While Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, Mick Mulvaney, and Nikki Haley continue to POORLY represent my home state of South Carolina on the main stage, (my heroes) Chaz Bundick & Darius Rucker, (my bizarre brothers) the men of Chanticleer Baseball, (my bastard brothers) the men of Tiger Football, and (my beautiful sisters and brothers) the women and men of Gamecock Basketball, have been MAJOR sources of inspiration for these last sixteen dark months.
Trump has managed to normalize and rehabilitate the presidency of Bush and the Bastards, though, so I can't underestimate the ability of Americans to forgive and forget.
If we all make it out alive (big IF, right?), Trump could be a godsend in that he destroys the reputations of a LOT of psycho/sociopaths once and for all.
You're right that it could be political theater, but honestly, the whole thing is a big charade (unoriginal thought but it needs to be repeated ad infinitum).
Hillary Clinton and other big-name "Liberals" in both politics and media (like Williams above) came out in support of Trump's "showing of power." If you aren't experiencing a serious case of déjà vu, get your head checked.
Why have people that have not only been pushing the "Trump is controlled by Russia" narrative but also that he is unfit for office, now aligned behind a man who not only has a fascination with nuclear weapons and promised to commit war crimes but also promised to expand the most powerful/expensive military in the history of mankind? (YOLO?)
The answer is because it's all a fucking game and the real show is being run by America's national security establishment, military industrial complex, intelligence agencies, war profiteers, think-tanks, and corporations.
Congress and Corporate Media are FUCKING JOKES (complicit), and as we witnessed by the Bush and Obama presidencies, the real players were going to get their wars, resources, and money regardless of whether Trump or Clinton (Madame No-Fly Zone) was elected president.
Pure Comedy!
Tom Waits covering "A Wolf at the Door" would be BRILLIANT. A different, but still wonderful, tip of the (bowler) hat would be if Waits did "Pyramid Song."
On the other end, I would give up an organ (yep) to hear Radiohead do "Anywhere I Lay My Head" like a mash up of "Motion Picture Soundtrack" and "Life in a Glasshouse" (ha maybe we should see if we can get them to play those song straight-up first). If not that, (going back to the reference in "Pyramid Song") it would be cool to hear them do "Clap Hands."
I've wondered since Waits played one of Letterman's final shows a few years ago whether or not he and Kathleen Brennan had something in the oven. As swan songs go, though, bothBad as Me and (while we're in the orbit) A Moon Shaped Pool are potentially fantastic ways of "leaving the building."
That information about "Lurgee is very interesting; I'll have to check out a live version of it later. Also, fair point about not only the guitar solo and last chorus in "Sulk" but also that it sets-up "Street Spirit" very well. Your main reason behind your list (more time spent with some/newness of others) makes perfect sense.
I tried to rank the penultimates objectively and subjectively and I might have struggled more than ranking their albums (although admittedly, that list will change year-to-year). My subjective penultimate list is: Scatterbrain, Morning Bell, Like Spinning Plates, Lucky, Give up the Ghost, TTSSRMPMBMT, Jigsaw Falling into Place, Sulk, Lurgee .
However, ranking the album openers would be even more difficult. Then, for the exact reasons you expressed, ranking the album closers might be impossible for me. Haha in those cases I would probably have to defer to my album rankings.
Hey raptor jesus, while you're here: I didn't want to hijack the above thread to discuss penultimates but would like to read a few opinions from the "Penultimate Master." If you've already written about this topic and I missed it or have forgotten (my brain is fuzzy from too much everything), could you give your ranking of Radiohead's penultimate tracks?
"Scatterbrain" might be my favorite penultimate, but given out superlatives I would say that "Morning Bell" (other favorite) is the best/most depressing, "Lucky" is the most cathartic (also arguably the best and probably the most popular in this category), "Sulk" is the most basic (ha as basic as a 12/8 ornately layered Radiohead rock song can be so, not bad), "Like Spinning Plates" is (obviously) the most experimental, "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" is the drunkest, "Give Up the Ghost" is the most beautiful, "TTSSRMPMBMT" is the most revolutionary, and I'll end with a joke: how do you ripcord lurgee? you blow out.
Piggybacking off of your final sentence, antigone, I think that "Scatterbrain" is the most underrated song on HTTT: it is such a breathtaking/heartbreaking moment after the explosion of "Myxomatosis", and it also perfectly sets-up HTTT's (IMO) most essential song, "A Wolf at the Door."
I realize that "2+2=5" is basically the title track and "The Gloaming" is the "alternative title track", but I feel that "A Wolf at the Door" encapsulates the album art and everything that came before in dramatic fashion (Thom Yorke rapping desperately as the weight of the world builds/collapses on his shoulders and finally howling at the moon in resignation is quite the conclusion).
I agree that Radiohead are fantastic with the 1-2 punch that begins albums but more impressively, even on "lesser works" (not my opinion but seems to be the general critic/fan consensus) like HTTT and TKOL, they are masters of the three-song closer. I don't think that "A Wolf at the Door" reaches its maximum power without the jolt of electricity from "Myxomatosis" and the comedown/alley-oop from "Scatterbrain".
Trump should fire Kushner and hire Kendall. She's already brokered peace between Police and Protesters. What's next?
Kanye and Taylor? Drake and Meek? Nikki and Remy? Liam and Potato? Bloc and Lemon? Westbrook and Durant? Marvel and DC? Rock and Pop? Rich and Poor? Whites and Blacks? Straights and Gays? Christians and Muslims? Nazis and Jews? Trump and Obama? Hillary and Bernie? Christie and Krispy? Democrips and Rebloodicans? Japanese and Chinese? Koreans and Koreans? Israelis and Palestinians? Indians and Pakistanis? Sunni and Shiite? Russians and Americans? Cats and Dogs? Coke and Pepsi? Me and My Sanity?
What a time to be alive!
I remember.
http://www.stereogum.com/1918559/watch-whitney-make-their-tv-debut-on-colbert/video/
2016 took a toll on all of us but American Amnesia is one of the tenets of American Exceptionalism. I've gone off on a tangent but only because I'm lost in my sunken place again and I'm sure we're fucked. God Bless (and by Bless I mean Fucked) America!
Imagine being Father John Misty, John Mayer, or Harry Styles.
http://img.usmagazine.com/480-width/taylor-swift-kendrick-lamar-zoom-e75ea99d-617a-4efc-a315-454eb42e5137.jpg
"There are no coincidences...Only the illusion of coincidence"
After reading that tracklist, I felt bad for all of the artists and bands that planned out their releases and promoted them like normal human beings. Like imagine if we didn't know the release date or any production details for Star Wars Episode VIII and then on April 22 Lucasfilms releases a single title card with VIII on it and the next day we get a trailer that is just a tracking shot of Luke Skywalker starring into the abyss and immediately raising his lightasber, a cut to black, *cue John Williams* and we see STAR WARS EPISODE VIII: THE LAST JEDI. MAY 4. That would be some cold-blooded shit. Kendrick Lamar is ICE COLD.
Wikileaks or someone leaked an album tracklist that includes track titles, features, and producers. In case it is fake (which if it is, kudos to the jackass who thought it out), I would recommend not looking for it (even though I know you've already done so after reading my first sentence) so as not to be disappointed. If it is real, HOLY FUCK, we might not be ready.
Alright, that about does it for Monster March Meme Madness. Until next y-- oh...wait, I'm receiving word that we have a late entry. Sure, why not?
http://images.newsx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Donald-Trump-truck-500x281.jpg
FUCK DONALD TRUMP
Comments