2004-11 Vital Source Mag – November 2004
That was Easy…
By Paul McLeary One might dare hope that during an election cycle where intelligence gathering and national defense are the big issues, the nomination and appointment of a new CIA Director would spur some serious-minded policy debate. As with so much else in American political life, however, the chasm between what should happen and what does happen is big enough to throw a stack of policy briefings through. On September 22nd, after a mere six and a half hours of questioning by its Intelligence Committee and a sadly familiar rollover of the Democratic leadership, the Senate approved the nomination of Republican Congressman Porter Goss as the nation’s new spy chief on a 77-17 vote. The reason for the easy confirmation of a career Republican politician to the country’s most sensitive intelligence post? Call it the Patriot Act jitters: Democratic lawmakers told several news outlets off the record that they were afraid that fighting the nomination would leave them open to GOP charges of obstructionism and a disregard for America’s security. Looking at Goss’s record, one sees that not only is he not independent, but that in many respects he is a Republican ideologue who could scuttle any attempts at intelligence reform that might prove inconvenient to a second-term Bush administration.Goss’s lightweight questioning before the Senate in September was emblematic of the fear of negative spin that pervades Washington in the Age of Rove. Democrats didn’t want to risk getting themselves—or their presidential candidate (who didn’t even bother to vote on the nomination)—into trouble. This could explain why, during Goss’s milquetoast questioning before the Senate, several problematic areas of his past record were ignored. For starters, he was not asked about a comment he made in June during a conference call with reporters that chemical and biological weapons are ‘more dangerous’ than nuclear weapons. One wonders if this was simply a partisan attempt to attack John Kerry’s anti-nuclear proliferation proposals, or if it points to the more problematic issue of a man who has forgotten about all that loose nuclear materials floating around the Russian republics. Who’s reality is this, anyway?During the aforementioned conference call, Goss also stated that he wasn’t concerned at all about North Korea’s active nuclear program because he believed that the United States had ‘called their bluff successfully’ and, thus, they were ‘not making any progress’ on the nuclear-weapons front. This flies directly in the face of U.S. intelligence estimates that suggest North Korea has developed plutonium for six new warheads over the last two years. In whose reality does this not constitute progress? Perhaps Goss believes the president when he says that the CIA analysts are “just guessing” when they write their reports based on intelligence gathering and empirical evidence. If this is the case, he is clearly an inauspicious choice to head the agency. Also in the dustbin of unasked questions is the hotbutton issue of the ‘house arrest’ of Pakistan’s top nuclear scientist, A.Q. Kahn, who has treated his country’s nuclear program like a […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Commentary
By Peter Hart For many years, right-wingers have complained to no end about the “liberal bias” of PBS. Nowadays, it appears someone at PBS is listening. A new program called “The Journal Editorial Report,” featuring writers and editors from the archconservative “Wall Street Journal” editorial page, recently debuted on public television stations around the country. The show joins “Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered,” hosted by conservative CNN pundit Tucker Carlson, and a planned program featuring conservative commentator Michael Medved; all as part of what many see as politically motivated decisions to bring more right-wing voices to public television. According to media reports, conservative complaints about the alleged liberal bias of the program “Now with Bill Moyers” contributed to the momentum to “balance” the PBS lineup. In fact, “Now” will soon see its role on public television diminish, as the program is cut from one hour to 30 minutes when Moyers voluntarily leaves the program later this year. His replacement, co-anchor David Brancaccio, expresses no obvious ideology. If Carlson, Medved and the staff of the Wall Street Journal editorial page are all necessary to balance the liberal Moyers, by 2005 who will be at PBS to balance them? The “underserved” Right?The notion that public broadcasting should find ways to balance itself is odd, and accepts at face value the right-wing critique that PBS is biased to the left. If anything, PBS (and public broadcasting in general) is theoretically designed to balance the voices that dominate the commercial media. As the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act proposed, public broadcasting should have “instructional, educational and cultural purposes” and should address “the needs of unserved and underserved audiences, particularly children and minorities.” Instead, public television has in practice been largely a home for elite viewpoints, dominated by long-running political shows hosted by conservatives (“Firing Line,” “McLaughlin Group,” “One on One”) and by business shows aimed at the investing class (“Nightly Business Report,” “Adam Smith’s Money World,” “Wall $treet Week”). When this lineup wasn’t enough to insulate public TV from right-wing complaints in the mid-1990s, programmers responded by creating more series for conservatives like Peggy Noonan and Ben Wattenberg. Now PBS seems once again to be trying to placate right-wing critics, in this case by bringing to public broadcasting voices already well-represented in the mainstream media. Tucker Carlson’s take on world affairs, for example, is available at least five days a week on CNN, and the Wall Street Journal editorial page, included in every edition of the nation’s second-largest newspaper, is already widely available—and widely read. Meet the new boss(es).At the center of this controversy is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides significant federal funding for public broadcasting projects. Two Bush appointees to the board last year, Cheryl Halperin and Gay Hart Gaines, are big donors to the Republican Party, and do not hide their political agendas. Conservative television producer Michael Pack was appointed senior vice-president for television programming at the CPB, and after former House Speaker Newt Gingrich complained to PBS President Pat Mitchell that […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
By Erin Wolf Billy Graham, hang up your boxing gloves, Nick Cave is the new Mr. Fire and Brimstone. The latest addition to the Bad Seeds’ library, the double-disc Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus, is a heavy-hitter, changing things up by waving adieu to guitarist Blixa Bargeld and welcoming organist James Johnston of Gallon Drunk. The Seeds, along with Nick Launay, also took it upon themselves to produce and record, lending a rawness and fervor absent in last year’s Nocturama. The double-disc emerged from ample material, and the final tracks fall under two umbrellas: Abattoir Blues whips up hell-raising, heaven-yearning songs with the driving force of an instrumental hurricane, while the soft, lyrical poetry of The Lyre of Orpheus seems gothic and even odd in its contrasting choice of lyrics and sweetness. The Lyre of Orpheus should please Cave fans in that it’s no far step out of the ordinary. “Easy Money” and “Spell” are quiet reminders of No More Shall We Part, finding beauty and hope in the places where one would expect neither. Abattoir Blues comes out stinging with dire gospel proclamations: “Everything’s dissolving babe / according to plan / the sky is on fire / the dead are heaped across the land / I went to bed last night and my moral code got jammed.” Chilling on its own, Cave’s message is further lyrically enforced by the backing of the London Community Gospel Choir, the overall effect of which is strange but somehow appropriate. This may be the Seeds’ strongest album in years. Filled with conviction, raw earnestness and the creativity of an improv jazz ensemble, Abattoir Blues is a jolt of charismatic caffeine, while The Lyre of Orpheus still covers listeners with a security blanket of classic Cave.
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
The Ex
By Jeremy M. Rottgen When you think of The Ex, imagine mad scientists with guitars and drums pushing the raw sounds of their musical and political agenda through anything from punk to noise. Now imagine these scientists staying up all night in the lab, spreading their message relentlessly… for over two decades. Since their debut, Disturbing Domestic Peace, in 1980, The Ex have released almost two dozen albums. Turn is a long listen on two discs, defying the punk way by creating huge textures and strange harmonies. The set offers more standard rock fare, plus several excursions into house beats. The Ex rely on over-driven yet articulated rhythms. Stand-up bass provides a solid bottom. Steve Albini produced Turn, giving the guitars punch, but it’s the beat that ends up taking you away. “Listen to the Painters” begins Turn with the rant “We need poets we need painters.” “Pie” is a great rendition of a sweet potato pie recipe being barked into a microphone before a ridiculous breakdown. Disc two features more of a percussive onslaught inspired by international rhythms. “Theme from Konono” has a catchy African-themed guitar sway. “In the Event” ends Turn with a haunting melody accompanied by a lone saxophone. Turn is a roller-coaster ride of interweaving dynamics; from extreme highs to subterranean lows, unafraid of risks. That’s a good thing for a hazardous band like The Ex.
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Willie Nelson
By John Hughes Willie Nelson has turned in a quietly elegant album that showcases his singing talent in its burnished, golden essence. It Always Will Be is perhaps not on the level of Nelson’s masterpieces, Red-Headed Stranger and Stardust, but it is among his top ten records (out of over 100). The title cut is a classic of Texas Mellow, and the duets with Paula Nelson, Lucinda Williams, and Norah Jones, flowing from a bluesy feel to country to pure jazz, evoke Nelson’s finest singing in recent memory. The women are in superb voice as well, and these three songs are the backbone of the disc. A weak moment is Nelson’s cover of Tom Waits’ brilliant “Picture in a Frame.” Whereas Waits’ rendition features a deeply resonant piano, and Satchmo-style vocalizing, Nelson’s sounds like Muzak. The guts are gone from the song. This is quickly forgiven, however, and forgotten, because from there Nelson quickly moves onto his home turf with the delicious “The Way You See Me.”On the whole, the disc evokes dreamy reverie as the songs melt seamlessly into one another. The consistent use of electronic instruments is a slight annoyance, and the album’s sound could have been improved with a switch to acoustic guitars. Still, there is no denying that Nelson, despite his lack of vocal range, is a tremendous singer. His immaculate taste in songs is evident here, and after he closes the album with a Latin-tinged song called “Texas,” the listener walks away from the experience with a tranquil heart.
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Reeve Oliver
By Jeremy M. Rottgen In teen-angst TV shows like Dawson’s Creek or The OC, soundtracks featuring music that boosts the drama of adolescence are linchpins of the genre. From a songwriter’s perspective, the subject matter of those tumultuous years will never run dry. Reeve Oliver may not be as sappy as the aforementioned television programs, but they do have their moments of post-adolescent rock. “I Want Burns” starts out with an acoustic strum-along evolving into an almost Weezer-esque distorted progression. “Young and Dumb” features a cool intro of major to minor chording which spins into a sweet music box-type love song. “Until Someone Loves You” opens with softly blended vocals and piano keys, then reverts back to a distorted, happy guitar sound. “Revenge” is probably the hardest-hitting track, with a flying-fingers kind of riff. Guitarist Sean O’Donnell is singularly talented, both vocally and on the six-string. If only the subject matter could change up from teen romance and break out of the formulaic. Nevertheless, R.O. are successful at what they do and can certainly take charge of the pop-music spectrum. It’s not exactly the toughest music in the world, but they probably get a ton of groupies.—Jeremy M. Rottgen
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
A High-Velocity, Low-Stress Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
By
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Cher Helps Liz Wagner Mend Her Broken Heart
by Liz Wagner High school graduation brought with it the end of many things: long waits in hot lunch lines, crammed lockers, gym class and my first love. I had been dating the same guy throughout high school, and like the youngsters we were, we thought it would last forever. But school was over and decisions had to be made. He was going off to college in Michigan, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Even with all the uncertainty, one thing I was sure of was that I needed some time, at least a few months, to “find myself.” In order to do that, I needed to distance myself from everything, basically from my life as I knew it. I decided to make some big changes like taking a year off before starting college, moving out of my parents’ house, and the big one: leaving my boyfriend. It was such a hard decision, because he was a great guy, but, like Guns N’ Roses sings, “Sometimes I need some time on my own.” The day I got the courage to tell him our time together was over, I packed up all the stuff I had of his: his high school ring, some CD’s and a shirt he’d left at my house. It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, the grass was green and the birds were chirping. Perfect for a drive through the country – he lived just outside of Wausau. The beauty of the day almost made me forget my heartbreaking mission. I took off in my parents’ car and arrived at his house, which sat lonely in a field, a few minutes later. We met out front, I gave him his things, an awkward hug and a quick goodbye, then left with tears in my eyes. Although it happened very quickly, it seemed like time was standing still. I sat in the car crying, wondering if I would soon regret my decision. Breaking up with my boyfriend was the hardest thing I had faced up to that point in my young life. But I also felt something strange. Only later did I recognize it as relief, for finally doing the deed and for doing what I needed in order to figure out who I was and what I really wanted. Our goodbye that day was the last time we spoke. He was upset with me–not surprisingly–and wasn’t exactly interested in pursuing a friendship. After all, we had promised ourselves to each other, and often talked about our future. We had planned on going to college together, raising a family and even growing old with each other. And although he was sure of his life path, I was too mixed up about mine to follow through with our “plan.” As I drove away down the dusty road (yeah, it was literally dusty), Cher’s “Believe” came on the radio. I don’t usually listen to pop rock, […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
Wine Wisdom for the Holidays
By Nathan Norfolk How do holidays turn into horror days? You’re shopping for kids only to realize you don’t know the difference between Shrek and Sponge Bob. You’re making food for a million in-laws, each with different dietary restrictions. You’re buying wine and you don’t know Bordeaux from Burgundy. That first glimpse of smiling cardboard pilgrims and paper snowflakes can truly make you lose sleep. And while the only way out of most holiday stress is through the middle, here’s something to ease at least the pain of buying and serving wine. Don’t get too fancy. If you’re going to bring wine to a gathering and you won’t be pouring it yourself, do yourself two favors: keep things simple and be frugal. It will only hurt your pride and your pocketbook when you see your unopened bottle of thirty dollar “chateau what’s it called” next to a half empty jug of red rot-gut. Just offer a red and a white. Holiday gatherings are usually not the type of affair where you’ll talk to your grandmother about the subtleties of French viniculture. This is exactly where those wines that everybody’s heard of play a nice part. As far as reds go, Merlot is a good start. It’s on the heavier side, so it’s great for the colder fall and winter months. Most inexpensive Californian Merlots aren’t too dry either. Let’s face it – the stuff is popular for a reason. Castle Rock 2002 Napa Valley Merlot ($10) is a steal – it has a soft berry fruit and just a touch of warm oak and vanilla on the finish, and it won’t clash with most food. Pinot Grigio is Merlot’s white counterpart. Some still can’t live without Chardonnay, but most of the inexpensive stuff on the market is so woody and flabby, it ruins the food you pair it with. This is exactly why Pinot Grigio is so popular in restaurants – it can do what most Chardonnays only dream of. Placido 2003 Pinot Grigio ($8) is amazingly light and crisp with the faintest hint of refreshing lemon. It’s perfect for all poultry and pork, and even spicier foods. For gifts of thanksgiving. The pilgrims didn’t have an infinite array of gastronomic choices. This made things easy for them, but it also gave us turkey – for better or worse. You have the opportunity to spice things up by adding some great wine. One of the benefits of the jaw-dropping selection of wine available is the many that complement a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Shiraz is on everyone’s lips – it’s big, bold and spicy. Black Wing 2002 South Australian Shiraz ($10) is thick, unctuous and peppery. If you’re a fan of heavy reds, this is your turkey wine. Fuedo Monaci 2002 Primitvo Puglia ($9) is inexpensive and less acidic than Shiraz (Primitvo is like Chianti’s little brother) and medium-bodied, with an herbaceous fennel taste, pairing nicely with seasoned stuffing. Holiday meals are also perfect for the guilty pleasure of light, slightly […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Vital Archives
November 2004
Dear Readers, Years from now, I hope to re-read this particular blog and laugh, picturing myself propped up on pillows trying to balance my keyboard on my lap, cursing over not breaking down and getting the laptop which would come in so handy now as I try to type without throwing my back into another painful spasm. I have restricted myself to ibuprofen until this column is finished, but my head is nevertheless filled with fog from the pain in my back and leg. I shift again. I cannot get comfortable. I should see a doctor. Maybe I can wait until tomorrow… It seemed like a good idea at the time. I awoke before everyone else and, as is my wont, began thinking about how I could maximize a few stolen moments of “alone time” before the demands of breakfast and soccer and an all-day production marathon took over the rest of my waking hours. I was feeling a little toxic after a long week of work, and decided a nice bike ride to my local coffee shop on North Ave. would be just the thing. I’d pick up donuts and be back before anyone even knew I was gone. It had been raining earlier, but it was fairly warm, just a little misty. I live on the east side of Wauwatosa. The residential streets in my neighborhood are quiet and mostly level, perfect for an easy ride. I took Meinecke west about three blocks past Cranky Al’s, then headed back east on North, riding in the bike lane. As the lane came to an end, I tapped the brakes. I remember my wheels locking up on the wet pavement, then the quick realization that yes, I was actually going down, then a full spin in the middle of the normally busy street, my body twisting most unnaturally. My right cheek kissed the pavement as my bike landed on top of me. I lay there for a second. A nice older lady was standing over me, trying to lift my bike and urging me to get out of the street. At first I thought the cuts and bruises on my leg were the worst of it, but as the minutes wore on, it grew increasingly difficult to breathe. Every inhale brought a stab of pain and not enough oxygen. A steel band formed quickly around my torso. I had seriously messed up my back. Like an idiot, I still stopped at Al’s for donuts, refusing rides home from several of the good neighbors there, insisting that I could make it on my own. Stupid. By the time I stumbled in to my house, I could barely stand. Eight hours later, I am sitting up for the first time. Call it instant karma. Three days ago, my art director, Tony, flipped his truck on the same off-ramp he takes every day. He’d realized too late as he took a tight turn that he hadn’t compensated enough for the wet road conditions. […]
Nov 1st, 2004 by Jon Anne Willow
Interpol
as it is to loathe, but Interpol actually make it comprehensible and appealing. Because, even more on their current album Antics than on their 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights, the NYC quartet view that time through their own artistic lens, focusing the best of the (largely non-American) music of that period into something more than a slavish reveling in the past. The best, subjectively considered: the eternal loneliness of the Smiths, in which Morrissey held hands with himself; the crisply supine melodies of the Go-Betweens; the resolute affectation of New Order (plus the curiously romantic realism of New Order’s predecessor, Joy Division); and above all, the sense that emotion finds its fullest literate expression in obliquely impressionistic lyrics. On Antics, there is even a distinct insinuation of the recklessness that drove bands like the Replacements and Sonic Youth. On a basic level, Interpol remain a rock band, with the syncopation of bassist Carlos D. and drummer Sam Fogarino, and the noisy riffs and angular solos of guitarist Daniel Kessler. Across the intense electricity these three generate in the dark liveliness of “Public Pervert” and the Pixies/Talking Heads snap of “Evil,” singer Paul Banks can be by turns regretful, introspective, furtive, shy and indirect. But he can never be entirely hopeless. Antics unfurls its diverse shades of blue moods against a bright light that never goes out.—Jon M. Gilbertson
Nov 1st, 2004 by Jon Gilbertson
