Brianland

Tick tick, click click, time’s a wastin’, page refreshing, Dynasty ending in Dallas.
Get Smart, Eight Years Is Enough; 
Voters Touched By An Angel To Crown New American Idol Next Week.
This is kinda hard to fathom, but do you realize that Hillary Clinton has never been ahead in the voter-elected pledged delegate count (what determines the nomination) for […]

[Read more →]

“Meet me in Ohio!  Let’s have a debate!” demanded a seething, red-eyed Hillary Clinton last week. It’s a good-old Western showdown! 
 
Tonight, MSNBC, 9PM — 10:30PM Eastern, from the home of Rock n Roll, Cleveland, Ohio.
 
It’s 90 minutes, and will repeat numerous times during the overnight.  Moderated by Tim Russert and Brian Williams — two of […]

[Read more →]

THE ROCK PARTY  and  THE FALL OF NEW YORK
                                                                         * 
It was a really magic night!  Until the nightmare. 
Couldn’t sleep the night before  –  up at 6 AM watching the camera follow Don Imus into his polling station with a long line of people out the door waiting to vote, and him saying, “I’ve Never seen […]

[Read more →]

This was a letter to the editor, published in The Toronto Star, March 4, 2003.
“A Love Affair With Southern Neighbor Goes Bad” 
Growing up as a kid on the prairies in the 1960s and 70s I was instilled with a kind of knee-jerk anti-American sentiment that seemed to be fostered by every person I met.  Then […]

[Read more →]

Long slow line winding around industrial waterfront of Toronto, on Lake Ontario, minus about 20 with the wind-chill, waiting to go into big square industrial box to absorb some very organic music. 
Beers, you could smoke, and it wasn’t over packed. 
He comes on about 8:35 wearing big white cowboy hat, and black western show suit. 
First 3 […]

[Read more →]

The Bob Night at Springsteen . . .
I noticed that no one seems to be talking about Bruce’s Dylan rap moment. 
So, first Bruce returns after the 1st round of encores, “And I’m thinking, ‘Okay, if anybody’s comin out, this is it.’”  Being a New Yorker, I’m always pullin for this, there being so many musicians […]

[Read more →]

The Secret Life of Winifred Mitty
With an affectionate nod to neologist and word-sculpting dreamer James Thurber.  

 
Flashbulbs were popping all around her.  Photographers called her name from every direction so she’d turn and look them in their camera eye. 
“Winnie, over here!” 
“Hey Winnie, loved you in Dark Gables!” 
“Winnie, you still going out with Clark Hudson?” 
“Yeah, Winnie, […]

[Read more →]

After Christina Aguilera’s performance of James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s World” at the Grammys, this is one of the more transcendent performances by any musician I’ve seen in years.  Or ever.  This woman’s a channel, for sure. 
“Live Earth” was the most watched event in human history, the single event experienced by more people at the […]

[Read more →]

This is huge news, actually.  Hillary’s dropped the negative attacks, and she’s dropped the super-delegates as an issue!  
After a week of going negative didn’t work in Wisconsin, rather than coming into this debate on the offensive looking for the knock-out punch, she’s obviously changed her approach.  Rather than her “words don’t matter” and “plagiarism” […]

[Read more →]

Obama just won Wisconsin by 17 points!  58% to 41% — another 60-40 voters’ decision, in another 5% African-American state. 
And he won Hawaii by even more than D.C. – 76% to 24%! 
It’s not only 10 victories in a row - it’s 10 blow-outs in a row.  Last night was his smallest victory yet, and it was by 17 […]

[Read more →]

Just think, next year on this holiday, they’ll be a different President in the White House! 
I wonder who it’ll be? 
Some good lines from the last 24 hours . . .
Ron Brownstein from Time said Obama is an amalgam of Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson.   
Brian says he’s an amalgam of Howard Dean and Sly Stone.    
Mark […]

[Read more →]

It has been such a heart-breaker to see the Clintons’ true colors revealed. 
I keep coming back to Primary Colors (hmm?) - and recommend to all to see or read again -  and the climactic kitchen scene with Libby.  That is what’s happening to myself, and I imagine to so many fence-leaping Democrats these last several weeks.  […]

[Read more →]

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The ThatRadio podcasts are now up (some of them) and you can listen to them in the background even while […]

[Read more →]

Lights dimmed, room hushed, MC in silhouette at center stage blessing the packed room of book-reading edge-cutting hipsters from all over the world thanks to email and web sites and a collective unconscious that keeps them striving for the new, for where the heart pounds, the eyes twinkle, the women aren’t treated like girls, and […]

[Read more →]

performance poem
Sittin’ On My Roof in New Orleans
I was sittin’ on my roof in New Orleans,
When george bush came by sellin’ re-fried beans; 
Now, “I’m a man of means, by no means,”
So he took ‘em back,
Said, “Fuck you, Jack. 
You gotta have coin, and not live in a shack,
in any country that I attack.” 
And he roared off […]

[Read more →]

Be  Still  Here
(Subtle Streaks of Light)
 
for Vern Victor Hassett  (1912–2004)
 
Just so ya know, dad passed away this week. 
He was a good guy. 
If you’re around, you’re invited to a natural joyous Irish wake for him at the townhouse in Oakville this Saturday, March 6th.  Not an obligation, just an invitation. 
He passed away naturally, a long slow fade-to-black.  […]

[Read more →]

Sundin?  Jagr?  Emrey? 
Hopes?  juicy rumors?  intuitive predictions?  breaking news? 
This is the chock board. 
Commodore & Stillman already to Ottawa, eh?  :-) 
And how great the Rangers sealed up King Henri!  Nice heir to King Mike. 
In ten days, who’s going to be even better than they are now? 

[Read more →]

Back when I was so much younger then, a Hillary supporter, I knew there was a lot of, well, anti-Hillary people out there.  She wasn’t like any other Democrat.  Nobody said or wrote many really negative things about Edwards or Biden or Obama or Richardson, . . . but Hillary!  It was weird, I didn’t get it, so […]

[Read more →]

Those loveable nuts, Hillary & Billary, spent the day (apart of course) cruising around the countryside, choosing the day for love to unleash their harshest ever smear campaign against Barack Obama. 
Barack, by contrast, took the entire day off from campaigning and spent it with his wife.
(and kids). 
Tells me everything I need to know. 
So, . . . […]

[Read more →]

Potomac Primary Victory Speech in Madison, Wisconsin, Feb. 12th:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gxd8×7UGOuo
26 minutes
South Carolina — The Big Victory Speech, January 26th, 2008 (Brian’s “turning point in the nomination”):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-iVAPH_EcmQ
17 minutes
Iowa Victory Speech, Jan 5th, 2008:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yqoFwZUp5vc 
14 minutes
New Hampshire — the “Yes, We Can” speech, Jan 8th:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fe751kMBwms
13 minutes
Super Tuesday, February 5th, 2008:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8dzHDzvTfzQ
22 minutes
2004 Democratic Convention:
part 1:   http://youtube.com/watch?v=MNCLomrqIN8
10 minutes
part 2:   http://youtube.com/watch?v=56-m8wx1mwo
8 minutes  
Interview […]

[Read more →]

Happy Potomac Primary Morning!    
168 phat delegates are up for the taking tonight in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. 
In a few hours, Obama will have won every state since Super Tuesday, 8 in a row, and every one of them by 20-30+ point margins. 
With everything going against the Clintons at this point - states won, vote […]

[Read more →]

as per John Grady’s request, i pulled this out of the basement . . .
The Al Franken Fracas
(Democracy in Action - Sunday!  Sunday!  Sunday!)
Manchester, NH –
Howard Dean’s Town Hall appearance 
High Noon, the Sunday just before Super Tuesday
Hundred year old theater, core heart downtown Manchester,
in a city & state completely consumed by the primary;
every corner […]

[Read more →]

first, before the funny – here’s “the video that started it all”  – “Yes, We Can” 
 www.dipdive.com
about 4 minutes long.   
If you’re into laughing and politics, these are highly recommended . . .
McCain’s “Yes, I Can” video –   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbknhX383A 
length:  1:39
Hillary under sniper fire in Bosnia:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHVEDq6RVXc
1 min. 
The Mac vs. PC Guys–  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1U9J9JPxrA
32 seconds
The Clinton - Cruise Campaign  –  http://youtube.com/watch?v=I3enFIPvnFg 
2:31  
Ch-ch-ch-Changes 
http://youtube.com/watch?v=gEaS-K3j3M8  
1:44
Another McCain […]

[Read more →]

Holy muthr jezus of gawd!  What just happened?!  Herbie Hancock just won Album of The Year! 
Herbie, besides everything else in his brilliant career, was a key to the “Yes We Can” Obama video.  And the guy climaxes the Grammys, saying, “Yes, We Can” from the stage when he wins.  I’m freaking out.  
you can see the Herbie […]

[Read more →]

The two lines have bisected.
We’re watching a turning point in the nomination. 
The lines had just reached parity on Super Tuesday, but he still actually won it (narrowly) in both states and delegates.  And he hasn’t lost a contest since Super Tuesday — 5 and oh.  Or, oh-oh, if you’re a Clintonian.  Washington and Nebaska by […]

[Read more →]