Monday Night Music Byte

The Chesterfield Kings are a rock band from Rochester, New York, who began as a retro-1960s garage band, and who have heavily mined 1960s music, including some borrowing from the 1960s recordings of The Rolling Stones. Core members are former Distorted Level singer, underground music journalist and avid record collector Greg Prevost, and Andy Babiuk (16 years old at the time of the band’s founding); others have come and gone. The band, named after a defunct brand of unfiltered cigarette, was instrumental in sparking the 1980s garage band revival that launched such groups as the Unclaimed, Marshmallow Overcoat, The Fuzztones, Mystic Eyes, The Cynics, The Optic Nerve, the Secret Service, and the Stomachmouths.

The band continues to tour and release albums with a great sixties throwback sound. Here they are playing their single, I Don’t Understand. Please enjoy.

Sarah Palin: “Shrill Baby Shrill”

The scenic view from Palin's America

Sarah Palin’s ghostwriter seems to have emerged once again in the October 16, 2009 issue of  the National Review. In an op-ed allegedly written by Alaska’s former ex-quitting governor, Palin has reverted to the failed chant she repeatedly uttered during her failed national candidacy in 2008. That is correct, she is back on the “Drill Baby, Drill” mantra. She argues that in order to jump start the economy, America must start drilling for oil to increase employment and reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Of course that is the same rejected message that she was promoting last year. This time however she has added a new logically ridiculous Palinesque twist to her argument. It goes like this,

“Many of the countries we’re forced to import from have few if any environmental-protection laws, and those that do exist often go unenforced,” writes Palin. “In effect, American environmentalists are preventing responsible development here at home while supporting irresponsible development overseas.”

Let’s try to sort out her insane logic. In America, environmentalists have fought for and achieved environmental-protection laws that help preserve if not save the environment from some of the worst transgressions of oil drilling operations. So far, so good. That is a reasonable statement. This is where it starts to get a little kooky though. Palin goes on to state that because other countries do not have the same environmentally safe regulations in place as does America, it is the fault of the American environmentalists that there is irresponsible oil development overseas. So, let’s get this straight, Palin argues that we should be less environmentally safe in America and this would somehow entice overseas producers to be more environmentally conscious? Or is she saying that environmentalists are bad for the environment on a world-wide basis as they achieve environmentally safe procedures in individual countries? She’s nuts.

Drill Baby, Drill. Same old slogan. Same old Palin.

In honor of the troops, please click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with the parody.

Life In The Fast Lane song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf51M3govXY

PIPE IN THE GASOLINE

(sung to the Eagles song “Life In The Fast Lane”)

Todd was a school dropout man, he was brain dead and then some
And Sarah was not really witty
They both hooked up and thought they looked so handsome
In the heart of Wasilla city
She had a nasty reputation and he was “First Dude”
The Palins were ruthless when it came to crude
They had one thing in common
With old Uncle Jed
She said, “Drill Baby Drill”
Till Mother Nature’s dead

Pipe in the gasoline
Sarah likes to wail and whine
Pipe in the gasoline

Are you with me so far?

The plan needed action, so said the dame
A bigger attraction than old John McCain
She called on Joe The Plumber
But she needed more pull
So she called on Joe Sixpack
Did the lipsticked pitbull
Those pipe-lines on the landscape, could seal her fate
So long as she had her cronies spreading politics of hate
The Palin fan base is not very bright
They are all old, straight and male and all of them are white, don’t doubt it

Pipe in the gasoline
Sarah likes to wail and whine
Pipe in the gasoline
Pipe in the gasoline
Oil revenue is fine
Pipe in the gasoline

(musical interlude)

Drilling and boring, blinded by thirst
She couldn’t handle Gibson
Katie Couric was worse
She said, listen people, don’t you know I’m “mavericky”?
I can see Russia from my house, even Tina Fey agrees
Mac said, call Rush Limbaugh, I think we’re gonna crash
The polls are heading downward and we need some instant cash
They were lookin’ for some leeway
The election was lost
She didn’t care there was oil ‘neath that permafrost, so it was

Pipe in the gasoline
Sarah likes to wail and whine
Pipe in the gasoline
Pipe in the gasoline
Oil revenue is fine
Pipe in the gasoline

Pipe in the gasoline
Pipe in the gasoline

Sunday Night Music Byte

Oh, what the heck, let’s have a triple feature with another performance from the Concert for Kampuchea.. The Concert for Kampuchea (subtitled “Rock for Kampuchea”) is a musical film from the best of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. The film was directed by Keith McMillan and was 4 nights of concerts in 1979 at Hammersmith Odeon to raise money for the victims of Pol Pot’s reign of terror in Cambodia. The event was organized by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim (who was then Secretary-General of the U.N.), and it involved well-established artists such as McCartney, The Who and Queen as well as younger punk and new wave acts like The Clash and the Pretenders. The film finishes with the presentation of Wings’ Rockestra (more than 25 musicians playing together).

This is a video clip of Queen performing their song ’39.

Sunday Morning Coffee (or Tea) – 15

BREAKING NEWS:  Arizona Republican Congressman, Jeff Flake told CNN‘s Wolf Blitzer last week that the reason that he disappeared and spent a week on a deserted Pacific island last summer was because, “I’ve kind of felt like a pansy, I guess.” Let’s think this through, he felt like a pansy since leaving his ranch for Congress and to change his self perception he ran away from life and other people to spend a week on a tropical island? Sounds like a very macho plan. Running away is the Republican macho thing to do. How appropriate that his name is “Flake.”

THIS JUST IN:  Rush Limbaugh’s bid to become the owner of the NFL’s St. Louis Rams has abruptly ended now that the main figure of the ownership group, Dave Checketts (who also owns the NHL’s St. Louis Blues) has banished Limbaugh from the group. Now that Limbaugh has the blues, perhaps he should seek an ownership interest in Checkett’s hockey franchise.

BREAKING NEWS:  Now that Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe has broken ranks with her party by voting in favor of the Senate Finance Committee version of the health care reform bill, how long will it take for Republicans and conservatives to start saying that , “she was never really a Republican anyway”? Let’s hope that the castigation starts soon so that Snowe may perhaps take the Specter route and switch parties. The Democrats will then enlarge their majority without waiting for the next election.

THIS JUST IN:  Gallup’s most recent poll regarding the popularity of well known politicians reveals that Alaska’s former quitting ex-governor Sarah Palin’s popularity has sunk to a new low of 40%. That figure is well below the magical 50 % believed to be required to launch a successful campaign. Here’s to you, Sarah, you’ve come a long way, baby.

BREAKING NEWS:  In preparation for his Playgirl Magazine photo-shoot, former, future Sarah Palin son-in-law, Levi Johnston is dieting on moose meat. I know that there is a joke in there somewhere, but I just cannot think of one at the moment.

THIS JUST IN:  Meghan McCain (daughter of failed Republican presidential nominee, John McCain) was out with the girls on Twitter last week and made quite an impression.

BREAKING NEWS:  Reverend Al Sharpton is preparing to file a defamation of character lawsuit against comedian Rush Limbaugh. In an op-ed published in Saturday’s Wall Street Journal Limbaugh writes Sharpton “played a leading role in the 1991 Crown Heights riot (he called neighborhood Jews ‘diamond merchants’) and 1995 Freddie’s Fashion Mart riot.” Sharpton disagrees and plans to challenge Limbaugh in court. Regardless of the merits of the case, the deposition testimony should be riveting.

Remember to click the song link below as it makes singing along much more fun!

Y-M-C-A song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k

2-0-1-2

(sung to the Village People song “Y-M-C-A”)

Sarah, there’s no need to feel down
I said, Sarah, just because you’re a clown
I said, Sarah, a smile isn’t a frown
There’s no need to be unhappy.

Sarah, you lost a race with McCain
I said, Sarah, you flushed him right down the drain
And you messed up all of your interviews
But you’re still on the nightly news

We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2

We’ll have such a good time when you fall on your face,
And we’ll revel in your disgrace…

We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2

You will have SarahPac, and a new running mate
To help spread Politics of Hate…

Sarah, are you listening to me?
I said, Sarah, you’ll have to go on TV
I said, Sarah, I’m sure we’ll laugh till we pee
And you’ve got to know this one thing!

You make a big ass of yourself
Every time that you open your mouth
You give ammo, to our friend Tina Fey
She just repeats the things you say…

We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2

You’ll get all of the votes from the states that are red
But, the G.O.P. is now dead…

We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at you in 2-0-1-2

You can wink and then blink, and twit everyone,
But, you’ll need a fork cuz you’re done…

Sarah, you’ll have a case of the blues
I said, Sarah, has no grasp of world views
But that’s OK, cuz she amuses us,
As we throw her under the bus…

That’s when she will realize that,
Her future, is modeling for “Arctic Cat”
Maybe she’ll host a reality show
If they pay her with enough dough.

We’ll all laugh at her in 2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at her in 2-0-1-2

She can wink and then blink, and twit everyone,
But, she’ll need a fork cuz she’s done…

2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at her in 2-0-1-2
Sarah, Sarah you’ll wear a big frown
Sarah, Sarah to us you are a clown

2-0-1-2
We’ll all laugh at her in 2-0-1-2
Sarah, Sarah you’ll have a case of the blues
Sarah, Sarah I said, why don’t you just go vamoos.
2-0-1-2

Glenn Beck Is Out-FOXed Again

Glenn Beck's High School Yearbook Photo.

The crying man-baby known as Glenn Beck has been outfoxed by White House communications director Anita Dunn once again. Like the pied piper, Dunn led the Fox News host through a crying tirade and over the cliff of sanity once again this week. On his show, Beck played a portion of a video clip of Dunn wherein she stated, “”the third lesson and tip actually comes from two of my favorite political philosophers: Mao Tse-tung and Mother Theresa – not often coupled with each other, but the two people I turn to most…” Of course, Beck did not provide the entire quote because that would have diminished his argument that Dunn, and by association the entire Obama administration, are radical communist sympathizers. The rest of the quote was, “to basically deliver a simple point which is ‘you’re going to make choices; you’re going to challenge; you’re going to say why not; you’re going to figure out how to do things that have never been done before.” It is obvious from the context of the entire quote that the message that people will be challenged to solve problems and create solutions is not such a radical communist idea, but Beck’s selective editing served to hide the truth. As usual.

Today however on CNN, Dunn fired back at Beck. First she said, “The use of the phrase ‘favorite political philosophers’ was intended as irony, but clearly the effort fell flat — at least with a certain Fox commentator whose sense of irony may be missing.” She then revealed the fact that, “The Mao quote is one I picked up from the late Republican strategist Lee Atwater from something I read in the late 1980s, so I hope I don’t get my progressive friends mad at me.” CNN also pointed out that Republicans Newt Gingrich, a frequent Fox News contributor and Karl Rove also have quoted Mao. Where was Beck’s angst on those ocassions? Sorry Glenn, but Anita Dunn says, “checkmate.”

Remember to click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with the parody.

The Fool On The Hill song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KXrrh74wTs&feature=related

THE FOOL WHO KNOWS NIL

(sung to the Beatles song, “The Fool On The Hill”)

Day after day
He gives us a chill
Glenn Beck is crying again
Let’s watch his eyes start to fill

And nobody wants to know him
They can see that he’s just a fool
And he has not one good answer
Beck’s the fool who knows nil

Nita Dunn took him down
And Glenn’s face grew bright red
As his head spins around

Glenn’s head today,
Filled up with sound
Beck’s head hears a thousand voices
Screaming nonsense so loud

Everybody wants to jeer him
For the weeping that he does fake
Yet Glenn never seems to notice
Beck’s the fool who knows nil

He’s a dim-witted clown
In need of some strong meds
Beck’s off to crazy-town

(musical interlude)

And nobody seems to like him
It looks like he’s back on the booze
Or maybe he’s back drug dealing
Beck’s the fool who knows nil

He’s beginning to drown
And his sponsors have fled
Soon he’ll be not around

Oh, round, an’ round, an’ round, an’ round, an’ round
Nobody listens to him
They know that he’s a fool
They don’t like him
The fool who knows nil

He’s beginning to drown
And his sponsors have fled
Soon he’ll be not around

Oh, round, an’ round, an’ round, an’ round
Oh …

Friday Night Music Byte

This is a follow up to last night’s music byte. The Concert for Kampuchea (subtitled “Rock for Kampuchea”) is a musical film from the best of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. The film was directed by Keith McMillan and was 4 nights of concerts in 1979 at Hammersmith Odeon to raise money for the victims of Pol Pot’s reign of terror in Cambodia. The event was organized by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim (who was then Secretary-General of the U.N.), and it involved well-established artists such as McCartney, The Who and Queen as well as younger punk and new wave acts like The Clash and the Pretenders. The film finishes with the presentation of Wings’ Rockestra (more than 25 musicians playing together).

This is a video clip of The Who performing their 1979 song Goodbye Sister Disco. The song appeared on their previous album, Who Are You which is notable for being the last album on which drummer, Keith Moon played prior to his untimely death. In the video clip, the drummer is Moon’s replacement, Kenny Jones.

Sarah Palin Is A Schmidt-Head

The Arkansas News reports that at a speech at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, former McCain adviser and Sarah Palin critic, Steve Schmidt had some kind words for Alaska’s quitting ex-governor. Schmidt said,

I believe to this day that had she not been picked as the vice presidential candidate, we would never have been ahead — not for one second, not for one minute, not for one hour, not for one day.

Then again, when Schmidt was reminded that just a few weeks ago he said that a Palin presidential candidacy would be, “catastrophic” for Republicans in 2012, he stated that he stood by those remarks also. “I said what I said on the 2012 (race). … I said what I said today,” was his retort.

So, apparently Schmidt believes that although Palin was helpful to the McCain campaign while she was an unknown character, her light has been dimmed as the public learned more about her to the extent that her future candidacy would destroy the Republican Party. That does not sound like a vote of confidence for Caribou Barbie.

This seems like an appropriate time to re-visit those lazy-hazy days of the Palin candidacy.

Please remember to click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with the parody.

Gilligan’s Island theme link: http://www.televisiontunes.com/Gilligans_Island.html

SARAH’S ISLAND

(Sung to the theme of “Gilligan’s Island”)

Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale
A tale of a strange kinship
That started with the First Dude, Todd
And ends with Baby Tripp

Wife Sarah was Alaska’s guv’nor
Her husband a drop-out
Five children with really strange names
Hillbillies there’s no doubt.    Hillbillies there’s no doubt.

The election started getting rough
Mack needed a V.P.
He focused his attention on the Great White North
His savior Sarah P.    His savior Sarah P.

She could not handle interviews her strategy was
Senile
Too “Mavericky”
“You Betcha’s” too
“Joes Sixpack and the Plumber”
“Hockey Moms”
“The Pitbull with Lipstick on”
and, a Beehive hairstyle.

So this is the tale of the Palin Clan
The campaign was reduced to dust
Bristol had a baby boy
Levi’s mom, a bust

Sarah and her husband, Todd
Returned to the family nest
She had some softball interviews
Tough issues weren’t addressed

No Charles, no Kate, no CNN
Sure no M-S-N-B-C
They all use “Gotcha Questions”
That’s not her cup of tea

So join them here each week good friends
Fox, you can stay awhile
Greta and Hasselback will be here too

Here on “Palins Isle”

Thursday Night Music Byte

The Concert for Kampuchea (subtitled “Rock for Kampuchea”) is a musical film from the best of the Concerts for the People of Kampuchea. The film was directed by Keith McMillan and was 4 nights of concerts in 1979 at Hammersmith Odeon to raise money for the victims of Pol Pot’s reign of terror in Cambodia. The event was organized by Paul McCartney and Kurt Waldheim (who was then Secretary-General of the U.N.), and it involved well-established artists such as McCartney, The Who and Queen as well as younger punk and new wave acts like The Clash and the Pretenders. The film finishes with the presentation of Wings’ Rockestra (more than 25 musicians playing together).

Rockestra was a Paul McCartney-led supergroup of at least thirty English rockers. The credited list appears at the bottom of the back cover of the LP. The name was first given to an assemblage of famous rock stars that were brought together by McCartney for the final Wings album, 1979′s Back to the Egg. The supergroup—which consisted of Wings, John Paul JonesJohn Bonham of Led Zeppelin, David Gilmour from Pink Floyd, Ronnie Lane of The Faces, Kenney Jones and Pete Townshend of The Who, and Hank Marvin of The Shadows—recorded two McCartney compositions, the instrumental “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here.”

McCartney and Kurt Waldheim re-assembled Rockestra for the concerts for the people of Cambodia (also known as Kampuchea), suffering from the reign of Pol Pot. This time, Rockestra consisted of, among others, Wings, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Robert Plant, Rockpile, James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Townshend. Regarding the large assemblage of musicians at the concert and in the Rockestra ensemble, Pete Townsend of The Who said it best: “When Paul McCartney calls and asks you to participate in a charitable concert, no one on earth can say, no.”

This is a video clip of the Rockestra band palying the Rockestra Theme.

NFL = Not For Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh at Steelers Fantasy Camp

Hey Rush, are you ready for some football? Well unfortunately, even if you are, the NFL and some owners are not ready for you to join their ranks. The National Football league is holding its Fall meetings in the great city of Boston this week and the subject of Rush Limbaugh wanting to buy the St. Louis Rams was a hot topic for discussion. CBS Sports reports,

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said this afternoon that the divisive rhetoric of prospective Rams minority owner Rush Limbaugh makes him unappealing.

“I myself couldn’t even think of voting for him,” said Irsay speaking from the NFL’s fall ownership meetings in Boston.

Asked if he’d spoken to other owners about Limbaugh’s candidacy, Irsay said, “I haven’t and I don’t think I would even go to the point of talking to Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, Dwight Freeney, talking to those men and seeing what their positions are.  I’m very sensitive to know there are scars out there.  I think as a nation we need to stop it.  Our words do damage and it’s something that we don’t need.  We need to get to a higher level of humanity and we have.

“I come from a different era where Marvin Gaye and John Lennon were speaking about [certain things] and we’ve been doing a slow crawl to some of the things they talked about.  We don’t need to go the other way,” Irsay added.  “We can’t go the other way where there isn’t forgiveness and understanding but we gotta watch our words in this world and our thoughts because they can do damage.”

If that non vote of confidence was not bad enough for Limbaugh, the Washington Post reports on what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had to say on the subject,

“I’ve said many times before we’re all held to a high standard here, and I think divisive comments are not what the NFL is all about. I would not want to see those comments coming from people who are in a responsible position in the NFL, absolutely not. The views of a lot of people, most importantly our players–and I’ve talked to players so I understand the issue with players–the comments that Rush made, specifically about Donovan [McNabb], I disagree with very strongly. Those are polarizing comments that we don’t think reflect accurately on the NFL or our players. I obviously do not believe those comments are positive. They’re divisive, and that’s a negative thing for us. But I disagree with those comments very strongly and I told the players that.”

Looks like Limbaugh’s chances at NFL team ownership are about the same as the St. Louis Rams chances of winning this year’s SuperBowl. For those of you not in the know, the Rams are presently 0 and 5.

Please click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with the parody.

Are You Ready For Some Football song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bb2-dfVJGA&feature=related

IS RUSH READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

(sung to the Theme of Monday Night Football)

He’s an ugly sight and certainly no jock
All he does is throw fits every time he talks
He’s a drug addled geek with too much to say
Rush wants to buy the Rams and show them how to play
They better be ready, they better be white
Cause Rush’s team represents the far right!

Is Rush ready? I mean, real ready?
Is Rush ready? Is Rush ready?
Is Rush ready for some football?
A G.O.P. party !!!

Rush Limbaugh’s a racist man
And he has the plays charted
The team will be white when the ball is hiked
Cause black men on his team simply would not be right!

Oh, Really? O’Reilly?

Screen capture of a "The O'Reilly Factor" broadcast during Bush presidency.

Last week the Obama administration finally called out the Fox News network and publicly labeled it what it actually is, not Fair and Balanced, but “opinion journalism masquerading as news.” In an interview with Time magazine, White House communications director Anita Dunn went on to say, “They are boosting their audience. But that doesn’t mean we are going to sit back.”

The White House attack on the credibility of Fox News programming content was triggered by the network’s outright cheerleading against America’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games and the recent exposure of fact falsification on its shows. For instance, the White House corrected Glenn Beck’s recent assertions that the White House press secretary has never called upon Fox‘s Major Garrett (it has) and that Van Jones was the Green Jobs Czar (he was not) and that Jones was a convicted felon (he was not).

Of course Fox News hosts did not take kindly to this presidential smackdown. Leading the chorus of responding whiners was Bill O’Reilly. On his program Tuesday O’Reilly said,

Finally, Ms. Dunn is seeing the world through the prism of the other media, like NBC News and CNN. By all accounts, those networks favored Barack Obama over John McCain, and NBC actually promoted the president’s candidacy and continues to give him excellent coverage.

So by that measure, Fox News is indeed troublesome to the White House. But our hard news coverage is fair and balanced. Again, if somebody doesn’t believe that, let’s see the evidence because bloviating walks.

Later in the same show, O’Reilly had the following conversation with Brit Hume about how fair he believed Fox‘s coverage was regarding former president Bush. Watch how defensive O’Reilly gets when Hume dares to suggest that some on the network defended Bush:

O’Reilly: And I have to say that when President Bush was in trouble in Iraq, this network and this program, and your program as well, routinely, routinely hammered President Bush. On Iraq.

Hume: Well, we certainly — we, we were very faithful about covering all the bad news that came out of Iraq for a very long period of time. The criticisms that were made of him were reported and discussed at length on Fox News. Um, now, he had his defenders, the war had its defenders, there was commentary on Fox –

O’Reilly: But there was no cheerleading — There was no cheerleading of President Bush on this network when his administration ran into trouble. There was no cheerleading, you know — it was skeptical coverage, Iraq’s going south, when the economy started to wobble last September, we were right on that.

Umm, OK, Bill. Just keep shouting louder and louder and someday even you may believe yourself.

Please click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with the song parody.

The Who’s Baba O’Reilly (Teenage Wasteland) song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ik_K3s7B2A

BILL-BILL O’REILLY (BILL-O’s WASTELAND)

(sung to The Who song “Baba O’Reilly [Teenage Wasteand])

Out here on the air
Unbalanced, not fair
I earn my pay with all my fibbing
My show really bites
Just watch tonight
I’ll be on your television

Don’t cry
Don’t hide your eyes
It’s only Bill-O’s Wasteland

Coulter, take my hand
We’re in Fox News Land
We all are liars
“Pinheads” on our shoulders
The Exorcist is here
He’ll drive out all the queers
Dressed all in leather
They could not get much bolder

Bill-O’s Wasteland
It’s only Bill-O’s Wasteland
Bill-O’s Wasteland
It’s only Bill-O’s Wasteland
They’re all wasted

(classic Who musical harmonica fade-out)