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From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
Reader Review
Political Satire
By Dave Romm
Bad political satire is easy to find. Too many right wingers think that making a scatalogical joke is somehow a political statement. The right wing's obsession with sphincters and excrement and other people's sex lives is disgusting. A conservative is someone who was improperly toilet trained. That stuff was funny when I was eight, but I grew up. Most of the "satire" on right wing talk radio is just recycled bathroom humor that made the girls cry in fourth grade. And it still does, which explains a lot about the conservative movement.
Good political satire is harder to find, but worth the effort. The songs of Tom Lehrer, many written in the 50s and the rest from the 60s, still resonate today and he's part of the vocabulary of musical political satire. It's tempting to talk about him here, but there are many many many sites dedicated to Tom Lehrer, as it should be. I'll go for more recent music. Not all good political satire skewers the right, but somehow the left/center commentary is more cleverly written, more entertaining and more likely to be worth listening to years later.
The Capitol Steps specialize in topical humor, and they'll take on anybody. They're a bunch current and former Congressional staffers working out of Washington DC, and their web site has songs about events in today's headlines. Many of the songs are recorded in front of a live audience. They write new lyrics to old songs (what might be called "political filk"), and are usually dead on. In addition to their parodies, such as Enron-ron-ron (to the tune of Do-Ron-Ron) and Mine Every Mountain, about drilling in ANWAR (both songs can be heard on their site), some albums have an original piece called Lirty Dies, commentary done completely in spoonerisms. They skewer everyone and are frequently hilarious doing it. Their current CD is When Bush Comes To Shove. Get it quick: sometimes the parodies get dated awfully fast. Still, these guys are on top of current events and have a devilishly cynical take on the news. And sometimes, a political joke is funnier when the cycle comes around to it again.
The Foremen only have four albums out, and much of the first two is in the third (heck, two of them have the same name). They are technically out of print, but you can try to get them from Roy Zimmerman's site. Folk Heroes (1995) and What's Left (1996) (boasting a quote from Ollie North, "Friends, this is a very weird group") are the two I have. The first one has their best song, Building For The Future ("When the hopeless hordes have found their voice, and a priest can marry the man of his choice, and no one plays bagpipes or quotes from James Joyce, you'll be there, Buddy you'll be there.") They wander into partisan territory in Ain't No Liberal and My Conservative Girlfriend and come up with a staggering amount of euphamisms for masterbation in Firing The Surgeon General (hey dittoheads: this is the way to use sexual innuendo for political commentary). What's Left has a number of really good bits, from the right wing announcements at Scorched Earth Day to the brilliant What Did You Do On Election Day and California Couldn't Pay Our Education to Gingrich's Hidden Agenda to cutting funding of independent radio in Privateers of the Public Airwaves. Highly recommended: even though a few cuts are a shade dated,many are still fresh and relevant.
Reverend Billy C. Wirtz is a force unto himself. Take Tom Lehrer's ability with language and audience interaction, the Foremen's propensity to skewer the right, and filter it through Jeff Foxworthy's southern viewpoint, and you have the Rev. Billy. I only have a couple of his albums. Backsliders Tractor Pull isn't so much political as it is deconstructive. Honky Tonk Hermaphrodite is about a good ol' boy... and girl. He has a Sleeper Hold On Satan and does an ad for Junior's Discount Frozen Embrio World and precisely bounces off Southern stereotypes in A Pinhead Will Survive. I should probably play Mennonite Surf Party right after The Electric Amish... By Songs of Faith and Inflammation, a live CD with introductions and audience laughter, Rev. Billy slips more direct political humor with Right Wing Roundup, though my favorite cut is the string of metaphors he uses to express his love for his wife in Song For Judy ("...the way Elvis loved his mama, the way the Dalai loves his Lama..."). Pro wrestling gets the treatment in Grandma vs. the Crusher and We Dismember These is about nostalgia for political and pop cultural seven-day wonders. While the least overtly political of the three groups discussed here, he's the one I'd most like to see live.
Dave Romm is a conceptual artist with a radio show and a web site and a very weird CD collection. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here.
Thanks (again), Dave!
Great Site
All Hat, No Cattle
Lisa, from www.allhatnocattle.net sent the 'toon.
Thanks, Lisa. Now go check out her site!
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Fun Site
Bored
Bored.com - Links to the most interesting sites
Thanks, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Got into the gardening Saturday. Lots of tomatoes, peppers, onions & lettuce - among other stuff (all legal - LOL).
KCBS, channel 2 in LA had an hour's worth of 'All In The Family' episodes killing time in the afternoon. Funny as I age, how my
perceptions of the characters change.
TV was so bad, ended up at KOCE, PBS for Orange County, and their reruns of 'Ed Sullivan'. Saw a very young Stevie Wonder.
Also watched some of 'Men In Black'. What can I say, I really like Rip Torn. Jeez, ever see the 'Larry Sanders Show'? Rip rocks!
Tonight, Sunday, CBS starts with the traditional '60 Minutes', and then replaces the scheduled 'Max Bickford' with
'Touched By An Angle', and follows it with a made-for-tv-movie, 'Little John'.
NBC has the NBA overlapping into primetime, so there will be (at least) an hour of local programming. Scheduled at 8pm (edt),
they are scheduled to start their 3 hour self-love fest, celebrating 75 years of broadcasting.
ABC starts the night with the movie 'Stuart Little' (which the kid hated), and follows with fresh episodes of 'Alias' and
'The Practice'.
The WB starts the evening with the TV-debut of the movie 'The Mummy', and follows with 'The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'.
Faux is fresh, starting with 2 episodes of 'King Of The Hill', then 'Simpsons', 'Malcolm' and 'X-Files', which is down to
the final 3 episodes. Hallelujah.
UPN has it's weekly rerun of 'Enterprise', followed by a fresh 'Tracker'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
The White House Correspondents Association Dinner
Ozzy, Too
resident Bush gave Washington reporters a look at "what life is really like inside the Bush White House" on Saturday, showing off his collection
of "actual, never-seen-before photos."
One of the good things about life in the mansion is that his wife, Laura, is always on hand to help him out, he said displaying a photograph of the
first lady standing with her hands on each side of his face.
"Here she is helping me pronounce Azerbaijani," said Bush, who is known to stumble over long words.
Drew Carey was on hand to provide the entertainment during the more than three-hour event, doing standup comedy for the president and more than 1,800 guests,
including White House adviser Karl Rove and rock star Ozzy Osbourne.
Osbourne and his wife, Sharon, were the guests of Fox News' Greta Van Susteren. The couple and two of their three kids are stars of the MTV hit reality show,
"The Osbournes," which chronicles the family's wacky, profane home life.
"The thing about Ozzy is, he's made a lot of big hit recordings "Party With the Animals," "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath," "Face in Hell," "Black Skies" and "Bloodbath
in Paradise,'" said the president.
"Ozzy. Your mom loves your stuff."
The correspondents' dinner, now in its 88th year, has become an occasion for self-deprecating humor from presidents. Last year Bush presented a slide show of his
family accompanied by a joke-riddled speech about the 2000 election recount.
The White House Correspondents Association was formed in 1914 as a liaison between the press and the president. Every president since Calvin Coolidge has attended the dinner.
The White House Correspondents Association Dinner
New Feature
CELESTIAL SASS
By gare galbraith
Forecast for 5/4 - 6/21/02
(For entertainment purposes only)
Howdy Y'all.... it's May 4th... Happy KY Derby Day and Feliz Cinco De Mayo! Whee! Starwise, the next 5 weeks will be quite interesting and you can save yourself
some problems and expense if you read and heed: Our quickly moving Messenger Ball, Mercury will do a double take and go backwards (RETROGRADE!) from 1:51pm (all
times in this column are EDT... you do the figgerin').... Mamaw cain't do everything for you young'uns.... 5/15 - 10:12am 6/8.
This is a time for everyone, particularly Geminis and Virgos (Sun or Rising Sign) to take no piece of communication for granted. Take every step to make sure you are
understood and that you understand.... this is a classic time for folks to be slapping their foreheads, saying "Oh! I thought you meant...." while their dreams are leaving
on the missed train. Repeat yourself and ask over and over until you are crystal clear. If you have to sound like Rainman, so be it.... it's better than the regret that
can happen because of not being on the same page with others, socially or professionally.
This is also not a good period for long distance travel..... and if you have to, triple check everything.... departure times....NYSE stock prices of the airlines you're
using... the fine print on your ticket. If you're driving, get under the hood before you leave and make sure tires are checked. Because the Mercury Retrograde is a frustrating time for....
Mechanical and Electronic gadgets! I'll tell you to purchase nothing like this in the Retro period. Do it before 5/15 or after 6/8. Don't make me tell you the anecdote about my client, the
brain surgeon (literally!) who did not heed and got 2 minutes action from a leaf blower. Also expect problems and glitches from realms of mechanicality and electricality. Your 'puter might not
be as steadfast and your toaster might be passive/aggressive concerning your English muffin requirements. And if you bought it during this coming or a previous Merc Backpedaling period, don't
expect the maker to honor it's warranty as it is not a time to....
Sign contracts, agreements or any legal papers? No... don't! You'll regret it some way! You'll miss some important clause (or comma) that will lead to fumeladen regret. If you have to sign it, have
it triple read by your lawyer and then take it to a paralegal and read it syllable-by-syllable with him/her (and i've known one or two him/her legal folks, so i can pronoun-pronounce away as i like).
So, to sum up.... Communications... Travel.... Mechanical Problems.... Legal Snafus. With this caveat, you can avoid a lot of trouble. Don't make me tell you the story of the most powerful nation on
earth that had an election on the last day of a Mercury Retrograde that resulted in technical voting booth disasters, miscommunication in informing the populace on how to vote and then in declaring a
winner, State officers blocking roads to voting places and lawyers parachuting into Florida to chomp in on the legal bonanza. And don't make me tell you the story of the Astro reader who knew there was
gonna be trouble but really didn't trumpet such and is now poking out a column instead of being CNN's official Astrologer. Don't make me do that. This is, however, an excellent time for review and revision
of projects or personalities.
GEMINI 5/21 - 6/21 Fasten your seatbelts, Twinoids... it's gonna be a bumpy spring. Oh, but it will give you something to talk about, which you love, but let's get you set on talking about avoiding
problems, not being caught in a whirlwind of them. Read the above general forecast and triple it and apply it to both of your Twinselves. Now, before the Merc Ret period, you do have some time and opportunity
to get ready to hunker down. The time from 10:04pm 5/12 to 4:08am 5/15 is a superb time for you to make a great impression, first or otherwise. After the Ret Time, 6/9 5:29am - 11:08am 6/11 is your Astrological
New Year! Use this to begin any project that you want to have lasting value and to push for what you THINK is best. The Mercury Retro time could be an excellent time for you to review and revise what it is you
want to put forth to the world. Take it and run with it, honey. Be very lowkey during the Full Moon starting 10:20pm 5/25 and ending 1:40am 5/28. This is not a time to think you can win points on argument and
people will not be responding well to your thoughts. Adapt and save the important stuff till after 6/8.
1st Gem Decan 5/21 - 5/31 PLEASE! Read and heed the above advice about this particular Retro period. It effects everyone, but will be traveling backward and forward in the 1st 1/3rd of Gemini. You are used to
clear logic and thought, but this will be a time that just might shake up your belief system if you think you can go full mental throttle as you (ab)normally do. You have trouble sleeping regardless, but use this
time to find some forms of healthy relaxation. You have just left a period of feeling (THINKing, really) very sexy. Rouse others with your positive thoughts til 5/15 and then let them review your magnificence til 6/8.
Then, git to talkin' and sellin' what you know is good and you will be not only heard, but listened to.
2nd Gem Decan 6/1 - 6/10 Y'all (and usually that means just 1 Gemini) are going thru a period of great activity and casting of allure in the perception of others. Too bad you can't bottle and sell it... or maybe y'all can.
Be wary of overpressing your arguments, especially when you do that agile mental thing of taking the side that you don't even believe is correct. 5/6 - 5/14 is a powerful time for you as long as you are focused on priorities
and don't allow carnal rumblings to disrupt your hard work... I ain't tellin' ya to stay chaste, but make sure the sexual expression is integral to you and not a spur of the moment acting out because of what you've smoked. In
other words, you will have immense, intense energy in this time but it must be channeled maturely... you've had a lot of new responsibility since last November and the correct nurturing of such will only enhance your status.
3rd Gem Decan 6/11 - 6/21 Beware of excessive verbal and maybe physical contentiousness from 5/12 - 5/28. It will only serve to undermine you and lead to unfortunate relationship dropping by you or others. I know it's hard to
stop, but could you smoke a little less and stop justifying why you do? It's got nothing to do with weight and you know it. You will be coming into an 2 year era of increasing responsibility beginning the middle of June and you
might as well get yourself in good mental/physical shape to handle it. You THINK, therefore you prevail.
Thanks, Gare!
Liberal Radio !
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
Join Erin Hart at near-regulation time (10 pm to 1 am [pst] Sun ) on www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com (It's
a browser thing).
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's fan page (courtesy of 14Dem), http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com
'Bad' Word Slipped By
Ozzy, Sharon & The NBC Censor
The foul-mouthed Osbournes were at it again Thursday night - as a forbidden expletive starting with "f" eluded NBC censors and made it onto the air
on "The Tonight Show."
On Thursday's "Tonight Show," the bleeps were just as numerous (as many as 14 bleeps, according to some counts) as Ozzy and Sharon conducted an uninhibited
chat with host Jay Leno about topics ranging from their marriage to the future of their series, which winds up its first season on Tuesday.
But the NBC watchdogs missed the very first expletive uttered by Ozzy. It came shortly after Ozzy and Sharon took their seats next to Leno.
"Good to see you again, you guys!" Leno said.
"I feel like we live here!" answered Sharon, referring to their last visit just a few weeks ago on March 29.
"We should [acquire] a condo next to the studio," said Ozzy in an English accent that is so heavy it can sometimes be difficult to understand.
"Did you say condom or condo?" Sharon asked.
Replied an annoyed Ozzy, "No, no, no, I didn't f- - - - n' say 'condom'!"
A mortified and apologetic NBC spokeswoman said the unbleeped expletive was "a mistake" and that the word was bleeped in time for the show's West Coast
feed later in the evening.
Ozzy, Sharon & The NBC Censor
Interesting Link
Welcome to the Occupation
Welcome to the Occupation
The White House Correspondents Association Dinner
Harrison & Colin
Actor Harrison Ford, left, and Secretary of State Colin Powell talk during the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner, Saturday, May 4, 2002, in Washington.
Photo by Kenneth Lambert
BartCop TV!
Can't Make The Jubilee
Elton John
Elton John performed at Buckingham Palace but Queen Elizabeth II was not at home to hear him.
The singer recorded a song to be played at a concert in honor of the queen's Golden Jubilee on June 3. John will be on tour and unable to perform at
the show, which will be held on the palace grounds.
John filmed a video in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace.
Two concerts one classical and one pop will be held on the palace lawn. The pop concert will feature stars such as Paul McCartney, Aretha
Franklin and Eric Clapton. More than a million people have entered a ballot for the 12,000 free tickets for each show.
Elton John
The White House Correspondents Association Dinner
Drew & Christie
Actor/comediann Drew Carey pretends to ignore model Christie Brinkley while posing for a photograph at the podium in the Brady Briefing Room of the White
House in Washington May 4, 2002. Carey will be performing at the Washington Correspondents Dinner this evening.
Photo by William Philpott
Caught Lip-Syncing?
Enrique Iglesias
Enrique Iglesias got caught lip-syncing last week. A crowd of 15,000 booed the crooner at an Austrian ski resort when they realized he was faking.
At one point, when the part-time crooner tried to address the audience, it turned out his microphone wasn't even working. A rep for the resort told
the British press that Iglesias was faking because the thin air made it difficult to breathe. Iglesias also showed up an hour late because, "He
likes a long sleep."
Enrique Iglesias
Paid Off Old Debt
Johnny Carson
Bob Sweet knew the former king of late-night television when Johnny Carson regaled friends with magic tricks at the Seven Seas lounge.
One night in the early 1950s, the WOW radio personality stopped by the bar, saying he needed $10 for cab fare.
Sweet gave him the money after making a bartender named "Zim" write out the IOU on a napkin. Sweet kept the paper for years but eventually misplaced
it, figuring it was gone with the $10 Carson borrowed.
On a whim, Sweet recently wrote Carson, reminding the retired star not only about the loan, but ribbing him about the interest due.
The money was promptly mailed back with a note: "Bob, it was my opinion it was a no-interest loan. Sincerely, Johnny Carson."
Johnny Carson
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Paralysis Resource Center
Christopher and Dana Reeve
Actor Christopher Reeve and his wife helped open the country's first center devoted to teaching paralyzed people about living more independently, finding
employment and other issues.
"One of the most disabling aspects of paralysis is the lack of resources and support necessary to get back into a world that has completely changed for
the paralyzed individual both economically and socially," said Reeve, star of the "Superman" films, who was paralyzed after falling from a horse seven years ago.
"When somebody is first injured or as a disease progresses into paralysis, people don't know where to turn," he said in a statement.
The center will house the nation's largest collection of paralysis-related publications, operate a self-help Web site and publish an extensive manual, "The
Paralysis Resource Guide," due out this fall.
Christopher and Dana Reeve
Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Resource Center Web site
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Web site
Not Home - Not Alone
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin lived up to his starring role in "Party Monster" by dropping $2,000 on lap dances and booze at the Manhattan strip club Privilege the
other night. Culkin, 21, got "more than 20 lap dances" at the Chelsea jiggle joint and finished off many flutes of champagne while partying for three
hours with a group of pals. "Macaulay spent $2,000 just on himself," says the spy, "and his friends were also drinking champagne and getting lap dances
until about 3 a.m." The still-cherubic "Home Alone" star portrays Club Kid killer Michael Alig in the upcoming "Party Monster," his first movie in eight
years. The hotly anticipated flick co-stars Marilyn Manson, Seth Green, Chloe Sevigny, Natasha Lyonne and Alig's former assistant, Heatherette designer
Richie Rich. Alig, who orchestrated some of the most debauched nightclub parties in history at Limelight, is serving a 20-year sentence for the grisly 1996
murder of his drug dealer Angel Melendez, who was bludgeoned unconscious with a hammer and then injected with Drano.
Macaulay Culkin
UNICEF To Honor Memory
Audrey Hepburn
A sculpture honoring the late actress Audrey Hepburn will be unveiled Tuesday next to the headquarters of the United Nations Children's Fund.
Hepburn, star of films such as "Roman Holiday," "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "My Fair Lady," served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador from 1988 until her
death in 1993, raising awareness of children's issues around the world.
The 7-foot bronze sculpture by artist-sculptor John Kennedy, titled "The Spirit of Audrey," was commissioned by Hepburn's longtime companion, Robert
Wolders, who donated the work to UNICEF.
Roger Moore, Harry Belafonte, Mia Farrow, Isabella Rossellini and Nane Annan, wife of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, will attend the ceremony, UNICEF said.
Audrey Hepburn
UNICEF Web site
In Nepal
Ganesh
A chariot is pulled by Newar people, one of the most cultured ethnic group of Nepal, at the temple of Hadhi Gaoun in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sunday, April 28, 2002. The chariot with the idol of the Hindu God Ganesh is pulled through the waters of
Gahanna Pokhara, or pond, in search of ornaments, that are mythologically believed to be in the waters.
Photo by Binod Joshi
Auction News
Rembrandt
A portrait by Dutch painter Rembrandt, not seen in public in 50 years, will go on sale in London in July and is expected to fetch 10 to 15 million pounds ($15-22 million),
auctioneer Sotheby's said Friday.
"The picture last changed hands 48 years ago and has not been seen on the open market since 1935," Sotheby's vice chairman for North and South America said in a statement.
The oval-shaped oil work of a young woman, measuring 65 cm by 49 cm, was painted in 1633 -- described by Sotheby's as a pivotal period in the artist's career
when he made his reputation among the Amsterdam merchant classes.
Rembrandt
Formerly Lisa Halaby
Queen Noor
Hoping to clear up misconceptions about Islam and plug her upcoming memoir, Jordan's Queen Noor addressed about 500 publishers and booksellers Saturday.
"Part of my mission is to portray the Muslim faith as I understand it," she told attendees of a national publishers' fair, adding that Islam is often
characterized as a "backward, fanatical religion."
Her memoir, "Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life," is slated for November publication. The book is expected to discuss Noor's childhood in America
as Lisa Halaby, her days at Princeton in its first coeducational graduating class, and her life as Queen Noor al-Hussein, wife of King Hussein, who died in 1999.
Queen Noor
BookExpo America Web site
Queen Noor's Web Site
Warning!
Scheduled Yahoo! GeoCities Maintenance
Friday 5/17/02 9PM PST (GMT-7)
GeoCities will be performing scheduled maintenance starting
Friday, May 17th, 2002 at 9:00 pm PST (GMT-7). Service will
be restored the morning of Sunday, May 19th, 2002.
Still Seeking Volunteers
'The Osbournes'
Recently updated.
Put up a page devoted to 'The Osbournes'
C'mon....send your thoughts, your impressions, your views, your favorite quotes...
Scroll down for lots of addys to pick from (or 'from which to pick', for the truly anal retentive).
