Chrisco Spins

This week I went and saw a show at one of our fine local music venues. As I typically do, I showed up late and did what I normally do, head straight to the bar. As the venue was rather intimate and there was not a place to stand at the bar and get a drink without blocking people, or just being an ass, I skulked to the back of the room in defeat and sans drink.

Unbeknown to me, this set of events was witnessed by a gentleman who took pity on my sad fruitless venture. A few minutes later, a resigned to no drinks me, was told by a waitress that “the gentleman” wanted to buy me a drink. It was just like an episode of the Golden Girls. (more…)

Somewhere we lost our way. Somehow we forgot. Bob Marley is the greatest reggae artist in the history of reggae. But despite his greatness, at some point Bob Marley got co-opted by commercials, chain restaurants, and fraternity members driving Jeep Wranglers. It’s gotten to the point that you can’t even like Bob Marley publicly without being lumped into that Gap-wearing, beer-chugging, feathered-hair under a college cap having group of idiots. (more…)

Google today announced a scheme that would provide free phone numbers and voice mail to the homeless in San Francisco. That’s great. Legitimate homeless people trying to get off the streets need this service. It will do wonders. But that’s not what I’m talking about today. (more…)

For those who don’t know, an embargo on a news story essentially means that respectable news outlets have jointly agreed not to tell a story, or to not tell a story until some future date. It’s the reason that journalists can tell you what the President will say at a speech a day before he says it. It’s also the reason you never see that President Bush went to Iraq until after he has already left. News people know he’s there, but they’ve agreed not to tell anyone else. Why? Because it could get someone killed. Maybe the president, maybe someone protecting the president.

It’s also the reason that no news outlet has told you that Britain’s Prince Harry was serving in Afghanistan. There was a fake story run out by the British Defence Ministry that he was training in Canada. Truth is, Harry had been in Afghanistan for months. A lot of journalists knew. I knew. But no one had leaked the information because it would paint a big target on Harry’s back for every Taliban fighter in Afghanistan to take aim. Until today. (more…)

The world lost a little bit of its rhythm last night when drummer Buddy Miles died at the age of 60. He was most famous for co-founding Band of Gypsies with Jimi Hendrix. Here’s a clip of Buddy playing with Hendrix. Enjoy.

A story about water got me thinking today. Authorities in Gaza are telling residents to boil their water before using it to drink or cook. Why? The ongoing Israeli blockade has caused a shortage of the chlorine needed to treat municipal water supplies.

The story got me thinking about a question. At what price can I protect myself? (more…)

Earlier this year, I tried to talk my son into getting a mohawk. I’d always wanted to try one and figured I could hide behind the excuse of “I was doing it with my son.”

My son thought it was a terrible idea. He’s way cuter than me and he wasn’t about to mess up his burgeoning sex appeal so his father could live out a childhood fantasy. (more…)

I make no effort to hide the fact that my politics lean pretty heavily liberal. If you need any proof of that, take a look at my opinion on the ethics of torture. So tonight’s MSNBC debate should be required viewing for me. But I’m not watching. It’s just too much. Familiarity has bred contempt as the saying goes. (more…)

All I know about the guy who drew this cartoon is that his name is Mike and his website is here. I think it’s great. But my sense of humor is a little twisted sometimes. See for yourself.

Barack Obama is running for president with a message of unity. But not everyone is getting the message. Jose Ortiz is a Clinton supporter. His brother-in-law, Sean Shurelds, backs Obama. A political argument got heated between the two and ended with Ortiz stabbing Shurelds inside their family home. Shurelds is in hospital and Ortiz is in jail tonight. And to think, usually we can’t even get people to vote.