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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / Grand Marshal of the Fail Parade (Open Thread)

Grand Marshal of the Fail Parade (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  April 16, 201511:25 pm| 141 Comments

This post is in: Election 2016, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Television, The War on Your Neighbor, aka the War on Drugs, Assholes

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Looks like Chris Christie, who will never, ever be president, is trying to stake out a position as the biggest dick in the GOP primary: 

 

Maybe it’ll distract people from the abuse of power thing. Or not. 

We’re watching the Marvel “Daredevil” series on Netflix. It’s pretty interesting so far.

What are you up to tonight? 

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Next Post: Late Night Long Read: Trevor Noah & “Necessarily the News” »

Reader Interactions

141Comments

  1. 1.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 16, 2015 at 11:32 pm

    I think his only real contribution to this cycle may be blundering in to Social Security and Medicare and dragging the rest of the field with him. I heard somebody on the TV say he’s not drawing any attention form donors, even his pal Zuckerberg.

  2. 2.

    Hunter Gathers

    April 16, 2015 at 11:33 pm

    I doubt he’d even win a pie eating contest at the moment, not to mention the GOP primary. He’d stop half-way through his second blueberry to berate the judges for their temerity in determining the outcome by measuring it.

  3. 3.

    FlyingToaster

    April 16, 2015 at 11:36 pm

    I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such incompetent grift. The “Outlaw Jersey Whale”, indeed.

    Pro-Tip: if you’re going to grift, you need to pick issues where there’s money on your side. The DEA isn’t cutting checks to politicians. And there aren’t enough prosecutors in NewHamster or Iowa or even SouthCaroCrazyLand to put you over the top in the caucuses and primaries.

  4. 4.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 16, 2015 at 11:36 pm

    Getting ready for the Vogue Knitting convention in Pasadena this weekend. I’m taking two classes (one of them an all-day seminar), going to a lecture and, of course, shopping!

  5. 5.

    GHayduke (formerly lojasmo)

    April 16, 2015 at 11:38 pm

    Voting for Rand Paul, Obvs.

  6. 6.

    Little Boots

    April 16, 2015 at 11:45 pm

    for omnes:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11A8JZ-RDDo

  7. 7.

    cmorenc

    April 16, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    @FlyingToaster:

    Pro-Tip: if you’re going to grift, you need to pick issues where there’s money on your side. The DEA isn’t cutting checks to politicians.

    But the Mexican cartels have do have lots of money, and I’ll bet they’d be glad to contribute to Christie for his help in keeping marijuana illegal, in order to keep their illicit operations so immensely profitable.

  8. 8.

    gnomedad

    April 16, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    Pilot Who Landed Gyrocopter on Capitol Lawn Is Unlicensed, Prosecutors Say

    Well, now he’s in trouble.

  9. 9.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 16, 2015 at 11:48 pm

    @cmorenc:

    Heck, there are plenty of growers in Humboldt County, CA, who would throw a lot of money Christie’s way to prevent legalization. They sure spent a lot to block California’s proposition to legalize it.

  10. 10.

    Little Boots

    April 16, 2015 at 11:49 pm

    still need more omnes.

    or actually more steeplejack. better.

  11. 11.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 16, 2015 at 11:51 pm

    @Little Boots: Way too early in a thread with an actual topic.

  12. 12.

    Richard Shindledecker

    April 16, 2015 at 11:52 pm

    Where did Crispy Crème go to law school? – it should be disbarred as a school.

  13. 13.

    Mike J

    April 16, 2015 at 11:53 pm

    @gnomedad:

    Well, now he’s in trouble.

    Depends on if the autogyro counts as an ultralight.

  14. 14.

    patrick II

    April 16, 2015 at 11:54 pm

    @gnomedad:

    I don’t think you need a pilot’s liscense to fly some very lightweight aircraft.

  15. 15.

    Little Boots

    April 16, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    he’s silly. I blame john,omnes.

  16. 16.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 16, 2015 at 11:56 pm

    @Mike J:

    I have to admit, I have some sympathy for the guy. He seems to have gone to a lot of trouble to figure out how to pull off his stunt in as non-threatening a manner as possible.

  17. 17.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 16, 2015 at 11:58 pm

    @Richard Shindledecker: Seton Hall, he would not have been admitted to Ted Cruz’s study group. That why I want Christie to last long a while in the primaries, to see him and Cruz, the two biggest egos this side of Old Man McCain, go after each other. I’ve been waiting for a crab pot GOP primary for three cycles now.

  18. 18.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 16, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    @Richard Shindledecker: Seton Hall. Why does Seton Hall have to answer for an obviously political statement by one of its graduates? Should we also disband his kindergarten for failing utterly?

  19. 19.

    Little Boots

    April 16, 2015 at 11:59 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    yikes, anger.

  20. 20.

    srv

    April 17, 2015 at 12:00 am

    @gnomedad: In theory, if it weighs less than 254 lbs, he wouldn’t need a license as it would fall into the ultralight category.

    But looking at the pics, I don’t think he qualifies.

  21. 21.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:02 am

    @Little Boots: No, just questions. If every school that graduated an asshole needed to be shut down, we would have no schools at all.

  22. 22.

    Betty Cracker

    April 17, 2015 at 12:02 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Me too. It was a goofy-ass stunt, but at least it was buffoonery in service of a good cause.

  23. 23.

    Betty Cracker

    April 17, 2015 at 12:03 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: As an alum of the same school as Joe Scarborough, Marco Rubio and Aaron Hernandez, I must concur.

  24. 24.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:04 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    fine can I do this thing. cause sometimes you get angry, but this might not make you angry:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aowSGxim_O8

  25. 25.

    KG

    April 17, 2015 at 12:05 am

    If he’s going to crack down on weed, does that mean he will lighten up on coke? Because, I mean if there’s room to compromise…

  26. 26.

    jl

    April 17, 2015 at 12:07 am

    Right now I am laughing at Christie. He must know his campaign is floating dead in the water. So he is figures the ‘why not try total cranky BS and see what happens’ approach.

    So he goes after Social Security and Medicare, now he goes apeshit over pot, of all things.
    I guess next he’ll want student loans conditional on the damn college boys today having short hair and girls wearing chastity belts.

    Then maybe start a campaign against mandatory seat belt laws as a threat to freedom. The flip flop a few times on childhood immunization and say he is not a scientist on water fluoridation.

    One up Jindal by raving against volcano, earthquake, tidal wave, forest fire, hurricane, tornado AND big gummint weather forecasting research.

    I’ll watch for the news video of Christie waving onions and bellowing at clouds soon.

    Damn, I hope the fool can raise enough money to pretend to be in the race until the first couple of GOPer debates. They could be real laugh riots. Please please please let some rich fool throw him some money!

  27. 27.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:08 am

    @Betty Cracker: Didn’t Sonny Crockett go there too?

  28. 28.

    Peale

    April 17, 2015 at 12:10 am

    I believe my meeting today can be summed up as “80/20 rule for me, six sigma for you” and “We would like to focus on the low hanging fruit by overturning every pebble.”

  29. 29.

    jl

    April 17, 2015 at 12:12 am

    I hope a reporter asks him if its important to save the whales.

  30. 30.

    RepubAnon

    April 17, 2015 at 12:14 am

    Perhaps we’ll need to update “Life of Brian”: “‘Biggus Dickus?’ There’s a Pwesidential candidate named Biggus Dickus…”

  31. 31.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2015 at 12:14 am

    @Betty Cracker: His idea began to blossom 2½ years ago, after his son, John Joseph Hughes, 24, committed suicide by driving his car head-on into another man, killing them both. “Police: Suicidal driver caused deadly crash,” read the headline in the Leesburg newspaper. He was crushed by grief, and disappointed that his son had killed himself — and someone else — to make a stupid, worthless point.
    “Something changed in me,” Hughes said. With mourning came a realization. The years Hughes spent thinking about and writing about mundane political issues were for naught if he didn’t have a way to make a point. His political frustrations and grief merged. He doesn’t condone what his son did, but it offered a lesson.
    “He paid far too high a price for an unimportant issue,” Hughes said. “But if you’re willing to take a risk, the ultimate risk, to draw attention to something that does have significance, it’s worth doing.

    The article doesn’t explain how the son was making a point, what that unimportant issue is, but it’s obviously a sad situation

  32. 32.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:14 am

    @Peale: That reminds me…. I need to take some time tomorrow to talk to a person who works under me and has been working his ass off and let him know that the hard work has been noticed.

  33. 33.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:15 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    wouldya, angry.

  34. 34.

    jl

    April 17, 2015 at 12:16 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    ” let him know that the hard work has been noticed. ”

    Just don’t make it sound like a threat, OK? And don’t punish him too hard, if it’s the first incident.

  35. 35.

    feebog

    April 17, 2015 at 12:17 am

    Christie will be the second Nazi gasbag to go down in flames in New Jersey. Can’t wait until the indictments start rolling out.

  36. 36.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:21 am

    @Little Boots:

    Busy today and actually got some things accomplished. Watching Backstrom now. Back in a bit. Don’t feel lowdown.

  37. 37.

    srv

    April 17, 2015 at 12:21 am

    The closest I can get to the Mad Postman gyro is an Air Command – but I can’t find the exact model.

    The internets say the 447 model is an ultralight, but his engine looks like a bigger rotax/muffler, so he’s probably over.

  38. 38.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:23 am

    @jl: No ” this will go down on your permanent record” then? Nah, he’s been working his ass off and has seemed down for a couple of days; I think he is exhausted. I just want to let him know that I know how hard he had been working and that I appreciate it. I can’t give him a raise or anything – a few words of praise is about it. In the army, I could have put him in for some minor award, but we (I) ain’t in the army no more.

  39. 39.

    Tree With Water

    April 17, 2015 at 12:24 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): As I’m sure you’re aware, no one or no entity could possibly put a dent in the cannabis cash crop grown hereabouts in Sonoma county. It’s laughable to even suggest as much.

    I have no idea what form legalization will take any more than anyone else, but the sooner it happens, the better. High on my hit parade of reasons why: it will serve to drive violent criminals out of business of growing marijuana crops, like the repeal of the Volstead Act served to drive criminals out of the booze business (and back into the more conventional rackets, where they belonged). We’ve put men on the moon. Creating nuts and bolts legislation to legalize grass is hardly beyond our powers.

  40. 40.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:27 am

    i don’t care, as long as steeplejack and omnes are here.

  41. 41.

    Mike J

    April 17, 2015 at 12:27 am

    @Tree With Water: BC has tons of water, California doesn’t. Leave the growing to the people who know how to do it best.

  42. 42.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:28 am

    everyone’s angry. why?

  43. 43.

    jl

    April 17, 2015 at 12:30 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    What kind of a boss are you?
    I gotta go and try to wrap my head around what you propose to do. I don’t get it.

    Merchant Banker
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUhb0XII93I

  44. 44.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:30 am

    @Little Boots: Is it possible that your perception of anger is off-base?

  45. 45.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:30 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Take him to lunch or something (if it’s situationally appropriate).

  46. 46.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:31 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    it is. are you angry. steeplejack does not seem angry.

  47. 47.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:32 am

    @Steeplejack: Not a bad idea.

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:32 am

    @Little Boots:

    “I Can’t Keep from Cryin’ Sometimes.”

  49. 49.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:32 am

    and yes, lunch would be nice.

  50. 50.

    Mike J

    April 17, 2015 at 12:33 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I need to take some time tomorrow to talk to a person who works under me and has been working his ass off and let him know that the hard work has been noticed.

    I always kept a bottle of Makers in my desk for that. Call him in at the end of the day, pour both of you a (shortish) drink, and thank him for his work. Worked well for me because evil management was way down the hall, I was just the guy in charge of the programmers and both sides thought I was one of them.

  51. 51.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:34 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    That’s just crazy talk right there.

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:36 am

    @Little Boots: I am not angry. Aside from the underlying anger issues that I think a lot of carry about why one of our political parties has gone bug-fuck crazy which leave out national politics in a shitty state. And a cop in Madison shot a black kid to death for no real reason…. And so on.

    But no, I am in a pretty relaxed mood this evening.

  53. 53.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:36 am

    maybe, can we, george?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5fv-89Maw

  54. 54.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:37 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I know and i love to pick on you, and I can’t stop. love you, and I know you are sick of this crap.

  55. 55.

    dogwood

    April 17, 2015 at 12:38 am

    Christie, like Rudy before him, is in for a big surprise. Winning the “pundits who love east coast loudmouths” primary will be his only parting gift. The GOP is not an east coast party and it is definitely not an urban party. Mitt was as far as they could go, and he’s actually a white suburbanite, whose sensibility is more Utah than Boston. Hell, even Democrats don’t fair well with eastern city slickers. A lot of what was and is appealing about the Obamas is the Midwestern normalcy they exude.

  56. 56.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:39 am

    @Mike J: That is not a possibility in my position, but it is a good thought.

  57. 57.

    KG

    April 17, 2015 at 12:39 am

    @Little Boots: because Christie is threatening to take everyone’s weed away?

  58. 58.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:40 am

    @KG:

    see? why? is it steeplejack’s fault?

  59. 59.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:41 am

    @Little Boots: Percy. In honor of someone we lost his week.

  60. 60.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:43 am

    can I totally annoy omnes, and …

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-eclUz-RYI

  61. 61.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:44 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    dammit, you are so much better than I am. love you.

  62. 62.

    Mike J

    April 17, 2015 at 12:44 am

    @Little Boots: Very nice pick. Shuffled on my way home today and got Wolves, Lower followed by In the Street.

    Wish we had a joint soooo bad.

  63. 63.

    Tree With Water

    April 17, 2015 at 12:46 am

    There’s an old expression I’m partial to, which reads: “54-40 or Fight”. I’ve long assumed our history with our own indigenous peoples would have served to put Canadians on notice that if we want land and water, we take it (much less if we really, really need it). The tone of your reply indicates perhaps that was a mistake.

  64. 64.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:47 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    still waters run deep, and I miss you, by the way.

  65. 65.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:47 am

    Pentangle, “Light Flight.”

    Just found out that John Renbourn died a few weeks ago. Bummer.

    “Little Niles.”

  66. 66.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2015 at 12:47 am

    @Little Boots:
    How about some Stephen Hawking.

  67. 67.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:48 am

    @Mike J: Something old and something new.

  68. 68.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:52 am

    @Mike J:

    finally, somebody.

  69. 69.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    April 17, 2015 at 12:54 am

    They is anyone who believes dope is a major social menace these days?

  70. 70.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:55 am

    @Little Boots: If you do actually piss me off, I’ll post a song by the daughter of minor SNL alumnus Rob Schneider. And no one wants that.

  71. 71.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:56 am

    @Little Boots:

    Very old George: “I Need You.”

  72. 72.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 12:56 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I know I don’t really, I just would love if you post your favorite.

  73. 73.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 12:58 am

    @Steeplejack: Help is a very underrated album.

  74. 74.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 12:59 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    No. No, we don’t.

  75. 75.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    is it? oh, omnes.

  76. 76.

    Mike E

    April 17, 2015 at 1:01 am

    Elementary tonight had an Edward Snowden moment, and a connection to Iraq…please, don’t become The Good Wife and start trolling the shit outa the audience!

  77. 77.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:02 am

    @Steeplejack: It isn’t horrible: it’s just not good.

  78. 78.

    Amir Khalid

    April 17, 2015 at 1:02 am

    I have a comment in moderation. Rescue me!

  79. 79.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:03 am

    Stipe with hair? And one of my faves.

  80. 80.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:04 am

    no teaming up, you two.

  81. 81.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:05 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Fuckin’ A. “It’s Only Love.”

    Earliest George: “Don’t Bother Me.”

  82. 82.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:05 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Please, we’ll take your word for it.

  83. 83.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:06 am

    @Little Boots: Don’t bitch when you wish comes true in a way that is unexpected. I’ll drop the SNL spawn on you with a clear conscience.

  84. 84.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:08 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: fine, no this?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blrHHRWKygw

  85. 85.

    Violet

    April 17, 2015 at 1:08 am

    Matt Lauer on the Today Show this morning had a fluff interview with Christie. First had him sitting in some diner in New Hampshire and asked him various questions. Including the insightful, “You say you haven’t decided if you’re running for president. I’ve known you for a long time. When I look into your eyes I see that you’ve already decided.” Uh huh. Just like Shrub looked into Putin’s eyes.

    The next part of the interview was Matt walking with Christie and Christie’s wife Mary Pat. Lauer asked her if she’d keep her job working at an investment bank if Christie ran for president or if she’d quit like Ted Cruz’s wife quit her job as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs. They claimed the whole thing had yet to be decided, but WTF with the spouses working as investment bankers?

    I’m really curious who owes Christie favors to get those fluffy interviews booked.

  86. 86.

    Mike J

    April 17, 2015 at 1:09 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Loved the Zella Day. Don’t even need to head 13, I can play it in my sleep. And I pretty much do. It’s my favorite song evar.

    It struck me today that a lot of the newer bands I listen to are not just very white, but sound very white. They’re not even trying to steal from black people. It’s like the Beatles listened to black people, and Badfinger listened to the Beatles, and the power pop bands listen to Badfinger, and the indypop bands listened to the powerpop bands and five generations down to us and white alternapop is the whitest thing imaginable.

    I like black people. I like black music. Black people make the most popular, most money making music out there. Why don’t the white electro dance/electro folk/whatever artists listen to them? Every other day Krugman talks about some folkie duo he went to see and it’s always some band I like and they always sound whiter than 20 mule team Borax. Or the reference “20 mule team Borax.”

    What do I want? I want Kanye and Taylor Swift to do an album together. I want Jay-Z to produce the New Pornographers. I want Deadmau5 to be force fed the Stax oeuvre.

    I want you, the readers of Balloon Juice, to tell me this already exists and play me a video.

  87. 87.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:10 am

    @Steeplejack: “It’s Only Love” takes perfect advantage of the flaws in John’s voice. George Martin was the fifth Beatle for a reason – perfectly produced.

  88. 88.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:12 am

    maybe new thread. although you do not deserve it, because of the abuse.

  89. 89.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:12 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    “(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville.”

    Also covered by 10,000 Maniacs, oddly enough.

  90. 90.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:15 am

    @Steeplejack:

    maybe take it upstairs.

  91. 91.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:16 am

    @Little Boots: I like that one.

    @Mike J: Have you looked into the BBC’s Live Lounge? Bands/singers covering unlikely songs. Not exactly what you asked for, but worth a look.

  92. 92.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:17 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    finally.

    now upstairs, maybe.

  93. 93.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    April 17, 2015 at 1:18 am

    @Steeplejack: Stipe and Merchant collaborated quite a bit back in my day.

  94. 94.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:19 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Yep. When I first started listening to the clip I thought, “Oh, Omnes will dismiss it because it sounds saccharine.” But Lennon turns the two-minute pop love ballad inside out with his ragged voice and the little pieces of broken glass buried in the honey. “Is it right that you and I should fight every night?” “It’s only love and that is all, but it’s so hard loving you.” Wait, what?

  95. 95.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:24 am

    goddammit, everybody upstairs, please,

    thank you.

  96. 96.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:24 am

    @Steeplejack: John could always be subversive.

    ETA: Elvis Costello is his songwriting heir int hat way. The sweetest sounding song can contain extremely barbed lyrics.

    @Mike J: Does this count?

  97. 97.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:27 am

    I very much hate you all right now.

  98. 98.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:28 am

    can we do george?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5fv-89Maw

  99. 99.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:30 am

    @Little Boots: if you want the music conversation, stay where it is happening. And, boom!

  100. 100.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:32 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    damn, you always pull out the stops. damn.

  101. 101.

    nota bene

    April 17, 2015 at 1:33 am

    They’re not even trying to steal from black people.

    Of course, stealing from black musicians used to be considered a knock against the white rock establishment (especially the Brits). Damned if you do, damned if you don’t….

  102. 102.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:34 am

    @Little Boots: I told you I would drop the Schneider child on you if you made me do it.

  103. 103.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:35 am

    @Mike J:

    Mayer Hawthorne, “The Walk.” This guy has at least heard some black music at some point. Also check “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out.”

    (continued . . .)

  104. 104.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:35 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    dammit. love the steeplejack, but you are insidious. dammit.

  105. 105.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:36 am

    @Mike J:

    I feel your pain. I grew up with that ’60s-70s soul, and I really miss it. You hardly even hear the influences any more, even in current “black” music, unless somebody is sampling a riff or something.

    The death of Percy Sledge got me doing a lot of YouTube diving. Tyrone Davis is one of my favorites. “Can I Change My Mind.”

    I even liked the more “rural” soul before it went urban. O.C. Smith, “The Son of Hickory Holler’s Tramp.”

  106. 106.

    Little Boots

    April 17, 2015 at 1:38 am

    and sixteen tons:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUpTJg2EBpw

  107. 107.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:38 am

    @Little Boots:

    Anything that says “Long Read” is not going to be a good fit for us.

  108. 108.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:38 am

    @Steeplejack: St. Paul and the Broken Bones. Retro, but sincere.

  109. 109.

    Mike J

    April 17, 2015 at 1:40 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    ETA: Elvis Costello is his songwriting heir int hat way. The sweetest sounding song can contain extremely barbed lyrics.

    @Mike J: Does this count?

    Rihanna And Kanye are both great, I just don’t see what Paul adds to it.

    Did Elvis ever do a song that wasn’t actually nasty when you listened to it? Don’t get me wrong, that’s one of the reasons I worship him. The nicest thing you can say about most of his lyrics is that he hates himself as much as every woman he ever met.

  110. 110.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:40 am

    @Little Boots: You are so not with the evening’s vibe….

    @Mike J:

    The nicest thing you can say about most of his lyrics is that he hates himself as much as every woman he ever met.

    Except Maggie Thatcher – he really hated her.

    ETA: “Party Girl” isn’t nasty.

  111. 111.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:41 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    That’s actually not bad.

  112. 112.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:43 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Double bonus points for the horns and the crisp, non-mushy guitar.

  113. 113.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:47 am

    @Steeplejack: I like what I have heard of their work. You can tell who is on their iPods. And they take it seriously.

  114. 114.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:48 am

    The Undisputed Truth, “Smiling Faces Sometimes.”

    The Staple Singers, “Respect Yourself.”

  115. 115.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 17, 2015 at 1:49 am

    @Mike J:

    Lots of the stuff on King of America is actually quite sweet (for Costello), especially “Jack of All Parades.” It’s one of my favorite of his albums.

    Though since I’ve never been a huge Lennon fan, I enjoyed EC’s subtle dig at him in “The Other Side of Summer.” Don’t piss EC off, because you do NOT want him to write a song about you.

  116. 116.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 1:54 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): “Jack of all Parades” is, in part, a tribute to his dad.

    ETA: Suit of Lights was the trib to his dad.

  117. 117.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 1:56 am

    Joss Stone with the man himself, “It’s a Man’s World.”

  118. 118.

    daddyj

    April 17, 2015 at 1:59 am

    Watched the first couple episodes of Daredevil. Semi-interesting variations on the superhero theme: what if it was really freaking painful to be a crime-fighter? What if your impulse to beat the crap out of bad guys was founded in guilt instead of altruism?

    I don’t find the blind crime fighter twist interesting. There’s a well-choreographed Old Boy-style cramped-corridor fight scene that sells the concept that this guy is really good at close quarters physical combat. That realism is undermined by some sillier fights where he nails guys with crowbars from 50 feet away in an echoing garage where everybody’s firing guns.

    But what made me turn it off in disgust was episode 4. The grizzled world-weary reporter warns the secretary about the hazards of being a whistleblower — he mentions a toxic waste whistleblower who was found dead in the river and that guy who went up against the TEACHER’S UNION and was accused of being a pederast. “People with power won’t give it up,” he warns.

    Really? Those nefarious unionized teachers, they have so much power! Who knew? They are just like gangsters who murder people! Maybe in episode 5 Daredevil will get to beat some middle-aged school teachers to pulp.

  119. 119.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 17, 2015 at 2:01 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I was about to correct you, but you corrected yourself, so I’ll just remind you that “Sleep of the Just” is yet another amazing song from that underrated album.

  120. 120.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:03 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): Not underrated by me. I would put it at fifth in the EC canon.

  121. 121.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 17, 2015 at 2:03 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    “Sleep of the Just”

  122. 122.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:11 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): IMO, there isn’t a bad song on the album. It isn’t the first album or “Get Happy,” but what is?

  123. 123.

    Mnemosyne (tablet)

    April 17, 2015 at 2:14 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    “Tokyo Storm Warning” isn’t one of my favorites, but it’s not a bad song.

    I know someone who got to meet Costello’s traveling archivist who goes on tour with him. She got to meet the man himself, too, but she’s a librarian, so she was almost more excited to meet the archivist. I was too jealous to get more details.

  124. 124.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 2:18 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet):

    Nothing says bard of the people like having a personal archivist in the entourage.

  125. 125.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:19 am

    @Mnemosyne (tablet): “Tokyo Storm Warning” is from “Blood and Chocolate. An uneven album with some brilliant songs and some that are iffy. I have seen EC in concert many times and TSW never made the playlist.

  126. 126.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Holy fuck! I have TCM on in the background and I just saw someone in blackface. – no context. I hope there was context that I did not see.

  127. 127.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 2:23 am

    Apropos to the discussion tonight: Elvis Costello, “Dark End of the Street.”

  128. 128.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:26 am

    @Steeplejack: His anguished voice works. He knows very well what he can and cannot sing. The Sledge version is still the standard.

  129. 129.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 2:30 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    Yeah, the context is that it was the 1930s and we were racist as hell.

    I like catching some of the lesser, forgotten movies during the day on TCM because you often see those small, telling details that were originally just filler. There was one a few months ago where there was a nothing scene in a men’s room at a hotel or nightclub, with a black attendant—just a scene where two of the main characters exchange some small bit information—and at the end of it one of them casually says, “Hey, Sambo, gimme a towel.”

  130. 130.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 2:32 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    I don’t like it that much. I just happened to learn that he did it when I was looking at Wikipedia to refresh myself on his albums. Interesting that he would try it.

  131. 131.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 17, 2015 at 2:33 am

    @Steeplejack: Bergman’s line in Casablanca about the “boy” playing the piano is another example.

  132. 132.

    Steeplejack

    April 17, 2015 at 2:50 am

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    In the A-list movies they tried to keep it high-toned, but in the second features things got rough, often because attention to detail was lacking in the hectic schedules. The thing with the washroom attendant had no meaning at all; they just needed some little bit of business to end the scene. And that’s what came out. It could have been the main character giving the attendant a tip, or just saying, “Gimme a towel.” But no. And I guarantee that no thought was given to it at all. Hell, it even passed the censor.

  133. 133.

    David Koch

    April 17, 2015 at 3:28 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: I think it was a movie Hamsher produced.

  134. 134.

    David Koch

    April 17, 2015 at 3:31 am

    @Violet: the demographics for morning shows skew old and white so they play to that political bent. They’re the mirror opposite of late night shows which are young and diverse.

  135. 135.

    David Koch

    April 17, 2015 at 3:43 am

    Hewitt: Right now, we’ve got the states of Colorado and Washington flaunting federal law by allowing people to sell dope legally. If you’re the President of the United States, are you going to enforce the federal drug laws in those states?

    Christie: Absolutely. I will crack down and not permit it.

    Hewitt: All right, next …

    Christie: Marijuana is a gateway drug. We have an enormous addiction problem in this country. And we need to send very clear leadership from the White House on down through the federal law enforcement. Marijuana is an illegal drug under federal law. And the states should not be permitted to sell it and profit from it.

    You have to read to full quote to get the stunning idiocy of someone who appears to suffer from a food addition saying he’ll set an example against other people’s addictions.

  136. 136.

    ms_canadada

    April 17, 2015 at 9:23 am

    @Mike J: BC bud…the best, y’all.

  137. 137.

    germy shoemangler

    April 17, 2015 at 9:29 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: Use to watch Marx brothers films on my local tv station back in the 70s. Anything “questionable” was edited out.

    1937’s “A Day At The Races” was always edited when it was broadcast. Recently I purchased the DVD and understood why: there is a scene where the Marx bros are hiding out from the bad guys among a group of black people. They black up their faces to blend in.

  138. 138.

    Ajabu

    April 17, 2015 at 9:35 am

    @Steeplejack:
    I’ll see your beautiful Renbourn and raise you with the composer, Randy Weston.
    Randy & I spoke recently (he was my musical mentor and remains my hero). I called him to wish him Happy Birthday – he was 89 on April 6th – and still touring.
    Randy is the last remaining genius of jazz piano and needs to celebrated here in the states as he is worldwide. Enjoy!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZJKUemH5Q0

  139. 139.

    germy shoemangler

    April 17, 2015 at 9:40 am

    @Mike J: Well, Kanye’s been collaborating beautifully with Paul McCartney.

    “Only One” written by Kanye/McCartney; a great song. And the other one with Kanye/Paul/Rihanna. Beautiful music

  140. 140.

    WaterGirl

    April 17, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    @jl: Maybe it’s sour grapes? If he knows in his heart of hearts that his presidential hopes have been dashed, perhaps his hope is to take the rest of the republicans down with him?

    If I can’t have it, neither can they. That way, when the republicans (hopefully) lose, he can say “see, if you guys had picked me, I would have won”. Who knows, 4 years from now, maybe he thinks everyone will have forgotten bridgegate, etc.

  141. 141.

    Danack

    April 17, 2015 at 7:28 pm

    @WaterGirl wrote: “Maybe it’s sour grapes? If he knows in his heart of hearts that his presidential hopes have been dashed, perhaps his hope is to take the rest of the republicans down with him?”

    I don’t think it’s that, it’s that as soon as he acknowledges his presidential bid is dead, his political career is over. Not only would that hurt Christie emotionally, there are a considerable number of people who could testify against Christie in his various illegal schemes.

    While there’s a chance he could become President, and so could wield inconceivable vengeance against those people, they’re going to keep their mouths shut. As soon as he’s seen as a lame duck, the knives could come out.

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