Morton Malaise

Ari Hest is out of Brooklyn, New York. Give him a shot.

Yeah, I’m on a Bruce Springsteen binge tonight. What of it?

I’m a huge fan of John Steinbeck, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Morello. This is an amazing thing. First, the closing scene of Grapes of Wrath. If you haven’t seen the film, don’t watch. As a matter of fact, read the book, THEN watch the film, then you can watch.

Now, this is Bruce Springsteen doing his song, “The Ghost of Tom Joad” with Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, the band that covered it. Powerful.

The Deftones doing acoustic versions of their songs sound like a whinier Radiohead. I didn’t think it was possible to sound whinier than Radiohead.

Does anyone know what happened to Mr. Stone? He hasn’t blogged for over a month. I KNOW he hasn’t run out of things to rant about.

On a completely unrelated note, my blog turned 2 on Saturday. Feliz Cumpleanos, blog.

This is in response to the slew of articles and complaints I’ve heard and read about the problems Bluffians are having with their stereo advantaged neighbors.

Normally, the only sound you hear outside the car is the subs. As I’m sure some of you are aware, this is because the lower frequency/longer wavelength allows the low frequency waves to penetrate both the body of the car and the walls of the homes around the car. However, inside the car there are usually mid- and high-range speakers that give the stereo a balanced and clear sound. In other words, it sounds really good to them, and no, they can’t hear that incessant rattling of the license plate inside the car.

The kids know before the cops get there because they have scanners. It’s pretty easy to do. If not scanners, then they notice the neighbors giving them dirty looks and turn it down. Incidentally, have you ever actually approached someone in a POLITE manner and asked them to turn the stereo down? 90% of the time, they’re more than happy to comply. You can’t assume that they know the stereo bothers you, because if no one tells them, they assume it doesn’t. It’s not pure malice and ignorance, at least not on their part.

I have a loud stereo. It is the stereo that came with the car. I play it as loud as my ears can stand, but I also turn it down when I get into a neighborhood/crowded area or stop at a red light/stop sign. I used to play it loud all the time until I found out that people 4 cars ahead could hear it. How did I find out? SOMEONE ASKED ME POLITELY TO TURN IT DOWN AND I DID. Until that time, I really didn’t know it could be heard that loudly outside the vehicle.

Police DO have far more important things to tend to than a few kids with 15″ subs in bandpass boxes. Next time you’re disgusted because cops take 45 minutes to show up to fix your flat tire you discovered after shopping at Grand Prairie, remember calling the cops on the black kids down the street for playing hiphop because they “looked too dangerous to approach”.

I bought two amazing blues records today.

Memphis Slim- Live in Paris, 1963

Side 1
Jamboree Boogie
I’Lost Without You
Nervous Man
All Day Long
Kansas City
For My Baby
Summertime
Comin’ Baby

Side 2
Every Day I Have The Blues
Baby Please Come On
TV Blues
Baby Doll
Careless Love
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Pigalle Love
Kansas City
Corine Corina

And the other record is Snooks Eaglin- Baby, You Can Get Your Gun

Side 1
You Give Me Nothing But The Blues
Baby Please
Oh Sweetness
Profidia
Lavinia
Baby, You Can Get Your Gun!

Side 2
Drop The Bomb!
That Certain Door
Mary Joe
Nobody Knows
Pretty Girls Everywhere

There is nothing, I mean NOTHING, like good blues on vinyl. PI, I know you agree with me on this one.

Remember that thing I told you about oil wrestling? Y’all didn’t believe me, did you? Check this fantastic set of pictures out.

Philadelphia sports fans are notorious douchebags. However, The Wing Bowl sounds like the sort of event that makes the average Eagle/Flyer/76er/Phillies fan sound like a perfect gentleman. I’m so going.

That game last night was ridiculous. First Marmol hitting two batters in a row, then Eyre coming in and giving up a grand slam on his first pitch, immediately followed by a triple and a double. Nauseating. I’d like to think this happened because TB is really good, and not because the Cubs are slumping. I guess we’ve been a bit spoiled this year. This is the first time all season the Cubs have lost more than two games in a row all year and everyone is freaking out. On top of everything, Edmonds and Reed Johnson are now injured from playing on turf for a week straight. That was a rough road trip. It’ll be good to be back in the Friendly Confines again.