THE OPPOSING VIEWPOINT

While nearly everyone I know is happy about the baby steps Obama has taken (yes, there is a long way to go, but he's going in the right direction) some people are just plain furious. Not about the $2 trillion dollar Bush war, or the shambles he left us in, but the liberal, mixed race, commie pinko direction. They rant and cry (like Beck) and threaten to leave the country (like Rush..so go) and maybe wave a gun around in public, and one of my favorites is John Boehner, the house minority leader from Ohio. Boehner (pronounced BAY-ner, sorry) has a burr in his britches. We put it there. It drives him and his hateful friends to distraction that the insurance companies will be regulated, and that they won't be able to exclude a patient for a pre-existing condition. It eats him up inside that an old lady might get a free pair of teeth she doesn't deserve, or that a child won't miss an examination due to lack of funds. We say to Boehner--and his mouth-breathing, moronic tea-baggers--sorry guys, you lost. Ha ha ha. This is what change looks like.

THE T.A.M.I. SHOW, FINALLY

When you say James Brown, most people think of hard funk, a killer horn section, and the beat on the ONE, but Soul Brother Number One could also sing the hell out of a ballad. Here JB serves up a double shot of soul with "Prisoner of Love" from the Ed Sullivan Show.

If you need a reason for this clip, we're marking the DVD release (finally! this week!) of the famous T.A.M.I. Show from 1964. After years of worn-out video tapes and bootleg copies, the legendary concert finally gets the treatment it deserves. The show features an unforgettable set by James Brown, along with tunes from the Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Supremes and others. Needless to say, James steals the show. If you weren't one of the lucky kids who went to the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on October 28 and 29, 1964, now is your chance to see one of the great moments in Rock 'n' Soul history.

Here's "Out of Sight" from James Brown on the T.A.M.I. show:

HOUSE PASSES HEALTH CARE BILL

In spite of unanimous Republican opposition (and opposition from the lunatic fringe) the House passed an historic health care bill last night. We're a step closer to health care as a right and not a luxury. Expect the tea party mob to rave and weep about socialism and taxes--their standard emotional response--and expect more veiled threats tinged with racism and red-baiting (and maybe more gun-waving) but progressive people can celebrate. This is an historic moment.

You will undoubtedly hear misinformed bellyaching--ideology masquerading as fiscal responsibility--from family members or co-workers. Of course they want health care for themselves, and wouldn't want to turn away a sick child because she lacks insurance or money, but by golly this is going to cost a lot. They may have been quiet when Bush started a $2 trillion war or trashed the economy, since he was a good God-fearing Republican, but God forbid a child gets surgery without paying or an old lady gets a free pair of teeth--that's socialism, isn't it?

Tea Party Nuts--sorry, you lose.

Paul Waldman wrote an article in The American Prospect, entitled "The 10 Dumbest Arguments Against Health-Care Reform" that comments on the arguments circulating among conservatives.

LIFE, DEATH AND FREEDOM

Watched a good film by John Cassavetes last night, "Husbands: A Comedy About Life, Death and Freedom" (1970). The film follows three men behaving badly after a friend's funeral. Cassavetes, Ben Gazzara, and Peter Falk. Before "indie film" meant "Juno" and its ilk, Cassavetes directed and independently financed small, personal films that were truly independent, films that used improv and a cinema verite style, and "real" people more ethnic and offbeat than standard Hollywood actors.

These people are drunk and passionate and obsessed with authenticity and expression. They rail and weep, they sing and philosophize, they get swept away by anger, love, self pity, depression, arrogance. They make bad decisions. In essence, they are human. It's refreshing--and jarring--to watch a film so free from artifice, and so much closer to reality than your standard Hollywood entertainment. Scenes go where they want, and don't have that snappy written feeling or the predictability of a traditional three-act plot structure. Cassavetes' film is like a wedding party where people have had too much to drink. Undercurrents surface, tempers flare, and people might say anything. Raw emotion trumps decorum. Something is at stake.

SO WHAT?

Just because it's brilliant. Miles Davis on trumpet and John Coltrane on sax, with Wynton Kelly on piano, Jimmy Cobb on drums and some of the Gil Evans Orchestra, recorded live in New York City, April 2, 1959.

"So What," one of the best known examples of modal jazz, was released on Miles' landmark album "Kind of Blue" on August 17, 1959. The album remains the bestselling jazz album of all time.

John Coltrane, legendary saxophonist and composer, in a quiet mood, listening while Miles Davis plays in the background. These two musical geniuses created some of the most influential music in the twentieth century.

ALEX CHILTON, REST IN PEACE

"The Letter"

We were sorry to hear of the passing of Alex Chilton, a great rock singer, songwriter, guitar player and leader of The Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's gravelly soulful voice far exceeded his years, and he recorded the international hits "The Letter" and "Soul Deep" when he was only sixteen years old. He later went on to become a pop cult favorite who influenced a wide range of bands from REM to the Simpletones. The Replacements even wrote a song about him.

"Children by the million / Sing for Alex Chilton / When he comes 'round / They sing, 'I'm in love / What's that song? / I'm in love with that song.'"

So long, Alex.

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY (& ST JOSEPH'S DAY)

It's March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, which means you should be wearing green and preparing for St. Joseph's Day. There are only two more days so you'd better get started! A good place to start is with traditional St. Joseph's Day Zeppoli. Here's a recipe.

Don't worry if you're not Italian--you can pretend for one day. If you've never heard of St. Joseph's Day, here are my posts from the past two years. Click here: St Joseph's Day

Buona Festa d'San Giuseppe! (And Happy St. Patrick's Day!)