Now Civility & Andrew Breitbart are Dead

Over at the Huffington Post administrators are feverishly working, removing negative comments about Andrew Breitbart in light of his recent death.  They’ve got their work cut out for them.  Their efforts are correct, laudable, even. Say what you like about the state of American political discourse, liberals attempts at kindness, attempts at reasonability, civility over the past 10 years has been our best worst enemy. 

The other worst enemy of civility was Breitbart.  He made it his business to lie.  His business was to make negative comments.  He made them,  profited and encouraged them.  He made money degenerating civil discourse, appropriately enough.  He was one of the big reasons political discourse is so darn nasty.  In our less civil moment and if he weren’t dead we’d call him an asshole. But he is and being dead will have to be good enough.

In our moment of silence to honor the man let us remember:  Removing negative comments is something Breitbart would have never done.   Now that he is dead positive comments about his life will no more bring him back than it would be true.  Like the life he led it would be a lie.  Let us remember him in death as he wanted to be known in life. 

In our moment of quiet contemplation of his life let us admit to ourselves, if not each other, positive words are something Breitbart’d have never allowed, much less earned. I will count this as an indirect victory for the Democrats as his death occurred on our watch.  Like Bin Laden.

I know it’s unlikely that Snooki watches the evening news.  But I hope she does.  It’ll give her time to guard against a new bodiless demon.  Seeking a fresh womb.

POLL: Should the United States Release Photos of the slain Osama bin Laden (if any) to the General Public?

On one hand I want to trust our politicians at their word, that Bin Laden is dead without evidence. There doesn’t seem to be a lot gained by lying.  On the other I think we need to release any photos in order to prove to the world that Bin Laden is dead and that, however morbid, we are a people of our word.

What is your thinking?  Please vote or comment appropriately.

Happy Easter from madmonq’s Joint

 

Better to frighten my children by posing them on the lap of some creep in a polyester bunny suit than delivering them to a room full of creeps in their Sunday best.  Whereas creepiness is concerned, polyester is always involved.

Otherwise please meet with family.  Enjoy your time with them if possible.  Eat a ham or something.  Jesus would be pleased by that. 

With sincerity, please have a good day.  Happy Easter from madmonq’s joint.

P.S. I actually scared myself a little creating this post.  Sincerely.

Two Batmen and a Wolverine

I stole this from a Russian website who seems to be frequenting mine for the same reason.  It’s a cool image nonetheless. 

I’m guessing this artist had never heard of Dark Claw, who is not only an evil bunny but Wolverine and Batmancombined as shown then quickly forgotten in Amalgam Comics from a few years ago.  Despite combination of awesomeness I think the name “Dark Claw” was a little silly.  So is Darkwing but I wouldn’t mess with him either.

Artist Timothy Sinclair brings the smart and funny.  The utility belt would have been great had it been made of his empties.  Could have used them to hold his cigar butts.

What would Batman and Wolverine talk about in a bar?  Growing up in a mansion?  Losing their parents at an early age?  What a silly name “Dark Claw” is?  A predilection for teenagers in red and yellow tights?  Grant Morrison?  When you get to this point maybe the meta-jokes get a bit out of hand.

To All Who Have Gone Before Us in 2010 (maybe)

I am reading one of the many lists of events from the past year.  One of them is the list of significant or important deaths in the year 2010.  I’d already forgotten that Leslie Nielson had died. That’s probably because I thought he was dead already.  Anyone else have this experience?  Where is the list of people you though were dead already?

I am always shocked to learn that Ernest Borgnine is still alive. If so they need to get on a “The Black Hole” remake or sequel or whatever Pretty Damn Quick  or else miss that window of opportunity (such as it is).  Also Mariane McPartland? Isn’t she dead?  And if she isn’t, why isn’t she?  She hasn’t been on “Piano Jazz” in like forever & when she is you feel like it could happen at any moment. What about Adam Ant?  If not by natural causes then by embarrassment?  Also all of those poor Chilean miners.  I also keep thinking Patti Smith is dead.  Then I hear about some accolade she’s received for whatever god awful terrible crap she’s done.  As soon as it’s over I go back to thinking, immediately and assuredly, that she is dead.  Again. 

Joey Ramone is dead.

Patti Smith is not. Do you see the problem I am having?

My wife is always claiming American newsperson Tom Brokaw is dead when we we come to realize it was Peter Jennings all along and that he died a long time ago.  I guess the whole newscaster, haircut, suit, newscaster thing sort of blurs the lines.  And either Bernie Mac or George Lopez is dead.  Though one of them has a talk show before Conan O’Brian so I suppose I should check it out.  Also I heard Jay Leno was dead.  Or was that ”The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”?  Or maybe the whole ”dead” thing was a metaphor for Jay killing “The Tonight Show” after all of his whining.   Right.  Steve Guttenberg is another.  Wouldn’t be a good guest on “The Tonight Show” or Bernie Mac’s talk show either, I guess.   

Why don’t I check the interet to see who is alive/dead?  This is why.  The internet is confusing and lies to me.

List of people I always think are still alive but are still dead:  Charles Schulz, Bea Arthur, Ray Charles, Pat Morita and Scatman Crothers.  I always think Charles Schulz is still alive.  I guess because his strip still sees regular print.  I wish the Scatman were still alive but he isn’t.  A price had to be paid for appearing in the film Zapped!  An appropriate but terrible price, nontheless.

Hey there, Scatman you sure you wanna do that movie with that Baio kid?

The Funky Drummer Boy

 

“My Little Drum.”  One of the overlooked songs from Vince Guaraldi’s “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, Guaraldi’s . Variations on “The Little Drummer Boy.”  I love the monastic boombastic of the original, Guaraldi’s is more funky & soulful than anyone other than he could imagine at the time. A Christmas samba. Guaraldi and Charles Schulz inform the modern day suburban creative sect (AKA the hipster) when they are at their best and far more than they’ll ever admit.

Vinnie G

Listening to the Vince Guaraldi channel on Last.FM/Xbox I can plainly hear that the slope created by be-bop in the 1950s to modern day easy listening music. “Lite” jazz, Kenny G, new age music and the even more dreaded world beat.  Listen to Herb Alpert and you’ll hear what kind of monster it’s created. The cheese pouring forth pretty much created the hotel lounge act industry and appears to have inspired every porn soundtrack you’ve ever heard.  Only not in a good way. Herb Alpert defines the trappings of the hipster: A complete lack of style and/or talent covered in cheese and hubris.  The point is, I’m trying to teach the babies something even by osmosis. I think Vince Guaraldi is a good start. I hope they like it.

Guccioni or Not Bob Guccioni

Herb Alpert or Not Herb Alpert

Bonus: What do you get when you cross the “The Little Drummer Boy” with “My Little Drum?”  I think you know. 

The Bing & The Bowie that’s what.  I mean, Bing Crosby is more bad ass than Herb Alpert.  And he’s dead.  Der Bingle, that is.  Herb Alpert less so.

Bonus Bonus! 

Will Ferrell sounds less like David Bowie and more like a James Lipton with a mullet.   

 

Bonus Bonus Bonus!

  

That’s right.  James Brown “The Funky Drummer.”  The funk that Guaraldi, Bing or Bowie can only dream of. I’d suggest that you don’t sit through the whole song.  It’s 9 minutes long and despite the name, the Funk gets pretty boring after a while.

 

 

 

Xmas Cheese

 

Monty Python’s Furry Circus

How the hell did Monty Python know about it?   This clip is like 40 years old and filmed on another continent.    Evidently they’re not only still funny but a bit more clairvoyant than they let on. 

Translation: Dragon*Con is in town this weekend.  As some of you may know my wife & I had twins a few months ago.  They are funner than Dragon Con, about as expensive as the entrance price (only every day) and currently weigh as much as I can carry in comics.  Comics that will eventually be worth the price of a used diaper.  Babies also involve only slightly less cosplay and Leonard Nimoy will definately will not make an apperance at your home for less than $10,000 and a full figured lady of his choosing.  Otherwise, just like Dragon*Con. 

Only we cannot attend.  Probably not attend.  What happen is when you have kids, that means you’ve evidently reached your independant fun/freedom limit for the next 20-30 years.  It’s also no place for very young babies where the crowds swell to near Chinese in proportion.  Twin newborns sort of makes us feel that way nearly every day.  In a good way.

Batgirl and Man 2008.  Courteousy of Rob

A Care Bear and not some sort of pervy anime as was my first guess. Courteousy of anitasarkeesian

Original Wonder Girl and Black Manta in a hotel lobby walk of shame

The comedy stylings of Shatner & Nimoy on the big screen. 

Dragon*Con, or almost any themed convention I suppose, can make you feel like Bicycle Repair Man: Special for being normal while surrounded by the sublime*.  And I mean that in a good way.

*Crikey.  With all the Viking costumes, Bishop get ups and other cross dressing, Monty Python’s Flying Circus practically invented Cosplay and making fun of Cosplayers.  Decades before the Tron Guy**.

 

**Tron Guy not appearing at Dragon*Con this year.  Unless Chad Vader drops out.  Sorry.

19th Century Ipod

Archive.com.  All kinds of media from original 78 or cylinder recordings to books and film.  Most are so old they’ve past into public domain.  Some pretty much lost until someone saved them here.  Newer content can be uploaded onto the site but it’s the old stuff that fascinates me. 

Old recording from the early 1900′s

Gutenberg.org.  If you always wanted to steal Bram Stoker’s Dracula and release it as your own you can now.  It’s also in the public domain and can be downloaded for free.  Along with about 100,000 print items.  Everything Shakespeare has ever written or alleged to have written is here, too. 

Hollywood mines the public domain so they don’t have to pay royalties.  Will Smith has made a movie based on the book “I am Legend.”  Don’t waste your money.  This will be the better of the two.

Both sites are maintained by donation.  It’s kind of scary to think of all those resources being lost. I think we’re getting the better part of the bargain.  

Thank god for edutainment.  Otherwise I wouldn’t learn anything.