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What This Election Is About

August 30, 2008 7:29 pm

by Mike Burnett

On the one hand, there is Obama, who will be an historic, healing President for this nation. On the other hand, there’s what we leave behind. Over at Dailykos.org, Bill in Portland, MAINE has posted a list of hall of shame quotes before, during, and after the natural and national disaster that was hurricane Katrina.

“Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun? You are becoming famous all over this country and even the world!”
–Tom Delay, to three boys sitting on cots in the Astrodome (9/9/05)

Question: Have you accepted the resignation of Michael Brown or have you heard about it?
–President Bush: “No, I have not talked to Michael Brown or Mike Chertoff – that’s who I talk to. As you know, I’ve been working.”
–3:39 pm

“I can do more than one thing at one time. By the time I’m finished president [sic], I hope you will realize that the government can do more than one thing at one time, and individuals in the government can.”
–3:42 pm

News conference at which Bush had to admit he didn’t know that his director of FEMA, Michael D. Brown, had resigned (9/12/05)

Can we please never go back to this?

A Song of Ice and Fire

August 27, 2008 8:51 pm

by Mike Burnett

After a year of guilty pleasure I’m finally caught up in George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice And Fire fantasy series, which leaves me in the same boat as millions of other nerds, anxiously awaiting the 5th 1000-page tome. I walked by Martin’s 4-shelf section in Powell’s over the weekend, where a clerk had placed an info card declaring that anyone who was just now getting into the series was officially bandwagon.

Late or not, it’s still a good time to pick up Game of Thrones, the first book in the series. Martin reported in June on his blog that the BBC is now on board with HBO in its development of a television adaptation of the seven books, two of which are yet to be published. With HBO and the BBC on board, the series is destined to be one of the best fantasy productions ever committed to film or video.

(SPOILER ALERT)For anyone who has read the books, what’s up with Martin’s ax grinding against musicians? Most of the musician characters in the book are cowards and/or end up meeting torture and death. Musical instruments are used as weapons or bring death to whomever plays them, and one of the main characters’ development includes her getting past the notion that life is as it appears in songs. One musician is part of a vengeful band of outlaws, and one major, horrific event in the novels involves a performing ensemble. On the other hand the series has the word “Song” in the title, and Martin took great pains to include a sort of living folk music in the books, where the same songs are referred to multiple times in different events, and we are often treated to lyrics. Maybe musicians get the same treatment as everyone else in the books, and it just hits a little close to home, or maybe Martin lost a love to a singer. Did anyone else notice?

A Very Portland Evening

August 22, 2008 9:11 pm

by Mike Burnett

Last night I sat at The Alibi drinking a Spanish coffee and talking to a contractor who recently closed his $1.4 million a year business because he was only able to pay himself about $45,000 a year. He blamed this on OSHA audits, matching his employees’ tax withholdings, and being undercut by illegal immigrants who are increasingly becoming contractors themselves. He said he made the decision to start doing only one-man jobs for friends and family after visiting a psychic, or “intuitive” as he called her, and that now he makes twice as much money.

Then I went to Roturre and watched a young woman shoot darts from a blowgun using her vagina. She only shot one dart, but it found its target — a balloon taped the the breast of her assistant who wore little more than a gas mask for the purposes of protection and aesthetics. I’m not sure if it was the official name of the show, but the MC called it “Pussy Darts”.

“Bacon”

8:53 am

by Natron

Just when I thought Corporate America couldn’t be more strange or offensive, along came this new ad campaign from Wendy’s to remind me of how absurd things are. My favorite thing about it is their bizarre technique of making their food look very, very disgusting. Enjoy!

In case you’re curious, here’s what it looks like before the Wendy’s box pops up. (This is an ad they’re running on MySpace).

For a really intelligent video about how consuming bacon (and all meat) contributes to global warming, check this out. Its a lecture (by NYTimes food critic Mark Bittman), that is much more engrossing than it sounds.

Eno And Byrne Stream New Album Free

August 18, 2008 11:38 pm

by Mike Burnett

Monsters of Accordion

August 17, 2008 7:07 pm

by Lauren Hudgins

What I would do this week if I weren’t doing mad preparations for Burning Man:

Monsters of Accordion!

Jason Webley, mad Jesus of the Accordion, is bringing all of this creepy and kooky friends to Portland this Thursday, August 21st at the Kennedy School.

For those of you who are unaware of Seattle musician, Jason Webley, I recommend fixing that fast! He’s got a bit of a cult following here in the Northwest. He’s a crowd pleasing performer, switching from song to song between a roar and a melancholy croon. He’s most often compared to Tom Waits, but I’m not sure either party enjoys the comparison.

DTR Does NOT Recommend the Dinosaur Exhibit

August 16, 2008 6:16 pm

by Lauren Hudgins

If you’re headed to the Oregon Zoo between now and September 2nd, save your cash on the dinosaur exhibit. It costs $4 in addition to the regular zoo admission to catch a glimpse of animatronics gone horribly wrong. Cheap plastic toys that you can buy in the mall seem more realistic, even if they don’t move on their own (and some of them surely do). Not all of the dinosaurs move, and those that don’t move seem more impressive, simply because they are less ridiculous. Those that do move have about 3 movements with a disappointing range. The venom spitting Dilophosaurus mists water like a broken spray bottle. While some of the information that goes along with the dinosaur figures is interesting (such as a discussion of how Pachycephalosaurus might have used their bony skulls for attacks), nobody pays $4 just to read cheesy placards.

You might argue that the dinosaur exhibit is made for children and that children are entertained by anything, even failed animatronics. I’m not so sure. These (scantly) moving scale-sized dinosaurs might have been impressive when I was a little kid, but robotic and visual technology has gotten so much better since then. Jurassic Park has spoiled us all.

XKCD Comic

One of the highlights of the exhibit was a reproduction of a fossilized dinosaur poo. It was the size of a cat.

DTR Recommends: James Brittain-Gore

August 13, 2008 7:41 pm

by Mike Burnett

James Brittain-Gore is a gifted musician and a dear friend of mine. I slept on his floor for a month or two before I split from Fresno, and even though he occasionally woke me up playing records, I will stake my reputation on what a talented songwriter he is. At 23, James has just released a self-titled record produced in a Fresno studio where he also rents a living space. From the bits I’ve heard so far, it’s a lush sounding affair arranged for acoustic guitar, piano, drums, and flute. On his tour he’s joined by drums, guitar, bass, and trumpet.

James Brittain-Gore will be playing at East End this Thursday the 14th, 8PM.

Link to James’s Myspace

KRYP – El Rey (93.1 FM), Spanish Radio Station, Most Popular in Portland

August 11, 2008 1:37 am

by Mike Burnett

Hispanic Trending reports:

The station took the top place while drawing an average of just 6.4 percent of the Portland audience listening to radio at any one time, a statistic that reveals the fragmented nature of Portland’s radio market. No other privately owned station — country, rock, top 40, news/talk — got more than a 5 percent share.

Link to article

More Pickathon

August 9, 2008 8:04 pm

by Lauren Hudgins

Pickathon Galaxy Barn

I know it’s old news by now, but my MelodyTrip review of Pickathon has gone up. It’s more detailed than the bit I wrote about Sassparilla and Loch Lomond earlier in the week.

Plus there are pictures and videos of Langhorne Slim and Melissa Ferrick.