Hoping the experience finds its way into a song ...

Image via flickr

Just spent the day driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville, North Carolina to Roanoke, Virginia - 270 beautiful miles in sunshineSun Aug 07 23:57:02 via webBilly Bragg
billybragg

Billy Bragg's newest is a reaction to the tabloids and the phone hacking scandal.

‘NEVER BUY THE SUN’ filmed at Garforth Academy | Billy Blogg

Scousers. The Sun.

BILLY BRAGG - NEVER BUY THE SUN from Billy Bragg on Vimeo.

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, January 28, 1986

Space Shuttle Challenger disaster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Twenty-five years later and it's still a gut-wrenching surprise when the shuttle transforms into a plume of smoke. I was a sophomore in high school. I don't really remember the moment. Getting old. It feels like I was watching it live, that day and the next few after we all saw the footage so many times it's become ingrained. It's more likely though I heard the announcement over the loudspeaker in class.



If there's a song that helps me process my feelings about the event, and the current state of the space program, it's Billy Bragg's "The Space Race is Over."



Here I am though, with my space out in cyberspace, and all you need is the URL to know where I'm at. Still waiting for that tide of technology to take us to the moon.

I'll update this post below with links to other remembrances as I spot them:

WRAL.com discusses the NC connections of the crew. 

NASA - Day of Remembrance

Oliver Willis remembers.
Boing Boing on myths about Challenger.
Ghost in the Machine remembers.
MeFi remembers.

Lefty Huckster

Bragg's Emporium - USA Milkman, Stone Blue T-Shirt

Clickthrough for the song.
Image via Bragg's Emporium

I must be a sucker; I want the shirt.

I Need an Extra Pint (of Human Kindness)

Bummed because Billy Bragg is playing at the Cat's Cradle tonight, just up I-40, and I can't be there. I'm hoping to see some pictures on flickr later tonight ...

Sitting backstage @ the Cats Cradle, Carrboro, N Carolina. Onstage in 3 hours. Saturday night! Let it rock!Sat Sep 18 21:41:02 via webBilly Bragg
billybragg

"I Saw Two Shooting Stars Last Night / I Wished On Them But They Were Only Satellites"

This put me in the mind of that ol' Billy Bragg song ...

Perseid Meteor Shower Failure from ph dee on Vimeo.

Aw heck, since I referenced, might as well put the song video here too:

Some Days Are Like Diamonds

I love days like today. Bright sun and dry air ... it's like the Looper song says, "some days are like diamonds, the way they catch the light." It was like that. Went golfing. Played like crap, nothing new or surprising about that, but it hardly mattered. Listened to the Sox game on the radio driving down to the course. Manny hit a 3 run homer early in the game, which made me think fondly of my pal Allie sitting out in the bleachers at Fenway, soaking in the sun, cheering 'em on. The Bosox ended up losing, by the way, because of Jimmy Williams. I'm finally going to go public and join the throngs in this sentiment -- he needs to be shitcanned before he lets Craig ".059" Grebeck or Darren "Late Game Defensive Replacement" Lewis bat in a crucial situation again. Today was also the 15th anniversary of the day Roger Clemens became the first pitcher to strike out 20 batters in a game and it was cool to hear Joe Castiglione recall the game during the broadcast. I just now watched highlights of it ... Rocket was amazing that day ... he was so on that it hitters weren't even getting a chance to foul off pitches, everything was a swing and a miss, incredible.

So today had all that golf and baseball history going for it plus going down to Lupo's to see the Dropkick Murphys, per Mark's suggestion. They put on a great show. Any band that warms up the crowd by playing "Alternative Ulster" and "There Is Power In A Union" over the loudspeaker before they take the stage you just know is going to kick ass. Loved the bagpipes ... and the guitar/accordion player's antics ... didn't love some of the self-aggrandizing, stage-hogging superfans -- Sing Along Fist Pumping Hug the Lead Singer Until Thrown Offstage Boy irked me. Sweaty Lots of Ass Crack Showing Fist Pumping Jerk Boy was a horrible and fascinating spectacle. Cute Rolled Her Shirt Up And Danced Provocatively Girl was the only one I wish got more stage time. I'd never heard the DMs before, so I couldn't tell you most of what they played, but they did some great covers: "Which Side Are You On?" (which Mark has already commented on), CCR's "Fortunate One," AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds," the Clash's "Career Opportunities," and a mind blowing take on "Amazing Grace." Lars Fredericksen and the Bastards also did a nice job covering Billy Bragg's "To Have and Have Not." I only my hope my skull stops ringing so I can get to sleep tonight.

Calexico Thanks To Magnet

I don't listen much to the radio for music. DJs drive me insane with their idiotic jibba-jabba and the music sucks. (Occasionally, way over at the left of the dial, I can tune in something decent for a while, but those stations fuzz out everytime I drive more than 10 miles in any one direction.) So, when I wanted to get some new albums to listen to in the car, I started flipping through the mags at Borders and Magnet Magazine caught my eye. (The Steve Earle cover currently displayed wouldn't have done it, last issue was Ween with Billy Bragg, the Mekons, Wire, Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse, and Belle & Sebastian in big print.) The Calexico album I picked up based on the review turned out to be really good.