tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35042066223993654512024-03-21T21:42:30.764-04:00Oh My Goodness!Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-3999570170949915092009-01-21T18:47:00.009-05:002009-01-21T22:00:29.462-05:0044.1Barack Obama has done <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17765.html">more in his first day in office</a> than Bush did in two terms. This includes, but is not limited to, freezing senior staffers' pay, stifling Guantanamo trials, hosting hundreds of WH visitors, meeting with economic team, meeting with foreign policy team, calling several Middle Eastern leaders (something I'm pretty sure Bush never did), shaking the hand of every member of his new staff, congratulating Hillary Clinton on officially becoming Secretary of State, and praying.<br /><br />Tomorrow he orders Guantanamo Bay closed within a year. That's great and all, but it may be he's rushing to get this in as a diversionary tactic to peacemongers who will be upset to find he's not gonna get the room to move on Iraq like they wanted/voted for him to do.<br /><br />And this is strange to me. Obama has been a lone voice among Democrats to leave the remnants of the Bush administration where they lie, and not move forward with any sort of investigation of illegal activity, misuse of executive power, etc. I understand where he's coming from, but after his inaugural speech, which seemed to me to be a scathing lambast of the past eight years, it's disingenuous. He also signed this document today. From Politico:<br /><br /><blockquote>the Executive Order on Presidential Records brings those principles to presidential records by giving the American people greater access to these historic documents. This order ends the practice of having others besides the President assert executive privilege for records after an administration ends. Now, only the President will have that power, limiting its potential for abuse. And the order also requires the Attorney General and the White House Counsel to review claims of executive privilege about covered records to make sure those claims are fully warranted by the Constitution.</blockquote>I don't know what to make of that. It seems very convoluded for such a simple measure. Is he safeguarding Bush? I understand how that would make sense politically. But his new WH counsel is full of attorneys who have been chomping at the bit to get at 43's record.<br /><br />Whatever the concerns are, to an extent, it doesn't matter. We have a people's President now and that's wonderful. I know I speak for a lot of people my age when I say that I don't know what that is like, or even what it's like to respect the leader of my country. But I can't wait to find out.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bABoEWNSs4Ew1mtK-TDon7LaD3iTC-cz1FeylRiK0H2zBEcnAWpyyupU5J4gNnEwhPyRbMV6cA_d_Z2BpcUXzNK-tCOI2MXF0g253vP12cyv-a26JV9XkKcwlnW7aN05SWgY_H2ZeWeu/s1600-h/officeobama.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 436px; height: 326px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bABoEWNSs4Ew1mtK-TDon7LaD3iTC-cz1FeylRiK0H2zBEcnAWpyyupU5J4gNnEwhPyRbMV6cA_d_Z2BpcUXzNK-tCOI2MXF0g253vP12cyv-a26JV9XkKcwlnW7aN05SWgY_H2ZeWeu/s400/officeobama.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293904284236809106" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Also, who isn't dying to know what Bush wrote on the note he left for Obama? On the envelope it read, "To #44 From #43". Anyone care to speculate?<br /><br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-79827148151510246392009-01-17T15:48:00.000-05:002009-01-17T15:49:02.144-05:00PSYou should read that article. Bai is phenomenal. Listen.<br /><br /><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote>The legislative process is like Kryptonite to the existential hero; it is designed, somewhat ingeniously, to expose even the most powerful president for the mortal that he is.</blockquote>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-69971366111658431742009-01-17T15:13:00.003-05:002009-01-17T15:31:27.722-05:00The Importance of SeemingJust paused 4 paragraphs into reading <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/magazine/18essay-bai-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine">Matt Bai's article</a> in the Times magazine this weekend because something struck me. <br /><br />With the inauguration only days away, and growing excitement/anticipation/hope/dread of the coming months and years emerging, we are reading and hearing that this is going to change the culture. "Tuesday marks a new day for the American spirit," is what we're cheering. It's conventional wisdom, nowadays. I'd like to submit a small addition to the discussions. <br /><br />Seems to.<br /><br />Tuesday seems to mark a new day for the American spirit. Obama's inauguration seems to be the beginning of a change in the culture. Call it healthy skepticism. We don't know, and these things are too "tricky, prickly" of subjects to hypothesize on with such certainty. History has certainly been made, and in a big way. America is different now than it has ever been. And all signs point to it being even more different on Tuesday. It seems to be so, but it isn't yet so. America is a funny place. A man landed a plane in the Hudson River yesterday and today he is a hero. His name is Chelsea Sullenberger and he is now indebted to late-flocking geese. <br /><br />All I'm saying, it upsets history (and our own determination) to declare that we will be different tomorrow. Or more specifically, that we know HOW we will be different. Change is on the horizon. But you never know what birds will get caught in your engines.<br /><br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-39454548421433482522009-01-07T03:47:00.000-05:002009-01-07T03:48:37.090-05:00Surgeon General-in-waitingI am totally <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/07/us/politics/07gupta.html">down with this</a>.<br /><br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-60006801993927579662008-12-29T13:22:00.007-05:002008-12-29T13:52:27.331-05:00of Montreal's Kevin Barnes is not only a genius songwriter and totally hot, but also a savvy businessman.Kevin Barnes from of Montreal, who happen to have recorded one of our <a href="http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gpfrxztkld0e">favorite albums</a> and played two of our <a href="http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/12/of_montreal_mus.html">favorite</a> <a href="http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/10/of_montreal_ros.html">shows</a> this year, wrote <a href="http://stereogum.com/archives/commercial-appeal/of-montreal-art-brut-do-tmobile_007208.html">this piece</a> for Stereogum back in November, in response to all the shit his band got for Outback Steakhouse and T-moblie's use of their music. I once read an interview with him where he said, replying simply to a question about "selling out" to Outback, "it's very hard for artists to make money." This essay, which is stunning it's brilliance and it's perspective, expands thoroughly and thoughtfully on that statement. Everyone should read this.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>mark.</div>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-83160822883734684552008-12-22T13:51:00.002-05:002008-12-22T13:55:41.377-05:00Welcome John HoldrenSo <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Holdren">this</a> is the guy Barack Obama tapped to be White House science advisor. And <a href="http://http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=the-future-of-climate-change-policy">this</a> is an article he wrote for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Scientific American</span> in October.<div><br /></div><div>This is good news. Next best thing to "The Gore-acle"?</div><div><br /></div><div>mark</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-59349281230168801922008-12-12T15:49:00.008-05:002008-12-12T15:58:00.194-05:00Come<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5nwSPCOqI_2Fe2ULOGgoh649zVzt19_i6H-FhLdg2qrEsYc9KrkHsGj2nohZdIDQL07w58OUsIqztfuh2DO3eKlfNEW2QsPDUCAOoqHGwvZA6z93ZzIjIa12onx6uIrowQGkp5WCJJJM/s1600-h/nbpchristmas.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 292px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx5nwSPCOqI_2Fe2ULOGgoh649zVzt19_i6H-FhLdg2qrEsYc9KrkHsGj2nohZdIDQL07w58OUsIqztfuh2DO3eKlfNEW2QsPDUCAOoqHGwvZA6z93ZzIjIa12onx6uIrowQGkp5WCJJJM/s400/nbpchristmas.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279009993852847602" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday December 18, 2008<div>9:30PM</div><div><br /></div><div>255 McKibbin #202</div><div>Brooklyn, NY</div></div>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-45100694118944391672008-12-12T12:04:00.002-05:002008-12-12T13:29:55.823-05:00Re-emerging, and OFFICIAL endorsement.So, we'll be back up and running with some posts on here in the next couple of weeks. We'll be regular if you will. Some exciting things--posts on the year in music, including our lists of favorites; same for movies; concert updates and reviews; some political whatnot if we get the bug; and also notices and accounts of some of the events in which we will be participating. So stay tuned, and be vocal.<div><br /></div><div>But first!</div><div><br /></div><div>We are officially endorsing Barack Obama for President of the United States of America. We've written about this singular candidate in these annals before, as an exemplary politician of the highest caliber. In weighing the issues, we've found that his vision of leadership for this country is most in line with the direction we'd like to see it go. It may be considered "bold" for us to endorse a one-term junior Senator, who happens to not be white, from one of the more "troubled" political machines in the U.S. But we think he's got a certain something that would do a little good for the people of America. And you gotta admit, if (a big <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">if</span>) this guy pulls it off, it might be kinda historic. Therefore, he has our support.</div><div><br /></div><div>Barack. Obama. Remember the name. You'll probably be hearing a lot about this guy.</div>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-75679977134849956642008-09-21T17:40:00.002-04:002008-09-21T18:49:11.995-04:00EconomicsThe economy, and economics in general: not my strong suit. My comprehension of the Wall Street catastrophe lies somewhere between shock/dismay and "uh, what now?" But one would have to be blind to not see that there is something desperately out of place in our economy. And I at least have to touch on this crisis here because it fits so well with one of the mantras of our li'l blog: No Model.<br /><br />It is clear that economic model of today is broken. Imminent demise had been clear for months. The bubble had been pressurized since last year and everyone said it was only a matter of time. When the government officially intervened with Fannie/Freddie at the beginning of this month, it was the firing of the signal guns. And now this. Point is, we saw it coming. And, like so many others, the Economy is one arena where all bets are off. I can see (despite sickening debt, loss of so many jobs, and fiscal desperation) nothing but good coming of this. We are living in the most exciting time that has ever been, and we have the opportunity for complete and utter overhaul. I'll take the Al Gore approach and say that we are privileged to have the opportunity to reconsider everything. Tear it up and start again. Um, do it right. Or at least do it with the greatest of our consideration. It's to some extent a shame that we have to wait till things completely fall apart before we take notice. Sure, there wasn't much we could do to keep this from happening once the ball was set in motion. And it would be foolish to expect a logical working model when we have John McCain as the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. But those of us who care, those of us who are set to take over, should consider it a blessing to have the terribly disjointed models of the past razed to their foundations. <br /><br />...<br /><br />One more thing. <br /><br />We have seen our presidential candidates react to the situation in such extremely different ways. McCain's gut reaction was to either stay calm or remain unaffected and make the unbelievable bogus claim that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" (what!?). When called out for how ridiculous a statement like this is, he got <span style="font-style: italic;">angry! </span>Well, he at least communicated his newfound populism with <span style="font-style: italic;">anger! </span>Not quite sure he knows the difference between the two. He threw the word crisis into every phrase he could. He became Howard Beale, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" But the extent of his <span style="font-style: italic;">anger!</span> went to calling for a "new 9/11 commission" (again, what!?) to assess the situation. Can we spell out-of-touch?<br /><br />Obama, while not giving the most sound solution, did what he does best. He remained calm, confronted the situation head-on and laid out a clear, reasoned approach solving the problem. While McCain released ads blaming the Democrats and Got Populist on our asses, Obama released a two minute ad, one shot, sitting in a chair all presidential-like, and laying out, clearly if not superficially, what he sees to be the problems and how to tackle them. He then implored everyone to <span style="font-style: italic;">read his economic plan</span>. McCain still doesn't have one of those. <br /><br />The WALL STREET MASSACRE (as the <span style="font-style: italic;">Metro</span> headline read) provided us with a clear example of how each of these candidates would govern. One was sensible and one made no sense. One was articulate and one was ridiculous. And yet, I still keep hearing these three words that send shivers down my spine: Statistical. Dead. Heat.<br /><br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-17659977117318639842008-09-12T01:11:00.001-04:002008-09-12T01:11:22.947-04:00Why Do People Call Themselves Artists?At a bar in Williamsburg, disturbed at a conversation happening next to me. So. I thought I'd take this moment to pose a question: Why would one person call themselves an artist? It's something that's made me sqeamish for a long time. I dunno...<br/><br/>Posted with <a href='http://lifecast.sleepydog.net'>LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-17713345983789774542008-09-09T18:23:00.001-04:002008-09-09T18:23:15.463-04:00No More!The Palin v. Feminism debate is everywhere today. But I am now bowing out. No more for me. I feel I've no more breath about it. My biggest reason is a shift in focus. My energy and breath will be better used not talking about the bottom of the ticket I do not support, but advocating for the top of the one I do. The goal is to get Obama elected. So that's that.<br /><br />Vote in the locals today!<br />mark. <br/><br/>Posted with <a href='http://lifecast.sleepydog.net'>LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-66977126959946041072008-09-08T17:20:00.004-04:002008-09-09T10:56:02.486-04:00Okay, Not!So just found another article on feminism in the political arena in today's San Francisco Chronicle. "A Feminist Argument for McCain's VP" by self-described "pro-choice feminist" and FoxNews contributor (yep) Tammy Bruce, is essentially propaganda for the GOP to appeal to disaffected female Clinton supporters (after two weeks, they've realized it isn't working and need some media help) who should be totally in the bag for McCain because his VP pick shares their lady parts. I think I can speak for a lot of folks when I say "ARRRGGH!" So infuriating. Of the many ridiculous things she tries to pass off as intelligent decision-making, she says,<br /><br />For Democrats, she offers...a chance to vote for a someone who is her own woman and who represents a party that, while we don't agree on all the issues at least respects women enough to take them seriously.<br /><br />What a laugh! With this sentiment, and the countless obligatory references to the "glass ceiling", she tried to justify the candidacy of a woman who is either a) being used BECAUSE she is a woman or b) so self-interested that she ignores, or herself uses, feminism itself. ARRRGGH! Palin's own obligatory glass ceiling references, if empty, on the day her candidacy was announced tells me she's completely implicit. The simple fact that, prior to Palin's nomination, the two most visible women in the party were the wifeys Laura Bush and Cindy McCain should tell us just how seriously the GOP takes women.<br /><br />Posted with <a href="http://lifecast.sleepydog.net/">LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-63666088826438820662008-09-08T16:30:00.003-04:002008-09-09T10:56:51.232-04:00Feminism And Not...There's an article by Michelle Cottle on The New Republic's website today called "<a href="http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=c1fd53cd-51a8-4078-9269-674b24fdabea">A Bad Year For Feminism</a>". You should read it. So should everyone else. It's a beautifully articulated, passionate and thorough (damn funny, too) account of the political state of feminism and the steps backward we've taken in the past 8 months, from Hillary's demise to Palin's rise. Time keeps me from going in depth, but this passage pretty much sums it up.<br /><br /><blockquote>Feminism seems no longer to denote a particular set of values or idealogical agenda; it is merely a label appropriated to proclaim that one is committed to the best interests if women--whatever one believes those to be.</blockquote><br /><br />There's a little scorn there, yes. And rightly so. Things are gross. Frank Rich touched on it this weekend in his Times op-ed. Listen to this.<br /><br /><blockquote>We still don't know a lot about Palin except that she's better at delivering a speech than McCain and that she defends her own pregnant daughter's right to privacy even as she would have the government intrude to police the reproductive choices of all other women. </blockquote><br /><br />Yeah. All for now. Read that article, please. You'll be glad you did.<br />mark.<br /><br /><br /><br />Posted with <a href="http://lifecast.sleepydog.net/">LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-29583577310283602982008-09-06T16:16:00.001-04:002008-09-06T16:16:13.749-04:00Notes On A ConventionTaking a break for a minute while canvassing the L.E.S. to vote in Tuesday's local Primary and I'd like to write a few things about the R.N.C. fiasco we witnessed last week. <br /><br />It seems as though the Republicans are trying to run on a platform that Obama has been championing for months. Nay, years. HRC tried the same heist and to no avail. While McCain hounds Obama's lack of experience, he strangely and stupidly runs on the one platform he is unarguably less qualified to run on: change. Doesn't fly. This is not to be confused with, though it is linked to, McCain's "maverick" image. Which, to me, means he lacks a governing philosophy.<br /><br />Also, it absolutely freaked me out how bonkers the Republicans went anytime the words "drill" or "oil" were uttered (or howled, as it were). Whenever Palin or McCain said, "let's drill it!" (which was a lot) the whole convention hall erupted. More so that when anyone said something snide or nasty about Obama or Biden (also a lot). And way more so than during McCain's sad and difficult attempt to rally the crowd with "fight! Fight with me!" It was as though the Republicans were oil fetishists, able to get their jollies publicly for four days. And that's gross. And by "it was as though..." I mean "it is a fact that..."<br /><br />All for now. We're tropical stormin' here. <br />mark. <br/><br/>Posted with <a href='http://lifecast.sleepydog.net'>LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-66450485029968507812008-09-04T01:15:00.001-04:002008-09-04T01:15:16.671-04:00I Am Terrified Of Sarah PalinSee post title. <br/><br/>Posted with <a href='http://lifecast.sleepydog.net'>LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-83055783265741175022008-09-04T00:46:00.002-04:002008-09-04T10:35:14.160-04:00Back InactionOf all the things I could write about for my first post in three months--Hurricane Gustav and it's politicization by the GOP; Sarah Palin as John McCain's gross misconception of a vice presidential running mate, which will backfire on him as far as both white women and evagelicals, his two most neccessary and unloved demographics, are concerned; Obama's gutsiest, most intellectually complex (not to mention neccessary) speech yet; and my having seen Grizzly Bear and the Dirty Projectors in the span of a week--I'm going to write about dancing. More specifically, hipsterdancing. It's something I've mentioned before on this thing. I've also mentioned how ridiculous and frustrating it is. The following passage comes from an article in the most recent edition of AdBusters. Douglas Haddow has written a piece about how the hipster is the death knell for western culture. It's hard not agree with him on an emotional level, but the situation is immensely more complex than he allows it to be. But no matter what you think about the article, this observation is spot-on.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>The dance floor at a hipster party looks like it should be surrounded by quotation marks. While punk, disco, and hip hop all had immersive, intimate and energetic dance styles that liberated the dancer from his/her mental states -be it the head-spinning b-boy or violent thrashings of a live punk show - the hipstet has more of a joke dance. A faux shuffle that mocks the very idea of dancing or, at it's best, illustrates a non-committal fear of expression typified in a weird twitch/ironic twist. The dancers are too self-aware to let themselves feel any form of liberation; they shuffle along, shrugging themselves into oblivion.</blockquote><br /><br /><br />From where I've been, you'd be lucky to get the shuffle. It's frustrating and can actually have an effect on one's good time.<br /><br />All for now.<br />mark.<br /><br />Posted with <a href="http://lifecast.sleepydog.net/">LifeCast</a>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-58880989498453091422008-05-31T19:51:00.002-04:002008-05-31T19:56:01.859-04:00Another David Byrne Post: "As if I didn't already wish I was him..."Today David Byrne did this.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsofzFT6_c1ooD1qxz2877KjuoH3njzb23ZiqC1YxbUAy-69mwfwsyGh5O_Creu1a4Pn6zrmW-lYPGrt5SVcndEkgeMt0pF9EVfOc1IpDhBQt2LUyghpJhbntmLVSx9kBnHzW75ge9mSS/s1600-h/playing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsofzFT6_c1ooD1qxz2877KjuoH3njzb23ZiqC1YxbUAy-69mwfwsyGh5O_Creu1a4Pn6zrmW-lYPGrt5SVcndEkgeMt0pF9EVfOc1IpDhBQt2LUyghpJhbntmLVSx9kBnHzW75ge9mSS/s320/playing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206694908281126642" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />He turned a building into a musical instrument. <a href="http://www.davidbyrne.com/art/art_projects/playing_the_building/index.php">Read more here</a>. It's the Battery Maritime Building and you can see it from today thru the 10th of August at 10 South Street in NY.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-90377784089149194722008-05-22T14:50:00.004-04:002008-05-22T15:06:44.052-04:00Every white haired guy on a bike I see is David Byrne<div>Yesterday David Byrne did this.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0PITCPRr4I7lvUo7NpV36w1KHyrnJsSfV8NY6vGMjajOWRBsh-cNhVKt8l2hNje-D34TiAY1oPrvXXMndq-v1DL9ni-LYz6KieayzCpYs15Xns0Hf9fsPv-eSeTT6dNCZkl9ZqYAWhFp/s1600-h/pedal_installation.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203276707018997474" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0PITCPRr4I7lvUo7NpV36w1KHyrnJsSfV8NY6vGMjajOWRBsh-cNhVKt8l2hNje-D34TiAY1oPrvXXMndq-v1DL9ni-LYz6KieayzCpYs15Xns0Hf9fsPv-eSeTT6dNCZkl9ZqYAWhFp/s320/pedal_installation.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Thats ostensibly a carpet made of pedals, into which he plugged a guitar and let it sit in the middle of the walkway at a benefit for The Kitchen. People would have to walk over the pedals to get from one part of the party to another. The noise would change with each step of each person. There must be an insane amount of range of sounds in there. There are loop pedals and delay pedals, to be sure, so the noise would be in constant flux, controlled not only by the feet at random, but by the sound itself. Byrne explains it <a href="http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2008/05/05022008-pedal.html">here</a>. I can only imagine what it sounds like. Maniac genius.</div><div> </div><div>He also <a href="http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2008/05/05202008-red-ho.html">recorded some songs </a>with the Dirty Projectors, which is a brilliant collaboration if I've ever heard of one. And I've heard of one. Will be incredible for sure.</div><div> </div><div>mark.</div>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-55328052134536671482008-05-09T12:41:00.005-04:002008-05-12T23:14:42.851-04:00Attention...Performed our version of Macbeth in our space about two weeks ago. First show we've done there. I had a blast and the audience seemed to, as well. Thanks to everyone who came out and everyone who was in the show and everyone who put up with our work during the rehearsal process. I hope it was worth it. I think it was. We got a bit of a review Andy Horwitz who write the blog for the theater P.S. 122 downtown, which is a great space and has become a wonderful cultural insitution. He had some nice things to say. <a href="http://culturebot.org/2008/04/27/the-bard-in-bushwick-and-other-theatrical-adventures/#more-1276">Here's the post</a> in its entirety. I'd like to, for posterity, quote a passage from it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><blockquote>...this production gave me hope for New York Theater.<br /></blockquote><br /><br /><br />I guess that's all I'll quote. Please read.<br /><br /><br /><br />And our home was also grossly misinterpreted in an article in the New York <em>Times</em> this week (the front page, nonetheless). <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/07/nyregion/07lofts.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=mckibbin&st=nyt&oref=slogin">Read it here</a>. It's pretty funny. Though some of the things the author smugly claims point towards the truth, I should say that there are good things about that are not touched on in the article.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-48042468297499782242008-04-28T20:58:00.006-04:002008-04-28T23:10:10.724-04:00Some notes on racismReading the "new" Kurt Vonnegut book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Armageddon In Retrospect</span>, a collection of unpublished essays and speeches and letters, and came across this gem from his last written speech, scheduled for a year ago yesterday, April 27, 2007 (not delivered because he fell and hit his head and died):<br /><br /><blockquote>The most spiritually splendid American phenomenon of my lifetime is how African-American citizens have maintained their dignity and self-respect, despite their having been treated by white Americans, both in and out of government, and simply because of their skin color, as though they were contemptible and loathsome, and even diseased.</blockquote><br /><br />I have always admired Vonnegut as a model citizen and held his political persuasions as beacons, and this statement is a great example of why. With this in mind, Obama's proximity to the presidency became again surprising to me. I am not surprised that America is seemingly now ready to let a black man lead the country, but that a black man would even want to be the leader of the country responsible for the things it has done. Not that that in any way gives him more claim to the presidency, but the weight of his desire should be acknowledged in context. As should Clinton's.<br /><br />While we're on the topic, I feel I should point to <a href="http://www.lipmagazine.org/%7Etimwise/NationalLies.html">this article</a> by a guy named Tim Wise, a polemicist and anti-racist writer. It's about the Reverend Wright "controversy" and why he thinks it's unfortunate bullshit. It violently claims that Rev. Wright was mostly correct in saying the things for which he was condemned. And he blames white people's addiction to lies and historical misinformation for their inability to see the truth in what Wright said. It's worth a read, though it is a little vitriolic for my tastes and at times too general. He also neglects an awful culprit in the mess, the media. But this bit is worth pointing to:<br /><br /><blockquote>So what can we say about a nation that values lies more than it loves truth? A place where adherence to sincerely believed and internalized fictions allows one to rise to the highest offices in the land and to earn the respect of millions, while a willingness to challenge those fictions and offer a more accurate counter-narrative earns one nothing but contempt, derision, indeed outright hatred? What we can say is that such a place is signing its own death warrant. What we can say is that such a place is missing the only and last opportunity it may ever have to make things right, to live up to its professed ideals. What we can say is that such a place can never move forward, because we have yet to fully address and come to terms with that which lay behind.</blockquote><br /><br />Is it just me or does it feel like somethings gotta give sooner or later? The Rev. Wright hullabaloo is certainly far from receding (even today he gave a speech wherein <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90011520&ft=1&f=1001">he said that his comments were taken out of context</a> in a damaging way. That speech, incidentally, was taken out of context on every news program I watched and in almost every article I read). And Bill Clinton can't seem to stop whatever it is he thinks he's doing. These are just a couple of instances that make me think this election campaign is going to be more arduous on the American people at large than we think it will be. At least more so than it has been so far. And probably more so than we are ready for.<br /><br />mark.<br /><span style=";font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:180%;" ><span style=";font-family:Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:100%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><span style=";font-family:Arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span></span></span></span>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-48923273554193317042008-04-28T20:41:00.003-04:002008-04-28T20:56:34.509-04:00from the ashes...Not even sure I'll remember how to do this. It's been a while and we will hopefully not have such an extended lapse in communication, much to the delight of our many readers, I am sure. We took an unintentional hiatus to pursue our own personal endeavors, including making music, a play and money (the latter of those three things not being related to this first two, of course. This is New York, after all).<br /><br />But some exciting things happened while we were away from our computer screens. And while we'll do our best to recount some of those things that were particularly wonderful, our focus is still onward and upward to the future. That means tomorrow, which is a big deal, indeed. Tomorrow three records we're very excited about will be released. The buzz so far and the tracks we've heard tell us that our excitement is not mislead. And a strange thing is that they all have very self-referential titles. They are: Portishead's <span style="font-style: italic;">Third</span>, The Roots' <span style="font-style: italic;">Rising Down</span>, and Jamie Lidell's <span style="font-style: italic;">Jim</span>.<br /><br />Hopefully, we'll give you an update when we get back from Sound Fix tomorrow morning.<br /><br />That's all for now. Here's something great that happened while we were away that we all can't seem to get enough of, still:<br /><br /><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="390" height="320" id="Redlasso"><param name="movie" value="http://media.redlasso.com/xdrive/WEB/vidplayer_1b/redlasso_player_b1b_deploy.swf"><param name="flashvars" value="embedId=59ce9bcc-3482-4689-a6ef-adc2560f781a"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://media.redlasso.com/xdrive/WEB/vidplayer_1b/redlasso_player_b1b_deploy.swf" flashvars="embedId=59ce9bcc-3482-4689-a6ef-adc2560f781a" width="390" height="320" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" name="Redlasso"></embed></object><br /><br />Great.<br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-68034283328909336572008-04-10T19:24:00.005-04:002008-04-10T19:38:28.077-04:00Los Campesinos! HOLD ON NOW, YOUNGSTER by kevinSince I first discovered Los Campesinos! when they were (mercifully) overpowering <span style=""> </span>Amy Winehouse’s set at Lollapalooza last year, I’ve spent the past 6 months having sadly abbreviated one man dance parties to their debut EP <span style="font-style: italic;">Sticking Fingers Into Sockets</span>.<span style=""> </span>Impressively, even at a mere 5 songs long, the Welsh septet’s catchy hooks and songwriterly lyrics have kept me fully engrossed even after a<span style=""> </span>gluttonous amount repeated listenings.<span style=""> </span>I’ve trolled their MySpace listening unreleased tracks, begging for a U.S. tour, and counting the days until the release of their full length album <span style="font-style: italic;">Hold On Now Youngster</span>.<span style=""> </span>This waiting game is nothing new to me, and invariably the result has been eventual bitter disappointment.<span style=""> </span>So many times have my fragile rock and roll dreams been shattered, I was scared the first time I pressed play.<span style=""> </span>I needn’t have been.<span style=""> </span>The self appointed “Second most punk rock band in Britain” delivers here 12 of the most eclectic, introspective, and downright danceable songs in recent memory.<span style=""> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">The disc opens on a rocking note with the young group’s signature song “Death to Los Campesinos!”<span style=""> </span>This infectious, upbeat number sets a nerdy tone early, peppered with daydreams about robots.<span style=""> </span>While imagery like “ctrl-alt-deleting your face” may seem too clever by half, that tends to be just how I like my punk rock lyrics.<span style=""> </span>As the album progresses, the prevalent themes become quite obvious: the traditional rock and roll standbys of love and loss, intimacy and alienation.<span style=""> </span>One could reasonably guess this just from a glance at the track listing, with song titles like “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats” and “This is How We Spell HAHAHA We Destroyed The Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux Romantics.”<span style=""> </span>Bonus points for actually incorporating the verbiage of these titles into the lyrics of the songs (unlike a certain once-prolific Indie Rock superstar I could mention).</p> <p class="MsoNormal">What separates Los Camesinos! angsty stories of the heart from every other group of whiny emo punk-rock kids is the depth and complexity of their lyrics.<span style=""> </span>Lead singer Gareth pours his soul into the microphone on every song, alternately delivering pithy insights (“when the smaller picture/is the same as the bigger picture/you know that you’re fucked.”) and taking us down long and rambling roads such as this gem from “We Are All Accelerated Readers”: </p> <p class="MsoNormal">“I’m not Bonne Tyler/And I’m not Toni Braxton/And this song is not going to save your relationship/I’m not shitting/This sentimental movie marathon has taught us one thing/its that the oppostite of true love is as follows:/reality.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The eclectic music pairs perfectly with the lyrics;<span style=""> </span>Keyboardist Aleksandra’s supporting vocals provide a perfect complement to Gareth, and many numbers incorporate even more voices, creating a choral feel akin to The Polyphonic Spree.<span style=""> </span>The instrumentation is similarly lush, with horns, violins, and even a glockenspiel lending fullness and variety to the melodies.<span style=""> </span>And unlike so many other pop groups, the music actually serves to help tell the story.<span style=""> </span>The wonderful “…And We Exhale and Roll Our Eyes in Unison”, opens loud and raucously, detailing an argument between a couple (“It's bad enough you ever use the word as an adjective/<br />But to suggest we do it in heels is really quite crass”).<span style=""> </span>Over a mere two minutes the song deftly downshifts, leaving us on a quiet and elegiac note (“And woe is me/and woe is you/and woe is us/together.”)</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The great strength of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hold On Now Youngster</span> is how perfectly Los Campesnios! fuse these sorts of pining, inward lyrics with such irresistibly danceable music.<span style=""> </span>Anybody who can’t get down to “Don’t Tell Me to Do the Math(s)” or the aptly titled “You! Me! Dancing!” must be a very unhappy individual indeed.<span style=""> </span>The second most punk rock band in Britain has come to the U.S.<span style=""> </span>And they’ve brought with them one of the most purely entertaining albums in recent memory, and easily one of the best albums of the year.<br /></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>mediumkev@gmail.comMark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-54530619207056216982008-04-10T16:56:00.002-04:002008-04-10T16:57:38.287-04:00Dirty Projectors @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 4/9...was best show I've seen in New York City.<br /><br />more later.<br />mark.Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-76988251316849819322008-03-21T12:41:00.006-04:002008-03-23T23:37:32.413-04:00Obama's speechThis may seem a bit behind schedule but I didn't want to jump on it. Felt like I needed to give it room to breathe. At any rate, Barack Obama gave one of the most important speeches on race, in recent memory. While I watched the speech (at work, yes) I kept reflecting on how I've never, in my lifetime I mean, seen a leader speak to people like that. Jon Stewart said something to the effect of, "and on a Tuesday morning in March, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination spoke to the American people like they were adults." It was the most honest, reasoned, reserved but at the same time passionate and <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> account of racism in America I've ever seen from a public figure, let alone a politician. He spoke with a candor that is rare (or nonexistent), not only in American political discourse, but in our culture, as well. I do not want to pick out certain passages that I thought were particularly revealing or that I "liked" because it is not something, I think, that can be taken in bits. It should be processed wholly. However, I will point to this simple introductory section:<br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote>Race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now...The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we’ve never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect. And if we walk away now, if we simply retreat into our respective corners, we will never be able to come together and solve challenges like health care, or education, or the need to find good jobs for every American.</blockquote><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This is a seemingly simple statement. But within it is the <a href="http://nomodel.blogspot.com/2008/03/american-phoenix.html">challenge</a> that Obama is consistently putting in front of us. For someone in quest of the highest office in this country, and lacking the support of a particular and important contingency of voters (white males), to make this statement, not to mention the <span style="font-style: italic;">entire speech</span>, is bold.</p><p class="MsoNormal">To be so bold as to come out and say black anger is real, white resentment is real, and call on us to move forward is something some argue is politically stupid. I say it is essential in a leader.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://blogs.theroot.com/blogs/downfromthetower/default.aspx">Melissa Harris-Lacewell</a>, of The Root, had this to say:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="blogpostwords"><blockquote>I think what mattered most to me is that Barack made the implicit and radical argument that black people are human. Of course, we already know that we are fully human: good, bad, hopeful, angry, brilliant, stupid, capable, pitiful, loving, hateful, all of it. But we rarely see a member of our government so beautifully articulate our humanity.</blockquote><o:p></o:p></span></p> He also spoke to us all, of all races, like we were human. Like we were, as Jon Stewart said, adults. He spoke not down to us, but as if we were capable of understanding a nuanced argument about an incomprehensibly huge subject.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://blogs.theroot.com/blogs/downfromthetower/default.aspx">Marc Lamont Hill</a>, also of the The Root and avidly a non-supporter of Obama (he's for Nader), said this:<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="blogpostwords"><blockquote>Instead of merely assuaging white racial anxieties, Obama’s words forced the entire nation to come to terms with its demons. Although he unequivocally denounced Jeremiah Wright’s remarks, Obama refused to reduce him (or his own white grandmother) to a racist caricature. Also, through his evenhanded analysis of both structural inequality and individual responsibility, Obama raised the stakes for racial discourse in American politics.</blockquote></span></p><br />Matt Bai, in his study of <a href="http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/democrats-in-black-and-white/">racial integration in the Democratic party</a> for the New York Times political blog <span class="blogpostwords">, wrote:<br /></span> <p></p><blockquote><p>A lot of top Democrats have for months expressed their fears that Mr. Obama would lose handily in November if he were the nominee, and the implication in this is that he is too much the candidate of black voters. What was remarkable about Mr. Obama’s speech, though, was the way that this black son of a white mother took issue with the notion that America, outside of Washington, remains defined by its racial bias. He didn’t suggest that somehow he alone had the ability to break down old racial barriers, but rather that those barriers have already begun to tumble and that the political establishment just hasn’t caught up. Indeed, his central criticism of Mr. Wright was not that he was too outspoken or too enraged at white Americans, but that he was too rooted in the past — that he lacked “a belief that society can change.”</p> <p>The same might be said of the Democratic Party itself. And this is why the success of Mr. Obama’s argument has serious implications not just for his candidacy, but also for a party that has too often feared the worst about white America. If you’re a Democrat and a pessimist about the basic nature of the American voter, you might reject what Mr. Obama is saying as just more wishful rhetoric, a call for the kind of racial unity that has never been visited upon the country. If you’re more of an idealist, though, you might see in his vision the possibility of a country less obsessed than its aging leaders with racial division—and of a party that might one day be led by those who have for so long sustained it.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Barack Obama never once suggested that he was the one who could heal our racist wounds. He puts it on us. Obama is criticized for not being specific enough in laying clear his policies of "change" (this speech was criticized in much the same way). On top of this being for the most part untrue, I find it ridiculous for another reason. He is not, and will never claim to be, a savior to pull us out of the muck. He knows change can never come from one person. So he puts it on us, the people.</p><p>I have already said this on this blog, so I'll refrain from going further, except to say this: If Barack does not get the nomination, and years from now, when this speech ("which may be dissected in grade-school classrooms and graduate seminars for many years to come," as Matt Bai writes earlier in his piece) is put into historical context, people will be dumbfounded that we <span style="font-style: italic;">denied</span> this man the chance to be our leader.</p><p>As I said, the speech should be heard or read in its entirety. If you haven't seen, heard or read it, I urge you to.</p><p><a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords/">"A More Perfect Union" </a><br /></p><p>There was one feeling, on top of the countless others that came up throughout the speech, that lingered, even as I read response after response after response (which came at an alarming rate). It was, as my buddy <a href="http://realart.blogspot.com/">Ron</a> put it, <span style="font-style: italic;">Finally</span>.<br /></p><p>mark.<br /></p><p></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:times new roman;font-size:11;" ></span></span></span><br /></p>Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504206622399365451.post-85068907313993173472008-03-20T12:51:00.003-04:002008-03-20T13:42:50.486-04:00Gnarls Barkley is Good!Continuing the trend of great bands working against the contemporary model and status quo of record releases, Gnarls Barkley <a href="http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/49349-gnarls-barkley-push-up-lp-release-date-toright-now">took it upon themselves </a>to release their new album, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Odd Couple,</span> without prompt on March 18 instead of its original release date April 8. Never the ones to let themselves be confined in any way, and always working to keep us on our toes, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse (who ?uestlove calls "the last great living and WORKING soul singer under 40 and the most creative and intuitive producer maniac music has seen in a sec," respectively) have dropped 13 body-rockin', mind-bogglin', psycho-soul tracks into our laps while we were all preoccupied with <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hisownwords/">Barack Obama and race</a> or whatever (more on the later). I'm personally elated about the decision as I was getting antsy having to wait so long. I'm listening to it right now and can say that it would've been worth the wait. At first glance, it seems to have all the emotional energy and intensity of <span style="font-style: italic;">St. Elsewhere</span> and maybe even a harder edge. That's already been made clear from the first two singles from the album, <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yfe3EJ3Laho">Run</a> and Who's Gonna Save My Soul.<br /><br />So now they're not only genre-bending but music-industry-rule-breaking. They're signed to indepedent label Downtown (which also includes Mos Def, Justice, and Art Brut among others). Way to go Downtown. Artist control!Mark Jayneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04042339876693706360noreply@blogger.com1