Ted's Polish-Mexican Page
30 czerwca 2007
Thurston Moore Knows the Score
As I get older, I have become more and more weary of "sell-out" complaints of one band or another. Some artists bring this on themselves by claiming some sort of lefty or street cred before trying to make a few bucks.
It seems to me that there is "selling out" and "selling out." If tommorrow, I heard a Army recruitment ad featuring a song by, I dunno, Rage Against the Machine, definite sell out. But an Iggy Pop song gracing a cruise line ad, the Buzzcocks selling jeeps and the AARP, the Fall selling Mitsubishis and Corsas...not so much (but amusing). The trouble is that some people think that "indy" or "punk" means that a group has to wallow in obscurity so that only "cool" in the know folks that read Magnet will ever hear about them. "Sell out" to these types seems to mean that someone besides them might hear their favorite band.
The latest band to fall victim to this is Sonic Youth. They recently have authorized a Celebrity Sonic Youth Starbucks compilation, and now they are getting no end of grief from their fans.
I never go to Starbucks, but I don't begrudge the folks from Sonic Youth doing this. The silly part to me is that the band lives the indy cred better than most by nurturing a lot of talented young bands. Now, internet chat boards are full of statements calling Thurston Moore and company sell outs. Thurston points out that the band has been on a major label for years, why weren't they sell outs then?
Moore from Thurston can be found in this Pitchfork interview.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
It seems to me that there is "selling out" and "selling out." If tommorrow, I heard a Army recruitment ad featuring a song by, I dunno, Rage Against the Machine, definite sell out. But an Iggy Pop song gracing a cruise line ad, the Buzzcocks selling jeeps and the AARP, the Fall selling Mitsubishis and Corsas...not so much (but amusing). The trouble is that some people think that "indy" or "punk" means that a group has to wallow in obscurity so that only "cool" in the know folks that read Magnet will ever hear about them. "Sell out" to these types seems to mean that someone besides them might hear their favorite band.
The latest band to fall victim to this is Sonic Youth. They recently have authorized a Celebrity Sonic Youth Starbucks compilation, and now they are getting no end of grief from their fans.I never go to Starbucks, but I don't begrudge the folks from Sonic Youth doing this. The silly part to me is that the band lives the indy cred better than most by nurturing a lot of talented young bands. Now, internet chat boards are full of statements calling Thurston Moore and company sell outs. Thurston points out that the band has been on a major label for years, why weren't they sell outs then?
Moore from Thurston can be found in this Pitchfork interview.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
28 czerwca 2007
Couple of Things
Went by the corner where Jesse Lugo's gas station used to be at 6th Ave and Speedway. The station closed years ago during the settlement of some environmental remediation situation, torn down, and completely surrounded by a fence. So, the property has been pretty much inaccessible to anyone. So, how the heck did that grocery cart end up behind the fence? Just curious...it illicits a certain wonder...
My brother reports that a person was blasting his stereo while driving down his street. Not uncommon. What song was it, the latest from 50 Cent? Maybe the driver was a stoner playing a favorite by Korn?
Naw. It was "A House is Not a Motel" by Love. Tom lives on Convent, after all.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
My brother reports that a person was blasting his stereo while driving down his street. Not uncommon. What song was it, the latest from 50 Cent? Maybe the driver was a stoner playing a favorite by Korn?
Naw. It was "A House is Not a Motel" by Love. Tom lives on Convent, after all.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
26 czerwca 2007
Who Knew?
Prairie Rose sent me this pic of Kasey Keller after the Gold Cup win. Who knew Keller was a metal head?
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
25 czerwca 2007
United States 2 - Mexico 1
There was a scary bit during the trophy presentation. Jonathan Spector and Andres Guardado colided in the 69th minute, and both ended up in heaps on the ground. Spector was quickly subbed out, but Guardado stayed in. During the trophy ceremony, Guardado could be seen with a neck brace being loaded onto a gurney. Guardado is a very creative player who is a joy to watch, I hope he is able to be back on the field soon.Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
22 czerwca 2007
Okay Axis, Here We Come
The Tucson Saddletramps roster has been announced. Here is the list with their "club" squads listed. The names are the ones they use with their "club" squad:Deadlock Doe (Furious Truckstop Waitresses)
Dirty Teri (Copper Queens)
Sloppy Flo (FTW)
Kassi Nova (Iron Curtain)
Peaches Rodriguez (FTW)
Cheap Ore (CQ)
Whiskey Mick (VICE Squad)
Polly Graf (VS)
Sami Automatic (VS)
Kali Isnikov (IS)
Bolshe Vixen (IS)
Barbicide (VS)
All Night Dinah(FTW)
Sassy Sue (FTW)
Betty Anarchy (FTW)
Kay Boom (CQ)
Anita Donut (VS)
Metal Maiden (CQ)
What, no Doris Badenov? No Jezebelle?
If you'd like to support the ladies of TRD, you can go to their carwash at Axis Food Mart (1540 E Broadway, near Cherry). They will be washing vehicles of all types and conditions from 10 AM to 3 PM.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
You Alright, I Learned It By Watching You!
Yep, it's official, listening to heavy metal is a psychological illness. A guy in Sweden named Roger Tullgren has gotten government officials to grant him special dispensation for this brand new handicap, addiction to rock and or roll.
His addiction to metal and the "metal lifestyle" is now considered a handicap. Just how did this addiction start?
Remember, parents, it's you against them.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
His addiction to metal and the "metal lifestyle" is now considered a handicap. Just how did this addiction start?
Roger Tullgren first developed an interest in heavy metal when his older brother came home with a Black Sabbath album in 1971.Yep, that's how it starts. Many people think that Led Zeppelin or even Def Leppard are "entry level" metal bands, but studies have clearly shown that people can listen to these bands and not develop an addiction. Black Sabbath, however, is considered a "gateway" band. Statistics prove that a young listener to Sabbath will quickly move on to Judas Priest and King Diamond. Next thing you know, the victim is buying leather pants, wearing Metal Church t-shirts and totally missing the ironies in This Is Spinal Tap.
Remember, parents, it's you against them.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
20 czerwca 2007
Semi-Interesting Goings On on the Men's National Team Blog
Saturday, Lyndsey from Long Beach sent this message to the authors of the US Men's National Team Blog:Kudos to the boys for last night's win. More importantly, I was wondering if you could shed some light on the matter of Taylor Twellman's jersey. That [thing] was tight! And by tight, I don't mean cool. It was nipple city out there for Mr. Twellman. I looked at the other players, including those with muscular physiques such as Gooch, and sure, his sleeves were tight on his arms, but nowhere near the second skin look modeled by Twellman. Did they run out of jerseys or something, and Twellman had to wear a Youth Large from the gift shop?You know, she does have a point. I always wondered about the fit of Taylor's jersey myself, but I thought that it was an illusion created by his big ol' head.
Lyndsey's identity was revealed on Monday when Kansas City Wizard and fellow Nat Jimmy Conrad revealed that he was the person that sent the e-mail.Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
18 czerwca 2007
Vive les Loupes!
So, Guadaloupe beat Honduras. Yep, they also beat Canada. This means the nation of 400,000 people will face powerhouse México on Thursday night.
I think I'm rooting for them. Yes, it's a betrayal of my ethnic roots. Feh.
By the way, I hve no idea if the locals refer to them as "Loupes." Sounds good to me though.
Believe it or not, they probably have a good shot at it. México only barely won their game against Costa Rica in extra time, and didn't make short work of their group the way one would expect. El Tri struggled against the hapless Cuba (who were supposed to be the Cinderella of the tournament) and lost to Honduras. Honduras, by the way, is the team Les Loupes defeated in the quarter finals.
I keep reading how wonderfully México is going to do in the Copa America this year. It's looking like they are lucky that Chile and Ecuador are going to be in their group to save them from total embarassment. In the mean time, Hugo Sánchez may want to work on that resume. Maybe his passport too.
Despite not even being a FIFA member (The Guadaloupe Football League is considered part of the French Football Federation), they actually have a decent soccer pedigree. Thierry Henry, Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord are all of Guadeloupéenne roots.
Oddly enough, Guadaloupe's main scorer, Jocelyn Angloma, is a defender. Not only that, he used to play defender for France. He isn't considered "cap tied" here because Guadaloupe isn't a FIFA member and this is a regional tournament. Why stop there and get Henry to play too?
Also, Angloma has a girl's name. You know he'd have to be a badass if he lasted this long. 42 years old even.
By the way, when I post the standings, I only count the 90 regulation minutes (which includes stoppage time). So, games that end the 90 tied, are counted as ties even if a golden goal or extra time determined a winner. This means I don't count extra time goals, so Jared Borghetti's goal against Costa Rica ain't counted on my list.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
I think I'm rooting for them. Yes, it's a betrayal of my ethnic roots. Feh.
By the way, I hve no idea if the locals refer to them as "Loupes." Sounds good to me though.
Believe it or not, they probably have a good shot at it. México only barely won their game against Costa Rica in extra time, and didn't make short work of their group the way one would expect. El Tri struggled against the hapless Cuba (who were supposed to be the Cinderella of the tournament) and lost to Honduras. Honduras, by the way, is the team Les Loupes defeated in the quarter finals.
I keep reading how wonderfully México is going to do in the Copa America this year. It's looking like they are lucky that Chile and Ecuador are going to be in their group to save them from total embarassment. In the mean time, Hugo Sánchez may want to work on that resume. Maybe his passport too.
Despite not even being a FIFA member (The Guadaloupe Football League is considered part of the French Football Federation), they actually have a decent soccer pedigree. Thierry Henry, Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord are all of Guadeloupéenne roots.Oddly enough, Guadaloupe's main scorer, Jocelyn Angloma, is a defender. Not only that, he used to play defender for France. He isn't considered "cap tied" here because Guadaloupe isn't a FIFA member and this is a regional tournament. Why stop there and get Henry to play too?
Also, Angloma has a girl's name. You know he'd have to be a badass if he lasted this long. 42 years old even.
By the way, when I post the standings, I only count the 90 regulation minutes (which includes stoppage time). So, games that end the 90 tied, are counted as ties even if a golden goal or extra time determined a winner. This means I don't count extra time goals, so Jared Borghetti's goal against Costa Rica ain't counted on my list.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
17 czerwca 2007
Lookie What I Found on the You Tubes
Ran across this old video from the Lonely Trojans that someone (I think former Weird Lovemakers frontman Greg Petix) posted to YouTube. The Lonely Trojans featured Chris "The Sloppy Guitarist" Morrison on guitars and vocals, Gerard Schumacher on bass and a rotating cast of drummers. You were always guaranteed a great show from these guys, especially with Schumacher's frantic stage presence and the noisy buzzsaw guitar lines of Morrison. On the surface these guys could look like a decent but frenetic punk band, but Morrison's smart, thoughtful lyrics put them in a different class. These guys are missed, and I still hope for a reunion at the next Club Congress anniversary show.
Schumacher, by the way, was later in the Weird Lovemakers and the Knockout Pills.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
Schumacher, by the way, was later in the Weird Lovemakers and the Knockout Pills.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
15 czerwca 2007
See Ya Sammy
Well, it appears that we are losing our PCL franchise here in Tucson. It's too bad, really. For some dumbass reason, people would rather sit home and watch American Idol than hang out at the ball park.
In the first few seasons of the Sidewinders, it appeared that folks were bound and determined to keep people from Tucson Electric Park. The location, the name of the park, the name change of the team, all of these seemed to alienate some portion of the fan base of the relatively successful Tucson Toros. It probably didn't help much that the first season's version of the team was awful. Remember that they were guys that couldn't make it on to the 1997 Arizona Diamondbacks.
My rant: we have too many people in this town who act like they are ashamed to live here. It seems that we have a strain of thought here that anything local must suck: the food, the bands, the sports. The knock I'd hear against the Sidewinders was that it wasn't "quality" baseball. This said as if these folks were baseball gourmands that would know what a truly quality team looked like. Somehow, actually being at a decent baseball game wasn't as cool as sitting at home and watching the Washington Nationals lose on TV again.
Let me give you an example of this problem: we had a In-and-Out Burger franchise open at El Con. For weeks, yes weeks, there were lines out the door of this place. To this day, the drive thru is always crowded. You'd think there was no place else to get a half way decent burger in this town, but there are at least a half dozen local places I could rattle off to those who would listen. Hey, we moved to Tucson from wherever, so we'd rather go with the greasy fast food from the national chain we've heard of.
The most bizarre is listening to morons who actually say there is no quality Mexican food here because what ever midwestern chain there is back home ain't here. Baja Fresh and La Salsa shouldn't even find a market here if we had any local pride.
Enough ranting...off to the ballpark so I can bitch that the park isn't as cool as, I dunno, someplace in Chicago, then go to a bar and complain that it isn't as cool as Seattle or Los Angeles.
Well, for better memories of local baseball, check out this article from the Tucson Weekly about the 1991 Championship Season. The 1991 Tucson Toros included Arizona Wildcats hero Kenny Lofton and a relief pitcher named Curt Schilling. The best part was at the end, the Toros were down when Joe "Never Surrender" Mikulik drove himself and three runners in (including Lofton). The crowd went nuts and stormed the field. It was like a cheesy movie. The only time I've seen that level of passion from a crowd was when I attended a soccer game between Guatemala and Mexico.
Hi Corbett field, by the way, was sold out for that game.
In an interesting post script, Mikulik was the Asheville Tourists manager that went a few bubbles off plumb last year. The video from ESPN includes a shout out to the Toros
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
In the first few seasons of the Sidewinders, it appeared that folks were bound and determined to keep people from Tucson Electric Park. The location, the name of the park, the name change of the team, all of these seemed to alienate some portion of the fan base of the relatively successful Tucson Toros. It probably didn't help much that the first season's version of the team was awful. Remember that they were guys that couldn't make it on to the 1997 Arizona Diamondbacks.
My rant: we have too many people in this town who act like they are ashamed to live here. It seems that we have a strain of thought here that anything local must suck: the food, the bands, the sports. The knock I'd hear against the Sidewinders was that it wasn't "quality" baseball. This said as if these folks were baseball gourmands that would know what a truly quality team looked like. Somehow, actually being at a decent baseball game wasn't as cool as sitting at home and watching the Washington Nationals lose on TV again.
Let me give you an example of this problem: we had a In-and-Out Burger franchise open at El Con. For weeks, yes weeks, there were lines out the door of this place. To this day, the drive thru is always crowded. You'd think there was no place else to get a half way decent burger in this town, but there are at least a half dozen local places I could rattle off to those who would listen. Hey, we moved to Tucson from wherever, so we'd rather go with the greasy fast food from the national chain we've heard of.
The most bizarre is listening to morons who actually say there is no quality Mexican food here because what ever midwestern chain there is back home ain't here. Baja Fresh and La Salsa shouldn't even find a market here if we had any local pride.
Enough ranting...off to the ballpark so I can bitch that the park isn't as cool as, I dunno, someplace in Chicago, then go to a bar and complain that it isn't as cool as Seattle or Los Angeles.
Well, for better memories of local baseball, check out this article from the Tucson Weekly about the 1991 Championship Season. The 1991 Tucson Toros included Arizona Wildcats hero Kenny Lofton and a relief pitcher named Curt Schilling. The best part was at the end, the Toros were down when Joe "Never Surrender" Mikulik drove himself and three runners in (including Lofton). The crowd went nuts and stormed the field. It was like a cheesy movie. The only time I've seen that level of passion from a crowd was when I attended a soccer game between Guatemala and Mexico.Hi Corbett field, by the way, was sold out for that game.
In an interesting post script, Mikulik was the Asheville Tourists manager that went a few bubbles off plumb last year. The video from ESPN includes a shout out to the Toros
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
08 czerwca 2007
Got My Vihuela Back
I tried to tune my vihuela this weekend and a sleeve on one of the tuning pegs split. I brought it into the shop, and they realized that they had fixed the same sleeve before. He looked, and the string went into the peg at an overly acute angle, which would just mean that he would have to fix it again in a while.He offered to redrill the hole, and he said that the nylon strings on the vihuela are hard to re-use so it would have to be restrung. I told him I had a package of strings in the case that he could use.
I forgot about those strings. I bought them a long time ago.
I got the vihuela back yesterday. The strings...the strings are now bright blue.
I haven't figured out what I think of that yet.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
06 czerwca 2007
Scouting Report: Iron Curtain v Copper Queens
This weekend's matchup pits the Iron Curtain against the new squad, the Copper Queens. It's the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution vs the 1917 Bisbee Strike.
Iron Curtain:
Previous Match: Furious Truckstop Waitresses 99 - IC 42 (17 Mar)
Season Record: 0 - 1
Leading Scorer: Bolshe Vixen (J/B) - 19 points in 11 jams
Leading Defender: Dot Stoevsky (P/B)- 16 strategic blocks, 3 penalties
Probable Absences: None
Copper Queens:
Previous Match: CQ 28 - VICE Squad 102 (14 Apr)
Season Record: 0 - 1
Leading Scorer: Dirty Teri (P/J) - 16 points in 11 jams
Leading Defender: Kay Boom (J/B) - 34 strategic blocks, 6 penalties (1 major)
Probable Absences: Mabel Sugar (B)
Previous Meetings (Winner in bold):
None
Ted's Expert Analysis (unless otherwise noted, stats for jammers from last bout played):
Hmm...up in the air, really. Iron Curtain has a troubled past that has made it hard to develop any cohesion from season to season, sometimes even match to match. Copper Queens are brand new, with only three non-rookie skaters. Copper Queens had an impressive performance in a friendly scrimage with the Brawlerinas, which should help their confidence. However, this is only their second full league match. They will probably have some fine individual performances from Dirty Teri, Kay Boom and Sid Rock (5 points, 18 strategic blocks). This match, like all of them, will be decided on who can keep the best communication in the pack. This sort of teamwork can only be developed from match experience. Despite their problems, I give the edge in this area to Iron Curtain and they will see their first victory on Saturday.
Iron Curtain:
Previous Match: Furious Truckstop Waitresses 99 - IC 42 (17 Mar)
Season Record: 0 - 1
Leading Scorer: Bolshe Vixen (J/B) - 19 points in 11 jams
Leading Defender: Dot Stoevsky (P/B)- 16 strategic blocks, 3 penalties
Probable Absences: None
Copper Queens:
Previous Match: CQ 28 - VICE Squad 102 (14 Apr)
Season Record: 0 - 1
Leading Scorer: Dirty Teri (P/J) - 16 points in 11 jams
Leading Defender: Kay Boom (J/B) - 34 strategic blocks, 6 penalties (1 major)
Probable Absences: Mabel Sugar (B)
Previous Meetings (Winner in bold):
None
Ted's Expert Analysis (unless otherwise noted, stats for jammers from last bout played):
Hmm...up in the air, really. Iron Curtain has a troubled past that has made it hard to develop any cohesion from season to season, sometimes even match to match. Copper Queens are brand new, with only three non-rookie skaters. Copper Queens had an impressive performance in a friendly scrimage with the Brawlerinas, which should help their confidence. However, this is only their second full league match. They will probably have some fine individual performances from Dirty Teri, Kay Boom and Sid Rock (5 points, 18 strategic blocks). This match, like all of them, will be decided on who can keep the best communication in the pack. This sort of teamwork can only be developed from match experience. Despite their problems, I give the edge in this area to Iron Curtain and they will see their first victory on Saturday.
Hasta la proxima. Do zobaczenia.
01 czerwca 2007
Lookie What I Got
My copy of Jimmie Rodgers: Recordings 1927-1933 arrived on my porch yesterday. This is going to be cool.
If you have never heard of him, here is a short filmed in 1929 that features Jimmie singing "Waiting for a Train," "Daddy and Home" and "Blue Yodel #1 (T for Texas)."
