Rush Enters American Political Discourse (And I'm Not Talking About Limbaugh)

Senate candidate and Tea Party wingnut Rand Paul of Kentucky has taken to quoting the band Rush in his campaign speeches:

He quotes Thomas Paine as well as the rock band Rush: “Glittering prizes and endless compromises shatter the illusion of integrity.” 

Does he also use tree metaphors? 

Really, I'm kind of rooting for Paul to win the Republican primary because a) Trey Grayson could be scary on a national stage and b) the Democrats would have a good chance to take the seat against Paul. But this is making me rethink my wishes.

Phil Collins Loves The Alamo

This apparently is true:

Singer Phil Collins said his life now revolves around the Alamo.

Collins is in town, set to appear at local events commemorating the anniversary of the siege and battle of the Alamo. Though he's mulling the idea of recording a tribute cover album of 1960s songs, he said he's making the Alamo “my main thing” as a collector, history buff and possible author.

“Basically, now I've stopped being Phil Collins the singer. This has become what I do,” he said Monday, standing beside a 13-foot-by-15-foot model of the 1836 Alamo compound that will open to the public this week.

Collins, who is British, said he has “hundreds” of cannonballs, documents and other artifacts from the Alamo, possibly the largest private collection anywhere, in the basement of his home in Switzerland. He said he's collaborating with artist Gary Zaboly on a book about his collection.

His most prized item is a receipt signed by Alamo commander William Barret Travis for 32 head of cattle used to feed the Alamo defenders.

His latest involvement in Alamo history is narrating the introduction of a 13-minute “Alamo diorama light and sound show” at the History Shop at 713 E. Houston St., by the Alamo. Invited guests at a preview tonight will also see a battle site excavation covered with a window on the floor of the shop, which is near the Alamo's north wall, where much of the heaviest fighting occurred.

Sadly, this article is from March 2009. Had I known, I totally would have driven to San Antonio to see this grotesque spectacle.

It does fit with my own experiences at the Alamo. Almost every time I've been there, weird things have happened. There's the time I saw the Mexican kids getting their picture taken while flashing gang signs in front of the Alamo while oblivious white people got annoyed that they were hogging the place and were totally unaware of what they were actually doing. Then there's the time that I ran across some bizarro San Antonio civic ceremony where men in red hotel porter jackets inducted these guys into their society; this included a salute to the six flags that have ruled over Texas and where I witnessed people cheering for the Confederate flag.

There's something about the Alamo that brings out the crazy.

I wonder what Phil Collins likes so much about the Alamo? Does he support Treason in Defense of Slavery? Does he hate Mexico? Does he idolize Jim Bowie, the illegal slave trading wife beater?

And seriously, of all American myths that he could get into, the Texas rebellion? Why? Does he have a 2000s version of a 1961 12 year old fascination with coon skin caps and muskets?

Or do things that suck simply gravitate to other things that suck? That's my best guess.

Thank Higher Power of Your Choice

I just don't know what I would have done had Aerosmith broken up. I thought all the good had gone out of the world.

In a related question, why has the city of Boston produced so many bad bands?

In Case You Thought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Standards Were Too High

Among this year's nominees--both KISS and Genesis. I just don't see how any institution is legitimate without those two bands. But where's Styx?

Cher & Bowie

Just to prove my assertion in comments to Trend's post below that we needed a Cher tag, here is a cringe-inducing Cher & David Bowie medley from the 1970s. It's so bad that it really is worth watching.

Craptacular Album Art!

There are many reasons I've never really enjoyed much prog rock - most generally, it's because I found the self-importance too humorous to be taken too seriously. But with album covers like these, the unintentional-humor factor goes up even further.

This is certainly a first

I can honestly say, I totally agree with Phil Collins. I would only amend his sentence by adding "write music," "sing," and "be interesting."

I hate the Doors

Alright, any list of the "top 40" from one year is doubtless going to have its stinkers. But not only is "The Who Sell Out" most certainly NOT their finest album (that would be "Who's Next"), the last thing the world needs is the slavish, idiotic, pretentious Doors worship to be kicked up another notch. No way is this ahead of Velvet Underground & Nico, or, I'd wager, at least 20 other albums on said list. Rolling Stone has sucked and blown at the same time for years, yet the stupid still hurts sooooooo much.

More stupid "music" criticism

Memo to Dave White: Not all music sucks, and while the issue of how overrated a band is and why can be interesting (and make for better lists than this one), basing arguments on the overrated-ness of band should be based on their music, and NOT on the bands that followed them. Calling Nirvana overrated (they aren't) because Puddle of Mudd was influenced by them, or the Doors overrated (they are) because they were "responsible for" bands like Third Eye Blind, or blaming the Clash for the fact that your neighbor is always playing "Should I Stay or Should I Go" is NOT music criticism. While such lists are always meaningless and useless, at least next time try to put the "music" part back into "music criticism".