Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I really should read my own blog.

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Wetsuit optional.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

This really is a full service blog.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Just a few bad apples.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

I can’t take this shit today. I just can’t.

Shelter in place is one thing. Shelter in pants is quite another.

How do you get liars to care about the truth?

Yes we did.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

We have all the best words.

This blog goes to 11…

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

Han shot first.

Call the National Guard if your insurrection lasts more than four hours.

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Reader Interactions

137Comments

  4. 4.

    cathyx

    But the Grammys come every year. No need to wait forever for it.

  5. 5.

    Comrade Mary

    Adele is 5’9″ without those shoes. I had no idea she was so tall.

    And now I switch the channel until that self-pitying little brute Chris Brown gets off the stage.

  6. 6.

    Raven

    (I hear the sound of marching feet . . . down Sunset Blvd. to Crescent Heights, and there, at Pandora’s Box, we are confronted with . . . a vast quantity of PLASTIC PEOPLE.)

    Take a day
    And walk around
    Watch the nazis
    Run your town
    Then go home
    And check yourself
    You think we’re singing
    ‘Bout someone else . . . but you’re

    Plastic people!
    (Woooooooooooooooooooh!)
    Oh baby, now . . .
    You’re such a drag

  7. 7.

    cathyx

    I can’t believe they’re not airing it in real time here on the west coast. I’ll get the results here before I can watch it.

  8. 8.

    SuzieC

    Like both shows. But the Grammys are live and I have DVR’d “Worst Cooks.”

    Loved Alicia/Bonnie Raitt bluesy performance. Bruno fun in a retro doo-wop sort of vibe.

  11. 11.

    Raven

    Anyone ever read “So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star” by Jacob Slichter of Semisonic (Closing Time)? It’s a very revealing look at the business by someone who was a drummer in a one hit wonder band. He tell the story of their Grammy appearance where they, of course, closed the show with their hit. He describes the excitement of playing in front of so many of his heroes. They played the song and when the credits started to roll on the tube they just cut the power and they were left up there looking like fools.

  12. 12.

    Legalize

    Springsteen rocked it out. Bruno Mars was pretty cool – never heard of him before. Sticking with the Grammys until the return of the Walking Dead. Then Luck.

  14. 14.

    wobblybits

    Out here on the west coast. So have to wait to see Chris Brown (yes I like him so before anyone opens their mouth in my direction, save your breath)

  16. 16.

    Comrade Mary

    @Raven: I have to read that. I did notice two of the string players behind Springsteen in the opening number giggling and smiling as they started the song, and even when they started playing their parts, they still had HUGE smiles on their faces every time I saw them.

  18. 18.

    Mike in NC

    Willard Romney deserved a Grammy for his amazing interpretation of “America the Beautiful”.

  19. 19.

    Raven

    @Comrade Mary: It’s really good. Dan Wilson was the singer/guitarist and he wrote “Someone Like You” with Adele and “Not Ready to Make Nice” that the Dixie Chicks did. What interested me most was that “Closing Time” was about Wilson’s baby, not bars.

  20. 20.

    geg6

    Gawd, who is this horrid country act? I mean, I HATE country, but this might be the shittiest two I’ve ever seen. And fuck that woman beater Chris Brown. Not only is he a detestable human being, but he sucks musically. Can’t believe he’s nominated fir anything other than a prison cell. But Bruno Mars was great and so was Alicia. And Bonnie is a goddess, just a fucking kick ass goddess.

    Love Worst Cooks (Anne Burrell is also a kick ass goddess, IMHO), but I’ll catch it OnDemand.

  24. 24.

    geg6

    I’m here to see the Foos. They are probably my favorite band of the last 20 years. Consistently rocking it out and “Everclear” is simply my favorite song ever. Dave agrohl is the shit.

  25. 25.

    gbear

    @Raven: Yep, I’ve read that book. I liked it when Jake comes to the realization that when the record execs were supposedly taking the band out to dinner, they were taking the bill back to the office and charging it against the band’s expenses.

  26. 26.

    Raven

    Now, we want all you people to jump up and down and wave your hand so the performance looks just like all the other phony bullshit live performances shown on teveeee.

  27. 27.

    JPL

    Am I alone in feeling like I’m so old because I don’t know who half these folks are. I know LLCoolJ from NCIS LA although I do love Adele. Also, too..not a big country fan so that really makes me an outkast in the area where I live.

  29. 29.

    Noah Brand

    I don’t comment here a whole lot, but I read every day and I know you guys are great about signal boosting for emergency pet care. My girlfriend’s cat has a “very treatable” (the vet’s words) cancer, but we haven’t got the bucks for the treatment. If anyone can throw a few dollars her way, it could make the difference between losing a pet, and getting to keep for years to come. Thanks.
    http://www.gofundme.com/ep0f8

  32. 32.

    Raven

    @gbear: Recoupables. That was eye opening. My brother is doing a good bit of entertainment law and the book was helpful to him. I liked the fact that Jake is not bitter (and that he’s from Champaign).

  33. 33.

    AliceBlue

    @JPL:
    I can’t remember the last time I watched the Grammys–it’s been literally decades. I stopped when I didn’t know who half the people were and didn’t care about the other half.

  34. 34.

    Ron

    I’m looking forward to watching Worst Cooks, but it will be sometime after the Grammys. My wife wants to watch that, and so we’re recording worst cooks.

  37. 37.

    gbear

    @Raven: Ha! I liked it because the band started out in Minneapolis. I knew John Munson from when he was in a band called E. Brown.

    I’m going to bet that a lot of bitter got left on the editing room floor. It would be hard not to be pissed at the industry.

  38. 38.

    Raven

    @gbear: Maybe so, just seemed to me he looked at it as a good experience and moved on. There was also the fact that they shared royalty’s equally.

  41. 41.

    Steeplejack

    WTF?! I didn’t get the memo that we moved upstairs.

    Running a little behind on the Grammys (DVR buffer). Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson exercising their pipes now. Show has been pretty good so far, and usually I hate these shows.

  42. 42.

    askew

    @wobblybits:

    What’s not to like about a woman beater with anger management issues who can’t lip-syncs all of his performances while doing shitty dance moves?

  43. 43.

    geg6

    Mark S. @21:

    Yes! I looooooove Survivor! It was actually a reality tv site where I participated in Survivor and an OT board that sent me here to BJ. I got banned from the site because it was moderated by and overrun with wingnuts and I, shockingly, didn’t play nice with them. A friend who sympathized with me on that board told me I’d like it and fit in here better.

    And I just gotta say, I danced all over my sun room during the Foos. They make me feel young again.

  45. 45.

    JPL

    @Raven: Since I bought Season 2 at Target today, I will say it was money well spent. The cat and dog did not agree since they pawed and meowed every five minutes.

  46. 46.

    MikeJ

    Nobody’s watching the Baftas?

    (Yes, we’re slow here in the colonies and don’t get them until now.)

  49. 49.

    Alison

    @wobblybits: So not only do you like the guy, but you’re going to be an asshole to people who point out that, gee, this guy is a woman-beating, infantile, narcissistic bastard who BTW is also pretty talentless anyway?

    Okay then. Way to be.

  51. 51.

    wobblybits

    @Alison: How was I an asshole? Really? I like his music, period. Don’t like it? I don’t fucking care.

    ETA: Because I like his music does not mean I condone what he did.

  52. 52.

    scottinnj

    Hey, can they rush nominate Willie Nelson’s version of The Scientist from the Chipolte commercial?

  53. 53.

    Martin

    Anyone else think it’s strange that we take these public figures, already endowed with accomplishment, and then gather around and bestow even more on them? Sometimes I wonder if we should have a Masters of the Universe award and hand out little trophies to the top wall street traders: “And the award for the most profitable arbitrage transaction goes to…”

    I have nothing against the artists at all (love the Foos myself – always better live) but I find that we reward these people instead of, well, people that have done good things that go unrecognized or unrewarded, to be a bit socially perverted. Kind of like beauty pageants.

  54. 54.

    Alison

    @wobblybits: “Save your breath honey, not hearing it” – fine, not an asshole, just subtly assholish.

    Whatever, like who you want, and if you have no issue supporting a piece of garbage like him, then rock on. But if you’re going to make a point of stating it, then others may make a point of responding, and telling them to be quiet is kind of pointless.

  55. 55.

    RossInDetroit

    @Raven:

    Anyone ever read “So You Want to be a Rock and Roll Star” by Jacob Slichter of Semisonic (Closing Time)?

    That sounds interesting. I read a couple of musician memoirs over the summer (Joe Jackson, Stewart Copeland) and I like Semisonic a lot. Dan Wilson is an outstanding songwriter. I’d probably enjoy that book.

    I’m listening to a fun Plaid CD now instead of watching the Grammys, which always give me heartburn.

  58. 58.

    RossInDetroit

    @Martin:

    Sometimes I wonder if we should have a Masters of the Universe award and hand out little trophies to the top wall street traders: “And the award for the most profitable arbitrage transaction goes to…”

    Something like this.

  60. 60.

    Chuck Butcher

    @Schlemizel:

    Thats COOKS, not CROOKS

    OK, OK…
    evidently my mind was on something else, I do admit to wondering about that. Damn bifocals.

    Now I’m wondering about worst cooks… salmonella on the menu or what?

  63. 63.

    Cassidy

    @Alison:

    people who point out that,

    Of course, nothing assholish about giving an unsolicited opinion denigrating a persons personal choice of music. That doesn’t count as heinous douchebaggery at all.

  65. 65.

    askew

    @gbear:

    You are not the only one. The GRAMMYS love the Foo Fighters though so I expect we’ll see them win more awards tonight unfortunately.

  70. 70.

    SuzieC

    Sir Paul’s new song with Joe Walsh and Diana Krall-gorgeous.

    To #53–music is meant to be uplifting and fun, not too serious. In times of stress I was able to decompress and cope by listening to music.

  73. 73.

    Suffern ACE

    @SarahT: I’ll be at the show Tuesday for the finals! Look for me. I’ll be the one in the audience booing if a bloodhound doesn’t win.

  74. 74.

    geg6

    different-church-lady @61:

    Holy shit. I never go to wingnut sites and this is why. Jeebus.

    And to all the Foo haters on the thread, all the more Foo for me. They rock and almost no one else does these days. And they do it consistently well. I’ve seen some of the best rock shows of the last forty years. Dave Grohl has been in two of the great rock bands of the last twenty. Enough said.

  75. 75.

    Spaghetti Lee

    @different-church-lady:

    I’m not terribly fond of the whole ‘how can someone even be a black republican?’ thing, because I think it’s kind of troublesome in itself to say someone ‘should’ support this or that because of their skin color, but…really. How could Michael Steele, Clarance Thomas, Allen West, et al, look at something like that and still say “Yup, the GOP is where I belong”? It’s just bizarre.

  76. 76.

    Elizabelle

    Just saw Taylor Swift. She was wonderful.

    Was that the Civil Wars immediately prior? (Just got home. Missed Bruce. Dang.)

  77. 77.

    Spaghetti Lee

    People, can’t we just agree on a grand compromise and say that everyone’s favorite music sucks?

    @Martin:

    I get the sentiment, but I think in the sea of Problems with Our Culture, awards shows in general don’t amount to a stream of piss, and that they’re not symptomatic of much other than lots of people like music and like seeing their favorite musicians perform.

  79. 79.

    RossInDetroit

    @Elizabelle:

    Was that the Civil Wars immediately prior?

    Yeah, it was! I wasn’t aware of them until K-thug posted their clips on his blog. We like them a lot.

  80. 80.

    vheidi

    @jeffreyw:
    Do you have a Brittany? We did when I was growing up- a litter for a while. Awesome if you can just open the back door and let them out. I still miss Fred.

    I was going to ask- is anyone watching grammys on live stream? Because I think I’m missing all the cool bits.

  83. 83.

    CaseyL

    How could Michael Steele, Clarance Thomas, Allen West, et al, look at something like that and still say “Yup, the GOP is where I belong”? It’s just bizarre.

    I find it pretty baffling as well, and the only explanation I can come up with is the same explanation for why anyone who isn’t a paranoid bigot sociopath still self-identifies as a Republican: They have never accepted the idea of the government doing anything for anyone, so all they care about is tax policy. The GOP wins because it promises to not take away “their” money. Period.

    That is a hypothesis only. Being neither a person of color nor a Republican, I can only speculate.

  84. 84.

    Schlemizel

    BTW – I really would like to take q minute to bless the inventor of the mute button. Without that great person I would have had to listen to that dreadful Paul McCartney and The Beach Boys.

  86. 86.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    @CaseyL: I think it’s because they have no empathy. They may be black, but they do not have the ability to put themselves in anyone else’s position. There’s one party that accepts people who don’t give a shit about anyone else, and they’re part of that party.

  87. 87.

    Joel

    Speaking of music, did anyone see the CPAC rappers over at Ta Nahesi’s place? Let’s just say that the highlight of their “performance” is a play on the word “Knickers”.

  88. 88.

    burnspbesq

    Michigan played its first-ever NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse game today. They lost, 13-9, to Detroit Mercy, but this is utterly huge for the sport.

    Michigan – OSU at the Big House on April 14. Could be the biggest non-Championship Weekend attendance in the history of the sport. Awesome. Epic. Cool beyond description.

  90. 90.

    burnspbesq

    @gbear:

    Can I be the designated Foo Fighters hater on this thread?

    I have your back. I keep buying their records, on the theory that eventually they are going to live up to the hype. Hasn’t happened yet.

    I don’t think any of my favorite rock albums of 2011 (Jason Isbell, TV on the Radio, Fountains of Wayne) got nominated for anything, so fie on thee NARAS.

  91. 91.

    SarahT

    @Alison & @jeffreyw: : 2011 repeat, but the Grammys make me want to take the gas. Tried to care about Downton Abbey & Luck but just can’t do it.

    @Suffern ACE: Oh man…I wanted go to the WKC on Tues.but have to work. Have fun for me – GO BRACHYCEPHLIC DAWGS, especially Frenchies !

  93. 93.

    Elizabelle

    I’m not sure what kind of fan base you can claim, when people recognize your mugs off an economist’s blog, but hadn’t really HEARD you yet ….

  94. 94.

    Redshift

    We’re watching “Mixed Britannia” (on DVR) from BBC America. It’s a series about the history mixed-race people and couples in Britain. Very interesting stuff.

  95. 95.

    Montysano

    The Civil Wars are reduced to a truncated 60 second version of “Barton Hollow”; Katy Perry follows with 6 minutes of painfully ordinary pop music. Ah, the Grammys…

  96. 96.

    4jkb4ia

    At least Lady Antebellum’s record is pretending to be country. I own Taylor Swift’s record, and its being a pop record is absolutely no secret.

    (Kanye West’s sweep of the rap categories was an hour ago)

  97. 97.

    SuzieC

    @Belafon (formerly anonevent):
    I think it’s due to an eye for the main chance. In other words, $$$. Black conservatives do well in the wingnut world. Proves wingnuts aren’t racist, don’t ya know, and that libruls are the real racists. Although that FoxNews site makes the fiction hard to maintain.

  98. 98.

    different-church-lady

    @SuzieC:

    Although that FoxNews site makes the fiction hard impossible to maintain.

    I suppose “fixed” isn’t really the right term, since nothing can fix the kind of racism on display over there.

  99. 99.

    burnspbesq

    @4jkb4ia:

    If the Nashville Hype Machine ever gets its hands on Sierra Hull, Taylor Swift will never win another Grammy or CMA award.

    Hopefully, the Nashville Hype Machine will never get its hands on Sierra Hull. She has way too much talent for that. I want to see her continue exploring. I’d like to see her make a record with Sarah Jarosz. I’d like to see her make an all-instrumental record with Julian Lage and Alex Hargreaves. Frankly, I’d like to see her become the cuter version of Chris Thile. She has the chops for it.

  100. 100.

    YellowJournalism

    Ggegf: Preach it. I even have the Me, Myself, and Irene soundtrack for their covers of Steely Dan.

  101. 101.

    Yutsano

    @Comrade Mary: I have the exact same reaction to Nigella Lawson. Apparently British Jewish aristocrats that can cook give me a funny feeling. Regardless of gender.

  104. 104.

    Steeplejack (phone)

    @Yutsano:

    I have a recurring dream of making love with Nigella Lawson in a vat of banana pudding. I am not ashamed of this.

  106. 106.

    4jkb4ia

    That Glen Campbell performance brought me to the verge of tears. But compared to Whitney Houston, he’s very lucky. He and everyone in the building know that they are saying goodbye to him, and he could still do justice to “Rhinestone Cowboy” after all the times he has sung it.

  109. 109.

    Legalize

    Ive never gotten the Foo appeal. They look good, and sound fine. But they’re just a generic rock band playing generic songs. Their notable songs would make a pretty good album I guess. But there are so many better rock bands out there. Fortunately the Grammys don’t mean shit.

  112. 112.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Yay Adele.

    I’m always amused by people’s reactions to her speaking voice, and the perceived disconnect between it and her singing voice. Then again, how should British singers who follow the soul tradition sound when they’re not singing? Like Dusty Springfield, I suppose, except Adele’s straight outta Sarf Landan.

  114. 114.

    Smiling Mortician

    @Spaghetti Lee:
    I suspect it’s just denial. They don’t believe that the GOP is what they’re looking at when they see something like that Fox comment thread. Or at least, they don’t believe that those comments are in any way representative of the GOP they belong to.

  119. 119.

    jenn

    @Noah Brand: Sorry to hear that! You might want to shoot an email to Anne Laurie, since she’s the one who usually front pages pet blegs. Good luck with your cat’s treatment!

  120. 120.

    hamletta

    @Raven:Loved Semisonic, hated “Closing Time.”

    If you’re interested in another band memoir, I highly recommend The Cheese Chronicles: The True Story Of a Band You Never Heard Of, by Tommy Womack. Government Cheese was a band from Bowling Green/Nashville, and they never quite got there. Womack’s a hilarious writer.

    Mighty fine songwriter, too.

  122. 122.

    Viperbuck

    Usually get frustrated watching the Grammy’s, but every once in a while something wonderful happens that makes it worth the time and trouble:

    Aretha Franklin stepping in for an ailing Pavarotti and slaying everyone with her rendition of Nessun Dorma in 1998: http://youtu.be/y0fAwy0upEw

    Herbie Hancock’s shocking win for album of the year in 2008 for his album of Joni Mitchell tunes.

    So far this year, it’s been mostly dreck after Bruce’s great opening number and Bruno’s funky throw down. Altho, the remains of the Beach Boys sounded wonderful – esp. in contrast to the average talents who started that tribute segment.

    And it was truly frustrating to only get 60 seconds of that great Civil Wars song and then have to suffer through a full version of Taylor Swift and her country bear jamboree ear torture.

  126. 126.

    Comrade Mary

    And Paul can move pretty well for nigh on 70, and he’s kept himself trim — but I’d still hit Bruce first.

  127. 127.

    Viperbuck

    Paul and the boys definitely did a bang-up fab job to end things on a high note. So with the words “the love you make” ringing in my ears, I’m gonna head for bed imagining a three way with the bass player from Coldplay and the drummer from the Foo Fighters.

    Only like a song or 2 from each of those bands, but Grammy night calls for something superficial.

  130. 130.

    4jkb4ia

    @Thread:

    Nothing wrong with Foo Fighters at all. Honorable carrying of the rock and roll banner.

    Anyone who loves “After All This Time” should be taken seriously with other recommendations.

    Adele was such a huge commercial success that she forced NARAS’s hand, but they rewarded inspiration and that’s always a good thing.

  135. 135.

    pseudonymous in nc

    @patrick II:

    My wife just tole me that she wrote the song that she was singing.

    With a little help from Mick and Keith, maybe. (Not that I mind the obvious echoes of ‘Gimme Shelter’. If you’re going to drink from a well, make it one where the water’s sweet.)

  137. 137.

    celiadexter

    And if any of you are in NYC tonight (Monday) and are sick of Grammy fever and in the mood for some seriously good music, come on down to the Rodeo Bar at 27th and 3rd to hear Western Caravan, New York’s greatest and longest running (17 years at the Rodeo) Western swing band — 2 sets starting at 9 PM, good food, no cover, and some of your BJ accomplices from yesterday’s meetup!

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