Allergy to the Fans

Alright - This is pretty sweet goal. Marek Malik, New York Ranger and sometime road pylon:

One of the longest shootouts in NHL history - 15 bloody rounds!

Let’s face it - The NHL shootout is a gimmick. Entertaining? Sure. Fun and exciting? Absolutely. But it just doesn’t seem quite right, especially when you see attempts like this one - courtesy of Dennis Wideman - the St. Louis Blues: 

Wow - nice one Ace!

One of the most controversial athletes of the past century, Muhammad Ali turns 65 on January 17.

Muhammed Ali changed the face of boxing forever - re-energizing heavyweight boxing in the 1960’s and creating a whole new dimension to sport celebrity complex. Mixing entertainment with the brutality of the boxing ring, Ali was successful in creating a caricature of himself that continues to mystify today.

Clayton Goodwin , author writes: Muhammad Ali restored credibility to professional boxing. He defended his title frequently and against the best opponents available. Nearly all his predecessors had found ways of avoiding potential challengers who were unacceptable because of their lifestyle, their connections or their talent. As the first champion in well over 50 years to put his crown on the line outside the USA, as much as inside, Ali took the sport, and his own ability, to the world.” 

Boxers rarely declared their views on politics or religion. It was frowned upon and Ali’s prose and ability to express his true feelings about such taboo subjects would eventually cost him the world heavyweight title in 1967. Muhammad Ali refused to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam War declaring: “I got nothing against no Viet Cong. No Vietnamese ever called me a nigger.” It later became known that the FBI regularily recorded phone conversations between Martin Luther King and Ali.

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, your hands can’t hit what your eyes can’t see”.

Muhammad Ali’s words were as nasty as his fists. Check this clip - Howard Cosell vs Muhammad Ali:

Clogged up like ____________ (Fill in the blank to WIN! WIN! WIN!…nothing!)… A playlist from last year… Really sooooo last year - December 22, 2006.

- Irish Rovers - Wasn’t That A Party

- Agnostic Mountain Gospel Choir - Come Along With Me

- Jim White - God Was Drunk When He Made Me

- Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring

- Shout Out Out Out Out - They Tear Down House Don’t They?

- Public Enemy - He Got Game

- Marsha Gee - Peanut Duck

- The Bellrays - Revolution Get Down

- Les Savy Fav - Crawling Can Be Beautiful

- Electric 6 - Radio Ga Ga

- X - Los Angeles

- Estrella 20/20 - Boogie From The 8-Track

- The Pixies - U-Track

- The Sneetches w/ The Shoes - I Wanna Be With You

- The Swingin’ Machine - Do You Have to Ask?

- James Blunt w/ Al Pacino (World Premiere) - You’re Beautiful 

- Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Burn Down the Malls

- Queen/Flash Gordon Soundtrack - Vultan’s Theme and Attack of the Hawkmen

- The Ramones - Cretin Hop

- The Kills - Good Ones

- Huevos Rancheros - Gutbomb

- King Khan and His Shrines - Don’t Walk Away Mad

- Nada Surf - In The Mirror

- Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones - Groovy Gravy

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.

Oh spelling mistakes…Typing spinach when you want to say spanish. Playlist - With an L for November 24, 2006:

Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - You Spin Me Round ‘86

Mike Flowers Pops - Light My Fire

Tipsy - Hard Petting

Junior Senior - Shake Your Coconuts

The Blow - Pile of Gold

Fanfare Ciocarlia - Born to be Wild (Borat Soundtrack)

Calexico - Praskovia

Iron and Wine - Jezebel

The Walkmen - Subterranean Homesick Blues

The Rogers Sisters - Why Won’t You

Pink Spiders - Adalae

Snakes Say Hissss - Watch Out…Snakes

Daedelus - Remix of Nothing

Toog - The General Says

International Noise Conspiracy - A Body Treatise

Delta 72 - Are You Ready?

Teisco Del Rays - Seville

The Darkness - Get Your Hands Off of My Woman

The Thrills - The Curse of Comfort

Neko Case and the Sadies - Loretta

Next week - In studio interview with Les George Leningrad…