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Up to the minute notes on the current state of free thinking and free living: Kentucky moonshine - original analysis and reporting from MoreThings, and all round pop culture museum of sight and sound - photo galleries, mp3 and video downloads.
Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
Live free or die!
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September 13, 2003
Johnny Cash Mastermix
Johnny Cash left a lot of good music, some of it mega-popular, some of it less well known. Here is the track list for the approximately 77 minute Johnny Cash Mastermix CD I compiled. It gets at the whole time and mood range of his career.
Jackson
Ring of Fire
Sunday Morning Coming Down
The Ballad of Ira Hayes
Straight A's in Love
Boy Named Sue
Tennesse Stud
Get Rhythm
Hey Porter
I Walk the Line
Ballad of a Teenage Queen
One Piece at a Time
San Quentin
Folsom Prison Blues
Delia's Gone
Man in Black
I Walk the Line
The Beast in Me
Hurt
One
Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)
I Won't Back Down
Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?
The Man Who Couldn't Cry
Angel BandLabels: country_music, johnny_cash
posted by Al at 9/13/2003 04:16:00 AM
Johnny joins June Carter Cash in Jackson
It was time for Johnny Cash to die. You hate to give him up, but it was clearly his proper time. He was old and sick. His body was worn out. His wife and savior went on ahead of him in May. They got married in a fever, and now he's gone off to join her in Jackson. This picture makes a beautiful thought for the couple now together forever.
Cash recorded many great songs of despair and sadness, and dark nights of the soul, but it's not the time for those. His struggles and pain are through. I find myself today blasting "Jackson" in celebration of Johnny and June's reunion.
On the other hand, this is my favorite picture of Johnny:
It's not just the picture here that's so cool, though it's certainly a classic. It's that Johnny absolutely had this placed as an ad in Billboard, literally giving the industry the finger for their lack of support for what turned out to be a Grammy winning album. Yeah, that's our guy.
What to say about his legacy? It's been sliced and diced and described beautifully many times. Rolling Stone has a particularly nice essay on the occasion of his passing, and my fellow Blogcritics have lots of good stuff, including a message from Kris Kristofferson.
His deep voice had a unique primal power, like the voice of God, or God's messenger anyway. He would never have been accused of self-righteousness, but he had this incredible implicit moral authority. No one in the history of recorded music could put across a tone of rebuke like Johnny. I'm thinking of "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" and "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" in particular. "The Man Who Couldn't Cry" may be my favorite recording of Cash. He packed it with great intense sad stoicism, comedy and moral judgment. Incredible.
You hate to give up such a legend. It's especially unfortunate for us in that he's done some of his best work over the last 10 years in the American Recordings albums. We could have used another half dozen albums like them. I'd probably pick the first one of these as his greatest album ever.
Really we can't bitch, though. He left us a heller legacy, and even in fact a whole bunch of unreleased recordings with Rubin in the can, already scheduled for release as a box set.
With his passing, the whole revolutionary Sun Records crew has gone, all but one. Who would have thunk that Jerry Lee Lewis would be the last man standing?
June Carter and Johnny Cash
Pictures of June Carter and Johnny Cash
Pictures page 2
Pictures page 3
Pictures page 4
Review of the Walk the Line movie
Link for this story
Labels: country_music, johnny_cash
posted by Al at 9/13/2003 02:23:00 AM
September 12, 2003
David Letterman and hope for a new day
It's been a rough week, people dying all around. Indeed, there are always people dying. Some of my favorite children lost a grandmother last week. This week has just featured a couple of names important to a lot of us. The passing of Warren Zevon was sad. Poor nice John Ritter will probably get lost in the mix, going out the same day as the legendary Johnny Cash.
On the other hand, the human seed is strong and resilient. As us old ones start to wear out, there's a new crop coming up to give us hope and comfort and to eventually take our place.
David Letterman is about to become a father. Within minutes of hearing of the the passing of Johnny Cash, I read about Letterman's announcement. Taping yesterday (9-11-03) for Friday broadcast (9-12-03), 56 year old Letterman announced that his girlfriend is six months pregnant.
Charmingly, he's a little embarassed to have conceived his child out of wedlock. "I realize we kind of got the cart before the horse here." Not very many people in his high entertainment industry social strata would even recognize such a consideration.
A couple of years ago, Letterman was having critical heart surgery. He narrowly escaped death. Now, even just reading the text of his remarks, he's obviously giddy. Imagine finally becoming a father at 56. He's got renewed hope and joy for the rest of his days.
Let us conclude, then, with the lyrics of Steve Earle's greatest and most beautiful song:
NOTHING BUT A CHILD
Once upon a time in a far off land
Wise men saw a sign and set out aross the sand
Songs of praise to sing, they travelled day and night
Precious gifts to bring, guided by the light
They chased a brand new star, ever towards the west
Across the mountains far, but when it came to rest
They scarce believed their eyes, they'd come so many miles
And the miracle they prized was nothing but a child
Nothing but a child could wash these tears away
Or guide a weary world into the light of day
And nothing but a child could help erase these miles
So once again we all can be children for awhile
Now all around the world, in every little town
Everyday is heard a precious little sound
And every mother kind and every father proud
Looks down in awe to find another chance allowed
posted by Al at 9/12/2003 03:13:00 PM
September 11, 2003
Giving Dubya his due on 9-11
I don't want to like President Bush. I didn't vote for him, and most likely won't next year, depending on who my own Libertarian Party puts up. I'm less than thrilled with some of the Patriot Act stuff, and attempts at lumping in "narcoterrorists" (ie simple dope dealers) with actual terrorists. He's apparently more than willing- for the sake of political convenience- to sign a HUGE new entitlement program for free drugs that will likely not only cost a boatload of money, but seriously damage our pharmaceutical industry's invaluable research efforts.
Still, on this second anniversary of 9-11 Dubya has to be credited for his serious efforts and success in defending the country, which is, after all, his main job. To that end, take it away Bill Whittle:
Say what you want about George W. Bush and his policies � that is of course your right. But consider this, all you defeatists and self-haters out there: it is barely possible, mathematically, to tie the President�s record for defending this country from a new terrorist horror. You cannot � not even hypothetically � improve upon it. This is a fact that is undeniable and so obvious that only a few will see it.
And at what cost? Did jackbooted storm troopers descend in the night from black helicopters to take away those voicing dissent? Or do the most vile and baseless accusations fly hither and yon, blown ever larger by a terrified and complicit media elite? Did hundreds of thousands of Muslims have their businesses torched, their families terrorized and beaten, the rest hauled off to concentration camps, or are you far safer, both physically and emotionally, as a Muslim in the US then you would be in any middle eastern country � safer and less harassed, without question � than Jews are in France today? Have we given up our liberty and lifestyle for this perfect record, or do we still go to football games and shopping malls and fly, more or less, the way we used to?
There are some provisions of the Patriot Act and related things that merit some congressional and judicial skepticism, but still. Considering their real world responsibilities and pressures to deal with seriously dangerous and devious people, the abuses against our civil liberties have been relatively modest.
Most importantly, the administration has continued against the opposition of all enemies foreign and domestic to methodically knock down the bad guys. They've thankfully done so with a minimum of collateral damage and civilian deaths. Even Salam writing from home in Baghdad concedes that the destruction has been minimal, despite his understandable pre-war opposition. "Wars are never OK, but the actual war did much less harm than everybody was expecting."
Some things could be done better, and I'm unthrilled about a half trillion dollar budget deficit, but still. Working in the realities of actually governing and having to keep all the balls in the air, we could sure be doing a hell of a lot worse.
posted by Al at 9/11/2003 09:36:00 PM
A message from God on 9-11
God spoke to me today. Her voice was stern and clipped, sounding very much like Ayn Rand- though that may have simply been an affectation for my benefit. Anyway, I was buzzing down the road in my car, and we were chatting amicably. She sent a message for all y'all.
God told me to tell you that the national mourning period for 9-11 is now officially over. From this point, it should be considered history. It has been two full years, and everybody should be getting on with their lives. One point she said you should take from the whole wicked tragedy is that your time here is limited, and should be invested wisely. "Perhaps unnecessary crying and hoo-haaing are not the wisest investments of time I have given you."
This does not mean that the events are to be forgotten, or forgiven too easily. She said that eye for an eye stuff was still good. "Vengeance may be Mine, but I expect you to take responsibility for defending yourself. I've given you Americans everything- up to and including nuclear weapons. If you won't go knock down the bastards who are trying to kill you, then I don't want to hear you whining when you get hit again."
She further pontificated (well, She has a right) that we all need to quit indulging ourselves in the fantasy that the world is a safe, cushy place. She said that we need to use the brains She gave us.
"Using that brain," She elaborated, "should lead you to the conclusion that it doesn't serve Me or you either one for you to indulge in unnecessary dramatics over bad things like 9-11. Bury your dead and move on."
I'm not entirely comfortable with this, though. People are hurting. I want to ameliorate pain. Please, Ayn, uh, God, uh, ma'am- don't you have compassion for their suffering?
"Yeah, yeah," She answered. "I feel your damned pain. Frankly, however, I'm tired of hearing about it. Much of your pain now bores me. As I look into your grieving hearts, I see self-indulgence. You got off with only three thousand dead out of a nation of 300 million. That figures out to only about one out of every hundred thousand. To 99% of Americans, this was largely an event on television; you didn't actually know any of these people. Quit milking it for something to feel bad about like a bunch of teenage girls."
God, uh, ma'am, you're being awful tough. I said this with my head hung low, and my eyes cast down in shame. To myself, I'm thinking, geez what a bitch. "I heard that." She said. Oh yeah, omniscient. Means a man can't get any damned privacy. "Tempt me a little bit more, hillbilly boy, and I'll whup a mojo on your dumb ass." I saw the error of my ways and repented profusely.
But back to the issue at hand, though- me representing America before God. I tried to emphasize all the vast numbers of people suffering. Okay, maybe some folk have carried on a bit much, but what about all the thousands killed, and their families and co-workers?
She softened her heart...a little. "Alright, I'll still hear anguished prayers from immediate families of the 9-11 victims, and their co-workers. The rest of y'all can give it a rest, though."
I dared not cross Her. That's the best deal She'd give. Furthermore, She suggested specifically that the dental assisstant in Wichita who gets the willies every time she sees a guy with a beard, figuring bin Laden has personally come to her town- she needs to get over herself. Also, the bar bouncer in Billings, Montana should can the outrage at the treatment of women in the Arab world. She knows you're doing that just to get laid. Needless to say, She's not amused.
Also, she suggested that we might express some gratitude to Her for having staid the illiterate hands in Florida two years ago that almost gave us Al Gore to be in charge during this national test. "What kind of bunch of idiots are you people, anyway?" I responded- not under duress- that we are foolish and don't deserve a good God like Her. "Please don't hurt me." I pleaded.
"Shut the hell up" She demanded.
Up I shut.
posted by Al at 9/11/2003 01:23:00 AM
September 10, 2003
Howard Stern, journalist
To some snickering and some indignant reactions, the FCC has ruled that Howard Stern's program is officially a news show. Specifically, it is a "bona fide news interview" program.
OK laugh, but this is exactly the right decision. For one thing, the government doesn't need to be picking out what are legitimate news programs. Is Rush Limbaugh a legitimate journalist? Is Geraldo? Am I?
Granted, Stern will tend to have somewhat prurient tastes in what he considers newsworthy. On the other hand, you could make a decent argument that Madonna and Britney playing lesbian MERITS more attention than the 9 Democrat dwarves, say.
This ruling came at the request of Stern's syndicator. The practical point of this is that as a news show, Stern is not bound by the equal time provisions, meaning that he can have Schwarzenegger on his show without being legally bound to have all the others on.
The US government has no legitimate interest or right to be meddling in the content of people's speech in the first place. At least this ruling recognizes some right for Stern to have guests on the air of his choosing, but it's 100% bogus that he should even have to ask.
posted by Al at 9/10/2003 09:53:00 PM
September 08, 2003
Warren Zevon hastens down the wind, 1947-2003
I'm at something of a loss for what to say about Warren Zevon, but I surely can't let his passing go unremarked. He's too important in my mental landscape for that. Forgive me then if I start to ramble.
I should have had something in mind for the occassion. It's not like we didn't know it was coming. Yet it didn't feel right planning an obit for Mr. Bad Example. Maybe the doctors underestimated him. Maybe he'll last another year, make even one more album. Ah well.
Today, "The Envoy" comforts me best of his lot. I've always loved this boyish intellectual macho. Oh, yeah, he was a badass diplomat, with diplomatic immunity to use that lethal weapon that no one can see. If he weren't sick, he could have probably gone in and strong-armed Saddam personally. Hell, Warren might even have been able to make peace amongst all the Blogcritics. Well, let's not get TOO crazy.
Warren Zevon Images 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
"My Shit's Fucked Up" does not get the notice that it deserves. He wrote it about five years ago, a while before his cancer was diagnosed. It was probably the best melody he'd written in a decade. It also had that unique emotional duality of his best work, a strong dose of humor based on great emotional dis-ease. There is an ultimate equality at work, though: the rich folks suffer like the rest of us. "I went to the doctor. I said I'm feeling kind of rough. 'Let me break it to you son, your shit's fucked up.'" I like to play this at birthdays.
Down here on the farm, of course "Play It All Night Long" works real good blasting out of a pickup kicking up dust through the Rabbit Holler. "There ain't much to country living but piss, shit, jizz and blood." Warren, you wrote my life.
Naturally, the "Excitable Boy" makes it onto mix CDs for all the young nephews. This song is like catnip for 10 year old boys. Oh, yeah. For Barger boys, anyway. They may be a little bit different lot.
I note in puting together links for this column that Amazon lists The Wind as their #1 seller. That's nice.
Also, Transverse City should be considered a great lost album. The first half particularly whips ass. Look out for "The Long Arm of the Law." You see, "when the judge says 'Who done it?' you'll be crying 'Not me, not me!'" Guilty, I say! You KNOW he done it.
Here is the approximately 77 minute custom Warren Zevon Mastermix CD conjured up today:
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
Play It All Night Long
The Envoy
Lawyers, Guns and Money
Mr. Bad Example
Sentimental Hygiene
Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded
Excitable Boy
Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School
Hasten Down the Wind
I Was in the House When the House Burned Down
Poor, Poor Pitiful Me
Run Straight Down
Detox Mansion
Werewolves of London
Carmelita
Mohammed's Radio
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
Jeannie Needs a Shooter
Transverse City
Desperados Under the Eaves
My Shit's Fucked Up (live 1-22-99)
Famously, he said "I'll sleep when I'm dead." Hopefully he rests better than Roland. RIP Warren.
posted by Al at 9/08/2003 11:52:00 PM
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