Chatting on the phone with oxymoron of many things under the sun, earlier today, the subject of Pearl Jam's first record came up, and what a splash it made on the culture at the time. This is still Harrogate's favorite song off of Ten. And the performance shows why, as great as their records are, Pearl Jam will always be known more as a live band than anything else. Sometimes listening to Pearl Jam live, Harrogate thinks that it may not get any better on the live guitar, than Mike McCready.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Friday Label Tribute; Or, Obviously I'm Not Laughing about the Pornographic Pictures
Today's tribute is twofold:
1) It celebrates the label used below, which I believe was coined by Harrogate. No other label is suitable for something as funny as the clip posted below.
2) This post also celebrates Solon, who earlier today steered me back to FailBlog, the site from which this video post hails.
1) It celebrates the label used below, which I believe was coined by Harrogate. No other label is suitable for something as funny as the clip posted below.
2) This post also celebrates Solon, who earlier today steered me back to FailBlog, the site from which this video post hails.
Fashion as Rhetoric / Rhetoric as Fashion
"By the way I don't believe you're leaving
Cause me and Charles Manson like the same ice cream
I think it's that girl
And I think they're terrible collections of me you've never seen
Maybe she's just terrible collections of me you've never seen, well"
- (Not) Tori Amos
Rape, the 88th element of hip-hop. Also, coincidentally, the 88th element of the periodic table.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Thursday Label Tribute; Or, Flea Coins the Phrase "That's Hot!"
To honor Harrogate's newest label (used below), here is a clip of Anthony Keidis and Flea from The Chase, starring Charlie Sheen. Pay special attention to Flea's line at the .45 marker. It would seem that Paris Hilton plagiarized her famous catch-phrase from Flea. Perhaps that's why the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied her request to copyright "That's Hot."
P.S. Monster madness, dude.
P.S. Monster madness, dude.
Thursday Muscial Tribute
"Parallel Universe," by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, from the album Californication. Turn it way up, only way to hear it.
And one hell of an album cover too.
And one hell of an album cover too.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
From the Rachel Maddow Show: Terrorist Threats Against Women's Health Clinics on the Rise
It really looks like more violence against women and medical providers in the crusade to end abortion, is coming. These groups are just whacked out, picketing people's private homes, yelling at and touching patients, threatening doctors and staff. Etc. Tiller's murder emboldened them, and the closing of his clinic has further emboldened them. Now we see that Operation Rescue wants to make a bid on Tiller's clinic.
Perhaps more insidiuously, a meme has been gaining traction, recently articulated by this assshole, arguing that by taking the abortion issue "out of the democratic process," the Supreme Court is to blame for political violence. How unfortunate that the New York Times would publish such trash.
Perhaps more insidiuously, a meme has been gaining traction, recently articulated by this assshole, arguing that by taking the abortion issue "out of the democratic process," the Supreme Court is to blame for political violence. How unfortunate that the New York Times would publish such trash.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Tiller's Clinic Closed
Linking to this AP piece, Charles at Little Green Footballs asks:
A chilling question, yes?
From the AP piece:
A bit further down:
Meanwhile, back in crazy-fucktard-town:
And so here we are.
Does anti-abortion terrorism actually work in America?
A chilling question, yes?
From the AP piece:
Dr. Warren Hern, one of the few remaining doctors in the country who performs late-term abortions, said the closure of the clinic was an "outrage" and he feels the loss for Dr. Tiller's family and the patients he served.
"How tragic, how tragic," Hern said when contacted by phone at his Boulder, Colo., clinic. "This is what they want, they've been wanting this for 35 years."
Asked whether he felt efforts should be made to keep the clinic open, he said: "This was Dr. Tiller's clinic. How much can you resist this kind of violence? What doctor, what reasonable doctor would work there? Where does it stop?"
A bit further down:
Hern blamed comments from anti-abortion groups for Tiller's death.
"The anti-abortion fanatics have to shut up and go home. They have to back off and they have to respect other people's point of view. This is an outrage, this is a national outrage
Meanwhile, back in crazy-fucktard-town:
Randall Terry, the founder of the original Operation Rescue group, responded to news that Tiller's clinic would remain closed with, "Good riddance." He said history would remember Tiller's clinic as it remembers Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
"What set him apart is that he killed late-term babies," Terry said. "If his replacement was going to continue to kill late-term children, the protests would continue, the investigations would continue, the indictments would continue."
And so here we are.
Tuesday Musical Tribute; in Honor of M's Thread on Gay Rights, and of the Metaphorical Ted
A true 90s Anthem, even if it did come out in 1988. Harrogate will never forget when Jane's Addiction burst onto the scene.
The Rhetoric of Expectations: Question of the Day
Big Television week for Megs and I. Well, not really, but we do try albeit rather poorly.
But this leads to the question of the day: what is the proper form for a new television series (with form meaning, according to Kenneth Burke, the creation of certain appetites in the minds of the audience members- see Counter Statement) ? What should a viewer expect from a new series (or a new season e.g. Weeds)? How long do you give a show that sits on the edge of being watchable? Or, at what point do you begin to use the time to watch the paint dry or to catch up on the academic murder mystery books that piled up on the shelf?
Please note: there may be a difference between shows the broadcast on the premium channels, which, I imagine, creates a unique form or carries a different set of expectations from the regular broadcast channels.
The back story: This week we started to watch Showtime's new show, Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco. The show concerns a NY City Nurse dealing with, well, being a nurse, which is the signature twist from other medical dramas, as I am told, personally, by the producer, as other shows just focus on doctors for the lead roles. Simple enough. And since I do not watch other medical dramas and I am only watching this one because of Edie Falco, I do not know if the producer is right or wrong.
As for the story: the main character is both a saint and sinner: a saint for helping those in need; a sinner for abusing painkillers, having affairs, and abusing patients as the situation dictates. She deals with patients, family members, doctors, administrators, and whatever else walks in the door. There is little that occurs outside of the hospital: lunch with a doctor and some family interaction and both seem to distract from the story.
After two episodes (via On Demand), I have very little feeling for the show. It is okay though I am not sure if I would miss it if I stopped watching it. Nurse Jackie is certainly not as high on my TV list as the Sopranos, Big Love, The United States of Tera, or even Entourage, where I needed to be in my seat minutes, if not hours, before the show begins. Instead, it exists on the True Blood or Weeds plane, where if I catch it, I catch it; if I miss it, oh well. Maybe I have time for On Demand latter.
I am thankful the show is only twenty-five minutes in length. If it were an hour, it would be too much.
There seems to be some depth and intrigue in the show but I am not sure if I want to stick around to try and understand why she became a "realist," why she removes her wedding ring when she goes to work, or why she is having an affair. Instead of attempting to discuss these aspects in the first two weeks, the show just plays on the good/ bad tropes of hospital life: Nurse Jackie displays a sense of charity by helping some patient or showing compassion for some patients while demonstrating a sense of moral superiority by mistreating or yelling at others. Of course, because of her own moral failings and an absence of character development, the attitude that reveals her moral superiority seems "blah" at best. And, yes, blah is a technical term.
Thoughts? Has anyone else seen the show? What are your experiences with other shows? How long do you continue to watch before the "blahness" takes over? What is the "turning point" at which the show meets the acceptable form and you continue watching or you reject the show and find something else to do?
But this leads to the question of the day: what is the proper form for a new television series (with form meaning, according to Kenneth Burke, the creation of certain appetites in the minds of the audience members- see Counter Statement) ? What should a viewer expect from a new series (or a new season e.g. Weeds)? How long do you give a show that sits on the edge of being watchable? Or, at what point do you begin to use the time to watch the paint dry or to catch up on the academic murder mystery books that piled up on the shelf?
Please note: there may be a difference between shows the broadcast on the premium channels, which, I imagine, creates a unique form or carries a different set of expectations from the regular broadcast channels.
The back story: This week we started to watch Showtime's new show, Nurse Jackie, starring Edie Falco. The show concerns a NY City Nurse dealing with, well, being a nurse, which is the signature twist from other medical dramas, as I am told, personally, by the producer, as other shows just focus on doctors for the lead roles. Simple enough. And since I do not watch other medical dramas and I am only watching this one because of Edie Falco, I do not know if the producer is right or wrong.
As for the story: the main character is both a saint and sinner: a saint for helping those in need; a sinner for abusing painkillers, having affairs, and abusing patients as the situation dictates. She deals with patients, family members, doctors, administrators, and whatever else walks in the door. There is little that occurs outside of the hospital: lunch with a doctor and some family interaction and both seem to distract from the story.
After two episodes (via On Demand), I have very little feeling for the show. It is okay though I am not sure if I would miss it if I stopped watching it. Nurse Jackie is certainly not as high on my TV list as the Sopranos, Big Love, The United States of Tera, or even Entourage, where I needed to be in my seat minutes, if not hours, before the show begins. Instead, it exists on the True Blood or Weeds plane, where if I catch it, I catch it; if I miss it, oh well. Maybe I have time for On Demand latter.
I am thankful the show is only twenty-five minutes in length. If it were an hour, it would be too much.
There seems to be some depth and intrigue in the show but I am not sure if I want to stick around to try and understand why she became a "realist," why she removes her wedding ring when she goes to work, or why she is having an affair. Instead of attempting to discuss these aspects in the first two weeks, the show just plays on the good/ bad tropes of hospital life: Nurse Jackie displays a sense of charity by helping some patient or showing compassion for some patients while demonstrating a sense of moral superiority by mistreating or yelling at others. Of course, because of her own moral failings and an absence of character development, the attitude that reveals her moral superiority seems "blah" at best. And, yes, blah is a technical term.
Thoughts? Has anyone else seen the show? What are your experiences with other shows? How long do you continue to watch before the "blahness" takes over? What is the "turning point" at which the show meets the acceptable form and you continue watching or you reject the show and find something else to do?
J.D. Salinger Finally Speaks!!!
New Terminator Movie Brings J.D. Salinger Out Of Hiding
Tip of the Hat to one of Harrogate's Facebook friends.
"Come in, come in, sit down, there's plenty of space," an exuberant Salinger told reporters, gesturing around his sitting room, which was filled with movie posters, comic books, and other Terminator collectibles, including a life-sized statue of the T-800 Model terminator as portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. "What a frigging inspired choice to cast Bryce Dallas Howard. She made so much more sense in that part than Claire Danes."
Tip of the Hat to one of Harrogate's Facebook friends.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Disappointing
The Supreme Court has decided against hearing a challenge to the Defense Department's "don't ask, don't tell" policy concerning homosexual men and women serving in the military. I have to say, even given the conservative make-up of the court right now, I find this really disappointing. I find it even more disturbing that the White House has said they won't stop the military from dismissing gays and lesbians from military service. I really like the President, and I think he and his administration are on track with most things. I really do not like the half-hearted stance he and his administration take on gay rights.
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