'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
More Independent Music From Seattle
By Baron Dave Romm
Shockwave
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Vagrant Records
Every few months I get a nice package from Vagrant Records owner Erik 4-A. They are a mixed bag, as befitting independently produced music. Some are live recordings, some by groups that came and went too fast for a second CD and sometimes just Other Stuff. Very few are entered in Gracenote's CDDB. It's always an adventure listening to Erik's offerings, and I'm woefully behind. Here are some of the ones I liked from the last batch or two.
Howlin' Houndog & The Infamous Loosers
Erik starts off his own CD of Howlin' Houndog & The Infamous Loosers (yes, loosers) with an outtake. Grunting and howlin' for a minute. Most people put this sort of stuff at the end, but here it's a perfect beginning, leading into the actual Dylan song Tell Me Mamma. Howlin's roots are up front: In addition to his own compositions, the CD has two covers of Captain Beefheart songs, one from a science fiction movie and reworks several blues classics.
Benson Arizona is from the college movie project Dark Star and this isn't the first cover, but I appreciate it. Psycho refers to the same shooting incident that Kinky Friedman recounts in The Ballad of Charles Whitman. He tries to write a letter to his former girlfriend, and while Worm Quartet comes up with a Great Idea For A Song, Howlin' laments I Couldn't spell @#%&!* Send this one to Dr. Demento!
A solid collection of blues that takes the music seriously but almost nothing else. Recommended.
Wad
Tales From The Short Bus is an offering from pissed off rockers Wad. You can hear samples of songs from both their CDs on the web site, which connects to CDBaby.com.
They try to be angry rockers, they really do. They threaten to to on a gun rampage in Time To Kill and wander around in a Schizophrenic Nightmare. While they can't muster the hard edge of real counter-culture groups, they are tight musicians in their toned-down outrage. Naturally, I like the science fiction of Abduction and appreciate the anti-political Nothings Gonna Change
Quite a few second albums have a song (or two) about the rigors of touring, and Wad's entry is Out here: "Out here I see millions of faces/All the same no gender or races". Meanwhile, they want to Smash My Radio, presumably because they're not on it. The track listing helpfully notes which cuts are "Not FCC friendly". And keeping with their Not-Quite-So-Bad-Boy image, they flag a song with the word "ass" which you can actually say on the air (though maybe you shouldn't, if you're trying to shock).
I can't give an unqualified recommendation for Tales From The Short Bus, but most of the songs are iPw (iPod worthy) and may very well get better on second listening. In any event, they're good enough at their craft to keep an ear on.
The Incredible Impoliteness of Being
What can you expect from a band called the 24 Hour Church of Beer and an album called The Incredible Impoliteness of Being? Aimed at the drunk frat boy crowd, the album never really settles on a drug of choice. The first song is a proper revival meeting sliding into a good blues-rock tune, but then the second song 1/4" (that is, a quarter pound) is about marijuana. Ah, but they get back to the subject in Beer. Yikes, the next song is about the Tyrant Mind saying "no beer today". Crest of the Wave is a spacy blues number probably better on marijuana than beer. We get back to beer with G.I.T. (if we could only "Get It Together"). And so on. A dash of unplayable language and some fuzzy guitar peg the band. They'll never be The Grateful Dead or Jimmy Buffet, but, I bet they're a lot of fun live (or inebriated).
I'm too far removed from the excesses of youth to really appreciate the 24 Hour Church of Beer (why doesn't anyone write songs about single-malt Scotch? or extol good beer?) but your liver might be more receptive. Listenable to and iPw, if you're in the mood.
Stocking Stuffers
Here are a few quick suggestions of gifts presented by friends of mine, some of which have me on them (though I don't benefit except by association).
The great Luke Ski has a new DVD out called The EGO Has Landed (I'm in the background of one of the songs, I think). The two volumes of Funny Musicians For A Serious Cause are still available; vol 1 for the victims of 9/11, vol. 2 for the victims of Katrina. Shockwave Radio Theater contributed to the second one. Art Paul Schlosser: The Tribute, with a contribution by me, is on CDBaby.com. Former housemate Nate Bucklin re-released his CD Water Over The Bridge in a better format.
A reminder of my brother's book on global warming coming out in January. Hell and High Water. You'll hear a lot more about it in the coming months.
The War on Channukkah
Don't let the right-wing PC crowd stop you from celebrating the holiday that Jesus celebrated! It's time for The Festival of Lights. The various English spellings of "Channukkah" commemorate the "rededication" of the Temple in Jerusalem after it's destruction by foreign forces. Only one day's worth of oil was left, but it was necessary to light the menorah for eight days to complete the rededication ceremony. The oil lasted! It was a miracle! We celebrate on the 25th of Kislev (the evening of Dec. 15, 2006CE) and continue for eight days (through the evening of Dec. 23).
The story of Channukkah is the story of religious freedom. Whatever your beliefs, join the Jewish people in rededicating your life to preserving freedom from intolerance and oppression.
Judaism leaps into the 57th Century with a YouTube video of the Hanukkah Train. Send some Hanukkah e-Cards.
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.
--////
Reader Suggestion
Cool Link!
Here's a link to some cool 60's protest posters.
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Brian Morton: Ho Ho No (Baltimore City Paper; citypaper.com)
Dear Santa, for Christmas I'd like to ask for some kindness and tolerance for my fellow man -- especially from foaming-at-the-mouth conservatives.
Peter Fox: Postcards from the Geffen (advocate.com)
Carrie Fisher's new one-woman show Wishful Drinking is an imperfect yet poignant rumination on drugs, survival, and the psychological scars left by a certain metal bikini.
Danielle Riendeau: Coming to a Comic Book Store Near You: Lesbian Manga (afterellen.com) *Warning: This site has really annoying advertising*
Lesbian-themed comics may be a bit of a rarity today, but that's something that comic book artist Megan Gedris is aiming to change, and it looks as if she's in a fantastic position to do so. Prism Comics, a nonprofit organization which advocates for greater inclusion of LGBT characters and creators in the comic book industry, has revealed exclusively to AfterEllen.com that they have awarded a queer press grant to Gedris.
Heather Aimee O'Neill: Across the Page: Creating Self (afterellen.com) *Warning: This site has really annoying advertising*
This month, two books take on two icons of lesbianism: Katharine Hepburn and the coming-out tale. William J. Mann's revealing biography of Katharine Hepburn uncovers the legendary actress' sexuality, while award-winning writer Judy Doenges' first novel grapples with a girl's coming-of-age and coming-out.
Gena Hymowech: Interview with Megan Mullally (afterelton.com) *Warning: This site has really annoying advertising*
During the eight years that Will & Grace was on television, almost everyone knew bitchy boozehound Karen Walker. Now people are learning about the woman who played her, thanks to The Megan Mullally Show, a daily gabfest that debuted only a few months after Will & Grace ended. We recently spoke to Mullally about her new show, how she feels about actors choosing (or not choosing) to come out, humping Sean Hayes, and Karen: The Musical.
KEN KNOX: Bucking the System (Adult; frontierspublishing.com)
As a breakout female-to-male transgender porn star, Buck Angel is turning the adult-entertainment industry on its head
RICHARD ROEPER: Comfy cliches soften 'Holiday' comedy (2 stars; suntimes.com)
This is a well-acted, thoroughly pleasant, quite competent and almost instantly forgettable Christmas film, as sweet (and as nutritionally lacking) as a peppermint latte. "The Holiday" is written and directed by Nancy Meyers, whose previous works include female-friendly comedies such as "Baby Boom," "Father of the Bride," "What Women Want" and "Something's Gotta Give." I wouldn't go so far as to say Meyers emasculates her leading men, but she did put Mel Gibson in pantyhose, turned Steve Martin into a blithering nincompoop because his daughter was getting married and made Jack Nicholson forfeit Amanda Peet in favor of an age-appropriate romance in "Something's Gotta Give." (Aw.) She is to romantic comedy what Ridley Scott is to the gladiator film.
Lauren Gard: By confronting society's greatest taboos, Oakland photographer Frank Cordelle has created something truly extraordinary (eastbayexpress.com)
His photos, although profoundly moving to some viewers, come as a shock to many, particularly when viewed out of context. Nude depictions of children and seniors are by nature taboo in a culture rooted in Puritanism. And most, although not all, of his subjects bear physical or mental scars, or struggle with their body image. Some are obese, anorexic, or bulimic. Some have been raped or abused. Some are afflicted with disease, while others have inflicted pain upon themselves.
The Century Project
Video: The Dalai Lama: How Do I Live a More Spiritual Life? (beliefnet.com)
Project for the Old American Century
Hubert's Poetry Corner
PARIS HILTON READY FOR MOTHERHOOD?
JUST WHO IS THIS HORN DOG?
Reader Suggestion
Jerome Murat
Marty
Jerome Murat, French mime, takes a magic trick and turns it into a wonderful performance! I loved it!
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Started out sunny and breezy, turned overcast and windy.
Super Bowl Halftime Show
Prince
Funk rock veteran Prince will perform during the halftime show at the Super Bowl in February.
Prince, the 48-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who rose to fame on the strength of such tunes as "Little Red Corvette" and "Let's Go Crazy," will perform at Dolphin Stadium near Miami on Sunday, February 4. The game will be televised on CBS, a unit of CBS Corp. This year's event, held in Detroit, drew 91 million viewers in the United States, according to Nielsen Media Research.
It's unlikely Prince will have problems with censors from the network and the National Football League. He has become a Jehovah's Witness and disavowed the kinkier tunes that make up a hefty chunk of his catalog.
Prince
Top Films For 2006
AFI
The musical "Dreamgirls," the Sept. 11 attacks drama "United 93" and the outrageous comedy "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" were among the American Film Institute's picks Sunday for the top-10 films of 2006.
Also among the AFI's top 10: the ensemble story "Babel," the fashion-world satire "The Devil Wears Prada," the gritty classroom drama "Half Nelson," the animated penguin romp "Happy Feet," the bank-heist thriller "Inside Man," the World War II saga "Letters From Iwo Jima," and the road-trip tale "Little Miss Sunshine."
The AFI does not rank its picks for best films of the year. The list was chosen by a panel of 13 filmmakers, critics, scholars and AFI trustees. This year's panel included directors Michael Apted and James Brooks, writer-producer Diana Ossana and Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan.
A separate AFI panel that included producers Steven Bochco and Kevin Bright picked the group's choices for top-10 television shows of the year: "Battlestar Galactica," "Dexter," "Elizabeth I," "Friday Night Lights," "Heroes," "The Office," "South Park," "24," "The West Wing" and "The Wire."
AFI
Eastwood Film Tops List
Los Angeles Film Critics
Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima," the second of his two World War II sagas this year, was picked as the top movie of 2006 Sunday by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
The runner-up for best picture was "The Queen," a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family in crisis after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. "The Queen" earned the group's honors for best actress for Helen Mirren, supporting actor for Michael Sheen and screenplay for Peter Morgan.
The New York Film Critics Online Awards on Sunday also were dominated by "The Queen," which earned five honors: best picture, best actress for Mirren, supporting actor for Sheen, director for Stephen Frears and screenplay for Morgan.
Los Angeles Film Critics
Cinematographer Honored At Santa Fe Film Festival
Laszlo Kovacs
Hungarian cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, with more than 60 feature films to his credit including the 1969 biker film "Easy Rider," was honored at the Santa Fe Film Festival for his lifetime achievement.
Kovacs, whose films also include "Five Easy Pieces," "Paper Moon," and "Ghostbusters," received a standing ovation from the audience in receiving his Lumanaria Award. In accepting Saturday night, he said "this moment has made life worth living for."
Actress Ali McGraw hosted the ceremony.
Laszlo Kovacs
Ambassadors To Honor WWII Spy
Virginia Hall
In 1942, the Gestapo circulated posters offering a reward for the capture of "the woman with a limp. She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies and we must find and destroy her."
The dangerous woman was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore native working in France for British intelligence, and the limp was the result of an artificial leg. Her left leg had been amputated below the knee about a decade earlier after she stumbled and blasted her foot with a shotgun while hunting in Turkey.
The injury derailed Hall's dream of becoming a Foreign Service officer because the State Department wouldn't hire amputees, but it didn't prevent her from becoming one of the most celebrated spies of World War II.
On Tuesday, the French and British ambassadors plan to honor Hall, who died in 1982 at age 78, at a ceremony at the home of French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte in Washington.
Virginia Hall
Yard Sale
Tori Spelling
Hundreds of fans and bargain-hunters descended on Tori Spelling's yard sale and walked away with wine glasses, paintings, lingerie, roller skates, a rubber duck and other items.
Memorabilia from Spelling's time with the television show "Beverly Hills, 90210" also sold quickly on Friday and Saturday. One person paid $25 for a plastic Starbucks mug that reportedly retained a smear of Spelling's lipstick.
About 300 people showed up at the "Tori Spelling Dazzling Studio City Estate Sale" at the rented home she shares with husband Dean McDermott. Spelling is pregnant with the couple's first child.
The sale was videotaped for the VH1 reality show "So NoTORIous" loosely based on the life of Spelling.
Tori Spelling
Missing Painting Turns Up
Emil Nolde
A portrait by German expressionist Emil Nolde worth about US $660,000 has been discovered more than 25 years after it went missing, a spokesman for Baden-Wuerttemberg state police said Friday.
The oil painting "Nadja" was discovered by an art historian who said he stumbled across it when cleaning out his attic and realized the work did not belong to him. The man, whose name was not released, handed it over to state police, said Ulrich Heffner, a spokesman for Baden-Wuerttemberg authorities.
Painted in 1919, the portrait originally belonged to Walther Rathenau, the foreign minister of Germany's Weimar Republic who was murdered in 1922. Rathenau's brother then inherited the picture, which went missing while in the hands of a transport company in the late 1970s.
Emil Nolde
Outbreak Kills 5000 Gorillas
Ebola
Over the last decade human outbreaks of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa have been repeatedly linked to gorilla and chimpanzee deaths in nearby forests. Hotly debated has been whether these wild ape deaths were isolated incidents or part of a massive die-off. New research published in the journal Science puts this debate to rest, providing strong evidence that Ebola killed at least 5,000 gorillas at a single site. The study also provides new hope for controlling the devastating impact of Ebola on wild gorilla and chimpanzee populations.
Since reports of ape die-offs first circulated widely in 2003, sceptics have doubted how large these die-offs were and whether Ebola was even the cause. The new study, led by Magdalena Bermejo of the University of Barcelona, allays these doubts because it was conducted in a closely monitored gorilla population where genetic tests confirmed Ebola as the cause of death. Bermejo and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and Uppsala University first showed that 93% (221 of 238) individually known gorillas at the Lossi Sanctuary in northwest Congo were killed by Ebola during outbreaks in 2002 and 2003. They then used transect surveys to show that 95% gorilla mortality rates extended over a much larger area of several thousand square kilometres. Chimpanzees were also heavily affected, with a mortality rate of 77%.
Just as troubling are recent studies showing that the Ebola infection wave is spreading rapidly towards several of the remaining large protected areas in the region. Results from the new study suggest that protecting these remaining ape populations from Ebola may be much more feasible than previously appreciated. At Lossi, most gorillas appeared not to be infected directly from some reservoir host, as previously assumed. Rather, initial spillover from a reservoir host appeared to trigger an epidemic that spread from gorilla social group to gorilla social group. This opens the door to targeted vaccination strategies that, by breaking the chain of transmission, could be much more efficient than in the case of outbreaks driven entirely by reservoir spillover. The consistent spread rate of the Ebola infection wave also suggests that vaccination could be targeted just ahead of the advancing wave.
Ebola
Defies Vatican
Archbishop Milingo
An excommunicated Roman Catholic archbishop continued to defy the Vatican on Sunday when he installed two married men as priests.
In front of a sea of reporters and photographers and several dozen congregants, Raymond A. Grosswirth of Rochester, N.Y., and Dominic Riccio, of the Newark Archdiocese, were installed by Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo at the Trinity Reformed Church. The ceremony concluded a two-day convention of Milingo's advocacy group, Married Priests Now!
Milingo has called celibacy "outdated" and was married in 2001 to a Korean acupuncturist chosen for him by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in a mass wedding performed by Moon's Unification Church.
Milingo's ties to Moon, whose doctrines are considered beyond the bounds of traditional Christianity, have caused consternation in Catholic circles. Moon's American Clergy Leadership Conference paid for much of Milingo's conference this weekend.
Archbishop Milingo
Head To Sanctuary
Hollywood Chimps
Two chimpanzees who appeared in numerous movies and TV shows were removed from a ranch and will retire to a sanctuary to settle a lawsuit alleging animal cruelty, an animal rights group said.
The chimps were trucked out of San Bernardino on Saturday and were expected to arrive at their new home in New Mexico on Sunday, said Lisa Franzetta, a spokeswoman for the Animal Legal Defense Fund. A third chimp will be shipped to Florida next week, she said.
The chimps have appeared in productions such as TV's "That 70s Show" and "The Craig Kilborn Show," and the upcoming movie "Evan Almighty." They were raised from a young age by trainer Sid Yost, who runs Amazing Animal Productions Inc.
Yost said he was legally forbidden to reveal details of the settlement. But Tobin Dunlea, who has been an animal trainer at the ranch for seven years, said Yost agreed to give up the chimps and can no longer own or work with primates.
Hollywood Chimps
Secret To A Long Life
Fulla Nayak
A 120-year-old woman claims that smoking cannabis every day is her secret to long life.
Fulla Nayak, from India, says she reached the age of 120 by smoking pot and drinking strong palm wine in her hut everyday.
Nayak told The Sun newspaper, "I don't know how I've survived so long. Many relatives much younger than me have died."
Fulla Nayak
Thanks, Jim!
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