It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

..that saw the birth of the incredible, awesome, Mystery Science Theater 3000.

I came late to the party, but through the magic of reruns and later, the beauty of YouTube have been able to catch many of the complete episodes. The show is still as funny as ever, and even when you know the lines that are coming it's hard not to laugh.

The good news, other than the availability of virtually the entire catalog on YouTube, isn that the main participants are still actively displaying their riffing prowess with two current projects:

RiffTrax - Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett put together downloadable audio of riffs to current and recent films for your enjoyment. The advantage is obvious (no rights fees to pay, plus the ability to be relatively current) and the results are wonderful.

Cinematic Titanic - Headed by MST3K creator Joel Hodgson, this is more like the original show, as Joel, plus Frank Coniff, Trace Beaulieu, Mary Jo Pehl and J. Elvis Weinstien frame more awesomely bad B-movie schlock with witty banter. You can either download the video, or buy it on DVD direct form their site.

Both projects are well worth checking out, as well as perusing the back catalog. Long may they riff.

And You Expect To Be Taken Seriously?

There is little that be said about the image shown here. It's taken from something called the Spirit One Christian Center, located in Wichita, Kansas. That said, I can't resist asking a few questions....

1.) Since, as far as I know, according to the Bible there is no such thing as "America", or "Muslims", I'm unclear how having a "Muslim President" constitutes a Sin Against The Lord.

2.) The wording of your sign suggests we have a Muslim President. Dubya? Really? Shit, he really did out one over on all of us!

3.) The Constitution of the United States makes no reference to the office of the President restricted to a certain religious belief, gender, or anything of that nature. How exactly is having a Muslim President a violation? Or is the Constitution only of value when you feel you're rights are threatened?

4.) I looked up the Bible passage cited - Exodus 20:3, which states "Thou shalt have no other Gods before me". Okay, but do you really think the voters were voting for God? Methinks the pool of candiates would have been a bit larger. Show of hands, guys, how many Obama voters think he's a messiah?

5.) You do know that Barack Obama is Christian, right? Granted, he might not subscribe to the special brand practiced at your place (frankly I'm a little scared of anyone who does), but he is an avowed Christian. Perhaps you recall the Right Wing outrage all summer about one Rev. Jeremiah Wright? Which is it - radical preacher follower or secret Muslim?

6.) Are you really this ignorant, or are you just trying to incite your flock, who might not be inquisitive enough to make two mouse clicks to find out you're being intellectually dishonest?

Honestly, it's somewhat amusing to see the hand wringing and panties-in-a-bunch behavior in the aftermath of the election, but stuff like this is just plain crazy. Do these people ever read the Bible? Particularly the part about not bearing false witness (you know, lying...like your sign).

Ignorance is nothing of which to be proud, nor is knowngly spreading outright misinformation from your pulpit. Please skim a bit of money from your collection basket and buy yourselves a clue.

Let's Get To Work

One week later, I still have to repeat quietly to myself that Barack Obama was elected our 44th President. As inevitable as it seemed during the closing weeks of the campaign, it was still stunning to hear the announcement we all knew was coming on Tuesday night.

History making? No doubt, but had the Republicans won we could have said the same thing, albeit for different reasons. Some random thoughts from Election night and the aftermath, and the campaign:

John McCain, during his concession speech, looked like the most relieved man on the planet. Something about his demeanor suggested to this observer that perhaps he was never comfortable with the way his campaign was run, and was just glad the whole thing was over. Perhaps the respected Senator can get back whatever credibility he may have lost during the past few months and return to being a prodcutive, bipartisan member of the Senate. I hope so.

It will be fascinating to read the multitude of books that will undoubtedly be published about the 2008 election. Newsweek's upcoming article is just the tip of the iceberg, and provides wonderful insight. The books will dig deeper, and will be a great read for political junkies everywhere.

What was soundly defeated this night? Rovian style polictics, for one. Maybe it was because the dirt kicked up by the GOP was already scraped up by the Clintons during the primaries, or maybe since the accusations were quickly refuted/explained by Obama, or simply beacuse people saw them for what they were - desperation ploys by a sinking campaign. Whatever the voter rationale, one thing was certain - the tactics were a complete failure, and for that, America should be grateful. Consider our collective bullshit detector finely tuned.

Also, more importantly, Fear had its ass kicked. Try as they did to make voters afraid of the scary Secrct Muslim/Terrorist "Paller Arounder"/Socialist/Commie and oh yeah, black guy, America called bullshit. If only there were some kind of saying I could quote, from a famous person, regarding how the only thing we should ever be afraid of would be being afraid, or something like that.......

I can not for the life of me recall ever seeing worldwide reaction to a Presdiential election. I guess there was never anything to show in prior years. Seeing how the world reacted spoke volumes about a.) how America's stock instantly rose throughout the world, and b.) how much it had fallen over the past eight years. (Though I'm still trying to figure out why the town of Obama, Japan was so excited - "Yay, the guy with the same name as out town won! We rule!")

I listened to people all around me tell me how they couldn't support Obama's candidacy. reasons varied, from his stance on taxes (folks who enjoy not paying them aren't generally happy about knowing they'll soon be paying more) to his Pro-Choice stance (please don't get me started on single issue voters - they get the government they deserve). One person I know started by telling me he just didn't think Obama "cared about America". I couldn't let that one go - no person crazy enough to run for President, and expose himself, his family, etc. to all that goes along with it could not be accused of not having some crazy America love. Later this person mentioned he was "tired of Barack Obama"....which made sense since the guy was in the news virtually every day from January. Eventually it struck me, and I never wanted to think so, but race had to play a factor for voters like this. People simply looking for a reason to not vote for him. Thankfully these voters were not much of a factor.

As for someone else I knew who was on the fence, I simply said "Two words: President Palin". I think this person flipped for Obama.

Wither Governor Palin? Well, for starters, it looks like the candidate who wasn't allowed to talk to the media now can't stop giving interviews. It would not be a surprise to see her continue her political career on the national stage (or try to , anyway), or end up hosting a morning talk show. Neither would surprise me. Keep talking, Governor, as you provide an endless source of material for Olbermann, Stewart and Colbert. Oh, and give back those clothes.


The amount of whining from the right wing noise machine of Hannity, Limbaugh, et al. is to be expected, and it will not be a shock to see these vile and loathesome demagogues (thanks to Al Franken for that line) flourish during a Democratic Presidential administration. Hate and fear still sells to a narrow (and narrow-minded) segment of the population, unfortunately, and these folks always choose the loudest, uglist path to follow, as opposed to rational, factual debate. A descent into obscurity and irrelevance would be most welcome.




...and what about President Bush and what's left of his cronies? If nothing else this vote was a resounding condemnation of this Presdient's two terms. He too looked to be relieved as he realized his time was just about up. I know he feels he will somehow be vindicated by history, but I don't see how. Rather, the last eight years will be studied by historians and used as a primer on how not to run government. The next four years pose an enormous challenge for Persident-Elect Obama, but the American people have spoken, and decided that he is just the person for the job.

Let's go, we've got work to do.

Palin Wins Debate! Palin Wins Debate!

(Thanks to Hobodeluxe from Fark for the image.)

Stunning, really. No other words can be used to describe the perfromance of Sarah Palin during last night's VP debate. By not falling flat on her face, not going awkwardly silent when facing a question, and generally not imploding, the Alaskan Governor far exceeded any and all expectations.

The only problem? When the bar is set as low as it was based on her recent train wreck interviews, it was not nearly enough. Substance? Not much from Ms. Palin. Talking Points, endlessly regurgitated, regardless of the question in play or the context of what was being discussed? Plenty of that.

Laying on the Hooterville act about as thick as she could without auditioning for a guest spot on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Palin came across disingenuous and rehearsed. Refusing to answer direct questions (maybe she doesn't understand what an Achilles Heel refers to?), but instead drifitng off to blather on about "up in Alaska, we blah blah blah", "Barack Obama is bad, Maverick, Hackey Mahm, Joe Sixpack, etc." gave one the impression of a kid who'd been up all week studying for an exam, and reflexively spat out talking points whenever triggering words were uttered. Further, winking at the camera and the "shout outs"? Seriously? Can you imagine if Barack Obama pulled crap like this?

Except for a few suspect sourced polls (Drudge, I'm looking at you), Joe Biden was generally considered to be the winner of the debate. Looks like, for the most part, America's Bullshit Detector is operating efficiently.

It's Showtime....

As of right now, tonight's VP debate is still on, though it would not be at all surprising if some last minute "emergency" forces the GOP to withdraw Sarah Palin and get the hell out of dodge.

The Republicans have tried numerous devices to frame this debate, haven't they? Expectations have been lowered to the point where if Palin simply shows up, doesn't bite the head off of a pigeon and flash the crowd, it will be considered a good showing. By accusing the moderator, Gwen Ifill, of being "in the tank" for Obama because she wrote a book about the recent rise of Black politicians - despite the fact the book was announced in August, and both sides agreed to use Ms. Ifill weeks ago, they've constructed another excuse for a poor performance by Palin. Today, McCain uncorked the latest in his ever increasing line of verbal gems - when asked why Obama's poll number were rising during the economic crisis, he responded that "beacuse life isn't fair". Wow.

The format should be helpful to Palin, since it won't involve a lot of back and forth between the candidates. However, given her recent cringe inducing interviews with Kaitie Couric, Palin has to be considered dangerous whenever she's near an open microphone and is posed a direct question. Joe Biden should simply answer the questions posed, using his breadth of knowledge on whatever topic is brought up, and the difference between the candidates will be readily apparent. It should not be difficult to allow Palin enough rope with which to hang herself.

Perhaps the most refreshing effect of the handling of Palin is that the media, and much of the country, doesn't seem to be buying the Rovian bullshit this time. Every excuse is treated with figurative eye rolling by the press, and even conservatives are calling shenanigans on the Palin pick in particular, and McCain's candidacy in general.

Should be an entertaining evening no matter what. Grab some popcorn, kiddies!

McCain Clearly Wants To Lose

How else can anyone explain the bizarre behavior of the man and his campaign over the past few days?

Suspending his campaign, only not really (here's a tip, John. Continuing to raise money, appear on TV, run ads, etc. means you're still campaigning.)

Threatening to stay away from the debate, putting "Country First"...then not leaving to Washington, after telling David Letterman you had to leave town, stat.

Continuing the media blackout of Sarah Palin, which does nothing but allow bitter media members (you know, the guys you used to call "my base"), pore over the meager amaount of interview footiage and tear it apart. Here's a tip, John, if she talks more without being forced to regurgitate Karl Rove's Talking Points, she might come off a little better. As it is now, she's looking like a poorly programmed Stepford Veep. Only the soft bigotry of low expectations, whcih your party has gone to great lengths to foster, can allow her to come out unscathed after Thursday's debate - unless, of course, your guys are already crafting an escape plan for that too.

The lates: blaming the failure of the $700 Billion bailout packge from passing on, you guessed it, Barack Obama. Yep, it's all his fault, as he controls the votes of all those opposed (including, it should be noted, a significant number of Republicans). After putting himself front and center regarding this issue, he made it his own, and now that it is failing he deflects the blame to his opponent and thinks we're too stupid to notice. Un-flipping-believeable.

Changing positions almost hourly, unaware that in the age of YouTube nothing ios ever forgotten. Honestly, people, do you want this guy in the Oval Office, particularly with Caribou Barbie a heartbeat away?

Your Favorite Band Sucks, And So Does Mine

Oh no, I can hear you saying, another dumbass blogger music snob post about how much band X is so much better than band Y because blah blah blah.


Is this going to go that way? Maybe not. Stay with me. Just because I don't like what you like does not make me a music snob, honest. It is a little tale about a certain band, enjoying a recent resurgence in popularity, which is loathed by your humble blogger.

Let's set this up with a little story.....


Recently, I was at a charity walk in my town. The festive atmosphere had food, activities, a DJ spinning the most common songs one could imagine, and even a live band. The band, whose name escapes me, was a local outfit of older guys (I'm guessing late 40's and up), played a variety, if one could call it that, of early 70's soft rock. (Think "A Horse With No Name", "Ventura Highway" etc.) Funny that they and the DJ seemed incredulous that the crowd wasn't responding as they would have hoped. Call me crazy, but I don't think America (the original artists of the songs mentioned) got that much of an enthusiastic response when they did that song in 1972, so I'm not sure these guys got an atypical reaction. Anyway, the band wrapped up their brief set, thanked the crowd, and was rewarded with polite, if scattered, applause. At this point, Mr. DJ picked up the mic to fill the air, and this is where our story really begins.


A friend of mine and I were chatting as the raffle finished, while in the background the DJ had just finished spinning that perennial crowd fave "Cotton Eyed Joe" [imagine my eyes rolling right now, as yours might be]. It was at this point we heard the unmistakable intro to a song everyone knew, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'".


"Finally", my friend said, "some real music!", and he looked at me in the way you would when you expect a certain unconditional approval, maybe an agreeing nod of the head, perhaps even a "Hell Yeah!". My response was somewhat different.

"Oh man", I said "I fucking hate Journey".

As soon as the words left my lips I looked around anxiously. Not because of the sentiment I'd expressed, but because the event was loaded with kids, parents, grandparents, etc. It would be pretty embarrassing to have had some little kids hear that. Luckily, none did.


My friend was taken aback slightly, and asked why I thought the way I did. "They represent everything that is bad about music" was my response (which I have to admit was said through almost clenched teeth), and we moved on to other topics. Upon reflection, it led me to thinking though. Why do I have such vitriol for this band in particular?


I began to think about my opinions on Journey, and music in general. One thing I've noticed is that when it comes to music, there seem to be two kinds of people:


Group A - Listen to the radio, absorbs whatever is played, might make a purchase or two on occasion, but rarely ventures outside the "mainstream". Music is an important part of their life, but functions as a background to their lives as other things are going on. Doesn't read any type of music press, either online or in print. Rejects most new trends until they are assimilated into the mainstream. Think "I hate that rap garbage....but that 'Bust A Move' is sure a fun tune!" Most of these people really enjoy stuff like Journey, Bon Jovi, and Carrie Underwood.


Group B - Listens to what is popular, but seeks out other options, and is not averse to looking beyond the mainstream. Might buy an album or download a song despite never having heard it provided there is a good buzz around it. Keeps up on developments in music (maybe not quite as much as they age). It's safe to assume these folks are into old school stuff like The Ramones, Run-DMC, or R.E.M. while keeping abreast of newer bands like Arcade Fire or Vampire Weekend. Investigates a new trend before rejecting it outright.



Belonging to either group isn't absolute, nor is there any problem with it. It just boggles my mind sometimes how, when I'm surrounded by a bunch of people who fall into the first group (you probably noticed by now that I consider myself to be firmly in the second) I am forced to defend my opinions as if I was some psycho radical hippie junkie dirtbag punk. Explaining to people that you don't particularly have any care whatsoever for Bon Jovi can elicit a dumbfounded reaction. I can almost hear them thinking, "Jeez, Bon Jovi is nice and popular. Why wouldn't you like them?" (For the record, I don't dislike Bon Jovi, and recall having a really great time signing "Livin' On A Prayer" while drunk and dancing in a bar one night...., but let the record show that I do not own anything the band has ever produced.)

Which brings me back to Journey. I've always had a particular distaste for what Rolling Stone dubbed "Faceless" rock back in the late 70's/early 80's, referring to the era where bands like Journey, Toto, Foreigner, Kansas, Styx, etc. ruled the roost without any particular distinguishing characteristics. To me, Journey was the worst of this bunch - a bunch of clearly talented musicians who resorted to playing bland, generic, risk-free Rock (tm) aimed for the masses. While obviously not the first, nor the last group, to be guilty of aiming for success without artistic merit, they were easily the most egregious example of the era. Throw in the ridiculous album cover art and the cheesy ballads, and it was enough to make me want to scream.

Thankfully, the group faded away as musical trends evolved. Unfortunately, in the age of instant nostalgia, the band is hot again (thanks in part to "Don't Stop Believin'" being prominently featured in The Sopranos finale), with a new lead singer pulled from a cover band (I'm not making this up) and a new CD, and here we go again.

What also grinds my gears is that I've never run into anyone who claims Journey is a great band, you know? It's always along the lines of "They're good, they had those songs I liked back in the day", but never have I run into anyone who would passionately defend the group. To me, that speaks volumes. Perhpas the comments to this post will attract some defenders. I say bring 'em on.