anorthernsoul

I don't get it. Weirdo.

Multiple spouses? You must have a pretty big checkbook then... just joshing ya

You misspelled hilarious

Analyses of Michael Moore's Distortians from a NON-Partisan Site, and IMO, one of the best political sites on the Net: However, "Fahrenheit 9/11" is filled with a series of deceptive half-truths and carefully phrased insinuations that Moore does not adequately back up. As Washington Monthly blogger Kevin Drum and others have noted, the irony is that these are the same tactics frequently used by the target of the film, George W. Bush. Moore and his chief antagonist have more in common than viewers might think... http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20021119.html http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20040702.html http://www.spinsanity.org/post.html?2003_0...429368980662837 http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20020403.html http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20031016.html http://www.spinsanity.org/columns/20031016b.html http://www.spinsanity.org/post.html?2002_0...e.html#75241524 http://www.spinsanity.org/post.html?2002_0...e.html#75037397 http://www.snopes.com/rumors/flight.htm And for those who think the authors of the above articles are right-wing supporters, they also wrote this (one of Amazon.com's top 10 political books of 2004): http://www.spinsanity.org/book/ And no, I am not a Republican (I am not a Demmycrat either). Cheers.

I don't really listen to much metal, hard rock, blues, or "jam bands," so this list may have some glaring omissions, but here's my take anyway, throughout the years (in no particular order): CHUCK BERRY: Not really sure if underrated, but doesn't seem to be given the credit he deserves among the general music listening public. I believe Keith Richards once said that his riffs were basic reworkings of Chuck Berry riffs. NICK DRAKE: Listen to his final studio album, PINK MOON. With nothing else except an acoustic guitar and his voice, his ability really comes through, especially in songs such as "Road," "Pink Moon," and "Place to Be." LOU REED/STERLING MORRISON: More than anyone else, they created the sound of guitar-based Indie/Experimental/Punk Rock during their days in The Velvet Underground. ROBERT FRIPP: Just listen to his guitar work on Eno's HERE COME THE WARM JETS or David Bowie' "Heroes" to get an idea of this guy's glam-meets-avant-garde guitar brilliance. Guy even designed his own effects system, "Frippertronics." TOM VERLAINE/RICHARD LLOYD: Listen to Television's MARQUEEN MOON and chances are technically, you may never hear two guitar players complement each other better. Devised incredible solos without using the typical blues/pentatonic scales found in rock. BERNARD SUMNER: If you want to hear the definition of "buzzsaw" guitar, just listen to either of Joy Division's two studio albums. The sound he gets from his guitar on songs such as "Shadowplay," "Day of the Lords," and "Atrocity Exhibition" is something from a B horror movie. JOHNNY MARR: As equally important as Morrisey in defining The Smiths' trademark sound. Redefined guitar pop like no one else. JOEY SANTIAGO: Virtuoso? No way. Avant-garde noise-guitar genius? Nope. Technically proficient? Not really. Can read music? Not quite. Does any of this matter? No. Listen to Pixies' SURFER ROSA and DOOLITTLE to understand how no one else could have taken his place as lead guitarist for one of the most important and influential indie/alternative rock bands of all time. JOHN SQUIRE: The second coming of Johnny Marr. His guitar playing on THE STONE ROSES eponymous debut is as close to note-for-note perfect as you can get. KEVIN SHIELDS: Imagine how a guitar would sound if it were made out of liquid. Or better yet, give My Bloody Valentine's LOVELESS a listen. Also check out his stunning work on the Primal Scream song "MBV Arkestra (If They Move Kill 'Em). JEFF BUCKLEY: His individuality as musician and a human being was matched by the dynamic nature of his musical arrangements. Often shifting from jazz to folk to rock to hard rock progressions (often in the same song), he was an exceptionally talented guitarist who continued to bend and stretch genres and musical styles with his playing. DOUG MARTSCH: Built to Spill guitarist and frontman wove complex, winding melodies with untraditional song structures that stood out from the homogeneity of alternative rock/pop during the mid-90s. One NY paper even touted him as the "Hendrix equivalent" for the alternative rock audience in their review of Built to Spill's THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH LOVE- in my opinion, also their best album. NICK MCCABE: If you were to take his guitar accompaniment parts and play them on their own, you'd probably think to yourself "this doesn't make any sense." Then go back and play The Verve's A STORM IN HEAVEN or URBAN HYMNS, and it all makes sense with the other pieces of the band are in place. Perhaps the best in rock at improvising sonic guitar textures live on stage or in the studio. Producer Owen Morris, who also called McCabe "the most gifted musician he's ever worked with," puts it best, "You can ask Noel Gallagher to play the same guitar line a hundred times and, as long as there's a good reason, he'll do it. With Nick, you've got no chance. He just doesn't want to.'"

In No Particular Order, the 10 Albums That Changed My Life: GREEN DAY - DOOKIE (1994) I can probably hear those elitist rock critic @ssholes (myself included?) scoffing right now... but this album deserves to be up there because it was the first record that truly piqued my interest in music and start my music collection. Hardly ever listen to it now... but who knows if the other albums on this list would even be up here had this not been in constant rotation on my cheap boombox back when I was 13. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND - WHITE LIGHT/WHITE HEAT (1968) This record has a sound that has never been matched and may never will be. That's all I have to say. The most abrasive rock record ever made that's also listenable in my opinion. Hard to believe this was made back in 1968, during the psychedlic era. THE STONE ROSES - THE STONE ROSES (US) (1989) This was the ONLY record I listened in the summer of 2003 while I was working some sh*t data entry job in downtown DC. Upon the first listen, didn't really click with me. But after a few listens... and the right setting, it took me away from the misery of my job like no other record. As perfect as guitar-pop can get, barring The Smiths. The perfect album opener (I Wanna Be Adored) to the perfect album closer (I Am the Resurrection), with possibly one of the best pop songs EVER recorded in between (This Is the One). From what I've heard from those in the UK, this album "captured the moment" over there better than any other album in the last 25 years. PIXIES - DOOLITTLE (1989) This album laid the foundation for alternative rock in the 90s. Just give this a listen, that's all I can say. The perfect balance between indie rock and mainstream. THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN - PSYCHOCANDY (1986) I never knew guitar feedback, garage rock, and pure pop could be used in such a beautiful way... the godfather of noise pop. Beach Boys-era Brian Wilson getting fed through malfunctioning vacuum cleaners. THE BEATLES - THE WHITE ALBUM (1968) I'm sorry, but this is The Beatles' best work, better than Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's, and probably the greatest double album ever recorded. The Beatles' showing the world they can do whatever they want, and still beat the rest of the lot by miles. My only complaint- Yoko F*cking Ono makes a guest backing vocals appearance on "The Continuing Adventures of Bungalow Bill," ruining an otherwise great song with her awful voice. She also talks about being unclothed (shudder) on "Revolution 9," the other perhaps unneccessary song on this album. Too bad one of the bullets didnt hit her instead. THE STOOGES - FUN HOUSE (1970) The pure primal energy of this album is almost impossible to top. Forget Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop and company here have them beat. Listen to this album and you'll see why Iggy Pop might have the best scream in rock and roll. Many consider this the "first" punk album- I'm not so sure, but in terms of pure rush and attitude it sure beats the hell out of almost anything from the late 70s "punk" era. This came out in 1970, and along with The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat, I have yet to hear another album like this. PAVEMENT - SLANTED & ENCHANTED (1992) The best noise-pop/lo-fi album ever made, IMO. Sure the sound mix is thin, there's no bass player save for one track, and the drummer is more like a 2nd rhythm section than a timekeeper, but it all works.... VERY, very well. This is what DIY indie-rock is all about. By the way, you have to get two copies of this album... The original 1992 release by Matador Records, and the Remastered 2002 Version (the remaster has essential bonus material but they f*cked the original mix up, IMO) RADIOHEAD - OK COMPUTER (1997) This album is worth every bit of the hype. The arrangements on here are pure genius. An equivalent of a classical masterpiece for this generation. The album that Radiohead will never again make, nor will any other band. JEFF BUCKLEY - GRACE (1994) More than ANY other album, this album inspires my creative process. A fusion of jazz/folk/rock/soul with as Jimmy Page once put it, "the best rock vocals since Robert Plant." Endlessly innovative and always exploring his limits, Jeff Buckley was also IMO miles better than Plant in terms of range and dynamics. After being discovered in true folklore fashion (a then unknown Buckley blew away the small crowd at a tribute concert to his father, jazz-folk artist Tim Buckley). The artist I regret the most never seeing live (listen to the live version of "Mojo Pin" recorded at the Wetlands and you'll see what I'm talking about). Too bad he drowned after this, his first and only album. HONORABLE MENTION: TELVISION - MARQUE MOON (1977) Possibly the most intelligently complex interplay between two guitarists ever, with no blues scales to boot. THE CLASH - THE CLASH (US) (1979) IMO, better than London Calling. The best punk album ever made. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO - THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (1967) The saying goes, only a 1000 people may have initially bought this album, but out of those 1000 people 100 of them started their own bands after listening to this. Possibly the most influential indie album of all time. THE SMITHS - THE QUEEN IS DEAD (1986) Indie guitar pop's best album, possibly the album of the 80s. HAPPY MONDAYS - PILL'S N' THRILLS N' BELLYACHES Could there be a finer marriage of funk-based club dance and indie-rock? JEFF BUCKLEY - LIVE AT THE BATACLAN BOOTLEG (1995) The best live album I have ever heard- and that includes The Who's Live at Leeds, MC5's Kick Out the Jams, and James Brown's Live at the Apollo. Jeff Buckley at his best in front of an adoring and frenzied French crowd. The crisp sound quality only adds to the intoxicating feeling of listening to this. A purely magical experience. Make sure you get the full length version of this concert, not just the 4 tracks on the Grace EP Box Set. OASIS - DEFINITELY MAYBE (1993) The rebirth of British rock n' roll. Intoxicating, adrenaline pumping rock with attitude. LOUD in the true three guitar attack, swaggering drum beat, rock n' roll sense- not because of some fancy mix. There's probably no better song to sing along drunk to in a pub than "Rock 'n' Roll Star." Inkblot Magazine probably encapsulates this album the best: "Take your trip-hop and prog-rock and acid house and twee pop and drum & bass and anything else you can call a breakthrough and stick it behind Oasis. At the end of the day, it's about the guitars that make your ears bleed, the bravado that raises your adrenaline levels, and the lyrics that make you forget about the world outside in favor of a false yet undeniable feeling that everything in life is yours for 50 minutes."

Seriously... what good bands have come out of DC? Sure, everyone can cite Minor Threat, Fugazi, and Dismemberment Plan... but other than that... what is there? Q and Not U? Nah. Shudder to Think? Nope. Girls Against Boys? No Way. I'd say the music scene/history in DC is definitely lacking compared to New York, L.A., Boston, and even Atlanta.

Enough said...

Boxer leads Democratic challenge into Ohio vote By Associated Press WASHINGTON - A small group of Democrats agreed Thursday to force House and Senate debates on Election Day problems in Ohio before letting Congress certify President Bush's win over Sen. John Kerry in November. While Bush's victory is not in jeopardy, the Democratic challenge would legally compel Congress to interrupt tallying the Electoral College vote, which was scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST Thursday. It would be only the second time since 1877 that the House and Senate were forced into separate meetings to consider electoral votes. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., signed a challenge mounted by House Democrats to Ohio's 20 electoral votes, which put Bush over the top. By law, a protest signed by members of the House and Senate requires both chambers to meet separately for up to two hours to consider it. Lawmakers are allowed to speak for no more than five minutes each. "I have concluded that objecting to the electoral votes from Ohio is the only immediate way to bring these issues to light by allowing you to have a two-hour debate to let the American people know the facts surrounding Ohio's election," Boxer wrote in a letter to Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, a leader of the Democratic effort. The action seems certain to leave Bush's victory intact because both Republican-controlled chambers would have to uphold the objection for Ohio's votes to be invalidated. Supporters of the drive said that rather than changing the election outcome, their hope was to shine a national spotlight on the Ohio voting problems. "The goal is to debate the issue," Tubbs Jones said in an interview. "And why not? We go across the world trying to ensure democracy, but there are some problems with the process in the United States." Underscoring that the result was not in doubt, Kerry, who conceded to Bush the day after the Nov. 2 election, said he would not join the challenge. The four-term Massachusetts senator was in the Middle East, thanking U.S. troops for their service. In a statement, Kerry said there are "very troubling questions" about the Ohio voting and he would present a plan later to improve voting procedures. White House spokesman Scott McClellan dismissed the move as politically driven. "I think the American people expect members of Congress to work together and move forward on the real priorities facing this country, instead of engaging in conspiracy theories and rehashing issues that were settled long ago," McClellan said. Senate Democratic aides said many Democrats _ including new Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. _ initially opposed challenging the Ohio vote, concerned that it would do little but antagonize voters who consider the election over. In an interview, Boxer said no Democrats asked her to change her mind from her "hard decision." "We cannot keep turning our eyes away from a flawed system particularly as we have people dying in Iraq every day to bring democracy to those people," she said. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., declined to say whether she supports Boxer's decision, but said the move would call public attention to voting problems. She said she would vote to uphold the Ohio vote. Bush's victory margin was one factor making the challenge politically daunting. He won an Ohio recount by more than 118,000 votes, and won nationally by more than 3 million. Bush defeated Kerry by 286 to 252 electoral votes on Election Day, with 270 needed for victory. When electors met last month in state capitals to formally vote, an unknown Kerry elector in Minnesota cast a secret ballot for former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., Kerry's running mate. On Wednesday, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, issued a report claiming "numerous, serious election irregularities in the Ohio presidential election," and cited machine shortages and extremely long lines in minority and Democratic precincts. Many problems stemmed from "intentional misconduct and illegal behavior" by Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, the co-chair of the Bush-Cheney campaign in the state, the report argues. Blackwell spokesman Carlo LoParo called the report "ludicrous" and a waste of taxpayer dollars. In January 2001, a group of House Democrats protested the 2000 election because of Florida's ballot problems. But with the country weary of that contest's six weeks of recounts and turmoil, no senator joined in and the challenge failed. The last time the two chambers were forced to interrupt their joint session and meet separately was in January 1969, when a "faithless" North Carolina elector designated for Richard Nixon voted instead for independent George Wallace. Both chambers agreed to allow the vote for Wallace. The previous challenge requiring separate House and Senate meetings was in 1877 during the disputed contest that Rutherford Hayes eventually won over Samuel Tilden. Regardless of your political views, you have to admit "Boxer" and "Tubbs-Jones" are two cool last names....