Stronger Than Dirt

For some reason I cannot comprehend, today I had an unusual urge to listen to Strange Days by The Doors. Anyone who knows me knows I'm fairly fixated on music, especially the rock'n'roll of the 60s, so I guess that's not so odd on its face. However, while I loved them when I was 14, I've spent my adult life goofing on The Doors for being ponderous, pretentious, pompous and incredibly dated. What seemed poignant and significant and poetic during the days of LSD, Vietnam, LBJ and riots now tends to seem...well, bloated as all get-out.

Granted, a good chunk of that perception surely came from Oliver Stone's godawful film The Doors. Somehow Stone, who actually lived through Vietnam and the 60s, got the idea that The Doors were the cultural leaders of the era. Bob Dylan, Mick Jagger and John Lennon probably got a hearty belly laugh over that one. Anyway, Stone's artistic crimes, while numerous, are not those of Messrs. Morrison, Densmore, Manzarek and Kreiger, so I should be fair. It is telling, though, that Morrison and Stone both share a lack of subtlety and grace.

Another knock I always had against The Doors was Morrison's image - the doomed genius poet. Okay, Jim Morrison was a published poet, there's no way around that, it's a fact. It's also a fact that he was a really, really BAD poet. Okay, maybe that's opinion and not fact, but jeez louise, his poetry reeks, and I've never met anyone beyond a teenager or stoned out ex-hippie who thinks otherwise. Hey, so Morrison's poetry was bad and his song lyrics occasionally suffered from the same pomposity and mystical mumbo-jumbo...but is that so awful for an acid-rock band? I mean, I love Traffic, and their lyrics are just as psychedelically silly (Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys? Sure thing, Steve.), although perhaps not as portentious.

Now that I've bashed Morrison for his James Dean-on-acid posing and crap poetry, I should give him his props for what he was really good at - singing in a rock'n'roll band. He was a fantastic front man: charismatic, handsome, great voice, slightly insane, danced around, exposed himself--what more could you want?

And this is what brings me back to the beginning of what I was saying...The Doors, divorced from all the added "meaning" applied to them by their times and their dopey cult following, remain a really interesting, influential rock'n'roll band. They cut some great singles and some terrific albums. When you get away from all that cultural baggage, they're a lot of fun. So I'm sitting here listening to Strange Days and The Soft Parade, after not having listened to a full Doors album since...jeez...college, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. No, I'm not going to confuse The Soft Parade with Beggar's Banquet or Highway 61 Revisited , but it's a fun listen. I've finally made peace with the goddamn Doors and that ridiculous Jim Morrison. Tell all the people.

The Ubiquitous Ms. Crow

Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - AP

There's the comely Sheryl Crow performing on the Today show this morning. I'm not even sure she was booked, she just saw the TV cameras and grabbed her guitar. Seriously, this just-above-middling talent has become the Bob Hope of rock'n'roll. There's nowhere she won't play if it'll get her some publicity. Remember how Hope spent his last 30 years or so letting his once-legendary comic talent drift away so he could be at every ribbon-cutting in North America? Now comes the latest, that Crow is going to perform in-air on a jet plane. As reported on mtv.com:

To christen the takeoff of a new partnership between Sony Connect and United Airlines, Sheryl Crow will perform a 40-minute acoustic set in an airplane flying between Chicago and Los Angeles on May 4. Upon landing, Crow will play a party celebrating the arrival of a new Sony digital Walkman. Soon after, fans can purchase the performances on mileageplusmusic.com. Sony Connect is Sony Music's digital online music service, offering songs for 99 cents a pop, and now that they've teamed with United Airlines, travelers can trade in frequent-flyer points for songs at Connect.com.

And people (well, out-of-touch people over 40) are blasting Bob Dylan for that creepily effective Victoria's Secret ad? I find it really humorous that Crow caused a stir last year by wearing a t-shirt with an anti-war message to some event--she's become as corporate as a rock star can get.

Posada Rules

Although I know he'll fade a bit down the stretch, as he does most years, I'm really enjoying Jorge Posada's ass-kicking April. He has seven homers, having bashed one in the Yankees 3-1 victory over Chicago last night, and is really building on the positive publicity his great 2003 season earned him. Last year, Posada's defense was probably the best of his career and he hit the tar out of the ball, and as usual for him, walked a lot. He's a power-hitting, on-base machine behind the plate and he doesn't look to be slowing down soon. I suppose now that Pudge Rodriguez is back in the AL, there's a full-on brawl for who the league's best catcher is (and Pudge is off to a nice start in his new digs in Detroit), but I couldn't be happier with Jorge. The Yankees had a tradition of great catchers, from Dickey to Berra to Howard to Munson, and then the chain was broken for the 80s and early 90s. Since Posada assumed the job, the chain has been restored.

Ya know, I score tickets for the Yankes and BoSox for tomorrow night and now they predict rain? Jeez louise.

Patriots' Day

The Yankees and RedSox are underway at Fenway already, and its not even 11:15 a.m. As much as I rag on the Sox, I love that they play this early (11 a.m.) Patriots' Day game every year. It's such a cool and weird tradition. I mean, what the heck is Patriots' Day anyway? Does anyone else in the US celebrate it? Okay, Michael Kay just told me it celebrates the anniversary of Paul Revere's ride. I guess I like the concept of a regional holiday. I think New York should do something similar, you know, close the banks and schools on LaGuardia's birthday or something. More holidays and weekday day games!
I haven't written much lately because I was having some annoying PC problems, some sort of spyware-related trojan horse/virus type deal. Everything seems fixed now, thanks largely to the good folks over at Computer Cops.
One last thing before I go watch the game...when you're out on the town, boozing down in Chinatown, watch out for those Royal Fucks. Whew!

Hope & Crosby

Mike Mussina finally got over that 199-win hump yesterday, unspectacularly winning his 200th game as the Yanks downed the ChiSox 5-4. Mussina looked a bit shaky at times, but he got the win thanks to Flash Gordon, Mo Rivera and the newest temporary New York sports hero, Bubba Crosby. Crosby came over to the Yankees in the Robin Ventura trade with the Dodgers, with absolutely no fanfare: he'd played in 9 games with LA in 2003 and gone 1 for 12. However, in a couple games over the past week with the Bronx Bombers, he's launched a pair of homeruns (including the decisive 3-run blast yesterday), driven in 5 runs and covered the outfield like a madman. He crashed into the wall making a huge play to save Mussina's day yesterday and made a couple other nifty catches in centerfield, covering a lot of ground. My brother Michael observed that he's a useful guy for these Yankees to have around: a career minor-leaguer getting a shot who has absolutely nothing to lose. Bernie Williams isn't going to go crashing into many walls at this point in his career, and frankly, we Yankee fans don't want him too. However, watching Bubba and his high socks running around centerfield with abandon was refreshing and fun. The fans at the stadium thought so too--they showered him with a standing ovation. I hope Bubba can play well enough to hang around this year and earn his keep as a key bench player. Maybe he's a reminder to the more jaded superstars of just how much fun baseball is, and how lucky they are to be playing it for a living, especially for a winner in New York City.

Opening Day

Sorry for the lack of an update...I was in Manhattan yesterday, had a slightly hectic morning today and now I'm busy watching the Yankees and White Sox, live from the big ballyard in the Bronx. Thus far....Vazquez looks terrific, love the movement he's getting...the Yankees offense keeps missing its chance to get in a knockout punch, but this is clearly a temporary problem--these guys get on base like crazy and will score a ton of runs...A-Rod is a really excellent baseball player, good baseball IQ as well as his obvious ability in the field and at the plate; I'm really happy I'll finally get to watch him play everyday...Jeter, while I love him and think he's criminally underrated by the Anti-Jeter people, is really a cruddy defensive SS; his reactions to the ball off the bat are getting worse...that said, once a play is in motion, there are few players I'd rather have on my team on the field...I know for some of you that will make absolutely no sense, but others may catch my drift.

Things You Didn't Know About...
Yankee Stadium

In stadium opener in 1923, Babe Ruth homered, then later streaked across the field during the 9th inning

Built on top of ancient Indian burial ground. Resulting ghosts allegedly tormented Yankees pitcher Ed Whitson during his tenure with the team.

Following his death in 1948, Babe Ruth's body laid in state at the Stadium. In 1984, the Yankees did the same with Toby Harrah, despite his still being alive and in the Yankee lineup.

Hall of Fame shortstop and beloved announcer Phil Rizzuto lived in a tent Monument Park for several years in the 1960s.

During WWII, hot dogs were replaced by hot Spam sandwiches

Yankee great Mickey Mantle once drove a Cadillac through the centerfield wall

And it's not even Easter...

Not that I had any doubt about it, but the sports media and New York fans are going to really try my patience more than ever this season. The Yankees lost in Tampa Bay last night, with Mike Mussina delivering a second sub-par (well, crappy) performance. Am I concerned? No. They've played THREE games and they haven't even been in New York yet. I think most rational fans would agree with me, and while I'm sure Red Sox fans get a nice chuckle when Tampa spanks the Yankes, I doubt many of them really think it's a sign of anything (any more than Yankees fans should read anything into Baltimore beating Boston the other night). However, it's become apparent that now more than ever, every Yankees loss will be greeted with an unhealthy does of Chicken Little behavior. Read the New York papers (especially the Post and News), listen to callers on WFAN or, worse still, read some posts by fans on the Yankees usenet group, alt.sports.baseball.ny-yankees. To believe those crackpots, Mussina's done and the team is in DEEP TROUBLE! Ha! It's amazing how many people have the whole Jerome from Manhattan mentality. I can't imagine these people were watching the team before 1996.

Opening Day, sort of

Well, NOW it should really feel like baseball season. The Red Sox got blasted by the Orioles last night, and today there's a nice slate of games that actually count. So, a week after the Yankees and Tampa Bay squared off in Japan, we're finally underway.
It's funny--even though it's one game, and I wasn't at all phased by the Yankees loss to Tampa in the first game in Tokyo, I was ecstatic to see Baltimore beat Pedro Martinez and the Sox last night. Is it some sort of omen for Pedro and thus, perhaps for the Red Sox? Most likely not, but it's fun to dream.
NCAA Men's Championship game tonight, which almost always makes for good TV. I don't follow NCAA hoops like I used to, and I've watched very little of this season and this tournament. That said, I like U Conn.

In unrelated news...
It's amazing how many places in and on your body don't feel just exactly right after a weekend of heavy boozing. I went to a close friend's wedding this weekend and we all hit the sauce like it was going out of style (which I don't really see happening any time soon). I had a great time, but OWWWWWWWWWWWWW!

Yahoo! News - 145-plus arrested in bust of large Ecstasy ring

Yahoo! News - 145-plus arrested in bust of large Ecstasy ring

7 Reasons
Your kid may be on drugs...

1. Writes 15-page report on the history of China in seven minutes

2. Claims Thanksgiving turkey would be easier to carve if it would just stop screaming

3. While watching a KFC commercial he bursts into tears and shouts at the screen, "No, man, you do chicken wrong!"

4. Describes a Golden Girls rerun as "pretty freakin’ trippy"

5. Stays up all night playing Playstation. You don't own a Playstation.

6. Has heated arguments about the environment with an oak tree

7. Has volunteered to work on Ralph Nader's presidential campaign


This list was updated (only a little) from its orginal form from 2000. It was largely written by Scott "Ed Pancreas" Carson. I know he wrote #2 and #3, which are the two funniest jokes in the whole list. I'm pretty sure #6 and #7 were mine, and I like them, but that KFC joke gets me every time. I think Dan Kline wrote the Playstation joke, except that in 2000, it was a Nintendo (which was out of date even then). What's really funny is that the Nader joke works as well (or better) now than it did in 2000.

New Baseball Haiku

Okay, I suppose the Tokyo NY-TB series deserves a haiku or two.

Baseball starts again
Game begins at 5 a.m.?
No Cincinnati?

Boss issues statement
This is only the first game
A long season starts

Yes, I'm Back

After a length off-season, I've decided to resume blogging. Why? Who knows, but while I may have gotten bored with the blog over the winter, I now find I'm bored enough in general to want to spew observations out onto the web again. Yesterday I posted a comedy list, the sort of thing I did back in my Backslap.com days. Ahhh, those were fun. In fact, the list was really an updated, edited version of something written back then, in 2000. I found my old archive of material and realized that a good chunk of it was pretty funny, so I'll be revisiting some of that stuff. The trick is to find what's not terribly dated, or an idea that's not dated, but with dated topical references that need to be brought up to 2004. People seem to be chuckling though, so I'll keep posting it. It should be noted that a lot of the older stuff was written with Dan Kline and I wouldn't want to take ALL the credit. However, Dan, it sure isn't making me any money, so don't worry.

In other news, BASEBALL is back. Whew, that was a close one. It always seems to come back JUST in time. Playing in Japan for whatever reason, the Yanks split a 2 game series with the Devil Rays by pounding them 12-1 this morning/last night/tonight/yesterday/Easter Sunday/whatever time & day it was over there. Surly new Yank Kevin Brown looked damned good, as did the great Jorge Posada. Welcome back, baseball. You're a mess these days, but damned if you don't look good to me.

Yahoo! Sports - MLB - Yankees 12, Devil Rays 1

Things You Didn't Know About…

...Vice President Dick Cheney

Spent three years as a gag writer on "Hee Haw"

Reluctantly accepted Secretary of Defense slot after losing the lead role in Ghost

On a drunken bender in 1991, ordered invasion of Hawaii

Spent the years between Bush administrations as associate dean at a clown college in Kansas

Served as Congressman from Wyoming without having actually visited the state

Was principal architect behind President Ford's "Fall Down A Lot" policy

Sponsored legislation forcing NBC to keep "My Two Dads" on the air

Spent a night in jail after misinterpreting what it meant to be the House whip

Happy New Year

Hey...sorry I've been so lax about this log. Christmas came around and I was either working my tail off or running around getting ready for the holiday...finally, when I was done with those two, I was busy having fun. Thus, no blog for a couple weeks. Chances are you all were too busy to notice or care.
I hurt my hip last week, I think just from excessive time working on my feet. I haven't seen a doctor, and its gotten better each day, so I'm not concerned. It may have simply been a bad muscle pull, or bursitis or a pinched nerve-- who knows. All I know is that I woke up in the middle of the night on the 2nd with intense pain in my leg and hip, and when I hobbled out of bed to get some ibuprofen, I was cursing like a stevedore in pain. Yikes! I spent the weekend hobbling around on a cane and sitting on my ass watching football and movies. As of today, it's just a little sore and tight, but I can walk just fine and move around and all that jazz.
Luckily for me, some of the football games were good ones, like that great Tennessee-Baltimore game on Saturday and the equally great (if not more so) Green Bay-Seattle game yesterday.
Besides the football, I've been on an old movie kick of late. I watched the new DVD of Howard Hawks' To Have and Have Not, starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Bacall was all of 19 years old when she and Bogie fell in love making the movie. The romance shows, her age doesn't. It's not that she doesn't look young and beautiful, but she sure doesn't act like any 19 year old *I* know. The film is pure Hawks. William Faulkner may have co-written the script, adapted from Hemingway's novel, but the film's author is clearly Howard Hawks. Was you ever bit by a dead bee?

To Live and Die In LA

Watched William Friedkin's To Live and Die In L.A. the other night and dug it very much. It's sort of an L.A. answer to Friedkin's French Connection, and while it's not as good as that film, it's still a really cool 80s movie artifact, and a cracking good thriller. The story of an obsessed Secret Service agent on the trail of an evil, murderous yet brilliant and talented counterfeiter, the movie screams 1980s - from the vivid color scheme to the score by Wang Chung. No, that's not a joke, Wang Chung scored the movie - you may vaguely remember the almost-hit title track. While the film definitely displays plenty of Friedkin's trademark style and obessions, it could almost be mistaken for the work of Michael Mann. Willem Dafoe and William Petersen are both terrific in the film, playing basically unlikeable characters. Petersen's the hero and we're supposed to like him, I guess...but he's pretty much a louse, not unlike Gene Hackman's Popeye Doyle in French Connection. It may not suit all tastes, but I really enjoyed it.

Boston says the A-Rod deal is dead, Texas says it still has a chance. I no longer know what to think, or even what to root for in this issue. The AL East should be a wild ride in 2004.

Harumph

I don't have time to write much this morning, so, suffice to say, Andy Pettitte going to Houston really peeves me. As much as I blame Steinbrenner, and his candy-ass attempts to take over the reigns this off-season and plunge the Yankees back into the mid 1980s, I'm pissed at Pettitte, too. The press made it sound like the Yankees didn't really make Pettitte the high priority they claimed he was, but who's to say for sure except Steinbrenner, Pettitte & Cashman? Andy was always too much of a bible-sniffer for my taste, but he got the job done, and with a modicum of style. I know it's horribly old-fashioned, but after winning 149 games and four World Series with the Yankees, I would have thought Pettitte might want to stay (for MORE money) and spend his whole career in pinstripes, break Whitey Ford's team win record, go to the Hall of Fame, etc. I guess he'd rather "go home." Whatever. The Yankees are now in a jam, and only Pettitte and the Yankees know of who's making it really was.

Winter approaches...

I know it's still autumn, but damned if it doesn't feel like winter, what with all the snow on the ground and the freezing temperatures (okay, actually I think it was 34 or so yesterday, whatevah...). I'm battling off some sort of weirdo cold. I feel okay, but my head is stuffy and my eyes are red and watery. I cough for a bit, and then it disappears for half a day. I don't get sick very often, and I feel like my body can't decide if it's ill or not. I have a long ass work week coming up, plus Christmas shopping and that friggin' three hour Lord of the Rings movie on deck, so I vote for "not ill."
I've been thinking about movies that are perfect for watching on those snowed-in days. Some people would go for all summery, warm, tropical locations and so forth, but I actually like to reinforce that feeling of being inside and cozy on a cold, snowy evening. Therefore, I like watching cold, snowy, wintery movies. The two that leapt to mind were David Lean's Doctor Zhivago and John Carpenter's remake of The Thing. Oh, and Ice Station Zebra, but I've never seen that. I'd like to though. Does anyone want to lend me a copy?

No, its not a musical.

I finally got around to watching The Haunting last night. No, not the cheesy, special-effects overrun 1999 flick with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones, but the much, much cooler 1963 version with Julie Harris and Claire Bloom, directed by Robert Wise. Both films were adapted from Shirley Jackson's novel "The Haunting of Hill House," and while I've never read the book, it's a safe bet the '63 version is truer to Jackson's written words. Wise does such a great job here, it's easy to forgive him for the bloated duds he spent too much of his later career making (and I like The Sound of Music). The story goes that Wise only agreed to take over The Sound of Music (William Wyler was originally to direct) if Fox would let him make The Sand Pebbles (which I dig, largely because of Steve McQueen), and of course, as we all know, The Sound of Music made an obsene amount of money at the box-office and went on to win 312 Oscars...but I digress.
Wise was an editor at RKO before his directorial career, and he notably edited Citizen Kane and The Magnificent Ambersons for Orson Welles. The influence of Welles and specifically Kane is deeply felt in The Haunting. Wise's use of the camera to create and sustain tension, dread and atmosphere is flat-out masterful. He succeeds in making Hill House one of the starring characters of the film--we regard it as as important a presence on screen as any of the flesh and blood actors at any given moment. The cast is excellent throughout (Harris is a bit over-the-top, but it works for the film) and there are a handful of genuinely scary moments, with virtually no special effects. Wise creates scares from mood, lighting, camera work, sound effects and psychological dread. The result is certainly more haunting than most of today's effects and gore-laden "horror" films.

Listening to Paul Westerberg's new cd, Come Feel Me Tremble. It's my first time through, so I can't give a definitive opinion yet, but I like it. Nothing earth-shaking, just good basic Westerberg.

Okay, I have to run...A Charlie Brown Christmas comes on in 3 minutes!

Hot Stove Hoop-de-doo

It's safe to assume any baseball fan now knows that Curt Schilling is now a member of the Boston Red Sox. Schilling going to the Sox doesn't bother me nearly as much as the sleazy way the Diamondbacks went about dealing him. The message was clear though: most teams do NOT want to deal with the Yankees. Arizona asks the Yankees for their two best young stars (Soriano and Johnson) for a 37 year old pitcher, and then accepts that ehhh package from Boston instead. Hell, if it was really about Richie Sexson, you'd think the Yankees could have gotten him for Arizona too. Oh well, I'll just have to root for the Sox rotation physically breaking down next year, which isn't really a very far-fetched idea, considering the health of Pedro and Schilling over the years. To be honest, I've never liked Schilling, he always seemed like a bit of an egocentric redneck (hmm, sorta like the Rocket?), and now I like him even less. It was pretty hilarious to hear yet another athlete talk about how "...it's not about the money." Why do they even bother with that one anymore? What's it about then, the dental plan?

Now the word is that Sheffield is going to the Yankees , which I have no problem with. Ideally, I'd like a centerfielder so they could move Bernie to LF (I love Bernie, but his range is diminishing each year and his arm has never been worth a damn), but I can live with a Matsui-Williams-Sheffield outfield. Of course, the rumor is that Williams will become a DH, which would mean dealing Nick Johnson. This idea I really don't like--not only do I really like Johnson (and his steadily growing OBP), but given Giambi's health woes, do you really want to get rid of your younger, better-fielding first baseman? I suppose I could live with dealing Nick the Stick if he brought back Vasquez or Colon, but I dunno...Oh well, I have faith that the Yankees won't do anything 1980s-style stupid and will put a terrific team out there.

..and he didn't own that movie ranch.

Warren Spahn, the winningest left-handed pitcher in baseball history, has died at the age of 82. Rob Neyer has an excellent appreciation of Spahn's achievements in his ESPN.com column. I was finishing up the Koufax book last night on the LIRR and there was a mention of Spahn and Koufax's lobbying to add him to the All-Century team a few years back. I pulled into Port Washington, put the book away, walked home and as soon as I sat at the PC, I read that Spahn had passed away. Weird.
I lost at poker again, by the way. I won one nice big hand and that was it. Crappy cards, bad decisions, you name it--I lost every which way. Luckily, it didn't cost me much money...but I really have to get off the snide.

been a long time, been a long time...

I caught some good rock'n'roll last Thursday night: The Detroit Cobras and The Greenhornes at the Mercury Lounge. Both bands would be considered part of the late 90s-early 00s Garage Rock revival, which I happen to really enjoy. I can see how some people might see the neo-Garage trend as just that, a trend, a bit ersatz, but I think its the most refreshing thing to happen to the rock scene in years. "Indie" rock is actually fun again. These bands seem to have remembered how much fun it is to play rock'n'roll music. This isn't dour, navel-gazing, rhythm-less "rock," it's souped-up, pounding, thumping, dancing, hip-swingin' rock'n'roll! The Cobras essentially play punked-up 50's r&b, while the Greenhornes play mid-60s style rock'n'roll, clearly influenced by The Yardbirds above all (they even covered the Yardbirds' "Lost Woman"). The Cobras are the more memorable band, but both were a lot of fun.