Catching up on the debates

I read an article in the NY Times this morning, which was comparing the Obama campaign to the (Bill) Clinton campaign. There was criticism on the way Obama held back in the town hall forum, and didn't reach out to the people like Clinton did in the 1992 debates. As I was only 7 or so at the time of the Clinton vs. Bush vs. Perot debates, I had to look into Clinton's ability to give a "psychic hug" to a struggling American people:



While I was youtubing this, of course, I stumbled across these debate gems:

"Never put me in your box if your shit eats tapes"

Presently the highlight of my work day is the ten mile commute, which depending on traffic takes anywhere from fifteen to forty five minutes (yesterday an accident on the bridge into Newington stretched the ride home to almost ninety minutes). I've learned to pack an extra snack for the drive and I've been using the time to rediscover some old favorite albums.

This week's soundtrack:


Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid: Bob Dylan Soundtrack - If I could only take five Bob Dylan albums with me to a deserted island, PG&BtK wouldn't make the cut. Give me six and this shambling, ambient afterthought would be a lock. Three chord instrumentals bleed into three chord western fairy tales ad nauseam - multiple songs named "Billy" with only the slightest of variations - but the effect as a whole is oddly moving. Having seen the movie definitely improves the experience; every time I hear the opening of "Knocking on Heaven's Door," I see Slim Pickens, gut-shot and brokenhearted, staggering down to the river to die in his baby's arms and I get all choked up.

Key track: "Final Theme," woodwinds carry the melody and Dylan harmonizes a wordless, moaning eulogy for the dying West.




Illmatic - Nas - "Stop fucking around and be a man" advises the intro sample (from the graffiti film Wild Style) and stuck in traffic, pondering the wrinkles in my business casual attire, the grim existentialism of Illmatic resonates in a far different way than it was probably intended to. Illmatic stands head and shoulders over other hip hop classics in both lyrical and production consistency; the beats are uniformly forceful and Nas transitions seamlessly from documentary style street narratives to metaphysical musings. No skits, no bullshit dance tracks for MTV, just line after line of tough, thoughtful hip-hop.

Key Track: "Life's a Bitch," AZ and Nas trade verses about a world where "fuck who's the baddest/a person's status depends on salary."



What's in your car or on your headphones on the way to and from work?

the Coney Island Annual Mermaid Parade

We came. We went. We saw. There were boobs and tassles and tails and fins and sequins and floats and wigs and body paint and heat and sweat and cool cars and starfish over nipples. A large hallelujah for the likes of glorious Coney Island.

Making Headlines - Complete

The complete headlines from the "Ballads" section of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music. Outside links to the recordings provided beneath the headline when available; all songs 1927-1932.

Henry Lee - Dick Justice
Fatal Flower Garden - Nelstone's Hawaiians

The House Carpenter - Clarence Ashley
Drunkard's Special - Coley Jones
Old Lady and the Devil - Bill and Belle Reed
The Butcher's Boy (The Railroad Boy) - Buell Kazee
The Wagoner's Lad - Buell Kazee
King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O - Chubby Parker
Old Shoes and Leggins - Uncle Eck Dunford
Willie Moore - Burnett and Rutherford
A Lazy Farmer Boy - Buster Carter and Preston Young
Peg and Awl - Carolina Tar Heels
Ommie Wise - G.B. Grayson
Bandit Cole Younger - Edward L. Crain
My Name is John Johanna - Kelly Harrell
Charles Giteau - Kelly Harrell
John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man - The Carter Family
Gonna Die With My Hammer in My Hands - Williamson Brothers and Curry
Stackalee - Frank Hutchison
White House Blues - Charlie Poole w/ The North Carolina Ramblers
Frankie - Mississippi John Hurt
When that Great Ship Went Down - William and Versey Smith
Engine One-Forty-Three - The Carter Family
Kassie Jones - Furry Lewis (link is to Lewis in '68)
Down on Penny's Farm - The Bently Boys
Mississippi Boweavil Blues - The Masked Marvel a.k.a Charley Patton
Got the Farmland Blues - The Carolina Tar Heels

Product Review: Lucid™ Absinthe Superieure

Prohibition is finally over!™

Jess and I have grown very fond of wine; well, anyway, we're drinking more.

During a recent routine wine-fetch at the local liquor store, I found something that took me completely by surprise. As I was checking out, I glanced at the bottles on the counter and one looked back. I picked it up and read the label: Lucid, Absinthe Superieure. Having no idea that absinthe was sold legally in the states, I got slightly giddy, given to the drink's quasi-mythological reputation. As I laughingly showed the bottle to Jess, who merely said "neat," the Russian man behind the counter said, "That is absinthe." I looked at him and he was grinning with a glint in his eye that could sell a dead mule. Caught so off-guard as I was by the discovery, I worldlessly fumbled out the door with my jug of bargain-priced California dry red wine, absinthe-less.

Intrigued by my surprise, I conducted some research that evening on Wikipedia. Apparently absinthe is still officially illegal to import. However, several brands, due to their low level of the chemical thujone, have been approved for sale. At less than 10 mg/kg of thujone and 62% alcohol per volume, Lucid™ is one of those brands.

The next day I went back to the liquor store and began browsing for absinthe. The proprietor was nowhere to be seen, however his wife was at the register, watching a local Russian station. I picked up a box with Van Gogh's famous self-portrait on the side and began faux-reading. I looked up and the proprietor had appeared in front of me, grinning as before. I told him I had no idea that absinthe was available state-side; he went blank for a second, shook his head, and regained his charm. He then told me that the stuff I was holding was no good (of course, to tell me this he merely made a grimace and curtly shook his head while pointing at the box I held) and that "this" was the real deal. "This" was Lucid. At 56 dollars per bottle, I hoped my thirst for its novelty would not prove completely impractical. I moved to check out and his wife yelled, "Only a little bit!" and held her pointer and thumb apart, in front of her face, about a half-inch. As I paid for my purchase, the entrepreneurial couple explained to me as best they could in english how to properly enjoy absinthe. All I gathered at the time was that I needed sugar cubes in the worst way, and that after I drank this liquid, everything would become..."lucid."

I breezed out the door and met up with Jess at C-Town. I told her we needed sugar cubes. "I'll explain later," I said. We escaped C-Town and made our way home.

One ounce of absinthe, a sugar cube on a slotted spoon, and five ounces of water dripped over the cube to dissolve the sugar and mix with the absinthe: this is how Lucid ought to be prepared. We followed these directions perfectly and a pleasant evening followed.

Positives (+)

- Its undiluted color is an alluring translucent green. When you add the water and sugar, it "looshes" and becomes a cloudy white. Very nice.

- I love the taste. The primary taste is that of anise, which is the taste that most people equate with black licorice. I'm a very big fan of black licorice, so this is probably the most positive positive.

- The inebriation is novel, though if it is unique to absinthe or merely related to the alcohol content I cannot say. I would say that it calms your perception and relaxes you without impairing your motor skills.

- One bottle goes a long way.

Negatives (-)

- One bottle is over 50 dollars.

- It's not available everywhere.

Jess and I were visited this weekend by Tyler and Liz, two dear friends, with whom we shared a second absinthe experience. All involved seemed to enjoy.

Verdict: If you strip the drink of its precocious non-conformist symbolism and its mythological reputation as a hallucinogen, it is a great alcoholic drink. It's fun to prepare, look at, sip, and slowly slip under its gentle (if measured) influence.

In this fallen world, rest assured that though you can't buy happiness, you can buy lucidity.