A Time Of Love.....A Time Of Hate

In the midst of mindless beauty pageant controversies, increasing troops, fights in retail stores over new PS3 and Wii units, corporate greed, blizzards, Rosie O'Donnell vs. Donald Trump and this little slice of insanity, it's heartwarming and nice to read Brian McGrory's column this morning from the Boston Globe. Just take a minute out of your busy day to read it. That is what the holidays are about, my friends.

So I'm at Redbones with an old friend last night whose been away at Syracuse for the last couple of years. Redbones is a great barbeque joint in my old haunt of Davis Square/Somerville, MA and a good place to catch up with people you only see once or twice a year. The place is humming with people - kids back from college, post-grad twenty-somethings living it up (kinda miss those days!), people my age catching up, old Somerville hands who just want a bite, etc. There's plenty of seating in the place, but only five counter seats, where you literally sit in front of the cooks and watch them move meat around at a pace which can only be described as alarming. Let me tell you something, these guys earn their keep and they probably are grossly underpaid. Hard work in a hot kitchen. Man, I am thankful.

Finally, I'd like to take a quick poll and I hope everybody reading this will participate. Just humor me, ok? Do it. It's so easy to comment. I've been curious to know who reads this blog. And I don't want specific names, I just want to know who knows me, who ramdomly came across this place and continues to read, etc etc. So, I'll make this as easy as possible: four choices:

a) You know me and speak to me relatively often
b) You know me, but we haven't spoken or interacted for over 5 years
c) You don't know me, but randomly discovered this blog
d) This is your first time here

If you would, just say which of the four. You can identify yourself if you want, but don't feel obligated. Thanks.

More On Ahmet

Terrific little story from Lefsetz about Ahmet Ertegun, legendary founder of Atlantic Records who recently passed away.

What Would Anyone Do?

It's almost as guaranteed as death and taxes: religion is controversial; a topic wrought with pitfalls and clearly prone to a wide range of misunderstandings and disagreements. I'm not religious by nature. As a child, I spent 90% of my Sunday mornings in arenas playing youth hockey. There was an occasional trip to the Greek Orthodox Church in Clinton, MA, but that fell off around age 10 and we were never regular attendees. That was as close to religion as I ever got. The fact that I'm not of any religious affiliation doesn't mean much to me. It could mean that I haven't found something worth latching onto yet, right? Could be. It could also be that I'll never start looking.

In thinking about it, sometimes I actually find myself a little envious when I see people who are so convinced in their spiritual beliefs and have given themselves wholeheartedly to something. Some of them seem so truly at peace and so generous and giving that I end up wishing I could believe in something so....grand (I don't mean just religion, either. You could easily make the argument that the Grateful Dead were as much of a religion as Catholicism, etc).

It's when the believers start judging you when things go wrong. Terribly wrong. I have no problem with any religion, but when someone starts judging others because they don't believe in the same elements, that's where I throw up my hands and convince myself that I'll never get involved in religion of any kind.

When I posted my top albums of 2006 last week, I wrote this about the Tim Easton show I attended this summer:

".....he would then turn on a dime and unleash the acoustic and controversial "Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers." The room got so silent that you could hear everyone breathing. It screamed with silence. That song deserves a separate post anyway - and it will get one soon."

I don't think I'm particularly good with words. For a long time, I've been looking for something or somebody to sum up my feelings about religion and this song, penned by Tim Easton, is as close as anyone's ever gotten to articulating it right for me. It's a very quiet song and for whatever reason, that song performed on that Sunday night in Cambridge is one I'm going to remember for a long, long time, because it really sums it up for me. It also showcases what a terrific songwriter Easton really is.

Listen to the song here and the lyrics are below. If you've never taken the time to read any lyrics I've ever posted, do it this one time and think about these words.

"Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers" (Tim Easton, 2006)

Jesus, protect me......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
And the ones who say they are above me
And then point their fingers down at me
And the ones who judge me when I'm troubled
And they tell me on the street that I am lost
And they tell me on my doorstep that I will burn in hell

Jesus, protect me.....Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who only speak with anger
They're screaming from my television
While stealing from the hand that feeds them
And demanding that you are the only way
While spitting in the face of love
With the one hand on the bible and the other in the purse

Jesus, protect me......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Like the ones who turn their back on the dying
And laugh in the face of pain and suffering
They would kill in the name of freedom
Or the ones who would manipulate the Constitution
And try to make laws of their opinions
While walking shoulder-to-shoulder with greed and violence
To the ones who would start wars in your name
To the ones who would attack me for this song
I sing

Jesus, protect me.......Jesus, protect me
From your followers
Not all of them
Just the ones
Who turn love into fear and hatred
Yes, they turn love into fear and hatred

My D*&% In A Box

Saturday Night Live did the funniest thing in years this past weekend. Click here and then select "A Special Christmas Box" from the list of videos. You will laugh your ass off! I guarantee it. It's Andy Sambert and yes......Justin Timberlake. Timberlake was so damn funny in several of the skits this weekend.......really impressive.

While you're at it, you should watch "Give It On Up For Homelessville" and make SURE you watch "The Barry Gibb Talk Show" as well (all are offered from that same link). All three are good for a really, really good laugh.

The Time To Rise Has Been Engaged

The name Ahmet Ertegun most likely means nothing to you, but I guarantee you this man has had an effect on your life. For some, it was an enormous effect and for most of us, it is minor. But it's there. Rest in peace. Read the obit to find out how he affected you.

This whole Daisuke Matsuzaka thing is really kind of embarrassing. I mean, an internet flight tracker on Boston.com? Are you f'ing kidding me? Throwing out a first pitch at Fenway in mid-December to the owner? Dropping a ceremonial first puck at a Bruins game? Come on. Is our city really dorking out that much about a damn baseball player? It's all well and good that we signed a good pitcher nicknamed "the monster," but the guy has never thrown a major league pitch. This is a combination of a master agent drumming up a hornets nest around his client and a group of type-A Red Sox owners whose PR and Marketing departments are totally and obnoxiously in overdrive. By the way, what do you think Matsuzaka was thinking when he walked out onto the ice at the Bruins game last night and came face-to-stomach with the real monster - Zdeno Chara?

Here's an idea. Seeing as though I keep reading about people getting lost (and some tragically) while hiking in national parks, why can't the damn wireless/cell phone companies start giving us close to 100% coverage in this country? Think about that for a second. Not only is wireless becoming the de facto method of communication, it can also be used a beacon for people who are in some kind of trouble. The wireless carriers could always use some good PR since I don't think of any of them as particularly caring or giving. Do something nice. Put up some cellphone towers. See how it might help? Yeah. That. UPDATE: I just saw this on CNet. Not encouraging, is it?

When I heard there was a new internet site where you can log in and just tell people what you're doing, I thought it was rather ridiculous, thinking the web had basically gone too far now. Kind of like how some people say we've run out of any more good ideas for rock songs. But damn, the site is actually addicting! Why do I keep signing up for this stuff!?!?

Gee, Wally.....

My mother saves a beaver. You can't make this stuff up.

Through The Past, Darkly

Another installment of some of my favorite posts as I celebrate five years of blogging:

The date was November 17, 2003. I had been watching a CNN documentary about the JFK assassination and began to flip channels. I had also been in a phase where I took various Associated Press photos and made up my own stories. Here's what I wrote at the time and I included the picture to the right:

"During one of the commercials on that CNN special, I flipped over to the Patriots game as it was ending. The Patriots won the game and the teams were all on the field shaking hands, praying, etc etc and the two coaches, Belichek and Parcells, met up at mid-field for the customary coaches handshake. Only this time, they took it a little further. Upon meeting at mid-field, the two old friends stopped for an instant, gazed into each other's eyes and locked themselves into a deep, passionate tongue-kiss.....I think we knew all along about these two....."

When I Was 35.....It Was A Very Good Year

In a given year, there are always ten new albums that really move me. It's never all that difficult to figure out which ones mean the most to me and each December, I find those ten albums and I list them here, usually in no particular order. It doesn't make too much sense to me to try and rank something from 1 to 10 anyway - at some point during a given year, any of the ten albums listed would have been my favorite of the year.

2006 was a different animal. I'm having a really hard time trying to limit my list to only 10 albums. There was SO MUCH good stuff out there that really hit me in 2006. It is the first time in probably ten years that I have really struggled to put together this list. Maybe it means that I'm really ramping it up again in terms of music pursuit, or maybe it was just a damn good year. I won't know until next year I suppose. But I will miss 2006. In many ways, it is (or was) an extremely transformative 365 days for me.

Not only that, but I do have a #1 choice this year and it's far and away my favorite release. The rest are not in any order whatsoever. Hope you enjoy the list and discover some good stuff.

NOTE: You will see little "play" icons next to all the MP3's - all you need to do is click on the little icon next to the song and it will begin playing and you can continue reading the site. If you want to save the song for your own library, right click on the actual song title and "save as." I did not secure any permissions to post these - if for whatever reason a band, manager, etc wants me to remove the MP3, email me and let me know.

The favorite:
The Whigs "Give 'Em All A Big Fat Lip" may just be my favorite debut album from any band in the past ten years. That is a pretty heavy thing to say, but if this album is any indication, we may be on the cusp of something special. Recorded in a borrowed frat house in Georgia, this release has so many knockout songs that it has completely reduced me to a blabbering fool. I'm telling anyone and everyone I can find - multiple times - that if you're looking to discover a new band this year, you can stop looking because this is it. The trio have a unique sound - some have said it's a touch of Nirvana, but that's misleading. I mean, keyboards wander in and out of these songs and occasionally play a big role. The Whigs sound nothing like Nirvana. The only similarity is that the band has that knack (like Nirvana did) of delivering hard-driving songs with terrific pop music sensibility. It makes you remember these songs. Sample: Half A World Away.

The rest:
I don't know how much longer you people are going to continue listening to me gush about Anders Parker here. I realize it's bordering on obnoxious. I know. Really, I do. But I am determined to convince people that Parker's output is on pace for him to artist-of-the-decade caliber material. He's that good. So If I can just get one person who has never heard this guy to listen to him and appreciate how talented he really is, then I've completed my mission. The problem is that no one song can do it, because he's a five tool player. Loud rock? Check. Acoustic balladry? Check. Mid-tempo pop songs? Check. Ho-hum - another STELLAR effort in 2006 with this self-titled recording. No more words - just listen to the quieter Circle Same. Then ask me for more. Go ahead. I dare you.

The Band of Horses album "Everything All The Time" kinda came out of nowhere. A friend recommended them back in the late spring and I took a cursory listen and thought, "hey, not bad." It languished there until a few months later when "The First Song" popped up on shuffle on my IPod and I was like "who the hell IS THIS?" That's the beauty of shuffle. Get a new album, get it into rotation and eventually you'll get comfortable and familiar with it. I owe my appreciation for this band to "shuffle." Anyway, I have decided that the best way to describe this band is to imagine if Built To Spill did an album of mellow songs instead of their usual 6-8 minute guitar burners. There's also a pinch of jam-band here, too. Of course, if it were any more than a pinch, it wouldn't have made my list. I'm probably not doing it justice - this is a terrific album. Sample the cool video for "The Great Salt Lake."

Tim Easton continues to fly under the radar as one of America's best pure songwriters. His 2006 album "Ammunition" was yet another strong statement from the unheralded Easton, who's been in this game now for well over ten years - and he just keeps getting better and better. Each of his albums are filled with a mix of endlessly hummable acoustic pop and Dylan-esque harmonica-driven rock songs. He came through Boston with a full band during over the summer summer and proceeded to deliver the best show of the year, where he showcased his impressive range - from the extremely loud and fun "Just Like Home," he would then turn on a dime and unleash the acoustic and controversial "Jesus, Protect Me From Your Followers." The room got so silent that you could hear everyone breathing. It screamed with silence. That song deserves a seperate post anyway - and it will get one soon. Sample the imminently catchy Not Today.

When I heard that the dude from The White Stripes was assembling a second rock band called The Raconteurs, my gut reaction was "ugh - the world really doesn't need any more Jack White songs." I guess you all know how I feel about The White Stripes now, huh? However, on a total whim I saw it available on EMusic and I just picked a song called "Level" and I was hooked. This is nothing like The White Stripes, thank god. Instead, it's an album that just so happens to be filled with solid, workmanlike 1975-ish rock. The presence of Brendan Benson has done wonders for Jack White, I guess. The band falls flat with a couple of clunkers, but 75% of this record is surprisingly awesome. Have a listen to the bass-heavy, derivative, but excellent Level and you may agree.

1990s college radio heroes Built to Spill took a few years off from the studio in this decade, but came back like a triumphant elephant in 2006 with "You In Reverse," an album full of jabs and uppercuts that sent me sprawling to the canvas in a heap of delight. Simply put, this is a thunderous album featuring the standard Built To Spill fare: fuzzing and buzzing guitars, Doug Martsch's distinct and nasal vocals and the 'ol soft/hard dynamic, which BTS have truly mastered. This time around, they shortened the songs a little bit, which was music to my ears, literally and figuratively. Their show here in Boston back in early October can only be classified as an absolute nuclear assault on the ears. Tremendous! Now listen to Gone and turn it UP UP UP!

I was never a fan of Belle & Sebastian's wimpy, whiney, melancholy Brit-pop until their last two albums. I can't explain why. Since then, they've muscled up a little. For fans of the band, that statement might make you laugh a little bit, though. They still sound like the 85 pound weaklings from grade school, but the last two albums have just been.....so much better. 2006's "The Life Pursuit" was a step in a terrific direction, with a fuller sound, well-crafted pop songs and the obligatory and lovely British melodies. A surprise entry on my list this year. Check out the insanely memorable The Blues Are Still Blue.

A note to whomever decided to call their band Margot & The Nuclear So & So's: please change the name of the band. As soon as possible. You are too good for that. Your 2006 album, "The Dust Of Retreat," has a strike against it before it even gets played - nobody wants to tell people about a band they like called Margot & The Nuclear So & So's. OK, now that that's out of the way, this is another one of those bands recommended to me that I downloaded from EMusic and just threw it into shuffle and every time it came on, I'd take my eyes off the road and look quizically down to the IPod, only to see......that name. Really good stuff, evidenced by the song Dress Me Like A Clown.

The Bottle Rockets bounced back in 2006 after a few tough years with "Zoysia." The casual BRox listener probably hears this album and thinks it typical of Festus, Mississouri's most famous residents. But probe a little deeper and what you'd find is a bit of a deviation from the normal dirty-handed rock the band usually offers. They've actually matured. Before 2006 the subject matter was largely intelligent-cum-trashy tunes about radar guns, beer, trailer fires and drinking. Zoysia introduced version 2.0, the grown up phase, where our main character is still intelligent, only taking things a little more seriously with the exploration of relationships, the government, celebrity worship or the plight of feeling lost in your professional life. A really impressive and surprising piece of work, seeing as though I thought the band was heading south. Not so. Sample the very fun Mountain To Climb.

I know absolutely nothing about Elf Power. In fact, I have never been to their website. I just found the link right now so I could put it here. In fact, I'm not even sure if the singer is a man or a woman. I think it's a dude. But thanks to EMusic for recommending the album "Back To The Web" as something I might like, because I do. A lot. It's just solid pop music that has a nice tempo, the occasional violin which adds a nice richness and music/melody that can either stand at the forefront of your attention or serve nicely as some background music for a good dinner. Have a listen to King of Earth.

So there's your ten. For once, I need to list other just missed the cut, because there were too many excellent releases this year and these deserve some attention as well:

Catfish Haven - "Tell Me"
Gob Iron - "Death Songs for the Living"
Sloan - "Never Hear The End Of It"
Ben Kweller - self-titled
Black Keys - "Chulahoma" EP
Bruce Springsteen - "The Seeger Sessions"
Drive-By Truckers - "A Blessing & A Curse"
Kelley Stoltz - "Below The Branches"
The Pernice Brothers - "Live A Little"
Beirut - "Gulag Orkestrar"
Hem - "Funnel Cloud" (this just missed top 10)
Bobby Bare Jr - "The Longest Meow"

All in all, one of the best years for music in recent memory. I'd love to hear what you liked and even moreso, I'd love love love to hear what you thought of any samples you might have listened to from these ten great artists.

Through The Past, Darkly

The Birth of A Robot
Originally uploaded by rustedrobot.

So, as I mentioned earlier this week, to celebrate five years of blogging, I've gone up to the cyber-attic and have begun unearthing some of my favorite old posts. Today's installment was initially published on September 17, 2002 and remains one of my favorite posts of all time. I don't know what the hell was running through my mind, but I found this picture online from some news story and put my own twisted spin on it. Here's the post:

"I'm not sure I've told many people the news here because I like to keep things quiet, but I was recently pregnant. Yes, pregnant. You see, not many people think that robots can even GET pregnant, but I am here to tell you that we, much like you humans, have needs. And every now and then, I see another robot on the street and I just HAVE to have it. And so it goes.

The actual act (you know....the "getting together") got a little complicated, especially when my lower-quadrant DC-112 processor wires got tangled with the other robot's secondary intake valves, but it was just a one-night stand, and I am happy to announce the birth of my new robot baby, which I am calling RZ-T61234 (I have to follow some regulations). Anyway, I'm also happy because we allowed the press to document the birth. As you see in this picture, here's the robot doctor (who used to be the lead singer in the Village People) performing the actual birthing process. While I'm a little embarrassed because this picture doesn't exactly show my most flattering features, it's all about the baby. I mean, it's totally cute, isn't it? Both baby and all of my lights are doing well."

The Interweb

This has probably been obvious for years, but I've just discovered that you can look up your entire purchasing history on Amazon.com by clicking on "your account" and then from the drop-down list in the "Where's My Stuff" box, you select "complete order history sorted by year." This was an interesting self-sociological exploration. Is "self-sociological" a real term? I doubt it.

Anyway, my very first Amazon purchase came on March 4, 1999, a book called "The Billboard Guide to Music Publicity." Nothing out of the ordinary, I suppose, as I was knee-deep in running my own record label at the time. The next one came in June 1999 and was the new Pavement record at the time, "Terror Twilight." Can I return that to Amazon today? It's a terrible album.

There's a ton of other stuff through the years, most notably an item called "Gus Gutz," which, if I remember correctly, was a gift that I purchased in 2000 for my friends Kerry & Dan (you guys still have that????). It was a plush doll that you could open and pull out all the organs, including long hose-like intestines, etc. Ah, good times. Amazon is also the place where I get the water filter for our 'fridge's water dispenser, so those are sprinkled through the history as well.

All of this is not fascinating by any stretch, but still interesting. What was your first Amazon purchase and when was it?

Random Musings

• Wow, you'd never think the parents would actually be so cruel to do it, but I finally found one. Richard Head is the Senior Assistant Attorney General of the state of New Hampshire. Yes, Richard Head. Of course, he goes by Richard. Not Dick Head. Although he should really just go by Dick Head. I mean, you just know that's what everyone calls him anyway. Which Dick would you rather be? Dick Pound? NASCAR's Dick Trickle? Or Dick Head? I think I'd go with Dick Head. Terrific way to meet girls!
  

• Seth Godin's post today will hopefully make you pause and think before buying Kraft Guacamole, or any other processed garbage, for that matter. Is it really guacamole? Certainly doesn't seem like it, does it? Thank goodness for my wife - she just buys the avocado right from the produce shelf and works her magic. And it is MAGIC!

• Is it just me or are there WAY more of those huge, inflatable Christmas lawn decorations this year? Holy crap! Seems every tenth house has one of these giant things taking up half their lawn! Hey, to each their own, I'm just saying that they seem to be multiplying faster than probably necessary. What the hell.
  

• Anyone else ever watch Showtime's Weeds? Steph and I just Netflixed the first six episodes and it is totally awesome! I like it better than she does, so maybe it's a guy thing. Slightly offbeat, pretty funny story about a recently widowed suburban mother who turns to selling marijuana around town to get by. Great cast. Sometimes they, uh, go the extra mile, the same way "There's Something About Mary" did. Highly, highly recommended. Pun intended, I guess!

Pretending I'm Important

Patriots
Originally uploaded by rustedrobot.

My first of three experiences in a luxury box came when I was probably 21 and I had somehow managed to find my way into a box in Cleveland, OH for a U2 concert ("Achtung Baby" tour) with a bunch friends from Kent. At the time, I probably didn't realize that breathing the rarified air of a luxury box was something that happened once in a blue moon. All I probably cared about was the free beer (free beer! 21 years old?!) and free food, two things that still turn me on today. Ask my wife about how my eyes light up whenever we go into Trader Joe's or Whole Foods and there's free samples. Me loves the free food!

The second experience was in Philadelphia's Citizen's Bank Park and yesterday's Patriots-Lions game was the third time - spent the game in a luxury box courtesy of a work client and it was.......luxurious! Great views, free food & beer, good company, space to move around, comfortable seating, heated room, private bathroom, etc. The people who built this stadium did these boxes right! Even though I'm not one to demand high-falutin' lifestyles, there's really no other way to see a football game. This was actually only the second professional football game I've ever attended (the first was last month) and let me tell you, that's the way to do it. I'll take my living room and couch otherwise.

December could be a fun month here - I'm coming up on the fifth anniversary of the launch of RustedRobot, so I'll hit the time machine and revisit some of my favorite posts. If the stars align correctly, I'll be dusting off Item Five and posting two new interviews. I'm also posting about some of my favorite records of 2006, including an MP3 from each album. This was one of the best years for new music since sometime in the early-to-mid 1990s. Stellar.