Torture - the band - and stuff

As I read the news what strikes me is that the torturers wanted some kind of ass covering and so there was debate by the wise folks over when does dropping insects into a small confined space containing a prisoner – who had been in that space for a while and was per the psychological reports terrified of bugs torture – the grim comedy came where the ass covering operative wanted to know if it was really torture if he didn’t use insects that could sting someone. (Which I guess he thought would be torture – Wasp torture – Grasshopper not torture)

It’s just alas another example of how badly this country needs to get it’s moral compass re-magnetized.

And as the time winds on – we learn more unspeakable ness – yesterday it was reveled that one prisoner at gitmo was water boarded 183 times in a month– and you had to think - for what what could possibly come out of the 150th water boarding that they didn’t get in the 75th or ever the 40th time.

And now today comes the sickening answer - the powers that be – during the lead up to the invasion of Iraq needed reasons other than “we want to do it” (and as a side note I think in the end the horrible truth will come out that that was they only reason we invaded Iraq was that they wanted to no other plan – not even an idea just desire to invade.) So in order to get ‘confessions’ they did what people wanting the right confessions have done for thousands of years – they tortured their captives until they got them. I can only assume that these confessions were the reason that various administration officials during the lead up the war continued to affirm and Iraq Al Queda connection – they had the confessions. They would never tell how they obtained the confessions – national security and what not but rest assured they had the confessions.

They tortured people to provide them with an excuse to go to war with the resulting loss of some 4,000 American troops and god knows how many hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

As I read what I wrote it feels like my soul wants to throw up.

So for the nonce and we’ll just wait for the rest of the shoes to fall.

Which if the suicide of the CFO of Freddie Mac is any indication there are more shoes.

On a good note – band got back in the studio for a rehearsal and by the end we didn’t entirely suck – unlike the sound we got earlier. Also S-Dog couldn’t make it (he was – well I’d make up something embarrassing but why should I do that?”) So the sound suffered – Dog we miss you.

I’ve noticed here and there on face book, my space the net itself and the world calls to use these tough economic times as an “opportunity to grow “ or some such Pollyanna like gibberish. Granted you can discover something about yourself in tough times – I for example tend to whimper a lot – but let’s not pretend that it’s a good thing. Please.

And another thing this is not some kind of natural disaster like a hurricane where you just have to accept that it happened and then move on – the current state of the economy is the direct result of the actions taken by ideological bound men in high places along with their fellow travelers and courtiers. The economy is not merely a bit sick – it snorted coke for about 30 years and has now passed out naked in a ditch. Unless some people go to jail and the financial institutions are neutered to the point where they can’t do the kind of damage they did – we’re just going to feeding the addict chicken soup until he gets on his feet and calls for his dealer. That will unfortunately take more than personal change.

And I’ve never been fond of that way of thinking anyway. I remember – maybe the only time I was sharp tongued at the moment was when I was told I was being let go by the Publishing company where I had worked for some 13 years – there was some kind of end of service agreement I had to sign – which I did other wise no severance – and after I signed it the HR person said

“You might feel bad now but for some this sort of thing is the first step to a new career.”

And I shot back

“And for some, it’s the first step to the refrigerator carton over the subway grate:

There wasn’t a lot of talk after that.

Peace Love S-Dog we miss you!

A-Bombs, No more Virgins in New York and stuff

1. This is interesting.

Saw a story in the news today – you wonder if the man described is either very very luck or someone you don’t want anywhere near you.

The story goes that in 1945 a Japanese businessman was in Hiroshima – on August 6, 1945 – the day the bomb dropped and he ended up with bad burns on his back – but as he could still move and with the city swamped with the bodies of the dead, the dying, and the wounded – they patched him up as best he could and sent him home.

To Nagasaki – he arrived there August 9th 1945 – just in time for the other A-Bomb being dropped. He also survived that.

No word if he ended up on the Andrea Doria when it sank , but lord a man has got to wonder what is next? There is no word on what the gentleman did with the rest of his life – he’s 93 per the report but hell and damn you have to think any sudden flash of light was going to make him dive for cover.

Or maybe not – maybe he figured hell if two a-bombs didn’t kill me what do I have to worry about? And he did make 93.

2. No More Virgins in New York.

Well that was a stupid post title but – as of 3/31/09 the two Virgin Mega stores (one at Time Square and the one at 14th Street Union Square) will be closed for good – victims of the bad economy and the changing nature of the music business- in that other than at shows and the like, nobody buys CDs anymore – (well that’s not quite true but even the top selling cd’s numbers pale compared to what they used to be – ).

I find it sad – yeah the mega store was a pretty appalling garish place but hell it was in the middle of Times Square – subtlety would have been useless there. – and in the day it had a very very good import section – I got Ian Hunter’s Artful Dodger, All of the Good Ones are Taken and Overnight Angels there – (Artful Dodger was very good pointing towards his current more active stance writing and playing, the other two well – there was a reason he withdrew for a while) – along with such obscurities as John’s Children (64-65 era British Who Style R&B – never quite got it on record – on stage it was white suits and riots) and early Shonen Knife records – their sheer size meant they could carry obscure stuff like that.

Well there are lot of reasons that business model failed – I-Pods and MP3’s cut demand for actually CDs – Record Company greed and need to match Financial companies 20% return led to self destructive policy – the rise of the Internet and currently the horrible economy.

Still I’m going to miss it – I’ve always enjoyed tooling about record stores – the off chance of finding something new and interesting or just odd always propelled me and I’m one of those who if I like someone I need to get everything – I’ve spent a lot of time doing that.- In Tower records, HMV Stores, and Virgin, the local record store in my home town that eventually started to dread my approach It was when I asked for the Ian Dury and the Blockhead’s album – the owner sputtered “you know you’re the only one that asks for this shit” ah memories . – it’s just well sad they are all gone – there is still J&R Music World but how long will that remain afloat? Cruising Amazon just isn’t’ the same.

I also will miss their Video selection -

Yeah it’s old man nostalgia but – what with them tearing down Shea and now this – the wheel of time’s grinding is sounding very loud in my ears.

The two phrases that come to mind as I think about this say a bit more about me than I’m comfortable with but in the interests of accuracy they are

One
-“Sic Transit Gloria Mundy” – Thus pass all the treasures (glories) of the world

And Two:

“They’re moving Father’s grave to build a Sewer” an old English Music Hall song done by the Clancy Brothers on one of their later albums.

3. Random Neural firings

Now we need to keep the folks that wrecked AIR and most of the economy because that is so complicated but the government boots the head of GM out and replaces him with the man who drove Home Depot into the ground? I’m confused.

Saw Girl Guerilla Leader – on of the series of Japanese films called ‘pinky violence’ which featured girls in gangs fighting each other and Yakuza gangs. It seemed like there was a rule that women had to fight every few minutes – or at least take off their tops – there wasn’t much of a story – and there was some creepy stuff – the Japanese really like to tie women up in extremely elaborate knots and use an awful lot of rope – it’s moments like that when a film tilts you oh that’s not right factor you are grateful for the ff button.

The best moment was near the end were the head of the girl gang has planted a bomb in the Yakuza’s boss’s car – and for once instead of being treated to an up-close multi camera shot of the explosion, you watched the car fade into the distance getting smaller and smaller – with cuts back to the girl gang leader who planted the bomb, then the car turned a corner and then you heard soft “whoomp” and a plume of smoke appeared. Considering the over the top nature of the rest of the film made it a very effective moment.

The band meantime has scattered to the winds for the first weeks of spring no big drama - it’s just spring – people want to just go outside and not be cold for a while – we do have a gig on May 2nd which will give us time to do new stuff to add – more sickness guaranteed.

Peace Love No More Virgins