• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

We still have time to mess this up!

… riddled with inexplicable and elementary errors of law and fact

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

No Justins, No Peace

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Republicans don’t trust women.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

The willow is too close to the house.

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Impressively dumb. Congratulations.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • Balloon Juice 2023 Pet Calendar (coming soon)
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Open Threads / 99 green balloons

99 green balloons

by Tim F|  November 21, 201311:18 pm| 116 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads

FacebookTweetEmail

Needs more topical music.

Feel free to talk about anything, included but not limited to whether it is possible to prove that the known universe is not a sophisticated simulation, and how it would matter if it was.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « A nuclear era but I have no fear
Next Post: Improvements and payment models »

Reader Interactions

116Comments

  1. 1.

    Keith P

    November 21, 2013 at 11:21 pm

    After sitting through Jon Stewart play ventriloquist with a turkey in a painfully unfunny skit, I think I’ve finally given up on that show. He seems more amused with himself than with his material. Can’t wait for John Oliver’s new show.

  2. 2.

    Mike in NC

    November 21, 2013 at 11:28 pm

    @Keith P: I told my wife a few weeks ago to stop recording Jon Stewart as he’s turned into such an insufferable Broderist shithead.

  3. 3.

    dedc79

    November 21, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    That Josh Ritter song at the end is a great addition

  4. 4.

    Spaghetti Lee

    November 21, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    @Mike in NC:

    Did she listen?

  5. 5.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    November 21, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    The news about the Senate today brought out all my fb wingnut critters earlier. It quickly dissolved into PBO is the worst person ever and Obamacare is doomed. The highlight was when my sister’s teabagger brother in law told my normal friend he should go talk to a some canadiens about health care. Little did he know that my normal friend is Canadian.

  6. 6.

    Fluke bucket

    November 21, 2013 at 11:40 pm

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tja6_h4lT6A

    It soothes the savage beast

  7. 7.

    beltane

    November 21, 2013 at 11:44 pm

    I’m sorry that David Broder is no longer with us.

  8. 8.

    xenos

    November 21, 2013 at 11:46 pm

    I thought the universe was a hologram projected from information stored along the edge of the universe, or on the surface of a black hole, or we are inside a black hole; or something. I don’t get the science channel any more so I am not keeping up.

  9. 9.

    Mike in NC

    November 21, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    “Life During Wartime” was possibly my favorite Talking Heads piece.

  10. 10.

    ranchandsyrup

    November 21, 2013 at 11:51 pm

    7 seconds version of 99 red balloons.

  11. 11.

    Keith P

    November 21, 2013 at 11:52 pm

    @xenos: Just watch The Daily Show. I’m sure they’ll have Neil DeGrasse Tyson on in another couple of weeks to explain it.

  12. 12.

    Original Lee

    November 22, 2013 at 12:03 am

    Just wondering: Does anybody know if the filibuster-nuking includes general officer promotions? A friend’s father is up for promotion to brigadier (Army), has been waiting for Senate vote for over a year, but apparently the Repukes have been sitting on those, too.

  13. 13.

    handy

    November 22, 2013 at 12:08 am

    @Mike in NC:

    This ain’t no party!
    This ain’t no disco!
    This ain’t no foolin’ around!

  14. 14.

    gwangung

    November 22, 2013 at 12:09 am

    @Original Lee: More support of the troops, I see….

  15. 15.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 12:12 am

    TCM has a documentary now, Four Days in November, with footage from the time. Midnight to about 2:15 p.

  16. 16.

    handy

    November 22, 2013 at 12:13 am

    Chucky, show us where on the doll Mr. Obama touched you

  17. 17.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 12:15 am

    @Original Lee:

    Those are not typically considered “political,” since nominations for general officer promotions come from within the services themselves. Usually any delay has more to do with service logistics or internal politics. If the delay does lie with the Senate, it’s probably more just a result of institutional paralysis inertia than a political move by the Republicans.

  18. 18.

    Hill Dweller

    November 22, 2013 at 12:16 am

    @Elizabelle: The narrator mentioned in passing Kennedy had been accused of being aloof in Washington, but he loved mixing with crowds.

  19. 19.

    srv

    November 22, 2013 at 12:24 am

    Needs more topical music

    Have Senate Republicans not gone on TV and sung God Bless America yet?

  20. 20.

    Alison

    November 22, 2013 at 12:36 am

    Testing…

    ETA: Hooray, out of moderation!

    I…have nothing else to say. :P

  21. 21.

    MikeJ

    November 22, 2013 at 12:39 am

    Documentary n TCM just said that JFK flew into Ft Worth on one day and had to take AF1 to Dallas so they wouldn’t feel slighted.

  22. 22.

    MikeJ

    November 22, 2013 at 12:40 am

    @handy:
    This ain’t the Mudd Club
    Or CBGB
    We ain’t got time for that now

  23. 23.

    handy

    November 22, 2013 at 12:40 am

    @MikeJ:

    Who wouldn’t feel slighted?

  24. 24.

    Petorado

    November 22, 2013 at 12:41 am

    Topical music? Free should do the trick.

  25. 25.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 12:44 am

    @MikeJ:

    Yup. 30 mile leg handled by jet, so Dallas could have an airport arrival too.

    Watching this and wishing we could have an alternate ending. It’s like reading Manchester’s “Death of a President” and knowing you’re getting too close to the Book Depository.

  26. 26.

    ruemara

    November 22, 2013 at 12:49 am

    I’m debating offering baked goods for all donations. Is fundraising usually painfully slow? If I wasn’t unconvinced that whoring would work…grrr

  27. 27.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 22, 2013 at 12:50 am

    Thread needs moar Fishbone.Party at Ground Zero.

  28. 28.

    mclaren

    November 22, 2013 at 12:50 am

    If the universe really is a sophisticated simulation, we could mount a buffer overflow attack or an SQL injection attack and hack the platform to get rid of those annoying glitches “dying” and “pain” and “getting old.”

  29. 29.

    ? Martin

    November 22, 2013 at 12:50 am

    @Hill Dweller:

    The narrator mentioned in passing Kennedy had been accused of being aloof in Washington, but he loved mixing with crowds.

    ‘Aloof’ means ‘he won’t invite me to his cocktail parties’.

  30. 30.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 22, 2013 at 12:51 am

    @Keith P: Last show before a break is always disastrous.

  31. 31.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 12:51 am

    Something mellow from the islands, the Beamer Brothers.

    Also Bruddah Iz.

  32. 32.

    ruemara

    November 22, 2013 at 12:58 am

    @FlipYrWhig: That is such a classic.

  33. 33.

    MikeJ

    November 22, 2013 at 1:00 am

    The worst thing about watching this doc is knowing that if Obama were to be assassinated Republicans would be on TV within five minutes demanding BIden resign.

  34. 34.

    Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)

    November 22, 2013 at 1:01 am

    George Harrison

    Blow Away

    I dunno…This just feels right.

  35. 35.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 1:07 am

    Harry S Truman’s reaction:

    “He was a good man, an able President, and he did a good job.”

    Barry Goldwater visibly shocked; says Kennedy was an able opponent but it was never personal.

  36. 36.

    Mike E

    November 22, 2013 at 1:11 am

    @Mike in NC: I went to the premiere of Stop Making Sense back in the day in Philadelphia at the TLA on South St. I hadn’t seen the Heads in concert, but I have never been to any movie event quite like that one; people dancing in the aisles like it was a live show from start to finish. Electric.

  37. 37.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 1:12 am

    @MikeJ: first they’d blame it on Obamacare…..The sad thing is, while there might be a few of them, I get the feeling that most of them would give nary a fuck. The spouse said something to me that was very telling, what makes any of us think that his life and that of his family will be in any less danger once he leaves office. The hatred runs deep and is irrational as fuck since its rooted in racism and has been nurtured daily by the RW media.

  38. 38.

    handsmile

    November 22, 2013 at 1:12 am

    Topical music for November 22, courtesy of the recently departed Mr. Reed:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlWwA5x-P9k

    (Chances are this song will be linked to a few more times today here.)

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Well, it was also Stephen Colbert’s “last show before a break,” and he was great! (yeah, I know, Colbert/great is redundant)

    Outrage over passage of the “nuclear option” (Colbert is packing his bags and leaving this country – for South Carolina); an extended bit with Colbert as the Thanksgiving guest from hell (a guest all too painfully familiar to many I’d expect).

  39. 39.

    mdblanche

    November 22, 2013 at 1:14 am

    @Mike in NC: Say remember when folks on Reddit tried to get Stephen Colbert to throw a rally and got one thrown by Jon Stewart instead? Stewart gave a heartfelt speech comparing relations between Republicans and Democrats to people trying to navigate traffic and if we were all a little more civil it would solve all of our problems. I don’t know if he’s ever quite figured out that Republicans are more like the truck driver in Duel.

  40. 40.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 22, 2013 at 1:24 am

    @handsmile: yeah, no, I meant specifically for Stewart. Also anytime the guest has a movie out, that brings out all his bad tendencies, and then the slack-assery with the last show of the week, then an upcoming break, that all just amplifies it.

  41. 41.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 1:26 am

    @piratedan:

    I worry about that too.

  42. 42.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 1:26 am

    @MikeJ:
    I got three passports, couple of visas
    Don’t even know my real name

  43. 43.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 1:28 am

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Don’t even know my real name

    Heard tell of a bar in Boston where everybody knows your name.

  44. 44.

    Yatsuno

    November 22, 2013 at 1:31 am

    @MikeJ: For the good of the country dontchaknow. Healing of the nation and restoration of bipartisan comity. Broder would approve.

  45. 45.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 1:32 am

    @NotMax: Fuckers didn’t know mine. Massholes.

    @Elizabelle: Watching the Drew documentary about enforcing the court order integrating the University of Alabama on TCM, I was struck by how much of the rhetoric Wallace used was the same as that of the current Tea People. Scary.

  46. 46.

    SatanicPanic

    November 22, 2013 at 1:33 am

    Can we call him Harry SMASH now? Class of Nuke ’em Harry? We need a name for the guy, he earned one

  47. 47.

    handsmile

    November 22, 2013 at 1:34 am

    @FlipYrWhig:

    Sorry to have misunderstood: late hour, perhaps a dram too much.

    “All his bad tendencies…the slack-assery”: it seems increasingly the case with Stewart, regardless of the guest or day of the week.

  48. 48.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 1:36 am

    @Omnes Omnibus

    Cheers.

  49. 49.

    Anoniminous

    November 22, 2013 at 1:41 am

    An oldie, but what the heck … Abraham, Martian, and John

  50. 50.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 1:43 am

    Black Jack, the riderless horse used throughout JFK’s funeral proceedings, is so spirited. Beautiful animal.

  51. 51.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 1:43 am

    @SatanicPanic: I have always seen Reid as a fairly wily vote counter and tactical politician. He did this the moment he had the votes and before Senate traditionalists could recant. Also, he has a boxer’s mean streak. I know a lot of people have seen him as feckless; just imagine though, trying to marshal fifty-some Senators all of whom think that they are fully capable of being president – the egos, oh gods, the egos.

  52. 52.

    handsmile

    November 22, 2013 at 1:45 am

    @Anoniminous:

    Always preferred “Abraham, Venusian, and John” myself.

    (sorry)

  53. 53.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 1:45 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I was struck by how much of the rhetoric Wallace used was the same as that of the current Tea People. Scary.

    Oh yeah. It’s only the Villagers that couldn’t figure that out.

  54. 54.

    SatanicPanic

    November 22, 2013 at 1:48 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Yeah, he’s never gotten the credit he deserves, but he will now. This is a big deal. Senate Republicans are almost completely irrelevant now.

  55. 55.

    Anoniminous

    November 22, 2013 at 1:49 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I was struck by how much of the rhetoric Wallace used was the same as that of the current Tea People. Scary.

    Who do you think the Tea Party People were supporting in 1968?

  56. 56.

    max

    November 22, 2013 at 1:50 am

    @SatanicPanic: Can we call him Harry SMASH now? Class of Nuke ‘em Harry? We need a name for the guy, he earned one

    Either ‘Colonel Reid’ or ‘Harry Kong’, both as in ‘Where’s Col. Kong?’. *

    max
    [‘Because.’]

    * “Well, boys, we got three engines out, we got more holes in us than a horse trader’s mule, the radio is gone and we’re leaking fuel and if we was flying any lower why we’d need sleigh bells on this thing… but we got one little budge on them Rooskies. At this height why they might harpoon us but they dang sure ain’t gonna spot us on no radar screen!”

  57. 57.

    ? Martin

    November 22, 2013 at 1:51 am

    One of my coworkers was part of the final jury pool for the Kelly Thomas case, but was excused due to a minor family commitment. I don’t mind doing jury duty, but a several month long, high profile trial? Ugh.

  58. 58.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 1:51 am

    @Anoniminous:

    her cover version of “Abraham, Martin and John” hit #35 on the Hot 100 on 19 July 1969. At 75 years old, Moms Mabley became the oldest person ever to have a US Top 40 hit.

    Just learned that earlier this week with AL’s post about the Whoopi Goldberg HBO documentary this week.

  59. 59.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 1:53 am

    @Anoniminous: Well, two things about that. First, I wasn’t yet born when Kennedy was assassinated so I don’t have personal experience of the time. Second, the Tea People were probably Wallace folks who switched to Nixon for the General Election.

  60. 60.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 2:01 am

    @Elizabelle: yeah, for some reason the village translates “get the dirty nigra socialist outta the White House and give me back my country!” as a valid political position.

  61. 61.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 2:01 am

    @Anoniminous:

    A favorite live version, from the Smothers Brothers’ TV show.

    Who knew Dion was such a good picker?

  62. 62.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Honestly, the Tea People are simply the John Birch Society. The US’s Poujadistes.

  63. 63.

    Anoniminous

    November 22, 2013 at 2:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Ah. Here’s what happened (emphasis added):

    The American Independent Party, which was established in 1967 by Bill and Eileen Shearer, nominated former Alabama Governor George Wallace – whose pro-segregation policies had been rejected by the mainstream of the Democratic Party – as the party’s candidate for president. The impact of the Wallace campaign was substantial, winning the electoral votes of several states in the Deep South. Wallace was the most popular 1968 presidential candidate among [white] young men. Wallace also proved to be popular among blue-collar workers in the North and Midwest, and he took many votes which might have gone to Humphrey. Although Wallace did not expect to win the election, his strategy was to prevent either major party candidate from winning a preliminary majority in the Electoral College, which would then give him bargaining power to determine the winner.

    GOP’s Southern Strategy was to capture these voters. And it worked.

  64. 64.

    danielx

    November 22, 2013 at 2:04 am

    The best saxophone break in 70s music, courtesy of one of the three* best bands of that era.

    *The other two being Little Feat and J. Geils Band, ab natürlich.

  65. 65.

    Anoniminous

    November 22, 2013 at 2:06 am

    @Steeplejack:

    That’s a good one.

    @Anoniminous:

    My emphasis vanished! Thank you WordPress.

  66. 66.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:06 am

    If we are doing appropriate music. I offer this for the filibuster.
    And this for JFK.

  67. 67.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 2:10 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think the following sums up where the GOP is at these days:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DdAs0PddQ

  68. 68.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:14 am

    @Anoniminous: See this. Nevertheless, it does not diminish my surprise that the exact same language is still being used. OTOH, it was being used in 1855 as well. Apparently they have always been with us.

  69. 69.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:18 am

    @piratedan: Or this.

  70. 70.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 2:21 am

    I was going to skip all this Kennedy assassination porn, but “Abraham, Martin and John” always gets to me on a very visceral level.

    Once I descended into the depths of YouTube I found this version of “If I Had a Hammer.” I always thought it a slightly sappy song, but this is a very strong take by PP&M.

    I still have faith in the hammer of justice for this country.

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 2:25 am

    @Omnes Omnibus

    It’s a Rolodex of Hate.

    Same language used against Medicare is used against ACA.

    Same language used against inter-racial marriage used against same-sex marriage.

    Et cetera, et cetera.

    The longer one lives, the more one is forced to experience the same damn movie over and over again.

    the Tea People are simply the John Birch Society

    Obligatory link to the song.

  72. 72.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:29 am

    @Steeplejack: I agree with you about the song. The message is good, but it is a bit saccharine. This version doesn’t redeem it. This, however, has resonated with me since I was a child. I had an odd childhood.

    ETA: Its resonance is more surprising since I am a Danton guy.

  73. 73.

    Anoniminous

    November 22, 2013 at 2:35 am

    @NotMax:

    The longer one lives, the more one is forced to experience the same damn movie over and over again.

    Amen to that.

  74. 74.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 2:41 am

    My favorite PP&M song: “Motherless Child.” A spare, flawless arrangement.

  75. 75.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:45 am

    @Steeplejack: That is well done. As I stated above PP&M generally don’t turn my crank. Sweet harmonies ain’t me thing. I hate Wilson Phillips.

  76. 76.

    KS in MA

    November 22, 2013 at 2:47 am

    @Steeplejack:

    “I still have faith in the hammer of justice for this country.”

    Bless you. So do I, on a good day … and this is a good day!

  77. 77.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 2:48 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: yeah, but how do you feel about The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Hollies and Raspberries? All groups that employed vocal harmonies in their music…

  78. 78.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 2:53 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I agree with you about the sweety sweetness. “Puff the Magic Dragon”—eek!

    I always did like “I Dig Rock and Roll Music.” A long contemporary name-check (and style-check).

    Nat Adderley doing “Motherless Child.”

  79. 79.

    KS in MA

    November 22, 2013 at 2:56 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh yeah … “Poor old Marat” gets me every time.

  80. 80.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 2:56 am

    @piratedan: I don’t really like the Everlys or the Beach Boys. I think both relied on the harmonious vocals as a crutch. The Hollies had other talents and used them. The Raspberries don’t really register with me – a proto-Gen-Xer music sob/semi-hipster.

  81. 81.

    Amir Khalid

    November 22, 2013 at 3:00 am

    @ranchandsyrup:
    It sounds better in the original German.

  82. 82.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 3:03 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I don’t intend for this to become a generational argument. No one should expect that their generation’s tastes will match mine. At the same time, I should not expect that the kids these days will like my music.

  83. 83.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 3:05 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: fair enough, just goes to show musical tastes differ and thankfully there’s enough choice out there for everyone.

  84. 84.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 3:08 am

    @Amir Khalid: Comme ça?

  85. 85.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 3:12 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Sweet harmonies ain’t me thing.

    Generally agree, but I’m always a sucker for excellent musicianship, and in that PP&M clip of “If I Had a Hammer” the (seemingly effortless) harmony is astounding.

    And I didn’t ignore your Judy Collins Marat/Sade clip. I like it, but theater/cabaret music is just not where I am tonight. I seem to be trawling through the channels of deep memory. The Kennedy anniversary has me thinking about ’60s songs—which were contemporaneous for me—that hint at things beneath the surface, even in a trivial way.

    “Shape of Things to Come.”

  86. 86.

    scav

    November 22, 2013 at 3:13 am

    Not a good week for pale pudgies in power, we’ve got another one. This one’s crunchy and good with the layers. A Dagwood. Former chairman of a bank, former methodist minister, Labour member. Pornography, mishandled a bank, claims of excessive expenses both at the bank and an anti-drugs charity and he seems to have been arrested after a video allegedly showed him handing over money for cocaine .

    For picture Paul Flowers arrested in drugs inquiry
    more details, but I’m not sure the link is stable Vice Chairman?

    Associated Press= LONDON (AP) He was a bank boss, but had no apparent banking experience. He was a Methodist minister, but got busted for allegedly buying cocaine and downloading porn at work.

    The spectacular downfall of Paul Flowers, the former chairman of Britain’s Co-operative Bank, was a tale made for the splashy British tabloids. His troubles began with the near collapse of the bank he was heading, but came to a head this week when a newspaper released footage that showed him handling over cash to a dealer selling hard drugs including crystal meth and ketamine.

  87. 87.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 3:16 am

    @Omnes Omnibus
    Reminded of this anecdote about the singer Perry Como:

    Como sometimes expressed amazement and dismay at the younger generation of musical artists. In a 1990 interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, he described one evening when he and Roselle were watching a sexually suggestive MTV video featuring Madonna and Cher, and “that certainly isn’t TV as I used to know it. During my 17 years on the air, if I had expressed myself in such a way, never mind the censors, my mamma and Roselle would have both slapped me silly. That I don’t understand today’s music or morals doesn’t make either me or them better or worse, just different. I still perform in respectable clubs and venues, but nobody is offering me money to run around bare-bottomed at my age. Actually though, I would like to make a music video. It might put to rest the persistent rumors that I’m dead.”

  88. 88.

    Amir Khalid

    November 22, 2013 at 3:17 am

    @Steeplejack:
    Isn’t sweet vocal harmony also an example of excellent musicianship?

  89. 89.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 22, 2013 at 3:17 am

    @Steeplejack: Fair enough. Differing ages cause differing views of the Kennedy assassination. To me, it is different from the McKinley and Lincoln assassinations only in that it involves people who lived into my lifetime. It matters to my parents far more than it matters to me. Ne c’est pas?

  90. 90.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 3:21 am

    @Amir Khalid:

    Reread what I wrote. I objected only to excessively saccharine sweetness. And I specifically selected (and praised) the PP&M clip of “If I Had a Hammer” for its vocal harmony.

  91. 91.

    Amir Khalid

    November 22, 2013 at 3:23 am

    @Elizabelle:
    Just watching it on YouTube. Very moving.

  92. 92.

    NotMax

    November 22, 2013 at 3:24 am

    @Steeplejack

    Scratching the nostalgia itch:

    Buffalo Springfield

    Thunderclap Newman

  93. 93.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 3:28 am

    The Staple Singers, “Respect Yourself.”

  94. 94.

    Elizabelle

    November 22, 2013 at 3:31 am

    @Steeplejack:

    Sending “Respect Yourself” out to Harry Reid, with thanks.

  95. 95.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 3:33 am

    @NotMax:

    One of my favorite Springfield songs: “Pretty Girl Why.”

    The minstrel boy has gone to war now
    burdened with his father’s sword
    Still she doesn’t see how she can
    give him peace amidst the horror

  96. 96.

    fuckwit

    November 22, 2013 at 3:33 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Ding. We have a winner.

  97. 97.

    piratedan

    November 22, 2013 at 3:36 am

    ty Harry for putting the country’s business, i.e. filling the needed court and government positions, ahead of comity and the nonexistent truthiness of faux bipartisanship. Fuck you MSM, for being your ever reliable selves in adopting the usual GOP framing, but then again, they paid for you and at least you stay bought, for the most part. Fuck you GOP, just because you’re hypocritical scoundrels who are no more interested in governance than you are in equality and fairness.

  98. 98.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 3:49 am

    Love, “Seven and Seven Is . . .”

  99. 99.

    pseudonymous in nc

    November 22, 2013 at 3:50 am

    No (NSFW) Yo La Tengo?

    For shame.

  100. 100.

    BillinGlendaleCA

    November 22, 2013 at 4:01 am

    I have a visitor here. Heard a racket outside, went out to find a raccoon sitting on the cinder block fence.

  101. 101.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 4:37 am

    Quicksilver Messenger Service, “What About Me.”

  102. 102.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 5:03 am

    Oh, AsianGrrlMN, where are you? I have go-go dancers! Weird German go-go dancers. “Psychotic Reaction.”

  103. 103.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 5:04 am

    @Steeplejack: Great song that most people never heard:

    I’m a fugitive from injustice
    But I’m goin’ to be free
    Cause your rules and regulations
    They don’t do the thing for me

  104. 104.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 5:04 am

    @Steeplejack:

    and it goes like this

  105. 105.

    Steeplejack

    November 22, 2013 at 5:16 am

    @raven:

    And though you may be stronger now, my time will come around
    You keep adding to my numbers as you shoot my people down.

    Handing it off to you from the nightside.

  106. 106.

    Frankensteinbeck

    November 22, 2013 at 5:59 am

    @Anoniminous:
    I can ‘to see your added emphasis, but in case you didn’t make this clear, those young white voters are now old white voters – the Tea Party/Fox age voters. No coincidence , I’d say.

  107. 107.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Mika no likey nukes.

    eta That bubble head just said “It’s a great way to take the attention away from Obamacare.”

  108. 108.

    Patricia Kayden

    November 22, 2013 at 6:22 am

    @handy: Way too funny! I love reading the comments here. Definitely laugh out loud hilarious. Y’all should be writing for SNL.

  109. 109.

    JPL

    November 22, 2013 at 6:53 am

    On the front page of NBC.com there is a link to an article by Luke Russert on what the Kennedy’s taught him about life after grief. Although I am sorry he lost his father, it seems odd to highlight an article by a person who is only thirty.

    @raven: How are the medical tests going?

  110. 110.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 7:39 am

    @JPL: The MRI’s results won’t be back until we get back from the beach, the nerve tests were negative (she was mad they found nothing wrong!) and she is in mid-prep for this afternoon’s ordeal (actually the ordeal in now)!

  111. 111.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 7:40 am

    @JPL: The MRI’s results won’t be back until we get back from the beach, the nerve tests were negative (she was mad they found nothing wrong!) and she is in mid-prep for this afternoon’s ordeal (actually the ordeal in now)!

    thx

  112. 112.

    raven

    November 22, 2013 at 7:40 am

    trip

  113. 113.

    Waysel

    November 22, 2013 at 9:17 am

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-MagHDUR9U If I had a hammer. The Caravans.

  114. 114.

    Steeplejack (tablet)

    November 22, 2013 at 11:21 am

    @Waysel:

    Excellent.

  115. 115.

    Shana

    November 22, 2013 at 1:15 pm

    @Mike E: I remember seeing Talking Heads around 1980 at college in a big arena. We could only get tickets up in the rafters, only a few rows from the top. People were dancing like their lives depended on it all the way up there (me included). I’d never seen a band have that kind of effect on a crowd, and frankly don’t remember seeing another since.

  116. 116.

    Julia

    November 22, 2013 at 4:17 pm

    I always have loved Peter, Paul & Mary. They had impeccable vocal harmonies, and Mary Travers had, IMO, one of the strongest and most recognizable female voices ever. If you notice in the youtube videos, she is standing away from the mikes on Peter and Paul…I think because her voice was so damn strong she could overwhelm them both. The group also popularized artists such as Gordon Lightfoot, John Denver, and even Bob Dylan. They had strong social justice views which they never gave up, and promoted those views through their music.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Comments

  • Bugboy on Late Night Open Thread: Unspooling Unschooling (Jun 4, 2023 @ 7:42am)
  • laura on Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Iris, Flowers of the Rainbow Goddess (Jun 4, 2023 @ 7:35am)
  • Princess on Late Night Open Thread: Unspooling Unschooling (Jun 4, 2023 @ 7:30am)
  • lowtechcyclist on Late Night Open Thread: Unspooling Unschooling (Jun 4, 2023 @ 7:28am)
  • Ken on Sunday Morning Garden Chat: Iris, Flowers of the Rainbow Goddess (Jun 4, 2023 @ 7:23am)

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Seattle Meetup on Sat 5/13 at 5pm!

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
Classified Documents: A Primer
State & Local Elections Discussion

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice Events

5/14  The Apocalypse
5/20  Home Away from Home
5/29  We’re Back, Baby
7/21  Merging!

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!