The Crustacean Speaks!

Bill West, voice of Dr. Zoidberg (and so many other characters on Futurama and a zillion other shows) was on the Paul Harris radio show the other day. I love hearing interviews with voice actors -- you never know who's gonna pipe up next. Go listen.

Rob

Rockin' the Paradise

I’m really busy, but here are my Top 10 1970s artists. Don’t let Janet say I never told her anything.

1. Styx. My absolute favorite band of the era, cheese and all. They had a hopeful grandiosity that was exactly what I needed in junior high. All hail to the Lords of the Ring!
2. Elton John. Don’t go beyond the seventies, but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Tumbleweed Connection and Madman Across the Water are crazy good – and all in different ways.
3. David Bowie. Ashes to ashes, funk to funky. The sleazy, sideways world he created endlessly fascinates.
4. Laura Nyro. Man, she could write, and she’d change the meter of her songs at the drop of a hat. Eli & the Thirteenth Confession was the freshest thing I’d ever heard for a while – and I’d first heard it in 1988.
5. Eagles. Yeah, everyone loves to hate the Eagles, but I wore my Hotel California cassette down to ribbons, and so did you. They called it paradise, I don’t know why.
6. Todd Rundgren. A wizard. A true star. A local guy made mindblowingly good.
7. Hall & Oates. Yeah, two more locals. I’m not talking about “Private Eyes” or anything after, I’m thinking of Abandoned Luncheonette and Bigger Than the Both of Us. That first side of Abandoned Luncheonette still holds up great. (Side 2 is self-indulgent as hell, but there ya go.) Oates should sing more.
8. The Cars. The music of my cousins, and it had me from groove one. Just what I needed.
9. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Another band I first heard from my cousins. Petty’s “Refugee” had me utterly baffled and transfixed.
10. Joni Mitchell. Again, I didn’t hear a lot of her work until later, and I’ve still got a lot to explore. But Court and Spark is still a dart to the heart, and I listened to Blue maybe a million times on one of the longest nights of my life.
11. Steely Dan. This one goes to 11, because nothing says glorious excess like the Dan. So many of their songs are like seeing something pornographic out of the corner of your eye. A mix of temptation and the art of the con.

Rob

Profiles in Courage

Firedoglake reports that NRCC head Tom Reynolds, hip-deep in the Foley scandal, decided to hold a press conference today with a whole mess o’ kids, apparently to keep reporters from asking him uncomfortable questions.

Check out this classic exchange:

Reporter: Congressman, do you mind asking the children to leave the room so we can have a frank discussion of this, because it's an adult topic. It just doesn't seem appropriate to me.

Reynolds: I'll take your questions, but I'm not going to ask any of my supporters to leave.

[…]

Reporter: Who are the children, Congressman? Who are these children?

Reynolds: Pardon me?

Reporter: Who are these children?

Reynolds: Well, a number of them are from the community. There are several of the "thirtysomething" set that are here and uh I've known them and I've known their children as they were born.

Reporter: Do you think it's appropriate for them to be listening to the subject matter though?

Reynolds: Sir, I'll be happy to answer your questions, I'm still, uh…

"Hey, I'm not saying you can't ask your questions. Fire away. Don't mind the fragile sensibilities of innocents or anything." Sheesh.

I think the bet part is the question: "Who are these children?" It gives the impression that he never even mentioned why there were there, he just was ready to duck behind them for cover. Sorry, buddy. A +2 bonus to AC isn't gonna make that much of a difference in this one.

Rob

Hey Droogies!

So, sleepy though I am, I promised another post about an upcoming New Jersey happening, and I want to deliver. Besides, this looks like a lot of fun.

From October 26 through November 4, the Raconteur bookstore in Metuchen is presenting a staged version of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange. Directed by Alex Dawson, the play stars Michael Nathanson, and will be a stylistic departure from the Stanley Kubrick film (which I own on DVD but still haven’t seen – gotta do it before opening night!). Costumes are by fashion designer Anu Susi, and the press release says she “abandons the sleazy seventies vibe of Kubrick’s film for a sort of banged-up, industrial elegance: Victorian suits with goggles, massive buckled boots and, of course, the iconic bowler.” It’s a Steampunk Clockwork Orange, and I couldn’t be more intrigued.

The show is appropriate for ages 16 and up. I’m reproducing the nuts and bolts of the press release:

Oct 26 – Nov 4.
With shows on Mischief Night and Halloween!
Preview: Thurs 8pm (pay what you can!)
Fri 8:00pm/ Sat 8:00pm & 11:30pm/ Mon 8:00pm/ Tues 8:00pm/ Thurs 11:30am/ Fri 8:00pm/ Sat 8:00pm.

Tickets: $15 (student/senior/artist); $25 (general)

Tickets available in advance at both The Forum Theatre and The Raconteur (431 Main Street, Metuchen).
For reservations contact Alex at raconteurbooks@aol.com or 732.906.0009

Special weekday matinee for high schools: 11:30 am, Thurs. Nov 2
Q & A with cast and crew followed by a short discussion of the philosophical implications of Burgess' relevant fable.

I don’t know what night Kathy & I are going, but we’re not going to miss it.

Rob
(Cross-posted at The Center of New Jersey Life.)

Schecter 3:16

Too busy for a proper post right now (one on an upcoming NJ event is coming tonight), but I thought you might like to see Dem strategist Cliff Schecter lay down the smack on MSNBC. He lists the current Republican scandals with such speed and glee that it's like listening to Adam McNaughton's "Three-Minute Hamlet."

So yeah, it's a political talk show, the equivalent of professional wrestling for political junkies. But Schecter's litany is like a spinning headlock elbow drop.*

Rob

*I think; I had to go to Wikipedia for a list of wrestling moves, but that one sounded sufficiently terrifying.
(Cross-posted at The Center of New Jersey Life.)

Press 3 For Link

The Bastard speaks of a workplace adventure. And Lo, I shall make a cameo.

Rob

empeethree of the week

Those of you who are parents (aside from you, Mom) will probably love this song by Hammell on Trial. But you’ll love it a lot less if you listen to it in front of your kids. I don’t usually put parental warnings on things, but to not put one on this would kind of defeat the purpose. So, without further ado: “Inquiring Minds”.

Rob
(Via Atrios)

Down So Low

For all my low opinion of Republican politicians, I'm genuinely shocked that some of them, including the House Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL) and Majority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), as well as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Tom Reynolds (NY), have been covering up for a sexual predator. Not in a million years would I have expected them to do this. Oh, and let's throw in Reps. Rodney Alexander (LA) and John Shimkus (IL), making it an even five congressman involved in this coverup.

That's beyond unreal. And beyond vile.

Rob

Buzzworthy Vid

The always-wise KTBuffy is right: This video kills. Okay, back to work for me.

Rob

Double Duty

By the way, I'm guest-hosting at The Center of New Jersey Life this week. (I'm David Brenner to Sharon's Johnny Carson.) Check it out.

Rob

China's Funniest Home Videos

Twenty-four seconds of fun with mama and baby panda.



Actually, I was searching for video on the nine new baby pandas and found this clip instead.

Rob

Refreshing change

Here's something, at least, Sally -- the Weird Al video for "White and Nerdy."

Word.



Rob

With Apologies to my Sister

Sally, I *promise* I'll have something funny to post tonight. But this Kieth Olberman commentary, sparked by Clinton's interview last weekend, shouldn't be ignored.



But yeah, I need to lighten up. It's just tough to do when I think about this stuff.

Rob

Virginia Senate, Race

Another video testimony that George Allen is lying about his racist past.

As a New Jersey resident, there's not a whole lot more I can do than talk about this. But he's a racist. And polls say he's winning.

This woman seems very credible to me.



Rob

Into the Abyss

We’re throwing away the very freedoms we’re fighting for.

Here’s Ed Kilgore at NewDonkey.com:

“…it appears the US Senate is going to enact legislation today on treatment of terrorist suspects--virtually all of them, of course, Muslims--that will give a fresh bit of ammunition to jihadist efforts to convince their co-religionists that the United States considers them unworthy of any significant legal or moral self-restraint. This "compromise" bill, apparently worked out on the back of an envelope, and motivated almost entirely by domestic political considerations, might theoretically do some good someday, in some hypothetical case of a terrorist suspect with knowledge of a catastrophic attack. Nobody really knows. But what we do know for a fact is that by officially sanctioning some forms of torture, and denial of judicial oversight, this legislation will have a real, tangible and continuing negative impact on how our country is viewed by many millions of people whose good opinion of us has become a major strategic objective.”

And here’s Josh Marshall at Talkingpointsmemo.com:

“In essence, it means that the entire criminal justice system in this country becomes discretionary in the hands of the president.

You have the protection of the courts and due process. Until that gets too sticky, in which case the president can pull you out of the court system and detain you forever with no recourse to anything but the president's mercy.”

And here’s Glenn Greenwald on what changes by it being legislation, and not merely some wrongheaded executive order:

“There is a profound and fundamental difference between an Executive engaging in shadowy acts of lawlessness and abuses of power on the one hand, and, on the other, having the American people, through their Congress, endorse, embrace and legalize that behavior out in the open, with barely a peep of real protest. Our laws reflect our values and beliefs. And our laws are about to explicitly codify one of the most dangerous and defining powers of tyranny -- one of the very powers this country was founded in order to prevent.”

When did we get so weak?

Rob

These Are the Times That Try Men's Trolls

Well, it doesn't look like Jill Hazelbaker will be fired for trolling BlueJersey for Tom Kean Junior after all. But seriously, does anyone think that posting messages on a liberal blog is a wise use of her time? Kean really should show her the door.

In the end, it mostly goes to show what Junior thinks of as an appropriate use for his money. Imagine what he'd do with our money.

Let's keep this clown out of office, shall we?

Rob

Because I’m loving the YouTube

A few music clips from YouTube to enjoy. Here’s a pretty straightforward one of Jimmy Webb and friends performing “In the Jailhouse Now,” which was on the O Brother Where Art Thou? soundtrack. It’s a great song, and this clip (from Hee Haw, maybe?) is just a short glimpse of a few guys who like singing. Nothin’ wrong with that.



And for something completely different, this one’s a clip that I can’t stop watching – Bob Dylan performing his song “Isis” from the Rolling Thunder Revue tour of 1975. He’s in creepy white makeup for some reason, but the real draw for me (besides the sheer energy of the performance) is the different, punchier tone from the album version. It’s been a couple of years since I discovered this song, and I love it more every time I hear it.



It’s hard to believe these songs are even played on even remotely the same instruments, isn’t it?

Rob

Scents and Sensibility

Janet at The Art of Getting By asked what our favorite scents are, and which ones (beyond the obvious) would we rather not smell. So I thought I’d stick my nose in.

I make jambalaya only once or twice a year. But when it’s cooking, the kitchen fills up with this smell that’s pure heaven. Cayenne, cumin, black and white peppers, gumbo file, all combined with sizzling ham and kielbasa chunks and the holy trinity of bell peppers, onions and celery. That’s a smell.

Then again, I also love the smell of pork loin in the slow cooker, creeping its way toward a pulled pork sandwich.

Cooking pig in general, I guess. Nothing smells so good when it cooks as pork.

As for bad smells, well, there’s the smell of the oil refineries around 76 and I-95 in Pennsylvania. It always bugged me that the only way to get out of the airport was to drive through them. “Welcome to Philly! Now old your breath for the next five minutes.” It’s a hell of a first impression.

But the smell that knocks me out more than any other these days is the smell of the olive bars in supermarkets. I don’t know what it is—the olives, the stuffed grape leaves, whatever—but that’s a stench that can knock me over. And yet sometimes I must venture into it. The things I endure for fresh hummus.

Rob

UPDATE: For some reason, ferrets seem to have a different odor when they're drowsy. Sleepy Ferret Smell is a good smell indeed. It's like a yawn for the nose.

Shatnerrific!

I found this on Mark Evanier's site; I know you'll enjoy it.



Rob

Woo-hoo!

GOP-backed Green candidate/distraction off PA Senate ballot.

Rob