And now something completely different: the whole of Roger Waters' "video album" for The Final Cut. And "the Fletcher Memorial Home" is still very relevant, isn't it?
Sandy Denny's non-Fairport band(in this case fronted by her husband, the late Trevor Lucas) doing Bob Dylan's "Too Much of Nothing." I'm hardly a folkie(though you may have noticed, my taste is very, very eclectic), but I make a big exception when we're talking about British folk-rock. I'm a sucker for it.
For instance, here's also Richard & Linda Thompson doing "A Heart Needs A Home" on the BBC in 1970.
And let's add Trevor Lucas again, fronting Fairport, with the haunting "Polly On The Shore."
Oh, and before I forget--Don't forget to check in at This Sickness! Keep those pageviews coming, and thanks once again to all of you for your support.
I didn't think footage of her apart from the same clip I've seen for years of performing "Solo" existed, but here she is: the greatest female British vocalist ever(well, neck-and-neck with Kate Bush), Sandy Denny, performing "the North Star Grassman & the Ravens" and more. God bless YouTube.
Dr. Bruce Cockburn's timeless classic, which was once about our policy in Central America. And it's even more relevant today. This is what it looks like when a pacifist gets angry.
(Unfortunately, embedding isn't allowed on this one. Sorry.)
I was not aware there were any other fans of the Fixx out there! In response to the large amounts of thanks I got in my comments and by e-mail, here's two more. "Saved By Zero":
And "Less Cities, More Moving People."
And just a little curveball at you: Kate Bush's "Sat In Your Lap."
The most recent film by Lars Von Trier is out on DVD, and I just finished watching it. Possibly one of the ten most morally tricky and disturbing movies I've ever seen(even more so than Dogville, to which it's a sequel). In case you haven't heard, it's about an American town in the 1930s where slavery never ended.
As someone who was not only raised in Charleston, SC(a place probably more guilty regarding slavery than any other, as it was the commercial conduit through which the whole business was transacted--think of Wall Street and stocks and you get an idea), but in fact has plantation owners in his family tree--and I imagine this must be how the grandchildren of German Nazis must feel--it's a particularly raw issue for me. I remember about a decade ago, back in Charleston for a few months, watching Politically Incorrect(remember that?) with some friends and the issue was SC's ridiculous insistence on retaining the rebel flag at Columbia's state house.
There was a little bit of a discussion and argument amongst myself and my friends. I said the damn thing should be burned; the South not only lost, it was wrong in the first place, and it has to grow up and accept it, otherwise it'll always be the bitter backwards part of America, obsessed with its past(a very Southern disease, as anyone who's read Faulkner will know), and delude itself into thinking itself a victim, instead of coming to terms with its past and improving.
Which, despite the rebel-yelling rednecks, they've largely managed to do.
I was the only one in the room who was born in the South, that had not only roots there but roots specifically relevant to the discussion. I was also the only one in the room who didn't go off on a pathetic, angry defense of the rebel flag as "heritage." (of what? Whipping black men till their backs were red ribbons of ruined flesh? Whatever) Which says something about that debate, I think. Those who defend that flag the most have the least true stake in it.
I'm still piecing together just what I think of Manderlay, but I think it'll take a few more viewings. But you? Check it out immediately.
Jon Stewart dissects Bush's lame, desperate press conference a few days back. And oh, by the way, you get to see Bush say, straight out, Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
The number of people who consider the Republican Party friendly to religion has dipped below half in the last year, with declines among white evangelicals and white Catholics.
More here. Which doesn't mean they're going Democratic or anything. But this autumn, they might just stay home and, I don't know, pray or something.
And while we're on the subject of religion, here's the South Park Mormons episode for ya.
Seriously, that's the concept for the first half of the new season: five teams divided along racial lines. Segregated, if you will. I'm not exaggerating. More here.
So now that they've embedded an overt comfort with sociopathic decision-making, human dispensibility and Spencerian backstabbing into the culture(look at your boss or bosses, and co-workers, the past six years), they're moving on to finding new ways for ethnic groups to hate each other. We needed more of those!
I believe "WTF?" is the only proper response. What the hell is going on over at CBS anyway?
A new installment of Soft Ceilingfinds Rosa providing kind comfort to her newly canned co-worker Renata. It's very touching, really. A tribute to feminine unity.
The opening, or rather about 4 minutes of it. Unfortunately, it has French subtitles, but it's still beautiful to look at. And then there's the absolutely gorgeous music of the great Krautrock band Popol Vuh.
Which means Pat Robertson must really be screwing up. Or maybe they got angry because, in one of the few lucid moments of his career, he recently admitted the existence of global warming.
Whatever. This also means the GOP is losing one of its primary means of votes and contributions. Whereas corporations may make up the shortfall, they can't vote. (Well, except Diebold) And they give to both sides. Even Enron did.
It'll be an interesting and, hopefully, satisfying fall election. As we know from 1992, the only thing that assures Republican success is a huge war chest.
From a Sidney Blumenthal piece at Salon, a lovely bit of probably unintentional candor from the chimp's press conference a few days back:
Asked at his press conference what invading Iraq had to do with Sept. 11, Bush seemed so dumbfounded that at first he answered directly. "Nothing," he said, before sliding into a falsely aggrieved self-defense -- "except for it's part of -- and nobody has ever suggested in this administration that Saddam Hussein ordered the attack."
It bombed, as it deserved. This is being taken as proof by executives in Hollywood that internet hype does not help a film, but I think they're missing the point. Obviously this worked for the Blair Witch Project, but that's because they made you curious and masterfully created a completely synthetic myth, to the point that many believed the main characters were real people and that they actually died.
The reason SoaP became such a phenomenon was because of its apparent and clear high-concept dumbness. It was being mocked, not hyped, and Hollywood, lacking irony and desperate for a hit, thought this meant that the public was really hungry to see a movie about snakes on a fucking plane. No, they just were making fun of Hollywood's total lack of imagination. And that costs nothing.
But when you actually have to pay money to sit through two hours of total crap, things change. "So bad it's good" isn't worth ten bucks, particularly if you can just wait for it to come out on Netflix. And also if the movie is, in fact, so bad it's, uh, bad. In another era this film would have been wisely, quietly shelved. Oh well, maybe they can make some of it back on airline showings. Oh wait...
Their minimum wage is now $8. Like you can live in that state on less than, or even that! But still a step in the right direction. Another reason I miss that crazy, but fun, state. Damn you, Enron.
****************** And lest we forget: a new installment of "Soft Ceiling" in This Sickness today. And Friday--it starts to get really dirty. Click on it, and keep those pageviews coming; after less than two weeks it's already topped 10,000! Thank you, everyone! For some reason you like dirty stuff. How strange and unusual...
In addition, there's a wealth of Katrina footage on YouTube that shows you more detail than any documentary, no matter how thorough, designed to be broadcast could. For instance, this YouTube playlist I assembled features a good sampling:
The alliance between George Bush and Tony Blair is in danger after it was revealed that the Prime Minister believes the President has 'let him down badly' over the Middle East crisis.
The source said: "We all feel badly let down by Bush. We thought we had persuaded him to take the Israel-Palestine situation seriously, but we were wrong. How can anyone have faith in a man of such low intellect?"
Why do you think you're getting so much video? For a change of pace, here's the very funny Chan Lowe with a message to the idiots I still see driving these things. Who must be quite wealthy, gas prices being what they are. Or perhaps the illusion of potency really is that important.
I'm happy to see it getting such good reception. Friday, as I incessantly mention, sees the start of the epic-length Soft Ceiling, so please keep comin' back. Thanks to the, apparently, thousands of you who support it so far. I love you very much. Did I say that?
I was just interviewed by Joey Manley for a Talkaboutcomics.com podcast having to do with This Sickness (click on it) and other projects I'm doing. I will post the link when I know what it is...
From Lumiere & Company, in which 40 filmmakers around the world were given a 100-year-old camera belonging to the Lumiere Brothers and asked to do a film of about a minute, which is apparently how long the camera can film at a time.
I am writing a lot less about politics lately. But I'm not particularly interested in saying the same shit stinks every day.
And I like showing people cool stuff, too. Andrew Sullivan is correct when he calls YouTube a gift from the gods, though that is an odd thing for a devout Catholic like him to be saying.
It's Wednesday and that means This Sickness has updated, with the conclusion of the current story, "a."Go have a look! And come back Friday for the beginning of Soft Ceiling, an epic-length farce that will definitely offend anyone who the first episode hasn't. Keep those pageviews coming (you've made it a rate of nearly a thousand a day so far, and thank you!) and help me get a proper advertiser!
In other mercenary matters, I've put a lot more stuff up for sale at Ebay and Amazon, which makes it nearly 250 items of music, movies, books and more, many of which are rare and out-of-print for you to purchase. Have a look and help out a struggling cartoonist! (and of course the Shameless Merchandising Shop is always open for business)
In particular, ending in less than 24 hours: Chris Ware's ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #1 and #10, and the ACME Standup Display. Only place you can get it for under $150. It was a wedding present, and that's exactly why I'm selling it! Let my stinky memories be your gain. (note: see listing for actual condition description. Stock photo below)
Lieberman is so desperate for backing for his vanity run at his now-disappeared Senate seat that he's asking people outside his constituency (i.e. Connecticut) for help in his fight to regain said seat from his constituency, who decided Lamont should have it instead.
How long before he bites the bullet and simply becomes the Republican candidate? (And how many of his donors will be Republicans?)
The training was so intensive that one in three potentials failed to pass the course, which is significant when considering the context of their "application;" they were selected individuals, not volunteers.
Just a reminder to y'all that This Sicknesswill be updating with a new installment this evening(and every Monday, Wednesday & Friday) at 12 midnight Central time, continuing the very filthy "a." starring Rosa & Annalisa. I've also updated the cast list with lots of artwork and bios. Click, bookmark and pass on to everyone you know. (remember: Not safe for work and only for those above 18)
Also: this is just the overture to the even filthier, and epic-length, R & A tale, Soft Ceiling, which will begin Friday, August 18. Watch for it! (and look in the character bios for sneak preview snippets of the artwork)
And thanks for everyone for helping me get so many hits in my first week! You are all beloved to me.
And about time too, though his hilarious Hostess ads section never gets old. Much nicer-looking and less cluttered. He's also added a lot of stuff, particularly to his equally great Stupid Comic Ads page and more! Have a look at the work of Portland's funniest son of a bitch.
Sen. Joe Lieberman filed to run for re-election in November as an independent, saying Wednesday it would be "irresponsible and inconsistent with my principles" to quit. But Democratic leaders in Washington rallied around the man who beat him for the nomination, Ned Lamont.
In a statement issued in Washington, two top Senate Democrats - Harry Reid of Nevada and Chuck Schumer of New York - said they "fully support" Lamont, an anti-war candidate who tapped into voter anger over Lieberman's support of the Iraq war.
"The perception was that (Lieberman) was too close to George Bush and this was, in many respects, a referendum on the president more than anything else," said Reid and Schumer, the party's leader and the head of its campaign committee, respectively.
Similarly, Lieberman's fellow Connecticut senator, Chris Dodd, who had been campaigning for Lieberman, said he regretted his close friend's decision and would now campaign for Lamont.
The final returns from Tuesday's primary showed Lamont defeating Lieberman 52 percent to 48 percent.
Remember, Joe. Dance with the one who brung ya. But in fact he still hasn't learned that, because he spoke of this defeat as just one battle in a war he refuses to leave. He seemed to still be nursing the delusion he can run as an independent. Perhaps the Republicans will take him; it's not like he has anything to lose by putting both feet on the deck of the sinking ship. And also, the candidate they had prepared--if any--was no doubt a weak one, as the last thing the GOP wanted was to lose Lieberman. He's their pet Democrat.
I bet he joins the GOP. Let's watch.
The pictures that ended a career.
Here's Lamont recently on Colbert:
And Lieberman's completely lame ad against Lamont, which is an abuse of animation, but that only underscores Joe Lieberman's historical tone-deafness on cultural issues (and incidentally, it's very amusing that he's accusing the other side of being a cat's--er, bear's--paw for larger influences). Fitting a censor should make such a crappy cartoon.
And you wondered why I had it so in for him; it wasn't just his support of Bush, or the war. Lieberman, remember, is also a would-be censor. We're well rid of the fella.
I was mistaken; though This Sickness will indeed be seen at Adultwebcomics.com every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, they're only launching one strip a day this first week, so my stuff will actually begin tonight at midnight CST. But that does mean the second installment will be coming up the next day, so you won't have to be patient any more than that!
That would be what's advertised in that banner to your left!
This Sickness has begun at Adult Webcomics, and will show you utter filth every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the foreseeable future. (also, it's tooncastable, but not here. Go there for comics and details.) It's an umbrella title for, well, pretty much any smut I feel like drawing. And it's ad-supported, unlike the other Webcomics Nation(of which this is a part--that's Moderntales.com and the like, which do not allow "explicit" material) sites, so you can read it for free. So--if you're over 18--you know you wanna click.
But be warned--it's definitely not safe for work. The first five installments: Rosa & Annalisa in "a." Next, starting August 18, the much longer and never-before-seen (because Eros Comix bumped it for "Gulag Gangbang")"Soft Ceiling," which is the real smut. This is just the overture.
Jesus, this one's a shock: the same animator, apparently, doing "Alcohol" by the Kinks, from the great album(well, it's a favorite of mine anyway, as are the Kinks, who could kick the Beatles' hackneyed, overrated asses any day of the week) Muswell Hillbillies.
I knew I remembered seeing this as a kid! The cartoon video for Jim Croce's Bad Bad Leroy Brown(apparently sung by Sonny & Cher, as it appeared on their TV show, but hey).
I've spent much of my life finding Victor Borge annoying, so it's quite a shock to see he did one of my favorite bits from, yes, again, The Electric Company.
And now a little live action from The Electric Company. (with Morgan Freeman, in the days before he played the black mentor to the white leading man in almost every freaking film)
When I was a kid I had the worst crush on Judy Graubart(the brunette who isn't Rita Moreno; you may remember her as "Jennifer of the Jungle). Probably explains my fixation to this day on brunettes. And 70s-looking women.
"Eternity in the company of Beelzebub, and all of his hellish instruments of death, will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me & this pencil." --E. Blackadder, 1789 Questionable
words & pictures from John Linton Roberson