More Barn

Louis CK(whose name sounds like a Calvin Klein cologne) has bucked the traditional media delivery system and is offering his latest stand up comedy special via his website for $5. The results are impressive so far; a tidy $750k profit after only a few weeks.

A documentary is in the works concerning legendary Boston rock station WBCN and the filmmaker is looking for money via kickstarter. At one point BCN was arguably the most influential FM station in the country and helped to launch many a career. Charles Laquidera, the much missed agent provacuteur from the Big Mattress morning show, now lives in Hawaii and helped to officiate a good friend of mines wedding. He's still left of the dial, very stoned, hitting on anything that moves according to sources.(people at the wedding) Good to hear.

I was recently challenged to eschew the internet for three days but failed after 7 hours because I've created a virtual world void of basic human interaction. Do people who take classes through Phoenix University join online sororities or frataternities? Apparently there are people who resist Facebook as this article by Jenna Wortham highlights.

OG Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan recently sat down with Stereogum for an interview in which he claims the band was too revolutionary for most people and also worthy of such company as Led Zeppelin. Corgan is kind of a twit but Gish was cool and I didn't mind the sonic mindfuck of Siamese Dream though I'm not sure it's aged so well. Maybe it's me; even Nevermind sounded silly the other day and I cringe after a few notes of Pearl Jams 10.

I was hoping after the collapse of Borders bibliophiles would flock to mom and pop bookshops and save the neighborhood bookstore. This is happening somewhat, according tp Julie Bosman writing in the Times.

In other news Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo almost died, Jon Bon Jovi is not dead, and and uber inspirational benchwarmer Rudy is a fraud according to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The documentary about Motorheads Lemmy is excellent and well worth watching over the holidays. He's the last of a breed and way niccer than his handlebar 'stache would suggest. The dude even recorded a rockabilly album with a few few stray Stray Cats. Here's the trailer for the movie.

IU Upsets KY - Celebration at Nick's English Hut

Old Lame Sign- A Spotify Playlist for 2011

Smith Westerns – Still New
Blind Pilot – Paint Or Pollen   
WILD FLAG – Romance
Girls – Honey Bunny
Mayer Hawthorne – Hooked
The Strokes – Gratisfaction
The Vaccines – Post Break-Up Sex
Van Hunt – A Time Machine Is My New Girlfriend
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – Forever 28
Pollyn – How Small We Are
Battles – Futura
Fleet Foxes – Grown Ocean
Wilco – One Sunday Morning
Todd Snider – Don't It Make You Wanna Dance
Kurt Vile – Jesus Fever
Real Estate – Wonder Years
The War On Drugs – Come To The City
Lucinda Williams – Convince Me
The Rolling Stones – Do You Think I Really Care

A Thousand Points Of Blight

Tim Tebow has gone from a sports specific curiosity to a full blown cultural point of contention. He even made the New York Times Op-Ed page in this curious post by former food critic Frank Bruni. How does Tebow continue to win with seemingly marginal skills and little conventional tools? Is faith an undervalued intangible in the huddle? Does God not like the St Louis Rams?

Louis Nemeth, a great photographer who still schleps his camera in New York, gets a nice retrospective in this piece by David Dunlap.

Hey it's that time of year again when critics compile best of list's and the good folks at soundopinions.org share theirs in this podcast. It's hard to wade through the thousands of releases in todays DIY recording landscape but my shout outs include the Battles Gloss Drop, Future Crimes by Wild Flag, Dye It Blonde by the Smith Westerns, How Do You Do by Mayer Hawthorne, and Whokill by the tUnEYaRds(sic). Honorable mention for Wilco, the Beastie Boys, and the Fleet Foxes. Here is Jim Derogatis' top 40 from his Pop & Stuff blog.

Borstal Boys

Congratulations to Ian "Mac" McLagan of the Small Faces/Faces who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame(along with the rest of the band) I had the pleasure of having a few pints with Mac in Austin after one of his great Thursday night shows at Luckys Lounge. A genuinely cool dude who has released two of the better solo albums by any member of British rock royalty in recent years. The Faces, who reunited recently sans Rod Stewart, were arguably the best band on the planet from 1971-1974. For all of the Rod the Mod haters out there, and there are many, please realize  he was once a genius level blue-eyed soul singer who wrote incredibly poignant  songs. Of course it was a quick fall from grace and the whole soccer team/mass felatio rumor hurt. Here's Mac in an interview with Rolling Stone and a clip from YouTube of the Faces performing Richmond.

The real question is whether Guns & Roses will reunite at the ceremony but smart money says no. I'm not sure how to take Axl Rose but his eccentricity seems more Liberace than Syd Barret. Who knows if the band would have dissolved into self parody had they stayed together as modern rock got leaner and meaner and the band seemed hell bent on grandioise ballads. That being said, I hope they do perform together if only to complete my rapid descent into middle age as I listen nostalgically to Mr Brownstone sipping my one nightly beer and chewing on a carrot stick for cardiovascular reasons. Here's an interview with Steven Adler, the most accesible member of G&R(ie broke), from Rolling Stone.

Home For The Hollandaise

Portland has become a foodie mecca through it's stubborn attachment to locally sourced foods and close knit culinary community. Some say this is undeserved and the creation of travel writers looking for the New New Thing that doesn't exist in Brooklyn. No matter the reason, GQ Magazine has a nice article on the Scene.

What's a little revionist history between friends? Plenty according to Edward Rothstein who pays a visit to Virginias Museum of the Confederacy. What is the South now anyway? Mass media has destroyed the quaint pockets of regionalism in this country and Atlanta could be Seattle albeit with better grits.

P. J O'Rourke, who has been in hiding while battling rectal cancer, is back with a new book called Holidays In Heck but it pales in comparison to his earlier work writes Bill Scheft in this review.

Looking to book a cruise but tired of shuffleboard and long buffet lines? If you get an extra 60k then you could take a dive to see the Titanic in April as this article details.

RIP legendary guitarist Hubert Sumlin who was Howling Wolfs main man. Check out this YouTube interview where he recounts his glory days.

The Flaming Lips have teamed up with og primal screamer Yoko Ono for a Christmas song thats sure to scare the bejesus out of the kids. Listen to it here courtesy of Pitchfork.

Counter Culture

I'm always fascinated by first hand accounts of mere mortals hanging out with Bob Dylan and this is one of the better ones courtesy of broowawa.com. It mainly concerns Victor Maymudes who was a legendary Greenwich Village philosopher and Dylans right hand man for many years.

The idea of a rock and roll hall of fame is preposterous but it exists so I'll write about. Essentially a vanity project for publishing icon/asshole Jan Wenner, the Rock HOF does produce a discernible bump in sales for those deigned worthy of the honor as Janet Morrisey writes in the New York Times.

I'm sure we all have our tricks and have fumbled around the region with a vague idea of what we're doing only to be met with silence. Thankfully scientists have cool grant-funded projects and can map the female brain during orgasm in 3D video. All told 80 regions of a womans body fire during climax, an unbelievable number and more proof that women may in fact over think everything. (joke courtesy of the guy sitting next to me at the bar who was reading over my shoulder. Good job Mr. Broncos fan)

The Black Keys have become a borderline great band and pass for mainstream authentic in these silly auto tune times. Alan Light chronicles the bands slow but steady rise to stardom(a planned MSG gig and a show at the Cumberland County Civic Center) in this article from the Sunday Times.

Are books dead or just dying a slow death? Publishers are upping the ante with gilded covers and other treats for the book buying public writes Julie Bosman.

What, Me Worry?

In a few minutes Bobby Valentine will be introduced as the 45th manager in the long history of the Boston Red Sox. His often wacky contributions to baseball are well documented but he also changed something even closer to my heart: the common sandwich. It seems Bobby V invented the wrap in 1980 as this video details.

Is the iPhones personal assistant Siri an anti-abortion crusader in Steve Jobs clothing? Maybe so as this article points out.

Ok, when was the last time you thought of the design aesthetic of the common thermostat? Never? Let me introduce you to this, the coolest gadget I've seen in years which doubles as a temperature brain for your house.

The Grammy nominations are in and the collective yawn you hear is from music lovers everywhere. The usual suspects are represented including Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and the Foo Fighters. Bon Iver, the Wisconsin sadcore outfit, are up for Best New Artist and Record of the Year. In true Grammy fashion, the album is not nearly as compelling as their debut and actually sounds like Christopher Cross 2.0. The Grammys are striving for indie cred but are usually three or four years behind.

So where was that culture bearing anthem "American Pie" really written? Not in Saratoga Springs says songwriter and Mainer Don McLean in this interview.

The Village Voice has compiled a list of the ten biggest swinging dicks in film history. Woody Allen, who is included, once said he's the only "male who suffers from penis envy."

RIP Napster reports Pitchfork who also unveil this years SXSW keynote speaker as none other than Bruce Springsteen.

Careful With That Fax, Eugene

Elvis Costello is urging his fans to not buy his new box set reports the Telegraph. The $250 price tag is better spent on Louis Armstrong said Costello who thought the price was an elaborate hoax.

Penguin is publishing a "lost" novel by Jack Kerouac that the beat icon wrote 70 years ago while sailing the open seas as a merchant marine. The critical response has been dismissive but the book does offer a fascinating glimpse into his  future genius. When asked of his thoughts on Kerouac, Truman Capote said "that's not writing, that's typing."

The search for a new manager for the Red Sox continues and Dan Shaugnessy wants to know what's the hold up. All signs point to Bobby Valentine which would set up an interesting dynamic between the considerable ego's running the Red Sox. Has a team ever lost it's credibility so quickly and in such spectacular fashion? This was a model franchise(and honestly it probably still is to some degree) but man, this is embarrasing.

The New York football Giants stink and Tom Coughlin has worn out his welcome according to a Giants fan in Newcastle. Yet another epic second half collapse coupled with apathetic play and a disregard for the fundamentals. Winning a Super Bowl grants you a grace period but this is getting tired.

So what's wrong with a little digital embellishing? Appparently lots as this article points out in a revealing piece on Photoshopping.

Ambled up the coast today to catch J Edgar at the lonely Cineplex. DiCaprio is excellent but the film itself uneven and loaded with a relevant but still under examined homosexual relationship between Hoover and his right hand man Clyde Tolson. Hoover, who supposedly was a cross-dresser, is given a sympathetic portrayal by the director Clint Eastwood. Overall the G Men just miss the g spot.

In the ain't life grand dept. of are you fucking kidding me we have this: 3 Conn. asset managers just won a 254 million dollar Powerball lotto. It's the 1 percent feel good story of the year.

Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus

Is Black Friday a Pat Robertson thing? Well the battle lines of consumerism are in midseason form as some nut pepper sprayed 20 of her  fellow shoppers at a California Wal Mart this morning. Ingenious I say. However, the long lines for Black Friday were tempered by the stock markets worst Thanksgiving since 1932. So, cheap tv's, Hungarys credit rating cut to junk(my portfolio is front loaded with paprika futures, damn Hungarians), $2 waffle irons, Greece demands larger losses on debt from private investors, $100 iPods, Belgiums credit rating lowered.......Best Buy wins! The U.S consumer is not dead, just blurry.

The legendary multi-instrumentalist Garth Hudson is still at it according to this article but in a bizarre fashion. Speaking of the Band...how many of them were indirectly killed by Bob Dylan's Dylan-ness? Richard Manuel hung himself after trying to reach Bob from his hotel room, Rick Danko never recovered from the marathon Big Pink booze sessions, and Robbie Robertson.....is not dead. So that's two PLUS Phil Ochs. Not bad but pales in comparison to Keith Richards whose list includes Brian Jones, Gram Parsons, and a few others I can't readily recall but I'm sure they're dead and he's responsible.

Sour beers are all the rage in the craft beer world and the New York Times ranks the best in this article. Maines own Allagash Confluence placed a respectable 5th in the poll.

Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan is forming a professional wrestling league in Chicago reports the Associated Press. Corgan is not the only indie rocker down with a yen for the turnbuckle as Husker-Du's former frontman Bob Mould is a consultant for World Championship Wrestling. Jim "Hacksaw" Duggan is reportedly making an album with Beach House and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka has written a few breakup songs for Grizzly Bear.

Foghorn Shopworn

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, a great night to make a barstand and thumb your nose at whatever family gathering is about to commence. The Kennedy conspiracy theories just won't die and every year a new one is trotted out sometime around Thanksgiving to sell a few books and drive Oliver Stone batty. So whose got the brain of JFK and what's it mean to us now? The great documentary filmmaker Errol Morris introduces us to the Black Umbrella Man who, on a sunny day in Dallas, inexplicably had an open bumpershoot very close to where the fateful shots rang out. As this video explains, the umbrella had more to do with Neville Chamberlain than nefarious political motives. I still maintain it was Lady Bird Johnson from a Dealey Plaza hair salon.

Exciting news as thinking mans babe Julie Delpy has signed on to direct a Joe Strummer bio pic entitled The Right Profile. The film will take place in 1982 when Strummer went missing (really just a PR stunt from Clash manager Bernie Rhodes) and chronicle his life on the lam. In other gob tossing news, newly discovered graffitti from Johnny Rotten is being treated like the Tomb of Tutankhamun according to this article from Felicia Lee.

Ok, all the Nickeback fans out there please raise your hand. Anyone? Anyone? Anyone? Even though the band may well be the worst in recent memory  it seems they do have a sense of humor as this Av Club post confirms. Nickelback, who are slated to perform during halftime of tomorrows Lions-Packers game, are the subject of a petition to ban them from Detroit. Thumbs up Detroit.

Cult cartoonist R Crumb is releasing a book of album covers he's penned starting with the famous Big Brother and the Holding Company classic from 1968. Despite his creepy predilection for very large women, he's a serious champion of 1920's blues and an incredibly interesting dude. For those who haven't seen it check out the Crumb documentary, a family classic.

Came across a great add-on for Spotify this morning: www.equalify.me/, a free and seamlessly integrated equalizer for your listening pleasure. Installs in seconds and easy to use.

Our Bloody Valentine?

Say it ain't so but apparently it's so as the Red Sox are about to hire whack job  Bobby Valentine to manage the team. This is the right move argues Dan Shaugnessy but his spotty track record of ego driven contrarianism is raising eyebrows around the league. Maybe this is what the team needs but it pushes the Red Sox further into sideshow territory and will be a distraction eventually.

An interesting read from the New York Times as John Leland examines a group of plugged in 20 somethings who are constantly using smartphones in social situations. It's a decent stab at Tom Wolfe style journalism but the subject matter, annoying 20 somethings, doesn't have the cache of  "limousine liberals" or even "radical chic" trustafarians. But, as Wolfe would say,  the "surest cure for vanity is lonliness" and someday the iPhone will stop ringing.(mine did but apparently Verizon expects to get paid)

Hey Guns and Roses are still around albeit with a single Gun(Axl) and a few plastic Roses. The band recently played the Izod Center in New Jersey and gave a so-so performance. Read the review here courtesy of NJ.com.

I think we've established New Orleans as cool but a new collaborative art project mixes sound and eccentric construction, resulting in what its creators call “a shantytown-sound laboratory writes Campbell Robertson.

From Florida(where else?) we have this report of a draq queen injecting Fix A Flat and cement into some poor womans ass. I know health care is costly but aren't there safer cosmetic surgery options? What can you do with a bicycle pump and PVC pipe?

Apparently young  financiers are having a rough go of it writes Kevin Roose. So are we supposed to feel sorry for them?

When I heard word that someone had started an Occupy Austin movement I had to wonder why. If you can put up with searing heat in the summer, it's by far the best place to live with an unbelievable music scene, progressive politics, excellent food, and a low cost of living. Apparently the citizens of Austin agree as a recently conducted survey has 88% of Austinites giving the city a thumbs up. Here in Maine we hover below the Mendoza line though those sober enough to respond gave it an appreciative middle finger.

Left Of The Dial

Where have you gone Paul Westerberg? While some have speculated he may be taking a cue from Syd Barrett, the legendary Replacements frontman is actually in Edina, Minnesota reveling in fatherhood. No word on a potential 'Mats reunion but he has been recording in his basement.

Looking for a few Amperex Bugle Boy 12AX7’s but can't find them at Lowes? A former engineer in Williamsburg, Brooklyn has opened an analog electronics parts store where you can finally finish that Tesla coil project. It's the kind of head scratching junk shop that inspires a fierce but low paying loyalty according to the article.

Cultural critic Greil Marcus, who has made a small fortune off Bob Dylan,  turns his pen toward the Doors in his new book. In other rock lit, Robert Greenfield has written a biography of swinging Turkish music mogul Ahmet Ertegun who signed Ray Charles, passed on the Beatles, and blew as much coke as Ronnie Wood. Janet Maslin reviews the book here.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice as the saying goes unless you're the Rolling Stones who will be celebrated for charity according to this post.

Celebrity chef and Ramones fan Anthony Bourdain has a new show called Layover. The concept is simple :he hangs out and eats while on a layover. Bourdain, who wrote the restaurant tell-all classic Kitchen Confidential, is seriously funny and not afraid to take the piss out of annoying "food personalities" such as Rachel Ray or Andrew Zimmerman.

Tom Waits For No One

Google has opened a digital music store as it aims to compete directly with Apples widely popular iTunes. While the price points are roughly the same(99 cents to $1.29 per song), it has scored a minor coup by offering an official copy of the Rolling Stones classic(and much bootlegged) 1973 concert from Brussels. As any Stones fan knows, the '73 tour was momentous and featured the great Mick Taylor at the top of his vibrato game at the tender age of 23. Important to know:the Brussels release is actually the evening show, not the well circulated afternoon show, so the material is very new to many people. At $4.99 it's a steal and will be followed by four other official "bootleg" releases this year. Good job Rolling Stones, now clear the hurdles and release the documentary Cocksucker Blues.

Are you a sad literary type and having no luck on those ubiquitous online dating sites? Looking for a colon to wrap around your dangling participle? Well you may be in luck as npluspersonals seeks to fill the dearth in online personals for charming intellectuals. Sample postings include "nihilist seeks not quite nothing."

For the truly wonkish or underemployed here is a complete video of rock critic Greg Kot moderating a discussion on the mechanics of music promotion and the state of the concert business.

Are Nirvana, Soundgarden, and the Smashing Pumpkins now (gulp) considered classic rock? They, along with other 90's music heroes, have been popping up on classic-rock radio sandwiched between 'Skinnid(as they say here in Maine) and Journey. A startling and wrong development writes Jason Heller in the a/v club.

Paging the Coen brothers or David O Russell.....the New York Times has unearthed a wacky plot to aid the recently killed Quaddafi brokered by a former CIA agent, a Republican strategist, and a Kansas City lawyer. My long forgotten pamplet, How To Survive Bloody Coups & Influence People,was also completely ignored during the recent Arab Spring.

Detectives in Los Angeles are reexamining the 1981 Natalie Wood drowning after new evidence surfaced.(ok that was in poor taste) Speaking of waves, Surfin' by the Beach Boys turns 50 as  Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal takes a look back.

Finally, an autograph of 19th-century baseball legend King Kelly is expected to fetch big bucks writes Steve Henson in his excellent piece on baseballs first superstar.

Sin Tax Era

 Congratulations to Dukes Mike Krzyzewski who stands alone as the winningest basketball coach in Division 1 history. As my friends know, I'm a huge Duke fan, have been for years, and won't apoligize despite the programs many comparisons to the New York Yankees. Coach K is a class act who fortunately took the best of Bobby Knight, his mentor, without bringing the hysterics. Nice guys do win, just not that often.

Looking for a perfect Christmas gift for that blues fan in your family? Look no further as Robert Johnson, the OG of the Delta, is getting the reissue treatment with 10-inch 45rpm replicas of his original Vocalion recordings. The generous box set coincides with his 100th birthday and includes a newly unearthed photo, elaborate liner notes, and is housed in a hard bound case that replicates an old 78rpm record folder. Check out the details and video here.

Speaking of the blues, former Blues Brother Dan Ackroyd has launched a line of vodka called Crystal Head. The bottle is a glass skull and the vodka is made from the "deep glacial waters of Newfoundland." This would be the perfect opportunity to launch John Belushis 48 Hour Energy which would just be shitloads of cocaine in a Ziplock baggie.

How do you negotiate a break up in this age of social media? Here's a template from Frank Lesser who writes in McSweeney's that a court ordered de-friending may be necessary.

Stellar reviews so far for The Descendants, a new Alexander Payne movie starring George Clooney which opens next week.(actually today in select theaters but Maine has no select theaters) Payne, who directed Election, About Schmidt and Sideways, has crafted a masterpiece according to A.O Scott of the New York Times.

In music news Heavy D is still dead, the bed that Michael Jacksons died in is no longer for sale, and the great Olivia Tremor Control has re-issued Dusk At Cubist Castle. The band was an original member of the Elephant 6 Collective from Athens, Georgia which consistently cranked out minor masterpieces during the then fledgling indie rock movement. Here's Green Typewriters X, a cool track that sounds like Meddle era Pink Floyd fronted by George Harrison.

White Flight/White Heat

The possibility of a 2011-2012 NBA season is growing slimmer by the day writes Ian Thomsen in Sports Illustrated as charges of a plantation governance dog commisioner David Stern. Does anybody really care? Doesn't the NBA season start on Christmas anyway? Alas, the lockout does have a discernible effect on thousands of low paid arena workers who now sit and wait in abject poverty as this  blogger/Trail Blazers usher points out.

Alleged sicko Jerry Sanduskey issued an awkward denial of the pending sexual abuse charges last night on NBC's Rock Center. So let me get this straight: Sanduskey admits to showering with ten year olds but insists nothing happened? Why are you in the shower with a ten year old? What inexplicable and  benign series of events has to occur for a 54 year old man to be showering innocently with a ten year old boy? This shit is nuts, Sanduskeys nuts, Paterno is Cardinal Bernard Law with a clipboard, and Penn State should just go back to being a backwater agricultural school.

Speaking of Rock Center, it's actually quality viewing that strikes a decent balance between gumshoe 60 Minutes style reporting and breezier fare such as post Hugh Downs 20/20. Though certainly a vanity project for talking head honcho Brian Williams, it at least tries to present important stories that are flying under the 24/7 news radar. On that note click here to watch "Harvest of Shame", the great Edward R Murrow documentary on the plight of America's farm workers.

Remember those long lazy days at Bull Moose sifting through stacks of used cd's? Well bargain tunes are not dead just yet as a Boston based company is launching a platform to sell your used digital downloads.A noble idea but not sure if it'll replace the rush of finding a copy of the Kinks Muswell Hillbillies for two bucks or the Chuck Berry Complete Chess Recordings for a measly $12.

The internet has claimed its share of victims including video stores, travel agencies, record stores, newspapers, camera stores(somewhat complicit), shoe stores(Zappos), stag mags, atlases, textbooks, the Yellow Pages, and now it's fixing it's beady little cursor on publishing houses reports copylaw.org.

Not Dark Yet

Is there a silver bullet to staunch the bleeding for the beleagured newspaper industry? Start thinking"dimes on the dollars" writes David Carr in the New York Times. The current crisis was predicted 5 years ago by none other than billionaire Warren Buffet who said the end is neigh in this 2009 piece by journalismethics.ca.
In my opinion the industry cannibalized itself by not charging for content from the get go and a whole generation of readers are accustomed to free news. Early numbers for the controversial New York Times paywall were encouraging as it seems to correctly charge for cotent without the air of exclusivity according to Wired. I'm not sure if it's out on dvd  yet but the documentary Page One is a fascinating look inside the newspaper crisis.

Sad news as blues great Doyle Bramhall has died. Bramhall was best known for his work with Stevie Ray Vaughan and his one "hit"  Life By The Drop", famously covered by Vaughan, became a minor anthem for recovering types everywhere.

Smart groceries? Elevators to outer space? This isn't the work of science fiction but rather a top secret lab in Googles California headquarters writes Claire Cain Miller.

Soylent Green

A dated but interesting article by Joel Selvin on the 20th anniversary of legendary concert promoter Bill Grahams death. It's hard to underestimate the importance of Graham who revolutionized the concert business but was a notorious crank who Lou Reed wanted to piss on according to a post by Josh Alan Freidman.Cult songwriter Mickey Newbury is finally getting his due writes Wayne Bledsoe for Knoxville.com.

Author Mona Simpson, who happens to be the sister of Steve Jobs, reveals details of Jobs last words as he seemed to notice something peculiar just before he slipped into the afterlife.

Ever wonder about the humble origins of the rubber ducky? Me neither but here it is courtesy of the New York Times.

Despite a new ballpark and a pledge to sign big money free agents. the Miami Marlins are still a sham writes Jeff Passan for Yahoo Sports.

Let's Get Metaphysical

Did people drink more during the atomic age? Frank Kelly Rich examines the issue in a great post for Modern Drunkard. In other Cold War news Richard Nixon was bitter and cynical during a just-released transcript of his secret grand jury testimony in 1975. Wondering if your town houses nuclear ballistic missiles but don't have the time to dig? Check this out from Mother Jones. Finally one last bit of stop, drop and roll nostalgia, here is the 1964 Lyndon Johnson political ad that scared the shit out of the country. Vote for President Johnson on November 3rd or else! A simpler and sweeter apocalyptic time.

When Pigs Fly, an artisan bread company from Kittery, has opened a pizzeria and received a glowing review from the pizza fetishists at Slice. Maine is not known for its pizza but I have a friend who swears the state has the best convenience store 'za in the country. Mike, who is not a discerning foodie, conducts most of his research while drunk and buying cigarettes.

Is it time to create an internationally funded  Bloggers Without Borders? Maybe so as a few señores de los teclados have turned up decapitated and turtured in Mexico. For those who want to keep score on the ongoing lunacy which is modern day Mexico check out this drug cartel watchdog. If you dare.

Happy birthdays to Karl Marx(the composer, not the communist),trumpet player Buck Clayton, Grace Kelly, prince of darkness Charles Manson, Booker T Jones, Al Michaels, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Bikini Kills Kathleen Hanna, and the one and only Neil Young.

Pabel-Gone

So in less than a month the Red Sox have lost the best manager in their history, the best general manager in their history, and now their greatest closer, Jonathan Pabelbon,  has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. No big deal, right? Somewhere a closer by commitee is warming up. Brandon Lyon anyone?

Paterno fatigue but consider this :Roy Gricar, who declined to prosecute alleged pedaphile Jerry Sanduskey, has been missing since 2005 reports the New York Times. Despite leading the Big 10, "boola boola" to not canceling the remainder of Penn States games writes Dan Shaugnessy in the Boston Globe.

As a casual viewer of the Today show, I have often wondered why CBS and ABC ape the ratings leader right down to the jolly but dim weather personality. So, given my considerable clout in the world of network news, CBS has decided to hire Charlie Rose to anchor their dismal morning show. This is terrible news for fan's of Rose who is consistently brilliant but will undoubtedly have to dumb down his natural curiosity to satisfy the dreams of the everyday housewife. Ira Glass did turn down a correspondents role on the Price Is Right however.

The Rolling Stones will be rehearsing soon according to Rolling Stone magazine despite Mick Jagger still being peeved at Keef for claiming he had a "tiny todger". In other music news, Black Sabbath will record a new  album with the overrated Rick Rubin while Chuck Klosterman hangs out with Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher and insists Gallagher is the funniest dude you'll ever meet.

Need a babysitter? Consider this modern day Mary Poppins the next time you have a date night.

Here is a plug for iorr.org, a great music chat forum from England with big time industry peeps posing as anonymous posters.

Finally a classic clip from the Found Footage Festival concerning unitentionally hilarious workplace sexual harassment videos from the 1990's.

The Last Word In Lonesome Is Me

Nothing meant by the title, just love Roger Miller and appreciate his sly suburban wit. So, anyway, the world keeps moving but a sure sign of the apocalypse as a Justin Beiber Christmas album is  number one. I've long since ceded the top 40 to the tweenyboppers but I'm hoping there is one more culture bearing rock song to unite the fractured music world. Where is our Purple Rain or Waiting On A Friend? Under The Bridge? Unskinny Bop? Proud Mary?

Joe Paterno will retire in the wake of a sexual abuse scandal by one of his former coaches. He's been unofficially retired for years and just seems to stand around looking parochial and bored while getting run over by players . You thought the Red Sox had it bad, Penn State is in shambles. What's that old joke? One of my brothers went to Penn State and the other went to the state pen.

Good news for people with no money who live in the middle of nowhere as the FCC announced plans to provide internet access to the 100 million Americans without it. I can't imagine these peoples lives with all their human interaction, book reading, excercising, and porn viewing from print magazines. They probably don't even know who the Kardashians are or have never witnessed such cultural milestones as a keyboard playing cat. Rubes!

A bit of relief on the horizon as Obama announced  a new "Pay As You Earn" plan for student loans. Since so many people aren't earning anything these days this seems reasonable. I think too many people go to college and should consider other options. Like this for instance.

In another installment of my own personal You Tube Hall of Fame, check out this clip of the most awkward Wheel of Fortune moment of all time.

Down Goes Frazier

Joe Frazier is dead at the age of 67. The former heavyweight champion, who fought in the considerable shadow of Muhammad Ali, was a better fighter and man writes Dave Anderson.

It was only a matter of time but local hops are making a comeback according to the New York Times. While the hops will be used in domestic craft beers, it's essentially part of a larger agritourism effort in upstate New York where the economy  tanked long before the global credit cisis of 2008. Not sure how hops smell or taste? Here is an excerpt from Daniel Fromson's article;
Samuel Adams Boston Lager The best-known American craft beer made with “noble hops,” central European varieties with floral, spicy aromas and minimal bitterness.
Bass Pale Ale A good example of the muted earthy, woody flavors and aromas associated with English hops.
Pilsner Urquell The spiciness of the Saaz hop, a noble Czech variety, complements the crisp, clean taste of this archetypal pilsner.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale The beer that popularized Cascade hops, whose piney, citrusy profile, which is typical of many American hop varieties, has made it a mainstay of domestic pale ales.

There's culture in them there hills.....a Wal-Mart heiress has opened a world class art museum in the middle of nowhere(Arkansas) reports NPR.  If it's anything like the store there will be one docent per 8,000 square feet, a huge line in the gift shop because someone is buying a tiny keychain which needs a price check, and a barely ambulatory greeter who just gets in the way. No word on a K-Mart Museum of Natural History but a Rite Aid Emporium of the Curious & Sundry sounds intriguing.

Deja Vu All Over Again

The New York Giants stunned the New England Patriots once again with an improbable 24-20 victory yesterday in Foxborough as Eli Manning proved he's atleast in the conversation for elite NFL quarterbacks.
Tom Brady look confused by the Giants defense and spent a majority of the game on his back. Oh and the last person to wear #85 for the Giants before Jake Ballard(who caught a crucial pass to set up his own eventual game winning touchdown) was none other than David Tyree. Overall the game was all too familiar writes Dan Shaughnessy in todays Boston Globe. As one disgruntled fan pointed out yesterday at my local, Belichick needs to go. Harsh words for the Hoodie but lately New England seems like the football equivalent of the 1990's Atlanta Braves. All good things come to an end and I'm afraid this dynasty is on life support.

Don't Bogart that marijuana clinic writes Ethan Nadelmann in an op-ed piece for the New York Times as the Chicago Sun Times examines the suburban pot smoker. Closer to home, Maine medicinal marijuana providers held a trade show over the weekend in Augusta where properly documented patients were allowed to smoke pot in a special tent. Huddling inside a tent to smoke marijuana outside the Civic Center? Sounds like Augusta to me.

Ahead of a planned J Edgar Hoover film, we have this from LA Times where Richard Serrano writes Hoover lived in mortal fear of being outed as a homosexual. On that note we have the story of Roy and Silo, two gay chinstrap penguins, in this classic piece from National Geographic from 2004.

Good news for fans of hyper-literate rock as the Kinks Ray Davies is on tour and recently shared a few thoughts with Scott Mervis of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Speaking of hyper-literate rockers, here is an audio clip of Ryan Adams complaining to rock critic Jim Derogatis after a hilariously negative review. Classic stuff.

The sex scandal involving Penn State's former defensive coordinator Jerry Sanduskey is sick and horrible. To top it off he wrote a book a few years back that raises a few eyebrows given the events of the past few days.

Sad news from the world of satirical heavy metal as Flattus Maximus has given up the ghost(and the horns). The bass player from GWAR was apparently found dead by his fellow Lords & Masters this morning somewhere near the Canadian border. In honor of his death check out this hilarious short documentary of GWAR terrorizing greater Austin during SXSW.

This just in, Massachusetts is still corrupt and finding new ways to make Lousiana look like a paragon of ethical government practice. It's amazing how seedy the state is in the supposedly enlightened Northeast corridor. Not to mention Boston mayor Thomas Menino who is perhaps the biggest elected doofus in municipal government and an embarrassment to his citizens. How does this guy keep winning re-election ? I understand a mayor, Bloomberg aside, is largely a ceremonial position but a semi-intelligent/coherent person should be a must for Boston.

A new study on poverty suggests 1 in 15 Americans are officially poor reports the New York Daily News
but the criteria may be skewed counters the New York Times. Apparently the measure of poverty is antiquated and does not factor in variables such as food stamps, tax credits, and other voucher programs. The net result  actually raises most poverty stricken families income to a whopping $18,000. Or 1,800 cheese pizzas from Godafathers as Herman Cain would point out.

What's up with ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews and her ability to turn men into self pleasuring Neanderthals? First a whack job cuts a peephole into her hotel room and films Andrews getting dressed and now we have reports that an ESPN executive was fondling himself on an airplane while sitting next to her. What's next? Joe Paterno stuffing her into a Borat marriage bag during a halftime interview ? Somehow I don't think fellow ESPN personalities  John Clayton or Sal Palantonio have these types of problems.

The mystery of the Lincoln County Courthouse ghost continues with this WCSH report that clearly shows an image moving through the halls after hours. The guy featured at the end is none other than my former colleague Greg Latimer who apparently moonlights as a certified ghost hunter. Who knew?

The city of St Louis is experiencing a rise in craft breweries in the shadow of Anheiser Busch writes Joe Stange. In other beer business a new blog devoted to Maine craft beer is rumored to be under construction. According to the editor, the blog will focus not only on Maine microbrews but also interesting bars in the state. "Part Frugal Traveler, part Zagat with  a serious analysis of the trends, people and places that make Maine an attractive place to drink ," said the man who didn't want to be identified. Can't wait.

Image:  Big Al's Kitchen For The Needy. A Chicago relief spot operated by gangster Al Capone in the 1930's.

I've Just Seen A Face

A disturbing find in Canada as doctors have discovered what really exists in the nether regions of men. Looks a little like Buzz Lightyear or a young Ed Asner, no wonder it hurts to piss in the morning.

Feeling a little lonely and missing the warm touch of another human being to replace your On Corr tv dinner companionship? Well, theres an app for that writes Jenna Wortham in the New York Times. On paper this beats match.com or E Harmony for it's immediacy but could be a boon for kidnappers or sexual predators.

While the protests in New York have been fairly civilized, the California chapter of Occupy(fill in city of choice) is kicking out the proverbial jams with some good old fashioned violence. Tear gas and looting? Are these Vancouver hockey fans? I'm surprised an enterprising rabble rouser hasn't piggybacked the movement to give the protest a distinct voice. It's wide open but has been more Burning Man than fall of the Berlin Wall so far.

Most agree U2's Achtung Baby was the last great album by the megastar band but is it time for the group to call it a day? Maybe so argues Neil McCormick in The Telegraph. A new documentary puts a new spin on Dad Rock, the domain of Wilco despite Jeff Tweedys assertions, and reveals the softer side of men "who never thought they'd live long enough to have children" writes Jeanette Catsoulis.

Where Is My Mine?

Remember those trapped Chilean miners who captivated the world a few months ago? Bet you thought they could parlay that little experience into big bucks via a book, feature film, or on the motivational speech circuit. Not so according the New York Times who report most are suffering to adjust to the world above ground. Here in the U.S, government scientists are treating some Gulf War veterans who suffer from post traumatic shock syndrome by actually putting them back into simulated battle scenarios. Might this experiment also work with the miners? Couldn't they just be lowered back into the ground until they come to terms with what happened? Would some smart alec researcher scream "put the lotion in the basket Precious" as these admittedly brave men reflect on their harrowing plight?

Bacon carrot biscuits? Excuse while I kiss this guy? Wrapped up like a douche in the Corona of your mind? Or my personal favorite, "oh Canada, we stand on cars and freeze." For other misheard song lyrics check out this amusing web site .

All 28 secret combinations of Californias much revered In-N-Out Burger are revealed by the food as porn website A Hamburger Today. The site is dedicated to great cheeseburgers of America and is actually quality reading. It's sister site, Slice, gets a little salacious and judges a pizza on whether or not it gives "good tip." Yikers. In other food news, Mark Bittman writes organic food need not be elitist and butcher shops are making a come back according to Florence Fabricant.

Brian Wilson (who at one point would write you a song for a hamburger) has just released the Complete Smile Sessions. The exhaustive, multi-disc package sheds light on an incredible period of genius for the Beach(ed) Boy who may have written the last great American pop masterpiece argues Mark Richardson in Pitchfork. If you have seven hours to kill the album can be streamed in its entirety by going here.

More bad news for Big Swill as consumption is down and the industry looks to to rebuild "brand" beer writes EJ Schultz in Advertising Age.  Here in Maine the craft beer business is booming as Maine Beer Week begins on November 10. No word yet on Maine Coffee Brandy Week though presumably it started years ago and morphed into a year long celebration. Finally, here is a classic ad for Schaefer beer featuring a Moog synthesizer and a creepy looking guy who shouldn't be drinking so close to a $20,000 instrument.

One more bit of flotsam concerning  Julian Edelman, slot receiver for  of the New England Patriots, who takes being a member of the hands team very, very seriously.

All Hat & No Cattle

Sad news from Lake Woebegone as legendary sound effects man Tom Keith has passed away. For fans of Prarie Home Companion he was the boing, the cluck, and fingernails on a chalkboard every sound for the past 25 years.

Are you one of the millions who have cut the cable tv cord in recent years? Think the suits at Time Warner and Comcast were shaking in their wingtips worried we lemmings might start exercising or paying attention to the kids? Not so writes Brian Stelter who reports cable is holding it's own against the book reading, Hulu watching infidels. Now, it's entirely possible to manage without cable(nothings really on, right?) but for a sports fan it can be pure torture to stare at a simulated game online, wait for page updates every 30 seconds and watch a crude animated ball inch around a "field". Thankfully our friends in Europe can create sites like this; free cable television via your Time Warner or Comcast internet service. (this site will periodically disappear and display a series of fake messages. Don't be fooled and your patience will be rewarded)

Watching the debut of Brian Williams new show Rock Center I expected to see a disaster but it actually held it's own. It's no 60 Minutes or seminal moment in news programming but it's modest goals were carried out as advertised. CBS reject Harry Smith, late of the Early Show, had a great piece on the boom times of North Dakota where taco huts are paying 15 bucks an hour, truck drivers are making $80,000 a year, and there are 50,000 jobs waiting to be filled. I'm not sure why there isn't a stampede to North Dakota; the money is real,  oil is abundant, and our country has not seen anything like this in 100 years.
Seriously, any person with debt and a smidge of desire should be loading his shit and heading west. Right now!

My Craigslist mojo failed me as I was not able to snag a ticket to the Pixies show tonight at the State Theater, I usually count on someone dumping a ticket, typically below face value, on the day of a show but this was not to be. The glut of concerts in Maine this fall is amazing and speaks volumes about the music industry, Everyone has to tour as sales of physical product(ie compact discs) plummet and the only money is in merchandise or ticket sales. Growing up, I had to make do with Monsters of Rock in Old Orchard Beach or the occasional flyover from Bob Dylan. This week alone you have the Pixies, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, and to a lesser extent Further.(A Deadheads worst nightmare: all Bobby songs)


If you haven't already, please listen to soundopinions, the only rock & roll talk show on the air. Sort of Siskel and Ebert for the Lester Bangs set.

Candy Says

The first salvo of winter was fired this weekend as the Northeast digs out from an impressive storm that has left millions without power. The numbers are incredible; 28 inches in Pittsfield, Mass, 18 inches in Bridgeton.Me, and 17 in Bristol, Conn. How rare is an October blizzard? Historically rare writes Dr Jeff Masters in wunderground. Here in Cabot Cove the damage was mostly psychological as goblins and robots slogged through slush on their way to Halloween parties. The collective shrug is part of the charm of Maine and another reason why we put up with the summer.

With an anemic economy and new ad revenue  hard to come by, a classical music radio station in New York has turned to noted huckster Beethoven for help. The innovative ad campaign features the tagline
"Obey Toven" and tote bags declaring "Beethoven Was Def". Of course there is a precedent for Ludwig modernization including this 1976 classic from Walter Murphy.

Witchcraft is alive and well in the Phillipines writes Benjamis Haas in the Los Angeles Times and ghosts are haunting a Maine courthouse according to Greg Latimer of The Lincoln County News. For those non believers and skeptics of the paranormal check out ghostresearch.org, an online clearinghouse of unexplainable photographs purported to be from the great beyond or possibly Ohio. Finally, before you step out of the house tonight, check out these bad Halloween costumes courtesy of retrocrush. Hmm....I never thought of going as Mr Kotter or Chachi but the "Leather Guy" from the Village People may have won a door prize in certain bars.

In sports the Giants survived a scare from the woeful Miami Dolphins to take a commanding lead in the NFC East as Philadelphia crushed the Dallas Cowboys. This sets up a fairly important game next week for the G Men who travel to Foxborough to play the soft New England Patriots writes Dan Shaughnessy who says coaches are like "MIT seniors fumbling around the Playboy Mansion" when facing Bill Belichick.
Optimism in the Bay area remains high after the 49ers' slugged their way to a 20-10 victory over Cleveland and the Cincinatti Bengals are making believers in the Queen City. I bemoaned parity in the NFL for years but the level playing does make for interesting copy. The Detroit Lions, a feel good story any way you cut it, have become a symbol for Detroits decades long stuggle for rebirth. Lastly for you Patriots fans I give you this and this ahead of Sundays game. Somewhere Elllis Hobbs is still looking over his shoulder.

Here is an occasional feature called Throw Another Blog On The Fire and today we have this from angry Clevelandites who are (no surprise) upset with the Obama administration ignoring the Constitution. What's up with these bloggers? Can't bother to find a  job? No-one will hire you? Who has time to read a thousand newspapers and glean sympathetic arguments to support your particular agenda? Oh wait, that hits a little close to home.

40 Acres & A Pool

What to make of the St Louis Cardinals who have improbably won the World Series? Maybe Tony LaRussa is a genius but I still contend he's evil and complicit in the rise of steroid use in baseball. With the season officially over(though here in New England it ended a month ago) it's time to raid the goodship You Tube for the craziest clip of all time.

Saturday mornings are about cartoons and today I present a few favorites from the past. Has anyone noticed that the theme to this show sounds like the Byrds circa Fifth Dimension? I understand the limitations on special effects in 1980 but they could have atleast removed the hand guided string from the "boat". Imagination and sugared cereal, dem' were the days.

Could you drink 119 beers in 6 hours? Not many of us could which is why God gave us Andre the Giant who was a legendary drinker according to this article in Modern Drunkard magazine. Plucked from the mountains of France because of his freakish size, the Giant made and blew many fortunes before succumbing to heart disease at age 47. Due to his particular gland disorder he knew  life would be short but damn, this man could drink.

Fait Accompli

The people of New England are by nature patient and forbearing, but there are some things which they will not stand. Every year they kill a lot of poets for writing about "Beautiful Spring." These are generally casual visitors, who bring their notions of spring from somewhere else, and cannot, of course, know how the natives feel about spring. And so the first thing they know the opportunity to inquire how they feel has permanently gone by. There is a sumptuous variety about the New England weather that compels the stranger's admiration -- and regret. The weather is always doing something there; always attending strictly to business; always getting up new designs and trying them on the people to see how they will go.
                                                                                                                            -Mark Twain

On that note we have this unwelcome guest making it's way through the I 95 corridor.

Despite a collective yawn from most baseball fans, the World Series has turned into a classic with a stunning Game 6 victory by the Cardinals who twice rallied from two run deficits to force a Game 7 tonight in St Louis. As any Red Sox fan can tell you a crushing Game 6 loss usually spells trouble but somehow the Rangers, without the  burden of history, should pull through. If the Rangers DO lose then Nelson Cruz will be forever Bucknered writes Tom Verducci in Sports Illustrated.

The Royal and Exalted masters of the links have spoken and duffers will now have a few new rules to remember the next time they play 18. This is akin to altering the Constitution as it's only been 267 years since the Rules of Golf has made anything resembling a change. I propose a New Testament vs Old Testament interpretration where if the foursome ahead of you are all in their 80's then you have the right to move them off the course.

What the hell is going on in Sanford? Apparently a lot of group sex according to the Portland Press Herald who detail the end of a monthly swingers club in the town. Officials have used words like "appalled" and "disgusted" but I'm not sure if these descriptions relate to the town of Sanford itself or the occasional bacchanalias. Apparently for $40 anyone can gain entry and partake in the festivities which are fully catered(you certainly  work up an appetite) and have strict rules regarding engagement. This could be a boon for struggling Grange Halls and high school gymnasiums which sit empty most nights. My idea, roundly panned by my trusted group of confidantes, is to build a floating "strip" barge that would visit various ports in Maine on the weekends. Think about it: dockworkers and fishermen flush with cash on Friday night running to the piers as the barge plays "Girls, Girls, Girls" signaling the arrival of (shivering) ladies. It's like an  ice cream truck for lonely men.

For fans of the seedy underside of the "What Me Worry" 1970's check out this website on Wordpress. Vintage photographs of racing queen "Jungle Pam" Hardy, Miss Hurst Golden Shifter, customized vans, Hunter Thompson, Harley Shovelhead Choppers, the Farrah Fawcett pinup war and much more.(be sure to click on the photographs to the right)

Image:Woody Guthrie killing fascists(and a few pints) at McSorleys Saloon in 1943

Internet Video Killed the Internet Radio Star

Are you convinced you have the next viral sensation somewhere on your camcorder? Maybe your dog can recite Baudelaire while playing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 in B Flat Minor and the world needs to know. If so be prepared writes Clair Miller in the New York Times and don't spoil your 15 minutes of internet fame. As the article details, the payoff can be enormous if you follow a few easy steps. For instance this video of a drugged up kid  has made his  family over $100,000. The novacaine hangover being a small price to pay for atleast two years of college education.

Today is the birthday of the great British actor, writer, and Monty Python regular John Cleese. He  was born in 1939 to an acrobat mother and insurance salesman father in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. Cleese is currently a visiting professor at Cornell University in New York where he provides tutorials on the human brain among other topics.

A few days ago the iPod amazingly turned 10 and it's birthday led the great rock critic Greg Kot to wonder if the advent of these devices has made music more disposable. In other iPod news the devices daddy, Steve Jobs, kept mid 1960's Dylan bootlegs, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones on his writes the Wall Street Journal. 
My jack of all trades uncle would stash his cd's (remember them?) in the bed of his truck using a plastic storage container. We're talking hundreds if not thousands of albums and it became forever  known as the iTodd, a mobile music lending library.

The long rumored Lou Reed and Metallica album Lulu drops on Tuesday and the Times has an interesting feature on the unlikely pairing.  The match made in hell has been dismissed by critics but generally embraced by music fans(myself included) as something passably interesting.

Hipcycle, a website offering recycled and repurposed goods, was recently launched by Andrew Sell and is aiming to become the "Amazon of upcycled products".

Dead Trees & The Dirty Ground

While the rapid decline of newspapers continue to make headlines, some might be interested to know that reading a paper can actually make you sexier according to the NY Times (who have a rooting interest). The advertising campaign, spearheaded by our friends at the Newspaper Association of America, uses such taglines as "smart is the new sexy" and somewhat curiously "find Iran on a map." As Dan Rather said of then new CBS hire Katie Couric; "they're tarting up the news." Whats next? Soft core grocery circulars? For those interested in a running necrology of the business look no further than here.

Copycat Occupy Wall Street protests continue to spread throughout the country with blood on the streets of Oakland and homemade chemical bombs being tossed at sleeping demonstrators  in Portland, Maine. The original band of malcontents, who are intentionally leaderless according to their website, has a surprising number of sympathetic American citizens who support the cause(whatever it may be) based on the results of a new CBS poll.  For the budding Abbie Hoffman or Emma Goldman still in diapers a Facebook page has popped up where one can  Occupy Legoland. No word yet on similiar efforts with Lincoln Logs or Ez Bake Ovens.

Every  revolution needs a soundtrack and so far the Occupy Wall Street gang has been more mid tempo Gin Blossoms then up-against-the-wall Jefferson Airplane. Artists who have visited the site include Pete Seeger(appropriate), Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel(also appropriate), rap mogul Russel Simmons(curious but not unexpected), Sean Lennon(it's in the blood), and Katy Perry who must have confused Zuccoti Park with a shoe sale.

The kid bids adieu redux....Theo Epstein said goodbye with a frank editorial in the Boston Globe as Chicago welcomed yet another savior for the Cubs. Meanwhile, back at the ranch,  the Red Sox formally introduced  new general manager Ben Cherrington who sounds, acts, and thinks like Epstein which is like firing one Olsen twin for another. Cherrington, who has been with the organization for 13 years, dropped the bombshell during his press conference Tuesday that John Lackey needs Tommy John surgery . Is it possible for this to be elective? Would the Red Sox fake an injury just to hide Lackey who really should be in some sort of witness protection program in Swampscott?

Looking for work and don't mind extremely casual dress? If so, try North Dakota where dancing a few hours a night will earn you big bucks according to the New York Daily News.

If 6 Was 9(Pizza Pizza)

Granted it's not  up there with Gary Hart bouncing Donna Rice on his lap aboard the Monkey Business but  the video of Herman Cain crucifying John Lennon for the pleasure of the Omaha Press Association is still pretty shocking. Not so much for a lapse of morals, he's fullly clothed albeit in a creepy white robe, but for the assault on good taste. Cain, who made his fortune with a chain of Godfather Pizza franchises, recently said  the Occupy Wall Street protestors "have only themselves to blame" for not being rich. Just the kind of economic sensitivity we need in these boom times. Speaking of our brothers in arms, the revolution will apparently be televised. MTV(remember them) will begin filming a reality show based on the protestors starting November 5. If they could somehow bring back Puck and convince Herman Cain to participate this would be the best Real World in quite some time.

Good news for MLB as Sundays Game 4 telecast of the Rangers/Cardinals beat NBC's Sunday Night Football Colts/Saints blowout in preliminary overnight ratings. This represents a minor coup for baseball but it was competing against a 62-7 trouncing by the Saints, a  game that was essentially over early in the 2nd quarter. If you believe the hype, football passed baseball a long time ago to become Americas past time, a passing of the baton explained well by the great Frank Deford in a column for NPR. Many have posited that here in New England we are Red Sox fans but not necessarily fans of baseball. In fact my neighborhood local was showing a re-run of Extreme Makeover last week instead of the World Series until someone(me) asked them to change it. Is baseball becoming strictly regional like the NHL? For one, football is tailor made for gambling and doesn't require an appreciation of nuance(or energy drinks) that a 3 1/2 hour baseball game requires. Not that I think Dice K is a thing of nuanced beauty but shrinking attention spans have firmly placed the made for tv NFL in the wheel house of most Americans collective unconscious.

These pretzels are making me thirsty.....in beer news we have a new report that craft breweries are gaining market share on the suds barons of Big Swill. Encouraging news for lovers of good beer but it's a big mountain to climb as Steve Brody aka the Pour Fool details. Closer to home(as in around the corner) Oxbow Brewery in Newcastle has opened and are rolling out a Belgian style sour beer, according to my former colleague Samuel Baldwin in a recent article for The Lincoln County News. Oxbow Brewing currently has their Octoberfest on tap at the Newcastle Publick House and will be filling growlers every Friday afternoon at their headquarters on Rte 215.

Someone had the good sense(or proper legal clout) to post Beck's entire 34 minute set at this years Bridge School Benefit Concert in Mountain View, California. For those who don't know, the Bridge School is an innovative learning facility for children with severe physical impairments founded by Neil Young and his wife Pegi. Young, whose son suffers from a severe disability, has championed the use of augmentative and alternative communications to reach children who cannot speak. A great school and charity but I still can't forgive TRANS, the worst album by Shakey who unfortunately championed the use of augmentative and alternative communication for rock and roll.

Todays Skinny

Tim Adams of the Guardian has a nice interview with Tom Waits  on the cusp of his new album Bad As Me. The hits keep on coming for the Red Sox as Joe Torre(the something or other czar for MLB) promises to "look into" this seasons clubhouse beer drinking debacle. Apparently Torre is "concerned" about players drinking during  games and considering banning alcohol in clubhouses. Somewhere Babe Ruth is spinning in his grave, presumably still drunk. The Onions A/V Club has a great piece on the enduring brilliance of the Rolling Stones Tattoo You. He argues that the album is the Stones "last gasp of their creative prime". The original cut and paste masterpiece, take that Girl Talk. Finally a bit of bad news for you seafood lovers:somethings fishy with the fish in Massachussets as the Globe wets a line into fraudelent restaurant dishes.  Finally a pretty smoking clip of Austins own Gary Clark Jr on Nashville Sunday Night. Nice to see a brother representing for once.