Friday Musical Tribute: The Greatness of "Porch" At This Point is an Established Rule of Physics

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.

Tuesday Musical Tribute

Given the Rhetorical Situation. It is Tuesday, May 5th. It is Harrogate. What else would the Tribute be. This song will be in Harrogate's core heart forever. He wants to convert all Situationers, and all Readers, to its disturbian glory.

Thursday Night Muscial Tribute

Harrogate has long cherished this cover of "Dead Flowers," by The Rolling Stones. Lord knows there are many excellent covers out there, by artists ranging from Ryan Adams to Cowboy Junkies to New Riders of the Purple Sage. And of course, the Stones' original version remains far and away the best version.

But still, this is one hell of a cover here.



And here's another kickass version by the incomparable Shelby Lynne.

Sunday Night Musical Tribute

Hello all. Unlike Roof Almighty Harrogate believes strongly in straight-up here's a cool song posts.

Here's a song Harrogate has listened to at least once a day since he discovered its existence early last week. This badass's name is Shawn Mullins. The record is Honeydew, the sublime song is called "Cabbagetown." Roof, you'll like this Song. Harrogate's gonna go ahead and chalk it up in the label, in fact,

Harrogate will be buying this record at the nearest opportunity.

This is one of those songs, you just sit back and let it happen.

A Valentine's Day Tribute

One happy consequence of the endurance of TRS is that it has now established numerous sub-traditions, one of which is Harrogate's posting of "My Funny Valentine" for the last couple of years, on Valentine's Day. Two years ago it was Linda Ronstadt, one year ago Harrogate went with the double dip, breaking out the Matt Damon version, and as a bonus, Tom Waits' video for "Hold On."

Tonight, Harrogate returns to Damon. Because this counts in the category of Stuff Harrogate likes.

Happy Valentine's Day, Situationers, and loyal Readers too.

Friday Musical Tribute

Harrogate loves Amnesiac more and more with each listen. Check out this performance of "Dollars and Cents." It'll put you somewhere else for 4:41.

Harrogate's Favorite of All the Videos He, To Date, Has Posted This Year

While getting the ball rolling on the current Retrospective Festival taking place on TRS, oxymoron indicated here that at times, it seemed as though Harrogate preferred Ron Paul to all other Presidential candidates. Reading Oxy's comment, Harrogate was moved to take introspective pause. How much substance, in the end, was there to the claim? It was certainly the case that Harrogate's Award-Winning sequence, "Why Some People Like Ron Paul," included some of the clearest, most passionate prose Harrogate ever placed on these Boards.

But at the same time, while this writing intentionally implied much admiration for the good Dr. Paul, much of it was after all quite hostile, with Harrogate wearing anti-Libertarian bias on his sleeve for all to behold. In the end, the truth is that the thing about Paul that moved Harrogate the most was the incredible response his Call for Liberty evoked in citizens across the country. Paul, unlike every other candidate this season, did not at all come across as having tailored his Rhetoric to Focus Groups. Indeed, he neither hemmed nor hawed. There was never any doubt as to the sincerity of his position, no confusing for anything else his intellectually-grounded Love for the United States of America.

Do many of Paul's convictions nauseate Harrogate? Indeed they do. But one both can and should live with that in the arena of ideas. And the rejection of many of Paul's ideas, by Harrogate, did not thereby insinuate a questioning of his patriotic motives, his Constitutional breadth of knowledge, or his Political Bravery.

Some, by the way, have said that Situationers post too many videos. But Harrogate disagrees. The videos, musical, or political or otherwise, accomplish many important Rhetorical goals, not the least of which is the kind of community-building work that Oxymoron has recently identified with Feminine Sociolinguistics. But the Videos are also expressions of what move each indiviual blogger, and chance to put out into the Blogosphere "stuff {insert name} likes."

The Above Video Homage to Ron Paul, Harrogate posted on two separate occasions in this Year 2008. Now he has posted it for the third and final time. It takes one of our Nation's greatest Musical Pop Anthems, and uses it persuasively on Paul's behalf. This video is all about America, about ideological substance, and it is beautiful.

And so here is another chance for Readers to check it out.

A Word on Entrance Music

Readers, what would your entrance music be? Yesterday Harrogate asked his students this "Question of the Day" and got several surprising answers.

One student chose this: an excellent choice indeed.


For Harrogate the answer is still what it always was and forever more shall BE.

You know, sort of like this guy.

Friday Musical Tribute

Oh please. You know it's freakin' awesome.

Tribute to the Awesomeness of Last Weekend

As faithful Readers know, last weekend Harrogate and the Lovely Supadiscomama had the pleasure of hosting Solon, whilst he completed his transition to becoming Dr. Solon.

It was a real shot in the arm for many of us down here. Get togethers and fun were experienced by many last weekend, drinks were consumed, pool was played, and then there was that really strange dude that decided to join our table at the bar and carry on as though he'd known us all along. And of course, it was made all the better by the appearance of none other than the great Oxymoron.

Verily, there was a moment last weekend when Solon, Oxymoron, Supadiscomama, Harrogate, and Best Buddy/Supadiscobaby happily watched the following classic movie scene together.

The quality of the clip aint the best. But the memory. That's forever. "Oh yes, it's a wonderful song. I think you're familiar with it"

Because Someone Had To Lighten The Mood

And also, because Harrogate will guarantee it. There are Board Members afoot, perhaps several--YEA, perhaps all!!!--who like this song.

Wednesday Musical Tribute

Tom Waits. "Take Care of All My Children."

Somewhere, on a metaphorical street corner where it is always night and the fog is always thick, lamentation and hope cross ways.

In Case You'd Forgotten About This Movie Scene.....

Comic Relief

Count this in the category of Stuff Harrogate Likes. It never fails to amuse him. Perhaps because on this day he, too, feels pretty, and witty, and gay.

This moment also classically exemplifies what is meant when academicians speak of The Rhetorical Situation. Perhaps Readers would like to Break it Down in the Comments....



"Move your Ass, dipshit!"

New Blogroll Addition: Balloon Juice

Harrogate announces the newest addition to Our Reading List. A blog he's been visiting for a few weeks now, very good stuff, pithy, gets lots of comments, hopefully ye will all consider visiting.

This was Contributor John Cole's reaction to the convention and to the ticket. He dubs McCain and Palin's post-convention campaign, "The Suspension of Reality Tour." Could it be said any better, except maybe by Board Members here?

A snippet. He quotes this from McCain's speech last night:

The—the constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause. It’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not for you. Again and again—again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That’s how I will govern as president. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again.

Then he joins Solon's call for people to please, please, please notice the grotesquely cynical contradiction of it all:

Is he serious? Did he not watch his own convention? Did he miss the nasty, snide, and condescending presentations from Romney and Giuliani the night before? Did he pay no attention to Lyndsey Graham, just an hour earlier, claiming Obama’s entire campaign is based around a loss in Iraq? Did he miss the untested and unproven running mate of his, Sarah Palin, launch vicious and snide remarks about Obama? Has he not paid attention to the last 3 months of his own campaign? Does he forget repeatedly accusing Obama of choosing to lose awar to win an election?

The blogosphere is on fire right now. Get your work done. But smoke more blog.

To Barack Obama--Thank You

A lot of people are writing a lot of things about Obama's speech last night, and understandably so. But for Harrogate, a lot of it is still sinking in. It did something no modern political speech has ever done for him--it put him on defense, it made him think seriously about what his politics really are, and where they are going from here.

It is hard to explain, but knowing Harrogate personally, perhaps some Board Members will sense what he's getting at. For example, there was a time when for Harrogate, the social conservative element in America was the most loathed of its parts. That has been eroded over the last eight years, and in ways that Harrogate cannot quite articulate, Obama reminded him of why that is. Obama also reminded Harrogate of the truism that total agreement is not necessarily the endgame for political affiliation. This is not to say policy doesn't have crucial importance. But sense of life is just as important, and while ideological differences abound between them, Barack Obama's sense of life is very appealing to Harrogate indeed.

At this point it is hard to imagine Nader peeling away Harrogate's vote from Obama, even if he gets on the ballot here.

Obama and Anti-Anti-Intellectualism

Though he has not yet written this on The Rhetorical Situation, some time ago Harrogate realized that all along, his favorite thing about Obama by far is that he does not cede an inch to the anti-intellectual strain in our culture. Sure, he's as fond of soundbites as any of them, if not moreso than most. But whereas Kerry wore his associations with intellect as an albatross, Obama unapologetically reminds us that, well, most of the shit candidates for president debate is complicated, and success depends on our willingness to synthesize concepts, to use (gasp) abstract thought.

Here we get a perfect example of this wonderful quality of Obama's, although channeled indirectly. Townhall's green-blooded reporter, Amanda Carpenter, has the headline right: Obama Calls GOP Ignorant on Oil.

“It’s like these guys take pride in being ignorant!” Obama told an audience in Berea, Ohio on Tuesday.

“They’re sending like little tire gauges making fun of this idea as if this was Barack Obama’s energy plan,” Obama said. “Now, two points. One, they know they are lying about what my energy plan is, but they are making fun of a step that every expert says would absolutely reduce our oil consumption by three or four percent.”

Yes. Yes. Yesssssss!!!!! A great method for fighting the GOP affect of blue-collar common sense, point out it's only an affect!!!! Point out that proud ignorance may not be so much of a selling point for politicians as we may have thought.

(In a note of delicious irony that will surprise no Board Members, Harrogate neither has, nor knows how to use, a tire gauge)

A Radio Station Readers Must Explore

Megs has put Harrogate in something of a recommending mood, himself.

Go here, dear friends. Where Harrogate turns frequently. Good music to read and write to, to clean to, or simply to veg with. And, streamlined out of one of Harrogate's favorite cities on God's Green Earth.

A Tribute to Paperweight, M, and Wildman; Or, Not-So-Happy Tuesday Music Tribute

A big "tip of the hat" to Paperweight, who loaned to me this weekend his copy of Alison Krauss and Robert Plant's Raising Sand. It's a wonderful album!

The clip below is a live performance of one of my favorite songs from the album, "Gone Gone Gone." Posting this particular song makes this otherwise happy tribute also equally heartbreaking, for it reminds me that Paperweight, M, and Wildman will soon, themselves, be "Gone Gone Gone." But only in physical proximity. We will not see them as often as we do now, but I know we will continue to meet often in the blogosphere, where we will no doubt laugh and argue as we do now (just as we continue to do with Solon and Megs after their departure).

Our friendship will last a very, very long time.

What are Raisins, Alex?