So, I finally figured out my Ten Best Albums, which means this collection of my favorite songs from the year is now complete and available as a double podcast for those of you with way too much free time.
I once tried to share my geek-filled passion for Doctor Who with someone who took no interest in my obvious attempt at indoctrination. The question was posed to me, "Why do you watch this show?" I replied that my interest in the show was "tied-up with my psychopathology," but I never provided an explication of this answer.
Steven Moffat, the excellent writer who is taking over as executive producer of Doctor Who for Series 5, said in a recent interview that the audience doesn't identify with the title character. The Doctor, Moffat said, is too strange, too alien for the audience to relate to. They relate, he insists, to the human companion who briefly forsakes ordinary life to have adventures in time and space. Not me. I have always, since I was a child, identified directly with The Doctor. He is the hero I wanted to be in my childhood fantasies. The Doctor saves the world, protects his friends and has fun doing it.
But it is more than that. The Doctor is more like me (or perhaps, more like the person I wanted to be) than any person I had encountered in life. He is different and eccentric to the point of being strange. He has difficulty relating to the behavior and attitudes of his human companions. His intelligence is his best and often, his only weapon. He endeavors to do always what is right, even though he sometimes gets it wrong. He is also flawed. The First Doctor was cantankerous, the Second impatient, the Third pompous, the Fourth aloof, the Fifth petulant, the Sixth had a temper, and the Seventh was conniving.
The New Series has revealed even greater complexities in the character. We already expected that he would always reject the notion of an ordinary life. He will never marry, or have a family, or live in a house; The Doctor will always keep traveling. But we discover now that The Doctor travels not just for the fun and adventure, but because he can't face his own past; he is always running away from himself.
The Doctor's interminable journey must be undertaken alone. Although, a friend may come along for part of the ride, ultimately he will end up on his own. This is illustrated best, if somewhat heavy handedly, by the final scene of the Series 4 finale "Journey's End." The Doctor's friends assemble to help him save the universe. They succeed, of course, and The Doctor takes them home so that they can all resume their normal lives. Again, he is left on his own. As he is about to depart he is asked, "What about you? Who have you got? What about all those friends of yours?" The Doctor pauses amid a clichéd downpour of rain to answer, "They've all got someone else."
He is strange, yet wonderful; loved, and yet alone. And The Doctor, being who he is, has, since I first discovered him as a child, made it alright for me to be who I am. Now, if only I could save the world...
12.19.2009
Yeah, so... um I guess I owe you a few blog posts.
-I've had one about Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize floating around in my head since it was announced it would be awarded to him. Maybe I'll write that eventually. -There's a Doctor Who post I need to get out soon. (I can see you trembling with anticipation.) -And there's the Album of the Year podcast to produce and post whenever I figure out exactly what's going to be on it.
All of these could come as early as tomorrow or as late as never.
11.26.2009
It really annoys me that during the holiday season it seems I am expected to "Merry Christmas" everyone I encounter. Now, I have observed I am obligated to also issue "Happy Thanksgivings" hither and yon. Where does it end? Should there be "Happy Birthdays" to everyone in the world? I reject this. You don't have to "enjoy the holiday" or even acknowledge it at all. Your disposition on the matter is certainly not influenced by any of my wishes on your behalf. So do whatever you want. Be ecstatic or ordinary, it makes no difference to me; I'm happy if you're happy. Thank you and have a day.
The fictional people of Springfield are well known to be rubes. Perhaps that is why they were so easily taken in by the slick presentation of Lyle Lanley. The townspeople, their hope-filled eyes gleaming, imagined that building the monorail would create jobs and put Springfield on the map as Lanley claims it did for towns like Brockway, Ogdenville and North Haverbrook. They sacrificed time, labor, opportunity cost and the city treasury to fulfill that novel dream. Of course, the monorail turned out to be a grift and the project a failure. But, even at its best the monorail was little more than a publicity stunt: a support to buttress the civic pride of Springfield's rubes.
The Olympics aren't much different. They're expensive, time consuming and fiscally draining. They're basically a multi-billion dollar, bloated photo-op for the host city. I love my city and its people, but we've exhibited time and again a capacity for being rubes with a depressed sense of civic pride. Chicago did not need the Olympics. Perhaps Beijing needed them to demonstrate that China is more than just smog and political repression. Rio can show what is has to offer besides scantily clad women, violence and homeless children.
Meanwhile, at home, we still need to improve our transportation infrastructure, build affordable housing and the city still has that new piece of lakefront property to develop. Now we should look forward and work up to our potential as a community. Not so that the world will come to Chicago, but for the world that is already here.
I'd like to clear up an important point that has arisen in the wake of the health care debate. The reason a "public option" for health insurance is anathema to some opponents of the plan is because they recognize a fundamental truth about our country: namely, that we are not a society. It is a common misconception that the founding fathers formed this republic for the benefit of the commonwealth. On the contrary, our nation is simply a venue for the socioeconomic competition between individuals. It is organized primarily for the purpose of protecting the material and ideological sanctity of private property. Of course, there are various other rules and obligations such as the prohibition against murder or other deliberate injury not sanctioned by the state, but the values of private property are sacrosanct.
In light of this reality, we can dispense with the notion that any citizen is entitled to goods, commodities, or services simply by the fact of citizenship. No government can provide and no individual is entitled to that which can be acquired otherwise by means of competition in the marketplace. To do so would be to interfere with the competition for resources between individuals that is the function and purpose of the nation. Further, such intervention typically occurs in favor of those individuals who have failed to become or remain competitive within the marketplace. This kind of policy making is antithetical to the concept of competitive fairness.
There are those who will argue that because 87% of the nation's wealth is possessed by only 25% of the population,1 many Americans face a kind of competitive disadvantage from the outset of their existence. This argument, however, is immaterial. After all, there are no rules in sports designed to render the most gifted athlete less dominant in competition by taking away the natural advantages of speed and agility. Instead, the less gifted athlete must succeed at overcoming his disadvantages or else leave the competitive world behind.
It follows then, that health care is not a right. It, like all other commodities, is the spoil of competition for those who succeed in the marketplace. It is not an entitlement to be provided at the expense of the private property of the victors to those individuals who fail to succeed in the socioeconomic competition for which we are organized as a nation. Ultimately, we did not form this Union so that we could take care of each other; we formed it so that we could compete against each other.
7.30.2009
alpha charlie bravo, for no discernible purpose, presents: The Five Creepiest Movies of All Time (as far as I'm aware).
5. Tideland Okay, so there's this 10 year old girl named Jeliza-Rose who lives in an abandoned farm house with the corpse of her recently deceased father. Her only companions are her imagination and the doll heads (yes, only the heads) she talks to. That is, until she meets and develops a friendship with a mentally handicapped man who likes to blow things up and his hyper-religious aunt who likes to keep a corpse or two around the house herself. Brought to you by the director of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Enjoy.
4. Crumb You might well expect this documentary about the cartoonist R. Crumb to be kind of creepy given the sort of things that spring from the mind and pen of its subject. But, what really makes this movie creepy is when you meet R. Crumb's family and discover that he's the normal one.
3. Gummo Cinematic wunderkind Harmony Korine, who wrote the movie Kids at the age of seventeen, gives us in his directorial debut a plot-less cavalcade of freaks; some played by actors and some played by townies, which makes it all the more creepy. The boys in the town spend their days spitting off the overpass or killing stray cats. Werner Herzog cavorts in his underwear. There's a gay midget and Chloe Sevigny. Need I say more?
2. Mulholland Dr. David Lynch originally made this as a Tv pilot, but when it was rejected he re-cut it into a feature film. It's filled with creepy scenes. For example: this one; made creepier by the fact that the scene has nothing to do with the plot (whatever the plot is) and features two characters that do not appear anywhere else in the movie. But don't watch that scene, because if you do you won't forgive me in time to watch this one. It's the final scene of the movie and sums things up nicely with a rousing: Wtf?
1. Crash No, not that Crash. This is the David Cronenberg movie about people who are sexually aroused by car accidents (oh, yes). I believe I have mentioned before that this movie features the single creepiest performance ever recorded on film. But, it's not just Elias Koteas that puts Crash atop this list. Watch this movie, but make sure you have enough soap to take 3 or 4 showers afterward.
7.10.2009
If you've got 40 minutes of your life you don't know what to do with and you want to listen to some music you may not have heard before, I've got a little podcast that I'm calling:
It's various stuff from various times in modern history. Various. There's nothing "urban" here. Take that as you will. I'm considering a separate "urban" buried treasures podcast, but for now, it is what it is.
Editor's Note: Obviously, when referring to the Billy Bragg & Wilco albums, I meant to say Mermaid Avenue and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II. Also, I'd like to apologize to Joanna Newsom for referring to her as a "harp playing elf." I'm not sure exactly whether she's an elf or a sprite or a faerie, but I'm pretty sure they're all part of the same genus.
Playlist:
1. Get Out Get Out Get Out Jason Molina
2. Snakes and Ladders Basia Bulat
3. G.P.T. Martha Wainwright
4. Walt Whitman's Niece Billy Bragg & Wilco
5. At The Hop Devendra Banhart
6. Sprout and the Bean Joanna Newsom
7. Melt Your Heart Jenny Lewis With The Watson Twins
8. Black Cab Jens Lekman
9. When Your Mind's Made Up Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova
10.What You Want John Butler Trio
7.08.2009
I haven't been exposed to the media fixation with Michael Jackson since his death; I seem to turn on my television only for the purpose of watching The Simpsons or a baseball game.
But it has recently occurred to me that what I remember most about Michael Jackson is that he was really, really, really famous. I doubt that anyone born after Thriller or more specifically, his legendary performance on the Grammys can truly comprehend the cultural phenomenon that was Michael Jackson at the height of his popularity. I mean, people actually purchased and wore those crazy zipper jackets from the "Beat It" video. However, his incredible fame and subsequent infamy diverts our attention away from making the one indispensable judgment: namely, the impact and significance of his art.
To be frank, I haven't given much thought to this question. However, I can offer two examples that suggest Michael Jackson had an impact on music that persists. The following songs by contemporary artists undoubtedly owe something to his artistic legacy.
There isn't much time left, so I've decided to provide the coveted acb bump, which does not exist, to one candidate in the Iranian presidential elections. Now, everybody knows that Mohammad Khatami is my guy, but he dropped out of the race. So, my endorsement goes where Khatami's goes.
alpha charlie bravo Endorses for President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:
Mir-Hossein Mousavi
In spite of the fact that he's got kind of an Aerosmith thing going on with the scarf around the microphone.
6.09.2009
Hey kids, it's time for another glimpse into my imaginary political career. Before Jesse Jackson Jr. became the congressional representative for Illinois' 2nd District, the office was held by Mel Reynolds. Mel had a little problem in that he liked to touch underage girls. Mel went to prison. With the congressional seat vacant, I began to plot my own ascension to power. There were several problems with this idea, but my biggest barrier was a constitutional one: I was seventeen at the time.
Nevertheless, I began to plan my campaign strategy. I would take my message directly to the people; a megaphone and a soapbox would be my accoutrements. My cause célèbre? The drug war.
It was a plan destined to fail as poor urban neighborhoods are famously conservative when it comes to crime and other social issues. However, these same areas are disproportionately affected by the collection of ineffective laws and misguided policies that characterize our response to the problem of narcotics.
The shocking violence perpetrated by Mexican drug cartels near the border has brought the issue to light again. Earlier this year, the Secretary of State acknowledged that the U.S. shares "a co-responsibility" for the violence that is decimating Mexico1.
Her statements however, do not go nearly far enough. Our drug control policies have given us more addicts, more criminals, more violence and more narcotics at higher prices. If I may, Sec. Clinton, I've prepared a sentence for you which will effectively sum up the situation:
Our four decades long policy of criminalization and interdiction2 has been an unmitigated failure.
You may not give a damn about what I'm watching through Netflix, but I didn't blog in the month of May, so I'm just going to throw everything against the wall...
Brick At first, I didn't like it. The characters are not believable, the dialogue is preposterous, but then I reminded myself that it was a genre movie. It's a Film Noir. It has all the trappings one would expect from a noir: a dead girl, a hard-boiled detective, a femme fatale, twists, turns, angles and campy Dashiell Hammett style dialogue. It just happens to be set in a high school.
Yeah, so um... May; I don't know what happened. I was working on a post about the drug war and then the next thing I knew, it was June. So anyway, you may have noticed that I heart the BBC mini-series Jekyll. It has the greatest opening scene ever:
4.24.2009
alpha charlie bravo presents the first ever pre-emptive invocation of the Thaksin Shinawatra1 rule for:
Jacob Zuma
I know you probably had your sights set on some good ol' fashioned African political corruption once you got the big office to go along with your already impressive resume. But come on, JZ; you and I both know you're not even going to make it through one full term without some kind of court battle. Why don't you just step aside now and let the ANC save some face. The party of Mandela deserves better.
4.21.2009
One evening, prior to the fin de siecle, I found myself at the Osco in Evanston with the purpose of acquiring various and sundry items that might offer some marginal benefit to my day to day existence. I was a student, that term being loosely used, at the time.
In the store, a beautiful young woman caught my eye. She met my gaze, smiled and approached. She said, hello and we began to engage in small talk. At this point, I realized that she knew me, or at least thought she did. But I had no idea who she was. I couldn't imagine how I could have possibly met someone of her pulchritude and subsequently forgotten to the extent that she did not seem in any way familiar.
I desperately attempted to conceal my ignorance in the course of conversing with her. I ended the encounter somewhat abruptly since I don't have much to say to someone I don't know. I left convinced that this had been a case of mistaken identity--that she had spoken to me falsely believing me to be some vaguely familiar acquaintance.
At the time I was serving as Assistant Director for that year's Shakespeare at the Rock production, Twelfth Night. There was a rehearsal that I attended the evening following my mysterious encounter with the unknown beauty. I walked into the room and there she was. She was Olivia; that's how she knew me. The night before I saw her in Osco, I was probably sitting just a few feet away from her at the "read through" and yet I could not add the sums together when the circumstances required. Isn't it strange how one can see someone he knows and yet not see her at all?
4.12.2009
I feel I would be remiss if I didn't post the trailer for the Doctor Who Easter Special. I realize that's an irrational feeling and should not necessarily influence my behavior, but... (Why am I being so introspective about this?)
I was not aware that this product was still on the market. However, while I was perusing the cookie aisle in the grocery store last night, I came across an entire display for Stella D'oro Breakfast Treats. Here you can see the photographic evidence.
And here you can see why this simple product amuses me: (Not safe for work, school or children)
In the midst of the celebration of deception that occurs annually at this arbitrary point on the calendar, I often think of the story of Gimpel the Fool. "It is written, better to be a fool all your days than for one hour to be evil."
3.19.2009
The Best of alpha charlie bravo presents a fawning ode to the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament:
alpha charlie bravo™ would like to apologize to the following individuals for having been subjected at one time or another to the unfortunate circumstance of being my dance partner.
Chanté I think it was in 7th grade when we were paired together for a dance that was to be performed at an assembly for our parents. I felt terribly sorry for the poor girl and her rotten luck.
My Mom There was an obligatory Mother/Son dance in High School the highlight of which was a classmate who tore up the floor as he polka danced around the gym with his mother. Needless to say, we got served.
Laura She was my dance partner in Wisconsin Death Trip. Not only was the girl subjected on more than one occasion to a voracious foot stomping, I also accidentally grabbed her boob during a rehearsal.
Jim I passed on the opportunity to dance with him at his own wedding, but we did share a tender moment during the Urban Therapy wedding reception.
Cleo Really, it's her own fault. I was doing just fine seated in my chair at the Nancerus wedding reception, but she insisted. She didn't really need a partner anyway. She could have danced the night away on her own.
This excerpt from an actual conversation has been brought to you by: Silk Soymilk: Just one sip of smooth, creamy Silk could get you hooked for life. Available in a variety of scrumptious flavors and convenient sizes.
You may, but probably will not recall this teasing blog post. Well, I figured I might as well reveal my plan so that it is recorded here for posterity. And by posterity, I mean my own boundless ego.
In order for the plan to be implemented there are some prerequisites. First, political stability, transparency and the rule of law: you've got to have a government with its head on straight. Second, environmental stability. The potential impact of climate change on the developing world could severely impede any attempt to implement this plan.
Also, it should be noted that this is a plan for ending poverty in the developing world. It does not specifically address the problems of poverty within wealthy societies north of the equator such as ours. Many of the following steps will surely be considered controversial, if not altogether radical. However, this is not an attempt to restructure the global economy. Instead, I want to use what the global economy already does well in order to accomplish a specific goal.
1. Debt Forgiveness This first step will liberate governments from the onerous burdens of debt service so that they will be able to allocate resources toward social spending. One argument against debt relief and forgiveness is that it creates a moral hazard causing international investment to become disincentivized. In my view, politically, we have to say we're going to hit the reset button and just start the game over.
2. Health Care Disease and poor nutrition are hidden causes of economic instability. My primary focus here is to substantially reduce the number of deaths from treatable and preventable diseases.
3. Food Sovereignty OK, so maybe I'm restructuring the global economy a little bit. The ultimate goal here is to have an economy that could, hypothetically, function as a closed system. Ideally, an economy trades for prosperity; not survival. Any nation that allocates a majority of its agricultural resources toward growing cash crops while importing the staples on which its people subsist is on the wrong side of the equation.
4. Living Wage Let's say Nike, whose shoes are made in Indonesia is required to increase pay by $5 a day for each employee. Phil Knight has two options: he could pass the entire increased labor cost onto the consumer in the developed world (inflation) or he could take a smaller profit margin. Either scenario works for me, because in the long run, by paying a living wage, Phil is creating a new market for his products. That new market may eventually suck up the lost demand from his price increase or make up the difference in profits by expanding his market share. It's essential that this policy be applied universally across the developing world in order to avert a "race to the bottom" with respect to labor costs.
5. Education for Girls This would probably be the least controversial aspect of the plan in "the West," but it's my secret ingredient. Nothing I've written above matters if you can't raise the standard of living of the girls who are of school age now. Living standards throughout the world are matrilineal. Even in our own society, the leading cause of poverty among women and children is divorce. Girls grow up to be women who are heads of households all over the world. Girls living in poverty who grow up to be women living in poverty make a society in poverty. But educate a girl, give her a future and she will carry your next generation into prosperity.
I figure it would take about 80 years to eradicate global poverty. Of course, there are any number of potential complications along the way: flood, famine, corruption, war. But significant improvements in the lowest standards of living should be easily measurable within 10 years. In 20 years, there would be noticeable reductions in the number of people living in poverty.
This seems so simple it must mean, I am a brilliant visionary, or I am hopelessly naive, or that we are so far from having the will to accomplish this that I have essentially written an eschatological fantasy.
2.27.2009
And now, in a sudden fit of narcissism, alpha charlie bravo presents:
True Student Theater Stories
When I arrived as a freshman at North Occidental, I confidently presumed that with one successful high school production of Godspell under my belt (in which I played the role of Jesus, thank you very much) I would continue my performing career in college, in spite of the fact that it was not my field of study.
I immediately began to audition for every student produced show in existence expecting that if I cast a wide enough net, I would ensnare a leading role. I auditioned for a student written original play called (title redacted due to extreme googlebility). It was a sci-fi story (probably inspired by the original Solaris movie with a touch of 2001: A Space Odyssey) that featured an android as a central character, a masturbation scene and a bell-kicking leprechaun.
There were 4 male roles and 1 female. I was auditioning for the male roles. I performed a ten minute monologue because that was the time allotted for the audition. Later, I learned that no one else had done a monologue even approaching that length, which was one of the reasons the director, Kelly, chose to cast me.
Callbacks were typically held on Sundays with casting decisions made that night. A folder containing the list of names to be cast in the upcoming production was placed in a bin at Norris. I endured several anxious Sunday nights that year waiting to get a glimpse of a manila folder that may or may not have my name printed on the page inside.
It was common for students to audition for multiple productions, so anyone who was cast was expected to place his initials alongside his name if he intended to accept the assigned role. When I opened that folder, I suppose I expected to see my name associated with one of the two male leads; either the astronaut or the android. It wasn't. I was to be Station J2; one of two space station operators who converse with the lead, but only appear on a video screen.
I was dejected. I thought about all the auditions I had been on thus far; auditions for bigger productions with better parts. Accepting a smaller role was not part of my grand design. I hesitated. I stared at the folder. My right arm lifted slowly and then made a smooth motion that caused the writing implement in my hand to leave initials on the page. It wasn't the part I had wanted, but I accepted the role.
In retrospect, it all seems quite silly. Could I, if provided the opportunity, have effectively performed the role of astronaut or android? Probably. But the director chose the cast she wanted; the cast that would best fulfill her artistic vision. That artistic vision included me, playing the part of Station J2 appearing on a video screen (just after the masturbation scene) to berate the astronaut as he slowly slipped into madness.
2.25.2009
I'm currently watching the streaming broadcast of the President's address to the Joint Session of Congress. What you miss on the network broadcasts, is all the pomp, circumstance, standing around, glad handing, milling about and half-hearted applause that accompanies the introduction and procession of people who are not the President.
I wonder if I'm the only person who watches the parade of Supreme Court Justices and passes judgement on each individually by saying, "fuck you, fuck you, you're cool, you're awesome, fuck you..." and so on.
Jesse Jackson Jr. is the Congressman for my district. I'm not really sure what J.J. Jr. does for a living, but his skill at finding a perching spot on the aisle within view of the cameras at every joint session, is something to be admired. And by admired, I mean scoffed at. Also, is it really necessary to kiss Hillary Clinton on the cheek simply because she, ostensibly, has a vagina? Wouldn't a handshake suffice?
As the President begins his speech, the camera is deftly focused to include Nancy Pelosi's bosom in the frame. What follows should not be a controversial statement: Nancy Pelosi is not a MILF.
Every day I am impressed by this president. Last night's speech was ambitious, yes. But it is ambitious in the service of pragmatism. He is ambitious because he understands what must be accomplished and has set out to do what needs to be done even though it runs counter to the inertial forces of our institutions. Frankly, he reminds me of me if I were president. I may not agree with all the technocratic details of every policy proposal, but I recognize that this president, unlike any other I can recall, has the vision to see the course correction we must take in order to continue to prosper as a nation.
Many of you have seen this article: Cheney warns of new attacks in which the former Vice President asserts that:
Protecting the country’s security is “a tough, mean, dirty, nasty business. These are evil people. And we’re not going to win this fight by turning the other cheek.”
First, it reminded me of this video. Poignant, poignant.
Then, I began to wonder WTF is really up with Cheney (besides the obvious mephistophelean villainy, of course)? I remembered reading this article a couple of years ago which may shed some light on the inner-workings of the Cheney psyche.
From the article: Republicans have more Nightmares than Democrats
Scenario 1 The dreams of the people on the political right reveal them to be insecure, anxious, conflict-ridden, and emotionally repressed. When they are not terrified of imaginary threats they cling to the comforts of the status quo. They seek a kind of power through their political views that they lack within their deeper selves.
By contrast, the dreams of people on the political left show them to be creative, progressive, and imaginative. They are confident in their abilities and willing to think beyond the boundaries of the present to envision new possibilities for the future. (Bulkeley, 2001)
But, there's another possible interpretation of these findings:
Scenario 2 The dreams of people on the political right reveal them to be highly attuned to the actual dangers and threats of the waking world. These people are realistic, grounded, honest about the frailties of human nature in the face of danger, and appreciative of the good things in present-day life.
By contrast, the dreams of people on the political left show them to be irrational, naïve, utopian, and deluded by their own fantasies. These people are out of touch with the real world, and they wish for powers they do not have in actuality. (Bulkeley, 2001)
In my view, Cheney fits best into Scenario 1; although he would certainly argue that Scenario 2 most accurately represents reality.
Featuring: 1. The EverybodyfieldsNothing is Okay 2. Iron & WineThe Shepherd's Dog 3. TunngGood Arrows 4. YeasayerAll Hour Cymbals 5. Steve EarleWashington Square Serenade
