Electric Blue



Since I have already incriminated myself by revealing that I'm a closet synth fanatic, I suppose there is no harm in my revealing that "Electric Blue," the new solo album by Erasure vocalist Andy Bell, is absolutely awesome! It sounds a bit like a disco record, and I'm generally turned off by disco, but the tunes are just so unbelievably catchy that I don't even mind the occasional Donna Summer feel.

Yes, I know it's sad, but damned if I don't love electronic music. Any new good punk CD's coming out in the near future? I'll have to keep my eyes open. My own CD is almost finished, just doing some final mixing, but I'm afraid there are only eight punk songs (along with two acoustics and an instrumental), and two are arguably on the emo side, whereas most "real" punk CD's have at least fourteen solid songs. I guess that since punk songs are generally only 2-3 minutes long, it would be a waste of a CD to have any less than that. Fortunately, though, most of my songs are more than three minutes in length, so I think I have a good thirty-five minutes of music. Now whether the songs are actually any good...well that's another story entirely. Hopefully I'll have something up on My Space really soon.

Kids Today

I had a couple of hours to kill between classes today, so I headed over to El Pollo Loco in the hopes of finding a relatively healthy lunch. While waiting in line, I couldn't help but notice the young girl in front of me. She looked to be somewhere between 13 and 15, lively and cute, but it was her t-shirt that caught my attention. It featured an image of Che Guevara. Now living in southern California, I see people donning such shirts every day, and I often wonder how many of them really understand the message that Che's image conveys. So, noticing that the line at El Pollo Loco was going nowhere fast, I said hello to the girl and asked her, "What interests you about Che Guevara?" Her response: "Who is Che Guevara?"

I was speechless.

And the Cable News War Wages On...



This morning I woke up and turned on MSNBC. What I saw really surprised me; the woman doing news commentary was Monica Crowley. You know Monica...attractive blond woman who has often been seen on Fox, sometimes substituting for Sean Hannity when Sean is out of town or on vacation. I think she's actually related to Alan Colmes in some way...where did I hear that? Can't remember...Anyway, this is the second time in recent memory I have seen a familiar Fox personality move to a more prominent position on MSNBC, the other example of course being Rita Cosby. Lord knows MSNBC could use the ratings, and I think it's very wise that they are approaching people who have sort of been screwed by Fox (in other words, kept in the background and not given opportunities to live up to their potential) and offering them contracts with full-time exposure.

I say it's about time! Rita is one of the most prolific journalists of our day, always managing to somehow get the interviews that Diane Sawyer would kill for (for instance, I don't think anyone besides Rita has ever interviewed Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat side by side), and Monica Crowley is just...well...really hot (not to mention sharp as a knife). Fox should really learn from this. Rita was a faithful asset to them for years and never managed to acheive anything besides her little weekend show, and Monica Crowley is just...well...really hot. Are you listening, Roger Ailes? I think Lisa Bernhard is looking pretty good to the other cable news networks right about now. You might want to think about that...

Hang In There, Dr. Bennett!




I've been awake going on 27 hours now. This is how I reset my sleep cycle. If I need to get used to going to sleep at a different time than my body is accustomed to, I simply skip a night of sleep, and then the next night I have no trouble falling asleep at the new time. Weird? Maybe. Masochistic? Quite. Still, it's better than sleeping pills. I don't even mind the headaches and stomach pains so much. However I am writing this from school, and in about an hour I have to drive home, which is about fourteen miles from here. I'd better get some caffeine in my system.

Anyway, that aside, I really feel bad for Bill Bennett. I don't agree with all of his positions, but this guy is in no way a fringe right-winger, nor an extremist by any measure of the word. I've listened to his radio show and cable news musings countless times, and if anything, he's one of the more honest, decent, level-headed Republican figures out there. He is certainly not a racist, although in the minds of some, a racist is a word for anybody who doesn't enthusiastically embrace the Democratic agenda. Case in point: Al Sharpton. On a recent episode of The Factor, Rev. Sharpton accused President Bush of being against black people, and when asked for an example as to why, his response was "affirmative action." Well, I'm against race-based preferences. I think they demean women and minorities and only hinder their progress in this society. Does that mean that I am against black people? That's like saying that a person who opposes PETA is against animals. Then again, I'm sure that some of my friends on the left would agree with that notion as well. How far we've come...

But back to Dr. Bennett. Some news outlets, like the UK's Guardian and our own MSNBC (which I regularly watch, by the way), have actually omitted key portions of Bennett's controversial observation to make it sound as though he actually advocates the abortion of black babies. Now I'm not much for the big "liberal media" conspiracy these days, but that is just shameful, regardless of where you may stand on the issues. The man was arguing what a horrific thing it would be to use abortion for economic benefits, and he's absolutely right.

And then there are other outlets, like Media Matters, which have noted Bennett's entire statement, but proceeded to attack him nonetheless, arguing that his implications about crime and race were inappropriate. Well, that may be true, but I can say from experience that when your job is to speak extemporaneously in a debate-like format, you're bound to misspeak from time to time. It happens. It happens to Democrats; it happens to Republicans. Perhaps Dr. Bennett would have been better served had he replaced the word "black" with "poor," as I might have done. So yes, in that regard, you can argue that his comments were insensitive, but racist? I fail to see how it is racist to allude to the overwhelming statistics about the relationship between crime and race. For more on this, I refer you to this great recent article by Larry Elder. The numbers are staggering. Now I'm saying that race is to blame for crime, and I don't think that Dr. Bennett was saying that either. I would attribute crime more to poverty and illegitimacy, but the sad truth is, a disproportionate number of African Americans are poor and from broken homes. So Bill Bennett was right. Race may not be the "cause" of crime, but it is most definitely a huge factor, so let's not ignore the elephant in the room. Dr. Bennett was attempting, in the spur of the moment, to concoct a worst case scenario, an illustration that was, well..."morally reprehensible." And judging by the media's response, I think he hit a homerun.

Finally, a few last words about the media. Where was the public journalistic outrage when Hillary Clinton made her insensitive comments about Ghandi? When Jesse Jackson referred to Jews as "hymies?" When Louis Farrakhan praised Adolf Hitler? How about Howard Dean likening African Americans to mere blue collar servants? I'm starting to think I should re-examine this whole liberal media thing...

Just got back from a great show a little while ago:Joy Electric featuring The Calico Sunset. I daresay it was the smallest venue in which I have ever seen a concert; it was held at a synth shop in downtown Pomona called Analogue Haven. The show was fantastic, and I met some really cool people while there. The acoustics in the room were great, and everything was up close and personal.

This was the third time I've seen Joy Electric, and I think Ronnie gets better every time I watch him perform. Last time I saw him perform (at a club in Anaheim) it was just him and a small analogue synth, but tonight he had two other performers with him, and there was a total of four (not, one, not two, but FOUR) analogue synthesizers being used, two of them Roland SH-101's. I was in absolute awe. I know I usually emphasize the punk aspect of my music tastes, but the truth is, I'm actually a flaming synth nerd at heart. Seeing tangled wires spread across a carpet, connecting keyboard synths with samplers, mixers and other apparatus gets me absolutely aroused. Now you know my dirty little secret. If I had the cash, I'd run out right now and buy a Voyager Electric Blue and a bunch of fx processors. and then just lock myself in my room. Now that I think about it, maybe it's a good thing I can't afford that stuff.

On another note, Calico Sunset was also pretty awesome. Their sound made me think of what New Order might sound like if Gwen Steffani sang lead. They were extremely friendly too. And Ronnie, of course, was as cool as ever. Every time I go to a Joy Electric show, he gives me a free autographed poster, and tonight was no exception. Joy E and Calico are performing again in two weeks at a different venue, and I plan to attend that as well. Calico ran out of CD's before I could buy one, and that severely disappointed me, as did the fact that I forgot my camera. So thank God I have a second chance. Tonight made me remember why I love California. Where else can a person just hop into their car on a Saturday night and stroll into an electronics store to see one of their favorite bands play? Well, perhaps any major city, but still...

Lastly, a note about the live experience. I have been to so many shows...punk shows, ska shows, metal shows, synth shows, rock shows, goth shows (now I'm starting to sound like Bubba from Forrest Gump)...But there's no way to bottle the live experience and carry it with you. It is entirely in the moment. Every show feels like the first, because it isn't until the music starts playing that I can fully recall the energy, the adrenaline, the excitement...

Good times...