March 2005

« February 2005 | Main | April 2005 »

An open letter to David Gates (the author not the guy from Bread)

Filed under: Imported

Dear David,

What the fuck exactly is your problem?

You write three brilliant works of fiction--including quite possibly my favorite novel of all time, Jernigan--and then just disappear. It's been almost six years now since you've released anything noteworthy. And I've scoured the web and can't locate any evidence that you've got something in the works. What gives?

I know you got divorced again. And sure, I know you regularly pop up in The New York Times Book Review (including that fun evisceration of William Boyd; although personally I like Boyd) and Newsweek. And yeah, I realize there are those collections to edit and classes to teach.

But I want some god-damned fiction. Philip Roth is 127 years old and he still manages to churn out a brilliant novel annually. What gives Gates?

It's possible you don't remember me. We first met at a book fair in Miami. You kindly signed my copy of Wonders of the Invisible World. I unsuccessfully attempted to provoke you into a debate about John Prine's recently released duet collection, In Spite of Ourselves, which you'd savaged in Newsweek. (In retrospect, I think you may have been right about that Prine album. It hasn't worn well. I seldom listen to it.)

Then a year or so later I was sitting at the bar in the old Table of Contents restaurant in St. Paul drinking wine and eating soup and re-reading Jernigan and you plopped down on the stool next to me. What a coincidence! (Although I guess you were about to give a reading at the attached bookstore.)

I sheepishly showed you my well-creased copy of the book and we engaged in plesant conversation for five minutes or so. If memory serves, I even told you that I was a reporter and that I had written the cover story in that week's City Pages (my first ever) and that you should check it out. Did you ever get a chance to read the story? It's not altogether awful.

Anyhow, hopefully we can catch up in the near future. But in the meantime, write some fucking fiction!

Sincerely,

Paul

Posted by Paul Demko at March 29, 2005 9:26 PM

 

U.S. v. Mexico

Filed under: Imported

In case anyone is inexplicably interested in my random thoughts concerning Sunday's match ...

Certainly a disappointing result. It could have been worse. The U.S. defense was miserable throughout the game, loose and indecisive. Oguchi Onyewu and Greg Berhalter in central defense is a tandem I hope to never witness again.

I thought Kasey Keller was somewhat to blame on the first goal, though, being as he appeared to be tangled in the back of the net at the moment that the ball crossed the line. Keller more than redeemed himself in the second half, coming up with at least three big-time saves that kept the game from being a complete ass-whooping.

Give the Mexicans credit. With the exception of a 15-minute period at the start of the second half they controlled the game. Prior to kick-off there was all kinds of talk about how the Americans had gotten into the heads of their southern neighbors. But after Eddie Lewis' fabulous goal, when it would have been easy for the Mexicans to wilt psychologically, they instead began playing with renewed vigor and intelligence. The U.S. never had another decent scoring opportunity.

I'm completely befuddled by Bruce Arena's coaching decisions. Starting EJ up top by himself was a failure. He was constantly surrounded by defenders and ineffective. The absence of Corey Gibbs from the central defense was inexplicable. He must have some unreported illness, like ebola. None of the subs used by the U.S. provided any kind of spark. Why no Josh Wolff or Clint Dempsey or Clint Mathis (who didn't even make the gameday roster)?

Bruce taps Pablo Mastroeni as man of the match. I can't disagree. He was tenacious and smart, tackling hard without fouling unnecessarily or getting involved in spats. Steve Cherundolo and Lewis also played extremely well. DaMarcus Beasley deserves credit for tirelessly tracking back on defense (as he always does) and breaking up several Mexican scoring threats, but he was a non-factor offensively.

All I can figure is that Arena didn't really give a shit about winning this match. For all the symbolic weight of the contest, as far as he's concerned it's just another World Cup qualifier. So the squad lost to Mexico at Azteca? So will every other team in the qualifying group. The key is to get three points on Wednesday at home against Guatemala.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 28, 2005 7:52 PM

 

Pork

Filed under: Imported

My former colleague Sean Rowe sent along these pictures this morning:

And this note:

The fellow in the pictures is Larry Earley, He lives about 30 miles from Orlando, in the very rural community of Okahumpka, just off the Florida turnpike in Lake County, Florida. He has 20 acres of land and on  it, a few cows and horses. Mostly it's pasture land that is fenced with  woods surrounding him.

He is neighbored by a larger cattle ranch.

His neighbor has complained for several years that wild hogs had been raiding his cattle feeders and salt licks.

Last month he saw what he thought was a cow in his pond and went  to see if it was stuck in the mud and would have to be pulled out. When he  got close enough to realize it was hog, the thing made a charge at him. He had driven his truck down to the pond and carries a pistol in it (as any Florida redneck would, and I say that with genuine affection). He got his handgun and when it came at him again, he shot it twice and killed it.

Wild hogs in Florida usually run from 100-400 pounds with a 400 pounder being a monster. Because this one had been feasting on grain for several years it had grown to mammoth size. When Larry took it to the processor it weighed in at over 1100 pounds! The meat has no wild taste, as it was grain feed and the Larry  is quite the hero. He has fed many fireman and provided the homeless shelter in downtown Orlando with a couple of meals.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 28, 2005 2:51 PM

 

Chicago Shorty

Filed under: Imported

Last night on American Routes, Nick Spitzer played Steve Goodman's version of "Easter Parade." It made me ridiculously happy and caused me to spend the whole night listening to his albums. I've long been a Goodman fanatic. He was an absolute beast of a guitar player, picking out rhythm and melody with a gleeful fervor that constantly threatens to run off the rails.

None of his studio albums quite capture Goodman's genius. There's a gloss to the production on many of the recordings that dilutes his quirky charms. Fortunately, since Goodman's untimely death from leukemia in 1984 there has been a slew of live material released, starting with the indispensable anthology No Big Surprise, which contains a disc each of live and studio material.

"Easter Parade" is from another posthumous collection dubbed The Easter Tapes. It's a mash-up of four Easter radio shows that Goodman recorded with New York radio icon Vin Scelsa. Frankly the Scelsa banter can be quite annoying (ditto for his ponderous liner notes), but Goodman's frenetic acoustic guitar work and half-ass vocals are completely beguiling. It opens with a warp-speed, virtuoso version of "Red Red Robin" and contains charming renditions of Goodman classics like "Banana Republics" and "City of New Orleans." His mad-cap dismantling of William Mayhew's "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" (one of the greatest songs ever written as far as I'm concerned) is exhilarating.

But my favorite moment is near the close of the album when Scelsa challenges him to play "Splish Splash." With David Amram joining in on the bongos and tin whistle, Goodman gamely strums out a skewed version of that retarded Bobby Darin chestnut.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 27, 2005 11:34 AM

 

Easter Sunday: U.S. v. Mexico

Filed under: Imported

I know there's Jesus Juice to drink and everything, but another sacred event will occur this Sunday: U.S. v. Mexico. The World Cup qualifying match takes place at Mexico City's infamous Estadio Azteca. Here are the vital statistics:


Estadio Azteca is located 7,200 smog-polluted feet above sea level and seats some 115,000 people.

Mexico has lost just once ever at Azteca in 40 years; the U.S. has never won there.

Overall the Mexicans have dominated the Americans, boasting a 28-11-10 record.

Between 1937 and 1980, the U.S. failed to beat Mexico in 24 straight contests.

Recently the trend has been reversed, with the U.S. posting a 6-1-1 record in the last eight matches.

The Americans are riding a 16-game unbeaten streak, outscoring their opponents 32-8 in that span.

Mexico is currently 6th in the FIFA world rankings; the U.S. is 10th.


The dimensions of this match have been ably covered elsewhere. But as usual, Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl has the definitive piece. It's not available on-line unless you're a subscriber, but here's the money graf:


This is going to be a brutal, nasty, physical game. There might not be a lot of pretty soccer on display. But it will be spectacular.

Kickoff is noon Sunday. Folks will be gathering locally at The Liffey in downtown St. Paul to take in the match.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 24, 2005 9:28 PM

 

Host

Filed under: Imported

I just finished reading David Foster Wallace's fascinating piece on political talk radio in the current Atlantic Monthly. Unfortunately the article's not available on-line unless you're a subscriber. It's quite smart and authoritative (and not surprisingly, outrageously annotated).

He focuses in on a poli-shock jock named John Ziegler who works for Southern L.A. talk-radio powerhouse KFI. As best I can tell from the piece, this guy's a first-rate bloviator who suffers from severe narcissism. This latter condition manifests itself on-air by the host constantly seeking to outrage his traffic-stressed listeners into apoplexy, consequentially resulting in somewhat stimulating host-caller dialogues. In other words, Ziegler's a fairly typical talk-radio specimen. Probably the best local analogy is KSTP morning host Bob Davis (who for pathological reasons best left unexplored I wake up to every morning). Wallace adeptly uses this prototype to explore the wider phenomenon of political talk radio.

But I was struck by one of Wallace's digressions relating to advertising:

Now what caught my attention about this excerpt is a recurring segment I've noticed locally on the Ron Rosenbaum & Mark O'Connell Show (of which I'm generally a huge fan). They seem to have taken this corporate whoring to a whole new extreme. Every Wednesday morning during the show they devote an entire segment to speaking with the proprietor of Abbot Travel. The hosts simply ask Mr. Abbot Travel (I can't recall his name right now) to reveal all the incredible deals that his company's currently offering to snow-suffering Minnesotans. There's no attempt at editorial justification. Just a roughly-ten-minute Q & A in which the guy gets to unapologetically shill for his company. It's nothing but a very lengthy commercial segment masquerading as user-friendly news.

I'm not pretending that talk-radio is anything but a money-making venture designed to generate profits for the corporations that own stations. But this strikes me as a particularly shameless manifestation of the phenomenon.

Exactly how much does Abbot Travel pay for this privilege? And why would anyone (other than talk-radio obsessed losers like me) listen?

Posted by Paul Demko at March 23, 2005 10:32 PM

 

Footy

Filed under: Imported

The Champions League quarterfinal draws were held today. Most interestingly Juventus will square off against Liverpool. The matches will take place almost 20 years to the date when 39 Juventus supporters were crushed to death at Heysel stadium in Brussells. Not surprisingly some fans are already promising violence.

Pele is writing an autobiography. It's due out prior to next year's World Cup. I'm guessing it will be deadly dull.

Apparently there's a new U.S. soccer magazine, Striker.

The U.S. plays a friendly against Honduras tomorrow. It's a tune-up for the team's big throwdown with Mexico eight days later. As usual folks will be gathering at The Local in Minneapolis to watch. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

The Indomitable Drinky Crows bowed out of the playoffs last Sunday, losing on penalty kicks. Sadly this confirms my suspicions about the inverse causal relationship between my presence on the field and the team's level of success. I did, however, make my PK. Our record is now 4-2-2. We've got one more game and then no soccer until May.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 18, 2005 5:30 PM

 

Ranking the Jacksons

Filed under: Imported

Mark has compiled a list of his favorite Jacksons. It's quite excellent. But there is one glaring omission: Brenda Jackson

Posted by Paul Demko at March 18, 2005 3:07 PM

 

LNW! NCAA Tipsheet

Filed under: Imported

Given my incredible track record of prognosticative success I'd be remiss if I didn't weigh in on the NCAA basketball tournament.

Tragically my beloved Maryland Terrapins, for the first time in a decade, are not in the tournament. (But boy did they put an ass-whoopin' on Oral Roberts last night! Take that Michele Bachman!) I don't know what happened to that team. They beat Duke twice, but lost to Clemson three times. I don't think any team has ever lost three times to Clemson in the same season. Maybe not in the same decade. What gives John Gilchrist?

Since I can't pick Maryland to win the tournament (as I've done every other year), what does that leave? Frankly I haven't been paying that much attention. How the fuck is Washington a number one seed? Why on earth are North Carolina, Florida, Kansas, and Connecticut in the same region?

But this much I can say: North Carolina and Illinois are clearly the most talented teams in the tournament.

And: Oklahoma State will win it all. I love John Lucas. He reminds me of the great Juan Dixon.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 17, 2005 10:53 AM

 

Apparently They Weren't Satisfied With Destroying Yugoslavia

Filed under: Imported

How does a Serb-Croat riot break out at a soccer match in Sydney, Australia? I've no idea. But it happened:

Officers were called to an oval at Edensor Park around 3pm AEDT yesterday to help settle a brawl which broke out before a match between the Croatian-backed Sydney United and Bonnyrigg White Eagles, who draw many of their fans from the Serbian community.

Separated by a fence, up to 50 fans threw flares and cans at each other, shouting abuse and waving Serbian and Croatian flags. Two police officers were injured.

Then again, these folks also apparently riot over handball.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 15, 2005 4:20 PM

 

Nomad World Pub

Filed under: Imported

The Nomad World Pub is slated to open its doors in just two days. Taking over the former Five Corners Saloon space, the bar will kick things off Wednesday night with a show by local hip hop heroes Heiruspecs and Kanser.

The West Bank saloon has been completely refurbished. Wooden booths have been installed along the front of the room. The bar has been refinished. A massive new window allows considerable sunlight into the previously dank watering hole. The walls are freshly painted mustard yellow. A new sound system has been installed and the stage freshly carpeted.

But when I stopped by to take a peek this afternoon the transformation was still very much a work in progress. There were 20-or-so folks milling about the place. Scraps of carpet and stray pipes littered the floor. Beer vendors passed through pushing cases of Rebel and Hacker Pschoor. An Asian woman was screwing coat hooks onto the front of the bar. Three sawdust-coated white guys were installing a ceiling fan. The sign for the front of the building wasn't even slated to arrive until tomorrow. The Nomad's owners will likely still be pounding nails and painting when the first customers walk through the front door in 48 hours.

Co-owner Chris Mozena seemed non-plussed by the last-minute preparations.Wearing jeans, birkenstocks, and a skull cap, he explained that the space originally opened as a saloon in 1903. At various times during its existence the building has also housed a casino and a brothel. Mozena, who along with two partners purchased the building in December, said that their goal in renovating the space was to restore its original layout. "It's exactly what it looked like when the place was built," he noted.

Mozena is still filling out the music calendar. On St. Patrick's Day there will be an early set by fiddler (and sometime Jayhawk) Razz, with Celtic-ska band Machinery Hill to follow. Friday night's set features stellar local rockers Little Man and Ol' Yeller. Also slated to play the space in the near future are Portland roots-rockers Dolorean and Ohio metal band Bobaflex. "It's gonna be a relatively eclectic mix of stuff," Mozena promised.

Construction will not stop at the Nomad even after Wednesday's opening. There are plans to construct a patio on the south side of the building by summer. And they hope to eventually transform the upstairs into a dance club.

"We want to re-invigorate the West Bank," Mozena said, noting that the neighborhood has more live-music venues than any other area in the Twin Cities. "This should be the music row of Minneapolis."

Posted by Paul Demko at March 14, 2005 6:43 PM

 

Footy

Filed under: Imported

Swell piece in the New Zealand Herald on the great Kiwi defender Ryan Nelsen, who has already become a fixture for Blackburn Rovers. D.C. United is desperately trying to replace him. They've  been looking at a Brazilian, Odvan Gomes Silva, and an Argentinian, Marcelo Kobistyj, although the latter doesn't look likely to stick. D.C.'s defense looked ragged during Wednesday night's ugly 2-1 victory over Harbor View. David Stokes is terrible. Lil' Nicky Rimando makes at least one stupendously stupid decision per game. No amount of spectacular saves can make up for this. I don't understand why D.C. sticks with him.

MLS has rejected an offer of either $4 million or $5 million (depending on which source you believe) from  Portuguese powerhouse Benfica for goal-scoring phenom Eddie Johnson. This is good news. The league badly needs EJ right now, both for p.r. and aesthetic reasons. Johnson is just starting to become a marquee name in the U.S., with recent profiles in USA Today and the AP. He will undoubtedly be a significant draw for FC Dallas this season, both at home and on the road. And he's only 20 years old. A couple of seasons in MLS certainly won't hurt. The league has already lost a ton of offensive firepower in the last year (DaMarcus Beasley, Landon Donovan, Damani Ralph, Brian McBride) and is sorely lacking in game-breaking forwards. This could lead to some deadly dull games.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 12, 2005 11:48 AM

 

Indomitable Drinky Crows Weekly Report

Filed under: Imported

I have discoverd the cancer within the Indomitable Drinky Crows soccer team. Unfortunately it is me. Apparently having a five foot tall, hungover defender on the field does not improve the team's prospects.

In my absence last Sunday the squad handily dispatched their (previously undefeated) opponents, 3-0. Our record is now 4-1-2, good enough for eighth place (out of 30 teams). On Sunday we start the playoffs. 

Screw Toronto!

Posted by Paul Demko at March 11, 2005 5:47 PM

 

Idiots

Filed under: Imported

The other day I was at the Capitol for a hearing on a healthcare disclosure bill. Basically the legislation would mandate that the state release figures each year on which companies have the most employees enrolled in state-subsidized healthcare programs and how much they're costing the state. The idea is to make clear exactly how much taxpayers are paying to subsidize companies like Wal-Mart and Taco Bell that offer shitty benefits to their employees.

But while waiting for this measure to come before the senate's Health and Family Security Committee, I had to endure an agonizingly long discussion about S.F. 525. This law is designed to strip out apparently offensive words from state laws dealing with disabled people. The terms being cleansed: "mental retardation," "handicapped," and "idiots." Of course this provided an opportunity for Democrats to bray on self-righteously about how we're all wonderful, unique human beings. Whatever. 

Personally I couldn't give a flying fuck if the words "retard" or "handicapped" are used in state law. They certainly don't offend me. But if people who are afflicted with such problems are offended then I don't see any harm in amending the statutes.

"Idiots," on the other hand, does clearly seem a tad insensitive. I was curious which statutes employed this term. It turns out there are two of them, both dealing with real estate law.

281.04 Redemption by persons under disability. 

Minors, insane persons, idiots, or persons in captivity or in any country with which the United States is at war, having an estate in or lien on lands sold for taxes, of record in the office of the county recorder of the county where the lands lie, before the expiration of three years from the date of such sale, may redeem the same within one year after such disability shall cease; but in such case the right to redeem must be established in a suit for that purpose brought against the party holding the title under the sale.   

580.20 Action to set aside for certain defects.  

No such sale shall be held invalid or be set aside by reason of any defect in the notice thereof, or in the publication or service of such notice, or in the proceedings of the officer making the sale, unless the action in which the validity of such sale is called in question be commenced, or the defense alleging its invalidity be interposed, with reasonable diligence, and not later than five years after the date of such sale; provided that persons under disability to sue when such sale was made by reason of being minors, insane persons, idiots, or persons in captivity or in any country with which the United States is at war, may commence such action or interpose such defense at any time within five years after the removal of such disability.

If the legislation passes (and, honestly, who's going to have the gall to vote against it?), the term "idiots" will be replaced with "developmentally disabled." 

Posted by Paul Demko at March 11, 2005 5:23 PM

 

LNW! Claims First Scalp

Filed under: Imported

Gina La Force, director of the St. Paul Public Library system, has resigned. Dedicated readers of this blog will recall that I first demanded Ms. La Force's ouster less than a month ago.

Frankly I can't recall why it was of paramount importance that she be removed from her post. But now I see that she's Canadian! Do we really want our childrens' reading selections being dictated by a foreigner? Particularly one from a country with citizens who insist on speaking French? And what kind of name is La Force anyway? Bon voyage Ms. La Force!

(Is it any coincidence that this news broke on the same day as Dan Rather's last broadcast? I think not.)

Posted by Paul Demko at March 9, 2005 12:05 PM

 

A Brief Chronological Summary of My Recent Trip to New York City in Honor of My Mother's 60th Birthday (Which Doesn't Actually Occur Until May)

Filed under: Imported

Day 1:

Attempt to check in at the Leo House, this hotel on 23rd Street run by nuns that my family always stays at. It's cheap and there's no hotel tax because it's a nonprofit. They're filming a scene for Law & Order in the lobby. I haven't watched the show in years so I have no idea who the two actors are. Not Jerry Orbach or Munch.

Order a cup of coffee at some deli on 23rd Street. I can't understand what the guy behind the counter is saying and consequentially end up with way too much milk and sugar in the coffee. But it only costs 75 cents.

Look at a bunch of photographs by Peter Hujar, who died of AIDS many years ago. The show is okay. There are some interesting portraits of junkies and transvestites and other assorted characters of the New York night from the 70s and 80s. But there are also lots of shots of skyscrapers and trash-strewn lots that seem quite pointless.

Go see Schultze Get the Blues in a movie theater about the size of a phone booth on 12th Street. It's about German coal miners who get laid off and then sit around drinking beer. It's sorta like one of those movies about charming, eccentric British or Irish people that crop up a half dozen times a year and are often wildly popular. Except that these guys are German and they never talk. Nobody makes movies about charming, eccentric Germans. This probably has something to do with the Holocaust. The protagonist of the movie, Schultze, plays the accordion. One day he hears a zydeco song on the radio and becomes fixated on the music. He ultimately ventures to the Bayou and dies while dancing at Rock N' Bowl in New Orleans. The movie is somewhat dull and implausible, but also charming and eccentric and mildly enjoyable.

Day 2:

Read The New York Times, a pretty good newspaper. Am disturbed by story about this guy in Connecticut who might spend 10 years in prison for telling his old, dying buddy the best spot to shoot himself.

Go see Gunner Palace at the Angelika Film Center. It's an evocative documentary about U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Probably gives a better sense of what it's like to be a grunt in Iraq than anything else I've seen or read. There are lots of jarring, tense scenes of soldiers patrolling the streets of Baghdad and conducting raids on suspected insurgents. But the movie's also frustratingly myopic. The filmmaker is so focused on the military unit that he's embedded with that he can't provide any wider context about what's happening in the country. It also feels wildly out of date, given that most of the footage was shot in 2002 and early 2003, before the insurgency really took hold.

Drink beer with my brother at the Acapulco Bar on 39th Street. It's a tiny, seedy joint with no customers. The Polish bartender delivers an impassioned speech about the glories of New Jersey. She thinks Jon Bon Jovi would be fun to hang out with. 

Solomon Burke at BB King Blues Club & Grill. I'm completely blissed out at the chance to see this show. I'm also kind of drunk. Burke comes out a little after 8 p.m. He sits on a throne at the front of the stage and leans back at about a 30 degree angle and barely moves throughout the 90-minute set. He's joined by an 11-piece (or so) band that includes a big-ass, blistering horn section. The two back-up singers are his kids. They pull double duty as Burke's personal sweat police. Every few minutes one of them steps forward and wipes the great soul singer's brow dry. You get the feeling that he probably has someone to wipe his ass as well. Burke sounds fantastic, of course. 

Day 3:

The Gates: Who knew they were still up? They are. Most of them anyway, and that's plenty. They're orange, and not particularly interesting. But they look kind of cool against the snowy backdrop and I feel a vague sense of contentment while walking through Central Park.

"Edge of Desire: Recent Art in India": Probably a decent show, but I can't say for certain. The museum hasn't yet opened when we arrive.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee": Thoroughly charming and hilarious for about an hour and 15 minutes. The last half hour gets a bit dull.  

Drink beer at Art Bar. Eat delicious dinner at Home. Try to see Centro-Matic at the Mercury Lounge, but it's sold out. Stop by Lakeside Lounge and watch three twenty-something girls play old folk-blues songs such as "Black Dog" reasonably well. Finish night at my favorite shitty Irish joint, O'Hanlon's on 14th Street.

Day 4:

Leave behind a copy of New York Press with the infamous, tragically unfunny story about the Pope in the bathroom of my hotel room for the nuns to find.

Go see the redoubtable Pete Hamill at the Museum of the City of New York. He reads from his new book Downtown. Also makes numerous, fascinating digressions about NYC history, neighborhoods, politics, etc. Even better he keeps returning to three things he loathes about present-day NYC: the proposed Jets stadium on the West Side, the smoking ban, and the 2012 Olympics bid. Pete Hamill for Mayor!

My Sun County flight is five hours late. Arrive back in St. Paul at 2 a.m. 

Posted by Paul Demko at March 8, 2005 9:12 PM

 

Du Nord

Filed under: Imported

Bruce has started a new soccer blog, Du Nord. It will surely be more authoritative and enlightening than anything you will read here. Take this genius description of Manchester City's goalkeeper:


But Du Nord is unlikely to include game reports from the Indomitable Drinky Crows. You can only get that here at LNW!

Posted by Paul Demko at March 8, 2005 10:48 AM

 

John Randolph Makeig R.I.P.

Filed under: Imported

My pal Harris pointed out this sweet piece from the Fort Worth Weekly:

He was an accident-prone driver who once tried to persuade his editors that an exceptionally long story he had written — Clarke remembers it being 43 pages long — about a routine fender-bender was the best story of his career and deserved a Pulitzer Prize. It was whittled down to a three-inch brief and buried inside the paper.

Makeig was obsessed with the possibility that a rash of suspect cattle mutilations might be the handiwork of space aliens. When his editors urged him to steer clear of the livestock abduction stories and stick to news on the night police beat, he continued to chase down strange theories during the day. "He went around the corner and off the screen on some of that," Clarke recalled.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 7, 2005 3:32 PM

 

Misc Debris

Filed under: Imported

1. There were two unfortunate errors in my piece about The Current that ran in this week's issue of CP. I got Janis Lane-Ewart's title wrong. She's the executive director of KFAI, not the program director. More significantly I bungled the history of low-power FM radio. Such stations were approved by the FCC in 2000. But Congress, under pressure from the broadcasting industry, subsequently passed legislation severely limiting their presence in urban areas where the FM spectrum is most crowded. A correction will run in next week's paper.

2. I finally caught that Scottish guy's (sorta) new late-night show. Boy does it stink. Even with Don Rickles and Missy Elliot on as guests it was deadly dull. As best I can tell you're supposed to laugh because he talks funny.

3. I'm off to NYC tomorrow morning to meet up with my folks and my brother. On the agenda: "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,"  "The Searchers," Centro-matic, Home, and who knows what else.

4. The Indomitable Drinky Crows suffered their first defeat of the season last Sunday, losing 2-0. We are now in 10th place (out of 30 teams), with a record of 3-1-2. This week we should fare better since I won't be there.

5. You can now access LNW! from www.livenudeweblog.com

Posted by Paul Demko at March 2, 2005 9:51 PM

 

Kings of Leon

Filed under: Imported

Hicksy's disembowelment of the Kings of Leon in this week's CP is fabulous.

I actually paid for their first release. Never have I felt so conned out of $12 in my life. After two listens I mailed the album off to an acquaintance who'd expressed a passing interest in the band for fear that I might mistakenly stick it in my CD player again.

About the only impression I was left with was that lead singer Caleb Followill must suffer from Down's Syndrome or some other horrible disease that prevents him from speaking (or singing) properly. Which made me feel better about the $12.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 2, 2005 1:15 PM

 

Anyone But Kelly

Filed under: Imported

This much can be gleaned about the St. Paul mayor's race from last night's DFL caucuses: Randy Kelly doesn't stand a chance in hell of garnering the DFL endorsement.

Owing in part to poor turnout, only Ward Three broke into sub-caucuses, meaning delegates were given the opportunity to express their preference for mayor. But of the 227 people who stuck around for this tedious exercise in participatory democracy at Highland Park Junior High School, not a single one expressed support for the incumbent mayor. In fact one of the largest sub-caucuses, with 21 members, was ABK: Anyone But Kelly.

Given Kelly's bewildering endorsement of President Bush last year, this outcome is not particularly surprising. But it raises the question of whether Kelly will even attempt to procure the party's support at next month's citywide convention.

The Mayor's campaign manager (and son), Ryan Kelly, insists that he hasn't made up his mind yet. "The Mayor attended his precinct caucus last night and is still undecided about whether he will be seeking the endorsement," Kelly says. "He will be making a decision very soon." 

Posted by Paul Demko at March 2, 2005 11:37 AM

 

More Proof That Dan Rather Hates America

Filed under: Imported

I'm reading a book that came out in 2003 called Charlie Wilson's War. It's the extraordinary tale of how this booze- and pussy-hound Congressman from Lufkin, Texas pretty much single-handedly funded the mujahideen's defeat of the Soviets in Afghanistan.

Interestingly, Wilson was initially inspired to surreptitiously funnel funds to the cause by the intrepid reporting of none other than that pinko communist Dan Rather. Here's the relevant passage:

In those first months of the war Dan Rather made a dramatic trek across the border at a time when the world's attention had already shifted away from the sad story. Among other things, Rather was following up on reports that the CIA had already begun arming the mujahideen. Like most people, Rather assumed that if the CIA was now involved, they meant business. He disguised himself as a mujahid, and the curious sight of the familiar anchor dressed up as an Afghan in his 60 Minutes  report prompted the Washington Post's Tom Shales to dub him "Gunga Dan." The satirical account of his foray into this dangerous war zone diverted attention from Rather's unexpected and accurate conclusion: the CIA's support to the Afghans was almost meaningless. The mujahideen were facing Soviet tanks and flying gunships with World War I rifles and little ammunition.

Charlie Wilson was stunned by Rather's report. He admired his fellow Texan for having the courage to risk his life to expose what Wilson saw as a scandal. Once again, his president was failing to stand up to the test of history. Given the false hope of meaningful U.S. support, there seemed to be nothing in the future for these anti-Communist freedom fighters but defeat.

Soon after watching Rather's report, Wilson dialed up a staff member of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee and directed that U.S. aid to the mujahideen be doubled.

Of course, the book is probably full of lies: It was written by a 60 Minutes producer.

Posted by Paul Demko at March 1, 2005 4:43 PM

 

This Is The Stupidest David Brooks Column Ever!

Filed under: Imported

I'm not saying that people with separate accounts have marriages that are less healthy than anybody else's. I'm saying we should pause before this becomes the social norm. Private property is the basis for our market democracy. But private property in the home is an altogether trickier proposition.

What social ill will Brooks identify next? The destabilizing familial impact of separate marital beds?

( Good news: John Tierney)

Posted by Paul Demko at March 1, 2005 3:19 PM

 

« February 2005 | Main | April 2005 »