'I wrote birthday boy for you babe'

Rock star on the road with a camera. The guy's a master of light as well as mood. Enjoy.

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Gene Wene's Slideshow -- 'Washington DC to Atlanta GA (2008)'
Gene Wene's Slideshow -- 'Ween in Texas, August 2007'

I've got something to put in you

Here's a look back at one of the very first postings on the old music editor's blog. As I wrote on 1.17.7: I've wondered why Electric Six aren't more popular. They rock, they're funny and they rock--what's not to like? Well, the sense of humor is a little over the top perhaps. How over? If you can get down with homoerotic overtures from the 16th president of the USA then you can hang with the Electric Six. They've got a new(ish) record and a DVD that has already been de-listed on AMAZON but they're still not your favorite band and it makes me hurt inside. It really does.

Celtics-Pistons (2-2 after 4 games)

Game 2 - Rondo killed the C's, a lot of bad passes, bad fouls, just wasn't his usual well-composed self. Ray Allen almost started to get going but then got in foul trouble and disappeared all over again. Rodney Stuckey was money off the bench. Where was Sam Cassell? Rondo was killing you guys and you bring in Eddie House when you know he can't handle the ball? What the hell was that? What kind of doghouse is Cassel in that you don't hand him the ball and say go score some points? That game was made for him! Was he hurt or something?

Game 3 - All the Pistons were off. Chauncey was isn't in to it, Rip wasn't getting position, Tayshaun wasn't hitting his jumpers. I didn't think the C's played that great, I thought Detroit just stunk it up at home. Rondo was fine, Posey, PJ pitched in, they stole one on the road.

Game 4 - Didn't see it but it looks like the Pistons came out hot--damn, Maxiell's block on KG will live on in beer commercials for years to come!--and the C's mailed it in.

Game 5 -- What's next? I think the Celtics have regained control of this series. The Celtics are at their best when Rondo plays well. When Rondo's right they're all right, but when he's off they're out of sync and its up to KG to go for 30, which isn't really his game. Going back to Boston I think Rondo plays mistake free, Allen gets off enough to be a factor, Pierce goes nuts and C's cruise in the 4th. Or maybe not, we'll see. I don't see McDyess coming on the (fake) parquet and going for 20 again so until Chauncey really rises up the Pistons just aren't quite the Pistons.

Air Traffic Art

This was making the viral rounds last week or so, a cool little time lapse video of all the flights in America. I'm just now getting around to experimenting with uploading video on here so this is the test.

You got to enjoy the ride

There are a handful of albums you look back on and realize they were exactly what you wanted to hear at that moment and Pharcyde's debut, Bizarre Ride, was truly one of those records. One of the first easy-going rap records I ever really loved. The cadences and beats and samples, the lyrics and themes, everything was perfectly pitched and it hit me at just the right time. Joyously funny without being slight. There were a handful of videos from that record available out there but the sound wasn't right on any of them so I'm settling for the comeback single with a classic Spike Jonze video. Not bad for a fallback.

Pharcyde -- 'Drop'

Syracuse 13-10 Johns Hopkins

If you're only going to watch one lacrosse match a year it might as well be the 2 all-time greatest teams squaring off for the championship. Lacrosse is a good game, fast-paced and entertaining when two competitive squads are matched, though I was a little lost on all the various lines and zones and how they affected play. The score was deceptive because I thought Syracuse really dominated this game from the 2nd quarter on. Their one weak link was the goalie who struggled and was clearly getting frustrated out there. Johns Hopkins, on the other hand, had a fine goalie who was just overwhelmed by the constant Orange onslaught. They did well to keep the game close, it really wasn't over til the last minute or so, but they just didn't firepower that Syracuse brought. Stephen Keough had 2 brilliant goals in the first half--dude, the behind the back rebound shot was amazing! I thought the ESPN highlight package was a little skimpy considering how much really good action this game generated.

Libertarian Party Convention

Knowing that the Dems will be rocking Denver's Pepsi Center (that house that Sakic built) and the Reps will be setting up shop in St. Paul (Wellstone territory), it was for a grin that I peaked in on Multi-Purpose Room B at the airport Sheraton where the Libertarians were holding their big powwow. C-Span covered it with all their energy but this just wasn't a TV friendly concoction.

Since the Indy 500 failed to grab me (I'm not a rabid fan of open wheel racing), yeah, I watched quite a bit of Lib action on Sunday. The delegate roll call was informally amusing stuff where any mention of on-line gaming, legalization of marijuana, gun ownership and gay marriage brought many hoots and hollers from the rabble. The mood was decidedly anti-Iraq War as well. (Alaska: 'The state that welcomes global warming with open arms.' Vermont: 'Where the 2nd Amendment is your gun permit.' Kentucky: 'Home of bourbon, tobacco and another unmentionable cash crop.' New York: 'Home of Hillary Clinton…yeah, I'm sorry.')

There were some fireworks when Christine Smith, a candidate who failed to make it to the second ballot, angrily denounced Bob Barr as 'a Republican rubber-stamper' of the welfare and warfare society'. While she ostensibly welcomed newcomers to the party, she growled with deep suspicion of the man who went on to win the nomination.

The big party conventions lost their relevance decades ago and are now just hyped up springboards for the propaganda-fest that is a presidential election. But the third parties actually need conventions to cement their ideologies and to re-establish a network of support. It was like a civics lesson in what political conventions must have been like: grand standing, flesh pressing, drunken hooting and utterly dull bean counting. The collection of potential nominees made for a lively and informal discussion in their debate on Saturday night. I'm not sure I was enlightened as a citizen but I was amused here and there and by golly these fringe-y types speak with an authenticity and urgency that Dems and Reps can only summon up like thespians. (Though I must admit my first thought was 'Shouldn't these guys be wearing fezzes?')

I grew up in a Libertarian household and I've never had any allegiance to Republicans and the Democrats, so it was an all-good ceremony in my eyes, even if I wouldn't dream of voting for Barr, Ruwart, Paul or any of the other political interlopers from this crowd. That's less on ideological grounds and more on plain laziness and a deep disgust with anything political in America--especially voting. I don't vote because I don't particularly care for any of the candidates or their passions. They don't inspire me and the idea that it is my responsibility to vote is pure bullshit, a guilt trip that just doesn't work on me. As an economic determinist, coercing me to choose between competing producers of political rhetoric is akin to making me buy beer against my will or bicycle tires or knitting needles or any other product from multiple brands. Oh yes, political rhetoric is a product. You buy it, you support it with your dollars. It is a choice not a responsibility and when the choice is between insipid and dull, I choose to watch from a distance. Why would I bother to vote? I assert my American-ness every time I reach for my wallet, voice my opinion or venture out into the public space. America isn't the government, it's the people. The government doesn't control the culture or the economy--though politicians like to think otherwise--and I don't need to vote to be involved.

History lesson: Ever wonder where the Libertarian Party came from? The fact that this guy was the best thing the right had to offer after 1964 is pretty much your starting point.

Red Wings 4-0 Penguins (game 1)

My initial prediction was Red Wings in 6. I thought the Pens had a decent shot at stealing a game in Detroit, particularly game 1, but then the Red Wings would put the clamp down and squeeze the Pens out. Didn't start off that way.

Saturday night the Wings came out sharp and looked good on both sides of the ice. The D was tight and allowed the Pens attack little margin for error; the offense was disciplined and made the most of their advantages ('tight but aggressive' as my old poker coach used to cryptically say). The Penguins looked a little overwhelmed, not so much nervous as taken aback by the Red Wings intensity.

The Wings certainly looked capable of winning 4 straight but in hockey momentum swings very quickly, the Penguins are by no means out of it. I can still see the Pens bouncing back Monday night and taking a game in Detroit.

Game 2 just started and I'll stick with the Pens to sneak a win in the Joe.

U-23 Soccer Tourney (Toulon, France)

USA 2-3 Turkey
USA 0-1 Ivory Coast
USA 0-2 Italy

It was a sorry display for American soccer which virtually never looked in control in any minute of these three games. Turkey (who brought their U-21 team incidentally) played with great pace and aggressively pushed the ball forward keeping the Americans on their heels for 90 minutes. None of the Americans were particularly impressive though Sammy Ochoa had a brilliant volley goal near the end (seriously, it was a fucking rocket!). USA played Ivory Coast a little closer and were on their way to a scoreless draw until a foul in the box (no complaints, clearly a foul, easy call) led to a PK goal. Ivory Coast played with great flair but didn't play much of a team game and developed few scoring opportunities. Italy controlled the entire first half and went to the break with a 2-0 lead. USA had their moments in the 2nd half but nothing terribly noteworthy.

USA had no punch up front, no creativity in the mid-field and no discipline in the back. Frankly USA sucked. Hopefully the next stage of development will show these guys moving forward.

(I caught USA playing the Ivory Coast in the U-17 World Cup of 2004 and I wondered how many players from that tourney were playing in this one. What I remember from that match was that the Americans were much taller and wider, thicker than their Ivorian counterparts who all looked like they were about 14. For the first 10 minutes or so of that match the bulky Americans simply imposed themselves on Ivory Coast and scored early on a corner kick. Ivory Coast controlled the ball with ease for the rest of the match. Once they got the ball to their feet, they neutralized the American size advantage and dominated the game, though as I recall USA made that 1-0 lead stand)

This week's economic events

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