Other notes...

So Wilsonion Bush's brassy, yet naive, goal of spreading democracy across the globe ain't going so damn good. To wit:

• Hizbollah kidnaps some guys and Israel bombs the burgeoning democracy Lebanon back to the stone age. This seems akin to my desire to napal Kevin Martin's house in 1983 after he stole my trumpet. But, in reality, Kevin's house wasn't all that close to democracy.
• The wacky-Pakistani's bombed out a subway in Mumbai. Again, I was just pissed about my trumpet.
• There's a 100 people getting killed in Baghdad everyday in a pretty gruesome manner. All of it purely sectarian. I never had a problem with Kevin Martin's family, although I heard his brother turned out one valve short of a cornet.
• Crazy-asses in Mogadishu trupeted the fact that Islamic radicals have staged a coup d'etat in Somalia demanding a pure Islamic republic. Ethiopia has invaded to prevent Somalia from returning to the bin Laden haven it was back in the nineties.
• Afghanistan is way fuckin' out of control. Seems that the suicide bombing craze has reached this land where you could just as well get all fucked up on the trumpet-shaped opium poppies
• Iran has been showing the world some serious brass in supporting Hizbollah and flouting the neutered UN, and the so called Bush-doctrine has about as much teeth as a 100 year old grandmother.
• Kooky Kim Jong Il in North Korea has been prancing around like he has a mouthpiece up is ass chunking missiles into the Sea of Japan. Given Iraq, North Korea and Iran feel like they have the world by the E-valve.

So what theme runs through all these humongous problems? If you said the trumpet fanfare of fanatical nutcases, your right. Has our horny foreign policy helped? Bush loves to show brass, but will it work? (by the way, I've had a few drinks...)

Return of the Grevious Poster

I know I've been horribly derelict in posting. It has been all I can do to get out of bed in the morning lately so severe is my melancholy, but alas, under the immeasurable live-giving properties of Chivas Regal, I have returned.

So, music. I was urged to post thanks to the miracle of the iPod, of which I've regaled many times on this page. I am too lazy to dig up the links, but you know. Gram Parsons' collaboration with Emmylou Harris on $1000 Wedding has long been, in my mind, the gold standard of the duet. My enjoyment of this song, as I've recognized in the past, has been on the strength of the quality of the counterpoise (which I may be using incorrectly but fuck it) of the two angelic voices; however, I've always struggled with what the hell the song is about. Most of the lyrics are readily intelligible, but somewhat cryptic: "it's supposed to be a funeral...it's been a bad, bad day." One can easily make out that something "bad" has happened...but just what? I have my own theories, but I would enjoy engaging the group in this discussion. I feel confident many readers have GP/Return in their collection and those that don't should should be ashamed of themselves and head right over to iTunes or your favorite side-of-the-mountain online music-seller and avail yourselves of this tremendous tune. Hopefully, a few of you still check in from time to time and will be willing to contribute...if not, I'll be pelting you with email in the next few days.

One specific question I'd like answered: in 1971, was a $1000 Wedding expensive? I'm assuming so, but I'll let the more economically gifted posters address this.