There Goes MY Hero!

I remember when I first heard Husker Dü...it was the summer of 1984 and me and my friend Hank purchased Zen Arcade at the Listening Booth in the mall. We went back to Hank's house, put on the LP, and lit a joint. I must say that was one of the most trans-formative moments of my youth...The music that we heard was raw, honest and heartfelt--unlike most of the music that was played on the radio at that time.

In my opinion, Zen Arcade was up there with Duran Duran's Rio The Cure's The Top, Simple Minds' New Gold Dream..., and Prince's Dirty Mind. Though the artists I mentioned are all different, they were willing to make music that didn't sound like anything else before. Husker Dü managed to make music that captured my imagination and compelled me to LISTEN to the lyrics of a song rather than the beat or samples. The songs by Bob Mould were the ones that really caught my ear and my imagination. When I listened to his songs, I felt as if he was singing about me--but I guess that's one of the skills a good songwriter possesses. "Broken Home, Broken Heart" is still one of my all time favorite songs.

When I heard the band dissolved in 1986, I was heartbroken. I didn't think I would hear from Bob Mould again. Flash forward to 1993 and hear a familiar voice on the local alternative radio station...it's none other that Bob Mould fronting his new band, Sugar! I was stoked to hear the loud guitars and fantastic melodies once again--and Mould added a pop music element to the songs as well--Genius! But Sugar only lasted a few years and they broke up in 1995--at the height of their popularity. There are a lot bands that were influenced by Husker Dü such as Nirvana, the Pixies, and REM to name a few. Yes, Bob Mould is one of the godfathers of the modern alternative sound...and he deserves much more recognition.

This week, Mould is releasing his autobiography that chronicles his life journey from before Husker Dü to present day. I'm looking forward to this book because I have always felt as if Bob and I are kindred spirits...though he's more talented than me! I liked how he handled his coming out of the closet and that he's still making great music that still speaks to me.

Thank you Bob, for staying true to your vision and kicking out the jams! You are my hero!

Phonte and Nicolay in the Hizza!

Foreign Exchange at the World Cafe tonight! Can't wait to see them tear the ish up!

We Can Be Heroes.

The interwebs and the gay blogoshpere are aflutter with the recent announcement from Ken Mehlman that he is gay. This came as no surprise to those in the elite social/political circles in Washington DC. Mehlman who was the campaign manager during Bush version 2's reelection run oversaw some of the most homophobic, anti-gay campaigns--specifically getting 11 states to pass anti-gay and anti gay marriage amendments. He also was a key supporter of everyone's favorite homophobe Mr. Rick Santorum.

In recent interviews Mr. Mehlman claims that he was only one person in the Republican party and he could not change what was going on because he wasn't comfortable with who he was. His exact words, "As I’ve said, one thing I regret a lot is the fact that I wasn’t in the position I am today where I was comfortable with this part of my life, where I was able to be an advocate against that [strategy] and able to be someone who argued against it. I can’t change that – it is something I wish I could and I can only try to be helpful in the future." As a practicing Buddhist, I am all about forgiveness and I hope Mr. Mehlman has a happy, 'comfortable' life living in the posh Chelsea area of NYC. I hope he will make amends for the carnage he unleashed upon millions in the LGBT community.

What concerns me about this whole ordeal is that some gay folks will call Mehlman a 'hero' for coming out so publicly--I am referring to the Log Cabin republicans and 'gay patriots.' Evidently Mehlman gets a free pass from these groups since he's still a Republican. But I digress. In a few years the gay community will all but forget what Mehlman did because he will pull out his Rolodex and get some of his rich friends to fund another insipid HRC event or sponsor a log cabin republican gala. Ta, Da! Hero status achieved! Throw money at any problem or give money to an LGBT organization and all is forgiven. But not so fast--before we give Ken his cape I have a name we should consider: Lawrence King. Do you remember him?

Lawrence was a 15 year old gay boy who was shot twice in the head by one of his fellow class mates. He died two days later after he was taken off life support. The story in itself is tragic as King came from a broken home and was constantly bullied in school for being effeminate and flamboyant. King had the balls to embrace who he was and come to school everyday were he was being beat and taunted by his peers--he was fearless.

Unfortunately King's bravery cost him his life; but for those short 15 years he lived them with honesty and integrity--now that is what I call a HERO. We should remember people like Lawrence King, Charlie Howard, Rebecca Wight, Brandon Teena and Andrew Anthos who died for having the courage to live their life openly and with honor.

So before we start calling Ken Mehlman a hero, let's not forget those who walked the walk and didn't have the luxury to hide behind their political ideology for hear of being 'found out.' As I said before, I wish Ken all the luck in the world, but I believe he has a long way to go before he reaches hero status.

House Cleaning.

Yes, I have been away for a while. Time for me to clean the cob webs off my blog and start taking names and kicking some ass. More to come.

Make it Go Away! Or Why I Don't Like Auto-Tune.

I love music, really I do. I am a child of the 80s and I love the fact that most artists from the 80s were willing to try anything different. Hence, most of the artists from the 80s [Prince, Elvis Costello, Simple Minds, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Pet Shop Boys and early hip-hop] had a distinct sound. While some say most of the 80s music was 'over-produced'--a term I think does a disservice to the era, I will say that many of the artists weren't willing to sound like each other and tried to make a sound that was there own. I believe the artists from this era have not discovered that sense of musical experimentation.

Case in point, the artist [I'm using that term lightly] Ke$ha professes she doesn't use auto-tune. But as I was listening to her sing in the video Blah, Blah, Blah it sound like yes, she does use auto-tune and other studio wizardry to enhance her vocals. But she's not the only one who uses auto-tune; Little Wayne, TI, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Cher, Drake and countless others have used this tool. Now, I don't mind if an artist uses a studio gimmick to create a certain sound, but when several artists start to use the same trick, well, it gets tiresome. Top 40 radio is filled with songs that have artists vocal tracks laced with the infamous studio trick--it's as if all the songs were sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks--and that's not a good thing.

The music industry has taken so many hits in the past decade I guess the big wigs figure if they can make music with a gimmick, people will buy it. Unfortunately,  we now have music that is boring, bland and doesn't challenge the listener. While I blame the record execs for this trickery and wanting to make a quick buck, I also have to call out the 'artists' who are too lazy to challenge their fan-base and themselves to grow and try something new. I don't like auto-tune because it's the easy way out for making a hit record and it has become the fall-back production tool for enhancing vocals.

I'd like to see some like Ke$ha scrap the whole auto-tune trickery and do something brave. Hey, maybe her next CD will be in the same vein as ABC's "Beauty Stab." Somehow I doubt she's willing to take that bold step and grow as an artist and challenge her listeners like Martin Fry did--but I could be wrong. Only time will tell.

In a World Full of "Amazing" Singers, We Really Lost One This Time.

Lena Horne was a class act. When people talk about 'amazing' singers they are usually referring to those who prance around a stage with rhythm track and lots of dubbed vocals. Ms. Horne represented a class of singer that we no longer see--one who has the ability to render any song into something beautiful and otherworldly. Lena you can now sing with your fellow songbirds; Ella, Billie, Dinah, Nina, Blossom, and Minnie. Thanks for your fantastic contribution to American culture! You will be missed. 

Lies the Governor Told Me.

It seems that Gov. Chris Christie has wasted no time in doing what he promised those who voted for him--that is to really screw up the state of New Jersey. Now he's ousting the only black justice and nominating a lawyer with long experience in private practice [meaning a corporatist lawyer]. While I am no fan of John E. Wallace, he was the only black justice on the supreme court of NJ. 


This does not look good for minorities of NJ. I suspect that Christie is trying to reshape the court so that it will side with corporations and his political views rather than handing out justice and protecting those who need it the most. 
Another thing: What happened to 'everyone' sacrificing to fix the skyrocketing deficit? IT seems that those who make over 400K a year will be getting tax cuts, while those who miss the mark will pay dearly. 


To those who voted for him and are feeling the effects of his callous cuts in education and social services, I don't feel sorry for you--You Deserve the Government You Voted For. For those who didn't I hope you can ride out the disasters that are to come for the next few years.