Allergy to the Fans

The playlist for you - December 15. Most delicious…

The Swingin’ Neckbreakers - Diggin’ a Grave
Cadillac Tramps - Cadillac Tramps
Supersuckers - Are You Ready? (Thin Lizzy cover)
The Living End - What’s On Your Radio?
The Big Sleep - Are you Ready (for love)?
Some Action - Don’t You Look for Me
BlackJack - Blackjack/Step on You
The Cherry Valence - Lose That Smile
Tar - Muncie
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players - European Boys
Black Box Recorder - Facts of Life
Darkel - TV Destiny
Pilot Scott Tracy - So Strange
The Icarus Line - Watch Your Step
The Heartaches - Teenage Love Affair
Remote Kid - The Kids are All Joggers Now
Schrasj - Electro Pastel
Ben Kweller - Penny on the Train Track
Preston School of Industry - Goodbye to the Edge City
Captain America - Flame On
The Gothic Archies - A Million Mushrooms
Shellac - The Rambler Song
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Cannibal’s Hymn
Woodpigeon - Home as a Romantized Concept Where Everyone Loves you Always and Forever
Blood Meridan - Oh Oh Oh
So Many Dynamos - Progress
VHS or Beta - You Got Me
Messer fur Frav Muller - Rock Rock Rock

Wow - December 20th and I haven’t been a jerk. No flippin’ the bird, no angry fist-shaking at motorists, no mumbling at shoppers - It has been quite a decent December.

Two Playlists coming at ya - December 8th and 15th. Have a Merry Merry and an eggnog or something!

Playlist - December 8th
Television - Friction
The Stranglers - (Get a) Grip (on Yourself)
Superchunk - Girl U Want
Mission of Burma - That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate
Black Mountain - Druganaut
The Vibrators - Automatic Lover
The Vaselines - Son of a Gun
The Primrods - The Working Title
Lee Hazelwood - Run Boy Run

Interview with Dave Bidini - Talking about his latest book ‘The Five Hole’ and his upcoming High Performance Rodeo show. We talked hockey too - Dave said how I was the greatest player ever. Thanks Dave!

Rheostatics - Squid and the Wayne; and Power Ballad for Ozzy Osbourne
Tom Waits - Get Behind the Mule
Twilight Singers - Forty Dollars
Weezer - Don’t Let Go
They May Be Giants - Istanbul (Not Constatinople)
Mitch Easter - Valerie
Super Fuzzy Animals - The Horn
66 Breakout - Motor City Smokin’
The Trashwomen - Nightmare at a Drag
Velvet Crush - My Blank Pages
Velvet Underground - Cool It Down
Scud Mountain Boys - Knievel
Yo La Tengo with Daniel Johnson - Speedy Motorcycle
Dan Bern - City of Morons

Less than 50 days left to shop for Groundhog Day. What will I do? The playlist for Friday December 1st, 2006. Lovely:

Judas Priest - You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

Old Time Relijun - Witchcraft Rebellion

Thirteenth Floor Elevators - You’re Gonna Miss Me

Nouvelle Vague - Guns of Brixton

Pink Martini - Donde Estas Yolanda?

A/V - The Clumsy Surgeon

The Olympic Death Squad - This is Riot Gear

Richard Harrows - Jerry Potts

The Yoko Casionos - The New Old Times

Jim O’Rourke - Therefore, I Am

Grand Agent - Grand Right Now

Les George Leningrad - Skulls in the Closet

Peaches - You Love It

The Propellerheads - Spybreak

The Baldwin Brothers - Right On

Dosh - O Mexico

+/- - Profession

The Folksmen et al/’A Mighty Wind’ Soundtrack - A Mighty Wind

Wally Pleasant - Stupid Day Job

Jonny Polonski - Uh-oh

Pleasure Barons - The Definitive Tom Jones Medley

The Persuasions - The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing

Oblivians w/ Mr. Quintron - I May Be Gone

Of Montreal - My British Tour Diary

Mayor McCa - You

Olympic Hopefuls - Stoned Again

Martin Matiske - Japanese Science

Democracy can suck sometimes. You spend all that time and money, hiring the best PR agents and spin-doctors you can, campaign for two years, orchestrate a plan for the province and then watch as the nice guy standing to the side walks in and takes the grand prize.

Ed Stellmach wins as the “second best guy”, sneaking by Morton and Dinning to grab the top job as Alberta’s next Premier. Ralph Klein was soooo excited all he had to say was “Thank you. Thank you very much” before he slipped out the back door and left the Alberta Leadership gong show behind. Wow. To say that Jimmy Dinning is shocked at this outcome is an understatement. He took defeat graciously but his defeat is the end of the Rod Love era of politics. Guaranteed that once PC party members are done Xmas shopping they will be planning what to do once they lose the next election. What is on the horizon doesn’t look good. A continued dip in oil and natural gas prices, overinflated housing prices, crumbling public infrastructure, etc. could trigger the end of this government, just like the Social Credit crew experienced in 1970.

Yes my friends, it is just starting to get interesting now. ‘Steady Eddie’ will have to rally the troops, consolidate polarized opinions and try to run this place. It has been said that 1% of your time as a leader is spent leading and the remaining 99% is spent on babysitting party members, making sure they do not stuff feet into mouths, or worse, stick each other in the back with shameless self-promoting daggers. This PC party is divided and will be interesting to watch over the next year. Place your bets now - how many seats will the “new” PCs capture in the next election? It is wide open and ripe for anyone’s taking.

Smell that? Democracy…Ahhhhh…Stinky. So the Battle for the Alberta Premier position is down to three - Jim Dinning, Ed Stelmach and Ted Morton. Lets call them Jimmy, Eddie, and Teddy. Debate is all about whether or not to join the PCs or not. I have chosen not to. Why? Let me outline why I am not joining.

One, it gives that party $5. Five bucks times 100,000 voters adds another half million dollars into the coffers of a party I really do not support. Two, picking the “lesser of the evils” is still picking “evil”. I don’t honestly think Jimmy, Eddie or Teddy really reflect what I want for Alberta nor do I think they actually reflect what PCs want either. Three, I am not wanting to get the dozens of weekly email updates and annual phone calls blitzing my already taxed emailbox and phone messagebox. Stop the electronic pollution! Fourth, you reap what you sow. Don’t be surprised if an organization you believe in gets inundated by a group of “outsiders” that what to “make change” or worse, elect the “lesser of the evils” (re: if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em). Call it karma - call it whatever - just do not be surprised if someone, some group crashes your party one day.

If you are going to vote in any election - especially one that is internalized for a party member, a leader - then follow it through. Go to every meeting, join committees, go the full mile. Do not go in half-assed. Better yet - spend your time 365 days each year writing letters, calling your elected reps and truly get involved. Understand what sphere of influence you belong to and start there. Elected one fool over another fool is truly a waste of your time if you do not actually participate in the “clubs”/political parties you sign up for.