Government Shut Down

And so the federal government is shut down.

Proving again that a small group of dedicated idiots can wreak havoc on the world.

Meanwhile, from the bad old days:

Pour Your Misery Down

And then there's this.

Live McCartney

I hope I can rock this hard when I'm in my 70s.

Seriously, this is so great it makes me take back half the mean things I've ever said about Sir Paul.

Paul McCartney Live Stream from Jimmy Kimmel Live on Myspace.

Snowfall

It snowed today in Anchorage.

I'm told that's the earliest snowfall there since 1947.

And while it probably won't stick -- not yet anyway -- but it reminds me of how much I miss Alaska.

And how the world just keeps turning no matter what happens.

Seasons change.

But in change there is hope.

And promise.

Of something. Even if we can't be sure of what.

Came Out With My Soul Untouched

I Swear I Found the Key to the Universe in the Engine of an Old Parked Car

Any Trouble, the great probably-should've-beens who had the misfortune of being on Stiff Records at a time when everyone else on Stiff Records was considered the next big thing, play around Bruce Springsteen's tempo on their debut album Where Are All The Nice Girls from 1980.

I'd never heard this before tonight, but here it is:

Dreaming of the Past

I Was Shivering Inside

Long before Sigur Ros was a glimmer in the eye of whatever Icelandic lava-sprite birthed them, Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Phil Manzanera (and sometimes Brian Eno) were sculpting sonic soundscapes that seemed to stretch forever through the wispy fog of memory.

And so... from early 1981, here's the only UK #1 single from Roxy Music.

Not sure why it's on my mind today... but it is.

Whistle amongst yourselves...

Boom Goes My Heart

My simple wish: may you move deliberately in the direction of kindness and love today.

You'll ever totally get there. None of us will.

Don't let that stop you.

Just take a step.

From wherever you might be right now.

(Then repeat as often as you can.)