The Contrarian

Bitter Irony.

Sony/BMG Under Investigation for Software Piracy [WiredBlog]

I mean, do you even need to read it?

All Day Conference.

Going to this Arts Advocacy thingie all day, so no blogging from me. I'm torn abut attending; I have tons of *real* work to do before I head to Utah. At least the conference is just down the street from my office.

So I'll leave you with this: Stuff White People Like #93 — Music Piracy.

I still think that site is funny, but I'm wondering — where's my book deal?

Well, Except One.

Buddhism has some fairy tales in it, but it's prescriptions and disciplines are hardly make-believe. Of course, it might not even be a religion. Or "true," for that matter. [Giggle.]

Thanks to Murf from False 45th for this gem of an article: "Businesses Owners, Customers Upset Over Controversial Billboard." But the rest of us just have deal with your ubiquitous "Christian" propaganda.

Hey, WE GOT OUR HOUSE!!!!!!!

The Lord does move in mysterious ways!

The Most Revolutionary Piece Of Music Production Software Ever.

If your a musician or producer, you must watch this video all the way through. Hell, even non-musicians should check it out:

I'm totally getting this the second it becomes available. I''ll never have to play but a single chord again. (I'll still do my rippin' leads the old fashioned way).

Fitna. . . By "John Smith"

Here it is: the 15 minute film that can bring blood to a boil. I suggest you watch it—it is, after all, a hot topic in Europe and this film is amassing impassioned responses from all sides.

I suppose I should offer an impromptu disclaimer: The posting, and contents, of this video do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions held by anyone here at the Contrarian Media Group. Being devoted to all things media, our posting of this video is purely for the sake of sharing available information. How's that?

God, I Fucking Love Joni Mitchell.

Just wanted to put that out there. It's all about The Hissing of Summer Lawns.

Follow-Up.

Two more worthy New York Times Op-Eds this morning:

"Imagined Snipers, Real Challenges," by Roger Cohen. Money quote:

Barack Obama, his speech on race, did important things. He confronted reality, thought big, probed division, sketched convergence. He took Americans and many people beyond U.S. shores to a different mental place. Imagine that capacity applied to GWOT, Iran, Russia, China and Israel-Palestine.

"Obama, Clinton — and Echoes of Nader?" by Nichoas D. Kristof. Money quote(s):

The battle is getting bloodier. Mrs. Clinton spoke this week about the contest continuing for “the next three months” — and those would surely be a toxic three months. There’s already grumbling that Mrs. Clinton’s real strategy is to destroy Obama’s chances of winning the general election so that she can compete in 2012. . .

. . .if the brawl continues, then [Hillary] and her husband may be remembered by many people who long admired them as having the same effect on Mr. Obama this November that Ralph Nader had on Al Gore in 2000.

What does it matter? We're all gonna die, anyway.

Gotta run — Matt Taibbi is on Joe Scarborough . . .

Let's Get Political. . . Again.

"Bill Richardson said you eat babies!"

As much as I don't want to and have tried desperately not to pay attention to the increasingly bitter battle for the Democratic nomination, I have to get a couple of things off my chest, or I'll explode.

It'll also give me a chance to link to two New York Times Op-Eds about the Horror that is Hillary.

If Clinton somehow secures the nomination (in his damning article "The Long Defeat," David Brooks puts her chances at a mere five percent) I fear that I may actually be morally compelled to sit out one of the most important Presidential elections of my time.

Because I cannot, in good conscience, vote for a person so egocentric and vainglorious that she's willing to tear apart a political party and provide the opposition with electoral ammunition just so she can continue to soak up a spotlight that was never rightfully hers to begin with.

Oh, I know she's smart, shrewd, capable etc. But she has little regard for the Democratic process, or even the future of her party. The Clintons, with their long and tangled relationship with truth and transparency, are willing to twist delegates' arms (and I'm not even talking the super ones) on the road to a Presidency that would be as divisive and polarizing as George W. Bush's.

I'm not saying Barack Obama is perfect. But he's the zeitgeist candidate, the one with the best chance of repairing the damage to America's global reputation, while forging the necessary alliances to solve the legion of domestic problems we currently face. He's a thoughtful, considered, intelligent man who's firm and judicious, yet slow to anger. Obama is our best hope for an American Restoration. I'm wondering if we even deserve him.

Hillary, to borrow Brooks' phrase, represents "the audacity of hopelessness."

I agree with Maureen Dowd that a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket is looking like a pipe dream. Of course, stranger things have happened. John F. Kennedy was no fan of Lyndon Johnson, and they were forced to pair up.

I suppose I could suppress my gag reflex if she was Obama's VP.

But if it's Hillary on top with some other running mate, I may do the unconscionable.

I might just stay home.

Picking Scabs. . . By Jebson Interlandi

There really hasn't been anything to write about, plus the last few weeks I've spent in isolation slowly becoming a non-credentialed Rabelaisian scholar. My descent into total Nerdness (even more so for using that word) is nearly complete.

I feel like it's 1989 and I'm tossing and turning all night in anticipation of Back to the Future II. These days my adrenal flux is capacitated by the 15 minute Islam-critical film, Fitna, produced by Dutch MP, Geert Wilders. It's too exciting. The release is set for March 29th and shit is going down. Protests, the burning of Dutch flags, name-calling, petitions, etc. I was set to attend the initial screening, but my physician has forbade my presence, saying there is a potential "health-risk."

Supposedly, the film will be available for viewing at www.fitnathemovie.com a day or two before April 1st. I'll plug it one more time when it's out. It'll probably be pure shit, but it's worth watching.

While I'm here, I should review Nick Cave's latest: Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! I think I'm beating Casey to the review here at The Contrarian. Sorry, buddy. [S'cool. I just turned in my review to Washington City Paper - ED.]

I like it. "Albert Goes West" and "More News From Nowhere" are my favorite songs, by far. Great lyrics on "We Call Upon the Author." 11 tracks. Less piano-oriented Cave writing. That's it, that's my review. I guess it will be released in April — in America. Here's a taste:

"We Call Upon the Author".mp3

A little while back, there was discussion over here about banning piggie-banks. This was meant to be a response to Wilders, the aforementioned ultra-conservative. By getting rid of pork-related icons, the Dutch Government was hoping to demonstrate tolerance and compassion for the Muslim population. I can't wait for the day when Jainism catches on in the U.S.A and we rally together to place a ban on fly-swatters. Respect.

Hi There.

Today is our anniversary proper. I worked from home, because I had to edit a Kronos Quartet podcast interview on net neutrality. Brooke soldiered into the office for another day of kicking ass for media access.

Next Thursday, Mark and I head to Salt Lake City to perform at the Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States conference. I think I'm ready.

We're now in the negotiating phase of the home-buying process. The sellers seem somewhat ignorant of current market conditions, so we're giving them time to adjust to reality. I'm sure it isn't pleasant to discover (through comps) that your house's appraised worth is 20 grand less than your asking price. Hey, I didn't pop the real estate bubble.

What else? Candleblog has a link to a 1968 article in Mechanix Illustrated about what the world of 2008 would look like. Some stuff is close, other stuff is ridiculously off the mark.

Billy Bragg wrote an interesting Op Ed in the New York Times about how musicians need to be compensated in the brave new digital world. He uses the AOL acquisition of social network-based music service Bebo as his hook. But it's about so much more.

Speaking of mergers and acquisitions, it looks like XM and Sirius are finally allowed to consummate their extra-terrestrial relationship. I know I'm usually Mr. Competition in the Marketplace, but I really have no opinion either way about this. Maybe because there isn't much of a market for satellite radio. At least not at the moment.

Gotta remix one more track on my damn album. But I doubt I'll get to it this week.

Anyone seen Jebson? I think he's lost somewhere in Italy.