Unfashionable Discourse

Last week I was driving across the great state of Michigan, and as I passed through the GM town of Lansing (where they like to say more cars are made than any other city), I saw this billboard. It wasn’t extremely legible while driving by at 70 plus, but I got off the highway, turned around, and got my camera out so I could get a shot as I passed a second time.

It reads as follows:

Dear Gracious Heavenly Father,

Forgive us our sin of being dependent upon the Automobile Industry and not on You. Please restore invention, productivity, and prosperity.

In Jesus Name,
A Michigan Citizen

I stopped on the other side of Lansing for gas, and the station had run out.

Robert Moog died Sunday at 71 from an inoperable brain tumor. It’s hard to imagine what music today would be like if Moog had never invented electronic synthesizers. In his honor I’ll be listening to Stereolab this morning.

Robert Moog, Creator of Music Synthesizer, Dies at 71 - New York Times Obit

Finally! Last.fm has put up a (semi) functional Mac player. First track played on the new site: Shackblu by Plaid. *BLISS*

Here’s a “video ode to the American Hillbilly” that was posted on BoingBoing.net. Lots of goodies everyday there, but this one in particular bears repeating. Hilarious.

Lastly, in today’s New York Times, you can learn the surprising title behind the acronym CBGB & OMFUG.

I had never heard of the US festival before, but if I could go back in time. . .

Check out this lineup, and when your mind is sufficiently blown, go here for details and pics.

1982 US Festival
Schedule of Performers
in order of appearance:
[source: Festival program & T-Shirt]

Friday Sept 3rd
Gang of Four, The Ramones, The English Beat, Oingo Boingo, The B-52’s,
Talking Heads, The Police [Rankin' Roger from the English Beat joined the
Police at the end of their set].
Saturday Sept 4th
Dave Edmunds, Eddie Money, Santana, The Cars, The Kinks, Pat Benatar, Tom
Petty & the Heartbreakers.

Sunday Sept 5th
Grateful Dead [start time 9:30 am], Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffet, Jackson
Browne, Fleetwood Mac.

Of Note:

~The Grateful Dead played at 9:30 AM~
~Rankin’ Roger from the English Beat joined the
Police at the end of their set~
More details will be posted as we find
them and dust them off.
If you have any memories, tell us!

1983 US Festival
Schedule of Performers
in order of appearance:
[source: Festival program]

Saturday May 28th:
Divinyls [11:20 - 11:50 am],
INXS [12:20 - 12:55 pm]
Wall of Voodoo [1:25 -2:40]
Oingo Boingo [2:40 - 3:40]
The English Beat [4:10 - 5:10]
Flock ofSeagulls [5:40 - 6:40]
Stray Cats [7:10 - 8:20]
Men At Work [8:50 -10:00]
The Clash [10:30 - midnight].

Sunday May 29th:
Quiet Riot [12:10 - 12:50 pm]
Motley Crue [1:20 - 2:20]
Ozzy Osbourne [2:50 - 4:00]
Judas Priest [4:30 - 5:40]
Triumph [6:10 - 7:20]
Scorpions [7:55 - 9:10]
Van Halen [10:00 - midnight]

Monday May 30th:
Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul [9:15 - 9:50 am]
Berlin [10:15 -10:50 am]
Quarterflash [11:15 - 11:50 am]
U2 [12:20 - 1:10 pm]
Missing Persons [1:40 - 2:40]
Pretenders [3:10 - 4:10]
Joe Walsh [4:40 - 5:50],
Stevie Nicks [6:20 - 7:30]
David Bowie [8:00 - 10:00 pm]

Note: www.last.fm is back up after a 3 day facelift and is looking good. New features, but mac player still not up at press time. (I’m just a fan)

Last night there was a huge blaze about thirty minutes east of Grand Rapids in Ionia County. It was on the property of Herbrook Farms, and when it was all over, there was one 500 ft long chicken coop burned to the ground and a quarter million chickens dead.
The Herbrook operation houses 2 million hens at the site, which is only one of many. The chickens are hatched somewhere outstate and brought here to Michigan, and their eggs are harvested starting at around 6 months of age. The eggs that are collected are sent all over the midwest and beyond.
Thinking about those hens, I remembered a good animation I saw a while back that likened the massive farm feeding operations to the Matrix. Suitably enough, it was called “The Meatrix.” Maybe you’ve seen it.
As I thought about that fire, I had a vision of 250,000 tired, abused, fed up, hens. After weeks of secret midnight meetings, they put their plan into motion. The first spark caught and in my mind I see a quarter million chickens going out in a blaze of glory.
The Herbrook organization also distributes eggs from organically fed, free range (or at least cage free) hens, because there are customers who are willing to pay extra for them.

FREE THE CHICKENS!!!

I still rock out. A lot.

I rock out to old school acid.

I rock out to thumping shit.

I rock out in my headphones.

Everyone should own a good pair of headphones.

I recently downloaded Dee-Lite’s greatest hits. I’m rocking out.

Now you can listen to my personal radio site at www.last.fm.

Rock Out Today.