The media licking its own ass

Let's see here...four days after New Year's eve there are now news stories about the lead singer of Motley Crue dropping the F-bomb on live television. So far the FCC has received no complaints! My, my. Hopefully a pointless news story will get the slope-headed monkey brains on the phone to the FCC. It only takes about three complaints to get the ball rolling for an FCC indencency investigation. Of course, a news network can lie all day every day but as long as they not saying 'fuck' and showing tits it's OK. My head may explode.

Movie time

Got back a little while ago after seeing the movie "The Aviator." It's a little uneven but I did really enjoyed the early portion of the movie that covered Howard Hughes' playboy days in Hollywood. Heck, he hooked up with Kate Hepburn and Ava Gardner, for god's sake. There were a couple of nice surprises since I didn't read about the movie too much before I saw it.

1) Alan Alda had a nice meaty role as a senator who was working against the interests of Hughes' company TWA. I was thrilled to see Alda get some major screen time again. It was especially fun since he played a "bad guy" and it was obvious he was having fun in the role.

2) Gwen Stefani played Jean Harlow. Very yummy.

3) Cate Blanchett was really good as Kate Hepburn. She has the figure and the attitude for it. She looked great dressed in Hepburn's trademark slacks.

Rock and Roll

Last week the Double Door Inn here in town had an anniversary show. It's become a traditon now that around the holiday season the Double Door's anniversary show features the Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll. Since I've been going at this blog thing for a couple of years now I am sure I've mentioned that before. Since I haven't posted for a couple of days I am going to post a couple of shots of my buddy, Bill Walpole who plays slide guitar for this killer local band who you all should see at least once in your life.

Year end lists (tweeked)

Since I have been changing the music portion of this almost every day I think I'll just repost it. Due to a request by James I have added some links to the music portion of this entry.

Here's the list of my favorite books I read this year in no particular order.

Andrei Makine - A Hero's daughter
Sheri Holman - The Mammoth Cheese
Anchee Min - Empress Orchid
E.L. Doctorow - Sweet Land Stories
Philip Roth - The Plot Against America

How about favorite CD's purchased this year?

Drive by Truckers - The Dirty South
If you're taking a road trip bring this baby along but keep one eye on the speedometer.

Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
For the last year I've been singing the line "you're the one" to myself in a raspy voice.

Tom Waits - Real Gone
Worth every penny for the song "Hoist that rag." As I mentioned to James in an email I've noticed this album hasn't made any year's best lists yet. That hasn't happened with a Tom Waits album in a long time.

Black Keys - Rubber Factory
Straight ahead rock and roll. Just the way god likes it.

Modest Mouse - Good News for People who Love Bad News
Kind of all over the map but it had the feel good song of the year on it.

Dave Alvin - Ashgrove
Blues rock from California. Dang, he writes the saddest songs in the world. Why? Because they're honest. This album deserves to appear on more than Americana lists.

Sally Timms - In the World of Him
Dreamy and irrestible. Kind of like me.

Half Cousin - The Function Room
The first album I ever bought by a band from the Orkneys. I'm ahead of the curve on this one. I actually had to buy it imported. Booya!

Mekons - Punk Rock
Live versions and studio rehearsals from the anniversary tour. Good shit.

Jon Langford - All the Fame of Lofty Deeds
An album loosely based on a Hank Williams type of character.

The two albums I played the most this year were the ones by the Drive by Truckers and Modest Mouse. Hey, that William Shatner album was pretty good also. Honest.

God Bless you-know-who

You can't help but wonder how much more disaster relief we could give the people of Asia if we weren't so busy killing people in Iraq. Just a thought expressed by my roommate last night. You go, Wendell.

Can't wait

I cant wait for this presidency to end so the investigation and the indictments can start. Can't they start now?

Holy crap, an update

There is a very good reason I haven't updated recently: My life is in the toilet and I hate everybody. Also, it's cold out. It's hard to type while wearing mittens. It's so cold that even my stand-offish cat has been crawling into my bed at night. What happened to that goddamn snow they said might show up last night? I was very prepared to not go to work today.

I had my muffler changed Saturday. My old muffler had a giant hole in it and the noise was ruining my hearing and I am sure I've been sucking nasty fumes for the last couple of months. Carbon monoxide poisoning: another reason not to blog.

Saturday night I watched that awesome Panthers/Falcons football game. The Panthers lost a heartbreaker in overtime and I was crushed. I was incapable of blogging after that.

A lady at work let me borrow a video-taped copy of the ESPN movie about the late Dale Earnhardt called "3." It's called three because he had three nipples like Krusty the Clown. It's funny how the world works sometimes. I'll watch the movie until it pisses me off. I'm curious to see how far into it I get. My first NASCAR memory of my first live race is of Dale Earnhardt so it won't take much to offend me. I think if Jesus was born today he'd be the son of a NASCAR tire changer, don't you?

I see our president today acknowledged that the bombings in Iraq may be having some sort of an effect. You mean, like, killing people, oh wise one?

I bought the gift for the person I am the secret Santa for at work today. My giftee is an older lady who works in circulation. I went to the Bedford Toys at Park Road Shopping center and bought her a tube of small anatomically kinda correct frogs and turtles. After I got her her gift to her with a little subterfuge I was told by my delivery gal that the giftee once had a pet turtle and she was thrilled by the gift. Funny how things work out sometimes when you fly by the seat of your pants.

Until Christmas day I am not venturing out of my home unless it is to go to work. While driving around this afternoon the traffic was fucking ridiculous. While I was leaving the shopping center some guy tried to pull around me as I was making the left turn onto Park Road because I had the audacity to stop for on oncoming vehicle. Some fuck on his cellphone almost pulled into traffic on Colony while leaving Southpark Mall and a lady was parked in front of the library in the middle of the no parking zone conveniently blocking all the parking lot traffic. The self centeredness of people who are driving never ceases to shake me to my soul.

A couple of weeks ago two friends of mine got married. I saw them Friday at the Comet Grill and, in earshot of his new wife, I asked the male if he was feeling boxed in and trapped yet. Her reaction was priceless, "Hey! I'm right here! Jesus, Ed." Something like that. All in good fun, believe me.

I'd rather string my dingle berries into a christmas tree ornament than watch another person play a video game. Know that.

Rah rah rah

I see there is some kind of an economic summit today. This is nice: "President Bush said Thursday that "now is the time to confront Social Security" to deal with a projected $3.7 trillion, 75-year shortfall and give younger workers the ability to invest some of their contributions into personal accounts." OK, George the Shockingly Dishonest is concerned about a supposed social securty shortfall that is spread over 75 years while he is currently running a federal deficit twict that amount? Also, in order to fund his plan the federal government is going to have to...borrow more money? This makes sense how?

See, I can talk about the president without calling him an asshole or a fuckhead.

FCC: biggest waste of funds ever?

So, there may have been...shudder...pieces of nudity in the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Athens? Who in the hell are these people sitting in front of their TV's waiting for any piece of human flesh to appear so they can rally their retarted troops to write letters to the FCC?

Of course the FCC goes apeshit over some sexual innuendo or an ugly booby yet Fox News lies hour after hour with no one holding them accountable. Mrs. Grundy is fucking everywhere.

Drive by Truckers

Last night I went to the Visulite and saw the Drive by Truckers. Jesus, did they rock. I can't say much more than that. They are becoming one of my favorite bands. Here's a few pictures from last night.













This afternoon I stopped by my favorite beverage store called Brawley's so I could buy a soda. While I was there he took a call from Jason Isbell, a member of the Drive by Truckers. The night before Brawley had told the band that he would sell them some wine at cost because he loves music and musicians. Three members of the band dropped by (the drummer's wife came also) and I took a couple of pictures of the occasion.