'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
The Prince Myshkins
By Baron Dave Romm
The Return of
the Podcast!
Shockwave Radio Theater
Podcasts
for iTunes and iPods, with pictures
Even newer!
Shockwave Radio
broadcasts on archive.org. Bookmark my bookmark page.
Recent
additions include:
1995 The Lion
Sleeps Tonight and variations
2006 The DaVinci
Code book and movie
Political Quick Thought: Predictably, the two pronged strategy of Karl Rove and conservatives who can only hate: insist that any criticism of Bush or the Republican's handling of 9/11 and Iraq is from the extremists, and compare their own Swift Boat mud-slinging tactics to critics who nail Bush, such as Michael Moore. Pathetic, but it works. In order to be a Republican, these days, one must lie and believe lies. Don't let them get away with this unChristian spin. Your life may depend on it. (Here's a nice, though very long, LiveJournal entry from liz-marks that's worth reading.)
Vote in your primaries!
Several years ago I reviewed The Prince Myshkin's Shiny Round Object by saying "I bet their concerts are even more fun than the CD". This was demonstrated by their show at the 2006 Minnesota Fringe Festival, Great Hymn of Thanksgiving/Conversation Storm reviewed here a few weeks ago. Shockwave Radio Podcast with them as guests, reading a bit of their show.
The Prince Myshkins have a more recent album, I think. Total Myshkin Awareness is listed as being from 2004 but listed on their web site as "(coming soon)". I have no idea how to order a CD, except from them (try myshkins@hotmail.com) or what it might cost. On the copy handed to me at the Fringe, iTunes lists the album as "Total Myshkin Awareness (ADVANCE)". Too bad, since it's a better album than the first and well worth the effort. Fortunately, you can download mp3s of several songs, including my favorite. The songs are political, and Ministry of Oil is a dirge about Iraq what we went out of our way to protect as we bombed everything else with precision.
TPM likes creating an aural environment while their razor sharp lyrics skewer the far right. Sort of Brian Eno meets Roy Zimmerman. Many of the songs are over seven minutes of ethereal accordion, rhythm guitar and heartfelt vocals. As background, or on an iPod, I can appreciate the longer form. As songs, I think the shorter versions work better, and most of the cuts I like best make their point without dawdling. Nail Clippers is about the folly of airport security (and this was before hair gel became a terrorist weapon). Freudian Slip suspects that when Minority Whip Dick Armey called Rep. Barney Frank, "Barney Fag" it wasn't really a slip, he was playing to his potty-mouth right-wing base. Anyone can commiserate with their frustration in a Traffic Jam. They make further political hay out of Iraq War protesters with Mimi LaValley and 100 Nuns, the need to hard sell A War Without An End and remind us of the criminals who escaped justice during Iran-Contra because Reagan pathetically testified I Don't Remember. After 9/11, Clear Channel blocked certain songs form being played on the radio, and they protest not being on The List. The CD ends with Ahmed, an appeal to the melting pot of America.
I feel a little odd recommending an album that's hard to get, but try the downloads linked above, and if you want the rest of the album, bug The Prince Myshkins until they release Total Myshkin Awareness.
One of the Fringe shows that might travel to your area is The Wonders of the World: Recite. You should see it. I saw their last performance here, and they ran out of cast CDs, but I picked up two by cast members.
Peter Dolan is Chin Up, Meriwether!, and his seven-cut CD is Out East. Most of the songs are tuneful punk with topics mostly about friendship and love. I don't know how you can get the homemade CD except from him, but four of the songs are available for download on his MySpace page. Worth a listen, and to encourage talented young artists.
Similarly, My Contribution to the World, by Donna Sellinger, is self-published. I've only dipped into the narration: It's two stories, broken up into ten tracks each. She reads well, and the snippets I've heard seem interesting and even a bit sftnal, but I'm only going to give this a provisional recommendation until I've heard it all.
As long as I have a little space, let me mention a CD from last year's Fringe. Three Sticks Theatre Company, performers of this year's Borderlines did a music comedy in 2005. Based on a Welsh myth, and largely in Gaelic, Mythed was a lot of fun. The songs are tuneful and the harmonies fine, and the tracks preserve most of the music but not the dialog, so you get about half the show. The CDs are homemade and I don't know if any are still around, but worth an e-mail to Three Sticks, especially if you've seen the show and want a souvenir.
A brief nod to an artist who was taking time-lapse pictures at the 2006 Convergence: Chris Jordan. With cameras becoming both ubiquitous and high-res, artists are playing with the medium with old ideas but new toys and fresh eyes. I have his Timelapse Sampler, which isn't for sale but is the 2006 work in progress. I suspect YouTube has made projects like these easier to distribute and harder to sell. Ah, art.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
--////
Update from Colby
Katherine Harris
Hi,
This column does a good job of summing up Katherine's nuttiness. The city of Chattahoochee that is mentioned is well known for its mental hospital.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Editorial: The Fear Vote (lacitybeat.com)
And as members of both parties call for his head, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld now asserts that administration critics are like those appeasers who allowed Hitler's rise to power. The comparison is distasteful and dishonest, but interesting for everything he leaves out. Hitler was dead within four years of America's entry into World War II. Five years after 9/11, Osama bin Laden is still out there, perhaps never to be captured. At least, not on Bush's watch.
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie support same-sex marriage (advocate.com)
Brad Pitt, ever the social activist, says he won't be marrying Angelina Jolie until the restrictions on who can marry whom are dropped. "Angie and I will consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able," the 42-year-old actor reveals in Esquire magazine's October issue, on newsstands September 19.
Kim Ficera: Don't Quote Me: The Disappearance of the Tomboy (afterellen.com)
Remember hoping that Jo would lay a big, wet, sloppy one on Blair right on Mrs. Garrett's ugly sofa? That Tatum O'Neal and Jodie Foster would come to your school and pick you, and only you, to have a sleepover and then be on their top-secret softball team?
Hikaru Freeman: Gay Love in Japanese Manga (afterelton.com)
The tagline for Gravitation reads, "Love: The one force that simply won't be denied," a phrase that conjures up Brokeback Mountain's famous tagline, "Love is a force of nature." But Gravitation is worlds apart from the realm of Jack and Ennis, although there are indeed parallels.
JASON A. ZWIKER: Graphic Sexuality (charlestoncitypaper.com)
Comic icon Alan Moore's new graphic novel promises to unhinge critics.
Schism in the Jon Stewart Religion (beliefnet.com)
Recently, I blogged about the website JonStewartisGod.com, (JSiG for short), the homepage for a "religion" based on deifying the popular fake-news anchor. It turns out that, like any religion worth its salt, the Stewartist faith, if I may call it that, is already splintering. Yes, there's a schism among the faithful over whether to accept fellow anchor Stephen Colbert into the pantheon.
Michael Kress: Why Albert Brooks Went 'Looking for Comedy' (beliefnet.com)
"I'm just am shocked and continuously surprised that there are no public relations that this country does. I can't stress enough the importance of human to human contact," he says. "Kennedy says 'Ich bin ein Berliner' and Germans loved us for 20 years!"
Reader Blog
Nancy Maynard
Our good pal, Nancy Maynard,
who reported from the Pentagon, post 9/11, has a new blog:
Hubert's Poetry Corner
MY PITHY QUOTE
Reader Comment
Re: Valerie Plame
Marty:
Re 9/9 Bartcop E! "Chaos Household" (my favorite part) item:
"....Or seeing Valerie Plame's career snuffed as political pay back?"
Oh? Now that the truth is known, the "political payback" in this case would be from, I guess, Colin Powell. Maybe also Patrick Fitzgerald and the rest of those in the media who knew the truth about the "leaker" but chose instead to say nothing and let their country's president twist in the political wind for three years. If anybody destroyed Plame's career, it would be her gasbag husband, a proven liar on two continents.
Marty, this one isn't even close and you do your evil cause no good by sticking by Wilson and/or that other wack job, the good Mother Sheehan.
Love from Florida, home of Porter Goss...
EJ2E
My Dearest Ed -
With your man's never-ending war, do you think your kids will be immune?
Hope you never know the knock at the door that Cindy Sheehan did.
Guess you think you'll be able to '5 Deferment-Dick' your kids, rather than have them die for your noble cause.
BTW, what is that noble cause?
You contend Joe Wilson is a liar on 2 continents - but your man has proven himself to be a liar of epic proportions.
Between the WMD, welcoming us with flowers, 'Mission Accomplished', and the Osama-Saddam connection, it's time to wake up and realize this corrupt, crony-ridden administration will cause ungodly payback for generations.
As ye reap, and all that crap.
Finally, playing the 'evil cause' card, you've shown yourself to be bereft of facts. Name calling is the last bastion of a lazy republican er, libertarian (a pro-hemp republican).
And as Mark Twain noted, "Patriotism is the last bastion of scoundrels."
Time to put down that Kool-Aid, Ed.
Love from Long Beach, home of good cooking.
~ Marty
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Sunny with a nice breeze.
No new flags.
Belated Birthday Party
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton was feted Saturday night with performances from a dazzling array of film, comedic and musical superstars in a tribute befitting, well, a former U.S. president.
While actor and comedian Billy Crystal joked about the unruly back hair and sporadic urinating habits of men entering their seventh decade of life, Clinton bid his guests to make the world a better place.
Canadian chanteuse Sarah McLachlan, country superstar Tim McGraw, and legendary folk singer James Taylor were just some of the musicians on the bill.
Oscar winner Kevin Spacey was the master of ceremonies, David Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer served as musical director, and Crystal prepared a standup routine for the occasion.
Bill Clinton
Toronto International Film Festival
U.S. Liberals
Anti-George W. Bush sentiment is alive and thriving at the Toronto International Film Festival and its peripheral, star-studded parties - but don't blame Canada.
The ample dose of Republican bashing comes compliments of American filmmakers, actors, and musicians here to sell their wares or just wax political with like-minded U.S. liberals in a city conveniently located a stone's throw from home.
While festival organizers have defended the fictionalized assassination of Bush in the film "Death of a President" as a "free expression of ideas," an array of A-list American celebrities continue to express their contempt for the current U.S. administration.
U.S. Liberals
Man With An Opinion
Sean Penn
Actor Sean Penn wasted little time unleashing his volatile political views upon a Toronto International Film Festival news conference Sunday, calling U.S. resident George W. Bush "a Beelzebub - and a dumb one."
"One could make the argument that George Bush is a good politician," he said sarcastically. "I think the issue is how you define politician. Once upon a time, politics was the organization of things to benefit the people."
When asked by a reporter - who apparently missed the irony in the actor's words - to explain his describing Bush as a good politician, Penn said the definition has changed, just like the definition of good actor is now "contest winner."
"So that's the level of politician I think he's good at. So out of context, he's Beelzebub - and a dumb one."
Sean Penn
Services Held
Steve Irwin
A private funeral service was held for Australian TV naturalist Steve Irwin on Saturday and he will be buried at his family's zoo in the northern state of Queensland, local media reported.
Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, had declined a government offer for a state funeral for his son.
After the funeral service his body was taken to his family's Australia Zoo wildlife park, where he is expected to be buried, local media reported on Sunday.
Steve Irwin
Lauren Bacall & Blythe Danner
Hepburn Center Honors
Actresses Lauren Bacall and Blythe Danner have received the inaugural awards of a suburban Philadelphia college's new centre honouring the independent spirit of the late Katharine Hepburn.
Bryn Mawr College launched its Katherine Houghton Hepburn Center with a black-tie gala hosted by ABC News journalist Cynthia McFadden.
The centre seeks to honour the life and works of Hepburn and her suffragist mother, Katharine Houghton Hepburn - both alumnae of Bryn Mawr - and inspire a new generation of women to follow in their footsteps.
Hepburn Center Honors
Lends Support To Children's Charity
Matt Damon
Matt Damon says he doesn't want to be one of those celebrities who lend their name to a charity, get great publicity and then forget about it.
The Oscar-winner explains that his involvement with the Toronto-based charity OneXOne is not about personal glory.
Chantal Kreviazuk, her husband and Our Lady Peace front man Raine Maida and R&B star John Legend were among stars slated to perform. The gala was unconnected with the Toronto International Film Festival but was timed to coincide with the event in hopes of drawing attention to the cause.
OneXOne strives to improve the lives of children around the world, working to support groups including War Child, Childfind and the African Children's Choir.
Matt Damon
Play Cancelled After Death Threats
Federico Garcia Lorca
A play about Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca has been cancelled after its proposed performance ignited political passions still simmering over Spain's 1936-1939 civil war.
Spanish writer and actor Pepe Rubianes called off a planned performance of his play "Lorca eran todos" ("They were all Lorca") after he received death threats amid bitter recriminations from rival political groups.
The play deals with the execution of Lorca and thousands of other Spaniards by the forces of right-wing General Francisco Franco during the civil war.
Federico Garcia Lorca
Facing Competition
Hong Kong Disneyland
Mickey Mouse should be really worried about people like Shum Nai-ho.
The middle-aged man from southern China could have ridden Space Mountain or posed for photos with Donald Duck at the new Hong Kong Disneyland, which was expected to be a top attraction for mainland Chinese.
Instead, Shum took his wife and daughter to Hong Kong Ocean Park, a 29-year-old marine-themed park many thought would be wiped out by the time Disneyland celebrates its first anniversary this Tuesday.
Just the opposite has happened. In the past year, Ocean Park has experienced its largest attendance boom ever, luring customers with its cheaper ticket prices and diverse attractions like dolphin shows and a cable car ride with stunning views of the South China Sea.
Hong Kong Disneyland
Destructive Insects On Rise
Alaska
Destructive insects in unprecedented numbers are finding Alaska forests to be a congenial home, said University of Alaska forestry professor Glenn Juday, and climate change could be the welcome mat.
Warmer winters kill fewer insects. Longer, warmer summers let insects complete a life cycle and reproduce in one year instead of two, the forest ecologist said.
Warm winters also can damage trees and make them less able to fend off insect attacks by changing the nature of snow. Instead of light, fluffy snow formed at extreme cold temperatures, warm winters produce wet, heavy snow more likely to break the tops of spruce trees, Juday said.
Since 1980, aerial surveys indicate spruce bark beetles have killed mature white spruce trees on 4.4 million acres, including more than a million acres of the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage in an outbreak that took off after 1988.
Alaska
May Be World's Tallest
Three California Trees
Researchers have discovered three trees in a northern California forest they believe are taller than a nearby redwood listed as the world's tallest tree, a U.S. forestry official said on Thursday.
Researchers who trekked this summer through dense forests near Eureka, California found three coast redwoods taller than the record-setting 370-foot(113-metre)-tall Stratosphere Giant, according to initial measurements, said Rick Nolan, acting superintendent of Redwood National and State Parks.
The tallest of the three trees measuring 378.1 feet (115.2 meters) has been named Hyperion. Additional measurements will be taken to confirm that height, which would make Hyperion the world's tallest tree, Nolan said,
The thick canopy of California's redwood forests obscured the height of the trees from researchers on the ground, who must also contend with a maze of standing and fallen trees in rugged and remote terrain.
Three California Trees
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