50,000 Watts of Goodwill
Posted on June 15, 2004 at 11:32 am | No Comments
Hoo-boy. The blog backlog threatens to bury me so deep that you’d likely never hear from me again. You should only be so lucky. Insert work-and-play-related excuses about my lack of updates here. You’ve heard ’em all before…
And so ReaganFest 2004 has come to an end. The world keeps turning, Iraqi car bombs keep coming, Bush and Kerry return to their regularly scheduled campaigning. My self-imposed media blackout over, I can finally turn on NPR again… and of course they’re in the middle of another endless fund drive. Necessary evil abounds.
Uh oh. Could our appointed president actually be cracking? I wouldn’t put too much faith (so to speak) in the source of that article, but it’s good for a laugh. Actually, if it’s even remotely true, there’s no laughs to be had. Watch out, Mr. Morrissey, or he might send a gun-totin’ god-squad after ya. I’m guessing he’s not a fan.
Just ten days until Fahrenheit 9/11 opens nationwide, and it’s good to know that the Coolidge will be showing it (as if it wouldn’t be shown in Boston… yeah, right). My pal Micki was lucky enough to see an early screening of it out in LA, and her review has me even more psyched up. I’ve heard so much about the film, from both sides of the fence, that I’m eager to finally see it for myself, to make up my own mind about what is fact and what could be Moore-tinted embellishment. I’ve heard he stepped back a bit in this one, and let the footage speak more for itself, which is only good news. My high hope is that Moore’s detractors, and even W’s supporters, can keep their minds open enough to see it. If anything, they might go in to see what they’re up against, and come out with a bit of truth. Which could be exactly why some won’t go at all.
Oh, and hey, Mr. Ray Bradbury… lighten up.
Speaking of both sides of the fence, I’ve found myself often stopping by the two-month-old blog of Sergeant Chris Missick, a place he calls A Line in the Sand. He writes regularly from his battalion’s current position along the Iraq-Kuwait border, and while I may disagree with his politics (he’s a die-hard Republican, an unabashed Reagan fan, he worked on the Bush campaign back in 2000), we find common ground in our love of Elliott Smith, Sondre Lerche, and the Kings of Convenience.
He’s an excellent writer, enthusiastic, and it seems, a damn good soldier. I’m getting a lot from his words, experiencing no small part of his perspective, trying to empathize with those like him on the ground, there to do a job and do it well, helping to fight for what they believe in.
Things nowadays are so splintered, so overwhelmingly partisan, that it can be too easy to dismiss those we don’t agree with. To knee-jerk label others ‘the enemy’, place our hands over our ears while shouting unwavering messages at each other, no one really listening. Those messages, and any middle ground, get lost in the delivery, and this lack of respect will never lead to real change. That’s why I keep Chris’ ALITS bookmarked, ‘cuz I can disagree with him and still respect the hell out of him. He’s not using his blog to put down people who don’t share his views, not spouting propaganda, and in his own thoughtful words, “Everyone is welcome here.”
While we’re on the subject of “real change”, please go register to vote if you haven’t yet. It’s become so much easier … print out, sign, and mail. There are no excuses, aside from outright apathy.
This link’s for Sergeant Missick… every Elliott Smith b-side, available for download. An online treasure trove.
If you’re a Pixies fan, you already know this, but I can’t not mention it… they’ve released a new freakin’ song. It’s called Bam Thwok, a catchy little Kim-fronted number, and you can download it through iTunes. Can you hear the buzzing modulations of the universe? Can you hear her channeling Fozzie Bear? Sure, I knew you could.
Glad to hear that Serenity, the feature film launched from the excellent (and Fox-killed) TV series Firefly, has an official release date of April 22nd, 2005. Filming is well under way, and one fan was fortunate enough to get cast as an extra on the shoot. Head on over to the official messageboard (Browncoats know it as “the OB”) to read about his experience, which includes a tour of the set. Sign in as a ‘guest’ if you don’t want to register for delphi, or head on over here to check out photos from his on-set visit.
Speaking of sci-fi series given new life, the Farscape mini-series is getting closer. The final season ended in a serious cliffhanger, so it’s damn nice to see promo shots from the four-hour follow-up, “Farscape: Peacekeeper War”, appear online. Hard to believe it’s really happening until you see that cast together again. More photos can be found here and here.
Finally, Pee Wee’s Playhouse is coming to DVD this fall. An injustice will finally be remedied. 45 episodes, including 6 “lost” ones. If I ever have kids, I’ll so be looking forward to sharing these with ’em.
Our close friends will find this seriously funny: We bought Dance Dance Revolution. Yes, Amie and I have jumped on the DDR train, and we’re dancin’ fools. Two-player, pad-hopping action in our livingroom, scaring the hell outta the pets. Can’t remember the last time I’ve laughed so hard as when we tried the training levels and fell all over our feet. We’re getting better, little by little, but so far… Amie has the distinct edge. Not just in skill, but she looks a hell of a lot less goofy than yours truly. No surprise there.
Just in case you’re in the mood to get completely freaked out, and relive the Bizarro episode of Sealab 2021, here’s a Turtleface soundboard for ya. Or maybe your job’s gotcha down? Listen to some Lumbergh samples and remember… it could always be worse.
Pedro the Lion fans, take note. They’re posting a new live recording every single day from their current U.S. tour. After each show, they send a set recording to their manager/webmaster, and he picks one track to share up a few days later. Each song is only available for a short time, so add this page to your daily links to make sure you don’t miss out.
Oh, you’ll need a username and password to access them, which is located in the liner notes of their new disc, Achilles Heel. And no, I’m not telling. Buy it, ya bum.
A couple of my northern friends have some musical news to share …
Rykodisc just made it offical, and announced their signing of the one and only James Kochalka Superstar. His march towards inevitable world-domination continues. North of January just released “Her Life of Crime“, an album of perfect pop from Colin Clary & the Magogs. Colin writes some great songs, and his friends help him fill ’em out. Download the sample track, then make with the purchasing.
NYC-based comedian Eugene Mirman sure does make me laugh. Nice to know he makes the fine folks at Suicide Squeeze laugh, too. They’ll be releasing his next CD/DVD this October.
It can be a long, lonely wait between Dennis Lehane novels (although it feels like he followed up Mystic River fairly quickly with Shutter Island). In the meantime, have a look at this short story he wrote for Atlantic Monthly. Nice of ’em to put it online for those of us who missed the print version.
Not-so-guilty pleasure admission: Ok, I’ve been watching the Real World this season. And I am not ashamed. Looking for a Frankie fix since she left the show? Wanna know what happened after she bailed? How about a little story in her local newspaper? That’ll do.
Gah. This post is never ending.
Jamie over at The Graphic Novels forum was kind enough to scan, crop, and share a bunch of comic-related AIM buddy icons. V for Vendetta, the Watchmen, Lone Wolf & Cub, a bunch more. I’ve got Ogami Itto going on right now.
Newsweek gives us early ignition on the hype-machine that will herald Batman Begins. It’s a good article that actually gives me a bit hope. As Ren would say… “No rubber neeples!” Even more pictures here.
I’ve got a bunch more to say, but work looms large. I still wanna write about my first hike in the Middlesex Fells with Neeners, and the free movie previews I’ve seen lately (Stepford Wives: what a mess, Riddick: grand & goofy, Notebook: manipulative, but it got me, and tonight is The Terminal). I happily shelled out the cash for Twilight Samurai and was absolutely blown away. High up in my favorite films of the year, so far. Do yourself a favor and go see it if it’s near ya.
I’ll end this overlong post on a sad note, something I just learned that’s been sitting with me all morning…
Most people outside Toronto may not know his name, but Tom Cheek is just one hell of a guy. He’s the radio broadcaster for the Blue Jays, for their entire history in fact. He went over 4,300 games without missing a single one. 27 years straight worth of games… just imagine that kind of accomplishment. Picture doing anything 4,300 consecutive times. Mind-boggling.
To me, though, he’s not just a broadcaster, but a longtime family friend. He lived next door to us for years while I was growing up in Essex Junction, Vermont, with his wife Shirley and their three kids, Tommy, Lisa, and Jeff. I liked the Cheek kids a lot, and have such fond memories of shared walks to school, holiday parties, and afternoons in their pool. I also remember how sad I was when they moved away, off to Toronto so Tom could call the Jays games.
One of the most vivid memories of my childhood is the trip we took over the border to visit them… Tom got us some great tickets to a game, of course, but surprised me with a tour of the clubhouse and a visit to the dugout to meet the players. For a little league-loving 11 year-old, it really doesn’t get any better than that. To top it off, he says my name during the broadcast, and afterwards hands me a ball, signed by the entire team. He knew how much it meant to me then, and those memories still mean an awful lot to me today.
Tom made the Toronto news just last week when he had to miss his first game ever… for the very sad reason that he lost his father, a WWII veteran, to a heart attack. It shined a light on the loss of guy who wasn’t just a hero, but raised a son whose professionalism and dedication is pretty damn inspiring.
As terrible as that tragedy is, it sadly doesn’t end there for the Cheeks. In the days since his dad’s death, Tom wasn’t feeling well. Rather than chalk it up to understandable stress, doctors examined him and uncovered the worst… a brain tumor. He went in for surgery on Sunday, but it seems doctors weren’t entirely successful… followup will be needed, so we’re all hoping for the best. No matter where you’re reading this from, if you could send some thoughts Tom’s way, it’d be appreciated.
Read this touching write-up by the Toronto Star’s Dave Perkins for more on Tom. If anyone deserves a get-well wish, it’s him.
Misremembering Ronnie
Posted on June 8, 2004 at 8:22 am | No Comments
Good thing we’ve got the internet for our world-info fixes, because broadcast news is “All Dead Reagan, All The Time”. Can’t turn on NPR or CNN without hearing his name, his voice, seeing his face. Enough already. The man, even more than Nixon, has been over-romanticized to an insane degree since his death last weekend. Talking heads over footage of his hearse driving down the highway, I expect to see OJ’s white bronco coming up behind him.
“The World Mourns” “A Nation’s Sorrow”. Are they talking to everyone, because that’s not what I’m hearing. His passing, while sad for those close to him, doesn’t change any of the terrible things he did as president. Maybe there was a sliver of good to be found, but to me, his legacy leaves so little to be proud of. (Grenada, Iran/Contra, Libya, politicizing the AIDS epidemic, so much more)
What’s more bothersome than all this Ronnie-hype is … I’m not as annoyed by it as I would have thought. I shockingly find myself taking it easy on the man’s memory, slipping into “he wasn’t so bad”. You can guess why. It’s a sad, sorry state of affairs when our current president is so deplorable that I’m salvaging a shred of sympathy for Reagan, of all people.
Alright, time to tune out, stick my head back into my work again. Let me know when he’s buried and forgotten, ok?