After a trying week it’s been pleasant to listen to a little live music from the Newport Folk Festival courtesy of NPR Music.
Yesterday I caught the Decemberists and Gogol Bordello; today it was Amos Lee, Mountain Man, Elvis Costello and Emmylou Harris. Elvis and the Imposters started out a little ragged — I think he used the first couple of tunes for his sound check — but still, it beats the mortal shit out of Prairie Home Companion, lemme tell you, especially when he does “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” with a theramin for backup.
If you missed it, NPR Music is archiving audio and video from all three stages, so you can play catchup in the cube farm — assuming your particular business doesn’t get the business because Congress can’t do business, the miserable fucks. Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona is seriously pissed off, and I’m right there with him. Says Grijalva:
The Democratic Party, no less than the Republican Party, is at a very serious crossroads at this moment. For decades Democrats have stood for a capable, meaningful government — a government that works for the people, not just the powerful, and that represents everyone fairly and equally. This deal weakens the Democratic Party as badly as it weakens the country. We have given much and received nothing in return. The lesson today is that Republicans can hold their breath long enough to get what they want. While I believe the country will not reward them for this in the long run, the damage has already been done.
Preach it, brother, preach it. Where’s Steve Earle when we need him?
• Late update: Pete Seeger joined Emmylou and a crowd of other performers onstage for “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” The old commie’s gone a little wobbly, but he kept up the struggle. When will they ever learn, indeed.
Mad Blog Media 
Chuckie
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/07/28/charles-krauthammer-the-debt-plan-the-republicans-need-to-pass/
who I rarely agree with, is nonetheless a smart guy. He knows the Repuglicans are making a huge mistake letting the KKK…oops, there I go again, the Tea Party bozos determine their party position. I can only hope come November of 2012 the American voter remembers who caused this mess. It’s clear we must have a Democratic prez, as well as both houses of congress in order to do much of anything right. The Repugs can not be trusted with ANY authority or control over anything. That is truly sad. Ol’ Honest Abe is certainly turning over in his grave about what’s happened to his party.
CK Is the opposite of smart. Articulate and thoughtful, yes. But all idealogues, left and right, are by definition not intelligent, because they ignore reality to serve the perpetuation of their myth. More on that later … got some music to listen to.
Worse than that SteveO…poor Larry is forgetting his own better half’s reprimands. I might let him slide with saying Krauthammer is smart (what exactly qualifies any human as “smart” anyway? It’s a quandary right up there with who’s definition of “small government” applies); but the rest of his statement makes a HUGE assumption: that the American voter will a) remember and/or give a fuck who got us/we/them into that mess or b) that they will KNOW who got us/we/them into that mess (which then sends you back to a))
Unfortunately Larry…I see evidence all the time that your wife is right- especially where I’m typing this nonsense.
Barry’s right. I just blame whoever Fox News tells me to blame.
….and Rupert smiled…
Ran into an acquaintance today who, last fall, was crowing about how great the Tea Party victory was going to turn this things around, save “our” country, you know, the usual rhetoric (do they have classes or a CD series teaching the to all use the same catch phrases and arguments ?). I asked him how this Tea Party deal was working out for him. “Great” was his reply. Then he proceeded to tell me he had just lost his job, too. His company turns out to be a bit nervous about the economy, so they did some preemptive lay-offs until things get better. Which they will, of course, with more social program cuts and tax breaks for the wealthy. Some guys will NEVER learn, and that’s what really worries me!
When “we” have to save “our” country (from the people whom we democratically elected into office), it makes me wonder who really needs saving from whom
No one wants to admit … The 50th percentile ain’t got a lot going on in their collective noggins.
Never underestimate the ability of the Repuglicans to get folks to act against their own self-interest! I truly believe Krauthammer IS a smart guy, he just believes (wrongly in my opinion) that small government with next-to-nothing in social programs is the goal. Being smart, he’ll twist any argument to suit his opinion, but the interesting thing in this one is he points out the Repuglicans should have known when to take YES for an answer. Now their draconian measures will doom the economy and likely end up costing the govt. therefore all us taxpayers, MORE instead of LESS. I hope these Tea Party folks, along with those who let them have their way, are looking for jobs themselves as soon as possible. How long will it take for everyone to finally figure out “trickle-down” or as Bush the elder once called them, “voodoo” economics (the supply-side baloney) simply does NOT work? Never has, never will, no matter how many times the experiment is repeated. Meanwhile we’re working on moving to Italy..where the govt. is at least as corrupt as the US but the food and wine (and cycling) is much better…..and costs a lot LESS!
Back when I took economics, shortly after the last ice age, we were taught that demand creates supply, not the other way around. If the supply-side BS actually worked, we would never have had the Bush Depression to bitch about.
I used to advocate an intelligence test for voting, but now stand corrected. We desperately need a logic test.
Hope y’all find a place with lots of extra bedrooms….
As a public sector employee, I can state with tons of conviction that logic has no place in government. I see it every day as I try to comprehend some of the decisions – large and small – which are made. Like laying off employees based solely upon seniority…..and by that I don’t mean “most senior out, newest in” but the exact opposite!
Yep, no logic there…..
To quote a wise person: “people are stupid!”
I think we’re confusing intelligent with articulate.
A smart person looks at the world around him, then researches the historical record, and concludes that a conservative policy solution would work best in this case. Or maybe concludes that a liberal solution would be better. Or maybe a mix of the two. It doesn’t really matter which. But what does matter is, after coming to a conclusion, a smart person continues to keep his eyes open for subsequent data and modifies his opinion as necessary.
That is the opposite of what nearly every talking idjit on the teevee machine does. Guys like CK pick and choose their data to support a conclusion upon which they have already decided. Then they sit down to craft a method of describing this conclusion that will make it palpable to the masses, or maybe just to the core constituents of his base of support.
I will grant some level of credit to the hard work required in crafting these narratives. But as long as this work involves closing ones mind to the world around him in order to maintain ideological purity, I have trouble labeling this as “smart.”
It is a skill, for sure. But shoving ones own head into ones own ass is also a skill.
Luckily for me, that wise person comes back today from hobknobbing with her fellow philosophical wizards in the cradle of philosophy, Greece. I’m sure she’ll reply to my rants with those three words more than a few times over the next few days!
Focusing on the positive here, I’ll just echo Patrick’s recommendation and suggest that anyone who hasn’t done so recently check out the NPR music section. Always something good there. No idea how they can afford to keep that much content up on the web, when I know contributions are lagging behind along with the economy in general.
(Aside: Has anyone noticed how often “the economy” is used as justification for some measure of austerity? But did you hear folks blaming the economy back in the ’90s and ’00s when they were blowing their wad on land yachts and unnecessary renovations and other nice to have stuff? “Yeah, I didn’t really need a new car, but you know, the economy and all, had to get it.”
Greetings from London and late of Copenhagen,
The Danes are singularly confused by the just plain irrationality of the Tea Party and our ‘debate’ over the debt ceiling. It’ beyond my powers to explain the grasping and shamelessness of the GOP’s search to remake America into 18th century England. The Tea Party they get, having experienced the first half of the 1940’s first hand.
On another note, Larry’s wife would be hard pressed to find a use for her hallmark statement in Denmark. You can have Italy I’m moving to the southern most Scandinavian country when it becomes impossible to stay with Uncle Sugar. Denmark may be flat, but god it is the nicest place I’ve ever been. And the XC skiing is better. The Alps are just a TGV ride away if I need to go climb something bigger than a sand dune.
Best to Buddy and the felines.
FYI: http://www.npr.org/music/mobile/iphone-music.html
Not sure if you’ll see this message, being a week old and all, but if you have, say, an entire afternoon to kill, check out the NPR Music iPhone app. How are they staying in business when they spend so much time on neat stuff that no one pays for? It basically has every song ever played on any NPR, APR, PRI, or other public radio forum. Well, maybe not 100%, but damn near.
Pick an artist, and you have access to his Tiny Desk Concerts, World Cafe appearances, Mountain Stage, and whatever interviews he ever did along the way.
You know … I’m thinking … this internet thing might not be just a fad.
It’s not all there indefinitely. I’ve checked into a few things that just have a story and no music. The Newport Folk Festival stuff ought to be on there for another 4 or 5 weeks. But you are right in saying there is a motherlode of good stuff on that app; and the price is nice as well. In the infamous words of an old acquaintance of mine: “why wouldn’t ya?”