Your Country Music Guide OR Not All Country Sucks OR Johnny Cash vs. the World

We covered a Carrie Underwood song at Westwinds a couple of weeks ago and, I must say, Kelsey McCracken rocked it. It was awesome.

When we got done, quite a few people (after high-fiving Kelsey and telling her she should audition for American Idol) mocked me for being a liar. “I thought you don’t like Country music! See! Country is cool! Neener neener, etc.”

Ummm . . . I picked the song. That should say something.

But, I know what they were getting at. They have heard me at times make fun of “certain kinds” of Country music. And, really, I’m way more of a Rock guy any day.

Here’s the thing: those who aren’t musicians, music addicts and/or audiophiles tend to lump country music into one category. However, there are quite a few different kinds of Country, just like there are different kinds of “Rock.”

You can’t say you are a Rock & Roll fan and automatically mean you like Elvis, Sex Pistols, Elton John, The Beatles, Megadeath, Korn, Thin Lizzy, Prince, Ramstein, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’s and Bryan Adams in the same sentence. Unless, you actually mean that. Which is odd.

According to AllMusic.com, there are traditionally about 7 types of Country music. These categories are typically labeled Alternative Country, Contemporary Country, Country-Pop, Honky Tonk, Progressive Country, Traditional Country, and Western Swing

In all honesty, there are at least 3 of those I don’t really care for. However, even in those sub-genres, if one of my favorite bands tries a song in a particular style I don’t typically gravitate towards, I might like it. If Foo Fighters want to try Honky Tonk for a spell, I will probably dig it.

These categories are okay, but I have some different categories I would like to suggest. These are typically the categories I think in when it comes to Country. Some I like. Some I don’t.

Twangy
Typically, I can’t stand this. This is where everyone sings like you know they don’t talk. There is only one person that can get away with this in my mind and it is authentic. Reba. Period. I don’t really like Reba either (she’s great as a person), but at least I believe her. I’ve seen her TV show. She’s really like that.

Patriotic
Most often, this drives me nuts. It’s not that I don’t love my country, it’s just that it usually ties in loving America with loving Jesus and has a tinge of “we’ll kick your ass if you don’t love both.” Not for me.

Narrative/Stories
Not all of this is bad but most of it is. These songs tell stories designed to make you cry. Many of them have dumb lyrics. Some of them are timeless and classic. It’s really a crapshoot here.

Johnny Cash
Cash gets his own category. Because he rules. Because he’s Cash. Because he’s the man in black. Because he owned Folsom prison. And San Quentin. And he covered Nine Inch Nails and Dylan and Neil Young and Sting and Tom Petty and Springsteen and The Beatles and The Stones and U2 and Depeche Mode and Beck and Soundgarden. And the list goes on. And he recorded with U2. He’s Cash. All Country music must bow.

Should be Called 70’s Rock
If you grew up listening to Eagles and loving them, you will like 25% of what is on Country radio. I love Eagles. I love them so much I just typed Eagles instead of “The” Eagles in order to honor their true name. It doesn’t make you less of a fan if you say The Eagles, but I just want to set the record straight. LOTS of new Country fits in this category.

Sappy Crappy
This sub-genre includes any songs about dads and little girls, growing up, losing love, towns or factories shutting down, etc. If I had no self-respect, if I didn’t care about tainting my family name, if I didn’t care about my son getting into fights at school, I could write one of these songs in five minutes and make a million dollars. Ummm, the ones about dads and little girls always make me cry. There. I said it.

Hot Chicks
This could be any sub-genre of Country but the fact that it is played by and/or sung by hot chicks makes it cool for any guy to own. Most guys hope there is a lot of pictures inside the CD and therefore do not buy the digital download. Carrie Underwood, Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, Martina MacBride, etc. Most guys justify that it is really good music (and I’m not saying it isn’t) but half the guys wouldn’t own it if the exact same songs were sung by . . . someone less attractive.

Pretty Boys
Most of this makes me ill. However, there are a few in this category who rise to the top no matter how pretty they are because they can flat out play guitar. Keith Urban anyone?

Mean and/or Vengeful and/or Angry Chick Songs
This sub-genre includes any woman who can and will kick any guy’s ass. It also includes sweet girls who just sing a song that sounds like they could metamorphose at any time and kick a guy’s ass. Some guys dig this though it kinda scares them when their wife or girlfriend learns the words. Gretchen Wilson goes here all the time. Do not mess with her. However, a song like sweet little Carrie Underwood’s “Next Time He Cheats” goes here as well. You could take Carrie out ballroom dancing but if you cross her she will beat you to death in your sleep with a Louisville Slugger.

It’s Country but it’s Too Cool and Creative So We Must Call it Rock
Sheryl Crow.

It’s Country but it’s Called Rock Because Country Doesn’t Want it Because it Sucks
Kid Rock.

Cowboy songs
This is cool . . . if you’re a cowboy. And if you make coffee over an open fire. And read cowboy poetry. And have actually branded something. And smell like cigarettes and manure. Otherwise, it sucks.

Crossover?
This sub-genre is full of Country stars with a pop flare or ones who couldn’t make it as a pop star so they called them Country.

American Idol
This will continue to be a huge category over the years. I promise it will keep growing. Now, Carrie rules this world and is legit. She really doesn’t belong in this category anymore. She is her own deal. But there are quite a few who didn’t “make it” that the Idol machine tossed into this category hoping someone would think they were cool. Bucky? Bucky, are you there?

Hmmm. I Guess I’ll Try Country.
This one is strange to me. Some pop and rock stars who have had a successful career in their genre sometimes decide they want to go Country. I don’t know why. To each his own. Hootie? Michelle Branch?

Rock and Blues Stars who can Pull Off Country at ANY Time and Make it Cool
This is a long list. I will name a few. These are guys and gals who are really rock (or blues) but can play something “technically” Country and it sounds indigenous to their genre. Tom Petty. Kings of Leon. Bruce Springsteen. The Beatles. The Black Crowes. Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Alison Krauss
She makes bluegrass cool.

Southern Rock
Skynyrd. 38 Special. Molly Hatchet. Marshall Tucker. ZZ Top. Allman Brothers. Some of it freaking awesome. Some of it sucks. But, you have to pretend to like all of it is you are a Country fan or you will be outcast--just like if you don't like Patriotic Country.

There you have it! Your complete Country music guide. My mind is a bit twitsted and convoluted . . . I get it. Highly subjective . . . I get it. But, I’m right. If you want to know if a Country song or band is cool, just ask me. I will help you out. I’m here to serve.

South Park--Offensive, Foul, and Sometimes Brilliant

You can always count on South Park to make someone angry. You can always count on something being foul. You can always count on some kind of commentary on society, politics, and/or religion. And, every once in a while, you can count on absolute brilliance.

The latest episode of South Park that aired last night was one of the smartest pieces of comedy I’ve seen in the genre.

If these shows don't spark spiritual watercooler conversations I don't know what will. Southpark has aired nearly 200 episodes since 1997.

If you have a teenager, their school life has always included South Park.

Frightening? Perhaps. Opportunity? Absolutely.

The Wiki entry is pretty thorough for this episode. Here’s a quick sketch:

• South Park has economic concerns. People come up with their own solutions.
• Randy becomes a Ceasar figure.
• Cartman blames the Jews (as always).
• No money forces kids to play with squirrels.
• A man is dragged before a crowd and accused of heresy against the economy.
• Kyle proclaims, "let he who has never purchased something frivolous chuck the first squirrel", whereupon one person actually throws a squirrel on him.
• Kyle continues to preach to people that the economy doesn't really exist except in people's mind, and that if they want the economy to be strong, they must have faith in it
• These occur in settings that evoke paintings of Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount. Cartman, in his desire to obtain a copy of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, says that he will deliver Kyle to Randy and his friends in exchange for the game and a Nintendo DS.
• Kyle and his friends go out for pizza, in an obvious parody of The Last Supper, and laments that he feels they won't be able to get together like this anymore because he thinks he is going to be killed.
• He says he worries that one of his friends will betray him. All of them act shocked while Cartman stands up and says that whoever betrays Kyle "is a d**k" and "it's not cool!" Kyle admits to his friends while glaring accusingly at Cartman that he knows what he has to do to save everyone.
• The next day, everyone lines up to a table with Kyle and a credit card machine, where he is "paying everybody's debts" with his American Express Platinum Card. Kyle's mother asks him not to do it because he will be in debt for life. She weeps at his feet.
• Kyle agrees, but feels he must do it to help everybody in the town. After paying the last person's debt, a $17,000 bill from Randy, Kyle passes out, not dead, just merely tired (there's a religious commentary for you).
• The episode ends with a news report about how the economy almost didn't survive in South Park, if it wasn't for the efforts of one very brave person. Kyle waits for his name to be announced after his sacrifice but, instead, the credit goes to Barack Obama.

Here are the clips below. We will end up showing some clips at Westwinds.

Newspaper Revitalization Act: A Nice Term for Bailout?

Today, I read an article and saw the above video about Democratic Senator Benjamin Cardin’s new bill called the Newspaper Revitalization Act. The bill proposes allowing newspapers to restructure as non-profits. They would be held to a new standard, however, and would be prohibited from making political endorsements.

Apparently, according to the article, “advertising and subscription revenue would be tax exempt, and contributions to support news coverage or operations could be tax deductible . . .

Cardin's office said his bill was aimed at preserving local and community newspapers, not conglomerates which may also own radio and TV stations. His bill would also let a non-profit buy newspapers owned by a conglomerate.

‘We are losing our newspaper industry,’ Cardin said. ‘The economy has caused an immediate problem, but the business model for newspapers, based on circulation and advertising revenue, is broken, and that is a real tragedy for communities across the nation and for our democracy.’”

The article caught my eye because my friend recently lost his job at the local newspaper. He has a few weeks to figure out what to do but, he knew it was inevitable.

Is this really a good idea? I have a few questions, concerns, and comments:

• Many local newspapers don’t have much to offer outside of coupons and pictures of our kids at the local sporting events. When our kids end up in the paper, we get a call from organizations preying on our parental pride trying to sell us framed pages of the article for 60 bucks. If that’s what the bill protects, I couldn’t care less.
• Does anyone really read the paper anymore for good news? I mean, sure, it feels good in your hands with a cup of coffee but does it really cause us to think?
• Might this be the opportunity for the free enterprise system to do it’s thing and allow everyone to overcome, adapt, and survive?
• Journalism has been weak in the local newspaper business for years. No one wants to rock the boat because sales suck. The best news is found faster and easier on the internet. Won’t this further perpetuate the problem of sucky journalism?
• Many local newspapers print news I read on a blog two weeks prior. Enough. Gutenberg would be Google’s CEO today.
• In the “old days” the thing that made a newspaper great was the good ol’ free speech element. What will the non-profit status do to that constitutional right?
• One really scary part of the bill would allow private contributions to the papers to be tax-deductible and/or advertising to be tax-deductible. What? Are you kidding me? Would this not give incentive for every wealthy activist to invest in their local news to promote their propaganda AND receive tax benefits?
• Many complain that the Main Stream Media is controlled by the far left. Without agreeing or disagreeing, if that is true, wouldn’t a move like this limit the free speech of the right even further?
• It seems to me that good product raises awareness and surfaces its own need. Outside of technology adaptation awareness, shouldn’t failing newspapers take a hint and start creating good product? Doesn’t this perpetuate lazy journalism?

What do you think?

Punished "by" our Sin #5

I heard an angry sermon this week. One that painted God as a God that was owed a debt. And, this God, sat in heaven demanding that debt be paid. The implication was ultimately that Jesus was punished on the cross instead of us. He took the big spanking and God was pleased. He then said, Jesus, willingly took the spanking, the debt was paid, and now, we can be forgiven of the debt. The punisher’s thirst was quenched.

While this is not entirely “untrue” it raises a lot of questions for me. First of all, I don’t think the Bible simply teaches Jesus was punished by the Father—we’ll talk about that some other time.

The greater one is, if Jesus suffered willingly on my behalf and now I am forgiven i.e. saved from punishment, what impetus is there for me to live holy? Jesus had to die for something greater than just giving me a get out of jail free card. It MUST be more than a legal transaction.

This is the problem I always had with the theology that says I do something wrong, go tell someone about it, and say a few prayers so I can turn around and do it again. Then, if I don’t get it right, when I die I will have to suffer a little bit more before I move on or, in some circles, I am born all over to get it right in some other form.

I grew up with an after-life perspective. God forgives our debt which is good because I do a lot of bad crap and then one day, he’ll take me away from all the crappiness to live in a land of no crap. This mentality is not helpful. This does nothing for me to take on a new posture, a new way of living.

Our sin carries with it consequences an innate punishment. Part of fixing the furniture requires us to work hard. To fix what we jacked up.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station hunkered down last week while waiting to find out if a piece of space junk would hit their temporary abode at about 20,000 mph. Experts estimate there are over 17,000 pieces of space junk 4 inches or greater, 20,000 in the 1-3 inch range, and 10’s of millions of smaller pieces floating around . . . out there.

Our lives are spent creating junk. And, often, being destroyed by it as it orbits back around and we say, “what the . . . ? Where did that come from?”

We create our own junk. Our own debt. Our own price to pay. Our own crap to dodge or . . . deal with.

I like Extreme Makeover, Home Edition. Here’s a family that is hurting from the effects of whatever. Let’s go in, fix what is broken, make new stuff, pay off the stuff they can’t pay for, give them some dignity, and love on them. Give them a fresh start. Give them freedom.

Debt is the opposite of freedom. When you are in debt, you have no freedom to do selfless things.

To fix the furniture.

To play your part.

To shadow God.

Twouble With Twitter

Punished "by" our Sin #4

We’ve been talking about sin as a monkey—you bring it home, it grows, it takes control, it busts stuff up, it hurts your family and flings poo. No one likes the effects of the full grown monkey. He must be snuffed out and stuff needs to be fixed.

God doesn’t punish us because we bring home the monkey. The punishment is the monkey. It will kill you. You brought that thing home. Now watch what happens.

God doesn’t wish the monkey on us or inflict us. He doesn’t taunt the monkey and get it to play mean tricks on us.

God says, I can protect you from the monkey. Follow me. Shadow me.

But, we disregard him. We refuse to shadow.

He doesn’t punish us so much FOR our sins as much as we step outside of His wisdom, counsel, guidance, love, and gracious protection.

Yes, there are passages in scripture that clearly represent God as pouring out his wrath. But take a close look at how it works. Again, God is not arbitrarily smashing people’s toys to somehow get back at them.

One of the key passages concerning God’s wrath can be found in Romans Chapter 1. Here it is from The Message:

18-23But God's angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn't treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.

24-25So God said, in effect, "If that's what you want, that's what you get." It wasn't long before they were living in a pigpen, smeared with filth, filthy inside and out. And all this because they traded the true God for a fake god, and worshiped the god they made instead of the God who made them—the God we bless, the God who blesses us. Oh, yes!

26-27Worse followed. Refusing to know God, they soon didn't know how to be human either—women didn't know how to be women, men didn't know how to be men. Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men—all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it—emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.

28-32Since they didn't bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it's not as if they don't know better. They know perfectly well they're spitting in God's face. And they don't care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!

We enslave ourselves and dig ourselves deeper in spiritual debt or emptiness when we refuse to shadow God. It’s a deep cancer.

Joel Green and Mark Baker have some great things to say on this in their book, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross.

“It doesn’t mean that our behavior is irrelevant, simply that the way to fix our relationship with God doesn’t involve behavior modification as much as it involves complete submission and surrender.”

It’s easy to imagine someone who does none of the really bad things on a list in scripture (say, one of the Pauline lists) and still has no relationship with him.

Punished "by" our Sin #3

So, sin, in the Bible, includes the idea of disobedience to God for sure but it is not a complete picture of sin to think in terms of “being right with God or being saved means I do something bad, ask for forgiveness, God grants it, I’m safe.”

The problem of sin is bigger than your individual disobedience—although that is part of it. God’s plan is not to get it through your thick head to “stop disobeying” as much as he is looking for complete surrender of individuals, communities, cities, families, systems and he is looking to repair and set those things right.

When we set up guidelines for our children, it is because we love them, want the best for them, and know the end result.

When I send my son off to a party, we have a little unspoken language between one another where I remind him about the things the stay away from and the proper way to treat ladies. He knows the “rules.”

His keeping the rules does not get him extra privileges. He doesn’t come home and tell me all the good things he did so I will pat him on the back.

And, if he broke those rules, they would all have their own consequences far greater than things I cook up to punish him. And, it’s not my goal to make him pay for any crime. It IS my goal to help him understand what it looks like to have a life free of the burdens of the effects of sin that enables you to be the light of God in the world and love on people without being self consumed with your own disorientations.

I try to protect him from those repercussions.

My daughter used to hate wearing shoes outside. However, I would always tell her to wear her shoes and quit running around barefoot because she was going to hurt herself. Sure enough, on a number of occasions, I would catch her with her shoes off outside.

She always had an excuse.

I was on the grass.

We swept the street first.

I wasn’t really “running.”

And, EVERY TIME she would hurt herself. Of course, each time she would come crying to me to stop the bleeding. Then, the next time, she would think I was trying to rob her of her joy by making her put her shoes on.

Her “punishment” is pain, bleeding, not being able to walk the next day . . . the very things I am trying to protect her from.

(P.S. One of the greatest things now, with an adult child, is getting a call saying, “Thank you for teaching me _________ daddy.”)

Now, do I think God disciplines in a way that causes me pain to keep me from some greater pain? Heck, yeah. I don’t put that past him. That’s good fathering. That’s love.

But, God does not simply (as my good friend David says) “blind reward for virtue or blind punish for vice. He is motivated to set things right in the world. His activity is not designed simply to ‘remove sin’ but to bring completion to all creation. He is determined to do this through his people.”

The Bible doesn’t really support the idea of an arbitrarily angry, lightning bolt wielding, God who needs us to debase ourselves before He’ll stoop to dialogue.

One by one, every story of rebellion in scripture shows us that sin or “our sins” do not push God away. He is a relentless pursuer.

He does pronounce judgment, but the judgment is inherent in the fallout.

Punished "by" our Sin #2

We like to focus on particular sins.

• If I stop doing “this thing” I will be cool with God.
• If I do “this thing” I better pray afterward so I will be forgiven and God won’t smack me.

If you’ve ever seen The Sound of Music, you probably remember the song where Maria sings, “somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.” This song is her way of explaining how she’s ending up with the newly repentant and kind Christopher Plummer who has come to his senses and swept her off her feet.

What’s inherent in the song is the other side of this erroneous theology. She just as well could have sung a different song if she had been captured by Nazi’s and forced to marry Colonel Klink. “Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something really, really bad.”

So, a popular notion is our individual sins either stack up or we do something so incredibly bad that God decides to punish us with whatever he dreams up. As if we are puppies. Do good, get a cookie. Pee on the floor and get the crap beat out of us.

We focus on individual sins.

One of the things I love about AA is it never says “alcohol is your problem. Stop drinking. Drinking is dumb. Every time you drink an angel cries. Do you want to make angels cry?”

(As a kid, I heard the saying that every time someone masturbates, God kills a kitten. Not a cat—which is no big deal. A helpless kitten).

No, AA takes you back a bit and makes you think through the larger issue. The deeper problem. The symptoms of that problem.

A better rendering or understanding of the Exodus passage we read may be:

Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, maintaining faithful love to a thousand [generations], forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave [the guilty] unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.

Few can argue with the consequences of our wrongdoing. Fathers (and mothers) who have horrible habits and toxic choices will see effects in their children that will cause them great internal turmoil and pain.

The Bible doesn’t negate individual transgressions by any means but it always refers to the “things” as the symptoms of something much larger.

It’s not about the “rules.”

And, furthermore, it’s not about keeping rules to somehow gain brownie points.

It’s not about towing the line for an eternal reward—if I just do enough good, it will balance out the bad and the legal ledger will balance out.

It s not just about AFTERlife. It’s about an ALTEREDlife.

Punished "by" our Sin #1

We are in a series entitled, “Sin Monkey” at Westwinds. In a nutshell, we are likening sin to a monkey you bring home as a cute, little, harmless pet that grows and takes on a mind of its own—flinging poo at your kids, wrecking the furniture, and eventually ripping people’s faces off (which, by the way, actually happened as you all know . . . about the third of fourth week of our series).

Kill the monkey. Fix the furniture. The mantra.

Last week, we looked at scripture and discussed how we are punished “by” our sin as opposed to being punished “for” it. A few of you asked for some notes so the next series of posts will be bits from that message.

We’ve been watching American Idol. I try not to get sucked in but I do. Every time. This season, there is a very talented young man named Scott MacIntyre. Scott is blind. He’s got a great sense of humor—such as the time Ryan Seacrest went to high-five him and wondered why he didn’t return the favor—he laughs that stuff off. Scott probably won’t go all the way. There are more talented, or at least more popular kids on the show this season.

Now, how weird would it be if Ryan Seacrest put a mic in this guys face and asked him what he “did” to deserve the punishment of blindness. Not only would it be rude, it doesn’t feel right. Something says—that’s not how it happens.

But, that situation and that logic is sometimes how we view sin and the penalty for sin. We somehow think that’s how it works. We do something bad and God brings the pain.

As a matter of fact, in John, chapter 9, we meet a blind man who is much like Scott. Normal, everyday guy. Just blind. Blind from birth. Jesus and the disciples are walking along and one of them asks, “Rabbi, who sinned? This guy or his parents? Because, he was born blind” (ummm, first off, he’s blind, not deaf. He can hear you).

The disciples are curious. It’s a riddle to be solved. They are really just looking for the gossip. They are not motivated by compassion.

Jesus, however, is. He heals him and turns his blindness in to something good. People now have another opportunity to see the healer in action.

Even after the man is dragged in front of the people who hate Jesus and questioned. They cast him out and label him a man who was “steeped in sin at birth.”

The disciples and Jesus accusers demonstrated a basic biblical misunderstanding that still demonstrates itself in contemporary religion. It shows up in early rabbinical writings and may go back to a misunderstanding originating with Moses.

Exodus 34:4-7

4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the LORD had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation."

Their belief was that this meant God was somehow vengeful, mean, we owe him big time, he’s gonna get what’s due him, etc. If that is true, what do we do with the whole setup to this verse that describes God as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin?

We'll come back to this passage in a later post.

The bible takes a different approach to sin than many folks—even Christians who say they are in the know. We might ask how that could be, since our thoughts on sin come from . . . the Bible . . .

New Westwinds Ad

L O S T is Like Doing my Taxes

Tonight I am doing tax prep for an appointment this week. I wish I was watching LOST. However, it isn't on tonight. Rerun. Uhhh. Here are some similarities (if you aren't a fan, you may not get it--that's okay):

1. Mystery
2. Unexplained losses
3. Feel like I've been here before
4. The numbers don't make sense
5. There's no way out of here
6. Tension.
7. I've come up with a lot of Sawyer nicknames for Uncle Sam.
8. We're screwed.
9. The "others" took Walt. Some others are taking my Wallet.
10. They have the guns!
11. Faith may have something to do with it, but there sure seems to be a lot of chance.
12. Some documents are missing
13. We have to claim our cruise as extra income from Tahni’s company. I want to go back to the island. It is my destiny.
14. I lost a child this year. Well, kinda. She got married. No more deduction.
15. It feels like one big con.
16. I’m getting a bloody nose.
17. This is like being tortured on some level.
18. I may have to lie to save us all.
19. I am thinking about claiming a child that is not my own.
20. The pain is so great, I have taken to drinking.
21. One minute it was all here. The next it was gone.
22. I’ve thought about hopping on a plane to nowhere.
23. I’ve thought of changing my name.
24. If I don’t enter these numbers, will the world “really” end?
25. I really didn’t anticipate this much math.
26. I’m hoping for a second chance. Or retribution.
27. I’ve never seen Uncle Sam. Jacob?
28. Not a lot of answers.
29. I’m tired of repeats.
30. More questions. More questions.
31. I have to keep referring to the forums.
32. Is that hieroglyphics?
33. John Locke gave up a kidney. I may sell mine.
34. I’m kinda losing my tail section.
35. I keep saying, “What?”
36. I’m pretty sure there’s one rich guy pulling the strings.
37. Some have suggested this is purgatory but it isn’t.
38. I’m going crazy and hearing voices in my head.
39. “You all everybody” have to do yours as well.
40. I wish I still had my VW bus. I did a 1040ez back then.

Jim Gaffigan and an Offended Religious Person

Jim Gaffigan is my favorite comic. I never intently listened to him until Ben got me hooked on him. Until being infected by Ben's own addiction, I had seen him in a couple of Comedy Central specials and, of course, Conan and the Sierra Mist commercials. Now, I'm hooked.

He's out promoting his new special which will air on March 29th on Comedy Central.

I appreciate the way Jim laughs at religion in the same way I appreciate South Park's pokes at the church--though he is WAY less offensive. Still, he's able to help us view the church through the "every-man's" eyes. Check out this audio when an offended religious person calls in to a talk show angry at Jim.



Watch his new bit (pun intended) on "Bacon."

U2 Top Ten

My favorite part is The Edge making a joke. Silly The Edge.

Music for War-Torn Children

Today, I’m listening to the War Child: Heroes album. The album was released just a few days ago. The concept is brilliant. 15 music icons were asked to select one of their favorite tunes from their extensive catalogue and to pick which “current” icon or newer artist they trusted to cover the tune with their own interpretation in order to support War Child.

War Child comments, “In devising the concept behind this album - inviting musical legends to place their faith in the next generation – we sought to mirror War Child’s work. We feel the reaction was fittingly awesome.”

The following bands did theses covers from the following artists:

Beck (Bob Dylan: Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat)
Scissor Sisters (Roxy Music: Do The Strand)
Lily Allen (The Clash: Straight To Hell)
Duffy (Paul McCartney: Live And Let Die)
Elbow (U2: Running To Stand Still)
TV On The Radio (David Bowie: Heroes)
Hot Chip (Joy Division: Transmission)
The Kooks (The Kinks: Victoria)
Estelle (Stevie Wonder: Superstition)
Rufus Wainwright (Brian Wilson: Wonderful/ Song For Children)
Peaches (Iggy Pop: Search And Destroy)
The Hold Steady (Bruce Springsteen: Atlantic City)
The Like (Elvis Costello: You Belong To Me)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (The Ramones: Sheena Is A Punk Rocker)
Franz Ferdinand (Blondie: Call Me)

It’s not the first time there has been a compilation album of covers by a variety of artists. Usually these kinds of albums are tribute albums to one specific artist such as the “In the Name of Love” album by Artists United for Africa or “Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin” by various artists. We’ve also seen tribute albums recreated by one particular artist in their style such as Booker T. & the M.G.’s recreation of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumors album. Or, genre tributes such as “Is It Rolling Bob?: A Reggae Tribute to Bob Dylan.

I like this fresh approach.

I’m particularly fond of the Beck, Duffy, The Kooks, Elbow, and Rufus Wainwright offerings at this point in my early listening through the tracks.

According to the site . . .

“War Child works with children affected by war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. We work with children who have been hit hardest by the joint forces of poverty, conflict and social exclusion. Our groundbreaking work with former child soldiers, street children and children in prison has supported and helped thousands who would otherwise not have been able to reintegrate with their community, gain access to education or enjoy sustainable livelihood support.

The children we work with participate directly in our decision-making and project design. In this way our projects reflect their needs not ours.

War Child works closely with other aid organisations and local and national government to ensure the knowledge and skills gained through our work are shared with as many people as possible. In this way we are able to help many more children than we can hope to reach directly.”

Buy the album. Support this work.