July 2004

One John to rule them all

Filed under: American Idle

John Kerry for President Campaign, Press Release 07/30/04 -- John Kerry as president will capture your imagination and your heart, just as he did playing that wise old tree herder Treebeard in "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." He would have gathered a coalition, just like the ents, before deciding to go to war with the Sauron of our time, Saddam Hussein!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 30, 2004 7:09 AM

Little known fact about John Edwards

Filed under: American Idle

Kerry/Edwards Campaign HQ Press Release 07/29/04 -- Anyone who knows this good ol' boy knows he's about good old-fashioned small-town, hill-billy values. What you may not know is that John and his twin brother, Skeeter, used to perform heart-rending hymns and boot-stompin' country music back in the 1970s as the Hager Brothers! Those two country cutie-pies from Hee Haw in their matching overalls could touch your heart with a beloved mountain spiritual, that is, when they weren't eating Lulu's cherry pie off the window sill! On a sad note, John and Skeeter were replaced on "Hee Haw" in 1975 with another set of twins when Skeeter had one too many gulps of Grandpa Jones' 'shine and got caught in the cornfield with a Hee Haw honey. It was rumored the Gospel Quartet took him "hunting" one day and no one heard from Skeeter again. Let's win this one fer Skeeter!

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 29, 2004 9:09 AM

Lesser-known souvenirs from the 2004 Democratic National Convention

Filed under: American Idle

Many recall Teresa Heinz Kerry designed a lovely neckerchief (above) as a nifty AARP-oriented fundraising tool for her husband's flat-lined campaign. During the Democratic Convention this week in Boston, American Idle spies have searched high and low, and discovered more esoteric tchotchkes that will most likely end up on eBay to pay for the minibar and porno tab at check-out.

Show your support for the big galoot by affixing this slightly-itchy foam rubber fake chin to your own modest one. Works well if you want to play that roll-an-orange-around-someone's-body fourplay game.

Keep a little bit of John Kerry with you at all times with this handy John Kerry eye bag coin purse. Holds $37.23 in change - just enough for the cab ride to the airport!

My milkshake brings all the liberals to the yard! But show a little restraint with the earnest face of a young Vietnam vet facing a crusty panel of senators in a subcommittee. The Vietnam Kerry nipple plate is stainless steel - guaranteed not to rust due to any type of moisture! (Covers most areola sizes)

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 28, 2004 6:37 AM

Lil Monday morning Minnesota comedy courtesy of The Onion

Filed under: American Idle

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 26, 2004 8:45 AM

Albeit, completely different singing styles

Filed under: American Idle

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 22, 2004 6:56 AM

Bush initiates man-boob stigmata to shore up Catholic vote

Filed under: American Idle

President Bush was giving a fiery stump speech at a rally in Beckley, West Virginia, when his eyes shot to the back of his head, his speech became slurred and he began leaking from his right man-breast. Impassioned West Virginians rushed the stage, attempting to suckle from the presidential nipple hoping to cure ailments ranging from bum knee to lazy eye, but were quickly beaten down by Secret Service agents. White House press secretary Scott McClellan revealed later that the big stain under the president's arm was merely sweat and contained no medicinal properties.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 21, 2004 6:39 AM

CP lawn bowling team looks toward the Guinness Cup to turn their fortunes around

Filed under: American Idle

Final score last night:� 14-12 UBC
Congrats to Urban Bowling Crew on making the playoffs!

Next up:�� Guinness Cup (all teams qualify)

Round 1 begins Tuesday Aug. 3 & 4th-- we don't know which night we play yet.� It continues on Aug. 9 & 10 for winning teams.

All for now,
Skipper

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 20, 2004 9:40 AM

May day! May day! The City Pages lawn bowling team is going down in flames!!!

Filed under: American Idle

You know how your mom�always told you that �if you didn't �have anything nice to say... don't say nuthin' at all? Well...

Hasn't the weather been nice lately?

Tomorrow 7/14- Wednesday night: Dave & Steve participate in the first tournament of the year in the "Bass Cup" Individual tourney. Starts at 5:30pm and we play till we lose.

Next week: City Pages (3-3) vs. Urban Bowling Crew at 6:30pm. Losing team buys the winner a round in this rain date make up game!

Skippy

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 13, 2004 9:38 AM

Can you look at their faces and not want to help?

Filed under: American Idle

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 8, 2004 11:54 AM

Let the games begin

Filed under: American Idle

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 7, 2004 11:13 AM

Geezer Tours: The Next Generation

Filed under: American Idle

When I moved to Minneapolis in the mid-80s, I mocked those living in the musical past - those KQ listeners that still needed their Eagles and Clapton fixes. I have become what I once despised, as my summer concert calendar is filled with acts I've been listening to since Ronald Reagan ruled the world. These coots also happen to still be making great music.

David Byrne's performance at Rock the Garden (or as he put it, Rock the Driveway) was spectacular, mixing his terrific solo work with classic Talking Heads tunes, all backed by the amazing Tosca Strings from Austin, Texas. I was a bit concerned about the string section, not wanting to hear the "Orchestral Version of Psycho Killer," but I also knew an artist like David Byrne would avoid such circumstances. I was, however, in the bathroom during "Psycho Killer," so I didn't hear it anyway. (Ziggy, will you ever win?)

They Might Be Giants comes back to First Avenue this Friday. I'm in denial that they've been around for 20 years, just as I'm in denial about my own age. I've been a huge fan through "Lincoln" and "Flood," then cooled on them a bit in the mid- to late-90s. I thought our relationship was coming to a close until I picked up "Mink Car," released on Sept. 11, 2001, to little fanfare (Ryan Adams cornered the market during that period with "New York, New York," from "Gold" released two weeks later). "Mink Car" is probably their best album since "Flood," featuring really tight tunes and guest M. Doughty helping out on "Mr. Xcitement." Just remove the art-rock stick up your ass for two hours and enjoy a killer show.

The big show for me this summer will be the Finn Brothers (above), Tim and Neil, from Split Enz and Crowded House at the Guthrie on Wednesday, July 21. Split Enz formed when I was three years old, so these guys might be the geeziest of the group (although I believe Neil joined his older brother's band around 1977 at the ripe old age of 18). Tim's got a great voice but his solo work is a little too sappy and romantic for me. Neil came into his own after Split Enz broke up when he formed Crowded House as a trio and released their first album in 1986. Tim Finn joined the group in 1991 for a couple of less-successful albums.

Tim has since released a few solo albums not readily available in the U.S., while Neil has been put a live album and a couple of solo albums, most notably "One All" from 2002, some of his best work since the Crowded House days.

The Guthrie show should offer a nice mix of Enz and CH work, hopefully some of Neil's solo work as well. I've seen these guys in concert a few times througout the 90s and have enjoyed the music, as well as witty stage banter that comes from brothers working together on and off for twenty-five years. I encourage everyone to check them out in this intimate venue, before the Walker paves paradise and puts up a parking lot.

Posted by Corey Anderson at July 6, 2004 1:04 PM

« June 2004 | Main | August 2004 »