The next time you see A Clockwork Orange (and you should see it, if only once), imagine it without the music of the moog. It would change the fear and even the humor of the film in a way I simply cannot imagine. The pieces were performed by Walter (later Wendy) Carlos, but the instrument was the creation of Robert Moog, who died this week. The article lists just some of the pivotal albums enhanced by the moog, and therefore enhanced by Moog.
Category: Uncategorized
Carpetbaggers?
[Note: This post was designed to make Greg Burgas ill.]
It was probably in 4th or 5th grade when I learned the meaning of the term carpetbagger. By that time, I was reading the op/ed pages of our local newspapers in Binghamton. I recall that columnist William F. Buckley suggested that Robert F. Kennedy was a “carpetbagger” for being a Massachusetts and/or Virginia resident running for U.S. Senate in 1964. I thought his point was pretty sound, and we had a perfectly good “Rockefeller Republican” named Kenneth Keating. So I was disappointed that Kennedy beat Keating in 1964. As it turned out, Keating ended up as a justice on the New York State Court of Appeals (the highest court, despite its name) and U.S. Ambassador to India, so things turned out all right for him.
Of course, Kennedy was assassinated in June of 1968 and was replaced by Republican Charles Goodell that September. Jamestown, the heart of his district, was NOT a bastion of progressivism, so his transformation from a moderate Congressman to Kennedyesque Senator was astonishing to most. The Senate race in 1970 was among Goodell (cross-endorsed by the Liberal Party), equally progressive Democrat Richard Ottinger, and Conservative James Buckley.
(The terms Liberal and Conservative in the previous sentence refers to actual political parties in the state, not just philosophies; the Conservative Party still exists, though the Liberal Party died a few years ago.).
James Buckley was born in New York, but was most recently from Connecticut, yet I don’t recall his brother William complain about HIM being a “carpetbagger.”
For the 2000 race, a woman who was residing in the District of Columbia, and had roots in Arkansas and Illinois, bought a house in Chappaqua with her husband in order to run for the U.S. Senate. Of course, that was Hillary Clinton, and the “carpetbagger” label was exhumed yet again, as you can see from this August 1999 cartoon:
Now, with New York governor George Pataki announcing that he’s not running for reelection in 2006 (because he would lose, I think), so he can plan to run for President (the analysts tell us- hey, maybe it’s BOTH reasons), William Weld, born in New York, but former governor of Massachusetts, is planning to run for the New York statehouse. He’s won’t be considered a carpetbagger in the traditional sense, since he has been in NYS for the past five years. Still, I believe some folks will at least pause for voting for a person for governor who once governed another state. Yet Weld may be the strongest opponent against the presumed Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. The AG has been busy doing the job of the SEC and other federal and state agencies because they don’t seem to be able to do it themselves.
As an old political science major, I look at politics with a sense of wonder, the type of fascination one has watching a fire or rubbernecking at a car wreck.
Gay Batman
Read here. BTW, I couldn’t find the pieces mentioned on the Artnet page. Could they have been already removed?
Ramblin’ Thoughts
Back on July 29, David Chapman wrote an astute observaton about an 85-year old grandmother suing the makers of Grand Theft for its hidden sexual content. While I generally agreed with his interpretation, some piece of me wanted to take the contrary position, but I couldn’t figure out why until recently. It’s Watergate. Or more specifically, the lesson we’re supposed to have learned from Watergate. It’s not the third-rate burglary, it’s the cover-up. It’s not merely that there was graphic sex, it was graphic sex that the company Take Two deliberately HID. This gives members of Congress just the cover they need to regulate, since the system “failed.”
I added four links this week. One was requested by this ADD person, who used to shop at FantaCo, about his site re: the music and art of James Kochalka. One is for Joe Fludd, a guy who did some work for FantaCo. And the third is the store owned by Augustus Mattick, then known as Matt, who used to work at FantaCo. Oh, before I forget, a belated thanks to Fred, Lynn, and Julie for the vblue bear; Lydia loves it.
The fourth link, BTW, is for Nat Pike’s page. I thought I had already done so, but I have now.
Thanks to Johnny Bacardi for letting me know on August 17 that James Kochalka ls NOT related to Darren McGavin.
Meanwhile, Mike at Progressive Ruin was kind enough to link to me on August 11; I hope he’ll still be that kind after my review yesterday of his…eclectic CD. Gordon at Blog This, Pal also linked to me, on August 17.
Oh, and Eddie at Renaissance Geek said nice things about me back on August 11. Glad if it helped, Eddie.
Logan at House of the Ded said that he was taking off from blogging for a while, but then came back only a week later. (I’ve seen plenty of blogs that haven’t posted in several months, with no explanation.) So when I checked out his page (pointlessly, I figured), only to see a new item, I wrote that I was glad he was back, but that he confounded me. So, naturally, he changes the header of his page to read, “Confounding Roger Green daily! (Well, maybe not daily…)” I admit that I laughed out loud!
Logan is correct that people should be especially mindful to tip deliverypeople. I get the Pizza News e-mail at work (really, I do), and there was an article about how some pizzerias in Indianapolis are now requiring a surcharge for delivery, hurting the drivers’ tips.
In the Greg links, he found, or rather his pal Roxy found, a website called Black People Love Us. I don’t know if it’s a parody or an insult or just weird. Your thoughts, PLEASE.
And speaking of Greg, he’s having a contest, or rather, three contests until the end of the month. I entered one myself, which you’ll read about eventually.
And speaking of contests, Lefty had one on August 3, which is over except for the judging. But he did note on August 16 about a series of contests offered at Yet Another Comics Blog, the last one being held today.
Of course, I noticed that Lefty didn’t mention it until he WON on Day One. (Naturally, you didn’t happen to notice that I didn’t mention it either until I won on Day Two, did you?) Today is the last day for that contest.
Oh, Lefty, if I have to be more specific, consider yourself memed. Kelly, too. (I want to see if your recollections of five years ago are the same.)
And re: Lefty, he was the one who initiated the Mixed Blog CD thing, the results of which I’ve been reviewing lately. I never received CDs from:
Ken Lowery Presents: Ringwood—> Ken Lowery
MercuryX23’s Fantablous Blog—> MercuryX23
musEletric—> Brendan Duffy
Near Mint Heroes—> Shane Bailey
Roxy’s World—> Roxy
Stacking the Deck—> David Chapman
So if you’ve sent, please re-send. Thank you.
Yet Another Comics Blog has a sister blog, Yet Another Music Blog, which has a link to free downloads on Amazon. John Hiatt, whose birthday was yesterday, is one of the featured artists. I may have more CDs of John Hiatt than anyone except the Beatles. I borrowed the new CD from the Hoffinator a couple days ago, and it’s another fine effort.
What’s really weird about this posting is that I’ve never met ANY of these people mentioned, except for the FantaCo-related folks. The mystery of the blog.
Mixed Bag CD Blog-Mike
NAME: Mike Sterling
BLOG NAME: Mike Sterling’s Progressive Ruin
NAME OF CD: The Uneasy Rest of Thomas Edison
NUMBER OF CUTS: 35
RUNNING TIME: 79:55
COVER ART: Excellent picture of Alva himself
SONG LIST:
1. Think of Me-Stark Effect
2. No More Free Will-The Bran Flakes
3. Mustache-Qypthone
4. Evolution Is Easy-Neoangin
5. Bombolero-Dan Belloc and His Orchestra
6. Spring Pants Has Come-Mummy and the Peep Show
7. Eleven Twelve-Braces Tower
8. Aggravation-Victor Banana
9. Hearing Problem-The Dead Alewife (talk)
10. Mothra Song
11. Murphy It’s You-from Robocop: The Musical
12. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang-Braces Tower
13. At the Munsters
14. Star Trek-Tenacious D
15. Stay on Target—Rebel Scum
16. The Smurfs’ All Star Show
17. Boy Wonder-Burt Ward (talk)
18. Kookie’s Mad Pad-Ed “Kookie” Byrnes
19. The Carioca-Jonathan and Darlene Edwards
20. Apes’ Shuffle-The Jeff Wayne Space Shuttle
21. Pac Man Cereal
22. Goin’ Berzerk-Buckner & Garcia
23. M.U.L.E. Theme (rehashed)-Edgemere
24. Video Computer System-Golden Shower
25. Purple Cow-Psychedelicado
26. Multi-Family Garage Sale-Land of the Loops
27. It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Syphilis-The Four Skins
28. Perversion for Profit-The Bran Flakes (talk)
29. Crybaby Duck-Evolution Control Committee (talk)
30. QuackQuackQuack-QuaQuaQua
31. Hoppity Jones-Twink
32. Uncle Mistletoe-Buddy Max
33. Poke You in the Eye-Head and Leg
34. Metamorpho
35. Mary Had a Little Lamb-Thomas Edison (talk)
ALREADY REVIEWED BY: Gordon on June 21
GENERAL THOUGHTS: This is why I don’t review CDs for a living. Sometimes, one is left…speechless. This is certainly the strangest of the discs I received. Mike’s note: “…many of you will probably rip the disc out of your player and throw it across the room…” Well, no, but probably not a regular listen either.
THINGS I PARTICULARLY LOVED: 2, 3, (danceable) 7 (if you’ve forgotten know how to count, a pleasant refresher), 27 (change syphilis to Christmas for the tune), 28 (very funny, I’m afraid), 33 (rude but effective), 35 (appropriate ending)
ON THE OTHER HAND: 15 (irritatingly repetitive), 24 (ditto). And it’s not so much a particular cut, it’s the collective effect of “how weird can you get”, particularly the middle of the disc.
OFFICE FRIENDLY: Well, the TOPICS of 27 & 28 will turn some heads.
ONLY VAGUELY RELATED: I own the single Pac Man Fever by Buckner & Garcia; ah, I see why cuts 21 & 22 are together. The second CD in a row with Smurfs; maybe use of these blue folks is somehow ironic.
I wrote music for the famous poem “Purple Cow” in college and got an A on the assignment.
***
After I posted the above, I played Mike’s first Mixed CD. I liked it a lot. Wish I were reviewing THAT.