January 2nd, 2009 by JohnRadcliff

Fine ham abound, and I know I promised I would do some lists or something before 2008 was over. But really, this blog in it’s latest form hasn’t really been around long enough to compile a list worth reading. I mean we’re not even two pages long!! Maybe next year.

Anyhow, I just read this and thought to myself, “self, when will people learn that you can’t and probably shouldn’t try to save every last stupid person in the world? At some point you have to let the worst of the worst die so they do not pollute the gene pool.”

About 800 Americans die each year in fires caused by careless smoking and the coalition estimates that number will be reduced if at least half the states pass the law.

“There has been a rash of smoking materials deaths,” Oklahoma Fire Marshal Robert Doke said Monday. “A cigarette will fall into overstuffed furniture or mattresses when people fall asleep, or it rolls off an ashtray and on to the carpet, then the possibility for ignition happens.

800? We’re writing laws for 800 people? Look, this might be some of the same 800 people that leave their child in the car on 100 degree days with the windows rolled up! Forgetful is as forgetful does. I smoke, and if I die in a fire caused by my cigarette I don’t want you to cry for me!! It was my own stupid fault. We’re much better off taking these people out of the loop, because I promise you it won’t be the last stupid thing they do.

In unrelated news, I’m recording music this weekend! Even if it hairlips every cannibal on the Congo!

December 29th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

I recently watched Charlie Wilson’s War, about the clandestine war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. At the end of the movie, after the Soviet forces withdraw, Wilson asks for one million dollars to build schools in Afghanistan and is rejected. There’s a quote of Wilson after the movie is over (paraphrased), “We did something wonderful, and then completely fucked it up.”

When Wilson started raising money for the war, the US budget for operations in Afghanistan was five million dollars. By the end of the war, our budget was 500 million dollars. At the point where he is rejected, it becomes obvious that Wilson’s main concern wasn’t really to defeat the Soviets, but to help the Afghans. As the past decade has shown us, an investment in Afghanistan then would have completely changed the way the world looks today. The lesson is that we are great at winning wars, but awful at winning the peace.

I found it to be a very entertaining and informative movie, and suggest you see it at your earliest convenience.

Having said that, I see a conflict with my feelings about getting out of Iraq. The big difference here is that we invaded Iraq and are seen as an evil influence by Iraqi’s. It’s impossible for any government in Iraq to have legitimacy as long as we are there. But certainly, there is much more to do in that country once we do leave. We need to plead with the international community to help with reconstruction. It’s never a pleasant feeling to ask the world with our hat in our hands to help, but that’s exactly what we need to do. Because one thing is for sure, once we leave Iraq we should make sure we never have to go back there again. But any assistance we give in this effort has to be done with as small a footprint as possible.

December 23rd, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Like most people, I loveThe Big Lebowski. Great, fun movie that I can literally watch over and over. I bring it up because I don’t want my last post before Christmas to be negative. Yesterday’s was certainly that. So I’ll leave you with something fun until after Christmas where I hope to list some stuff I like and stuff. Happy Holidays!

December 22nd, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Spreading the Christmas gloom before I come back with some cheer.  Just like the post I did below on Rock, it seems my eyes only find what they want to see. The theme for my eyes today is all the people I see being rewarded for doing a crappy job.

Starting locally, here’s a story about the former president of the Juliana Historical District being rewarded with an interview. Her crappy job? She had her front sidewalk redone with brick using funds from the district. Yes, she was removed from office, and has to pay the money back. But the whole ordeal threw the district into a chaos of sorts, and the annual Christmas tour was cancelled this year.

On a national level, and hardly shocking, $1.6 Billion went to bailed out bank executives. But for some reason, we expect auto workers to take pay cuts and layoffs with a smile?

The 116 banks that so far have received taxpayer dollars to boost them through the economic crisis gave their top tier of executives nearly $1.6 billion in salaries, bonuses and other benefits in 2007, an Associated Press analysis found.

You know, for doing such a great job!

And those who do a good job and try to make a difference? Shit yeah they get the pants sued off of them…and I think to myself what a wonderful world.

December 17th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

If you like college football at all and know anything about the hiring of Gene Chizik at Auburn, you will love this.

December 16th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Driving home for lunch today, I switched to a radio station that passes as the rock station in these parts. What I heard was four songs that sounded like bad rip offs of Tool. For all I know, one of them could have been Tool or A Perfect Circle. But it got me to thinking, “is rock ‘n’ roll dead?”

With everyone under the sun coming out with their year end top 10 albums, I quickly thought about how many of those albums were “rock” albums. The answer was none.

I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t lean towards indie rock. But still, doesn’t anyone rock anymore? Or are the days of Kiss, AC DC, etc. over? Well, yes those bands have seen better days. But isn’t there anyone to fill that void? Sadly, the only band I can think of is Guns ‘n’ Roses. Not the 2008 version!! The 1987 version! Keep in mind that while I type this, I am fully aware that I have done nothing to help matters.

Doesn’t it seem that everyone is just trying to be too cute, or too sensitive, or pretty much anything that isn’t right up in your face no excuses Rock? My God this is sad! The only thing coming to mind is a song by McLusky called To Hell With Good Intentions. You might not even agree with me on that one, but I just love the rawness of that song. So anyway, leave me a band or a song that I should go listen to to get me over this filthy malaise.

December 16th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Lyrics is a periodic post to introduce new songs to the world. At least the lyrical side of the song until I do something crazy, like record it. Picture via Alastair Lee.

Yup, not generating too many happy songs lately. Which is strange in itself as things are pretty good. But the last song, Lies, was another song that has been with me since this spring that I haven’t been able to finish until now. So in a sense, it’s a good thing that I’m able to focus these things out to a conclusion. I’m certainly ready to move in a happier direction!

This song is called, Alright. It’s a lot of thought about what it will take to make everything alright. Duh! For a pretty good while this spring I was lacking some direction. I was tired from the trip out west, and I could never get grounded. So it’s about that, and my lack of songs that I’m happy with, and my perception that I wasn’t getting it done over at FanHouse. Anyway, you have to make yourself happy to feel alright. You all know this, or you should.

Can’t erase this impossible past. Can’t escape these things that don’t last. Close my eyes as I try to forget. My God what a beautiful mess.

Full of everything I never needed. Full of nothing to help make it alright.

Cut my wings off so I couldn’t fly. Just kept falling through this endless sky. Picked a place were I wish I could land. Keep dreaming of the day I can stand.

Stand alone without anyone leaning. Stand alone and just smile and feel alright.

You beat yourself up every time. Second guessing every line. Feeding off empty rhymes just wondering how to make it feel again…alright.

Fade away don’t look back can’t look back. Nothing ever changes the past. Hit rewind every time is the same. No winners in this losers game.

Lose enough just to gain some perspective. Stand alone and smile and feel alright.

You beat yourself up every time. Second guessing every line. Feeding off empty rhymes just wondering how to make it feel again…alright.

December 10th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

I hate to say this, because Joe Satriani is one of my early idols as far as playing guitar goes. But I think it is worth mentioning that he is not one of my songwriting idols. The big reason is that he isn’t very good at writing songs. Hell of a guitar player? Absolutely!! But just go listen to pretty much any of his songs, and you hear a three or four chord progression with bass and drums, and he solos over top of it for 3-4 minutes. Obviously, that doesn’t cover every song, but certainly most of them that I have listened to follow that pattern.

Anyway, Joe is claiming Coldplay stole his song, If I Could Fly with their song Viva La Vida. I think it’s total bullshit. There’s nothing remarkable about either song, as we’ve all heard that a million times before. It’s a simple melody line over a simple chord progression. I’ll admit that they are very similar, but there’s nothing blatant about what Coldplay is doing there. If anything, Chris Martin is ripping himself off, because we’ve heard him sing like that on a ton of Coldplay songs. It’s base, it’s what he does, and if he was stealing it, he wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Joe Satriani to pick it up. Something as simple as that melody can be picked up on any corner in any city, so to speak. Judge for yourself, though. Here’s a video comparing the two songs. Please keep in mind that things were altered to make the two sound more similar than they really are. Click on more info.

Joe might have a case if he was doing anything that was truly original. But he’s wanking off on the same melody over and over again. At least Martin changes the words every time he goes through the melody.

December 5th, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Actually, the difference between being laughed at and envied. HT With Leather.

December 2nd, 2008 by JohnRadcliff

Lyrics will be a periodic post to introduce new songs to the world. At least the lyrical side of the song until I do something crazy, like record it.

For some reason, I feel like I’m getting ready to unload a ton of lyrics onto all the music I’ve written over the past six months. Not exactly the way I try to operate, but when you are in a writer’s block you take whatever you can get. This song, Lies, is the first song I have finished in quite a while if you don’t count the College Football songs or the Songpull Songs. I don’t, for what it’s worth. I like those songs, and what I do with them. But they are not what I would refer to as real songs. Real songs take time. You write, erase, write some more and wait until the newness wears off. Then you either go forward with what you have or back to the drawing board.

This song is about Lying to yourself and how those lies might be a temporary fix, but end up doing more damage in the long run. A friend of mine asked me to write a song for him about what it’s like to be out on the road away from your family. He’s a traveling fiber optic installer for one of  those big fiber optic installing companies and lives much the same life I used to live when I was a traveling computer tech. Except I didn’t have a family of my own. But I had things I was away from, things/people/pets that I missed. I lied to myself in ways to suppress those feelings so I could do my job and not worry. It always caught up with me in the end, though.

Verse

I lie to myself all day long inside this hell I try to get away and put it off for one more day.

Chorus

But lies offer no protection, give no direction, show no affection. Just widdle away every day an I ain’t got nothing for the pain but a lie. Silly lie, that’ll disappear in the light.

Verse

My eyes soak it in tinted glass against the wind of lies from yesterday seeping in and here to stay.

Chorus

But lies offer no protection, give no direction, show no affection. Just widdle away every day and I ain’t got nothing for the pain but a lie. Silly lie, that’ll disappear in the light.

Verse

Maybe some day I’ll get home and wash away the lies that stain my skin, pull me down, and drag me in.

Chorus

Those lies offer no protection, give no direction, show no affection. Just widdle away every day and I ain’t got nothing for the pain but a lie. Silly lie, that’ll disappear in the light.