Blackie Lawless struggles to understand the news

It's something of a classic day for watching people struggling to cross the massive river flowing between things they understand and things they know. To be fair, hardly anyone would turn to Blackie Lawless for a cogent summary of world events, but his interview in Classic Rock magazine makes him look like a man who shouldn't be trusted to choose his own jello, either.

Classic Rock: You wrote the songs on Babylon while the world was experiencing a global financial meltdown.

Blackie Lawless: It's no secret that I wasn't Bush fan, neither Bush No. 1 nor Bush No. 2. In general, I don't trust politicians. But when this supposed global meltdown was happening a year ago and I saw all these world leaders calling for a one-world government, a one-world system and a one-world currency, I thought to myself: "They gotta be kidding." I mean, do these guys understand what they're talking about? I don't think that they do.

And, let's face it, if Lawless knows anything, it's what someone who doesn't know what he's talking about looks like. He owns mirrors.

Classic Rock: What sort of stuff makes you grit your teeth?

Blackie Lawless: The whole Lockerbie situation. Freeing that Libyan bomber was a despicable act.

Apart from being one of the few people left in the world who believes that "that Libyan bomber" (I'm sure he knows his name, it's not like Lawless would be talking about something he doesn't understand) was responsible for the bombing - at least beyond reasonable doubt - notice how the subtle interplay between realpolitik, trade deals, devolution, compassion, differing standards of justice and differing political approaches can be simply boiled down to "the whole Lockerbie situation".

Plus, as I say, you look at how it's been socialized. I was watching a TV program the other day. It was a British kid here in the U.S. The interviewer asked him: "What did you come here for?" The kid said: "I wanted to start a small business and I couldn't do that in the U.K." There's no help from the government. You can't get a bank loan. There's no incentive to get anything done. Those days are gone. I thought to myself: "Is this where America's going?" It really hurts me to watch your country go that way. The pride factor has gone.

I don't even understand what Lawless means by "how it's been socialised", or indeed where his anecdote starts and finishes. Is he saying its a good thing that the standards of approval for business loans are lower in the US than the UK? But doesn't that feed the sort of financial meltdown of which he disapproves? And isn't being able to hop from the UK to the US to open a business a manifestation of globalisation which a moment ago Lawless was railing against?

Classic Rock: You were a supporter of John McCain during the U.S. presidential election campaign.

Blackie Lawless: By default.

What default would make you support the McCain-Palin ticket? Because voting for that pairing from anything other than conviction seems a little unlikely. You could stay at home. You could have voted for the Libertarians.

Classic Rock: So, how are you finding life under Barack Obama?

Blackie Lawless: I was very, very critical of Obama during the campaign. I wrote a long letter and I sent it out to all the press the night before the election.

How strange that a last-minute letter from Lawless failed to swing the election.

I pulled no punches with this guy because I had really done quite a bit of research on him while the election was going on. He's one of these old-time 60s radicals from way back.

Excellent research work skills, Blackie. The eight year-old Barack was clearly going round spraypainting the streets of Paris in 1968.

He thinks he's going to change the world and he's hell-bent on doing that.

God, yeah - imagine that: someone going into politics hoping to make the world a better place. What a danger to us all.

When he stood there the night of the nomination and he said that he intended on "fundamentally changing" America — a chill ran down my back.

Yes, dammit - shouldn't we be marching to protect the status quo? To ensure that America remains a country where people are hungry, where black men are more likely to end up in prison, where troops are heading off to die overseas? Why would anyone want to mess with that?

If only John McCain had adopted the slogan "If it's broken, don't go trying to fix it, because that might upset the guy from WASP".

Lawless, however, has only just started to ease the lid off his pot of toss:

Thousands of people were just standing there, wildly applauding, and it reminded me of Hitler standing on the steps of the Reichstag.

Yes. People standing in front of a man applauding. It's exactly like Hitler. Unlike at the Republican convention when McCain was selected, and there were only six people and they all stood in solemn silence for five minutes before going "wee-eell... must dash" and leaving quietly by the nearest exit.

People applauding wildly doesn't make someone like Hitler, you chumphead. I imagine that people go wild and applaud at WASP gigs, or used to, when you were famous. That doesn't mean you somehow became one of the Mitford sisters.

I thought, "These people don't understand what this man is talking about, what his true intentions are, and how he is going to go about doing this."

Or perhaps they did and... you know, shared some of his aims and ideals?

This man, like I said, is straight out of the '60s school of radicalism where he thinks he's going to be Robin Hood and rob from the rich to give to the poor.

Robin Hood spent most of the sixties in digs near Nottingham Poly organising muggings of plutocrats. Fact.

I subscribe to the theory: if you work, you eat. And if you don't, you don't.

Yeah. Excuse me, I have to shove some orphans up a chimney... they'll earn that dry rusk, dammit. Now, where were we?

It's really no more complicated than that.

Yes, it's true your philosophy really couldn't be any more simple-minded.

Do we want to be compassionate? Yes. Do we want to help each other as best we can? Yes.

Right. So you have to work to eat, but you help each other out? Do you mean, in effect, that everyone needs to contribute what they can, and we'll all be alright? Perhaps you might like to use the phrase "from each, according to his abilities" there, Blackie. And the helping each other as best we can? That could be summed up as "to each, according to his needs."

But that doesn't mean that I bust my hump to create something and somebody comes along and decides that I can't keep that anymore. That's not what either one of our countries was really built on.

Well, to be fair, Blackie, your country was based entirely on someone coming along and stealing the entire nation from people who were already there. And, pretty much, all British history has seen redistribution in one form or another - not just income tax, but tithes and manorial rights.

But then it is quite confusing, isn't it, Blackie? Perhaps you should just stick to the simple "Obama is like Hitler with his Final Health plan solution" placard painting.

Republicans apologise to Jackson Browne

The long fight between Jackson Browne and the McCain presidential campaign is at an end, with the Republicans writing cheques and issuing apologies:

Singer/songwriter Jackson Browne has resolved his lawsuit against the Ohio Republican Party (“ORP”), the Republican National Committee (“RNC”) and Senator John McCain. The lawsuit arose from a web campaign video produced by the ORP in support of Senator McCain's campaign for President of the United States which incorporated portions of the song Running On Empty, a song written and recorded by Mr. Browne. The lawsuit, filed in August, 2008 in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, alleged that this use of Mr. Browne's song required a license which was not obtained, and that the defendants were liable for copyright infringement, false endorsement under the United States Lanham Act and violation of Mr. Browne’s right of publicity for the use of his voice.

The financial terms of the settlement are confidential.

The ORP, RNC and Senator McCain issued the following statement: "We apologize that a portion of the Jackson Browne song ‘Running On Empty’ was used without permission. Although Senator McCain had no knowledge of, or involvement in, the creation or distribution of the web campaign video, Senator McCain does not support or condone any actions taken by anyone involved in his 2008 presidential election campaign that were inconsistent with artists’ rights or the various legal protections afforded to intellectual property. The ORP, RNC and Senator McCain pledge in future election campaigns to respect and uphold the rights of artists and to obtain permissions and/or licenses for copyrighted works where appropriate."

Fine words, although given that they came in settlement of a lawsuit which McCain and his team had fought, it'd be interesting to find out how the two can be squared.

Still: The Republicans have committed themselves to obtaining permission for music used in election campaigns in the future. That's quite a pledge to make in a legal document, isn't it?

John McCain feels used by Jackson Browne

Jackson Browne's complaints against John McCain using his music during the McCain-Whatwashernamegain campaign have finally drawn a formal legal response from John McCain.

McCain claims that Browne was only making a fuss to draw attention to his new album, and then suggests that he can do whatever he wants with whoever's music he chooses as he was running for President. Who knew after all these years of Republicans happy to extend copyright in any way, shape or direction we'd finally find some sort of fair use that a GOP guy would fight for?

Still, if McCain was smart, he'd have actually countersued Browne on other grounds - after all, stealing his music didn't exactly help the McCain campaign, did it? Perhaps it was the association with Fisty Browne that dragged them down... Browne owes McCain one presidency, right?

He's not a plumber, he's not called Joe and he's not going to be worse off under Obama

Although McCain likes to call us - all of us - "my friends", he doesn't really have that many friends, does he? So it's not surprising that McCain grabs closely anyone who shows the slightest interest in him.

But what is Samuel The Unlicensed Plumber Wurzelbacher's motivation for hanging around McCain, endorsing him and going out to stump for the downward spiral? It turns out it's got nothing to do with politics, and everything to do with trying to launch a career as a country musician:

On Tuesday, Wurzelbacher joined country music artist and producer Aaron Tippin to form a new partnership that includes booking-management firm Bobby Roberts and publicity-management concern The Press Office to field the multiple media offers he’s received over the past few weeks.

Less harmless than Palin's motivation (a 2012 run in her own right), perhaps, but it must be heartbreaking for McCain to realise that his expensive presidential bid is running out its last few days as the poor man's American Idol.

Hank Williams does Palin's bidding

As if the family name hadn't been sullied enough, Hank Williams Junior is trading in what's left of his goodwill in the interests of supporting Sarah Palin and John McCain.

He's rewritten Family Tradition as the McCain-Palin Tradition (a tradition that stretches back to, erm, September, given that they're keen to claim to have nothing to do with previous administrations). But it gets worse than that. Much worse:

The chorus now includes the lines "John and Sarah tell ya just what they think, and they're not gonna blink"

Although Palin is known for a quick wink. And on the rare occasions when Sarah does tell you just what she thinks, she then has to appear on the news with McCain with him complaining that she was tricked into saying what she thinks by a devious person asking her a straight question.

E!'s Answer Bitch gets to grips with McCain question

In what we take to be an email from a Republican, the Answer Bitch is challenged about anti-McCain bands:

If I hear one more band complain about the Republicans using their songs in the presidential campaign, I'll scream. Why don't these singers just shut up and sue?
—Sue

The AB trots through the 'actually, what McCain is doing is wrong but not illegal' argument, but misses the broader point: isn't it, you know, a cornerstone of American democracy that you have the right to make your voice heard; that if someone is implying an endorsement of their creepy policies by using your work it's not whinging to make it loud and clear that, actually, you disendorse them; and that wouldn't the world be a better place if people didn't immediately rush to sue when something happens with which they disagree and - far from whining - the likes of Jovi and Heart are setting an example that their fellow Americans might wish to follow?

McCain annoys another band

We know the McCain-McCheese ticket is struggling to connect with anyone much beyond the hardcore Republican vote, but surely even they must have some sort of musician amongst them? Only time after time, McCain's people are getting annoyed letters from acts whose music they've used.

Latest to object to being linked to the downward spiral are the Foo Fighters:

“It’s frustrating and infuriating that someone who claims to speak for the American people would repeatedly show such little respect for creativity and intellectual property. The saddest thing about this is that ‘My Hero’ was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential,” the Foo Fighters said in a statement. “To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song. We hope that the McCain campaign will do the right thing and stop using our song — and start asking artists’ permission in general!

Butgoshdarnsucks, Foo Fighters, dontcha think that Sarah Palin and her snowboard hobby writing-off family are just like that common man, huh? Winkity-wink-wink?

Republicans don't listen

Despite having been asked nicely not to, the Republicans are still playing Heart's Baracuda at their gatherings. So, not all that big on respect or valuing people's choices, then.

Amusingly, Roger Fisher from Heart has pledged he'll give the royalties earned through the song being played for Republicans straight to the Obama campaign.

McCain ignores cease-and-desist letters

There's a degree of irony in John McCain - a man who has helped the current administration dance to the whim of the copyright industries - choosing to pointedly ignore a cease-and-desist letter. The Wilson sisters from Heart made it clear they didn't want him using their music:

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart have informed the McCain/Palin Campaign that Universal Music Publishing and Sony BMG have sent a cease-and-desist notice to not use one of Heart's classic songs, "Barracuda," as the congratulatory theme for Sarah Palin.

The Republican campaign did not ask for permission to use the song, nor would they have been granted that permission.

"We have asked the Republican campaign publicly not to use our music. We hope our wishes will be honored."

So what came parping out of the speakers once McCain had got to the end of his "I'm not my own man" speech?

Yep. Barracuda.

Copyright law is for other people. John McCain is a scofflaw.

Revenge against the Machine

Following on from the Rage Against The Machine march on the Xcel Centre and the RNC, it looks like last night, the police were out for revenge.

The band were playing a proper, legal, ticketed gig at the Target Centre in Minneapolis (for now, let's leave aside the question of how they're playing a gig at a venue which is a marketing tool for a major Republican Party Contributor as that might just make my head pop). As Coldsnaplegal's Twitter feed witnessed, the cops were waiting for revenge:

Concert goers @the rage against the machiene show are taking to the streets. riot cops on every corner, 1 arrest. need legal observers.

Front of target center cleared. 7th & Hennepin blocked by riot cops. Pepper spray deployed.

folks from after show protest are being arrested and ordered on to city busses at 7th and marquette in minneapolis. arrest numbers unknown.

riot cops have left 7th st. and 2nd ave, 31 people confirmed arrested and taken.

On MnIndy's Twitter, there was a suggestion that media attention might have increased the tension:

I'm hearing the omnipresent buzz of overhead helicopters in Minneapolis. Media's hyping violence threat as Rage lets out downtown.

Rage is not yet letting out. The crowd is mostly looky-loos anticipating violence and beating drums

But, clearly, even before the concert started the police were looking for confrontation:

spp just ticketed everyone here for parking facing the wrong direction icluding the guy parked in his own driveway. huh? -robin

Is the McCain - Mayor McCheese ticket really so petrified of Rage Against The Machine they need to send police out to pepper spray young people who actually show an interest in the political process?

[via Boing Boing]

Polluting the body politic

Barack Obama - and with a slightly less straight face, John McCain - both pledged some time ago to reduce the presence of lobbyists in American politics.

That hasn't stopped the RIAA spending record company shareholder's cash turning up at Denver:

Cara Duckworth, a spokeswoman for the RIAA, said RIAA president Cary Sherman and others from the recording industry are in Denver "to be relevant to the political process. We'll be in Minnesota next week."

Mmm. Yes, since you ask, I did throw up a little in my mouth at that "relevant to the political process" - why should a business lobby group feel they need to be connected to the political process at all? Should they not just wait for democracy to run its course and then see if they're relevant any more?

Gordon in the morning: Blow up

Jaw-dropping excitement from the Kasabian camp via Gordon this morning:

Serge: "Grenade could have blown us to pieces"

Bloody hell - did somebody toss a hand grenade at Kasabian, then?

Erm... not quite:

KASABIAN guitarist SERGE PIZZORNO has had a lucky escape from the most rock’n’roll death of all time.

Oh, yes?

The Leicester rock lord had the entire street evacuated around his new West London gaff after builders uncovered an unexploded wartime grenade in his back garden.

Oh. So it's not actually the "most rock and roll death", it's rather "a recreation of one of the weaker Coronation Street plots of the last couple of years", then.

Luckily for Serge — and his neighbours — bomb-disposal experts managed to diffuse the explosive before disaster struck.

Indeed. When was the last time someone was killed in the UK by a undiscovered wartime ordinance? Not, I suspect, since closer to the Second World War.

Talking of his close call, Serge said: “All it could have taken was the vibrations from a kickabout in the garden or some loud music and we would have been blown to pieces in a pile of rubble and smoke."

Although given it had been lying in the garden for sixty odd years and was only turned up by building work, it's more than likely that the grenade was happily buried. And may well have been past the point of exploding anyway - the army treat all of these cases as if they might be dangerous, but that doesn't mean they are.

Serge hints that this is his Cobain moment:

“I’m 27 as well and there’s a tradition of musicians meeting their end at my age."

Only the good ones, Serge.

But then comes the kicker:

"It’s all sorted now and we should be moving in there in a few weeks."

Move in? So you weren't even living there when the grenade was found? This, then, would be a near-death experience in the way a Ryanair airport is near where it says its flying to.

Paul Thompson finds space in Gordon's columns to report a shock:

Madge 'Hitler' jibe at McCain
By PAUL THOMPSON

Published: Today
MADONNA sparked a political furore yesterday — by comparing US presidential candidate JOHN McCAIN to ADOLF HITLER.

She sparked this furore "yesterday", did she, then? Not on, erm, Saturday, when she first flashed the pictures up?

Ah, but, no, because a Sun reader might wonder why, if she made the comparison on Saturday night, the paper didn't notice until Tuesday morning.

How can McCain hope to lead when the GOP don't even know you shouldn't piss off Jackson Browne?

John McCain's people's attempts to mock Barack Obama - and in particular, Obama's claims that proper tyres and regular tune-ups are better for the planet than drilling out more oil - have run into trouble. His team decided to stick Jackson Browne's Running On Empty on the advert.

Yes. Jackson Browne.

Browne first made them pull the ad; now, he's taking legal action. And the McCain campaign are rushing backwards to try and disassociate themselves from the mess:

Robert Bennett, chairman of the Ohio party, said the ad was pulled when Browne objected. He called the lawsuit a "big to-do about nothing."

McCain spokesman Brian Rogers disavowed the ad, saying it wasn't a product of the Republican presidential candidate's campaign.

Just remember that - misuse of copyright material isn't of any interest to the Republicans. Unless, you know, the complaint has made campaign donations to them.

Punks for McCain

Jonathan Cook, from Forever The Sickest Kid, has thrown his weight behind the bid to get John McCain into the White House. Let's not write him off as a know-nothing commercial punk, though: he's got well thought-out reasons. It's because, erm, when Obama chartered a plane, he painted out the company logo and put his own on instead:

Obama The Patriot - Removes American Flag From His Plane

Barack Obama recently finished a $500,000 total overhaul of his 757. And as part of the new design, he decided to remove the American flag from the tail...

What American running for President of the United States would remove the symbol of his country? And worse, he replaced the flag with a symbol of himself...

What in the world does this guy stand for besides self promotion? GRRRR sorry I am on a tangent.
John McCain 08 FTW!

Presumably Cook isn't such an idiot he doesn't realise that every presidential candidate who has ever hired a plane has had it repainted in campaign colours. So you can only conclude that this is just a desperate bid to try and prove something using spurious 'evidence'. (For the record, McCain has repainted his Swiftair plane with his campaign colours - that, though, wouldn't be self-promotion, would it?