I am briefly emerging from my blog vacation to post this picture of our fine Vice President honoring the memories of those who died at the Auschwitz death camp in Poland. All of the other "dignitaries" were dressed solemnly in black. But our vice president is dressed for a chilly day. A fine day for some hot cocoa. Would I have had a problem if Al Gore had done this? Of course not!

What do I know about Johnny Carson? Nothing really. So keep reading anyway.

I usually like it when a celebrity dies. However, it seems that none of the celebrities I hate ever die. As I think about it, I don't really dislike any "older" celebrities. I mean, I HATE Jennifer Aniston, Fred Durst, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, Madonna, and this one guy on TV. But they never die.

Let me see, I remember watching Johnny Carson's last show. Yep. I was just 22. I probably didn't watch even 20 entire episodes of The Tonight Show, but Johnny seemed okay by me. When I was a little kid, Johnny Carson meant staying up late, and that was cool.

I have nothing more to say about it than that. Just, yeah... and I'll leave you with the lyrics to one of Brian Wilson's odder compositions:

Johnny Carson
(Written by Brian Wilson)
(Recorded by The Beach Boys, from The Beach Boys Love You, 1977)

He sits behind his microphone
John-ny Car-son
He speaks in such a manly tone
John-ny Car-son

Ed McMahon comes on and says "here's Johnny"
Every night at eleven thirty he's so funny
"It's nice to have you on the show tonight
I've seen your act in vegas - out of sight!"

When guests are boring he fills up the slack
John-ny Car-son
The network makes him break his back
John-ny Car-son

Ed McMahon comes on and says "here's Johnny"
Every night at eleven thirty he's so funny
Don't you think he's such a)natural guy
The way he's kept it up could make you cry

Who's a man that we admire?
Johnny Carson is a real live wire.
Who's a man that we admire?
Johnny Carson is a real live wire.
Who's a man that we admire?
Johnny Carson is a real live wire.
Who's the man that we admire?
Johnny Carson is a real live wire

One of the eternal questions in rap is which is most important: the track or the rapping? The beat or the rhyme? Don't expect the matter to be settled here. But I'm going to try.

In the Gang Starr song Mostly The Voice, from 1993's nearly perfect "Hard To Earn", Guru stated the following:


It's mostly tha voice, that gets you up
It's mostly tha voice, that makes you buck
A lot of rappers got flavor, and some got skills
But if your voice ain't dope then you need to [chill...

Some rappers use hooks to this shit
But if you took that shit out
and you took all the music out
What would remain? The voice no doubt

Ever since I heard that song, I've debated the point with myself. At first, it seemed irrelevent because all of the best rappers had the best producers. Snoop Doggy Dogg had Dr. Dre. Nas had Large Professor, Pete Rock, and DJ Premier. And seemingly, all of the best producers only worked with great rappers. Pete Rock had C.L. Smooth. Beatminerz had Black Moon. Lord Finesse had Showbiz and A.G. And of course, The RZA had the entire Wu-Tang Clan, and vice-versa.

Thus, during the rap's renaissance years of 1992-96, it was nearly impossible to determine what was most important. Raekwon's "Criminology" was a great track, and the rapping was impeccable and inventive. Jeru The Damaja's albums were fantastic (you know I'm white, right?), and so was the production courtesy of DJ Premier. And on and on....

But what about the Notorious B.I.G.? He's is hailed as one of the best rappers ever, but his tracks are good only when someone like DJ Premier, The RZA, or Easy Mo Bee produces. I don't care what anybody says. Despite his skills, his albums are virtually unlistenable due to mostly terrible mid-90s crossover-style production (thank Puff Daddy). In this case, I have to disagree with Guru. The voice was not the most important.

Statement 1: A great rapper cannot make up for a sub standard track.

However, in defense of the important role of the voice, I present one of Guru's proteges, Group Home. Their entire first album was produced by DJ Premier, and as usual, the tracks and production are first class. Rapper Lil Dap holds his own, but Melachi Tha Nutcracker cannot rap. Its terrible. I swear, its impossible to listen when he starts rapping because its such a train wreck. For example, Up Against The Wall:

Yo the world is falling
Death is calling
I don't know MC's be brawling
On the mike, when I get hyped
Whenever you want yo whatever you like
bite on my style, I like that
Yo, here is your feedback with one smack
Yeah, you know what I'm saying?
No time to be playing 'cause these niggas be delaying
Word, yo when I get busy
Here and over there to New York City
One for one, one for all
I'm on the wall my back is on the wall


Which is a real shame because DJ Premier put together a bunch of really nice tracks. But the album is marred by Melachi The Nutcracker. A possible analogy might be taking spray paint to a Van Gogh. In this case, it WAS mostly the voice, that ruined the whole song.

Statement 2: A great track cannot make up for a sub-standard rapper.

So far, I've covered the extremes. Great Rapper/Bad Music and Bad Rapper/Great Music.
In my opinion, no track can redeem a terrible rapper. And no rapper can redeem a terrible track.

But what about the middle ground. What happens when the rapper is excellent, but the music is merely average? The perfect example of this is Eminem. Aside from his singles, most of his music is not nearly as good as his lyrics. Redman is another good example. When he has a great track, he's unbelievable (as is Eminem). But usually his tracks aren't as good as his raps (even though they're usually quite good). The worst example of this problem occurs with Nas. When he works with great producers like DJ Premier or Large Professor, its pure genius. However, after his first album, Nas has opted to reach for commercial success by using people like Trackmasters, or other trendy producers to make his music. Despite the greatness of Nas, the albums are generally weak.

In these cases, its usually worth listening for the lyrics alone. However, its difficult to sustain interest. Consequently, the work of such artists is unlikely to stand up with repeated listens. So, in this case, it IS mostly the voice. But not for long. For an example of mediocrity on both sides, try Eminem's protege group, D12. The music is average and the rapping is nothing special.

Statement 3: A great rapper with an average or good (but not great) track is worth listening to, but doesn't hold up.

Finally, there is the territory of excellent track with an average (but not terrible) rapper. This is a case where the rapper can rap better than anyone you know, but not as good as any great rapper (and certainly not a legendary rapper such as Rakim or Nas). Good examples of this are on Dr. Dre 2001. Most of the tracks are exemplary, but usually the rappers are not so hot. When Dre has Snoop or Eminem on his tracks, its perfect. But the host of unknowns lessen the impact of other tracks. Here, again, its worth listening to this album for the music. Repeated listens are problematic. Or better yet, get the Instrumentals version. This scenario seems to occur less often.

Statement 4 A great track with an average or good (but not great) rapper is worth listening to, but doesn't hold up.


Perfect example of excellent lyrics and excellent track. Of course, I can't illustrate the music side of things because this is a blog, and I don't feel like posting an mp3 sample. So take my word for it. Just read the lyrics and assume I'm right about the excellence of The RZA's music.

Ghostface Killah's first verse from Daytona 500:

We eat fish, tossed salads and make rap ballads
The biochemical slang lord'll throw the arrows in the dope fiend
Vocal chords switch laser beams my triple sevens
Broke the slot machines out in Queens, Grey Poupon is rebel on rap
Smack on, swing like batons, most want niggas smoked like Hilshire Farms
Check the gun we sew, underneath my shoe lies the tap
That attract bow-legged bitches with wide horse gaps
In steel mills iron he'll smoke the blow on Duns
You run heroins, Primatine mist is afraid of my lungs
Turn my channel, it'll blow your whole bench off the panel
Like 80 roman candles that backfired then slammed you
Every day is like a video shoot, check this shit
I take you back to Playboy, stash guns and whips
Picture afro, big shish-ka-bobs and daishikis
1000 civil marched blazed their fists in early sixties


Uh, so what did I prove with all of this? That its both the voice and the track? Perhaps thats all there is to it. Both. Ugh...

Sometimes things get a little quiet here. And this is one of those times. I only have a staff of one. And when shit gets out of hand, the posting creativity goes out the window. I have ideas though. Important ideas...


Did anyone see Mean Girls? I saw it last night, and I thought it was crap. This movie was referred to in reviews as a modern day Heathers. That couldn't be further from the case. Okay, yes it could be. It could be, oh, say "Ghost". But as far as socially-conscious teen movies go, this was no Heathers. I know Heathers, and you are no blah blah blah.

Seriously, this movie had no hook. It had no soul. I had no reason to like or dislike the "plastics". And I certainly had no reason to like "Lindsey Lohan". Her gynormous boobs were just fine. I'm doubtful of their veracity, but they looked nice.

Sure, there were a few good lines. Amy Poehler and Tim Meadows were great. Tina Fey had a bunch of good lines. She should, since she wrote it. Beyond that though, the movie just seemed too inauthentic to mean anything to me.

"Heathers" really spoke to the disaffected, of which I count myself as one (possibly two because I was filled with TONS of hate!). The characters seemed believable. The killing was great ("I love my dead gay son"). And the whole thing had a huge revenge plot. Thrills!

I'm sure there have been other movies along that line, and I'm sure I loved them too. I just can't remember them now. I keep thinking of Welcome To The Dolls House and River's Edge, but those movies were different.

As you can see, I have chosen to post another funny animated gif. You have to admit, these Japanese chicks cracking up and laughing at you is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. I could stare at this all day. They never stop!

These are pictures of Dimebag Darrell, formerly of Pantera. I know nothing about their music. Maybe Deadly D or Misterstone can fill me in. Either way, I stumbled across these pics in the signature of someone that posts to a Fleetwood Mac forum. I think these pics are fucking hilarious, so here they are, for your viewing pleasure.

I have lived in Pittsburgh for 26 out of my nearly 34 years. Have any of you ever been here? Most of my readers are not from Pittsburgh, so here is some background

Many people think of Pittsburgh as a smokey steel town. Its hasn't been either for the past 25 years. Many people think of Pittsburgh as the town where the Steelers play. Thats true. But the relevance of that connection also goes back about 25 years.

Some other common misconceptions debunked: It doesn't snow very much here; It isn't a midwest city; It also isn't one hour from Philadelphia; It doesn't have a thriving music scene (did anyone actually think that?).

So what is Pittsburgh now? It is usually uncomfortably cold in the winter, and winter lasts from October through May. It also rains a good deal. And there is less sun here than any city aside from Buffalo. There are four local network-affiliated tv stations, and all of them spend at least half their broadcats on sports and weather. They also have fancy sets and graphics. The people are older here than anywhere. They really are. And its also very conservative, but not necessarily in a bible belt sort of way.

There is a general atmosphere of complacency. Many people wear clothing and have hair styles that were popular in the eighties. Pittsburgh is also a "rock" town, and not in a good way. Try mixing Bruce Springsteen with Tom Petty and then add some George Thoroughgood, and that pretty much covers the musical diversity. And don't get me started on Rusted Root or The Clarks! There is a small "punk" scene, and a small hip hop scene, and a small club scene. This is hardly inspiring, however. These small scenes are more like little refuges in a larger storm of mediocrity. Of course, I have no idea if the the small scenes themselves are mediocre.

Another important feature of the town is that young people leave. They have been leaving for years. There are dozens of decent colleges here, but the young people don't stay. This is usually thought of as a bad thing. I'm not sure actually. I don't much care for young people. On the other hand, I think the lack of young people means that everything stays old and conservative. Pittsburgh has old ideas, old buildings (not in good shape), old people, old politics, and old thinking. This wouldn't be so bad if it was great. It isn't.

Oh, and the town nearly went bankrupt last year, has a 50% parking tax, built an expensive stadium against the people's will for a baseball team that can never win, and everything downtown closes by 8:00.

There are some okay things though. We have a few small communities near town that are good places to go. I quite like Bloomfield and Squirrel Hill. Shadyside is nice, but expensive. And the Southside is busy at night, but as turned into the place where frat guys go to get drunk in public.

What else? Its easy to get to many nice outdoor locations. And there are plenty of good restaurants. And pierogies...

There is a "movement" in Pittsburgh to try to take pride in the town. People of this thinking will tell you that its good to be a "Yinzer" (long story for you out-of-towners), and say things like "its burgh thing". They'll also say how great the stadiums (two were built) are. Personally, I think these folks are doing the equivalent of what black people did when they reclaimed the N-word, but it isn't working as well. I think that if everytime there was a Steelers home game, some sort of urban redevelopment squadron rounded up all of the tailgaters and moved them to somewhere more south (at least Wheeling), that would be a good start. I know, I know... too many of my "solutions" to problems seem a bit too "final".

I lived for 7 years in Philadelphia and I liked it a lot. When I go to cities like Philadelphia, Columbus or Washington DC, I always think that I wish Pittsburgh was like those towns. Not that those places don't have huge problems, but thats a pipe dream.

Some may wonder why I continue to live here. Basically its because my family is here. Its possible that people who stay here have closer ties to family, and consider family to be more important than people elsewhere. Its hard to say.

Perhaps I'll write a post about how to fix Pittsburgh. By "fix", I mean "make it more to MY liking". Such "how to fix Pittsburgh" writing is a cottage industry here. Maybe I'll join the ranks.

Recently I started to feel why belief in a religion could be useful, at least on a personal level. As far as I can tell it all comes down to death: of others and of oneself.

My father's aunt died two days ago. She was his aunt, but she was also symbolically important in our family. I don't know why exactly, but all of the larger family's focus seemed to center around her in some way. Not that she asked for it and expected it. I think that because she never married, and lived in my great-grandparent's house, she sort of assumed a "matriarch of the family" role. Although I doubt she would've described herself as such. To my generation, she was like a grandmother to all. And she was very nice. She was so important in our family that her name became synomous with going to visit the entire family that lived there. Sort of like "Band Aid". Or maybe not.

Her death seemed sudden to me, and somehow completely unexpected. She was in her eighties, but I never thought of her as mortal I guess. That is probably very childlike thinking on my part. I just never thought she'd die. It seemed impossible.

As I thought about it last night, it was very upsetting. Then I began to think about what some people believe about death. Obviously, the popular Christian way of thinking was foremost in my mind. I took my sadness, and tried to imagine that instead of an absolute death, she went to heaven, and was reunited with her brothers, parents, friends, etc... and that she wasn't really gone, and that everyone would see her again someday. That thought was very soothing and reassuring. She wasn't really gone. She still exists, even though she's merely not present on Earth.

Hmm... but I don't believe those things. They felt nice when I tried them on, but I don't think its real. So, for me, she is simply gone. I'm sure that for others in my family, the scenario I described above is very much how they are coping with her death.

The utility of such beliefs seems obvious. Its purely to ease emotional pain. When I then remember that along with those soothing beliefs are all of the terrible inhumanities, hypocrisies, baseness, and stupidity of so many religious people, I wonder why it has to be(?). My entirely unresearched guess is that the solace those beliefs offer for the pain and fear of death is so important, that without realizing it consciously, people fight tooth and nail to convince others of the rightness of their religion, in order to not have to face the pain of death. Certainly the more people who believe the religion to be true, the more likely it IS to be true. And any possible "attack" on the religion opens the possibility that death is final. So, better fight as hard as possible, if only to maintain the foundation upon which we can be in denial.

But is that the reason why gay people can't marry? Yes, I think it is. Sort of.

At any rate, I'm sad about my aunt's death, and I don't have religious fantasy beliefs to get me through. All I have is time.

Another in my occasional rants about how good rap used to be and how crappy it is now.

Here's a post that has absolutely nothing to do with anything, including dog poop. Over the past couple years I've been converting all of my cds to mp3 so I could listen to stuff in my car and work and whatnot. At any rate, I recently got around to converting my rap mix tapes from the 90s. As I went through this effort, it became even MORE obvious than ever before how badly rap has slipped in recent years.

For instance, my rap mix tapes were made by me from singles, b-sides, soundtracks, and albums that only had a few good songs. That way I could listen to these great tracks from the one-offs and compromised albums, without dealing with the three, four, or more lame ass crossover tracks (soon to become an entire genre) with crappy ladies singing in between the raps. So, in a way, most of these tracks are "the rest". There are some exceptions here and there, but generally, there is vert little Wu-Tang, Nas, Gang Starr, Mobb Deep, Boot Camp, DITC, EPMD, and almost nothing produced by DJ Premier, Easy Mo Bee, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Beatminerz, etc... Why? Because their shit was so good that their ENTIRE albums were brilliant and I listen to them that way. So these tracks are everything else. And they are still fucking awesome.

So, for your perusal, I present to you my first six rap mix tapes, spanning roughly 1994-1996. Look at all the good stuff on here. Almost nothing these days is as good any of these tracks. And Christ, I have another 100 or so songs covering 96-99.

1. Redman & Method Man - Freestyle (2:11)
2. Sermon Erick - Freestyle (2:07)
3. Biz Markie, Chubb Rock, and Prince Pau - No Ruber, No Backstage Pass (3:26)
4. The Notorious B.I.G. - Things Done Changed (3:58)
5. Pete Rock and The Lost Boyz - The Yearn (4:33)
6. Mobb Deep, L.E.S. and A.C.D. - Street Life (4:34)
7. Busta Rhymes & Rampage - Freestyle (2:18)
8. Mobb Deep - Shook Ones Pt.II (A Cappella) (1:42)
9. Fat Joe & Punisher - Freestyle (2:07)
10. Common and Sean Lett - (Lately) I've Been Thinking (3:10)
11. O.C. and Buckwild - What I Represent (4:26)
12. Organized Konfusion - Decisions (3:53)
13. The Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme The Loot (5:04)
14. De La Soul and Da Beatminerz - The Hustle (3:53)
15. Sadat X, Fat Joe, and Diamond D. - (Stay Away From The) Nasty Hoes (3:35)
16. Artifacts - What Goes On? (3:33)
17. Common Sense - I Used to Love H.E.R. (4:38)
18. Black Moon - Slave (2:44)
19. GZA - Labels (Early Mix) (2:52)
20. The Roots - Proceed (4:35)
21. Redman - Can't Wait (4:12)
22. D.J. Quik - Get At Me (4:07)
23. The Notorious B.I.G. - Warning (3:40)
24. Gravediggaz - Mommy Whats A Gravedigga (Uptight Cratedigga Mix) (3:34)
25. Gang Starr - Street Ministry (1:25)
26. Big L - Put It On (3:38)
27. Black Moon - Buck Em Down (4:40)
28. D.J. Quik - Quik's Groove III (2:37)
29. Shaquille O'Neal featuring The RZA and Method Man - No Hooks (RZA's Remix) (3:44)
30. Redman - Rockafella (4:43)
31. The Notorious B.I.G. - Unbelieveable (3:43)
32. D.J. Quik - Somethin' 4 Tha Mood (5:55)
33. Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (2:54)
34. Common Sense - Resurrection (3:47)
35. Sunz Of Man - Soldiers Of Darkness (6:13)
36. The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??! (3:21)
37. The Notorious B.I.G. - One More Chance (Hip Hop Remix) (4:15)
38. Craig Mack - Flava In Ya Ear (3:37)
39. Gravediggaz - Freak The Sorceress (3:56)
40. The Notorious B.I.G. - Machine Gun Funk (4:17)
41. D & D All Stars - 1, 2 Pass It (Remix) (4:49)
42. King Just - No Flow On The Rodeo (4:24)
43. Special Ed - Freestyle (4:05)
44. Gang Starr - Just To Get A Rep (2:42)
45. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Give It To Ya Raw (4:08)
46. Junior Mafia - Player's Anthem (4:11)
47. Shabazz The Disciple - Death Be The Penalty (Clean Remix) (3:41)
48. Gravediggaz - 1-800-Suicide (Poisonous Mix) (4:25)
49. Artifacts - Attack Of New Jerusalem (4:24)
50. AZ - Rather Unique (4:49)
51. Gang Starr - Say Your Prayers (1:24)
52. Raekwon - Freestyle (2:22)
53. Artifacts - Cummin' Thru Ya F-kin' Block (4:20)
54. The Notorious B.I.G. - One More Chance (4:42)
55. Artifacts - C'Mon Wit Da Git Down (4:04)
56. Sunz Of Man - Five Arch Angels (5:36)
57. Big L - MVP (3:39)
58. Shaquille O'Neal featuring The RZA and Method Man - No Hooks (LP Version) (3:10)
59. King Just - Warrior's Drum (4:25)
60. The Notorious B.I.G. - The What (3:57)
61. AZ - Sugar Hill (4:19)
62. Shabazz The Disciple - Death Be The Penalty (Original Clean Mix) (3:24)
63. Shabazz The Disciple - Righteous Chamber (Interlude) (1:06)
64. The Notorious B.I.G. - Suicidal Thoughts (2:53)
65. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Give It To Ya Raw (SD50 Remix) (4:08)
66. Blahzay Blahzay - Danger (3:45)
67. Gang Starr - Gotta Get Over (Taking Loot) (3:44)
68. Erick Sermon - Bomdigi feat Crystal Gamble (3:34)
69. DAS EFX - Real Hip-Hop (Pete Rock Remix) (4:20)
70. Method Man - The Riddler (Hide-Out Remix) (3:07)
71. Fat Joe - fat joe's in town (feat. Doo Wop) (3:42)
72. AZ - Uncut Raw (2:59)
73. Grand Puba - Very Special (5:13)
74. Black Moon - U Da Man (4:24)
75. Erick Sermon - Tell 'Em feat Keith Murray & Roslyn Noble (2:35)
76. Fat Joe - the shit is real [dj premier - rmx] (4:36)
77. Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo (Lord Digga Remix) (4:07)
78. Cypress Hill - Throw Your Hands In The Air (4:07)
79. Fat Joe - respect mine (feat. Raekwon) (3:20)
80. Pharcyde - Runnin' (4:17)
81. Erick Sermon - Set It Off feat Keith Murray (3:34)
82. Sunz Of Man - No Love Without Hate (Heavenly) (4:00)
83. Das EFX - Real Hip Hop (4:11)
84. Black Moon - Black Smif-N-Wesson (4:23)
85. The Notorious B.I.G. - Me & My Bitch (4:00)
86. AZ - Gimme Yours (3:07)
87. Grand Puba - I Like It (4:23)
88. Fat Joe - success (3:50)
89. Method Man & Redman - How High (Remix) (4:16)
90. AZ - Doe Or Die (Alternate Remix) (3:09)
91. DAS EFX - Real Hip-Hop (Solid Scheme Remix) (4:13)
92. AZ - Doe Or Die (Remixed by The RZA) (3:08)
93. Real Live - Real Live Shit (4:31)
94. Grand Puba - Amazing (4:02)
95. Busta Rhymes - Woo Hah!! The World Wide Remix Feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard (4:28)
96. The Notorious B.I.G. - Who Shot Ya? (5:20)
97. Cypress Hill - Illusions (Q-Tip Remix) (3:51)
98. Connections - Naughty By Nature (3:11)
99. Fat Joe - watch out (3:38)
100. Das EFX - No Diggety (4:03)
101. Erick Sermon - Do Your Thing (3:35)
102. Black Moon - Headz Ain't Redee (5:27)
103. Erick Sermon - Freak Out feat Redman (3:07)
104. Fat Joe - Firewater (previously unreleased) (4:20)
105. Cypress Hill - Red Light Visions (1:46)
106. Das EFX - Microphone Master (4:30)
107. Real Live - Crime Is Money (4:09)
108. Erick Sermon - Boy Meets World feat Rockwilder (3:16)
109. You Won't Go Far - O.C. & Organized Konfusion (3:43)
110. Fat Joe - bronx keeps creating it (3:28)
111. Jeru The Damaja - Invasion (4:39)
112. DAS EFX - Real Hip-Hop (PMD Remix) (4:34)
113. Cypress Hill - Illusions (4:28)
114. Real Live - Larry-O Meets Iceberg Slick (3:37)
115. Akinyele & Sadat X - Loud Hangover (4:12)
116. Inspectah Deck & U-God & Street - Semi Automatic (Full Rap Metal Jacket) (3:59)
117. The Next Spot - Sadat X (3:46)
118. Large Professor - The Mad Scientist (4:03)
119. Tha Alkaholiks - DAAAM! (4:46)
120. Get Down For Mine - Real Live (4:00)
121. High School Rock - KRS-One (3:35)
122. Killarmy - Camoflauge Ninjas (4:48)
123. The Roots - Clones (4:54)
124. Tragedy featuring Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga - La, La (4:30)
125. Busta Rhymes - Woo Hah!! The Jay-Dee Bounce Remix Feat. Rampage (4:44)
126. Erick Sermon - In The Heat (2:09)
127. Das EFX - Microphone Master (4:30)
128. Tha Alkaholiks - Let It Out (4:43)
129. The Rap World - Large Professor (4:03)
130. Artifacts - The Ultimate (4:42)
131. Queen B@$#H - Lil' Kim (3:16)
132. Real Live - Real Live Shit Remix (6:15)
133. The Roots - Concerto Of The Desperado (3:38)
134. Pete Rock/InI - Fakin Jax' (5:39)
135. Killarmy - Wake Up (4:59)
136. Tha Alkaholiks - The Next Level (4:43)
137. I Can't Call It - De La Soul (3:28)
138. The Good, Bad, Desolate - The Roots (4:06)
139. Busta Rhymes - You Won't Tell, I Won't Tell (with Greg Nice) (4:06)

During the recent terrible election cycle, there were many "political" posts on this site. Further, there were even heated arguments, discussions, insults, and other heated things. I have to wonder whether it was worth it?

Supposedly, blogs were an important factor in the last election. I can't imagine why. I wouldn't trust anything I read in a blog. At least not without doing my own research. This pertains to sentiments with which I agree, and facts that support my positions. There simply is very little reason for a blog to be credible. Reputation doesn't matter. Bias doesn't matter. Blogs don't have any relevance in their owner's careers.

"Ah yes", you say, "But my blog is different. I really KNOW what I'm talking about. I have a political science degree!".

Actually that's what I say. But I'm sure there are others who say the same thing or something similar such as "I have an economics degree", "I AM the President", "I read this one book", "I am a reputable writer on such matters and have proven my credibility over the years with a great volume of well-respected and thoroughly researched analysis". Oh wait. Am I kidding?

On the other hand, should political writing be left only to the well known print journalists, talking heads, and media pundits? Thats probably not such a good idea. And before blog world, that is all there was. George Will, Safire, Kinsley, Krugman, think tank goons, etc... established guys. Of course, all of the REAL dirt (meaning boring facts with entirely mundane and non-headline-making realities) were and are still in books by people we've never heard of (well, I have), journals, and Congressional Quarterly.

There is also the problem of basically burning out. If I had to take a guess (and I have to), I'd say that blog traffic along the lines of the "Publish Post" type has significantly dropped in recent months. Thats a long way of saying that since the election, who cares? We're either happy or sad. And thats it. Frothy, righteous indignation is difficult to come by without a staff that is paid to be frothy and/or righteous (I'm looking at you Mr. O'Reilly).

Perhaps we should all just write what we want to. But BEWARE! Be VERY aware! The political blog is boring beast. It is filled with lies, innuendo, crap, and could suddenly disappear! I think its fair to say that the same can be said of the readers of political blogs.

In the case of this blog, it will continue to be what its always been. Probably. So there will still be the occasional political post whenever I feel sufficiently righteous and/or knowledgeable (which is really the same thing to be honest). However, take it with a grain of salt. Take it ALL with a grain of salt.

Stay tuned next time for a post about the taste of dog poop.