Rattling around

Scared for the future

At the end of the trivia festivities last night, I dared to tell a political joke. Just a little riddle, actually. What is the difference between Iraq and Viet Nam? George W. Bush had a plan for getting out of Viet Nam. Kinda daring of me, I suppose, living in a military town and all that. One young woman rushed up to the bar and incredulously asked "Did he just dis the president?" And then I guess she called me an asshole. I missed most of it, actually, I was disconnecting the microphone and all that.

But honestly, I am scared to realize that there are people who believe that you can't even joke about the guy. How did we get to this place in the United States? The ironic thing is that I'm sure these same people have no trouble telling Bill Clinton blowjob jokes.

Another day the music died

This morning, I was saddened to read of the death of British DJ John Peel. Back in the very early 1980's, he played a huge role in my discovery of new and interesting music. Somewhere on the radio I'd heard some programs that he recorded introducing new music, and I found records (you know "LPs") of some of those shows at some random record store in Kenmore Square, Boston. Of course in later years there were also the many many Peel Sessions CDs -- New Order, The Smiths, ..... He always seemed aware of what was coming up next and he brought it to the attention of so many people. And of course he had the soothing voice with the British accent.

It is moving to read the many tributes on the BBC site, and I'll just add my own right here -- Thank you Mr. Peel, for making a difference in my life, and for sharing your passion with so many people.

current music

The Chameleons - A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days