Rhett Miller and the Believers 040106 Dallas, TX

i checked out the Rhett Miller and the Believers show Saturday night at Sons of Hermann Hall on Elm Street in Dallas. Having just moved to Dallas, i was pumped to see RMiller perform in his hometown. Also, i had never heard of - let alone been to - the Sons of Hermann Hall and was very impressed with the venue. The intimate concert area was upstairs (no smoking, no wheelchair access) and they had a small bar downstairs if you wanted a smoke break during the show, or just hang out down there without paying admission. The sound was good, and the atmosphere was friendly. A good time was had by all. There were the standard annoyances that seem to accompany all live shows, however: The oblivious, shoeless hippie chick dancing all up in your personal space; the drunk girl who inevitably falls over; tall people; drunk people stepping on your girlfriend's feet.
Rhett and the Believers played pert near two hours worth of songs from Rhett's two solo albums, plus about a half dozen Old 97's favorites mixed up in there. The Believers were tight, Rhett was loose and everyone invlolved had a killler time.

Keith Olbermann's Countdown beats CNN's Paula Zahn

Photo courtesy Olbermann.org

Keith Olbermann is the man.

As a loyal viewer of Countdown With Keith Olbermann, i am heartened by the news that KO's viewership in the 25-54 demographic is up a whopping 41%. Hooray! Fox News blowhard Bellow Righteously's numbers plummeted 24% in the key demographic. Ha ha! This is testament to the apparent fact that people are tiring of the hate-filled bullshit spewed by the likes of O'Reilly and the sensationalist tabloid coverage of White Women in Trouble by the likes of Nancy Grace. Evidently, those who aren't tuned in to network TV "reality" drivel or stale sitcoms don't want TV hosts' opinions shouted at them. These viewers want real news, and KO is more than happy to provide them with it.
Here are my top reasons to watch Countdown With Keith Olbermann:

• Credibility: Keith is one of the few people on primetime cable news with legit journalism credentials. See bio info here here and here. Olbermann's reporting is thorough, insightful and thought-provoking. "Olbermann is the recipient of numerous distinguished awards in radio and television broadcasting, including the 1995 Cable Ace Award for Best Sportscaster, 11 Golden Mike Awards for excellence in television and radio, and four Sports Emmy Awards. Olbermann also received an Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of the events of 9/11." His credentials and awards are enough for anyone to rest on, but Keith continues to strive for excellence. He is more than happy to give credit where it's due, and is always willing to offer an apology or correction when he makes a mistake.
  
• Context: Sure, Keith covers some the same stories you can see on NBC Nightly News - often using the segments of the 5:30 broadcast - but his approach adds depth and breadth to the story by addressing its relevance to history and the impact it has on us as citizens, on our nation and on the world. He'll often put the original reporter on the air and ask important questions from the "everyman" perspective. The Countdown format affords him the opportunity to probe underlying issues that usually do not get addressed in a two-minute segment on network TV. "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it." Keith seems to appreciate this piece of common sense wisdom from George Santayana and apply it to his coverage of the biggest news items of the day.
• Common Sense: I consider Olbermann an umpire of sorts, because he calls it like he sees it. His b.s. detector is as good as any journalist out there, but Keith actually calls the b.s.-ers and hypocrites out on it, regardless of their affiliation or ideology. He has a special contempt for those who say nasty and hateful things, and then proceed to deny they said any such thing. Hello, John Gibson and Bill O! To be sure, he has been particularly vociferous in this regard about the current administration, but they deserve it, especially in light of the Bush Administration's latest "blame the media" crusade for their own failiures in Iraq. Keith continues to point out that Bush's casus belli for the invasion of Iraq has changed several times over the last four years. In the aftermath of Katrina, he took on the "the law and order and terror government" for their failure to protect its citizens from the biological weapon that was standing water. When Bush said that he has never linked 9/11 to Iraq, Keith asked rhetorically, "Who does the president think he is f-ing [pronounced: "effing"] kidding!?" Olbermann has recently taken to ending every broadcast with: "That's COUNTDOWN for this, the _ _ _ _ day since the declaration of mission accomplished in Iraq." Best. Sign off. Ever.
• Cultural Literacy: Olbermann can't help it. He's an embodiment of his past experiences. As a student and an up-and-coming journalist, he immersed himself in history, sports, and popular culture. He'll often introduce a segment with a quote, factoid or bit of trivia that seemingly has no pertinence to the story at hand. But as the story progresses, you have one of those, "ah-hah" moments where it all becomes clear. From the March 20, 2006 show:

  OLBERMANN: Today is the equinox. You remember from science class, sun is directly over the equator, making day and night almost equal, the start of the spring in the north and fall to the south, a tranquil day as you see on the map here. Our number two story, Mother Nature did not get the memo about tranquil. Today’s whether so extreme it looked like scenes right after the “Day After Tomorrow.”

  This provided the segway to stories on a cyclone in Australia, tornadoes and flooding in the States, and the "howling natural phenomena spewing death and destruction," Donald Trump. See? Genius. Keith often shows his grasp of zeitgeist in subtle ways: He uses the term "internets" at every possible opportunity; His theme music choices for the nightly Top Three Newsmakers are impeccable; And - this is my favorite - each broadcast has at least one reference to The Simpsons. Watch the show every night and see if you can spot it. It may be just a Homer-esque, "D'oh!" or a paraphrasing of the Comic Book Guy, "Worst. (insert noun here). Ever." but it's there.

And that is why Keith Olbermann is The Man.

For more info on Keith Olbermann:
Bloggerman
The "Unofficial Keith Olbermann Fan Site"
Countdown Homepage
Wikipedia
Google
UPDATE (03/31/06): A Keith Olbermann blog! Sweet. Thanks to Becky in the comments.

"My Slump"

Crooks and Liars has the "My Humps" parody video that aired Saturday night on Mad TV. In case you missed it over the weekend, here is the link: "My Slump." Take a 1 minute and 46 second break from your day and enjoy, it's high-larious!
Sorta makes me feel bad that i never watch Mad TV (who does?). If they keep bringing this kinda noise, i'll definately start peepin' it. Props!
While you're at Crooks and Liars, go to their home page and browse around for a while. This is the go-to place for the best political sound bites and videos on all of the internets.

Buck Owens 1929 - 2006

Just heard the sad news that honky tonk hero Buck Owens has died in his home in L.A. Read his bio here. Mr. Owens' stellar musical career spanned six decades inlcuding an incredible string of 15 consecutive #1 hits in the 60's. It's impossible to fully document his influence on everyone who has heard his heartfelt songs, but his legacy is apparent in so many of the artists in my library, some of which include: The Beatles, The Backsliders, Bobby Bare Jr., Beck, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, BR5-49, Junior Brown, The Byrds, Calexico, Elvis Costello, Deke Dickerson, Steve Earle, Robbie Fulks, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Geraldine Fibbers, The Grievous Angels, The Handsome Family, Emmylou Harris, Mike Ireland, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Kris Kristofferson, Loretta Lynn, The Mavericks, Rhett Miller, Scott Miller, Willie Nelson, Old 97's, Gram Parsons, Tom Petty, Reverend Horton Heat, Doug Sahm, Todd Snider, The Starkweathers, Dave Stuckey, Uncle Tupelo, The Untamed Youth, The V-Roys, Dale Watson, Ween, Whiskeytown, Jim White, Hank Williams III, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, Neil Young...and countless others. Needless to say, Buck Owens has touched your life somehow, some way. He will be dearly missed.
Some of my favorite Buck Owens tunes:
Second Fiddle - His first single to chart, released in 1959.
Streets of Bakersfield - This is the song that comes to mind when i think of Buck Owens.
Who's Gonna Mow Your Grass - My favorite Buck Owens song of all times, from 1969 with a dose of psychedelia.
Close Up the Honky Tonks - Yep, close up the honky tonks, the king is dead. R.I.P.

News Nuggets 032106

White House Watch
Bush gives speech, updates the American people on the Iraq War, does not say the word "war" once.
The President is in denial. No wonder his disapproval rating is reaching Nixonian levels.

Insurgents Kill 19 Iraqis in Prison Break, Free 33 insurgents.
And they did it pretty easily.
But Bush insists that Iraq is not in a civil war. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Allawi: "We are losing each day as an average 50 to 60 people throughout the country, if not more - if this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."
Apparently, Bush knows what a civil war isn't.

Carlos Santana: "I have wisdom. I feel love. I live in the present and I try to present a dimension that brings harmony and healing. My concept is the opposite of George W. Bush." Carlos for Prez?

Homeland Insecurity Update
"An FBI agent who interrogated Zacarias Moussaoui before Sept. 11, 2001, warned his supervisors more than 70 times that Moussaoui was a terrorist and spelled out his suspicions that the al-Qaeda operative was plotting to hijack an airplane, according to federal court testimony yesterday."
Mr. Mousaoui is the only person the US gov't has detained for the attacks on 9-11, and they continue to bungle the investigation. Tell us again, Mr. Bush, how you protect us from terrorists?

Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to Focus on Chemical Plant Safety "Legislation is pending in the Senate to authorize Homeland Security to shut down facilities that do not comply with minimum safety standards. The bill by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., would largely let the chemical industry draw up its own security plans for the federal government to approve or reject."
Stay tuned for the Right Wing Repugnicans to clandestinely insert into that legislation language that will include huge tax breaks to chemical plants to defer the costs of such safety standards. Because that's how they roll.

News You Can Use
Breast Asymmetry May Indicate Increased Risk of Breast Cancer In Women.
Now creepy men have a new excuse to leer: "I'm not staring at your chest, I'm checking for breast cancer."

Just in time for the busy petting zoo season: Study Finds Petting Zoos Can Spread E. Coli Virus.
File under: Duh! This breaking health news will be a boon to the rubber glove manufacturing industry.

Notable recent DVD releases: Capote - See Phillip Symore Hoffman's Oscar-winning portayal of the eccentric author. The Squid and The Whale - Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney star as parents of two who decide to divorce, and the impact their decision has on their troubled family. Good Night and Good Luck - Clooney's film about journalists and their battle against a suppressive government during the red scare of the 1950's. Count the parallels to today's administration and their adversarial relationship with the media. Howl's Moving Castle - An enlightening animated alternative to Disney/Pixar drivel. NewsRadio: The Third Season - See Season 3 of one of the best TV shows of all times.

Over and out.

Awesomeometer world headquarters has moved...

...to beautiful suburban Dallas.
So that's why i haven't posted in a while. The last three weeks have been kinda hectic. i was busy training the new guy at work, throwing out/selling/giving away/packing all my stuff and moving 600 miles south of Columbia, MO.
Yesterday i finally got hooked up with cable and the internet. Yay.
So far, i have to say that TX isn't bad. Now i need to focus on organizing my stuff in this small apartment and getting one of those job thingies.

Rap at ya later...

Bush described as a "moving/falling object"

...and they're not talking about his job approval ratings.
(photo by cheesegod.com)

The Scotsman has obtained the police report detailing Chimpy's July, 2005 incident where he collided with a Scottish police constible while trying to "pedal, wave and speak at the same time."

After a hard day's discussion with fellow world leaders, the president was looking for some relaxation. Instead, he ended up the subject of a police report in which the leader of the free world was described, in classic police language, as a "moving/falling object" [...]

"[The police unit] was requested to cover the road junction on the Auchterarder to Braco Road as the President of the USA, George Bush, was cycling through." The report goes on: "[At] about 1800 hours the President approached the junction at speed on the bicycle. The road was damp at the time. As the President passed the junction at speed he raised his left arm from the handlebars to wave to the police officers present while shouting 'thanks, you guys, for coming'.

"As he did this he lost control of the cycle, falling to the ground, causing both himself and his bicycle to strike [the officer] on the lower legs. [The officer] fell to the ground, striking his head. The President continued along the ground for approximately five metres, causing himself a number of abrasions. The officers... then assisted both injured parties."

...after they recovered from laughing their asses off.
Full article

Best TV News Clip Ever

...As declared by Boing Boing.net.
i first saw this clip a coupla years ago at the RagTag. They were showing a bunch of other shorts documenting creative civil disobedience and other subversions, and kinda just threw this one in there to kick things off.
That night, one of the "co-conspirators," if you will, told us in the audience the real backstory. To the best of my recollection, it went down like this:
The RagTag, still in its infancy, wanted to promote their upcoming Free Form Film Festival, and local Columbia TV station KMIZ agreed to have one of the festival organizers, Tyrone Davies, appear live on the set during one of their news broadcasts. At first, KMIZ said he could be on during the evening, then they called and canceled. KMIZ then said they could come the next day, after the festival had already started, and once again Tyrone got bumped at the last minute. There was another round of this the next day, and KMIZ finally agreed to do the segment on the early morning broadcast (6am) on the last day of the festival. Well, the organizers were understandable peeved by the run-around they got, so they decided to teach ol' Channel 17 a lesson. Tyrone got up extra early that morning and proceeded to scarf down as much Blue's Clues Ice Cream as he could before air time on an empty stomach, and his buddies set their VCRs. Tyrone was already nervous about being on live TV, but felt he was ready for his close up when his big moment arrived. Watch the very short Quicktime video(Here's an alternate link)
While i have seen this clip elsewhere on the internets, Boing Boing is the highest profile site on which i've seen it mentioned, so props to Tyrone and the RagTag gang. Makes me proud to be a Columbian.

Bode Miller's Money Quote

The drunken U S and A Olympian Bode Miller said of his dismal showing in Turin(o), "If things went well, I could be sitting on four medals."
And if things went well for me last weekend, i could be sitting on a huge pile of cash. What a butt nut.
Bode is a perfect example of why i root against Americans if and when i watch the Olympics. It was this moment in 2000 when my sentiment turned on American Olympic favorites: The Men's 400-meter relay team were heavy favorites to win the gold, and they did so in anticlimactic fashion. Hooray! Oh, wait. What are they doing? They immediately draped themselves in as many American flags as they could find, did a victory lap or two and posed for a few dozen photos just like the one here (Photo by Jeff Haynes, Agence France- Press). The fans in Sidney were disgusted and actually booed the boys after a few minutes of this. i realized just then that i was on the side of the fans who just wanted them to sit the funk down and let someone else run. Maybe someone who appreciates the spirit of the Olympics. Maybe someone with more humility and less bravado. Sadly, winning with dignity dropped off the ever-shrinking list of American values in 2000, and losing with dignity - if that was ever an American value - is M.IA. in 2006.

Valentine's Day Pics

Rogue Wave and Nada Surf at the Blue Note on Valentine's Day 2006. Rock!

Cheney's shotgun vs. old guy

Cheney shoots fellow hunter Harry Whittington, in act of complete negligence. Ho hum, just another telling case of the utter disregard for prudance and caution that so exemplifies the Bush Administration.

Firstly, Cheney actually SHOT somebody. Holy crap! Good thing he got 5 deferments during the Vietnam era, or he woulda shot some of his buddies there, too.

According to the AP, "the accident occurred after Cheney, Whittington and another hunter got out of a car to shoot at a covey of quail." Wow. Even when he's hunting small birds Cheney's a fucking coward.

The public didn't find out about the shooting until at least 18 hours later, when it was disclosed to a reporter by the owner of the ranch where they were hunting. Bush found out that someone in the hunting party was shot Saturday night, but was NOT TOLD WHO THE SHOOTER WAS! Cheney's Chappaquiccick moment? It sounds suspicious to me. So how long after your last swig of whiskey until a blood test determines you are sober? And why the hell not tell the President that it was Cheney who shot him??

Cheney thought that the ranch owner, Katharine Armstrong should handle the press on this one, so she called one of her buddies at the local newspaper on Sunday. Hmmmm. Hate the media much, Mr. Cheney? Yeah, they hate you, too, Big Time.
"Whittington 'came up from behind the vice president and the other hunter and didn’t signal them or indicate to them or announce himself,' said Armstrong, who was in the car." Oh, so it's the victim's fault, not the person who swung his gun around wildly and pulled the trigger? This is classic BushCult mentality. It's never their fault.


Best wishes to Mr. Whittington and his family. Hope he fully recovers soon.

Still no word on an apology from Mr. Cheney yet.

Josh at Talking Points Memo has been asking the right questions on this. Here and here

Check here for the White House press gaggle transcript from today (2/13/06) for the official BushCult talking points on this matter.

The White House Word for Today is: Peppered.
As in, "Mr. Whittington was not shot, he was peppered." What-Ever-The-Fuck. Tell it to Mr. Whittington.

Just to recap:

• A BushCult member does something bad to someone.
• The BushCult tries to keep their actions hidden from the public.
• The public finds out, starts asking The BushCult about it. The questioners and questions are dismissed as bothersome and inconsequential.
• The BushCult and their apologists blame everyone else.
• The BushCult and their sycophants manipulate the language to minimize perceptual damage.
• The BushCult does not apologize or acknowledge wrongdoing.

Got it? Good. Have some Kool-Aid.

Bush Vs. Post It Note: Guess who wins?

ME: Our president is so dumb...
YOU: How dumb is he?
ME: Our president is so dumb, he is incapable of successfully operating a Post-It note.

i know. It's really not that funny that we have such an imbecile representing us in the world and making decisions that affect us all.
That's pretty sad.

K.C. event: Open House at Scott Fitness Center

Saturday Jan. 28, 2006 Scott Fitness will be celebrating their 10th Anniversary with an Open House party at their River Market location in the KC. There will be live music by Plaza Noise Ensemble (7 -9:30), DJ Sarahplease (9:30 - Midnite), wine, food, treadmills, beer, coffee, weights, gum and art by several artists, including the incomparable Chico. A sample of Chico's work hangs in my kitchen, as photo'd here.

Click here to see the large version (1014 KB) of the photo and observe the spooky details. (right click on link, open in new window).

Back in the Spring of 2005, Chico was visiting Columbia and chillin' at my place and he complimented me on some of the "art" i had collected on a recent trip to Omaha. This "art" was a bunch of old prints with cool frames i acquired at thrift stores at $3-$10 apiece. Chico was especially interested in a 15" x 29" still life that featured items displayed by a bird lover. Chico said, "Can i take this?" Thinking he wanted it for keeps, i said, "Sure, it's yours." "Thanks! I like taking these old prints and painting my own stuff over them," he added. "Right on, do whatever, that's cool, man" said i. i was proud that i could contribute something to help an up-and-coming young artist practice his craft. Besides, it only cost me a few bucks, and i had plenty of other low-brow prints from the 70's i could put in its place. I was familiar with Chico's work, so i was curious about how he would fuse the subtle and soft lines of this print with his decidedly bold and eerily dramatic style. i figured i would see it someday the next time i chilled with him in the KC.

Cut to a coupla months later, in the Summer of 2005. I came home to a dark apartment, exhausted from a long and satisfying vacation. I entered my kitchen, flicked on the light and there he was: Mr. Blue Zombie, incorporated into the context of the old print on the wall in my kitchen. "Mmmmm...berd brains" he grunts as his undead face glowers up at me. In the lower right, where the original artist had signed his name to the original art, there was a circle with a line through it and the words, "remixt by Chico." Genius! i had no idea Chico had meant to bestow this wonderful gift upon me. i reckoned he and his brother chilled at my place some night while i was gone, which is always cool with me, but extra cool when my visitors leave me something as deece as a genuine Chico remix.

i will always be proud and honored to display his remix in my home, and Mr. Blue Zombie reminds me every day how fortunate i am to know such a talented person.

Although many of Chico's paintings are zombie-related, his body of work encompasses varied subjects in oil, acrylic, pen & ink, sculptures, mixed media and many of his "found art" remixes like the one in my kitchen. Check out an interview and more pics of his work here.

If you're so inclined, join us at Scott Fitness Center at 200 Wyandotte Street, at the Kansas City River Market. Did i mention there'd be free food, beer and wine? Here's a map.
I'll be there taking lots of photos and enjoying the art, tunes, coffee, food and gum.

Other artists featured on Saturday night:
Jen Mellard's photography
Jon Bidwell's "art for people"
Krista Gagelman paintings and watercolor monotypes
Stormy Jackson - i don't know what he/she does.

"Why Is George Bush So Awesome?"

..That's the question of the day. Rocketboom Daily with Amanda Congdon has some answers given by real people on the street when asked, "Why is George Bush so awesome?" (quicktime video). My question is, why is Amanda Congdon so awesome?

In other news, the WaPo would like to tell you how un-awesome George Bush is with Harlod Meyerson's Jan 25 editorial titled, "Bush the Incompetent." Read.

Somewhat related: If you are like me (and who wouldn't want to be?), then you like to read full articles at online subscription sites such as The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The New York Post, The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, et al. And if you're like me again (great minds think alike!) you prolly find it tedious to have to "register" at each site by giving them your profile info. And, if you're even more like me (okay you're creeping me out!) you prolly find it intrusive to give out your email address to who-knows-who at the whatever-paper in wherever-ville cuz one of your favorite blogs linked to an article there. Well. If you're like me even more (please, no!) then you have a separate email account specifically for such purposes and you give these inquisitive subscription sites a bunch of phony demographic info anyway. But if you're not like me in that way (thank god!) then have i got a site for you.
It's called bugmenot.com and this site has logins and passwords for all of the above news sites and more. Try it, you'll like it.

And stop copying off of me.

Harry Reid Preempts Bush's Bullshit...

...by calling him out on it.

Nevada Democratic Senator Harry Reid doesn't want to wait to give the opposition's response to W's upcoming State of the Union address. In a speech to be given to The Center for American Progress, he anticipates the tired talking points, the condescending propoganda and the empty slogans that Chimpy will surely read aloud on January 31st and premptively refutes them with facts.

"In his 2000 campaign, George Bush promised to bring 'dignity' to the White House… but we’ve since found that he brought Jack Abramoff instead. [snip]We have the White House, where an employee has been indicted for the first time in 135 years...There’s Karl Rove, who is under investigation… and David Safavian, the man appointed by President Bush to be charge in charge of hundreds of billions of dollars in government contracts who was led away in handcuffs because of his dealings with Jack Abramoff and others...And then, we have the Republican 'K-Street Project,' which has invited lobbyists inside our nation’s Capitol….as long as they are willing to pay the right price."

Reid also takes Chimpy to task on No Child Left Behind and The Medicare drug benefit and Katrina and WMD's and National Security and body armor and North Korea and tax breaks for the rich and federal spending and student loans and Big Oil... holy crap this President sucks.
Read the whole speech at Raw Story.