Thoughts and Thangs....6/4/06

Reading the New York Post a week or two back, I was struck by the utter cantankerousness of the paper. The headline? "Bad Lay", in referring to the conviction of Enron CEO/scam-artist Ken Lay. A few days later, the Post referred to Paris Hilton as a "celebutard". They've consistently referred to Britney Spears' husband Kevin Federline as "trash-tastic".

Ahhh....I love the Post. And it's easy to read on a subway, to boot.

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Celebrities might want to become more aware of how they act in public, what with the Smoking Gun and other websites about. Here's one I recently discovered: a website dedicated to "outing" crappy celebrity tippers. Enjoy.

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Recently, John J. Miller of the National Review posted his top 50 most conservative rock songs. I wouldn't say that the list necessarily points out bands that are conservative in their personal convictions, but rather it points out songs that rail against big government, overt and abusive governmental authority, the clear understanding and recognition of good and evil, lack of personal responsibility, the insidiousness of collective thought, and, of course, high taxes. Pete Townshend, bless him, posted his response here. Far from slagging the inclusion of "Won't Get Fooled Again" on it, he merely points out that he's been rather energetic in never having his name (or that of The Who) connected to any political cause for any reason. (A conservative, individualistic sentiment in and of itself!) Clearly Pete distrusts the so-called "do-gooders" of the world, and the useful idiots who back people like Castro (though without naming Castro or the useful idiots who flock to kiss his ring...though he does wail on the African National Congress and their gun-running schemes, of which he was duped into supporting in the 80's).

Have fun reading 'em, as well as the encore here. (Thankfully, Rush gets two nods on the list, with "Red Barchetta" and "The Trees" making the cut. I could come up with about ten or more to add to the list, but I'm happy anytime anyone acknowledges this very underrated, stellar band.)

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I came across this quote by Pete Townshend on Woodstock in Neil Peart's book, Traveling Music. I think it emphatically encapsulates Pete's worldview. While everyone in the 60's generation thought that Woodstock was the high-water mark of the 60's, Pete said this of it:

"If rolling around in the mud and smoking bad weed is the American Dream, you can have it. I'm taking my money and going back to Shepard's Bush* where people are people."

He also said this of Woodstock:

"I hated it."

How cool is Pete!?!

*Shepard's Bush is the neighborhood in London where the members of The Who grew up.