12/31/08
12/29/08
Super special thanks to all you good folks who made it out to the Khyber Sunday night for THE HEADIES set. We appreciate your being there, and it was great to see you, specifically: Bobby, Brendan, Bridget, and the DE crew James, Murph, Grant, Timmy, MC Ben and hundreds of others. Wow! I've never seen the place so packed!
Do me favor, make it two in a row! Enjoy a solo acoustic set from our MAIN MAN Brian Mcgee THIS EVENING, TONIGHT, MONDAY 12/29 @ MOJO 13 in Wilmington, DE. All of you!
TOUGH GIG
The cement in the shoes we are asking Mr. President-Elect Barack Obama to fill continues to thicken. In the past few weeks, a popular memetic consideration being bantered about has been the fact that this job Mr. Obama is taking on is quite difficult, and will no doubt prove taxing and thankless. "I'm glad I don't have to take that job right now" you may have heard from someone recently.
This is a fair assessment, to say the least. Mr. Obama's duties are truly unsurpassed in the history of America. More than three wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, terror, plus Philipines, Korea, South America, drugs, et al), a collapsing financial system, a withering infrastructure, a pessimistic citizenry, and his mother-in-law in the White House!
Adding to the turmoil that will surround his inauguration, fireworks are going off throughout the world (not the good kind).
In Israel, Israeli bombs killed more than three hundred people over the weekend, shattering any hopes of strengthening what was already a sham of a ceasefire.
Recent attacks in Mumbai shocked the Indian subcontinent.
In the Congo an ebola epidemic is rising, and nobody wants to see that go the wrong way!
Point is, the man does have a tough job, so get out there and say it, however best you see fit!
And lets all hope that despite the difficulty, our man pulls it together and makes a run at some peace and prosperity.
Homosexuals and rational people everywhere were miffed at Mr. Obama's choice of Pastor Rick Warren, he of the queer=pedophile ilk, for inclusion at his inauguration. But let us hope that this is a sign of Barack's ability to lead and bring disparate groups together. The disparities he will be addressing as President (Hamas/Israel, Sunni/Shiite, USA/Al Qaieda, disease/health, violence/peace, North/South Korea, North/South Dakota, et al) will pale in comparison to our internal squabbles, as important as those squabbles may be. So maybe we need a guy who can look Rick Warren in the eye and not flinch, even if Rick Warren is an asshole. And maybe he needs to be able to look Vladimir Putin, Tzipi Livni, Gordon Brown and Mahmoud Abmadinejad in the eye as well, and work from that point for better or worse.
All I'm saying is, I wouldn't want to be stepping into that job right now, for sure.
Do You Believe It?
In a game and a season that was a microcosm of two careers which both began here in Philadelphia, ten years ago, Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid managed to scratch out a win against the Cowboys in Philadelphia.
Honestly, when the Eagles were unable to muster more than a field goal against the lowly Redskins, I gave up on the season, and considered them out of the running mathmatically, psychologically, and in my heart.
And yet here we were, early Sunday afternoon, ready to start watching what seemed just hours ago to be impossible (or, at least, highly unlikely): a game with playoff ramifications for the Birds, beyond the opportunity to knock out Dallas in either case. But the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Chicago Bears managed to shit the bed in outlandish style, and here we stood, at 4:30 PM, on the brink of a playoff berth for the once favorite sons of Philadelphia, football's own Philadelphia Eagles.
The road to this point has been long and harried for our Birds, rife with betrayal, collapse, disappointment, lack of cohesion, frustration, and embarrassment. Again, this thread weaves beyond this season all the way to the beginning. Injuries and infighting have clipped their wings before, and when those things fail, the Eagles have never been afraid to rely on utter failure.
They have been slaves to themselves, slaves to the clock, consistently.
And yet, Mr. Reid and Mr. McNabb stand out as some of the most successful people to ever fill their particular shoes for the Eagles. Reid, the winningest coach in Birds history, still manages to boggle the mind with his poor decision making and clock management.
McNabb, the Eagles QB with the most completions, yards, and touchdowns of any Eagles QB ever, came into this game with a sack full of baggage to go along with his numerous division championships and Super Bowl loss. Like Reid, McNabb can dazzle and impress beyond expectation, and fall flat on his face the very next game, if not on the very next play.
The Eagles don't need to do this this season. The Phillies' incredible run through the post season has this city on a high that we still can't quite get a grip on. The disappointment that has been the Eagles season thus far has been more tolerable than under any other circumstances, fully due to them Phightin' Phils.
But the Eagles won tonight! They whooped up on them Cowboys but GOOD, and who'd have believed it. I had to cackle, obnoxiously, I'll admit, upon seeing Mr. Romo, face to ground, hands to helmet, crying into his face mask again.
For goodness' sake, it is too good. It's almost funny.
But this brings us to where we need to be. The Birds finished hot, despite their abysmal performance against the 'skins. Today's game shows a Philadelphia Eagles team which is strong, united, and ready to perform.
You could easily see this team falling apart again, scoring 5 points against the Vikings and heading home. But you can just as easily see this team gelling hard, blasting the Vikings (as they should, and will) and heading into Giants' stadium strong and ready. Them Birds could get to the Super Bowl yet!
I believe. And I don't know what would happen if the Eagles won the Super Bowl, in this most unlikely of seasons. The euphoria in this town will be unsurpassed. Two parades in six months!!!!!
My blood is green. Again. [also, red]
12/26/08
pick your posion(s)
The next couple of days, as you know, presents Delaware Valleyans with a plethora of entertainment options. Each is magnificent in its own right, and each deserves serious consideration of attendance on your part.
I lay them out here for your edification:
TONIGHT, Friday, December 26, 2008
TOMMY MURRAY & SCOTT MATHEWS @ Pastabilities 10pm
Sunday December 28, 2008 @ the KHYBER
Monday December 29, 2008 @ Mojo 13
BRIAN MCGEE solo showcase
Wednesday December 31, 2008 @ the SPOT
HEADIES, COUNT VON COUNT, SEXON HORSES, APE!,
HOLY DIRT, IN/10/CITY, DEER GEAR doors @ 6pm
Delaware, and Creep Records' own Tommy Murray returns to the Pastabilities 'stage' Friday 12/26 @ 10pm with Scott Matthews. Great food & times.
----------
HEADIES @ KHYBER 12/28
w/ the Mojo Christmas Cover Crew, reprising what we did in Wilmington last week in Philadelphia next week! Future Unwritten, Kitty Rotten, and also Silverghost.
Philly crew come out! Wilmington crew come up!
------------------------------
Brian McGee @ Mojo 13 This special performance will take place on Monday 12/29, where Brian will be the showcase performer of the evening.
The rest of the evening, as always on Mondays, will be an open mic forum, with any and all of you so inclined welcome to step onto the stage and regale us with your mastery of rap, poetry, metal, the acoustic guitar, and/or more.
Yours truly will be behind the bar, and likely to get up and lay down a number or two myself, as time permits.
Come on out for this holiday Monday performance and represent Delaware HARD.
=============
[click pic for giant printable version]
12/22/08
12/19/08
Join me for a FREE acoustic Holiday Cover Set TONIGHT @ Pastabilities
10pm 415 N. Lincoln St.
Wilmington, DE 19805
Live acoustic music EVERY Friday. TONIGHT w/ me, Rachel Schain, Patrick Derns, & Jimmy Dukenfield
Believe that!
ENDLESS MIKE JAMBOX
Live @ the Punk Rock Prom North Street Newark, DE 2005
As originally posted @ the danthology site, and recorded by Mr. Laser Blade.
12/18/08
12/17/08
Well, look who's wandering out from the switchgrass....
Well if it isn't young Brian McGee, slingin his way on up the East Coast with a promised stop on Claymont's own Philadelphia Pike, at a little place we like to call the Mojo 13 Bar & Entertainment Center. This special performance will take place on Monday 12/29, where Brian will be the showcase performer of the evening.
The rest of the evening, as always on Mondays, will be an open mic forum, with any and all of you so inclined welcome to step onto the stage and regale us with your mastery of rap, poetry, metal, the acoustic guitar, and/or more.
Yours truly will be behind the bar, and likely to get up and lay down a number or two myself, as time permits.
Come on out for this holiday Monday performance and represent Delaware HARD.
Tommy Murray @ Pastabilities 12/26!
Delaware, and Creep Records' own Tommy Murray returns to the Pastabilities 'stage' Friday 12/26 @ 10pm with Scott Matthews. Great food & times.
THIS FRIDAY 12/19 prepare for performances by Patrick Derns, Digman Void, and more TBA.
12/16/08
: UPDATE :
Secret Service gets a 'D' for their Performance During Shoe Fiasco.
After watching it a good few times, it is evident that there is no movement of the Secret Service towards POTUS until well after the second shoe is thrown.
To be fair, the entire 'incident' took place over only 3 or so seconds, from the time he started to throw the first shoe until the time he is tackled by fellow reporters. It takes over four seconds for any agent to really make any significant move towards the President, and within seven seconds the President is surrounded by what looks to be more than 10 agents.
Still, the thought arises: what had this been a grenade and we were today mourning the loss of our 43rd President George W. Bush? (This brings me to Bush's final grade for the incident.... C+. He gets high marks for dodging that first throw so masterfully. But by the time the second shoe is thrown, he needs have already hit the deck. Again, his brain says "just a shoe" but Richard Reid there in the crowd may have different ideas. He loafs around the podium and swipes away the second shoe. Sheesh+.) But had this been the case, had Bush been assassinated in Iraq yesterday, it would have been a national tragedy. This because the assassination of a sitting President is always an abhorrent affront to democracy, but also because it would give Cheney four or so weeks at the healm, and also because it would, in a lot of ways, allow Bush to die a hero. All of these consequences are unacceptable.
Of course, this did not happen, and we are all lucky to live in a slice of multiverse where the shoe throwing reporter does not also have affiliations with Al Qaeda or a fetish for heels.
In comments, below, Mr. Bobby Campbell says:
I feel as though both the Iraqi journalist & President Bush acted very appropriately and both deserve applause. This exchange was absolutely necessary and it worked out perfectly, I am pleased!
I agree with you, Bob, in that there is a certain air of catharsis to the whole thing. This brings me to two points, though. First, the whole thing, in light of the above observation, seems a bit staged if you ask me. The nonchalance of Bush, (esp) Al-Maliki, the Secret Service, combined with the "wag the dog" vibe of that "press room" all seems a bit too well rehearsed.
As Timmy Toner said, "I bet they filmed that shit in the same studio they filmed the moon landing."
I then attempted to assure him that the moon landing was real, making the argument that since we were then able to launch craft into space, and simple euclidian (essentially) geometry trajects the transitory path of the vehicle to its safe arrival on the moon.
To disbelieve the moon landing is to disbelieve the Martian Rovers, the Hubble Telescope, the Cassini orbiter, the Voyager mission, Challenger, Discovery, cell phones and satellite radio et al. good and bad.
In my humblest of opinions, of course.
But getting back to the President's new shoes...
I greatly appreciate the frustration of some Iraqis and other global citizens who feel strongly aggrieved by the current Administration's record in foreign relations. I do not like to see such things happen whatsoever, but I appreciate the glee they feel in seeing our President humiliated thusly. And I can't say, at the end of the day, that Mr. Bush doesn't deserve it. He has dug his own grave in this matter, and his hubris and arrogant swagger belie his belief that his actions are righteous.
That being said, Mr. Bush remains our President, and this insult reverberates beyond the disappointment of a saddened, confused man about to face the most rapid and difficult retirement a human can face. After all, the shoes sailed past Mr. Bush, and right into the American flag behind him.
In that way, Mr. Reporter whose name I continue to not feel like looking up, your thrown shoes were aimed at, and felt by, America. And this, to the people of the country which has invigorated global potential with the election of Barack Obama!? I say this with a sense of irony, but I also feel it as somewhat true.
I can't keep a straight face while saying it because despite our election of Mr. Obama (which may or may not prove helpful to global affairs) we are still quite culpable to the world at large. For what, you ask? For instance: creating the global financial crisis, not leading and even stoking the global ecological crisis, and of course, for Iraqis like Mr. "hero to the shoeless everywhere" Reporter, bombing the shit out of their country, occupying it poorly, and directly and indirectly causing the deaths of countless of their countrymen.
AND YET
Despite Mr. Bush's lackluster performance and blustery histrionics as President, historians just might look back, twenty years from now, in a cafe on a crowded street in a safe Baghdad and embrace the Bush vision. That is definitely what Mr. Bush wants you to think these days, at least. While I am much less apt to accept this view of future reality than he, I don't deem it impossible either.
Which brings me to this: Mr. Bush is gone. He is no longer our President, for all intents and purposes. So who was this guy throwing his shoes at? Us? The American people and the American ideological template? Were Mr. Obama standing there with Al-Malaki, would he have thrown his shoes at him?
My guess is that the answer to these questions is: no. Mr. al-Zeidi's words are a clue to his intentions and motivations:
"This is a farewell kiss, you dog. This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."
OK. So even though we stood by as a people and allowed the Bush machine to plow into Iraq unimpeded, I think, and I hope, that this anger towards Bush, that it acts in the Middle East much as it has here in America.
Most everyone agrees that, at the least, Mr. Obama would have had a much more difficult time getting elected were it not for the atrocious performance of his predecessor. Obama's popularity was a consequence of people's loathing Bush. While it is not (completely, it is sorta) fair to the man himself, perhaps George Bush as a symbol for a hated America will become, in the Arab world, George Bush as the symbol of a hated man. In this way, it could be that with the departure of Bush comes the departure of some of the vile vitriol that some in the Middle East and globally have directed at our country. Of course, Qaeda and the like have no intentions of closing shop, though I do see the racist insults hurled at Obama and the attacks in Mumbai as acts of desperation, and hopefully portend to a quick end to such malevolent chicanery.
So point being, all this hatred, frustration, and anger that Bush has helped to bring up (in the generally more moderate citizenry of the world) could serve us well, if Obama manages to make a sharp, clean break, and if Bush continues to be the primary symbol for distaste of the West.
When Bush is down on the ranch in Texas, they can burn as many Bush effigies as they want in Baghdad, for as long as they want.
And maybe, just maybe, before that (currently) despised man closes his eyes in life for the last time, they'll stop burning the effigies, stop and say "thank you, George W. Bush."
No promises.
12/14/08
Best Ninja President Ever?
George Bush is awesome. He's so fast! Watch as he ducks a pair of shoes thrown at him by an Iraqi reporter.
I'll tell you, that young man is LUCKY he didn't get shot over this shit. I mean, he's like 10 feet from the POTUS, and he starts hurling shoes at him! Considering the Richard Reid history, the Secret Service would have no idea what was coming at him, be it a bomb, a grenade, or simply a size 11 loafer.
Props to the President for keeping his cool (watch as he waves off his SS coverage, realizing the situation has ended) and to the Secret Service, for not going off and shooting this guy.
That being said, the fact that the guy got as far as he did (the first shoe is essentially unstoppable, but he then ducks down, grabs his other shoe, and throws that too) is a bad signal from the President's protection team. They really should have been on that enough to have at least been standing in front of the President by the time the second shoe is thrown.
What's up, guys? I understand that the man you are protecting is "retiring" a few weeks from now, but that doesn't mean that you can sleep on the job, especially considering the extreme level of work that will be needed to protect our incoming POTUS.
Can you imagine if these shoes had been laced with some sort of explosive, and we were all mourning the loss of George W. Bush's life this evening? Can you imagine the extent of the havoc that a President Cheney would be able to put forth during his four weeks in office? Oh man.....
But again, the President deserves credit for being so quick on his feet, and also for keeping his cool. I don't necessarily (at all) think that he should have been the leader of the "free world" for the past eight years, but that George Bush is a pretty cool guy. I'd like to share a beer with him some day.... pick his brain.....
12/13/08
12/12/08
12/10/08
L&O
MURPH! You shoulda been tuning in to NPR's Talk of the Nation yesterday, where Neil Conan does a bang up job interviewing your man Sam Waterson. Missed it? No worries, man, just click the link.
NBC's big announcement
Monday marked the beginning of the Jimmy Fallon VLOG, which will run for three months until march 2009, when Jimmy will take over for Conan O'Brien as the host of Late Night.
I like Leno in the 10spot, if only to help Conan thrive @ 11:30 (as opposed to going head to head with Jay [on ABC] & Dave @ 11:30). It kinda screws Jimmy Fallon, as he is right when he jokes that people are going to be ready to watch a talk show after two hours of talk shows. Still, I hope he takes the opportunity to expand the talk show format into unexplored territories, considering NBC's holding onto Leno provides him justification to do so.
Also, I hope Leno takes his opportunity to mix things up thoroughly, loosen up (as he seems to have been doing of late), and innovate his show! If he maintains too much of that Tonight Show vibe, he'll be stepping on Conan's toes and boring people. So far, no good, as Jay seems intent on holding on to as much as he can in terms of format. This of course, has to change Conan's approach to his new job. Without Leno @ NBC, Conan would have been free to glide into that Johnny/Jay leitmotif guilt free. Now, with Jay sticking around, and presenting what will no doubt be a Tonight show template @ 10pm, Conan will be forced to innovate his approach to the classic chair.
Either way, I think NBC made a smooth move, cutting their production schedule by five hours a week, and lining up three of the more popular comedians of the day. I've never been a big Jay fan, but I'm psyched for Conan & Jimmy, and i am optimistic, to a point, that Leno will give us something worth watching @ 10 every once in a while.
I like Leno in the 10spot, if only to help Conan thrive @ 11:30 (as opposed to going head to head with Jay [on ABC] & Dave @ 11:30). It kinda screws Jimmy Fallon, as he is right when he jokes that people are going to be ready to watch a talk show after two hours of talk shows. Still, I hope he takes the opportunity to expand the talk show format into unexplored territories, considering NBC's holding onto Leno provides him justification to do so.
Also, I hope Leno takes his opportunity to mix things up thoroughly, loosen up (as he seems to have been doing of late), and innovate his show! If he maintains too much of that Tonight Show vibe, he'll be stepping on Conan's toes and boring people. So far, no good, as Jay seems intent on holding on to as much as he can in terms of format. This of course, has to change Conan's approach to his new job. Without Leno @ NBC, Conan would have been free to glide into that Johnny/Jay leitmotif guilt free. Now, with Jay sticking around, and presenting what will no doubt be a Tonight show template @ 10pm, Conan will be forced to innovate his approach to the classic chair.
Either way, I think NBC made a smooth move, cutting their production schedule by five hours a week, and lining up three of the more popular comedians of the day. I've never been a big Jay fan, but I'm psyched for Conan & Jimmy, and i am optimistic, to a point, that Leno will give us something worth watching @ 10 every once in a while.
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