George W. Bush - An Appreciation

As we head into the sunset of the administration of the worst United States President ever, it is important to recognize Dubya for some of his positive accomplishments. He'll be doing it tonight on the tube, but, in the interest of fair discourse, your pal Nazz has some points he may not bring up.

Remember campers, the glass isn't always half empty, sometimes it's half full!

1) The Rapture has not occurred. Granted this is bad news to some of you. But back in the 2000 election, the big fear was that our nation's first "born-again" prez was gonna make this country the Christian Conservative center of the Universe. So far, ain't happened. Try as he might, it ain't happened! What's that you say? What's that about us being in the second coming of The Crusades?

2) Was not Commisioner of Baseball. Baseball has recovered nicely from the steroids/big market/strike scandals. If Gore would have won, there was a good chance Dubya (as a former baseball team owner) could have run baseball. In fact there still is. So I hope Bud Selig is taking his vitamins. Hey, Bush fucked up the country, but at least he left baseball alone!

3) We have not been invaded and conquered by extra-terrestrials. GWB has ensured that we are not under Saturnian or Martian or Neptunian rule since he has been in charge. Yeah sure, the Martians almost destroyed us, but thanks to Bush's "relaxed" standards on the environment, there were plenty of microscopic organisms to destroy the Martians. And we can blame the Japanese for this guy, not the good old USA!

4) As comedy is often born out of tragedy; 8 Years of great material for John Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Saturday Night Live. After all, how much mileage were they gonna get out of Al Gore (although South Park did a great show on Gore.)

5) The knowledge and security that we have seen the worst President we ever will experience. We have nowhere to go but up! (Please make him the worst ever, it can't get worse, can it?).

Toonage:
Bob Dylan - It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (live 1965 in hotel room)
Dusty Springfield - Have A Good Life, Baby
Grateful Dead - We Bid You Goodnite (live Cow Palace 1975)
Joy Division - Leaders Of Men
Mudhoney - Check Out Time

Attn Fates: No Hubris Enclosed!

This is a posting that I am terrified to write.
This past weekend, I celebrated my birthday.
I hate my birthday.
I hate acknowledging that I am that much closer to the finish line than the starting gun.
I hate thinking of mortality and celebrating myself.
And I hate being the focal point of all of the above.

Years ago, I banned acknowledgment of my b-day in my office. Everyone respected my wishes. They probably all thought I was a dick (still probably do), but they still left me alone... in fact for many years, I just took the day off. This week, I actually brought doughnuts into my department... and sent out a "Happy Birthday to Me" e-mail inviting folks to partake.

Mrs. Nomad and the Nomad children are always stymied, as I tell them I want nothing. They always do OK by me... this year I got a neat Johan Santana Mets jersey, and some really cool homemade t-shirts --- mine says Hall Of Famer and the kids made ones for themselves that say "My Dad is a Hall Of Famer". And I got a really cool old school NY Giants baseball cap. And the missus made a kick ass cake (with banana pudding and vanilla frosting and NO chocolate!) mmmmmm.

Well, I also went to see these guys the other nite. Tasty show, too.

Last nite, Miz Nomad and I dined at a brewpub (dunkelweiss and smoked porters). Double mmmmm.

The bottom line is... I really don't need anything. I really have all the material stuff I need/want/desire.

As long as everyone is healthy and no one has any school/work/personal drama... what more could I want (aside from world peace, $30 million bucks, etc)?

These daze, I am pretty even keeled.

This is a pretty big departure in mindset for old Nazz, since before my chemical conversion of 11 weeks past, I was pretty damn miserable and on the edge for the preceding few months.
In fact, the last 2 months have brought the well known horrors of the economy, bad tidings at work with regard to job cuts (I'm safe, but others will not be), and some deaths and illness's in the extended family.

I dare say, that if not for Nazz's little helper, I would have either been in the "laughing academy" by now, or thinking of jumping off a ledge everyday.

All of which is a long way of saying that maybe I've turned a corner. If so, the best birthday present I gave myself was coming to my senses and hitting old Dr. Benway back in the summer for a 'scrip. I am sure that they were holistically effective (I scared myself straight- if I have to take something for medication other than recreation, that's a powerful incentive!)

And Obama being elected was a great gift too!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday To Me indeed!

Now that I said that, I spit on the ground, knock wood and pray that the fates do not see this post as hubris and conspire to destroy me!!!!!!!!!

In fact, why is my back starting to ache big time?


Toonage:
NOFX - Happy Birthday (You're Not Special)
Husker Du - Birthday (live 3.1.84)
The Vandals - Happy Birthday To Me
U2 - A Celebration
Mudhoney - Brief Celebration Of Indifference

"Repent, Harlequin!" Said the Ticktockman

"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines, with their bodies."

...Henry David Thoreau - Civil Disobedience

Bookage:
The Essential Ellison - Harlan Ellison


Toonage:
Misfits - We Are 138 (live w/ Henry Rollins)
Bad Religion - Voice Of God Is Government
Joe Jackson - Got The Time
The Hives - Introduce The Metric System In Time
Mudhoney - Where Is The Future

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Time to start drinking.

Toonage:
Replacements - You Lose (Live CBGBs 6-4-84)
Red Cross - Cover Band
New Bomb Turks - Sucker Punch
Frank Zappa and The Mothers -How Could I Be Such A Fool
Mudhoney - You Stupid Asshole (live Angry Samoans cover)

Cancer sucks

This is pretty cool. Here in the U.S. of A., "second base" is a term for getting access to boobage. So, some good folks out there came up with these Breast Cancer Awareness shirts. Hey, it's a good cause and the shirt is awesome. I plan on wearing mine to church.

More info on the origins of the shirt can be found by clicking on the shirt image or by hitting this link that will take you to a Newsweek story.

And here's another site called "Save The Ta-Ta's".

Cancer sucks.

Toonage:

My Chemical Romance - Cancer

Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick

NOFX - New Boobs

Led Zeppelin - Sick Again (demo)

Pink Floyd - Stay

We're a Garage Band

"We're a garage band

We come from Garageland"
--The Clash

Sometimes it's just nice to kick out the jams, muthufuckas.


So that's what me and some pals are doing tonight. As we have all been in Rock n Roll stasis as of late, we figured it was high time (and it will be a high time) to hook up and blast the shit out of some rock.
After all, what's wrong with making alot of noise, aided by various intoxicants and a three chord ideaology.

Undoubtedly, it will be sloppy caterwaul of sound.

Perfect!

PS - If John Doe is touring in your area... go see him! Saw the show in NYC last nite and it was fantastic. A smattering of old X tunes, but the solo stuff was great. And GO HERE to stream his new album A Year In The Wilderness.

And if you want to play the home version of our jam... here's the songs we will probably start out with. Just punch a hole through your speaker, fire one up and it'll be like you're there!

Toonage:
Ramones - Surfin Bird (live Northwestern U 1979)
AC DC - Highway To Hell
Sonic Youth - Death Valley '69
Mudhoney - In and Out of Grace
Stooges - 1970 (live 1971 - Cinn Pop Fest)
Hole - Celebrity Skin
Pixies - Gouge Away

Friday Grab Bag - Home Improvement

It's Spring and a not so young man's thoughts turn to...Home Improvement. We are currently involved in a kitchen demolition and remodeling which has rendered our eating area uninhabitable and our pockets empty.

I learned long ago, that whatever the contractor tells you it's gonna cost, add another 20%. And however long he tells you it's gonna take, well, the 20% rule isn't a bad idea for that either. We've been living in sawdust and plasting sheeting for the past week. After that, I get to paint three rooms (which ain't bad, cause at least I can drink beer while I do that!).

It's not like we're flush with cash. We simply decided that it's easy to spend money when you don't have it! Besides, the world's gonna end soon enough!
As Bobby D sang "when you got nothin', you got nothin' to lose".


Horray for debt!



And you're all invited over for a pool party when that gets installed next week!!!! Oh yeah, where do we live? Right over by The Big W!



Toonage:
The Doors - Break On Through (Live)
Descendents - Suburban Home
Mudhoney - Fix Me (Black Flag Cover)
Adolescents - Rip It Up
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache
Bad Religion - The Hopeless House