A Period of Consequence

What Digby says.

And watch Melissa. (h/t to Digby)

"I Need To Wake Up" By Melissa Etheridge

A Period of Consequence

Why I Love Eddie

From a 2004 interview in The Believer conducted by S-K's Carrie Brownstein [emphasis in excerpt mine]:

I met Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder in Seattle in 1998, outside a club called The Crocodile Café. My band [Sleater-Kinney] was playing that night and Eddie walked up and stood in line behind me and my bandmate. He introduced himself to us and said he felt like he was standing next to Jagger and Richards. It’s a compliment a girl doesn’t hear too often.

It’s not that his comments fed my ego, or were commensurate to my own sense of self, but they were indicative of something that I would later learn is intrinsic to Vedder: he is unafraid to be a fan, and music is an entire universe for him.

Whether he’s bringing the Buzzcocks along on tour to introduce his audience to some English punks who were there at the beginning, or playing a cover of the Clash’s “Know Your Rights,” doing a pretty good job of imitating Joe Strummer’s hoarse and plaintive cry, Vedder is all about sharing. On the tour we did together in 2003, I watched musicians from the likes of Steve Earle to the Dead Boys’ Cheetah Chrome take the stage beside him. Well, actually, in front of him, since he often slips into the background to watch. Even when it’s just his own band on stage, he’ll step aside during a Mike McCready solo, steal glances at the crowd, rock back and forth; sometimes it’s more like he’s part of the audience than the lead singer.

We were all on stage one night, playing Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” which was typically Pearl Jam’s last song of the encore. We got to the break in the song, and I guess the drummers thought the guitarists would keep playing and vice versa, but it turned out that none of us did. We all stopped. For a moment, it was just Eddie. “There are a thousand points of light,” he sang. There was nothing behind him. It was a clumsy and beautiful moment. He turned to us, smiling, as if to say, “What the fuck?” and we came back in on the next beat. I remember thinking later that he could probably do all of this on his own, but I know he’d rather be part of something bigger, and he’d rather have music filling the space around him, so that he can be a performer and a fan at the same time.

—Carrie Brownstein

Carrie interviewing Eddie in a magazine created by Dave. Damn I love convergence of artists I worship.

Why I Love Eddie

Troy Lee Gentry, Cowardly F**k

I'm a big tough country star. I writes me some jingoistic songs supporting war (except when it comes to actually signing up, "he'll go if Uncle Sam calls", what's stopping you from signing up tough guy), hitting your kids ("not sparing the rod"), and "kicking ass for Jesus."

I especially loves me some good ole fashioned huntin'. I'm a gonna shoot me a trophy bear. I'm a gonna just buy a tame one for $5,000 and shoot it while it's trapped in a cage. Then, I'm a gonna pretend that I was a real he-man hunter, get some fraudulent tags, a fraudulent videotape and try to make it look like it was a fair kill.

This is where our justice system should get creative. They should just roll this guy in some honey and fish guts and drop him in with some bears at the zoo, after they haven't eaten for a day or two. If that's not possible, I really hope he makes a nice wife for someone in prison.

He gets a letter from Jesus' General.

Troy Lee Gentry, Cowardly F**k

George Bush, Lawbreaker

Sorry, George.

There's this little document called the Constitution, see, and all the power of your current office comes from that document. You can't just ignore this document, do whatever you want, and say it's legal because you say it's legal.

My favorite excerpt from the ruling:

We must first note that the Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the Constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no power not created by the Constitution. So all "inherent power" must derive from that Constitution.

So you're not a king and you're not a dictator. You blatantly broke the FISA law, which every President before you seemed to be able to follow and ignored 2 Constitutional amendments.

Rule of law. Rule of law. Rule of law. Where's the hypocrite Henry Hyde when we need him? What will we tell the children? Blatant disregard for the rule of law by a man who took a solemn oath to faithfully execute and uphold the Constitution and the laws of the land.

Did I mention that a FISA warrant was obtained to gather intelligence that helped foil the London plot? So we don't have to break the law and ignore the Constitution to give law enforcement the tools it needs to catch terrorists?

George Bush, Lawbreaker

Go Cheney Yourself, Dick

Why Darth Cheney is a despicable human being who has debased public discourse.

The thing that’s partly disturbing about it is the fact that, the standpoint of our adversaries, if you will, in this conflict, and the al Qaeda types, they clearly are betting on the proposition that ultimately they can break the will of the American people in terms of our ability to stay in the fight and complete the task.

This goes for you too, Joe, for reading from Cheney's script.

"If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again."

Who the f-ck do these guys think they are? If you don't vote support the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Lieberman idiocy on Iraq, you support Al-Qaeda. Do they really believe that? What f-ing world do they live in?

They make these insulting pronouncements about Americans who clearly want something other than Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Lieberman macho militaristic stay the course garbage, yet not one f-ing sacrifice from them. Just sacrifices from American families. Lieberman can't even accept defeat with dignity or grace. Connecticut voters are going to have to pry that seat from his cold, dead hands. Selfish arrogant f-er.

Stay the course is not a strategy. Iraq is diverting resources away from the real fight. 60% of the American people realize this and want a plan to get our troops out of Iraq.

Go Cheney Yourself, Dick

Sore Loserman of the Week

So long, Joe. I won't miss your Fox News Democrat, Bush-kissing, Hannity-loving, Dem-scolding, Iraq war-loving, detached from reality, sanctimonious ass.

Sore Loserman of the Week

Thank You Perry Farrell and Lolla

Working on my lollapalooza summary, but until then here is one pic of Perry's visit to the Kidzapalooza area. We were about 5-10 feet from him. Very cool. I'll have more to say about the festival later, but I was very impressed with the Kidza area at lolla.

Thank You Perry Farrell and Lolla

Why I Love Sleater-Kinney

GK explains:

"They might bristle at this, because they've heard this a million times, but the importance of what they've done for women in rock music is second to none," says Tony Kiewel, who signed the band to Sub Pop Records two years ago for what would be their final album, "The Woods." "They've opened a lot of doors for women. They've also shown that you can not only age gracefully but evolve in surprising ways and achieve things beyond the obvious goal of pushing in new directions. They've excelled over an extended period at trying different things, and not a lot of bands have done that. Besides the Flaming Lips, I have a hard time thinking of other bands who have produced as much great music in various genres over the course of a long career."

I have a hard time thinking of a better band, too.

Sleater-Kinney.

Best. Band. Ever.

Thank you, Sleater-Kinney.

See you on Friday night in Grant Park.

Why I Love Sleater-Kinney