Beyond the Horizon

Head's up! Everyone's favorite troubadour, Bobby "It Ain't Me, Babe" Dylan is coming to Brooklyn, NY (Prospect Park) on Tuesday, August 12th. I already have my ticket! Tickets officially go on sale 6/30 at noon; however, insider sources have discovered the Fan Club Internet PreSale password is: tilden

RADICAL LINKS

-here Neil Young is making an electric car, and it's only cost him $120,000 so far to make it. Given current gas prices, it should pay for itself in a matter of months.

-here Cigarettes cost more than ever in NYC. Thank goodness I gave that up!

-here Forty years ago today some crazy bitch shot Andy Warhol. The LATimes wants to make her a prophet, since men really are no longer necessary.

Solitude

I am happy to be joining what is called a "blog." For quite some time I have had, as Thoreau put it, "my own sun and moon and stars, and a little world all to myself." And while I have never found a companion that is so companionable as solitude, I am happy to contribute to something of an intellectual community.

Go Bo Diddley!

I saw Bo Diddley in Jacksonville, Florida last year with some of my family. At nearly 80 years old, Bo had everyone on their feet clapping and groovin’. One point in the show, he got up from his chair, and walked behind the drumset. He grabbed some sticks and played these impressive African/marching styled rudiments on top of his drummer's beat. The show was fun and I felt I was supposed to be there.

Up until his death, Bo Diddley was bitter about Elvis Presley getting the birthing of rock n roll credit. Truth is, Elvis ripped off Bo’s act, Buddy Holly stole his glasses, and the biggest of bands have all used his shave and a haircut to bits beat.

Who Do You Love?

Bo Diddley passed away yesterday morning at the age of 79. Before he left, he gave the world the coolest fucking song lyrics ever written.

I walked 47 miles of barbed wire,
Used a cobra snake for a neck tie.
Got a brand new house on the roadside,
Made out of rattlesnake hide.
I got a brand new chimney made on top,
Made out of human skulls.
Now come on darling let's take a little walk, tell me:

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Arlene took me by the hand,
And said, "Ooo-eee, daddy, I understand."

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

The night was black and the night was blue,
And around the corner an ice wagon flew.
A bump was a hittin' lord and somebody screamed,
"You should have heard just what I seen!"

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Arlene took me by my hand,
She said, "Ooo-eee, Bo, you know I understand."
I got a tombstone hand and a graveyard mind,
I lived long enough and I ain't scared of dying.

Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?
Who do you love?

Little Known Fact...

I decided to put a little tracking devise on the blog (it's at the bottom) to see how many hits the site was getting, etc.

What do you think the most viewed individual post has been?

http://puttingthingsinplainsite.blogspot.com/
2008/04/racy-miley-cyrus-photo.html

Hahahahaha, perverbs!

Bon Voyage!

Today, Sunday, June 1st 2008, my good friend and old roommate, Shahab, is embarking on a most excellent adventure. He's going to ride a bicycle across the United States of America! He couldn't have picked a better country, I'll tell ya.

When I first heard he was considering this adventurous trip, I thought he was crazy. I mean, he might get eaten by a wild animal, right? What is the possibility of me getting eaten by a wild animal in the next in the next two months? Zero fucking percent... because I'm NOT biking across the country. But, I have to hand it to him, in the last couple months, Shahab has PREPARED, and is now ready to go!

I will be traveling north on route 9 this Sunday then west to Erie on route 17. I think I should get to Erie in 8 to 10 days. From there I will continue traveling west through Cleveland (maybe get there around day 10) then Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, and ending in Seattle.

If you know people along this route, I would love to meet them.

I will have my phone turned on between 10:00-11:00 a.m. and 7:00-8:00 p.m. daily if you want to talk. I will also be changing my answering machine message daily if you want to get an update on where I am. please call as often as you like and leave me messages...

Best Regards,

Shahab

Let me know if you want his phone number. I'm already planning some funny voice messages I plan on leaving him. I admire his sense of adventure, courage (I can't begin to imagine the amount of chafage he has to look forward to), and wish him the best of luck. Have a wild time and get home safe!

Neocon Redemption?

Guess whose favorite former White House doughboy spokesman wrote a scathing book about his time bullshitting for the Bush administration? If you guessed Scott McClellan, you'd be correct! Word broke that he's releasing a book titled What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and What's Wrong with Washington, and in it he's as nasty as he wants to be (and we all know how nasty those Republicans can be!). From the fodder I've been reading, he really comes down on Bush's bullshit reasoning for the war in Iraq and Bush's bullshit reaction to Hurricane Katrina.

As cool as all that sounds, a big part of me thinks, "a little late, homeskillet!" He had a lot of time to call shenanigans on Bush's dirty deeds, but instead he played the dummy spokesman, misleading the American people. Guess what, Scott? You're still going to Hell (and your little dog too!).

See you there.

"I think the difference with McClellan's book is he's now telling us something we all know -- that the war with Iraq was a disastrous war [and] was sold with deception. It's a little different when you say something as I did and a few other people did four or five years ago, when the war was popular and when we were unpopular for saying what we said."
- Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief (Clarke left government in 2003)

What Does It Take?

I just rediscovered this on the radio down here this past weekend and thought I'd share. Might be one of the most beautiful tunes I've ever heard.

Embarrasing Parents=Kids With Tongue Rings

I was watching one of my favorite tv shows, MTV's documentary show True Life, and this particular episode was about "Embarrassing Parents." As you can imagine, the parents were nothing short of ridiculous. One poor girls parents were professional clowns and would show up with their clown friends at her parties to embarrass her. Another poor girls mother was a full-fledged "hootchy momma." Her mother would try to dress like Britney Spears, showing off her twice done boob job, platinum blond hair, and washboard abs to anyone who would bother to give her the attention. Mother tells her early adolescent child that she's just expressing herself. By the end of the show, the child responds to her mother that she would like to express herself with a tongue ring. Could you believe mother wasn't happy?

Why do people get tongue rings? Chris Rock will tell you 2:30 into this video.

"Nice Pants"

Photo courtesy of Becky H. "Meat-morial 2008"

Ze Russians

"Attitude Adjustment" is what is displayed on the awning in the bar below my apartment. In which direction will my attitude get adjusted? If I go in happy does that mean I will be threatened by a bunch of Russians looking to "adjust" my attitude? Does this place look shady to you? Does it seem like a place where you can drink 101 different flavors of infused vodka? Does it look like a place where Russians cut peoples' finger tips off? Perhaps a game of roulette?

My girlfriend has warned me not to blog anything negative about the bar (out of fear of the unknown), so honestly, I'm just asking questions.

If I ever go there, I'll report back.

UPDATE: My Russian related suspicions are 95% related to the new Indiana Jones movie.

Muxtape Madness

"Oh no you just di'int!"

"Yes, I just di!"

Another mouthwatering muxtape! Let me know if you have any questions.


New nails sound more appropriate on the dance floor than it does in hell.
Why do we care?
Don't look forward and expect happiness
New York rockers make their impression felt:
First up is the female poet
Next up is the Entourage
And then it all burns down.
Finally some new kids arrive
We haven't left the club, have we?
Do you party? "Yah, mon!"
The Walrus was Paul (unless it wasn't).
3-day-sleep-it-away in anger, I heard ya say
To the point it becomes a diamond.

John Safran VS God

I'm back! Time Warner Cable Guy actually came today, so I now have internet at home and no one has to die (whew!).

A couple months ago, an old roommate of mine discovered the tv show John Safran VS God on the Sundance Channel. They were re-airing an 8 part television documentary from Australia made in 2004. Throughout the series our hero, John Safran, takes an "irreverent look at world religions and theology in general... both informative and entertaining, without being outright offensive." He's kinda like an Aussie version of Bill Maher mixed with Tom Green.

In the seven minute clip below, John confesses to a priest in Sicily for dirty deeds he committed years earlier while filming for a travel show. I figured most of you have never heard of this series, but it's definitely worth checking out.

In The Mornin' Dont Say You Love Me

I think sometimes in life we loose sight of how truly fucking awesome Rod Stewart is.

Sports In Plain Site

And now for the sports report:

*Anthony Miles spears ex-marine at state track meet
*George W. Bush caught playing dirty
*Interested in competitive sports? Jump off your segway and sign up
*Nick Adenhart, a friend and Williamsport High School alumnus, has started three games pitching for the L. A. Angels so far this season

Banner Change

Hey, Pigs! I asked NathanaelMcDaniel to provide me with a new Banner pic for the site, to keep things funky fresh, and the dude abided. I think it looks great!

I still don't have internet at home, that's why I haven't been posting lately. I should have it by Saturday (or someone at Time Warner Cable will die).

Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends

Yeltsin, Edwards, Bush conducting a band, Castro, Tony Blair playing guitar? After watching this I'm even more excited about this record than I was before.

Thoughts on a City

I recently visited some old Swags in New York City on a rainy Friday night. The air was cool and calm as it collected and quickly dissipated my Maryland aura. There was no time to adjust to the new surroundings; if you tried to, you would miss everything. Searching for shelter, we stumbled into the historic St. Nick’s pub on 149th Street around midnight where live jazz music perpetuates in the heart of Harlem.

Once inside, the vibe was incredible and certainly tangible. The people were lively and ever shifting and smiling. The band began to play. The cymbals sizzled and the double bass pulsed. The piano player fingered those familiar walking staccato jazz chords. A saucy chanteuse emerged scatting in front of the band while her path from the bar to the stage was slowly overtaken by the crowd. This woman was not afraid to look her audience in the eye individually for extended moments. Alas, her eyes caught mine and we exchanged a lengthy stare. The intense surreality of that moment shattered my inner capacity and I looked away. She had somehow jumped onto my page and dog-eared it. It was a moment that approached the supernatural.

These moments occur to me periodically while viewing art, listening to music, and when enjoying earthly enhancers. It is a peak into the possibility of something else beyond our five senses, a crack between worlds.

The following afternoon we stood over a central stone in Strawberry Fields adjacent to the Dakota Hotel, that read the word, IMAGINE. One can only do just that while sitting on the surrounding park benches. The word conjures up a thousand thoughts. The memorial is moving and extremely effective. Even with cameras and kids, the scene around the stone is quiet and respectful. That one word has more meaning then a novel of words.

Our imaginations have always been a tool for invention. Many things we have conceived or predicted have indeed happened. We have also imagined divine worlds, peoples, and events. Does the divine supernatural exist? Maybe, but the kind of supernatural I’m talking about is beyond that. It is beyond the heavens, existing within a planet that we need to take charge of by taking care of. You got it.

Manny Being Manny

My new favorite catch ever. Manny Ramirez, over the shoulder, at the warning track, spots the Red Sox fan, off the wall, high five, lands, turns, hits the cut off man, then doubles the runner up at first. How I love planet ManRam

New Book, New News, More Angles, same ol' Dylan

Check out this interview, real sweet lady and iconic if you've heard Freewheelin' or seen Vanilla Sky.

Interview