My Top 25 Films

Last night, I updated my list of Top 25 Films (nerd alert) to include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, out today on DVD. It's really too early to say that for certain, but I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Note that I've cheated on this list to some degree - I've counted LotR and Kill Bill as single films. Included in this list are some films that have equally awesome DVD versions. In fact, I'd have to say that this list is directly influenced by that fact in some cases - a well-done DVD can certainly deepen your understanding and appreciation of a film (highlighted films have links to their kickass DVD couterparts). For instance, the Far From Heaven DVD is not elaborate by any means, but it does feature an excellent commentary by writer/director Todd Haynes. This list also serves as personal trivia. Most of my friends would have Star Wars pegged at Number One, when in fact only Empire ranks in the Top 5 and Return of the Jedi doesn't even chart.

1. Raiders Of The Lost Ark
2. Lord Of The Rings Trilogy
3. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
4. The Empire Strikes Back
5. Edward Scissorhands
6. Pulp Fiction
7. Moulin Rouge
8. Far From Heaven
9. Unforgiven
10. Star Wars: A New Hope
11. Wild At Heart
12. Out of Sight
13. The Royal Tennenbaums
14. Goodfellas
15. Jackie Brown
16. The Remains of the Day
17. Howards End
18. Kill Bill Vols. 1 & 2
19. Gimme Shelter
20. Almost Famous
21. Magnolia
22. Rushmore
23. From Dusk Til Dawn
24. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
25. Sense and Sensibility

'The Coal Tattoo' by Silas House

Silas House is one of my favorite authors, and in his brand new book The Coal Tattoo, he expands the story of sisters Anneth and Easter touched on in his first novel Clay's Quilt. House has an uncanny ability to write about strong women, and I love the way he has woven the characters from his first and second (A Parchment Of Leaves) books into a rich tapestry of family history in rural Kentucky. I've only just started the book, but already I can tell that this will be yet another beautiful story from Silas House.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565123689/qid=1096037433/sr=ka-3/ref=pd_ka_3/104-6934873-2315931

Silas House maintains a pretty up-to-date website with lots information about his books and writings:
http://www.silashouse.com/

Also, don't miss the new issue of No Depression magazine which features an article about Buddy Miller written by - you guessed it - Silas House. Could Chapter 4 of The Coal Tattoo, entitled "Midnight and Lonesome", be a tribute to Buddy?

Buddy Miller - 'Universal United House Of Prayer'

Buddy Miller's new CD was released this week, and I can tell you with no doubt it is his finest record. Not that any of his previous solo albums were anything short of fantastic, but UUHoP is his first to include a song cycle that hangs together perfectly. Including three carefully chosen covers and host of thematically similar co-writes (four with wife Julie Miller), this is Buddy's first fully gospel album (say it loud and proud) and prominently features vocals from Regina and Ana McCrary (daughters of The Fairfield Four's Sam McCrary). He is backed by his usual cast of supporting players, including stellar drumming from Brady Blade and Bryan Owings, and, of course, harmonies from Emmylou Harris and Julie Miller.

But before you pass this record out to your Sunday school class, heed this warning: the "gospel" according to Buddy Miller is broad enough to include the hand-wringing of the late, great Mark Heard ("Worry Too Much") and the probing questioning of Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side." These two are the only songs on the record that cut toward the political, and the latter does so brilliantly by offering a nine-minute counterpunch to those who would like to use "holy" and "war" in the same sentence. Elsewhere, "This Old World" (co-written with Victoria Williams) dares to indict blind capitalism with liberal New Testament notions ("You can't worship money and God"). Happily, however, he has let the music do the talking, and eschews the kind of blunt, easy blows that some artists feel compelled to throw nowadays (with all due respect, Steve Earle).
http://www.villagerecords.com/product.tpl?action=full&cart=10960373383921675&--eqskudatarq=N040935

There is an intriguing article about Buddy in the Village Voice this week. I'm not sure what Christgau is driving at in the last paragraph, but I never know quite what is going on inside Christgau's head.
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0438/christgau.php

Best web thingie-doodle ever?

You decide. My vote is yes!
www.jibjab.com

Drive-By Truckers at ACL

Here's a shot of Drive-By Truckers from the Austin City Limits Festival on Sunday. I'll post some thoughts and reviews from ACL soon. We also caught DBT at La Zona Rosa on Saturday night, and a good time was had by all.

Swing State Blues

This one is for my good friends Jason and Amy, who just spent a weekend away from their home in Pennsylvania to put up with loud, sweaty Texans at the ACL Festival. I even asked them what is was like to live in a swing state. This funny, insightful piece shed a little light for me.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2106867/

ACL Festival this weekend!!

It's here! The Austin City Limits Festival takes place in Austin, TX this weekend. While it'll be raining cats and dogs on our neighbors to the east, it appears that Texas weather is going to be sunny, dry and really freakin' hot (highs around 96 degrees) over the weekend. If you don't have a three-day pass already, tickets for each individual day are available at Front Gate Tickets. Here is my current picklist for the entire weekend:

Friday
1pm The Killers
3pm Blind Boys of Alabama
4pm Neko Case
5pm Patty Griffin
7pm Ryan Adams
8:45pm Los Lonely Boys

Saturday
1pm Soundtrack Of Our Lives
2pm Josh Rouse
3pm Old 97's
4pm The Gourds
5pm Modest Mouse
8:45pm The Pixies

Sunday
12:45pm Kelly Willis
1:45pm Mindy Smith
2:30pm Shelby Lynne
3:30pm North Mississippi Allstars
4:30pm Elvis Costello
5:30pm Drive-By Truckers
6:30pm Wilco
8:30pm Ben Harper (if we last that long)

One last revision: my crew will likely be attending the Drive-By Truckers show at La Zona Rosa on Saturday night, rather than our planned trip to see Wilco at Stubb's. If you're interested in some Wilco tickets drop me a line.

Kasey Chambers review

I'm back from a brief visit to New Mexico, and my friend Steph sent me this link to a review for Kasey Chambers' new record Wayward Angel. It's out NOW, and I highly recommend it.

Mad Ramble of the Day: Rilo Kiley

I picked up Rilo Kiley's new record More Adventurous, and I really dig it. I won't attempt to describe it too much, but it's of the indie rock/pop variety. Robert Christgau describes lead singer Jenny Lewis as "a wet dream for indie boys" for whatever that is worth (and for what this is worth, Christgau is probably in his mid-50's, giving that quote a very high "Ewwwww" factor). Anyway, it's a great album -- go buy it, indie boy (or girl)!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002M5T7A/qid=1094661954/sr=ka-3/ref=pd_ka_3/002-5086043-3654411

Also, I like their website:
www.rilokiley.com

Kasey Chambers - 'Wayward Angel' (9/14)

Just another reminder that Kasey Chambers' new record Wayward Angel comes out Tues., September 14. I really love this album, and you can listen to it in its entirety on CMT by clicking here.

'How The West Was Won'

Just spending my Sunday morning listening to one of the greatest live albums ever recorded. I'm not a huge Led Zeppelin fan, but this 3-CD set will melt your brain. Even "Stairway to Heaven" sounds fresh and amazing.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008OWZC/qid=1094389191/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-5086043-3654411

Welcome to the nanny state

Here's a real live quote from White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card:

''It struck me as I was speaking to people in Bangor, Maine, that this president sees America as we think about a 10-year-old child," Card said. ''I know as a parent I would sacrifice all for my children."

Wow. I pretty much believe anything I read in the Big Liberal Media (The Boston Globe, in this case), but I may need to see actual video of that to believe it.

Day 4: George W. Bush, big-hearted liberal

I'll keep it short - I started out keeping running notes, but I lost interest somewhere around the 856th bullet point policy statement. All I'll say is this: a week ago, Bush told Matt Lauer that the deficit would be cut in half during his next term. Seriously? Based on the wish list we heard last night, we'll need to explore 55% income tax brackets.

In regards to the new Republican catchphrase "ownership society", I want to add this observation because it's an ongoing pet peeve of mine. Bush has a recurrent fantasy about reforming Social Security by letting me (in my early 30's) start pumping money into my own personal retirement account. Hooray for me. Here's the rub: SOCIAL SECURITY IS AN ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM, NOT A RETIREMENT ACCOUNT! There's this popular misconception that "I'm only getting back the money I put in" when I get my Social Security check. This is umitigated horseshit. I am paying for those benefits, and guess what - I have to start paying for the Boomers' benefits pretty soon. So let me get this straight - I get to pay for two generations of Social Security benefits PLUS start saving for my own?

I'm in total agreement that Social Security is lurching toward a crisis, but I am so tired of these disingenuous ideas about reforming it. As it stands, the only way to pay for the coming Boomer balloon is to have more money in the Federal budget, and the only way to prepare for it? You guessed it - start paying down the debt and start finding ways to make room in the budget.

And I heard NOTHING in Bush's speech last night to give me confidence in his fiscal policies. His position is identical to his position when he began asking for tax cuts (back when we had a Federal surplus): keep giving tax breaks to the wealthy and hope, hope, hope that the economy picks up enough to offset it.

Oh, and no gay marriage (wild applause from the floor).

CNBC newsflash: Traders on the floor at the NYSE are really jazzed about the President's speech. Astounding.

26 seconds of bullshit

According to Ken Mehlmann, Bush Campaign advisor, "there were only 26 seconds talking about issues relevant to the American people" during Kerry's speech in Boston. Unlike that dumbass quote, I don't have Kerry's speech Tivo'ed. So I can't verify that statistic, but it must accurate because Ken Mehlmann said it to Campbell Brown on national television with a straight face.

Marvin Bush, clever wordsmith

8:25pm - Marvin Bush (bro o' W.) just thanked Larry King for not bringing up "that mental midget, Michael Moore." Clever. It's no wonder that Marvin has never had to leverage his family's name to make a living.

8:31pm - Tucker Carlson can't understand why Kerry thinks his patriotism has been questioned. Kerry's just sooooo "sensitive."

8:46pm - George Pataki actually just used the term "zig-zagging" to describe the Democrats. Didn't any of these speechwriters ever hear Zell Miller's nickname in Georgia, "Zig-Zag Zell"? Oh, that's right, according to Laura Bush today, Zell Miller's opinion is his own - he is a Democrat after all.

"With supreme guts and rightness, President Bush went into Iraq." He technically only went in for a quick turkey leg with the troops, six months after the invasion.

Saddam Hussein was a "walking, talking weapon of mass destruction."

Again, "In Boston, Senator Kerry said..." followed by a litany of things he never said in Boston.

Lie. Distort. Repeat.

Denny Hastert, 2 heartbeats from the presidency

Why has the Speaker of the House been marginalized to being a pathetic Republican smear artist? Who knows, who cares. But he's recently set his sites on the Democratic 527 champ, George Soros, one of the world's leading philanthropists. I won't get into the 527 issue, but I'm sure that this sort of dreck is just an extension of what we saw last night at the RNC.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2106176/

New Kings Of Leon album (Nov. 1, UK only)

This was a bit of a surprise:
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000623540

Apparently, the new record will be a UK-only release this year, with a US release early next year. I didn't even know Kings Of Leon were working on a new record. Cool. Looks like Amazon UK will be getting some more of my hard-earned quid (not so cool).

John Derbyshire, the conscience of conservatism?

The good folks over at the National Review were as taken aback by Zell Miller's anti-democracy tirade as the rest of us, right? Right?

John Derbyshire on Miller's speech:
"Whatever he was for, we were for. Whatever he was against, we were against. This was a real star turn, the best speech of the convention so far — better than Arnie, better than Rudy. It was an honor and a privilege to be in that hall when Zell Miller spoke."
http://www.nationalreview.com/derbyshire/derbyshire200409020821.asp

And remember, if you disagree with Zell or Derbyshire or any policy of the Bush Administration, you are trying to "take down" the good President. On Nov. 2, it may feel like you are exercising your democratic right to vote, but sorry, you're committing treason.

Update: If you'd rather read a clear-headed response to Zell Miller's speech try William Saletan over at Slate.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2106109/

Oops, they lied

Excellent piece in Slate ripping apart the outright lies perpetuated at the RNC last night (and over the past months):
http://slate.msn.com/id/2106079/

'Sweet Soul Music' by Peter Guralnick

My friend Stephanie pointed out that I'm starting to sound like I hate everything (again). Well, here's a book that I love deeply and gives me hope for the future by digging into the past:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316332739/qid=1094135241/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-5086043-3654411

I started re-reading Peter Guralnick's definitive text on Southern soul music because I was recently shocked by how few friends of mine even know what "Stax/Volt" means. It's odd to me that many Americans only have Motown as their point of reference for "soul music" since the music of Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and their contemporaries has always rang more true to me. Guralnick provides a concise and entertaining blueprint for the rise of soul music and is able fairly well to come to terms with an endpoint. The book was written in the early '80's, but since it describes a limited time capsule anyway, very little of it seems dated(except maybe for terms like "Afro-American").

The music of Stax is the centerpiece of the book, but Guralnick does not discount the contributions of Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke or the Muscle Shoals artists who quickly rivaled their Memphis counterparts. It's a fascinating portrait of the music industry and even the nation during the 1960's. Stax has often been presented as a bold utopia of racial harmony (Booker T. and the MG's was made up of two black members and two white members), but Guralnick quickly uncovers that rather than a civil rights movement, the story of soul music was blacks and whites coming together to play music, sell records and make money.

If that ain't the American dream, I don't know what is.

Karen Hughes battles humor impairment

I was amused to learn that the author of Jenna and Barbara's speech Tuesday night was none other than Karen Hughes, part of Dubya's Texas regime, and a blathering idiot (at least anytime I've ever seen her on TV).

Now I do feel bad for the Bush twins.

Day 3: Parting thought

Okay, I'll shut up about Zell Miller after this last thought (addressed to any conservatives out there). I understand that the Democrats and the liberals have their own "Zell Millers", i.e. people so full of bile and hate for George W. Bush that they can barely speak coherently. But I think the argument can easily be made that the Democratic party has attempted to marginalize those voices, particularly at their convention. Even Michael Moore, the designated conservative whipping boy, is more smartass slob than screaming hate-monger.

And no one asked him to deliver any speech - much less a keynote speech - at the Democratic National Convention.

And then came Zell...

Seriously, I really couldn't sleep because I was so angry about Zell Miller's keynote address last night. The fallout of this speech is going to be dire for the Republicans. How ironic that a speech by a dissident Democrat (in name only) may undo all of their successful bait and switch tactics they've employed this week.

Dave Gergen - advisor to Presidents Nixon, Reagan and Clinton, and someone who understands bipartisanship - was on Larry King immediately following the convention last night, and he was truly disgusted. He immediately noted that Miller received his early political lessons from the segregationist Lester Maddox of Georgia, a fact that I wonder if any Republican operative even managed to ferret out beforehand. McCain's reaction was obviously quite similar, and he even pulled out the "I don't really know Zell Miller very well..." line, wisely distancing himself from the proceedings (he looked like a man in need of a shower).

All I can figure is Miller waltzed into Madison Square Garden and thought to himself, "Finally, I've found a party in which I can really let it hang out. I can quit pretending to embrace all of those 'progressive' ideas and that I like any of those pansy, treasonous Democrats." I kept waiting for some gay-baiting (or even some race-baiting), but he really didn't have to resort to that because he came off plenty nuts as it was. So angry, so bitter, so completely misled about his importance in the world.

Zell, my good buddy, thanks. I'd almost believe that you were a plant from the Democratic party, sent to expose the Republicans' true colors, except you were so convincing. I suspect that you will find that you're the new pariah of both parties this morning ("Hey, he's a Democrat - we barely even know the guy") and your aspirations - whatever those are - dashed against the rocks. Karl Rove is looking for you -- he's gonna need to get those credentials back from you.

Day 3: Tricky Dick

Ah, the smirk. Is there anyone less charming on the planet than Dick Cheney, the greasiest, most repugnant Washington insider and backdoor dealer that ever... oh wait, Tom DeLay is still in office. Sorry, Dick.

Well, I'll say this - the Republicans got their groove back tonight. Sorta reminds me of the 1992 convention, when they unleashed all their ugly, hateful bastards. To be fair, Cheney's speech felt like a big wet kiss compared to Zell's whacked-out screed. But Cheney continues to operate is a fantasy world. For instance, his boast about how the "black market" for nuclear secrets has been shut down. Huh? What and who is he talking about? Saddam and his nuclear secrets? Al Queda's nuclear secrets... that they were trying to get from Saddam? Simply a bizarre assertion, but it got some applause.

Okay, Kerry, the gloves are off. You can start shoving back or you get your ass kicked.

Random thought

Is it just me, or were we better off when Republicans were self-righteous enough to believe that they had cornered the market on "family values"? Now they've decided that they've nailed down "American values" exclusively.

Oh, and Cheney's grandfather was a hobo, apparently...

McCain retorts (on NBC)

McCain is clearly chagrined by Zell Miller's nutty, radical speech. Good for him -- I saw McCain on CNN just tonight trying to reach out and calling for more bipartisanship. Actually, Miller painted the Democrats as destructively partisan. Funny, Zell, you sounded awfully partisan (oh wait, you're a Democrat, how'd I forget).

Next up, our little fat buddy Cheney...

Give 'em hell, Zell!

Just sitting here watching Zell "Mad Dog" Miller give his keynote address. There's approximately a 0.0 percent chance that he would get to give this speech in primetime if there wasn't a (D) next to his name.

Here's a tip, Karl Rove -- just cause Zell finally figured out that he's a Dixiecrat Republican after all these years doesn't mean that Joe Voter will forget that there's a wild-eyed cracker ranting about "his party" on television. Talk about a freakin' flip-flopper. Hope W. promised you a good cabinet position. Where'd the fluffy Republicans go?

William Saletan, Slate Magazine

William Saletan is currently writing daily columns for Slate during the Republican convention. His observations display a level of clarity that few pundits possess anymore (he's conservative, no less).

http://slate.msn.com/id/2105914/
http://slate.msn.com/id/2106025/