Behind the scenes: a John McCain thought bubble. I don't usually like the snarky caption-photograph school of humor, but when I saw this photo of John McCain and his running mate Governor Palin, I had no choice but to do one. /jack ---o0o---
I really like this band, whom I recently, and belatedly, discovered. They have had one incredibly wide, revolving door over the years and have funneled more members through this band than Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention (well, not quite!). This article in Wikipedia details the amusing churn of Sleepy Jackson's membership over their career (the lineup sometimes changed mid-tour!). This is maybe the first band I know that could have useda Human Resources Department.
The Sleepy Jackson formed in 1998 with the original lineup featuring Luke Steele (guitars/vocals), Jesse Steele (drums), and Matthew O’Connor (bass). This lineup recorded a self-titled debut and a subsequent single titled "Miniskirt". Both recordings were independently released. In 2000, as a result of non-musical commitments, Luke Steele suggested that his brother should redirect his attentions and concentrate on other happenings in his life which ultimately resulted in Jesse following his advice and departing the band.
The void created by Steele's departure was filled by Paul Keenan (who later drummed with Eskimo Joe at their live performances). Along with numerous shows in their hometown of Perth, in late 2000, The Sleepy Jackson toured nationally with Jebediah. In March 2001, on the eve of the band’s signing with EMI Records, the band toured with Magic Dirt and Motor Ace with Ronan Charles on keyboards joining Steele, O'Connor and Keenan. Five weeks into the tour, with the band broke, exhausted, and sleeping in caravan parks rather than enjoying the luxuries their touring partners were enjoying, O'Connor, Keenan and Charles quit leaving Steele to complete the tour solo.
In signing to EMI, pressure was soon placed on Steele to produce a recording. The result was a 2001 released EP titled Caffeine In The Morning Sun which Steele recorded in Sydney with a collection of session musicians. In addition to playing solo, Steele recruited drummer Malcolm Clark into The Sleepy Jackson fold and, when some serious touring was required in support of the release, the services of Justin Burford (Guitar) and Rodney Aravena (Bass) were enlisted. In addition to The Sleepy Jackson, Steele's three colleagues were also playing around their hometown with Jonathon Dudman under the name End Of Fashion.
The Sleepy Jackson relocated to Sydney where they recorded another EP, Let Your Love Be Love. Songs from this and past releases were put together to form a self titled mini album for release on the UK market. A period of extensive touring quickly followed which saw the band playing in Australia, The United States, and Europe. The later bought the band some very enthusiastic attention from UK music paper NME. In between live appearances, The Sleepy Jackson worked on recordings that were to become their debut album Lovers. During a series of UK appearances in 2003, Burford and Aravena left the band. With a support slot for Silverchair's Diorama tour looming back in Australia, replacements were quickly sought. Clarke ironically called upon the only other End of Fashion member not previously part of The Sleepy Jackson, Jonathon Dudman.
Dudman joined the band in Sydney where he took over bass duties and the second guitarist position was filled by session musician Ben Nightingale. The Sleepy Jackson's revolving door continued when Nightingale was ultimately replaced by Jonathon Dudman's brother, Julian Dudman. But the Dudmans consequently left the band leaving Luke Steele and Malcolm Clark as the only official members of The Sleepy Jackson.
The Sleepy Jackson released their second full length album Personality - One Was A Spider, One Was A Bird in Australia on July 1, 2006 where it debuted at No. 10 on the ARIA Albums Charts the following week. With its predecessor Lovers receiving generous support from both critics and radio alike, the band supported the new album's worldwide release with a series of live appearances in select markets. Joining Clark and Steele are Dave Symes and Felix Bloxsom, who both worked on the album, and Lee Jones who was formerly in Perth band Spencer Tracy.
The album was released in the United Kingdom on July 26th and in the United States on July 27th. In July 2006 the album was nominated for a J Award by Australian Radio Station, Triple J.
In 2007 The Sleepy Jackson performed at the 2007 Big Day Out, Southbound, Falls Festival and the St Jerome's Laneway festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Luke Steele appeared on the Pnau single "With You Forever", leading Nick Littlemore to state on Pnau's website "...working with Luke Steele... it was amazing, that inspired us to work on a separate project with him all together. It's another album we're doing."
The line-up: Current Band Members Luke Steele (Guitar, Vocals) 1998–present Malcolm Clark (Drums, Backing Vocals) 2001–present Lee Jones (Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals) 2006–present Dave Symes (Bass, Backing Vocals) 2006–present Felix Bloxsom (Percussion, Acoustic Guitar, Synth) 2006–present ---o0o---
On The View, Bill Clinton says Hillary Clinton did not want to be Barack Obama's VP. Bill also discusses John McCain's support for diplomatic relations with Vietnam during his second term as president. Clinton claims he supports Obama, but goes onto effusively praise "Crazy" John McCain...
This is a list of my favorite blues performers in no particular order. Disclosure: I lean pretty heavily toward the solo finger-pickin' style of blues, and not so much toward, say, Bonnie Raitt or even the Chicago school of the blues. Right now, however, I am deep into listening to Muddy Waters' 3-CD Chess Box Set.
Skip James Leadbelly (aka Huddie Ledbetter) John Mayall Peg Leg Sam (aka Arthur Jackson) Mississippi John Hurt Taj Mahal Bessie Smith Koko Taylor Jimmy Ray Vaughn Etta James Henry "Rufe" Johnson Jesse Fuller Willie Dixon Buddy Guy Paul Butterfield Ray Charles Bo Diddley Billie Holiday Elmore James Ray Charles Jimmy Reed Son Seals Big Joe Turner Jimmy Witherspoon
Brummet Island is a island in Carroll County, New Hampshire at Latitude: 43.58833Longitude: 71.1425. It is a lake island. I would like to move their and stake my clain.
According to the Associated Press, a measure seeking to honor George's Bush's years in office by placing his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot.
The referendum was certified Thursday and will rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
Supporters say the plan is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush left behind in Iraq. What better facility to honor the President, who has been steadily emitting crap from the White House for the last 7 10/12 years? ---o0o---
I was a fan of their British Invasion songs, but really came to love them later, post-1972, with the release of Everybody's In Show Biz, Preservation, Village Green, and Schoolboys. Everybody's in Show Biz, in particular is my favorite, although it was critically panned. This was part of my soundtrack for the years 1972-74, along with Deep Purple's Who Do We Think We Are, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Will The Circle Be Unbroken, CSNY's Four Way Street, Led Zep's Houses of the Holy, the mid to later Beatles (Revolver, White Album, Abbey Road), The Grateful Dead Europe '72, anything by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, The Doors, and my first forays into jazz with Charles Lloyd, Weather Report, and Chick Corea.
By the later 1970's, Kinks songs were being covered by all sorts of people, most notably Val Halen, The Pretenders, Blur, Joan Jett, The Jam, Seattle's Young Fresh Fellows, Mark Lanegan, Yo La Tengo, The Stranglers and many more. . .
Waterloo Sunset Education Celluloid Heroes Victoria 'Till The End Of The Day Muswell Hillbilly Death of a Clown Motorway Sitting in my hotel Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues Genevieve I'm in disgrace Sunny Afternoon All Day and all of the night 20th Century Man Apeman Jack the idiot dunce No More Looking Back The Hard Way Set Me Free Alcohol Lola Motorway Everybody's a star Top of the pops Lola Fancy David Watts Stop your sobbing You really got me Lola A Face In The Crowd Starmaker One of the survivors Here comes yet another day Tired of waiting for you ---o0o---
This is an excellent and faifhtul endition of the song by The Kinks. When this came out, I was in my mid-teens, and it was scandalous and sometimes censored/not played on the radio. It is undoubtedly one of the great Ray Davies/The Kinks songs (and their greatest hit).
Lola By Ray Davies
I met her in a club down in old soho Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry-cola [lp version: Coca-cola] C-o-l-a cola She walked up to me and she asked me to dance I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said lola L-o-l-a lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well Im not the worlds most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola Well Im not dumb but I cant understand Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man Oh my lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well we drank champagne and danced all night Under electric candlelight She picked me up and sat me on her knee And said dear boy wont you come home with me Well Im not the worlds most passionate guy But when I looked in her eyes well I almost fell for my lola Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola
I pushed her away I walked to the door I fell to the floor I got down on my knees Then I looked at her and she at me
Well thats the way that I want it to stay And I always want it to be that way for my lola Lo-lo-lo-lo lola Girls will be boys and boys will be girls Its a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for lola Lo-lo-lo-lo lola
Well I left home just a week before And Id never ever kissed a woman before But lola smiled and took me by the hand And said dear boy Im gonna make you a man
Well Im not the worlds most masculine man But I know what I am and Im glad Im a man And so is lola Lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola Lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola lo-lo-lo-lo lola ---o0o---
I too was moved when I read that "Maggie's Farm" was BarackObama's favorite Bob Dylan song. Wow. Of all the songs he could have picked. . .here is a post from the Deadhead section on Barack's website:
I Ain't Gonna Work on Maggie's Farm No More By Jonathan Juillerat - Sep 19th, 2008 at 1:07 am EDT Also listed in: Deadheads For Obama
One of the watershed moments for me over the last few months was when I was reading the Rolling Stone interview with Obama, and they asked him if he had any favorite Bob Dylan songs. My jaw hit the floor when he said “Maggie’s Farm” and claimed “it speaks to me”. I mean, there are about fifty safe answers to that question, and that isn’t one of them. At that moment I realized that this guy actually has the guts to face down whatever is in front of us as a country. Since then, for inspiration, I’ve listened to that song every time I get complacent or think that I can’t make a difference. And damn it…I ain’t gonna work on Maggie’s farm no more.
If you have the song, I recommend a listen to get you fired up for the next several weeks. If you don't have it, just give the lyrics a good read for some and inspiration.
Maggie's Farm
by Bob Dylan
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I wake in the morning, Fold my hands and pray for rain. I got a head full of ideas That are drivin' me insane. It's a shame the way she makes me scrub the floor. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more. Well, he hands you a nickel, He hands you a dime, He asks you with a grin If you're havin' a good time, Then he fines you every time you slam the door. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's brother no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more. Well, he puts his cigar Out in your face just for kicks. His bedroom window It is made out of bricks. The National Guard stands around his door. Ah, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's pa no more.
I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. No, I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more. Well, she talks to all the servants About man and God and law. Everybody says She's the brains behind pa. She's sixty-eight, but she says she's twenty-four. I ain't gonna work for Maggie's ma no more.
I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. No, I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. Well, I try my best To be just like I am, But everybody wants you To be just like them. They say sing while you slave and I just get bored. I ain't gonna work on Maggie's farm no more. ---o0o---
Here are some of my favorite traffic videos, taken in India, Saigon, and Cairo. I have to admit, however, the two times recently I've driven in Boston didn't seem all that different from these!
"McCain is being viewed as running for Bush's Third Term. The Palinpalooza is basically over, despite the attempts of some to keep it going." - From Big Ticket Democrat/Talk Left ]
Another piece in Talk Left said: "Obama [is] regaining the momentum in the presidential race and leading John McCain. It's not just the economy. It's also McCain's opportunistic pick of Gov. Sarah Palin for Vice President. A majority of those polled (pdf)find her unqualified and 3/4 of them believe she was selected primarily to help McCain win. "
"More than half of registered voters do not think she is prepared for the job of Vice President, and a majority express concern about Palin being able to take over the presidency, if necessary. Even supporters of John McCain cite “inexperience” as what they like least about her. Palin’s unfavorable rating is also up eight points from last week." ---o0o---
