By Troy Brownfield
1.17.03
|
Ladies
and Gentlemen . . . The Frank Booth Project!
(l. to r.: Captain Lounge, Mr. Myers, Abba Stardust,
Der Kommissar Bosco, Matt Vesuvius, Shawn The Irish
Bastard, Blackie Lawlis, and Zoot).
|
Gettin' The Groove On
Welcome
back to the first big column of 2003. As you may have noticed,
the official band of ShotgunReviews.com, The Frank Booth Project,
had their debut in Indianapolis on 1-11-03 at the all-ages
club, Festivilla. That's us above backstage. If you didn't
already know, I'm Captain Lounge. The rest of the cast features
a gallery of names that have also previously been involved
with the mighty Shotgun. Left to right again: me, Neil Wright,
Abby Kidwell, Mikey Daubs, Matt Ross, Shawn Delaney, Dave
Lawlis, and Tim Laitas. We'll post more on our adventures
after the 2-3 show. Incidentally, wearing black pants and
a black cape makes me look like a bowling pin in that picture.
Serioiusly, it looks like my ass needs its own zip code. Here's
a photo, sans cape, where I look more normal:
Of course,
normal is relative.
What
the World Needs Now:
Frankly, I haven't talked much about politics lately because
the world situation depresses the hell out of me. We're bound
for war on one front, uncomfortable negotitations at the very
least on another front, and domestically we're a mess. None
of the new presidential candidates are particularly inspiring.
However, I will take one big stand . . .
Just
Say No to Joe:
Although I'm obviously no fan of the president, Senator Lieberman
is not someone that I would ever, ever vote for. My primary
reason is that he is an unabashed advocate of censorship,
whether he admits it or not. Entertainment does NOT have to
be a kids-only proposition, and I resent any person that implies
adults don't have the right to choose their own entertainment.
And though
he's expressed negative views on the First Amendment in various
ways, his most damning affilitation is his membership in the
Parents Television Council. Serving on the advisory board
of an action group is one thing. Serving on the advisory board
of a group whose own lies about Professional Wrestling forced
a court of law to order them to post an apology that they
STILL have to carry on their website, that's another. The
PTC is run by L. Brent Bozell III, whose father was an arch-conservative.
According to research done by Mick Foley and presented in
his book, "Foley is Good", Bozell's father worked
with William F. Buckley, served on Senator Joe McCarthy's
staff after the Army-McCarthy hearings, and ghostwrote
Conscience of a Conservative for Barry Goldwater. Obviously,
based on the views expressed by Bozell III on his website
and in interviews, he falls somewhere to the right of, well,
right.
The court
case that I refer to has to do with the famous "Tate
wrestling death". The PTC blatantly accused the then-WWF
of complicity in the crime. When the group sued, the PTC buckled
and had to post this retraction.
My point
is this: Lieberman willingly endorsed a group that knowingly
spread half-truths and blatant lies to further their censorship
agenda. And while that kind of pales next to the veritable
laundry list of things that George W. Bush has gone wrong
in his life and office, I'm looking for a leader that will
restore some of the integrity to the Bill of Rights that the
current administration has tried to rob. I want someone who
will BELIEVE in ALL of the amendments, not just the ones that
suit them on their own "moral" or "religious"
grounds. The oath of office says protect and defend the Constitution,
not gut it like a fish. Is that too much to ask for?
Mister
Sterling: I
caught the first episode of NBC's new show about a senator
with a heart and a brain. Well, at least it's not another
reality show. (Yes, that line works two ways on purpose).
Blog
Blah Blah:
I can't say that I'm surprised about the recent proliferation
of Blogs online. I don't mind it when a famous person or a
working writer or artist does it; it can be kind of interesting
to see their day-to-day. I'm a big fan of Warren Ellis's Bad
Signal emails; the guy can shift from pimping his new comics
to talking sci-fi TV to challenging you with activism to why
he likes Sigur Ros to pictures of Grant Morrison in his underwear.
THAT, as they say, is entertainment.
Less exciting
are the ones where everyday people chart their everyday experiences.
I'm not saying those aren't important to them and to others;
they just aren't always compelling reading. And while I quite
often indulge in personal stories, they usually have a point
relative to a project or something particular in the interest
of entertainment. Let's face it; this is an entertainment
site. You guys don't want to read about my daily rituals;
if you want to know about me, it's about the time we got tanked
and stole street signs. You know, the fun stuff.
That said,
here's a Blog entry for my work day yesterday.
1/16/03
Got to
bed at 4am after tearing up the house looking for a lost stack
of pictures of my wife's dog that died several years ago.
Got up too few hours later. Ate raisin bran. Saw high school
girlfriend on "Springer" in episode titled "I
Was A Teenage Ice Queen". Wrote comic review unfairly
emphasizing the writer over the artist. Read some online news
while downloading jazz. Ate lunch. Pitched some articles.
Found quotes from me listed without attribution in major movie
magazines. Fielded review requests from musicians. Read stuff
for review. Did dishes. Convinced wife to order pizza for
dinner. Wrote more reviews unfairly emphasizing writer over
artist. Looked for, found, doctored pictures purporting to
be Shania Twain naked. Talked to Shawn about our eventual
overthrow of No*Star on 2-3-03. Talked to The Russ about special
project. Wasted time on message board instead of running large
comics company.
See? Boring!
An
Actual Presidential Endorsement:
So I was thinking based on sentiments expressed above . .
. what do I want in a candidate? Well, I want someone who
can beat Bush. Really, the American people are frightened
by guys that seem too smart. That was Gore's second biggest
problem, after stiffness. The people want a guy they can relate
to. He needs to have intellect, and yet, be a regular guy.
To that
end, I endorse Andrew W.K. for president! As leader
of the "It's Time To" Party, he will project energy,
enthusiasm, and an aesthetic that every working American can
embrace. And besides, he loves New York City.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief of Shotgun Reviews. Email
Troy at psikotyk@aol.com
|
