Back Tracks 8

Os Mutantes. The name means little to most people, even amongst musical aficionados. I first heard the name in the early 90's from a Kurt Cobain mention in an interview; he was trying to get this Brazilian band to reform for a show. I looked around, couldn't find any recordings, and was only able to find out they were on the psychedelic edge of the Tropicalia movement of the late 60's. Flash forward to 1999, and a concurrent release on CD of a greatest hits collection and the first three albums they recorded. I picked up a copy of Everything Is Possible!, the best of collection put out on David Byrne's Luaka Bop label. 4 years later, I am still caught in it's spell.

Everything Is Possible! presents to the world a band ahead of it's time. As described on the Luaka Bop website:

They were exactly what their name implies: a mutant genetic recombination of elements of John Cage, The Beatles, and Bossa Nova.

They were that and more. Their experiments led them to "reverse engineer" a wah-wah pedal to make a backwards looping wooh-whooh sound. They used a crude device (later perfected as the Voice Box - think of some of the throaty distortions favored by Tom Waits) to record vocals that sounded like nothing else. Their use of Brazilian bossa nova and samba rhythms seemed a mocking poke in the eye of "popular culture" - a pointed comment that nothing is sacred. Yet they are approachable and definitely "poppy" in sound. The experimentation and psychedelic touches never get in the way of the tune - they paint around it - color outside the lines if you will. But the line is there, and clearly visible throughout (my understanding is that this may be indicative of a choice by the compiler - from reading a bit, it seems that the crazier and rougher songs were carefully trimmed from the collection to present a tighter picture).

If you've ever listened to Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, or Tom Zé, you've been prepared for the path to Os Mutantes. Especially if you've heard Gil's self-titled 1968 release - his backing band on a number of tracks were Os Mutantes. Be forewarned - the road of Os Mutantes contains many surprises, twists and turns. Imagine a band as talented as the Beatles growing up listening to the Beatles themselves. Os Mutantes are that good, and that talented, timeless and relevant. One only need listen to A Minha Menina (My Girl) to find joy in the world.

Did You Know There's a War Going On?

I've tried to stay abreast and stay quiet at the same time. This is VERY HARD for me to do (I chose caps there to give the impression of speaking loudly). I like to throw my opinions around like cluster bombs, hitting targets intended and unintended with equal lack of precision. Often my statements just kind of sit there and get confused with aid packets. Other times they explode on their target as intended. Often I take a bad metaphor and run with it miles past the finish line, like some sort of Forrest Gump playing simile football.

Well, now that I've got that load out of my pants, I think I started by saying it's hard not to talk about the war. Yesterday I was speaking with a friend and asked if the Sand and Thunder Storms was a sign God was against the US Invasion. He pointed out that it may mean Allah is against the invasion. I responded that Bush assures us Jesus is on our side. Which, I commented, must mean the Holy Ghost is the swing vote, undecided as to whom to back. This was funny at the time. I don't think it looks funny in print though. My bad.

Seriously, more and more talk is of the Apocalyptic implications of the Invasion (I really can't see any valid justification, and Invasion is much less namby-pamby than "War of Aggression") of Iraq. There are reports coming at us that "The Arab Street" (another nice misnomer there) is describing this as the second step in the War on Islam. I don't remember the same anger, rhetoric and vitriol aimed at the US in Afghanistan. I don't remember being cast as a nation on a Crusade. Words like Crusade don't get thrown around every time someone goes after a dictator. On the national Fox stations, after Resident Bush's speech declaring:

"48 hours, you meglomaniacal, dictatorial, self-appointed leader. God, I love myself. I say such kind things about me! Feels good! Let's roll! Oh, are we broadcasting? Um, we (the pennyroyal we) hope (not) that Saddam leaves before my two day love-fest ends. if not, we (me and Dick and Rummy and the people they hired), are going to bring hell upon the Earth in and around the vicinity of Iraq and other "I" countries (that means you, Syria) in the Middle East . I prey - I mean pray - upon the Lord to do as I ask and not listen to that stupid Polish Pope representative of God on Earth guy. 48 hours Saddam. That's three days before I strike"

these stations showed the Ahnold movie End of Days. Coincidence? Not likely.

Well, I got more, but no more time. Got to get ready for work and all. If you can't tell though, this War thing has me all worked up with no where to go. AARGH!

Back tracks 7

Is The Last Waltz over yet? How is it, that 25 years after an over-long, self-congratulatory, look-at-all-the-cool-people-we-know "farewell" concert, The Band's last show still matters? It doesn't. it didn't matter at the time (although no one wants to admit it), and it matters less now. Though you would never know it judging by the fawning reviews of last year's 4 disc version of the longest group hug ever.

The Band should be remembered as the greatest rock 'n' roll backing band of all time. They could play any style, from any time in American popular music. Their recordings with Bob Dylan (best documented on the bootleg series The Genuine Basement Tapes) are rightfully legendary, and as the backing band for Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Van Morrison on The Last Waltz they proved it again. But on their own, they too often sound like a competent cover band; the songs sound like you've heard them before, and in more dynamic arrangements. It's as if they never synthesized their individual influences to find their own collective voice. Backing an artist with a distinct idiomatic voice (as is the case with the three artists above), The Band shines. The leadership of these artists focuses the skills of The Band and creates something transcendent. The version of Helpless that Neil Young and The Band performed that November day in '76 is the best one I've ever heard.

But The Band themselves? Twaddle, pure and simple. As the coked-out superstars of the early seventies said goodbye to their relevance at The Last Waltz, Punk was rising in England, riding the snot and spittle anger of the next generation in 3-minute staccato bursts. The Weight with it's pseudo-religious tones and painfully deep lyrics like:

Crazy Chester followed me and he caught me in the fog
He said "I will fix your rat if you'll take Jack my dog''
I said "Wait a minute Chester, you know I'm a peaceful man''
He said "That's okay boy, won't you feed him when you can?''

gives way to the Sex Pistols Pretty Vacant:

Don't ask us to attend
'cause we're not all there
Oh don't pretend 'cause I don't care
I don't believe illusions 'cause too much is real
So stop your cheap comment

'cause we know what we feel

Overblown metaphor would never be the same. Thank God.

Heigh-ho

We bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb in Iraq the whole day through
To bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb is what we really like to do
"It ain't no trick to get rich quick
If you kill kill kill Saddam," says Dick,
"It's all mine! It's all mine! It's all mine! It's all mine!
Where a million barrels shine!"

We bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb from early morn till night
We bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb everything in sight
We kill civilians by the score
A thousand Iraqis, sometimes more
But we don't know what we bomb 'em for
We bomb bomb bomb a-bomb bomb

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho

Chorus
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
To bomb Iraq we go
(Whistle)

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho

(Chorus)

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
(Whistle)

Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho
Heigh-ho hum

(Chorus three times)

Heigh-ho (until fade)

Apologies to composer Frank Churchill and lyricist Larry Morey.

Note: For those of you who missed the Chirac interview on 60 Minutes, CNN has the transcript.

Hello? Is There Anybody Out There?

It seems like everyone and their Uncle Sam are "working the phones." Or, in the case of Condi Rice, working the Sunday morning shows (CBS and ABC; Tim Russert, official NBC administration suck-up, got the "esteemed" Colin Powell himself). I imagine Bush's "personal touch" working like this:

W: Vicente, mi amigo! You got my back, right?
FOX: Actually, I'm undecided. I'm really unsure of whether this war is justified at this point. I
W: (interrupts) Listen here you jumped up wetback, you WILL back my butt at the UN or 3 million illegal Mexicans are getting the boot. We've got Bulgaria on board, and I'm sure with their Third World economy, they'd be happy to send over people to clean our houses.
FOX: I don't appreciate being threatened. It didn't work so well with Turkey, did it?
W: You signed NAFTA, which means we're free to insert our boots into your ass. Maybe we'll up the "War on Drugs" to a "War on Terror" level and carpet bomb you like Cortez on steroids.
FOX: Maybe I'll change my mind...
W: Thought you might. here's 10 Million.

And Fox is an ally and neighbor! Here's a phone conversation with Ismael Gaspar Martins, Angola's UN Ambassador:

W: "Call me Ismael". Ha! Mind if I call you Ismael?
MARTINS: Yes.
W: (humph) Nice sense of humor you got there. So where the hell is Angina, anyways?
MARTINS: AnGOLa is a large nation - nearly twice the size of Texas - on the Western coast of Africa, bordering Namibia and the -
W: (interrupts) Sorry if I seemed to care there. Look, you're with me, right? RIGHT?
MARTINS: While, I'm unsure. The wars in my country have killed almost 1.5 million people in the last 25 years. We're trying to salvage something -
W: (interrupts again) Did you say Texas back there? I almost missed it. What would you like to know about Texas?
MARTINS: Nothing, sir. As I was saying, we're trying to rebuild our country -
W: (interrupts) Nothing!? That's what you're going to get you stinking bushman! I'll rip that robe off you and give you a good whippin' unless you do as I say now! Uppity little -
MARTINS: (interrupts) Monsieur de Villepin is here. Goodbye.

If it wasn't for our economic power, I'm sure we'd get 100% stonewalled. But blackmail is par for the course here. Just don't try to blackmail the US. North Korea - are you listening? Turkey - sure you won't change your mind?