The Occasional Rant - Don't try to be Canadian, Barack Obama.

For much too long I have remained silent on the political front. Sobriety had calmed my virulence, yet I have lost patience with a dysfunctional conservative alliance and an increasingly unrestrained radical-progressive juggernaut.

You seem to forget that the unwashed hippy radicals of the 60s and 70s have grown up to become the Establishment that they once loathed.

You seem to forget that the counterculture and its fallout have gone mainstream.

You also seem to forget that the more things change, the more everything stays the same. People are still killing each other over deceased gods and ideologies, all for the sake of power and ephemeral immortality.

And now U.S. president (and crowned Mortal Messiah) Barack Obama is doing the seemingly unthinkable act of turning his country into... CANADA?

With all respect, Mr. Obama, you just can't do that. Seriously.

First of all, you may have a huge honking tax base, but none of the shit that you want comes cheap.

Canada's social welfare system may be better than yours, but like any others it is flawed with susceptibility to fraud and mismanagement. We just simply refined it via decades of trial and error. And lots of money.

Which is why half of all our paycheques go to the Crown.

Which is why virtually everything comes with a sales tax.

Which is why we're so hard pressed to get the infrastructure into shape every year because a good chunk of cash is used to subsidise everything from food to pharmaceuticals.

Which is why we're all scratching our heads when stimulus packages go to big corporations rather than our pockets.

So why go through the trouble of pleasing every man, woman, child, chihuahua, anaconda without doing a little more research?

Why make all your speeches sound like strings of expendable fell-good slogans?

Most of all. why waste taxpayers' and advertisers' dollars on all those television appearances? You're neither Jay Leno, Denis Leary nor LL Cool J.

America is very set in it's ways. If you want profound change, you have to let the people know that you have the balls and the knowledge to make it happen. Otherwise you'll be stuck with an upset, confused and frustrated electorate.

The reason why you won the Presidency is not because you were good, had better ideas or were Black. It's because your opponent had less balls and intelligence than you.

People forgot how to lead. There is no-one to provide a template for it. All the people who knew how to inspire and guide and win are either dead or vegetating from Alzheimer's. That's the problem.

If you fail your people, if you fail to show and support one vision with resolve and wisdom, then you will have failed yourself, your party and those who truly want to lead and prevail.

In other words, Barack, don't try to be Canadian. That's our job.

The Occasional Rant: Frank Black has a point

Sometimes the truth does hurt when a performer speaks about the state of the art.

Charles Thompson, a.k.a. Frank Black (alias Black Francis), leader of the Pixies, states the following:

"(Record labels) are more concerned with their own survival than they are with the distribution of music and, of course, the irony of that is that if they would just concern themselves more with the distribution of music, a lot of their problems would solve themselves, I think."

Given the current trends involving the increasingly easy availability of computer technology, internet bandwidth and talent, the record companies and mainstream terrestrial radio stations are in danger of becoming irrelevant unless they recognise these changes.

In other words, anyone can be a star. The 15-minutes-of-fame can now be perpetuated and distributed amongst those who possess these technologies. Regardless of payoff, those who succeed may one day override the limits placed by traditional media. Forget “American Idol”: check YouTube or MySpace instead.

Frank Black Says Record Labels Aren't 'Vital, Creative or Interesting' - Spinner Canada

1 July 2009:Canadian.

On any given day, you can ask any Canadian celebrity on what Canada and being Canadian means. Almost all of them were reading from the same book of peace, love, diversity and socialized medicare.

But all of them miss the point.

This country started out as a cash cow for the ancient tribal empires until more people moved in and slowly displaced the First Nations who were there since Day One.

We did have a bloody history. We had slavery. We had our spats with the ingrates to the South. Had we been more tenacious, the Alamo would be flying the Maple Leaf (or maybe the Fleur-de-lys).

But we prefer our wide open spaces, the freedom to roam and the ability to invent - and re-invent - ourselves.

Sadly, I would hear people take pride in what we're not, as in "We're not as cold-hearted as Americans" or "We have a better health system, not like the Americans". Because for the most part, we have descended from Americans - United Empire Loyalists who believed that Mad King George had the better idea than George Washington or Ben Franklin.

But let's not nitpick over technicalities. Canada is still a young nation... in fact, more of a concept rather than a nation. Canadian is a state of mind, rather than a nationality. The land, like its contemporary society, is a mosaic. Each province and territory is a nation in its own right. We work, create, procreate and sometimes deviate in our own way.

But most of all, we live.

We are humans living in a land that that was cultivated by the First Peoples and bound by Celtic ferocity and tenacity, Gallic pride and joie-de-vivre, Anglo-Saxon resolve and good old American know-how.

Collectively, we can be the mouse that roars, the gentle giant, the silent beacon of hope.

Yet we are not perfect. Our medicare costs money. Some people carry ancient grudges and use our freedom to stoke their fires. And our politicians try to be everything to everyone, satisfying no-one.

But as long as the human species remains flawed and the polar icecaps keep melting, I am and shall always be a Canadian.

I'd like to hear one of our celebrities come up with something better.

25 June 2009: The Most Unbelievable Day

First, Farrah Fawcett. Charlie's original Angel.

Then, Michael Jackson. King of Pop.

Back in the day, I wanted to father Farrah' s children.

I wanted to be part of the Jackson Five.

I can't say more.

I was at work when Farrah passed on.

I was chilling at a bar when I heard that Michael gave up the mortal coil.

Farrah's death was imminent. Michael's death wasn't.

When you grow up witnessing the evolution and decline of idols, it's impossible to envision the end. That's what made this Thursday so shocking.

OKAY... SO I LIED.JUST ONE MORE POST, OKAY?

Right about now, I'm watching the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards via muchmusic.com. The fangrrlz and fanboyz have invaded the chat line inundating it with Jonas and GaGa.

Poor kids... they don't know that this is just another video awards show.

And I remembered when the awards featured Canadian artists.

Why did much choose the Jonases to co-host? Did we run out of talent?

I can think of quite a few people who could co-host this shit better than the JoBros.

Whoever is charge of this year's show ought to get 10-to-life.

BTW - since when is Perez Hilton considered CanCon? Any answers? Just wondering.