Extra, Extra! Excerpts coming!

We got a surprisingly good recording from our performance in the basement of the Riverwalk on Saturday (the aforementioned tequila-fest). I'll post some excerpts on our dmusic.com site. I might even post our version of "Blister In The Sun," one of the later selections from Uncle Derek's Request Hour.

From what I've heard so far, the recording of "Mauve" is killer. "Self-Portrait" is quite good, although it will play like a work-in-progress until we track it and incorporate some danger into the middle section. "Up Is Down" was sterling, but it was one of the last songs we played, and the minidisc stopped about two minutes in... "Anyone" is plenty spicy, too.

Look for excerpts in a couple days. After I drink some chiraz.

A summary of the most recent conversations...

I just got back from the Top Hat, my neighborhood bar, where Ben Sagmoe stood on a chair and yelled "How many of you saw 'Fahrenheit 9/11' over the weekend" and over half the bar raised their hands. And I talked to a woman, Tiffany, who had been in the Marines, had voted for Bush in 2000, believed Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11, and was poised to move to Canada anyway.

Maybe the glass is half empty.

But half full for me! I was at the Top Hat! And I'm going golfing with my dad bright and early in the morning! Eat that, Tom DeLay!



*note: in the comments section, feel free to add any suggestions for names other than "Tom DeLay" that might better drive home the comic emphasis of that last paragraph.

Everybody clapped when it was over.

The Reverend Snip Jackson and I caught "Fahrenheit 9-11" tonight, and I highly recommend it. Obviously, there's way too much background information needed to properly skewer, in only 2 1/2 hours, the people currently running our government. But Michael Moore is really good at this stuff. It's a powerful documentary.

And the bizarre thing: I had read plenty of critical reviews (as well as many fawning ones), and I was watching for some of the stuff they were complaining about. I was really watching for it, and I didn't see it. If people leave the theater disliking Paul Wolfowitz, it's not going to be because he licked his comb in order to slick down his hair. It will be because Moore keeps showing him saying real things in front of real people that are utterly discredited, not only by the footage in "Fahrenheit," but by THE NEWS IN THE PAPER EVERY DAMN DAY.

Perhaps the funniest testament to this film's immediate impact is the September 9-11 American Film Renaissance, to be held in Dallas, Texas. The purpose is to screen films that rebut Moore's work and present a more right-wing angle on current events. I'm sure it will be a fucking laugh riot. Maybe Kirk Cameron is open that weekend.

Meanwhile, the "controversial" documentary by Moore ends this weekend the #1 film in America, and as of tonight is expected to be the top-grossing documentary in the history of the United States.

I had never seen a real bone sticking out of a real arm before. I don't like wars.

Ick of the Irish.

I just watched an Irish television news program where George W. Bush was interviewed by RTE's Washington correspondent Carol Coleman. Gawd.

His answers are the same to every question, just a rambling litany of platitudes about democracy and the greatness of the U. S. mixed with the evil nature of terrorism and our enemy. His comments were completely devoid of nuance, except for one sentence where he was waxing poetic about Tony Blair, and all the words fit together very nicely. The worst thing: he kept repeating himself. And when Coleman would interrupt and press him to clarify or narrow his answer to the actual question she asked, Bush would harumph and whine about "Let me finish. Please." The interview got quite testy at a couple points.

There's a link for the interview on pandagon.net. I recommend you watch it, and try to figure out what the Irish are thinking of Bush as they watch him lecture them.

I tell you, regardless of political leanings or even general apathy towards current events, one has to admit that it's advantageous to have a president who can talk and answer questions. And one who is polite.

And that's why I'm nominating my mother to be president. I remember talking to my mother as the Afghanistan invasion started in late 2002, as political tensions were rising in Venezuela. I asked her, What country do you think Bush will go after next? She confidently replied, "Iraq. He doesn't know any better. I think he thinks he'll feel better if he kills Saddam."

Did you see what she did? I asked my mother a question, and she answered directly, and in complete sentences! And, to top it off, she was totally correct! Let's check our Statesmanship Sweepstakes: Mom 1, GW 0. Don't worry; there's plenty of time for a comeback (and the scoreboard doesn't leave a paper trail).

It started with a simple misunderstanding.

I was simply mentioning that, in the second set, we would have a little section called "Uncle Derek's Request Hour" where we actually attempted to play any top-40 hit the audience could throw at us. It was a wedding, after all, and we delight in the fact that we're an, um, ATYPICAL wedding band (to say the least). So, I'm just bringing up the Request Hour, reminding everybody that it will happen in the second set, and I hear someone blurt out "Tequila!"

So we shrugged our shoulders and played Tequila. It was pretty good, too. Except the blurter was the groom, Kerry, and he just wanted to bring us some tequila. Sure enough, as soon as the conga line came back down the stairs and we ended the song, there was Kerry, platter in hand. Tequilas all around! It wouldn't be the last time, or the second-to-last time, that's for sure.

Believe it or not, we actually did a little bit of "Sweet Caroline" during Uncle Derek's Request Hour. We knew none of the words, but Captain really put the team on his shoulders during that whole lead-in to the chorus. We're all very proud of you, Captain.

Another song we played: "Crash Into Me" by the Dave Matthews Band. And we went on way too long with that "hike up your skirt" business. Way too long. The only requests we had to turn down during Uncle Derek's Request Hour: the love theme from "Arthur" and "anything by Fishbone."

A big thanks to Kerry and Adrienne for having us for their supah-dupah celebration. And thanks for the chiraz, seriously. It's a good way to get on the long-term Spooncat! guest list...

The Homecoming Dance

I, like Jeremy, wish to express gratitude to all comers to the Phil's show last night. It was great fun.

Also, I'd like to thank our opening act WUMPUS. God damn they have clever music. Every tune is clever. And somehow the rock is small and majestic at the same time. Every piece is like red and yello LEGO blocks. It's LEGO rock. That's MY term. I coined it just now!

Chatting with Hank Harris yesterday before the show, he threw out a good name for the first Wumpus album: Womb. You know, Wumpus Womb. It's a little Bernadette Peters, but I think the womb thing fits the music, too.

If they can put a man on the moon, why can't they put metal in the microwave?

Thanks-

-to all who attended the show last night. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

"Well, at least it's not MY blood..."

Have you ever overheard a conversation, just heard one line or one sentence free of context, and wondered, "What the hell are they talking about?" Of course you have. I had one of those experiences at the Top Hat Lounge.

There were these two lawyer-type guys at the table next to me. I describe them as lawyer-type guys because they said "deposition" at one point, and one of them was wearing a tie. Anyway, the older gentleman has a rather sing-songy laugh; you know, the type of laugh that has melody and structure to it, and you can hum along after awhile if you like. So he's laughing and sing-songing away about SOMETHING, but I don't know what, because I didn't start to pay attention to them until I heard the sing-songy laugh start. And he's really laughing loud, and for a long time, right?

And then he says: "Well, you know, that whole Platte River region," and he starts laughing again, but not for very long this time.

What the hell?

Who wants an Oatmeal Creme Pie?

Linkin' Park...

I'm sufficiently motivated to post some blogs I frequent nearly every day. You'll have to forgive me; I don't have the patience to activate them as links, because none of the Blogger shortcuts work on a Mac.

For political purposes, I visit:

Eschaton (atrios.blogspot.com), Talking Points Memo (talkingpointsmemo.com), This Modern World (thismodernworld.com), Billmon (billmon.org), Orcinus (dneiwert.blogspot.com), and Altercation (do a Google search--it's easier than typing in the convoluted MSNBC address...). Talking Points Memo is by magazine writer Joshua Micah Marshall, a liberal Beltway perspective, and a good one. This Modern World is the site of cartoonist Tom Tomorrow, and comedian Bob Harris frequently guest-hosts. Billmon's Whiskey Bar is brilliant; the author works in economics and knows very much about very much. Orcinus is the site of Seattle journalist David Neiwert, who specializes in right-wing and domestic terrorism and its coverage. Altercation is the site of Nation columnist and author Eric Alterman, updated every weekday.

For media criticism, I visit a couple of sites religiously: Bob Somerby's Daily Howler is invaluable (dailyhowler.com), and a new site I enjoy is headed by David Brock, the reformed right-wing hit man (mediamatters.org). Media Matters specializes in pointing out errors, lies, and omissions in the world of right-wing punditry.

To me, there is one site that is invaluable for its reporting and commentary on Iraq: Juan Cole's Informed Comment (juancole.com). He's real, real good.

For campaign coverage, it's hard to beat The Daily Kos (dailykos.com). I also enjoy the snarkiness of TBogg (tbogg.blogspot.com) and the stunning visual diagrams of Uggabugga (uggabugga.blogspot.com).

One last political site that consistently features top-notch essays: TomDispatch, a site run in conjunction with the Nation Institute (www.nationinstitute.org/tomdispatch). Usually when authors such as Chalmers Johnson or Mike Davis write a new column, it shows up on TomDispatch first.

Finally for sports, I'm a baseball fan (and even more so, a Minnesota Twins fan) and so I check out a couple of baseball blogs. One site is All-Baseball.com, with a panoply of sites under its umbrella. But my personal indulgence is Batgirl (bat-girl.com). Her haiku contest was one thing, but the aspect that really hooked me was the hilariously crude Lego reenactments of Twins games during the April television blackout. Priceless.

Listen: if any of you love a certain blog or offbeat website, please list it or link it in the comments. I'm especially interested in entertainment or music sites (Jesse, make sure you list that one you were telling me about).

hey wumpus

you wumpus
you billowing cloud
of fine ash
you wumpus
cast out of the earth
thousands of miles in the sky
you wumpus
featured special guest
at an upcoming pirate costume event

Best Of Sioux Falls, 2004.

Wow, that's pretty good. We got second place among readers' votes for Best Band In Sioux Falls. I think this is the third year in a row we have finished second to Kory & The Fireflies. But this year is interesting because we haven't played any damn gigs in eight months.

If these "readers" pay this much attention to politics, I think we've just explained about fourteen of my other posts on this blog...

Oh, next year: I tell you what, we're going for MOVEMENT. We want to be either #3 or #1. No ties. No second. We're going for MOVEMENT.

I'll have a Bilderberger with fries, to go...

I'm reading a fascinating book by Jim Marrs about secret organizations and their rather immense reach across the geopolitical landscape.

I'm not so much into the S & M frat-boy type high-jinks and bizarre rituals of groups like the Skull & Bones. I mean, even if I knew what it is they do, would it change my life? Maybe. Those types of groups don't interest me as much as the international secret meetings of leading bankers, CEO's, politicians, and media.

The Bilderbergers don't even have a name for their secret meetings or their invite-only group; the name comes from the Bilderberg Hotel in Oosterbeek, Holland, where they were first discovered publicly in 1954. Many media bigwigs attend these meetings, and yet, predictably, next to nothing ever gets said about them in the media.

One thing these guys do is plan ahead! A woman tells a fascinating story about how she attended a Labour Party "study group" meeting at Oxford in 1940. The young speaker made wild claims about a secret, nameless group he was a part of, and how he'd been named a future political leader of this group and that he expected to be prime minister of the UK one day. That man was Harold Wilson (and he was the prime minister in the 1960's and 1970's). I first heard of Harold Wilson because he is referenced in the Beatles' song "Taxman."

I guess one of the interesting things is how lucky some of these Bilderbergers and guests seem to be. In 1991 Bill Clinton was a guest at the Bilderberger conference. At that time he was an unknown, small-state governor who wouldn't start polling above 2% until the next January. But then he was president for eight years--what a lucky deal!

Then, a couple of years later, a young up-and-comer in the Labour Party attends as a guest. Nobody thought the Labours would sweep the Torries out of power, but there you go! Maybe Tony Blair knew something we didn't! Hey, anyway, what a lucky deal for Tony Blair! He's still the prime minister!

I want Spooncat! to go to one of those meetings. Of course, we wouldn't be able to talk about it...

We have a winner.

Bat-girl has announced the winner of her Twins haiku contest:

O flag-bearing bear
in your rugged Hemi rig,
can you pitch the eighth?

It was my favorite, too.

In case of Kasem, please call this number immediately.

Here are the last ten songs I listened to (nine of these are courtesy of the delightful playlist that Captain created on my ITunes last weekend):

Muzzle Of Bees- Wilco
Gomez- Cyrus Chestnut
Souljacker Part II- Eels
Aurora (Music Box)- Bjork
Slide- Slave
Rhododendron- The Beta Band
Over And Over- Morcheeba
Girl Inform Me- The Shins
Brazilian Rhyme- Earth Wind & Fire
Cluck Old Hen (Reprise)- Bill Frisell

So, whatcha been listening to lately?

Hiding in my closet, with that girl I keep in there.

For those of you looking to find www.spooncat.com, it's down for reconstruction. We'll have a new site made up sometime. I don't know when. Not today, that's for sure!

It's so late! There wouldn't be enough time!

The new site will have lots of neat pictures of DSSTM.

Gotta side with Moore on this one...

It appears that the U. S. Film Board is planning to slap an 'R' rating on Michael Moore's soon-to-be-released documentary "Fahrenheit 911." Moore and the distribution companies plan to prepare an emergency appeal, and Moore's comment about the appropriateness of teenagers watching the film was something like this (I'm paraphrasing): "I think 15 and 16-year-olds should be able to see a movie about a place they might get drafted to go to in two years."

Of course, Moore is looking to score quick rhetorical points, and he has a large amount of leverage based on the positive buzz the film has received since winning the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival last month. But I have to agree with him. I've seen "Roger And Me" and I've seen "Bowling For Columbine." Unless Moore has become MUCH more violent, graphic, or profane in his filmmaking, it would seem his movies should get a 'PG.'

Do the rules change if the small amount of violence is non-Pentagon-approved footage from the front lines? Do the rules change if it's the current president who's spitting out a four-letter word? Not good enough, I'm afraid, unless of course, the power actors in this country are EXACTLY HOW MOORE PESSIMISTICALLY DESCRIBES THEM.

I'm a fan of Michael Moore's movies. I don't like his books so much; they're not as funny as Al Franken's, and they're not as shocking as many other, more nuanced nonfiction I read. I can see how somebody who doesn't avidly follow current events would love his books, and I think there has been a sea change in how ideas like his, so rare right after 9-11, have gained currency among "regular folks" in this country. But, as Disney, the U. S. Film Board, the predictable Right Wing Noise Machine, and other players try pathetically to censor his work, he only gets more and more popular, and more and more people hear about the film. And I'll eagerly back Moore in that fight.

Somebody asked me, "Well, how come you never see movies about how good the U. S. is?" And I said, "They don't exist, except for 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Blackhawk Down,' 'Top Gun,' 'Pearl Harbor,' 'Iron Eagle,' and about a million other films where the film's star has cut his hair VERY short.

Rehearsal, special Sunday edition

Another rehearsal today, following our rehearsals Friday night and early Saturday.

On Saturday we rehearsed the following tunes:

Poke Me
How To Run The World
All U Got 2 Do Is Ask
Decimal Places
Mauve
Self Portrait
Marketman
Allison

Much of the time was spent learning and working out two brand-new songs, Self Portrait and Marketman. DSSTM and The Rainmaker call Self Portrait "The Circus Song," but if that's the case, it's certainly more morbid than your average circus. Marketman is groovy, a song about free-market capitalism, basically. We'll see how it competes in the world of ideas.

Today we started by running pretty much all the material that is slotted to be on our new album TAO BABIES:

Anyone
I Go Blind
Allison
Mauve
Up Is Down
This Is What I Say
Eva Lou
Marketman
Self Portrait
Dig Bunny
Before
Watching You Swim In The Dark

Then we took a break, and with the second half of the rehearsal, we ran a bunch of older originals:

Soon
King Rat
What You're Missing
Don't Go Tellin'
I Don't Think She Will
Person 3
Come
Hand-Eye Coordination
Cool Like A River

You know... With just a bit more touchin' up, we'll be ready for the BIG STAGE again.

If any of you want a certain Spooncat! song to remain in our shows, and you DON'T see it here, please let us know. We don't have time to do all of our originals anymore, which is a good problem to have, but it means some things get left out. Some lobbying never hurts.

Rehearsal

The Spooncats just got together for a friendly Friday night rehearsal. Here's what we worked on:

Anyone
White Fingers
Satellite
Tiger
I'm Gonna Make It
Before
Mauve
Person 3
Up Is Down
2 In The Bag

"Before" is a new song, as is "Up Is Down." "Anyone" and "Mauve" are basically new, with as many changes as we've made, not necessarily to the feel of the songs, just to their presentation and the way they are sung. As for the others, hey, people gotta dance, right?

One of the highlights included the White Trash Prophet coming home while we were playing "I'm Gonna Make It". He promptly hopped in the shower (the shower is in the basement, in a corner, and the band rehearses over about half of the rest of the basement floor), and as we were running through "Person 3", he started yelling and cheering from the shower. He said "Do you know how many people would kill to have a live band while they shower?"

Tonight's rehearsal was excellent. Some terrific singing and playing going on. Now we just need to figure out what to wear.

And Snip, we got decoratin' to do!

We're rehearsing tomorrow and Sunday as well. I'll let people in on the songlist.

Most. Secretive. Ever.

This is easily the most secretive Spooncat! administration ever!

Why do you think that www.spooncat.com is suddenly, mysteriously inaccessible? Just some sort of innocent mistake? Yeah, right, KEEP DREAMING, SUCKERS!

Most. Secretive. Ever.

Ach lieb!

Oh dear... it was in the goddamn paper today.

You know, there have been numerous times where I've patiently called the Argus Leader and left them a kind note to include a show of ours in the club schedule... and they haven't done it. So it's only natural that when I plead with Skip at Phil's not to advertise the June 25th show, then our show IS included, and sticks out like a sore thumb...

But what they don't know is that everybody needs to come dressed as a pirate, or as booty.

And what they don't know won't hurt US.

CELEBRITY MAKEOVER TEN DOLLAR BILL, Y'ALL!

How about this: the sagging U. S. Treasury takes advantage of the current reality-show craze in order to pump up interest in its venerable currency; I'm talking about Celebrity Makeover Ten Dollar Bill, Y'All!

Our crack team of stylists and provocateurs, led by Snip Snip on the scissors, give the Founding Fathers a "new look." Hamilton goes metrosexual with a punk cut, a hoop earring, and a handkerchief tousled about the neck! Ulysses S. Grant, meet Telly Savales! Everybody knows Mr. Civil War General suffered from bad hair, combined with a stilted fashion malaise in the period of U. S. Reconstruction. Hey, it's no longer inappropriate to mention such things in polite company: Mr. Grant, shaved equals success! And lose the beard, we're going fu-manchu (Snip's idea--a faux homage to the handlebar moustaches of the 19th century!). Before you know it, new, crisp, spendable fifty dollar bills will be sweeping Mississippi!

Andrew Jackson, I must admit, is close. Not much needs to be done. After some bourbon (in honor of that lovable loon), our team decides on three bold but subtle steps: small eyeglasses, for a dash of sophistication; highlights in that amazing mane of hair; and... designer jewelry. We've picked the studded gold necklace featuring the emblazoned 'M' for MURDERER. That's right! Jackson is a NEW ORLEANS GANGSTA! Get on wit yo bad self, and do your best to help stave off the coming U. S. currency crisis.

If season one is half the success I think it's going to be, then we can really go for some cultural kick in season two! Lincoln and Washington in the hizzie! And, we may even do CELEBRITY MAKEOVER OF ALL THE SOPHISTICATED COUNTERFEITING OPERATIONS IN CHICAGO THAT OUR INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES USE TO SURREPTITIOUSLY DESTABILIZE OTHER NATIONS' ECONOMIES. Although a shorter name would be nice. We don't want the spinoffs to confuse...

Let's open it up to the fellas...

A discussion question:

What's your best scar?

The number is lower than you think.

To these three questions:

1) How many Clinton Administration officials were convicted of a felony during Clinton's two terms as president?

2) How many major league baseball players have college diplomas?

3) How many jars of peanut butter did I totally finish off earlier tonight?

Answers in the comments. Hey, take your time! No pressure.



No pressure...

Time to take off my pants.

Are you wearing pants?

Or do you take 'em off when you go to bed?

I could do either, I guess. There's no rule against it.

Some new things...

...over at our dmusic.com site.

Speaking of 1980's nostalgia

I see our little band has been invited to play with a certain 1980's staple of the rock and roll world at a show in Sioux Falls later this summer.

I'm not going to say the name of the band, but suffice to say it isn't Cyndi Lauper. You can ELIMINATE HER.

Ouch.

Ronnie talk to Russia before it's too late...

Well, that's one more Prince song that's been rendered obsolete. It isn't Prince's fault; he's had a mighty long career, by rock and roll standards. But now "Ronnie Talk To Russia" isn't possible anymore. I suppose this song had a lucky ride because Prince decided to use the word "Russia" instead of "The Union Of Soviet Socialist Republics," which is harder to fit into your singing jive; if Prince hadn't had that type of foresight to begin with, the song would have lapsed after the fall of the USSR in 1991. Instead, it lives on until 2004 because of Ronnie's unusually long life.

There are a lot of people who attribute the end of the Cold War to Ronnie's policies and direction. I think that's just arbitrary timing, though. Me personally, I attribute the end of the Cold War to the 1991 graduations, the ascents into manhood, if you will, of a certain Nathan "Vito" Sommerfeld and a certain Michael "Three Bags" Larson.

I'll never forget when Ronnie asserted that South Africa had fought with us in every war we've ever undertaken. He phrased it nicely, and said it very convincingly, as was his wont. The problem: South Africa was on the side of the Axis in World War II.

Whoops! And that hair! Easily better hair than Jimmy Carter, and better for the cartoonists, too.

I'm listening right now (uh-oh, it's fading out!) to "Rock The Casbah" by the Clash, recorded in 1982, when Ronnie was messing around in Lebanon because it worked out great in his head, like a movie (it always worked out great in his head!). Now people in the Clash are dying off, and Ronnie's dead, too. But we're still messing around in the Middle East, convinced it will work out great, like in the movies. Like that Pearl Harbor movie...

THE DEVIL

Do you think the Devil likes it or hates it when he sees his name in print?

I think he likes it. But he doesn't like it when I go like this: OOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAHOOGAH

Congratulations to our new Congresswoman...

And by rather narrow margins, I might add. Two interesting things:

1) On The Daily Kos, a liberal election-savvy website, there were several threads tonight focused exclusively on South Dakota, and there were well over ONE THOUSAND COMMENTS in those threads alone. For a special election for a single seat in the House Of Representatives! Seems to me election fever will be quite high this year. Ironically, I'm less interested in this election than the 2000 contest, although that could change. There's still the entire freaking summer. And two months of fall.

2) The best headline I saw tonight concerning the Herseth victory: "Hot Dem!"

Honestly, the main reason I voted for Herseth is because she was in All-State Band. A band nerd, like me! Seriously, if Diedrich could wail on the French horn, this decision would have been much harder!

Musical elections could be fun. You'd combine the drama of political racehorse-type coverage with the popularity of American Idol. And even at its most boring, you would assume C-Span would carry the candidates' stuffy recitals, where they get asked hard questions. It'd be like the juries that college music students take.

One last thing: if we mixed politics and music, at least politicians are already well-versed in payola.

Crayola.