Blackbeard.
Officials with Surface Interval Diving Company have said the wreckage could also be that of a Civil War-era vessel burned by retreating Confederate officers in 1861.
The wreck is about 40 feet longer than those Blackbeard commandeered in the early 1700s, which were 80 to 90 feet long, said the company's vice president, David Pope.
And one historian and Blackbeard expert, also citing the vessel's length, says it is unlikely that it is Blackbeard's ship.
But the location of the wreckage makes the Blackbeard theory plausible.
For a lot more, Blackbeard
Moves to New Home
Jesse Ventura
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and his family have moved into a $1.9 million lakeside estate in one of Minnesota's wealthiest communities.
Real estate agent Karla Blomberg said the Venturas bought a 10-year-old lakeshore home featuring five bedrooms, eight bathrooms, an exercise room, hot tub, home theater and six-car garage.
According to the real estate listing, the Venturas' new home has 8,212 finished square feet and about 1,000 feet of shoreline.
Jesse Ventura
Protest New Action Figure
Librarians
A new action figure of a frumpy-looking librarian who moves her index finger to her lips with "amazing push-button shushing action!" is prompting librarians around the world to raise their voices in protest.
The 5-inch Librarian Action Figure, which shows a bespectacled woman in a cardigan, long plain skirt and sensible shoes, goes on sale in October for $8.95.
It is produced by Seattle kitsch retailer Archie McPhee and Co., whose lineup of action figures includes Sigmund Freud, Nico the espresso stand barista, and the McPhee action figure that started it all, Jesus Christ.
On Web sites and discussion groups, in phone calls and e-mails, librarians from as far as Australia have made it clear how annoyed they are with the doll and Nancy Pearl, the 58-year-old real-life librarian who posed for the action figure.
Despite the backlash, Pearl said she does not regret posing for the doll: "It's a lovely idea and a lovely tribute to my chosen profession."
Librarians
Archie McPhee
Orchestral Concert to Hit Theaters
Kiss
The Australian concert that Kiss did with a 60-piece symphony orchestra in February was big enough, but it's about to get even bigger.
A recording of the February concert from Melbourne's Telstra Dome will be shown at big-screen theaters in 21 U.S. cities Tuesday, to coincide with its release on DVD. A double CD from the concert was released in July as "Kiss Alive IV."
The show features original members Stanley, Simmons and drummer Peter Criss with the band's newest member, Tommy Thayer, a longtime touring assistant who was pressed into service when original guitarist Ace Frehley declined to perform following what was supposed to be a farewell tour in 2000-01.
Kiss
A Chinese worker uses porcelain plates and bowls to build a 100m dragon for the Mid-Autumn Festival in Wuhan, the capital of China's central province of Hubei, on September 5, 2003. The romantic festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which falls on September 11 this year.
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