Michael Moore sent me an e-mail the other day. Well, not me personally, but rather, due to my presence on the mailing list of a colleague of mine, I was the recipient of a group message from the resident bulldog of American documentary film making. The message was a bit of an "I told you so" about the current General Motors fiasco. However, it is hard to argue with Moore, who predicted much of this mess 20 years ago in Roger And Me. And Moore has some great ideas for the future of GM; even if none of them will ever see the light of day due to the power of the oil lobby on this continent. The whole message got me thinking about my own frustrations with the state of automobile manufacturing in 21st century North America.
For some time now, I (and millions of other people) have been arguing for the mass-production of electric cars. I have watched the documentary Who Killed The Electric Car a couple times recently, and if you ever want a scary indictment of the automotive industry and its relationship with the oil companies, just look for this film. Contrary to what some consumers believe, electric cars were manufactured by several of the major car companies, and leased in California in the 1990's. However, for reasons too numerous and convoluted to get into here, GM and Ford both killed the projects dead at the end of the lease periods, and destroyed both the cars, and all evidence of their existence.
Now, 10-15 years later comes word from Magna CEO Frank Stronach that his company has secured the rights to an electric car battery contract with a foreign manufacturer. Magna, Stronach says, is very interested in producing the next wave of electric cars for North American sale. Great. Overlooking my own scepticism in regard to what stunt Big Oil will take to kill the initiative this time, I'll play along. Thus, I present my ideal prototype for an environmentally-friendly car of the future:
It would be powered by a fully electric motor, capable of being charged at home, or at any fueling station. It would be small, but comfortable; like a Chev Aveo, Toyota Echo, or Ford Focus. The interior would not be carpeted. Carpeting collects salt in the winter, water all-year-round, and acts as a magnet for dirt and grime. The car companies WANT your floor to rot, hence the carpet. Well, rot no more, I say. Lets go back to rubber floors, and while we are at it, let's slant them the way some car floors were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. This would enable the driver to open the doors of the vehicle, and literally hose out the floor when they washed their car.
This new vechicle would be available in only 3 or 4 primary colours, but it would contain options consumers like such as air conditioning, power windows and locks, a sunroof, etc. Some pundits are currently arguing that the automotive industry thinks consumers want a huge range of choices in vehicles, and accessories, but I am inclined to disagree. I think The Big Three in particular saw this Armageddon coming a long time ago, but had made up their minds to squeeze as much profit from drivers as possible prior to the inevitable collapse. Capitalism is cyclical. Even the most die-hard proponent of Reaganomics would be hard-pressed to argue with economic history. These companies simply have grown too big for their collective britches. Instead of manufacturing what consumers clearly want (just look at the massive sales of compact and sub-compact cars since the 1980's), they have instead tried to TELL us what we want; namely bloated SUVs, and $50,000 trucks with leather interior.
Well, no more. Clearly, due to the economic fork in the road we are at, it is time for The Big Three in particular to figure it out: it is time to build sensible vehicles. A mass-produced electric car with some of the simple features I have mentioned would be a nice start. I won't hold my breath waiting to see such a product in a GM, Ford, or Chrysler showroom anytime soon, though.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Deja Blue
I've been having this recurring nightmare lately. The year is 1995, and a square-jawed former golf club pro and his battalion of like-minded scoundrels is turning Ontario into the land where the dreams of the working and lower classes go to die. A recessionary time it is; and the Premier with the iron fist is smashing every monument of perceived failure inherited from the previous government. Lousy pinkos, that bunch were. ;)
In short order, Iron Mike, and his crew of drop-outs, shysters, slimy used car salesmen, and assorted other narcissists undo everything they see as a threat to their quest to bring "common sense" to the masses. Ontario Hydro is privatized, a new toll highway is created in one of the most heavily-travelled corridors in the province, public sector employees who thought they had it rough when they were forced to take "Rae Days" find themselves in the unemployment line, and Ontario's teachers begin to feel the wrath of a former member of one of their own unions.
Scary times, they were, and I, as a young political studies major, felt a horrible, gut-wrenching sense of emptiness. How could everything I believed in be attacked by a party with a huge mandate from Ontario voters? Mike Harris put his agenda out there for all to see; and many Ontario voters bought it, hook, line, and sinker.
I can honestly say that the back-to-back majority governments of the Mike Harris era did more to push me away from a career in politics than any one person or party could every hope to accomplish before, or since. They left me cold, and disillusioned.
Alas, my recent nightmare isn't a dream at all. Nope, the Mike Harris era is back. It's everywhere I look in Canadian political circles right now. Nowhere is their influence more felt than right in their backyard. The current P.C. leadership race in Ontario has drawn not only Harrisite neo-cons like Tim Hudak into the ring, but the man himself. Yep, Iron Mike is somewhat quietly working in Tim Hudak's corner, as the latter attempts to remold the party in the same image it wore so successfully in the 1990's. And what a perfect time to do it: another recession, a Liberal government in Toronto that is getting grilled regularly for its recent missteps, and best of all, a Conservative government in Ottawa that has made no secret of its desire to turn conservatism into the ruling dogma of Canada's future. Harper and company would absolutely love a Harris-clone Ontario government.
In fact... they already do love one. It's already here. Dalton McGuinty, and his current crop of Liberal-in-name-only jellyfish are currently quivering like the mass of spineless organisms they are on the beach, while Harper et al deliver a monsoon of Tory measures to the doorstep of their suddenly-ramshackle beach house; a harmonized sales tax, meaningless infrastructure money to smooth the relationship, and a completely substance-free few extra pennies of E.I. equalization for Ontario.
And the Libs are buying in. They see themselves on thin ice, and in a recession, they've decided to hedge their bets and put on the Tory robes; try 'em on, see how they fit. Most importantly, see how the public likes the way they look in them.
The unveiling of the new School Information Finder, though, takes the cake. If ever there was a piece of dirty, hurtful, damaging, discriminatory, shameful garbage disguised as liberal policy, this is it. Take a gander there. You can find out all sorts of neat things about schools in your neighbourhood. If you want to avoid placing your children into a school with a high rate of special needs students; or students from low income families; or you want your kids to go where the highest proportion of offspring of university-educated parents are found, this site can help you find that particular institution.
An organization known as Parents for Education has sent a formal open letter to the Premier, and Education Minister admonishing them for including such data on this site, and I for one could not agree with them more. There is absolutely NO excuse, reason, logical rationale, or acceptable explanation for why anybody has the right to choose a school for their child(ren) based on discriminatory, negative, and suggestive socio-economic data. If you want to know about a particular school's performance in provincially-mandated academic testing, that is a fair request; however, to take that a step further and look at material that attempts to make every possible stereotype, from racial assumptions, to suggestions concerning special needs students, is disgusting.
I thought it was 2009, and we had a Liberal government in Ontario. I didn't realize we had returned to the knuckle-dragging of the mid-90's. Lately, though, the proof is in the pudding... and the pudding is coloured an unmistakeable Tory blue.
In short order, Iron Mike, and his crew of drop-outs, shysters, slimy used car salesmen, and assorted other narcissists undo everything they see as a threat to their quest to bring "common sense" to the masses. Ontario Hydro is privatized, a new toll highway is created in one of the most heavily-travelled corridors in the province, public sector employees who thought they had it rough when they were forced to take "Rae Days" find themselves in the unemployment line, and Ontario's teachers begin to feel the wrath of a former member of one of their own unions.
Scary times, they were, and I, as a young political studies major, felt a horrible, gut-wrenching sense of emptiness. How could everything I believed in be attacked by a party with a huge mandate from Ontario voters? Mike Harris put his agenda out there for all to see; and many Ontario voters bought it, hook, line, and sinker.
I can honestly say that the back-to-back majority governments of the Mike Harris era did more to push me away from a career in politics than any one person or party could every hope to accomplish before, or since. They left me cold, and disillusioned.
Alas, my recent nightmare isn't a dream at all. Nope, the Mike Harris era is back. It's everywhere I look in Canadian political circles right now. Nowhere is their influence more felt than right in their backyard. The current P.C. leadership race in Ontario has drawn not only Harrisite neo-cons like Tim Hudak into the ring, but the man himself. Yep, Iron Mike is somewhat quietly working in Tim Hudak's corner, as the latter attempts to remold the party in the same image it wore so successfully in the 1990's. And what a perfect time to do it: another recession, a Liberal government in Toronto that is getting grilled regularly for its recent missteps, and best of all, a Conservative government in Ottawa that has made no secret of its desire to turn conservatism into the ruling dogma of Canada's future. Harper and company would absolutely love a Harris-clone Ontario government.
In fact... they already do love one. It's already here. Dalton McGuinty, and his current crop of Liberal-in-name-only jellyfish are currently quivering like the mass of spineless organisms they are on the beach, while Harper et al deliver a monsoon of Tory measures to the doorstep of their suddenly-ramshackle beach house; a harmonized sales tax, meaningless infrastructure money to smooth the relationship, and a completely substance-free few extra pennies of E.I. equalization for Ontario.
And the Libs are buying in. They see themselves on thin ice, and in a recession, they've decided to hedge their bets and put on the Tory robes; try 'em on, see how they fit. Most importantly, see how the public likes the way they look in them.
The unveiling of the new School Information Finder, though, takes the cake. If ever there was a piece of dirty, hurtful, damaging, discriminatory, shameful garbage disguised as liberal policy, this is it. Take a gander there. You can find out all sorts of neat things about schools in your neighbourhood. If you want to avoid placing your children into a school with a high rate of special needs students; or students from low income families; or you want your kids to go where the highest proportion of offspring of university-educated parents are found, this site can help you find that particular institution.
An organization known as Parents for Education has sent a formal open letter to the Premier, and Education Minister admonishing them for including such data on this site, and I for one could not agree with them more. There is absolutely NO excuse, reason, logical rationale, or acceptable explanation for why anybody has the right to choose a school for their child(ren) based on discriminatory, negative, and suggestive socio-economic data. If you want to know about a particular school's performance in provincially-mandated academic testing, that is a fair request; however, to take that a step further and look at material that attempts to make every possible stereotype, from racial assumptions, to suggestions concerning special needs students, is disgusting.
I thought it was 2009, and we had a Liberal government in Ontario. I didn't realize we had returned to the knuckle-dragging of the mid-90's. Lately, though, the proof is in the pudding... and the pudding is coloured an unmistakeable Tory blue.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Maybe I am particularly thirsty...
A while back, I posted my favourite musical six-pack for your viewing and debating pleasure. However, as is always the case when I try to settle the musical ADHD maelstrom in my head down to a mere slow breeze, I missed out on several seminal albums that I would never shun.
This got me to thinking; I get a wee bit thirsty on occasion, and perhaps a six-pack just isn't going to quench my musical thirst. With this in mind, I have opted to give in to my parched musical mind here, and now present to you another six albums — in no particular order — that are key cogs in my musical library:
London Calling - The Clash - This album is so much more than a punk rock affair. Sure, the Clash may have started out in the impoverished, boarded up slums of London, and there is no question their entire attitude was as punk rock as it gets; however, this album proved that you could maintain that fire while dancing across an unbelievably diverse range of musical genres. This album has a bit of everything; from the reggae-meets-punk strains of the title track; to the Caribbean-influenced Rudy Can't Fail; to the piano-drenched melodrama of The Card Cheat, to the enormous Motown-esque horns and Joe Strummer's playful refrains of "That's Montgomery Clift honey!" in The Right Profile, this album is a masterpiece of eclectic wizardry.
I pay little attention to what many music critics have to say, because many of them don't have a freakin' clue most of the time, but when I listen to this album I concur with those who deemed The Clash "The Only Band That Matters" during this era. This album is simply epic.
Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young - Picking a favourite Neil Young album is difficult if you're a fan; and I am. This one stands out though, as it combines both main elements of what I like in Young's work: his crazy electric freak-outs, and his deft acoustic side. Standout tracks include Hey Hey, My My, Powderfinger, Thrasher, and Pocahantas.
Desolation Boulevard - The Sweet - It's a true rock n roll tragedy that this band gets overlooked so frequently when discussing the growth of the genre in the Seventies. Sweet introduced a notion of refined heaviness that bands like Motley Crue and Def Leppard would ride to multi-platinum success in the Eighties. Combining loud, crunchy guitars, with smooth pop choruses, Sweet set the benchmark for many of the bands that would follow in their path. Faves on this one: Sweet F.A., Fox on the Run, No you Don't, Set me Free, Solid Gold Brass.
The Cars - The Cars - This band was so far ahead of its time, yet much like the Sweet doesn't get nearly enough credit for the groundwork they laid. Combining old-time rock n roll riffs, spacey keyboards, the brilliant contrasts between co-lead vocalists Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr (Ocasek was the oddball frontman with the quirky voice, while Orr was the ladies man with the smooth pipes), and a lead guitarist in Elliott Easton who could play perfectly suitable, yet dynamic and creative solos, the Cars were unlike any band before or since. Bridging the gap between new wave and straight-ahead rock, the Cars sat in a middle ground all of their own. Standouts: I'm in Touch With Your World, You're all I've got Tonight, Dontcha Stop, Moving in Stereo, By Bye Love, Let the Good Times Roll.
Chronicles Vol. I - The Best Of Creedence Clearwater Revival - Okay, two points here. First off, I must admit, I haven't owned a copy of this album in a couple years, but how could I ever forget its tunes? Secondly, yes, this is a greatest hits, but for a band like CCR, who recorded so much great material in such a short period of time, this album might just be the best reference point. Faves on this: Green River, Heard it Through the Grapevine, As Long as I can see the Light, Around the Bend, Someday Never Comes, Fortunate Son.
Master of Puppets - Metallica - A total no-brainer in every sense. Simply the greatest album of all, from the greatest metal band of the past 25 years. It never fails to amaze me how a band of musicians still in their early-twenties could produce something that combined the ferocity, politcally-conscious lyrics, complex arrangements, absurd tempos, and sheer scope of this record. Jame Hetfield proved on this album that he is simply the greatest rythm guitarist, lyricist, and frontman in metal history, and the late Cliff Burton contributed not only stellar bass playing in the Steve Harris mold, but also some of the melodic sections that made this album stand out from others of the genre. Metallica did not merely bludgeon you over the head on this album. No, they instead hit you with a combination of both heavy, speedy riffery, and slow, melodic mid-sections. I am still amazed by the beauty of the middle of the title track, or the Burton-penned, Thin Lizzy-style guitar harmonies in the middle of Orion — a tune in which Burton also plays a damned good bass solo. Other faves on this one: Battery, The Thing That Should not Be, Welcome Home Sanitarium, and Disposable Heroes.
This got me to thinking; I get a wee bit thirsty on occasion, and perhaps a six-pack just isn't going to quench my musical thirst. With this in mind, I have opted to give in to my parched musical mind here, and now present to you another six albums — in no particular order — that are key cogs in my musical library:
London Calling - The Clash - This album is so much more than a punk rock affair. Sure, the Clash may have started out in the impoverished, boarded up slums of London, and there is no question their entire attitude was as punk rock as it gets; however, this album proved that you could maintain that fire while dancing across an unbelievably diverse range of musical genres. This album has a bit of everything; from the reggae-meets-punk strains of the title track; to the Caribbean-influenced Rudy Can't Fail; to the piano-drenched melodrama of The Card Cheat, to the enormous Motown-esque horns and Joe Strummer's playful refrains of "That's Montgomery Clift honey!" in The Right Profile, this album is a masterpiece of eclectic wizardry.
I pay little attention to what many music critics have to say, because many of them don't have a freakin' clue most of the time, but when I listen to this album I concur with those who deemed The Clash "The Only Band That Matters" during this era. This album is simply epic.
Rust Never Sleeps - Neil Young - Picking a favourite Neil Young album is difficult if you're a fan; and I am. This one stands out though, as it combines both main elements of what I like in Young's work: his crazy electric freak-outs, and his deft acoustic side. Standout tracks include Hey Hey, My My, Powderfinger, Thrasher, and Pocahantas.
Desolation Boulevard - The Sweet - It's a true rock n roll tragedy that this band gets overlooked so frequently when discussing the growth of the genre in the Seventies. Sweet introduced a notion of refined heaviness that bands like Motley Crue and Def Leppard would ride to multi-platinum success in the Eighties. Combining loud, crunchy guitars, with smooth pop choruses, Sweet set the benchmark for many of the bands that would follow in their path. Faves on this one: Sweet F.A., Fox on the Run, No you Don't, Set me Free, Solid Gold Brass.
The Cars - The Cars - This band was so far ahead of its time, yet much like the Sweet doesn't get nearly enough credit for the groundwork they laid. Combining old-time rock n roll riffs, spacey keyboards, the brilliant contrasts between co-lead vocalists Ric Ocasek and Benjamin Orr (Ocasek was the oddball frontman with the quirky voice, while Orr was the ladies man with the smooth pipes), and a lead guitarist in Elliott Easton who could play perfectly suitable, yet dynamic and creative solos, the Cars were unlike any band before or since. Bridging the gap between new wave and straight-ahead rock, the Cars sat in a middle ground all of their own. Standouts: I'm in Touch With Your World, You're all I've got Tonight, Dontcha Stop, Moving in Stereo, By Bye Love, Let the Good Times Roll.
Chronicles Vol. I - The Best Of Creedence Clearwater Revival - Okay, two points here. First off, I must admit, I haven't owned a copy of this album in a couple years, but how could I ever forget its tunes? Secondly, yes, this is a greatest hits, but for a band like CCR, who recorded so much great material in such a short period of time, this album might just be the best reference point. Faves on this: Green River, Heard it Through the Grapevine, As Long as I can see the Light, Around the Bend, Someday Never Comes, Fortunate Son.
Master of Puppets - Metallica - A total no-brainer in every sense. Simply the greatest album of all, from the greatest metal band of the past 25 years. It never fails to amaze me how a band of musicians still in their early-twenties could produce something that combined the ferocity, politcally-conscious lyrics, complex arrangements, absurd tempos, and sheer scope of this record. Jame Hetfield proved on this album that he is simply the greatest rythm guitarist, lyricist, and frontman in metal history, and the late Cliff Burton contributed not only stellar bass playing in the Steve Harris mold, but also some of the melodic sections that made this album stand out from others of the genre. Metallica did not merely bludgeon you over the head on this album. No, they instead hit you with a combination of both heavy, speedy riffery, and slow, melodic mid-sections. I am still amazed by the beauty of the middle of the title track, or the Burton-penned, Thin Lizzy-style guitar harmonies in the middle of Orion — a tune in which Burton also plays a damned good bass solo. Other faves on this one: Battery, The Thing That Should not Be, Welcome Home Sanitarium, and Disposable Heroes.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Bite the hand that feeds (when that hand only feeds you scraps)
In the understatement of the new year... it would appear things are a wee bit discouraging in journalistic circles of late.
Hardly shocking, 'tis, when all around us, various job fields are crumbling the likes of which people of my generation (and that of the Boomers) have never seen. Yes, the mass media is a hurting unit right now. The thing is, even as a journalist myself, I don't exactly feel any pity for them.
For too long, the media has been operating just as any other coporate monolith does. Gradually, huge conglomera-zillas gobbled up every newspaper, television station, and radio broadcaster they could, to the point that we now have a situation in North America where a half-dozen companies control 95 per cent of the news we recieve.
I could draw the obvious parallels to Orwell, and Marshall McLuhan here, but I think we all get the gist of the problem. Being spoon-fed our news by a narrow group of institutions with a set agenda is not exactly good for our wittle bwains.
But I digress. I guess what is really grinding my gears is that the inevitable is now happening in media. Our current economic climate is causing mass media to pull out their axe, and slash jobs just like any other mindless, heartless corporate behemoth would do. As a result, people like myself, who got into journalism with the naive goal of doing something silly like, oh, I don't know... making a difference, are facing a future where we will be nothing more than underpaid stiffs asked to do everything from write, to shoot photos, to shooting video, to... making the boss a sandwich. (Oh, how silly of me to forget: while the toast for your editor's sandwich is down, you will also have to design and paginate a page, edit some hack's work, and post on the publication's website.)
So, what is the solution? Well in the interim, the corporate blobs will attempt to make a go of it with increased Internet propoganda, but that will only go so far. The fact is, the media must change in the Western World. The domination of the enormous corporations will end.
Every industry must see the turning point we are at in world history, and the media will have to fall into step. The changes are going to be difficult, but in the long run, a less centralized media is good for all of us.
Hardly shocking, 'tis, when all around us, various job fields are crumbling the likes of which people of my generation (and that of the Boomers) have never seen. Yes, the mass media is a hurting unit right now. The thing is, even as a journalist myself, I don't exactly feel any pity for them.
For too long, the media has been operating just as any other coporate monolith does. Gradually, huge conglomera-zillas gobbled up every newspaper, television station, and radio broadcaster they could, to the point that we now have a situation in North America where a half-dozen companies control 95 per cent of the news we recieve.
I could draw the obvious parallels to Orwell, and Marshall McLuhan here, but I think we all get the gist of the problem. Being spoon-fed our news by a narrow group of institutions with a set agenda is not exactly good for our wittle bwains.
But I digress. I guess what is really grinding my gears is that the inevitable is now happening in media. Our current economic climate is causing mass media to pull out their axe, and slash jobs just like any other mindless, heartless corporate behemoth would do. As a result, people like myself, who got into journalism with the naive goal of doing something silly like, oh, I don't know... making a difference, are facing a future where we will be nothing more than underpaid stiffs asked to do everything from write, to shoot photos, to shooting video, to... making the boss a sandwich. (Oh, how silly of me to forget: while the toast for your editor's sandwich is down, you will also have to design and paginate a page, edit some hack's work, and post on the publication's website.)
So, what is the solution? Well in the interim, the corporate blobs will attempt to make a go of it with increased Internet propoganda, but that will only go so far. The fact is, the media must change in the Western World. The domination of the enormous corporations will end.
Every industry must see the turning point we are at in world history, and the media will have to fall into step. The changes are going to be difficult, but in the long run, a less centralized media is good for all of us.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
My favourite six-pack
Good evening, all.
Given my current stress level, and absurd workload, I thought it might be cool to pull back on the super-analytical, hyper-political reins a bit, and do something I've wanted to do for quite some time: post my all-time favourite six-pack of rock n roll albums.
Now, not just any lightweight collection of tunage can crack my prestigious list. No, this is a list of heavy-hitters, master tunesmiths, and musical prodigies. Anyway, before I get too long-winded, I present without further adieu (and with obvious debt to Comic Book Guy of Simpson's fame for the nifty opening), the best...six-pack...ever:
6. Too Fast For Love - Motley Crue - Simply the best work they've ever done. Just over 30 minutes of loud, sloppy riffage, with pop choruses so sweet they would rot even the whitest of teeth. Mick Mars has never sounded better than he does tearing it up on Take me to The Top, Piece of Your Action, and Starry Eyes. A true classic that spawned a million inferior imitations.
5. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones - The hits are few and far between on this album. What lies in their place is a diverse collection spanning the map from American country, to old-school blues, to ragged rawk an' roll. Their best album by a long shot. Faves of mine on it: Rocks off, Sweet Black Angel, Happy.
4. Fair Warning - Van Halen - This album tanked when it was released in 1981, but the initial fan backlash over it has subsided substantially in the nearly-thirty years since. Fact is (and most Halen fans would agree), this album is chock full of brilliant riffery, razor-sharp tunes, brooding lyrics, and thick grooves. Sure, the subject matter is dark; dealing with everything from ghetto life (Mean Streets), to adult movies (Dirty Movies). And that is what I love about this album. It isn't a typical party-anthem Van Halen record. It has serious teeth. That, and the fact that Eddie Van Halen has never again approached the level of ferocity he displayed on standouts like the afformentioned tracks, and Unchained.
3. Back in Black - AC/DC - Yes, entire forests have been clear cut to make paper for the volumes of praise heaped upon this record since it first hit store shelves in 1980. You know what? Every good word ever written about it still isn't enough. This is the perfect blues-based, good old fashioned kick-in-the-lower extremeties rock album. There isn't a wasted note anywhere to be found. The Young brothers crank it up to "11", and unleash a blistering barrage of instantly-classic riffs, while newcomer Brian Johnson hits a vocal range previously thought to only be audible to dogs. Not a bad song in sight. I love 'em all: everything from Hell's Bells, to Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Polution, to Have a Drink on Me, to Shake a Leg, and all points in between.
2. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin - The best album from my favourite band of all. Many Zep fanatics often pick the obvious albums in their catalogue, like II, IV, or Physical Graffitti. Don't get me wrong, I love each one of those albums greatly, but Houses contains a brilliant eclecticism the likes of which even Zeppelin themselves could never top: the smooth jazz/pop of The Rain Song, the James Brown funk of The Crunge, the spine-tingling 12-string folk intro of Over The Hills And Far Away, the frenetic speed, and shimmering chime of The Song Remains The Same. All brilliant, all incredibly well-executed. Best album of a very good lot.
1. Toys in The Attic - Aerosmith - I love this album so much, I can barely articulate just how remarkable I think it is. On this record, Aerosmith concocted the perfect balance between Steven Tyler's gritty wail, Perry and Whitford's fantastic interplay, and the locomotive rythm section of Kramer and Hamilton. I still get goosebumps from tunes like No More No More, Adam's Apple, and Uncle Salty. The greatest American rock n roll band of all time at the peak of their power.
Given my current stress level, and absurd workload, I thought it might be cool to pull back on the super-analytical, hyper-political reins a bit, and do something I've wanted to do for quite some time: post my all-time favourite six-pack of rock n roll albums.
Now, not just any lightweight collection of tunage can crack my prestigious list. No, this is a list of heavy-hitters, master tunesmiths, and musical prodigies. Anyway, before I get too long-winded, I present without further adieu (and with obvious debt to Comic Book Guy of Simpson's fame for the nifty opening), the best...six-pack...ever:
6. Too Fast For Love - Motley Crue - Simply the best work they've ever done. Just over 30 minutes of loud, sloppy riffage, with pop choruses so sweet they would rot even the whitest of teeth. Mick Mars has never sounded better than he does tearing it up on Take me to The Top, Piece of Your Action, and Starry Eyes. A true classic that spawned a million inferior imitations.
5. Exile on Main Street - Rolling Stones - The hits are few and far between on this album. What lies in their place is a diverse collection spanning the map from American country, to old-school blues, to ragged rawk an' roll. Their best album by a long shot. Faves of mine on it: Rocks off, Sweet Black Angel, Happy.
4. Fair Warning - Van Halen - This album tanked when it was released in 1981, but the initial fan backlash over it has subsided substantially in the nearly-thirty years since. Fact is (and most Halen fans would agree), this album is chock full of brilliant riffery, razor-sharp tunes, brooding lyrics, and thick grooves. Sure, the subject matter is dark; dealing with everything from ghetto life (Mean Streets), to adult movies (Dirty Movies). And that is what I love about this album. It isn't a typical party-anthem Van Halen record. It has serious teeth. That, and the fact that Eddie Van Halen has never again approached the level of ferocity he displayed on standouts like the afformentioned tracks, and Unchained.
3. Back in Black - AC/DC - Yes, entire forests have been clear cut to make paper for the volumes of praise heaped upon this record since it first hit store shelves in 1980. You know what? Every good word ever written about it still isn't enough. This is the perfect blues-based, good old fashioned kick-in-the-lower extremeties rock album. There isn't a wasted note anywhere to be found. The Young brothers crank it up to "11", and unleash a blistering barrage of instantly-classic riffs, while newcomer Brian Johnson hits a vocal range previously thought to only be audible to dogs. Not a bad song in sight. I love 'em all: everything from Hell's Bells, to Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Polution, to Have a Drink on Me, to Shake a Leg, and all points in between.
2. Houses of the Holy - Led Zeppelin - The best album from my favourite band of all. Many Zep fanatics often pick the obvious albums in their catalogue, like II, IV, or Physical Graffitti. Don't get me wrong, I love each one of those albums greatly, but Houses contains a brilliant eclecticism the likes of which even Zeppelin themselves could never top: the smooth jazz/pop of The Rain Song, the James Brown funk of The Crunge, the spine-tingling 12-string folk intro of Over The Hills And Far Away, the frenetic speed, and shimmering chime of The Song Remains The Same. All brilliant, all incredibly well-executed. Best album of a very good lot.
1. Toys in The Attic - Aerosmith - I love this album so much, I can barely articulate just how remarkable I think it is. On this record, Aerosmith concocted the perfect balance between Steven Tyler's gritty wail, Perry and Whitford's fantastic interplay, and the locomotive rythm section of Kramer and Hamilton. I still get goosebumps from tunes like No More No More, Adam's Apple, and Uncle Salty. The greatest American rock n roll band of all time at the peak of their power.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Nerves of Steel
I think it was around 9:50 p.m. last night that I had my first heart attack.
Not a real heart attack. More the metaphorical kind. The kind you have when one of your beloved sports teams is in danger of losing a championship game. Now, we've all heard the cliches before about how sports aren't life and death, and there are more important things in life than watching grown men play boys games, and all of that. Thing is, I agree to a large extent. Yeah, last night's Super Bowl victory by my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers won't change my life in any way. It won't help me get the job I want, or make reading about Canada's current GDP any more entertaining. It won't help me find a good beat story this week, and it certainly won't keep me from botching my questions the next time Leona Dombrowsky returns one of my calls.
Nope, the Steelers win doesn't impact my life in any tangible way. But what it DOES do is give me reason to feel good for a few days. It's that simple. I love the Steelers, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl; again. Two titles in four years. I feel blessed somehow. For a few days, I can feel like I have chosen something good; something successful, and worthy of acclaim. And this is the gist of what being a professional sports fan is about. Last night, a friend's wife was chastising me for being angry as the Cardinals closed the gap, and took the lead. She gave me all those great, tired old expressions about sports. But the Steelers didn't lose. They came back, in thrilling fashion, and pulled it off, and I was overjoyed. The thing is, I told my friend's wife in celebration, sports take us away from the mundane details of our lives. They give us a chance to feel a share in triumphs the likes of which we will never be a part of in our day-to-day lives. The Steelers win briefly takes me away from the stresses of my current schedule, and leaves me today feeling just a little bit more like something is actually right in the world.
We all need to feel like that from time to time. It keeps us sane.
Not a real heart attack. More the metaphorical kind. The kind you have when one of your beloved sports teams is in danger of losing a championship game. Now, we've all heard the cliches before about how sports aren't life and death, and there are more important things in life than watching grown men play boys games, and all of that. Thing is, I agree to a large extent. Yeah, last night's Super Bowl victory by my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers won't change my life in any way. It won't help me get the job I want, or make reading about Canada's current GDP any more entertaining. It won't help me find a good beat story this week, and it certainly won't keep me from botching my questions the next time Leona Dombrowsky returns one of my calls.
Nope, the Steelers win doesn't impact my life in any tangible way. But what it DOES do is give me reason to feel good for a few days. It's that simple. I love the Steelers, and the Steelers won the Super Bowl; again. Two titles in four years. I feel blessed somehow. For a few days, I can feel like I have chosen something good; something successful, and worthy of acclaim. And this is the gist of what being a professional sports fan is about. Last night, a friend's wife was chastising me for being angry as the Cardinals closed the gap, and took the lead. She gave me all those great, tired old expressions about sports. But the Steelers didn't lose. They came back, in thrilling fashion, and pulled it off, and I was overjoyed. The thing is, I told my friend's wife in celebration, sports take us away from the mundane details of our lives. They give us a chance to feel a share in triumphs the likes of which we will never be a part of in our day-to-day lives. The Steelers win briefly takes me away from the stresses of my current schedule, and leaves me today feeling just a little bit more like something is actually right in the world.
We all need to feel like that from time to time. It keeps us sane.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Calling J.M. Keynes
So a new year has dawned, and for many of us, some old ghosts of economic woes past have resurfaced. Yes, as we lurch through the early stages of 2009 with a prorogued Parliament, and hundreds of thousands of jobs on the chopping block nationwide, it is once again time to utter that most un-noble of capitalist words: RECESSION.
Ah, yes, the recession. The damned offspring of greed and unregulated economic growth. Recessions are a core part of any capitalist system, and every ten to fiteeen years, we in North America are lucky enough to find ourselves immersed in one. What always amazes me when our economy goes into the tank is the pure fact that it does so for all the same old reasons. Even the most economically-challenged amongst us can grasp the simple frailties of capitalism. To be brief, in a capitalist system, economies will falter cyclically, because an unregulated market will always collapse under the weight of the greed of the corporate elites. In other words, there isn't enough pie to go around, and once the fat-cats at the top have gorged themselves to the point that the pie is gone, well... you get the idea.
John Maynard Keynes warned of these problems decades ago, and some, such as FDR actually listened. How is it then, that the lessons of the past, and the successes of programs such as FDR's New Deal have been continually ignored for sixty years? The past 30 years in North America have witnessed a virtually never-ending stream of neo-conservative governments committed to the laughably unrealistic goal of unlimited economic growth. Reaganomics;trickle-down policies, Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution, Paul Martin and the Liberals of the 1990's... and on and on. Why is it that our governments refuse to let the outdated economic ideologies of the past die? We are in a recession? Better cut taxes, slash social programs, and engage in as little government spending as possible. Tighten the purse strings! Batten down the hatches, and hang on tight! Everything will be just fine if we all (by which I mean the 95% of us outside the upper-income quintile) just continue to sacrifice as much as possible so that our governments won't have to engage in any sort of progressive, forward-thinking action.
If we are to believe the established conservative economic diatribes that permeate our society, there are several infallible rules that must always be obeyed; deficits are bad, tax cuts stimulate jobs through increased consumer spending, social programs are not as important as job creation, every person can pull themselves up by the bootstraps if you just throw a few measly dollars their way, etc. It's the good old cowboy mentality. Gosh darnit, we can all make it as long as we are willing to roll up our sleeves, get a little elbow grease into it, and... blah, blah, blah. How long are we going to collectively hang on to these childish, ludicrous, ideas? These very ideals have been planted in our heads by the corporate establishment; the very same coroporate establishment that keeps running our financial system into the ground with their limitless greed.
Canadians will receive a new federal budget on Jan.27. If we actually had a government in this country that didn't believe in the laws of the jungle, and wasn't stuck permanently in 1953, I might hold out some hope for a new approach to combat this recession. Alas, we have Jim Flaherty and company at the controls. You might remember Big Jim. He was one of the masterminds behind the Mike Harris Era of Terror in Ontario. For those people who liked the results of that particular experiment in class warfare, you'll be pleased once again. Your assets will be safe, and the sacrifices you will be asked to make will be virtually nil. No fear, the already overburdened middle and lower classes will continue to carry you on their backs in these tough times. We will "collectively" get through this, so that we can back on the treadmill of UNLIMTED GROWTH and repeat the cycle all over again.
Poor Keynes. It must've been a terrible burden to be so far ahead of the curve.
Ah, yes, the recession. The damned offspring of greed and unregulated economic growth. Recessions are a core part of any capitalist system, and every ten to fiteeen years, we in North America are lucky enough to find ourselves immersed in one. What always amazes me when our economy goes into the tank is the pure fact that it does so for all the same old reasons. Even the most economically-challenged amongst us can grasp the simple frailties of capitalism. To be brief, in a capitalist system, economies will falter cyclically, because an unregulated market will always collapse under the weight of the greed of the corporate elites. In other words, there isn't enough pie to go around, and once the fat-cats at the top have gorged themselves to the point that the pie is gone, well... you get the idea.
John Maynard Keynes warned of these problems decades ago, and some, such as FDR actually listened. How is it then, that the lessons of the past, and the successes of programs such as FDR's New Deal have been continually ignored for sixty years? The past 30 years in North America have witnessed a virtually never-ending stream of neo-conservative governments committed to the laughably unrealistic goal of unlimited economic growth. Reaganomics;trickle-down policies, Mike Harris and the Common Sense Revolution, Paul Martin and the Liberals of the 1990's... and on and on. Why is it that our governments refuse to let the outdated economic ideologies of the past die? We are in a recession? Better cut taxes, slash social programs, and engage in as little government spending as possible. Tighten the purse strings! Batten down the hatches, and hang on tight! Everything will be just fine if we all (by which I mean the 95% of us outside the upper-income quintile) just continue to sacrifice as much as possible so that our governments won't have to engage in any sort of progressive, forward-thinking action.
If we are to believe the established conservative economic diatribes that permeate our society, there are several infallible rules that must always be obeyed; deficits are bad, tax cuts stimulate jobs through increased consumer spending, social programs are not as important as job creation, every person can pull themselves up by the bootstraps if you just throw a few measly dollars their way, etc. It's the good old cowboy mentality. Gosh darnit, we can all make it as long as we are willing to roll up our sleeves, get a little elbow grease into it, and... blah, blah, blah. How long are we going to collectively hang on to these childish, ludicrous, ideas? These very ideals have been planted in our heads by the corporate establishment; the very same coroporate establishment that keeps running our financial system into the ground with their limitless greed.
Canadians will receive a new federal budget on Jan.27. If we actually had a government in this country that didn't believe in the laws of the jungle, and wasn't stuck permanently in 1953, I might hold out some hope for a new approach to combat this recession. Alas, we have Jim Flaherty and company at the controls. You might remember Big Jim. He was one of the masterminds behind the Mike Harris Era of Terror in Ontario. For those people who liked the results of that particular experiment in class warfare, you'll be pleased once again. Your assets will be safe, and the sacrifices you will be asked to make will be virtually nil. No fear, the already overburdened middle and lower classes will continue to carry you on their backs in these tough times. We will "collectively" get through this, so that we can back on the treadmill of UNLIMTED GROWTH and repeat the cycle all over again.
Poor Keynes. It must've been a terrible burden to be so far ahead of the curve.
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