Well That Explains THAT

I always wondered.

Sweet Sweet Sacrilege

From Patton Oswalt's Star Wars filibuster on Parks and Rec.

Losing My Religion and I Feel Fine

Join me in being amazed that someone found a way to shift this song into a major scale and how drastically it changes the song's feel. 

TTIF!  (Thank Tarvu It's Friday.)

Bastards Assemble(d)!

Bastards Eric, Matt and Jay called an emergency assembly in Nashville this past Saturday. And as three bastards is all we need for a quorum (Bastard Charter, Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1), several pressing orders of business were addressed. Perhaps the most surprising was Grand Poobah's closing pronouncement, which I quote word-for-word below:

Joe is no longer Consigliari. He's going to be our lawyer in Vegas. That's no reflection on Joe it's just the way I want it.

Volcanic Green Energy

Geothermists are going to pour 24 million gallons of water into the side of a dormant volcano in Oregon this summer in possibly the awesomest green energy move we've ever seen.

"They hope the water comes back to the surface fast enough and hot enough to create cheap, clean electricity that isn’t dependent on sunny skies or stiff breezes — without shaking the earth and rattling the nerves of nearby residents." Story here.

I'm no scientician, but I'm sure the idea was inspired by that Brady Bunch volcano science project episode...

TGIF Don't Let This Happen To You

Don't let an overcommitted holiday season keep you from embracing your inner reveler.

You Owe Us More

                                                The Libs


                                                J.M.

Dear Artist:
You rocked all sorts of ass with your early releases, then disappeared off the grid. This is unacceptable. We figure you owe us at least three or four more good albums. The reasons for your hiatus - like the opportunity to take better drugs, or the dream of becoming the J.D. Salinger of indie rock - are immaterial.
The rest of the Bastards will be adding to this list. Please get to work.
The Potentate speaks thusly.
You're on notice:
1. The Libertines
2. Jeff Mangum/Neutral Milk Hotel

Week Six Weigh In

187.8, a one week loss of 1.2 pounds.

Total weight lost so far, 7.6 pounds.

Somehow managed to lift weights four days this week. Pants are considerably looser than when I started. In fact, I'm wearing my belt one notch tighter, too ...

Bring it, Dave!

Unclear On The Concept

Happy Holidays, you bastards!

Great Idea

Who's in?

The force will be with you... and give directions

Yep, New Sheriff In Town

From Bloomberg:

The president said that when top White House aides leave government, they are barred from lobbying “for as long as I am president, and there will be a ban on gifts by lobbyists to anyone serving in the administration.”

A lobbyist who joins the Obama administration also is forbidden from working on issues they previously were involved with, he said. Any person who leaves the administration will be barred from lobbying the government for two years.

“We are here as public servants, and public service is a privilege,” Obama said, addressing his White House staff and Cabinet on his first full day in office. “It’s not about advancing yourself or your corporate clients.”

“We need to close the revolving door that lets lobbyists come into government freely and lets them use their time in public service” to promote their own interests when they leave, the president said. Government hiring, he said, will henceforth be based on qualifications, competence and experience, “not political connections.”

So, oil lobbyists can't run the EPA anymore?! Jesus, what's next, fiscal responsibility?

Nice

I love how the marketing machine continues to chug even as the lawsuit between Warner Brothers and Fox could prevent this film from ever seeing the light of day.

Google Gets Another One Exactly Right

Check out Google's new browser, Chrome.  Simple, clean and functional as hell.  Just what you'd expect from these guys.

An Immodest Proposal

Gentlemen, I think we should try to think of a way we could pull off the first annual Bastard Bash.

Some possible scenarios:

1) Dave and Joe drive to Washington D.C. together. Jay and Mike fly/drive/hitchhike. We get a cheap hotel in Silver Springs or something and count on Andy to put together an itinerary of fellowship, fun, and gin.

2) We congregate in Memphis, home of two esteemed members. Those of us traveling kick Lurker out of his own home and take over. Ribs are eaten, the P & H is visited and Huey's burgers are ingested. Perhaps a AAA ballgame is seen and Beale Street is scoffed at, but visited nonetheless.

3) Everyone travels to the Ryan Adams birthplace of Jacksonville, NC. Joe also happens to live there. We get a crappy beach hotel and admire beautiful sunsets while writing haiku on cocktail napkins.

So, all of those ideas are excellent you say? Then when shall we do this? I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'm free from May 20 to about June 15. Discuss.