Have I wanted to be somewhere, the place I am not, and otherwise be somewhere else: Hampton, VA.
Truly bummed I gave away my Phish tickets, but at least I can predict the opener.
While it'll probably b Wilson, solely because of my boy Wilson, I'm going with the old standby of Buried Alive-->Rift.
But if I had my choice it'd be the Big Ball Jam for no other reason than to fuck the tapers, who are more concerned with the recording than the show itself. Besides, it's all digital these days. Tapers not necessary.
I have a feeling it's gonna be epic...and I sure hope it is.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
In Other Words
Phish will abandon lame ass 3 chord jams in favor of songs like Split Open and Melt, Foam, and Stash.
Which was my point.
Late last year the four band members came together, by themselves, to make music in Mr. Anastasio’s Burlington barn and studio. They liked what they heard. And they resolved to be the version of Phish they prized most: the intently practiced, well-prepared Phish from the mid-90s. They started their Vermont rehearsals not with their countryish three-chord songs but with their intricate, suitelike songs that verge on progressive rock, like “Split Open and Melt” and “Foam.” Although Phish has recorded demo versions of 20 songs for its next album, only one is likely to be heard this weekend: “Backwards Down the Number Line,” a fond birthday song that asks, “Do you know why we’re still friends?”
Which was my point.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Antsy
I'm getting antsy again when it comes to politics. My friend Bri sent me a text today which instructed me to read David Brooks' column in today's NYTIMES. Fortunately, the IHT carries all the Times columns, so you don't have to pay for them. I would pay, but here in Hilo Hawaii they not only do not carry the NYTIMES ANYWHERE, but most people may not have heard of it.
Anyway, fuck David Brooks. That's what I say. Fuck 'em. Him and his "moderate conservative" views.
It must be so much fun for "moderates" and the neo-libertarians, aka, the people who realized how bad Bush really is/was, so they renamed themselves, again, fun for them to plant the stake in the supposed MIDDLE GROUND when their people no longer steer the shape. Fuck 'em.
Brooks has been trying for so long to play this card, long enough for people to almost forget the support he had for Bush in 2000 and 2004. The same way Tom Friedman lost his goddamn mind after 9/11 and wrote some of the worst columns I've ever read. Now he's the Greenhouse Guy. People forget rather quickly.
This is not to say I'd rather be in a car with Friedman over Brooks. In fact, I'd rather be tied to the bumper if either of them we're in the car, but I'd at least be tied to Friedman's since I imagine the emissions from his car would be much better for my overall well being.
Fuck the middle ground in 2009, that's what I say. You can't expect me, or anyone else, to let the right run the country, change the courts, and set the table for the rest of the world while we all just say, "okay, that was fun." No. No chance. The country HAS TO swing back left before I'm willing to say "this current state we're in, this here middle, I'm cool with it. David Brooks was right on the money!" Nope. Bring it back to the left for a bit, get us BACK TO THE MIDDLE, then I'll consider planting my stake in the ground. As of now, people like Brooks and the neo-neos want the middle to be somewhere in between the far right, and right of center.
I don't agree with everything Obama is doing, and in fact, I made the case against him, and for Hillary Clinton a long time ago. But I also think Obama was handed the keys to a used Mercedes, 8 years old, owned and operated inside a bad neighborhood, without a garage, and told, "Here's that Mercedes! It worked well for the last owner, so it should work just as well for you!" Nope.
I expect Obama to drag this country kicking and screaming back to the left, to attempt to enact social and other programs which will never be fulfilled completely, but the attempt will at least start them off in some direction. He has to be extreme right now, he has to reset the course, he has to strive for serious change in order to achieve moderate change. This country doesn't allow for extremes, and it's high time someone decided to bring it back to the left so we can get it to the middle.
The days of Republican hard right, and Republican light (Bill Clinton) are over, when can hope. Obama isn't the answer, but I think he sees America as a place that needs a serious fix, and at least he's serious about doing it. No one else ever seems to be.
Oh, and of course, go fuck yourself, David Brooks.
Anyway, fuck David Brooks. That's what I say. Fuck 'em. Him and his "moderate conservative" views.
It must be so much fun for "moderates" and the neo-libertarians, aka, the people who realized how bad Bush really is/was, so they renamed themselves, again, fun for them to plant the stake in the supposed MIDDLE GROUND when their people no longer steer the shape. Fuck 'em.
Brooks has been trying for so long to play this card, long enough for people to almost forget the support he had for Bush in 2000 and 2004. The same way Tom Friedman lost his goddamn mind after 9/11 and wrote some of the worst columns I've ever read. Now he's the Greenhouse Guy. People forget rather quickly.
This is not to say I'd rather be in a car with Friedman over Brooks. In fact, I'd rather be tied to the bumper if either of them we're in the car, but I'd at least be tied to Friedman's since I imagine the emissions from his car would be much better for my overall well being.
Fuck the middle ground in 2009, that's what I say. You can't expect me, or anyone else, to let the right run the country, change the courts, and set the table for the rest of the world while we all just say, "okay, that was fun." No. No chance. The country HAS TO swing back left before I'm willing to say "this current state we're in, this here middle, I'm cool with it. David Brooks was right on the money!" Nope. Bring it back to the left for a bit, get us BACK TO THE MIDDLE, then I'll consider planting my stake in the ground. As of now, people like Brooks and the neo-neos want the middle to be somewhere in between the far right, and right of center.
I don't agree with everything Obama is doing, and in fact, I made the case against him, and for Hillary Clinton a long time ago. But I also think Obama was handed the keys to a used Mercedes, 8 years old, owned and operated inside a bad neighborhood, without a garage, and told, "Here's that Mercedes! It worked well for the last owner, so it should work just as well for you!" Nope.
I expect Obama to drag this country kicking and screaming back to the left, to attempt to enact social and other programs which will never be fulfilled completely, but the attempt will at least start them off in some direction. He has to be extreme right now, he has to reset the course, he has to strive for serious change in order to achieve moderate change. This country doesn't allow for extremes, and it's high time someone decided to bring it back to the left so we can get it to the middle.
The days of Republican hard right, and Republican light (Bill Clinton) are over, when can hope. Obama isn't the answer, but I think he sees America as a place that needs a serious fix, and at least he's serious about doing it. No one else ever seems to be.
Oh, and of course, go fuck yourself, David Brooks.
HBO Plug Pullers
So many people told me how amazing "The Wire" was so I finally watched all 5 seasons, having finished last night. Season 5 only had 10 episodes, with the last episode lasting 90 minutes. The other 4 seasons had 13 episodes, and you could feel it was shortchanged.
I was finally able to talk to my buddy about the show today, having finished, and he told me, "They wouldn't give Simon the full 13 because ratings weren't great." David Simon is the writer/creator of the show. It was quite annoying to hear this.
HBO, like any other network, follows the ratings, but don't they know a good show when they see it? Would it have been so hard to let them finish out all 13 episodes? Didn't they realize how great it was, and see maybe they'll sell a shit ton of DVDs or get a lot of Demand buys? Afterall, the show is PHENOMENAL!
It reminds me of "John From Cincinnati", which received even shorter shrift, was axed after one season! There was a small outrage on the internet, but regardless, the show had potential. Probably the type of show that would do better down the line, through DVDs, etc. But again, they don't trust themselves.
Someone at HBO needs to have some balls when it comes to great programming; and should make sure great shows get their full run.
I was finally able to talk to my buddy about the show today, having finished, and he told me, "They wouldn't give Simon the full 13 because ratings weren't great." David Simon is the writer/creator of the show. It was quite annoying to hear this.
HBO, like any other network, follows the ratings, but don't they know a good show when they see it? Would it have been so hard to let them finish out all 13 episodes? Didn't they realize how great it was, and see maybe they'll sell a shit ton of DVDs or get a lot of Demand buys? Afterall, the show is PHENOMENAL!
It reminds me of "John From Cincinnati", which received even shorter shrift, was axed after one season! There was a small outrage on the internet, but regardless, the show had potential. Probably the type of show that would do better down the line, through DVDs, etc. But again, they don't trust themselves.
Someone at HBO needs to have some balls when it comes to great programming; and should make sure great shows get their full run.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Apparently
My Phish posts seem to make some noise, but like the byline says, "...I don't edit..."
But I will in this case because maybe it'll stop the emails about my grammar/spelling.
Btw, it's 7 AM in Hilo, HI, and there's a fucking rooster outside my window I want dead.
But I will in this case because maybe it'll stop the emails about my grammar/spelling.
Btw, it's 7 AM in Hilo, HI, and there's a fucking rooster outside my window I want dead.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
The Way it Works
I've been traveling for months, from San Diego to Hawai'i to Vegas to New York City to Florida now back to Hawai'i again, and this week Columbus. It has been insane, I tell ya.
Along the way I've become friends with more and more people, and I've tried to look at the world in ways others do, in order to broaden my own worldview, etc. Not much has changed, but I've listened for sure.
A few weeks ago a now close friend said "Hey, if I ran my business I'd probably do the same thing..." in response to a certain businessman screwing said person over. That comment really stuck out to me.
Really? Here you are whaling and bitching about the way you're treated, and yet if you were on the other side, you'd treat not only yourself, but all of the others getting fucked the same way? Interesting! I have a feeling this is more an American attitude than it would be that of someone from say any country in Western Europe. Yet we're not so different from them.
I plan on discussing this with my friend at some point in the next few weeks, but for now I let it sit there. I would venture to guess he doesn't even remember saying it, but I do believe on some level he feels this way.
The point of it all is this:
Here we have my friend, we'll call him Bob, getting fucked over in many ways, and seeing a lot of his co-workers (we'll call them this) getting screwed too. Al, the guy doing the screwing, is doing just fine during this not-so-good-I'll-call-it-a-fucking-shitstorm-economy. Yet Bob thinks he'd do the same, maybe.
Now I look at government, and how so many people view the big government. The more this economy stays in shambles, and the longer it takes for the government to fix the problem, the worse the opinion of the government is. Meanwhile (and I wrote this piece for no other reason), the Republicans are continually pushing forward "tax cuts" as a solution, for when don't they? News flash, they don't work for everything...I've got recent records to prove it.
Yet there's a sense when you watch television, or listen to the radio, there are countless people who are believing more and more that the Obama Plan(s) won't work. At least, I'm getting that. The longer this goes on, the more I get that sense. I was told when Bush was in office I "should want Iraq to be a success", and of course, I do/did. What I believed would happen was not only accurate, but a different story.
But we are living in this world wherein Republicans for years have told us how bad government is. Big government is bad, bad, bad! Business is good, good, good. The problem is it wasn't the government that put us in the position we're in now. You can make the leap and say Fannie/Freddie until you're blue in the face, but it wasn't the government. It was greed. It was lack of oversight. It was an anti-government administration starting wars. But again, it was greed. It was BUSINESS that put us here. It was that feeling my friend had/has, even though things are shitty, he understands, that's just part of doing business! The real American ethos: greed and profit first.
Should I be surprised? I guess not, for when someone is blatantly getting screwed over right in front of me, and claims he'd probably do the same thing in Al's shoes, I shouldn't be.
Yet should Americans be trusting THAT? I don't think so.
Politicians are elected, and you hope they're overseers who are honest. Yet for decades Republicans have painted the government as dishonest, and business as the answer to ills. But truth is, while you hear time and time again "all politicians are crooks", most businessmen at the top of the top, are probably more likely crooked than the politicians. The difference is, like Bob alluded too, it's expected! We expect our businessmen to be crooks, or at the very least, do everything they can to maximize their profits/situations. Yet the people who push business, business, business as the answer to all ills, never seem to blame business. In fact, they paint the government as the crooked tool.
It's fucking bullshit, is what it is.
The profit driven American world, at the expense of all other things, creates a greedy society, which is THE ONLY THING that has brought us to where we are today. But of course, IT'S EXPECTED! That's the American way, no? Bob certainly thinks so.
Keep not trusting your government, and keep making the false bet that business is going to cure ALL THE ILLS: health care, education, the environment. Keep doing that, and we will all find ourselves in the hole we're in for a LONG LONG time.
I don't trust all the people in government, but on a percentage basis, I probably trust more government leaders than I do corporate leaders. And the responsible corporate leaders, they'd probably agree.
I could go on all day, but you probably get the gist.
Along the way I've become friends with more and more people, and I've tried to look at the world in ways others do, in order to broaden my own worldview, etc. Not much has changed, but I've listened for sure.
A few weeks ago a now close friend said "Hey, if I ran my business I'd probably do the same thing..." in response to a certain businessman screwing said person over. That comment really stuck out to me.
Really? Here you are whaling and bitching about the way you're treated, and yet if you were on the other side, you'd treat not only yourself, but all of the others getting fucked the same way? Interesting! I have a feeling this is more an American attitude than it would be that of someone from say any country in Western Europe. Yet we're not so different from them.
I plan on discussing this with my friend at some point in the next few weeks, but for now I let it sit there. I would venture to guess he doesn't even remember saying it, but I do believe on some level he feels this way.
The point of it all is this:
Here we have my friend, we'll call him Bob, getting fucked over in many ways, and seeing a lot of his co-workers (we'll call them this) getting screwed too. Al, the guy doing the screwing, is doing just fine during this not-so-good-I'll-call-it-a-fucking-shitstorm-economy. Yet Bob thinks he'd do the same, maybe.
Now I look at government, and how so many people view the big government. The more this economy stays in shambles, and the longer it takes for the government to fix the problem, the worse the opinion of the government is. Meanwhile (and I wrote this piece for no other reason), the Republicans are continually pushing forward "tax cuts" as a solution, for when don't they? News flash, they don't work for everything...I've got recent records to prove it.
Yet there's a sense when you watch television, or listen to the radio, there are countless people who are believing more and more that the Obama Plan(s) won't work. At least, I'm getting that. The longer this goes on, the more I get that sense. I was told when Bush was in office I "should want Iraq to be a success", and of course, I do/did. What I believed would happen was not only accurate, but a different story.
But we are living in this world wherein Republicans for years have told us how bad government is. Big government is bad, bad, bad! Business is good, good, good. The problem is it wasn't the government that put us in the position we're in now. You can make the leap and say Fannie/Freddie until you're blue in the face, but it wasn't the government. It was greed. It was lack of oversight. It was an anti-government administration starting wars. But again, it was greed. It was BUSINESS that put us here. It was that feeling my friend had/has, even though things are shitty, he understands, that's just part of doing business! The real American ethos: greed and profit first.
Should I be surprised? I guess not, for when someone is blatantly getting screwed over right in front of me, and claims he'd probably do the same thing in Al's shoes, I shouldn't be.
Yet should Americans be trusting THAT? I don't think so.
Politicians are elected, and you hope they're overseers who are honest. Yet for decades Republicans have painted the government as dishonest, and business as the answer to ills. But truth is, while you hear time and time again "all politicians are crooks", most businessmen at the top of the top, are probably more likely crooked than the politicians. The difference is, like Bob alluded too, it's expected! We expect our businessmen to be crooks, or at the very least, do everything they can to maximize their profits/situations. Yet the people who push business, business, business as the answer to all ills, never seem to blame business. In fact, they paint the government as the crooked tool.
It's fucking bullshit, is what it is.
The profit driven American world, at the expense of all other things, creates a greedy society, which is THE ONLY THING that has brought us to where we are today. But of course, IT'S EXPECTED! That's the American way, no? Bob certainly thinks so.
Keep not trusting your government, and keep making the false bet that business is going to cure ALL THE ILLS: health care, education, the environment. Keep doing that, and we will all find ourselves in the hole we're in for a LONG LONG time.
I don't trust all the people in government, but on a percentage basis, I probably trust more government leaders than I do corporate leaders. And the responsible corporate leaders, they'd probably agree.
I could go on all day, but you probably get the gist.
My Expectations
Ever since I posted about Phish returning, and requesting they not "suck...again...", I've received a lot of emails, and have had a lot of time to think on it. I was one of the few who had "tickets for all 3 nights" in Hampton, but gave them up because of work, which has me in Hawai'i now, and through the shows. Certainly, I'm disappointed.
As the shows draw near I find myself listening to more and more Phish, but true to my previous post, nothing from the modern era, aka, post-98. I refer to it as that because after creating their own funk sometime in late '96-'97, there was pretty much little more creative going on as a whole. Sure, there were good songs, moments, etc., but that's not what I'm saying.
I've been listening to 6.11.94, Clifford Ball, Europe '97, versions of Foam pre-'95, and a host of other stuff. I guess you could say their reunion has made me nostalgic for the sick music I heard back when, and the great times I lived during those times. Not to say I'm not enjoying my life now, especially in Hawai'i, but, it was a different time. A time, like in '97, when gas was .99 cents...which says a lot.
Now that I can no longer attend these upcoming shows, and don't have tickets for the "tour", I find myself wondering if it will be good and what they will play. I do want to be there for that first note, but probably for no other reason than hoping it'll be something fantastic. But will it be?
I find myself yearning for it, asking myself, "Am I going to goto Gadiel's page for a setlist on Friday night? Will I miss the Waffle House in Hampton? Will there be a 'Shakedown Street'?" I have a feeling this is all still part of reminiscing than it is any real sense of whether it will be great, or whether I'd really care if I was there, or not. Either way, it's on the brain.
I think the larger problem these days isn't with Phish coming back, or me not being there, but a problem with music in general, live acts, and life itself. I'm not disappointed with life, at all. I have a pretty sweet one right now, and much of the basis of who and why I am was formed during those years while I seeing the band. At the very least they certainly have something to do with it, which is why the emotion regarding their return is so strong (not much different from the "Phinale"). I have a feeling my issues rest with the shape of the music world as a whole, and the lack of any really inspiring music out there. What band is changing the landscape?
I know how good Radiohead is live, but to me it's just a "sick show." I know amazing albums have been made by random artists like Sufjan or Ryan Adams or Ghostface or the Roots and great music created by countless DJs (for me, at least), but there has not been anything remotely like Phish since their demise, and even during their run. For me losing Pavement didn't help, and while Malkmus has filled a certain void, it hasn't been nearly enough. Still, the reason for my nostalgia seems to derive from the lack of something else, whether it be music related, or just life in general. I was a Clinton supporter, so the Obama thing didn't really "pump my nads", like it did most others...
The world has pretty much sucked balls since 2000, and I believe post 9-11 Phish came back when they did because they felt it too. They needed normalcy in their own lives after the world was turned upside down, like we all did (WTC = Walls of the Cave...) It's possible they came back too soon, and weren't that great because they weren't really ready to be back; there was too much shit going in the world for all of them (and us). Now maybe it's different!?!? At least, I'm hoping it is.
When it comes to them, every and any show, I'm always hoping for the best. I think that's what is driving my renewed Phish interest, which I haven't had in YEARS. I'm hopeful they realize the importance of what they did, and what they can still do. That the importance matters enough to get them to take this seriously. I'm really hopeful.
There's a real chance they're ready, and putting my initial reaction aside (which I still believe), it could be something great. Not just for them, not just for us, but for everyone involved; for music at large! For that's how it was when things were going full steam. I mean, even the fucking Jonas Brothers would benefit from hearing and seeing "the Phish!"
I think in a world gone pretty sour it is time for something really great to happen, and I'm hopeful this band can give us just that, like they have countless times before. Unfortunately, I won't be there, but for all of my friends who will be, and for all of the people who started seeing shows in '99, or later, I'm hopeful they can take everyone back to that higher level (It seems most of the bitching I get comes from that pre-'99 crowd. Hey douche, I missed the Dead, relax...at least you have a chance...)
With that said, Please, Don't Suck....Again. I'm really pullin' for ya!
PRACTICE!!!!
As the shows draw near I find myself listening to more and more Phish, but true to my previous post, nothing from the modern era, aka, post-98. I refer to it as that because after creating their own funk sometime in late '96-'97, there was pretty much little more creative going on as a whole. Sure, there were good songs, moments, etc., but that's not what I'm saying.
I've been listening to 6.11.94, Clifford Ball, Europe '97, versions of Foam pre-'95, and a host of other stuff. I guess you could say their reunion has made me nostalgic for the sick music I heard back when, and the great times I lived during those times. Not to say I'm not enjoying my life now, especially in Hawai'i, but, it was a different time. A time, like in '97, when gas was .99 cents...which says a lot.
Now that I can no longer attend these upcoming shows, and don't have tickets for the "tour", I find myself wondering if it will be good and what they will play. I do want to be there for that first note, but probably for no other reason than hoping it'll be something fantastic. But will it be?
I find myself yearning for it, asking myself, "Am I going to goto Gadiel's page for a setlist on Friday night? Will I miss the Waffle House in Hampton? Will there be a 'Shakedown Street'?" I have a feeling this is all still part of reminiscing than it is any real sense of whether it will be great, or whether I'd really care if I was there, or not. Either way, it's on the brain.
I think the larger problem these days isn't with Phish coming back, or me not being there, but a problem with music in general, live acts, and life itself. I'm not disappointed with life, at all. I have a pretty sweet one right now, and much of the basis of who and why I am was formed during those years while I seeing the band. At the very least they certainly have something to do with it, which is why the emotion regarding their return is so strong (not much different from the "Phinale"). I have a feeling my issues rest with the shape of the music world as a whole, and the lack of any really inspiring music out there. What band is changing the landscape?
I know how good Radiohead is live, but to me it's just a "sick show." I know amazing albums have been made by random artists like Sufjan or Ryan Adams or Ghostface or the Roots and great music created by countless DJs (for me, at least), but there has not been anything remotely like Phish since their demise, and even during their run. For me losing Pavement didn't help, and while Malkmus has filled a certain void, it hasn't been nearly enough. Still, the reason for my nostalgia seems to derive from the lack of something else, whether it be music related, or just life in general. I was a Clinton supporter, so the Obama thing didn't really "pump my nads", like it did most others...
The world has pretty much sucked balls since 2000, and I believe post 9-11 Phish came back when they did because they felt it too. They needed normalcy in their own lives after the world was turned upside down, like we all did (WTC = Walls of the Cave...) It's possible they came back too soon, and weren't that great because they weren't really ready to be back; there was too much shit going in the world for all of them (and us). Now maybe it's different!?!? At least, I'm hoping it is.
When it comes to them, every and any show, I'm always hoping for the best. I think that's what is driving my renewed Phish interest, which I haven't had in YEARS. I'm hopeful they realize the importance of what they did, and what they can still do. That the importance matters enough to get them to take this seriously. I'm really hopeful.
There's a real chance they're ready, and putting my initial reaction aside (which I still believe), it could be something great. Not just for them, not just for us, but for everyone involved; for music at large! For that's how it was when things were going full steam. I mean, even the fucking Jonas Brothers would benefit from hearing and seeing "the Phish!"
I think in a world gone pretty sour it is time for something really great to happen, and I'm hopeful this band can give us just that, like they have countless times before. Unfortunately, I won't be there, but for all of my friends who will be, and for all of the people who started seeing shows in '99, or later, I'm hopeful they can take everyone back to that higher level (It seems most of the bitching I get comes from that pre-'99 crowd. Hey douche, I missed the Dead, relax...at least you have a chance...)
With that said, Please, Don't Suck....Again. I'm really pullin' for ya!
PRACTICE!!!!
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