Friday Random 11

It's one more random than 10!

The last two nights have been the worst I have ever had as a sports fan. There’s a reason “Cubs” and “collapse” start with the same letter, but I didn’t expect them to get treated like the guy who gets killed the first night in Shawshank Prison. The 1984 defeat to the Padres and the 2003 loss to the Marlins were tough, but this is just unbearable. Ugh. Nothing to do but watch Game 3 and cheer for a win.

Couple that feeling with seeing that all it takes to score a political “victory” is not appearing like you got off the short bus to appear at the vice presidential debate. It’s like Bush in 2000 all over again. “Hey, maybe he could sit in the Oval Office without protective headgear. He’s got my vote!” Fuck. Me. CNN’s political pundits are normally a waste of carbon, but one of them made a good point after the debate. When 9/11 happened, Bush was of course whisked away on Air Force One, leaving Cheney in charge for a few hours. Could you imagine Palin in that position? At least Voldemort knows how to get shit done.

Finally, a very slippery Fish subjected me to this video, which is so awful, it made me question the existence of God. This launched a bad rock cover arms race between him, Jennifer, and almostinfamous. Well, I have news for all of them: your national intelligence estimates were wildly inaccurate about the status of my WMV program. I have the enriched plutonium and the system to deliver it. This is so bad, Clarice Starling would rather listen to the lambs screaming.

Okay, I obviously am more wound up than Lewis Black after a pot of IHOP coffee, so I need some music to soothe the savage beast.

1) “The Dark of the Matinee,” Franz Ferdinand. Even when I’m down, FF knows how to put a little shake in my booty.

2) “Roundabout (Live),” Yes. There’s just a little extra wank, courtesy of Rick Wakeman, in this live version. The music is good enough that I don’t care about the lyrics coming out of Jon Anderson’s mouth. And you know what today's music really lacks? Sequined capes.

3) “Fool to Cry,” The Rolling Stones. I have taken the whole dad thing in stride. I am delighted with Libby and love being a dad, but I don’t feel like I’ve gotten more sentimental or anything. Except, a few nights ago, I had my little girl on my lap and was reading Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree to her. And damn if it didn’t start getting dusty in the room. I felt like I was 12 again and trying not to lose it at the end of E.T. Why is the boy such a dick to the tree?!

4) “The Ballad of Peter Pumkinhead,” XTC. Here’s a happy tale of a do-good idealist getting crushed by the powers that be. I love how they made such sunny music with such dark lyrics, always a great combination.

5) “Punch Drunk,” Uncle Tupelo. Their working-class desperation unfortunately sounds pitch-perfect right now. It’s too bad Tweedy and Farrar can’t reach across the aisle and work together again.

6) “Fifty Years After the Fair,” Aimee Mann. Her first solo album is still my favorite. The songs are catchy without being trite, her lyrics (especially the couplets) have plenty of zing, and the arrangements make a delicious stew out of 60s, 70s, and 80s guitar-driven pop music.

7) “Kick Push,” Lupe Fiasco. The only hip-hop song dedicated to skateboarding? I dig the beat and the horn sample (which I think I know but can’t quite place).

8) “My Little Needle,” Alkaline Trio. A little Chicago emo seems appropriate today. Hmm, heroin. Now that could cure those Cubbie blues, couldn’t it? This also reminded me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine is supposed to go to Africa, but she tests positive for opium. Peterman confronts her and says she's under the spell of “yam yam.” I have no idea why, but that always makes me laugh.

9) “Shellshock,” New Order. Nice to see iTunes has a sense of humor. Honestly, this would be perfect for a Game 3 promo. Never give up until your heart stops beating. Yeah, well after Saturday, I may need to be revived by House.

10) “Anarchy in the U.K.,” The Sex Pistols. Mega-fun to play in Guitar Hero III. I wish they made a breakaway Guitar Hero guitar, so you could smash it without breaking it. I am a giant nerd. Pre-Sid video here with Glenn Matlock on bass.

11) “Unguarded Moment,” The Church. Practically a blueprint for early 80s college radio pop: serious, over-annunciated vocals offset by soaring, but non-wanking, guitar. They should have been bigger than they were. But then again, so should most of us.

Have a good weekend. Hopefully the Cubs will too.