Notes From The Flip Side: 04.13.2003
First things first - American Nightmare's name change is finally done. They're now called Give Up The Ghost and currently storming through Europe. There's a full U.S. tour on the way (including about four shows nearby - that is, within about a 200-mile radius - all of which I plan to see). And that makes me happy.
I went to Borders last night with a friend to get coffee and chat. See, there's this clerk there who usually works the coffee counter and seems really sweet ... but that's not the point. This town is fairly small - about 100,000 people - and it seems very conservative, despite the presumably liberalizing presence of two universities. However, I have been present at lunches when people began discussing the sex toy equivalent of Tupperware parties. There are two adult book stores in town which, oddly enough, matches the number of Wal-Marts. And to add to the fun, I realized last night that Borders didn't have a single Theodor Adorno book in stock, yet had an entire rack of books dedicated to fiction about BDSM (you can also check out the soc.subculture BDSM FAQ if you don't recognize the acronym - just so you know, neither link is safe for work).
Welcome to the heartland and traditional American family values. It seems that politicians idealize this area as the cradle of wholesome Americana and that may well be true - but could it be that wholesome Americana now needs to include so-called marital aids (i.e. toys), porn and smut? Maybe it's time to pull back the covers and see the - ahem - naked truth.
And speaking of pulling back the covers to see the naked truth, where the fuck are the chemical and biological weapons which prompted this war? And why did the administration's rationale suddenly change from ridding Saddam Hussein of weapons of mass destruction to ridding Iraq of Saddam Hussein? I'll be completely blunt - I hope that murderous, genocidal son of a bitch is deader than Nelson's musical career but I still want my questions answered. When even the Nelsons are astute enough to see the prospect of a new Crusade, it should make all of us think twice.
And as far as that girl goes ... it's almost 11 a.m. I think I need some coffee ...
Off The Top Of My Head ...
- Naomi Klein. Mentioned it last time. Worth mentioning again if you're interested in resisting the commodification and branding of our lives.
- Sam Jones' "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart." Music documentaries don't get better than this.
- THE FUCKING BLOOD BROTHERS. Utterly amazing. This band rules and owns all. I'm serious as a heart attack.
- Dischord - remastered. I'm rocking the Rites of Spring and Faith discs at the moment. After this, Embrace, Scream and Soulside.
- Turbonegro reissues. They're back and darkness comes with them. There's also a new album on the way.
- The Fucking Champs. Metal hasn't sounded this good since I was rocking out to "Defenders Of The Faith" and "Piece Of Mind."
- Rather, it hadn't sounded that good until I heard In Flames. Do they rule more than The Fucking Champs? They very well might.
- Julie Doiron. Late night heartbreak never sounded or felt so good.
- Cleaning. I had forgotten how good it feels to see the floor.
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Paul Avrich, "Anarchist Portraits"; Umberto Eco, "Island Of The Day Before"; Alan Lomax, "The Land Where The Blues Began"; Peter Guralnick, "Lost Highway" and "Sweet Soul Music"; Thomas Wolfe, "You Can't Go Home Again"; Andrew Feenberg, "Questioning Technology" and "Alternative Modernity"; Steven Heller, "Graphic Design History" (edited with Georgette Ballance); Gunnar Swanson, ed., "Graphic Design And Reading"; Daniel Guerin, "No Gods No Masters"; Ben Greenman, "Superbad"