Gareth – Page 320 – The Designer Monologues

August 3, 2008

So, It’s Not Just Me, Then….

Political consultant David Gergen (advisor to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton) on ABC this morning, comes right out and says it:

“I think the McCain campaign has been scrupulous about not directly saying it, but it’s the subtext of this campaign. Everybody knows that. There are certain kinds of signals. As a native of the south, I can tell you, when you see this Charlton Heston ad, ‘The One,’ that’s code for, ‘he’s uppity, he ought to stay in his place.’ Everybody gets that who is from a southern background. We all understand that.”

(Video available on linked page)

…I have to tell you though, what bugs me most about this new McCain ad (“The One”, which mockingly places Obama in a Messianic role) isn’t the race issue (which was there in previous ads). No, this one is a direct dog-whistle to the Evangelical nutjobs — and places Obama as the fucking AntiChrist. Watch and decide for yourself.

To a thinking, rational human being — it’s obviously mocking Obama on the continued “presumptuous/arrogant/celebrity” motif. But the Evangelicals aren’t rational, or thinking. To them, this plays to their fears, already circulating via email, that “Biblical Prophecy” says Obama might be the AntiChrist. Do we really want to throw a match onto that particular tinder? All it takes is one unhinged Jesus-freak, convinced that he is doing God’s work…..

August 1, 2008April 19, 2010

Friday Music

Haven’t done this in a while (vacation), and there wasn’t much of an outcry…. tell you what: if you enjoy this series, and would like to see it continue (especially if you never post a comment), drop a note below saying so (settings have been changed to allow non-member comments — although they’ll be screened).

This week:

This particular earworm is due to the Doubletree Inn commercial, as well as the kick-off of the second series of Mad Men (even though the song has never been featured on the show, it’s from the period, and I can easily imagine Joan shimmying along to it). Dinah Washington – “Relax, Max.” Interestingly enough, it was never a hit for Ms. Washington, but its use in the commercial has spiked sales of the original album.

On the road to Maine, this track came up on the iPod, and afterwards became a request at several points on the trip. Now, it will forever be linked in my mind to a vision of several Skarka kids, bouncing away in the back of the van. DJ Kool – “Let Me Clear My Throat (Klassic Kool Original Version).”

Saw The Dark Knight, which got me thinking about how much better these films are than the first batch of Batman films — which now seem horribly dated. That said, I was a fan of the original Prince soundtrack — it had fuck-all to do with Batman, but it was good stuff. Here’s the best song from it: Prince – “Electric Chair.”

While in Maine, and I accompanied my uncle to his usual Monday night at the Time Out pub in Rockland — which is the epicenter of Blues fandom in the area (the owner runs the North Atlantic Blues Festival, which we had missed by about two weeks). We saw an absolutely brilliant performer from New Orleans, relocated to New England post-Katrina, playing with a three-piece which included the original drummer from the alternative band Morphine (something I didn’t realize at the time, but discovered this week, while finding this mp3). Here’s an example of their work: Jeremy Lyons – “Preachin’ Blues.”

Speaking of good guitar work — I’ve been listening to Joe Satriani’s Surfing With The Alien album again, for the first time in 15-20 years. We really don’t have guitar virtuosos in popular music any more. Hell, nobody really even does solos. I miss that. Here’s my favorite track from the album: Joe Satriani – “Satch Boogie.”

Lastly, from the same period (wow — I’m just a nostalgia machine this week, aren’t I…), here’s the best song to ever feature samples from original series Star Trek. Information Society – “What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy).”

There you go. Enjoy.

July 31, 2008

Code Words

So the Republicans are trying another tactic against Obama — using his popularity as a negative.

In the past, when a candidate did stuff, a high compliment was to say that he “looked Presidential” — meaning that he appeared to be a natural fit for the authority of the office. Now, though, as Obama clearly “looks Presidential” — cool, clear-headed, calm, statesmanlike — the argument is that he’s “presumptuous” and “arrogant.”

Is it just me, or is that uncomfortably close to saying that he’s “uppity?”