Talk to the Hand

Walking back to school from grabbing a few fish tacos at Baja Fresh the other night, I came to an intersection where people regularly cross the street against the cross walk.


I was 3/4 of the way through the intersection when a woman drove by behind me and yelled "That's a red hand sir!"

It didn't even register that she was talking to me. I was rockin out to something or another on my iPod, and didn't flinch when she yelled. Once I realized she had intended her parenting for me, I wished I'd given her the bird or yelled something back.

Then I realized that my seemingly oblivious reaction was probably even more frustrating to her.

Stadium Arcadium

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have been up and down several times over the last several years - they are smart enough and good enough to pen at least one single per album, guaranteeing that they can keep some fans, sell concert tickets, and sell records. But in my estimation, these records have often lacked depth. Californication and Scar Tissue were both very good songs, but the record didn't do it for me as a whole.


When I saw RHCP on Saturday Night Live performing the first single from Stadium Arcadium, I was throughly disappointed and sad to see that such a great band was in continued decline. But the single eventually caught my ear, as did the next one.

I've now listened through the double disc several times. This is no return to Blood Sugar Sex Magic or Mother's Milk, but those are some of the best albums of our generation. But to put together two full discs of songs is a big challenge, and this was not a product of trying to put out bulk and refusing to distinguish one poor song from the next. There are other very good songs on there, and while the sound may not be as revolutionary as their earlier work, the RHCP continue to advance the funk and hip-hop influences in their brand of (somewhat punk) rock.

Here is their Grammy performance of Snow (Hey Oh). You'll have to excuse the squealing girls at the beginning. This is a wonderful song and while it is too bad that Anthony Kiedis has spent so long battling addiction, at least we get the benefit of his troubles.

p.s. - it should come as no surprise that Rick Rubin produced this record. He was all over everything at the Grammys

sleep a little easier

It's good to know that the Attorney General throws more weight when it comes to the war on terror than the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State combined:

Mr. Gates’s appeal was an effort to turn Mr. Bush’s publicly stated desire to close Guantánamo into a specific plan for action, the officials said. In particular, Mr. Gates urged that trials of terrorism suspects be moved to the United States, both to make them more credible and because Guantánamo’s continued existence hampered the broader war effort, administration officials said.

Mr. Gates’s arguments were rejected after Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and some other government lawyers expressed strong objections to moving detainees to the United States, a stance that was backed by the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, administration officials said.

As Mr. Gates was making his case, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined him in urging that the detention facility be shut down, administration officials said. But the high-level discussions about closing Guantánamo came to a halt after Mr. Bush rejected the approach, although officials at the National Security Council, the Pentagon and the State Department continue to analyze options for the detention of terrorism suspects.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/washington/23gitmo.html

Fight the Power

I've been on Spring Break, but rather than bore you with tales of 50 degrees and blue skys at Vail, I figured I'd pass along this treat.

the band moe. recently covered Guns of Brixton, originally by the Clash. I'm not sure how long moe. has been playing it, but it's a great choice if you ask me.

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

When the law break in
How you gonna go?
Shot down on the pavement
Or waiting on death row

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton

The money feels good
And your life you like it well
But surely your time will come
As in heaven, as in hell

You see, he feels like Ivan
Born under the Brixton sun
His game is called survivin'
At the end of the harder they come

You know it means no mercy
They caught him with a gun
No need for the Black Maria
Goodbye to the Brixton sun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh-the guns of Brixton

When they kick at your front door
How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun

You can crush us
You can bruise us
Yes, even shoot us
But oh-the guns of Brixton

Shot down on the pavement
Waiting in death row
His game is called survivin'
As in heaven as in hell

You can crush us
You can bruise us
But you'll have to answer to
Oh, the guns of Brixton

Here's moe.'s version (7.3MB).

I added transition & fades

In case you were wondering . . .

In Virginia:

A character combination may violate the personalized plate policy if it contains a combination of characters that could reasonably be seen by a person viewing the plate as:
A. Profane, obscene, or vulgar in nature.
B. Sexually explicit or graphic.
C. Excretory related.
D. Used to describe intimate body parts or genitals.
E. Used to describe drugs, drug culture, or drug use.
F. Used to condone or encourage violence.
G. Used to describe illegal activities or illegal substances.
H. Socially, racially, or ethnically offensive or disparaging.
DMV reserves the right to refuse to issue a character combination that violates the personalized plate policy. All personalized character combinations are screened by DMV to ensure that they do not violate our policy.

I swear to god, I once saw Georgia plate that was "Deznutz"

Long May You Run

As far as I know, the Houride is still in my parents driveway. I may be "grown up" but apparently I am still a slouch in some ways. Well, probably a lot of ways, but that is neither here nor there. At any rate, my mom gave me her car for my birthday and today the hand-off was completed when I ordered the permanent plates from the VA DMV.

My new plates are a lyric from the Neil Young song "Long May You Run" as a homage to the Houride, which was a loyal steed that served me well for many changes in my life. I love the car more than I should, but I couldn't love the memories any more than I do.

LONG MAY YOU RUN

We've been through some things together
With trunks of memories still to come
We found things to do in stormy weather
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.

Well, it was back in Blind River in 1962
When I last saw you alive
But we missed that shift on the long decline
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.

Maybe The Beach Boys have got you now
With those waves singing "Caroline No"
Rollin' down that empty ocean road
Gettin' to the surf on time.
Long may you run.

Long may you run.
Long may you run.
Although these changes have come
With your chrome heart shining in the sun
Long may you run.