Struggling With Faith? Do Something About It!

For most of my life, I have been a believer in the Christian god. I was brought up on it and like others, I really got scared of the whole notion of hell and someone listening to my every thought. How bad I must be to have "sinful" thoughts as often as I did. I never even considered that everyone else has stupid stuff go through their minds too.....I thought it was just me. I wrestled with hell a lot, but I never allowed myself to even consider that I might be wasting my time with all that worry. 

A few years back, I started exploring my faith. I looked at Christianity with a critical eye and I began to research other religions. Then, I read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and it occurred to me; What if there isn't a god? What if I can just live my life without the guilt and torment? What if I could be a happy human being? 

From there, I felt like I should look into my questions. I had never really gave not believing a fair chance. How could I? I was raised up on Jesus watching me all the time (not just in December when Santa has his critical eye on me) and fear of damnation. I was in church at the time and came to a point where I felt like I was being hypocritical by attending Sunday school in the morning and then reading Dawkins and Sam Harris in the evening. I stopped going and decided I would put the Bible to the test, so I started actually reading it. I wanted to test it against modern morality and ethics and see what god really said about how to treat people and it didn't hold up. I still continued to pray a couple of times a day for Jesus to help me along and show me the truth. Obviously, he didn't have much to say. My relationship was a one way street with my imagination. 

I continued to study religion and atheism and finally a little voice in my head said; "There is no god." Along with my losing religion, I was also dumping my penchant for certitude. Rather than proclaim myself an atheist or whatever, I decided that I just didn't know. With a gun to my head, I'd bet on there NOT being a god, but otherwise, hell, I just don't know. Nobody does. 

OK, it's taken me four paragraphs to get here, but what I wanted to say is that it's alright to have doubts. It's natural and you should welcome those doubts. If you don't, you are shutting off your mind, your intellect, and reason. If you believe a god gave you those things, then certainly you can see why it should be imperative that you use your intelligence and exercise critical thought. If I had to suggest some reading for a Christian who was wrestling with his faith, I would first suggest the Dan Barker book "godless". Barker is a former evangelist, Christian song writer and record producer. His book outlines his journey from being on fire for god to firing god. It speaks in a easy going manner to the recently converted and/or those who are starting to become unsure of their faith. 

I'd also suggest "Letter To A Christian Nation" by Sam Harris. He makes a great case, in a very short book, against religion as a whole. He mainly focuses on Christianity, because it is the prevailing religion in the USA, but he does so in a way that tries to allow the reader to take their belief into account in context with Islam or any other religion. His first, full scale book is called "The End of Faith" and it's also worth a persons time. It would be easy and probably cliche' for me to tell someone to run out and buy "God Is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens or "The God Delusion" by the aforementioned Dawkins. Those are great books and for someone who has recently lost their faith, I'd recommend them as great guides to strengthen your decision and resolve. You Tube is a great resource to hear anyone speak that I've mentioned to this point. Learning about the universe, quantum physics, consciousness, and critical thought have been so satisfying after spending much of my life tuned out to those things. 

Don't let anyone talk you into or out of your faith if you are wavering. Explore it for yourself. Use your mind and reason. Read the Bible. Really read what god says. If your faith is meant to be, it should stand up to the scrutiny of your mind and what you learn. You wouldn't be afraid to read Lee Strobel's "The Case For Christ" or "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brendan Manning, so don't be afraid to read some of the stuff I've mentioned. Be fair to god and yourself.  It's been a very satisfying journey for me personally and I wouldn't change it for anything. If you are struggling with your faith, go ahead and do something about it. Either way, you should come away feeling proud that you came to your decision on your own terms, without indoctrination.

Gary Johnson for President in 2012!

I haven't written anything for this blog in about two months. That's an incredibly long stretch for me, and since I have my work week done, I've decided to get in some writing. 

I've pretty much been a Republican my entire adult life. I voted for Bush 1 over Clinton. I voted for Bob Dole. Hell, I voted for W.....twice! But enough was enough. I started checking myself and thought about my beliefs back in 2007. When I dissected how I thought and felt about the issues in a real and personal way, I started to find out that I didn't really buy into what the GOP was selling, especially on a social level. I still couldn't bring myself to vote for Obama, so I didn't vote at all. John McCain had gone from a middle of the road Republican to a right winger, just to get the nomination over Mitt Romney. This time, Romney has done the same thing and swung even more to the right. I still don't identify with the Democrats, and after seeing how Obama pretty much continued the Bush Administrations policies in many areas, I knew I was losing my political identity. 

But, in the last four or five weeks I have started seeing some articles about Gary Johnson. I took a couple of those "What are you?" political tests and saw that I fall in line, largely, with a libertarian point of view. I have decided to embrace that, while maintaining my preference to not strictly align myself with any party. It's a bit liberating to not have to defend the indefensible, which is the monopolized system we are currently in. 

Learn More About Gary Johnson!

You see, Gary Johnson gives me someone to vote FOR and not against. I don't see voting for the "lesser of two evils" as some sort of triumph in American politics. I see it as a disaster in the making, where politicians can pay lip service to the mainstream American as they gain power and wealth by setting our system up to cater to the wealthy and multi-national corporations. Why would a politician really address your concerns? You don't make large contributions. You don't throw fund raisers. You just vote. And if you only have one other choice, you just have to cling to the party you ALWAYS support as if this is one big sports rivalry like the Yankees and Red Sox. A two party system is agreeable to the Dems and GOP, because even if they lose an election, they are only one cycle from regaining power. They only have to fight the "other side" and they don't have to contend with other ideas. We have become a country of liberals and conservatives instead of a country of Americans. We have sold out the idea of America to belong to a club that we refuse to disagree with because we have invested in it on a prideful and psychological level. It's sad. 

With that, I am proud to say that I am going to vote for Gary Johnson. Johnson has more governing experience than either of the two major candidates and he has actually started a business from the ground up. When Johnson was in college at the University of New Mexico, he earned money by being a handyman. He went door to door searching out work opportunities. Over the years, he was able to grow from a one man show into a business that was worth $10 million! He didn't get that money from his daddy,and yeah, he built that! 

Johnson got into politics in 1994 for the first time and ran for governor in New Mexico. That's a really high place to begin for a guy just starting out in politics. Against conventional advice, he started his campaign using some of his own money and ran as a Republican. Mind you, New Mexico is a largely Democratic state, so not very many people gave him a chance to even get the party nomination, let alone to actually win the governorship. As these sorts of stories can go, he defied the odds and won the nomination and then the general election! Why did he win? Because he spoke to the ordinary citizen. He was (and is) a proponent of small, less intrusive government. He is a leader in the fight for personal freedom and he is a man of his word. True to showing that he wasn't bought and sold by any party, Johnson used his veto power to shoot down any piece of legislation that wasn't necessary to the state or the government. Wasteful spending was eliminated. 

When he ran for re-election, he simply campaigned on the success and fulfillment of his word from his first term. It was expected that he would have a tough time winning a second term, as he was running against a Hispanic opponent. The pundits proved how out of touch they can be by simplifying people down to being robots who are only capable of voting for "their own kind". Johnson won easily and continued to govern as he had before. He made the availability of school vouchers and the elimination of war on drugs central pieces of his agenda and he also opposed the building of private prisons. An industry that should give EVERY American pause about how we create and enforce laws. 

Meet Gary Johnson!

Gary Johnson is the real deal. He has a record that is one of success, met expectations, and kept promises. He tried to run for the Republican nomination, but was largely ignored by the GOP and the press. The party abandoned him, so he went about his business and embraced the Libertarian Party, much the way Ron Paul has in the past. Johnson and the Libertarian Party have worked hard and he is now on the ballot in 47 states. The Republicans have tried to block him from getting on the ballot in three other states, but Johnson is fighting those efforts. It's not likely that you will see him in the presidential debates, even though he meets all the criteria but one. He isn't at 15% in the polling. He may have never reached that point anyhow, but it's impossible to know because he isn't listed on polls and the pollsters only focus on Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, or "other". It's a bit of a scam. It is specifically designed to keep anyone except Republicans and Democrats out of the conversation about our nation.  

Is Mitt Romney Scared Of Gary Johnson?

I've been told I'm wasting my vote and I beg to differ in a big way! How is my vote wasted if I am voting for the person I believe in and who most reflects my values? Wouldn't I truly be wasting the right to vote if I simply cast my ballot for the "lesser of two evils"? Wouldn't I have to consider myself intellectually dishonest if I only voted for a person because of some sort of misguided allegiance to a party that doesn't have the countries best interest at heart? 

Gary Johnson is the only candidate willing to be an adult. To be open and honest about the state of the country and what needs to be done to start us going in the right direction again. Here is a rundown of a few of Johnson's beliefs and proposals for restoring America;

1) simplify the tax system, abolish the IRS

2) a strong defense that isn't into nation building and forcing our political will on others

3) he opposes censorship

4) he opposes the War On Drugs as it is currently

5) he wants to cut the federal budget by 43%, and allow states to get involved with Medicare to suit their citizens better

6)  he advocates state's rights

7) he is for balancing the budget immediately

8) he believes the Federal Reserve is devaluing our currency and wants to eliminate it

9) he supports the rights of individuals over the state

10) he believes corporate welfare should be shut down

11) he is against lobbying

These things are not out of step with most Americans. Gary Johnson is for all the things that most Americans say they are for and what the two major parties SAY they are striving for. But the results have not shown it. The Democrats and Republicans work their agenda the way they want to, not how the American people want it done. Those parties work for the wealthy and corporations. Sure, they will throw out some sound bites that make people believe they are in tune with people who have lost their jobs, their homes, and are struggling to pay their bills. These parties are directly responsible for the destruction of our manufacturing base which has crippled the middle class, but they will NOT do anything to solve those problems. 

The choice is simple for our country. Continue down the path we are on or start making changes. Gary Johnson may not win this election, but the tide has to turn somewhere. Why not now? Why not here at this point in history? Why can't we look back at 2012 as a point in time where we decided that things had to change? If Johnson got just 10 or 15% of the vote, it would be a huge wake up call for our mainstream politicians and this country. A voice will have been heard. I think our nation is worth it.

The Dark Knight Rises: An analysis of sorts

STOP!!!!!! Right now.....right here!!!  STOP!!!!!!

Read the first part here and then make up your mind if you want to continue on.

If you have not yet visited your local cinema to watch "The Dark Knight Rises", then you may not want to read further. I will reveal major plot points and give away certain themes about characters that you may want to reserve for your own sensibility and interpretation. So with that, if you read further, just know that you have been warned. 

KEY: 

BB is Batman Begins

TDK is The Dark Knight

TDKR is...you guessed it, The Dark Knight Rises

In no way am I telling you that anything I write is the true intent of the film, the filmmaker, its' producers, writers, or cast. I'm simply giving you my interpretation of how I perceived the films against the backdrop of our current place in history. 

In BB we had a film which explored the origins of Batman. But more than that, it set the tone for what kind of hero that Batman would be during the series. Bruce Wayne was an angry young man who had his parents and the promise of a certain way of life stripped from him when he was a child. Anger and vengeance were the things that drove him to leave his life behind and he chose to become a rogue agent, traveling the world and trying to punish bad guys in a fashion that lacked discipline and lacked a plan. He was "rescued" and trained by Ra's Al Ghul, who took Wayne under his wing and trained him to be his greatest pupil. Al Ghul's vision of the world was that once something got so out of control with corruption that it shouldn't be allowed to continue. That it was broken beyond repair and had to burn and be rebuilt for the world to see as an example. Oddly enough, he brought Bruce Wayne back from his broken nature and rehabilitated him, without having to destroy him. BB gives us a sense that Batman understood the problems with his city and believed that it could be rehabilitated and rescued from itself and he could be the man (symbol of doing what is right). At the time of its' release I considered BB to be the best "super hero" or "comic" movie I had seen and really didn't consider very much past that. 

But then came TDK and its overt look at terrorism and how to respond to it. I believe some of TDK to be fairly supportive of how America and the Bush Administration responded to 9/11/01. I also see areas where it questioned the validity of our response. The Joker was a great villain and one that law enforcement and certainly Batman couldn't quite understand. The Joker destroyed to destroy. He killed to kill. He didn't have rules. Terror is a form of warfare that is truly off the charts. The targets are not always military in nature. The targets can be random and hit the very conscious and heart of its target. The Joker took advantage of the survival nature and fear of Gotham's people. He took advantage of Batman having a certain set of principles that he bound himself to when taking on crime and corruption. He (Batman) wouldn't kill in response to killing. Harvey Dent was interesting to Bruce Wayne/Batman because he was a representative of the people, right out in the open, saying that it wasn't acceptable to terrorize free citizens. That it was not acceptable to take advantage of the nature of the common man. He even believed it was not acceptable to draw justice from the well of vigilantism. That is why Batman saw Dent as the true leader of Gotham's anti-crime movement. He didn't hide. He represented the people and looked the bad guys in the eye. He had no fear and didn't hide from the chaos brought on by the criminal element. The law is important and following the law to bring down crime validates the law. Dent didn't lie or distort any part of his determination to bring crime to justice. That is why at the end of the film, Dent was hailed as the hero. Batman was not taking on terror or crime within the law, he was circumventing it. It was the only way, in the short term to deal with an immediate problem, but Batman knew that it wasn't the way to change things in the long run.  

Thus, the connection to America, terrorism, and how our leadership chose to approach it. Remember, Batman developed a system of spying on the citizens of Gotham, just like the Bush Administration pushed and got with the Patriot Act.  But unlike Luscious Fox in TDK, our political leadership has not drawn down from using techniques that are a violation of our right to privacy. Batman, like Bush felt there was a need to approach this enemy different than any they/we had ever dealt with. Rules were out the window. If you watch TDK carefully enough, you can grab on to the undertone of Batman being secretive about the things he was working on to combat crime. He was willing to go to some dark places to combat crime and terror, just like America did, but how valid and right is that approach. Fortunately, Batman seemed to consider those things. Sadly, at times, we as a nation have not. The Joker actually brought out the worst in Batman at times (ie, the beating Batman gave the detained Joker while in the holding cell). Batman also wanted a life and saw Dent as his ticket to dumping the Bat Suit and pursuing a relationship with Rachel Dawes and running Wayne Enterprises. He longed to get out of the way and let freedom and justice prevail out in the open. Wayne and Commissioner Gordon thought it was the right thing, to deny the truth, so the people could feel safe and embrace the right way of taking on crime.  

TDKR comes back to some of these themes. I believe the film showed how problematic it is to create a fake sense of security and prosperity. Underneath the lie is the truth. The truth was that despite the "comeback" that Gotham was enjoying in the aftermath of the Joker's "defeat", evil was reloading right under their feet. Literally. This deflection of the validation that was seen at times in TDK, wasn't pushed upon the audience for the most part. It seems that Nolan, through both films, put the success and failures of our battle against terror out there for us to consider and judge for ourselves. This ties a bit into the way that he handled social injustice (in the film) in our monetary system today. The battle lines are drawn and Nolan touches on both sides and the middle, then lets the audience consider the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all. 

There is definitely a fantasy glimpse into the mind of an Occupy Wall Street supporter. The Wall Street scene felt both good and bad. It hinted at the prosperity that is constantly being traded among our society's elite and how satisfying it would be to see that world interrupted and exposed. At one point in the film, the common citizens and thugs begin to run Gotham City and it has dire consequences for those in law enforcement who perpetrated a lie about the safety of the city and those who enjoyed life on a premium level, while the mainstream citizen struggled. It shows the illusion of control that the elite portray, as if they are shining brass on the Titanic, even after the iceberg has been hit. Bruce Wayne is not immune from it. His sensibility towards society and culture were washed away by his pain and anger and the false notion that he and Rachel Dawes were going to be together if not for her death. Alfred had lied to him and in that way, failed Bruce Wayne. The lie spared Wayne's feelings, but was not good for him. Much in the way that the lie of the mass media and consumer culture tries (and largely succeeds) to lead us into a sense of security socially, even as people are hungry, jobless, and homeless all around our nation. Things are failing all around us, but like Bruce Wayne, our feelings are spared, so we don't react to life based on truth. 

There are three main characters that are responding to the failing of Gotham's capitalism. Bruce Wayne becomes detached from his role and responsibility to the community. His negligence of his company, and simply living off the spoils of the past, leads to the suffering of others. Bane and the League of Shadows sees the have/have not disparity as another reason that the corrupt Gotham City must be made an example of and destroyed. Then, you have Catwoman/Selina Kyle who is right in the middle. Not quite as ready to commit to the destruction, but quite at odds with the upper crest of society gaining more power and wealth while standing on the shoulders of the working class and poor. She and Robin....oops, I mean John Blake (by the way, I called that one, even as many people were telling me that Nolan/Bale were NOT going to have Robin in the series....sucker fan boys) are really the heartbeat of the film. Kyle comes across immediately has distrustful of the wealthy and Blake develops a distrust in being fearful of the enemy while hiding behind a badge. The bridge scene took him over the top, and amplified the words of wisdom he gained from Wayne/Batman throughout the film. 

In the end, we got hope. Bane at one point said that Bruce Wayne couldn't truly experience his punishment unless he had a glimmer of hope. It was a way to torture Batman. The hope that Nolan gives at the end of the film is that we can see that while the truth may hurt, a life built on lies feeds into the underlying fear of not having enough, of not being safe, and of looking out for ones self, instead of others. Trust, sharing, and truth are the ways to build a truly free society that gets us closer to everyone being able to enjoy the fruits of this country. Fear, anger, and hate play against those themes and are prevalent in many parts of our society today. 

A couple of things I noticed in the film that play into the notion of putting a glossy finish on a piece of garbage (metaphorically speaking) is the way that the mayor of Gotham just went about business as usual, attending a football game, even as an important crime fighting initiative was taking place. He didn't trust the people enough to tell the truth even at that point, when destruction could be just around the corner. Like George W. Bush told us after 9/11/01....if you want to contribute against terror.....just go shopping. The people paid the price. They were treated as children and left in the dark and paid a very high price for not being told the truth. For too long things seemed OK, even as horror was barreling towards them. The people of Gotham had given up responsibility for their city, much in the way we have done that with our country. 

I also caught on to there being no American flags in the scene where the kid was singing the national anthem. Some in the crowd were mouthing the words, most were silent. It was a false sense of patriotism that seemed forced and out of place. After the anthem, the crowd goes nuts waving flags and cheering. The distraction of the game was taking precedence over the truth....that their society was faltering. What is the old cliche'? "Fiddling as Rome burns". Later in the film, when Gotham is coming unglued, we see flags hanging off of buildings. Those flags are in tatters, but are still there. I take this as symbolism. We are still here. We are coming apart though. We need to recognize injustice and lies when they are right in our face. We need to demand the truth and not play the role of the child waiting for the daddy (the elite, the media, government) to protect us. The ideal of America is still right here, but we have recognize it and regain our place as the controllers of our own prosperity and destiny. 

Well, if you made it this far, I'll just close with a disclaimer; I am simply interpreting the films as I see them. There are things I didn't touch on in relation to national security and wealth disparity. I could really dig into those a bit deeper, but I seriously doubt anyone wants to read 3,000 or more words on this, if you've even made it this far. If there are things about the film that you want to share, please feel free to hit the COMMENT button and let it rip. I take film fairly seriously when the context is there for it to be done. I'm sure Christopher Nolan would laugh at what I've written on one hand, but probably be happy on the other that someone was thinking about his work on another level. Nolan is one of our great filmmakers and to this point, has not made a bad film. As of right now, Nolan's Batman series has taken over the top spot in my favorite film series of all-time. Sorry Mr. Lucas. If you had left the Ewoks and the "house band" sequence from Jabba the Huts lair out of "Return Of The Jedi", perhaps you would still be on top. 

Thanks for reading!

A Request: Try Not To Be A Douchebag

I am the type of person who likes to spend some time at the movies, a ball game, or a concert. It's getting harder and harder to do these days though. I still enjoy those things, in and of themselves, but some of the people at these events are well....for lack of a better term....ummm....douchebags. 

You know the type. Hell, you may even be one and not know it! That's why I do what I do....to help. Seriously now, when a person goes out to enjoy a concert, do you think they want to hear the music or do you think they want to hear you trying to talk over the music? When a person goes to the movies, do you think they want to concentrate on the movie, or do they want to be distracted by you texting or talking? You know the answers. 

I went to the Forecastle Music Festival in Louisville last weekend and had a pretty good time at the three day event. Friday was the best atmosphere, although the bands I really was pumped up to see where playing on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, the best crowd of the three days was on Friday. A lot of younger people who were there for the music, not to be seen, heard, or to "get their drink on". They had a good time, dancing and frolicking around and never let themselves get in the way of other people's enjoyment. It truly was a connective experience for me. 

Saturday was a different story. I have to give some lead way with this, because My Morning Jacket was headlining and they are a very popular band and they are from the Louisville area. I expected there would be some people who would be there just to see them. All well and fine, but what I didn't expect was that a large portion of these people were there just to be there. Just to say they were at the My Morning Jacket show. Or they were there because they had nothing else to do on a Saturday night. That doesn't make those people douchebags, but the fact that many of them were actually in the heart of the crowd (right among the music lovers) trying to talk over the band, trying to look cute and shooting eye rolling glances at those trying to enjoy the music, does make them douchebags. And not just for a moment....but for the entire show. They were there to be there, to be seen, and to drink. Not one incident on Friday. Saturday, people struggling to walk, bumping into people and acting all alpha-male gorilla.....a gawdammed shameful site. Sunday started out OK, but the douchebag ratio climbed as the day wore on. I started seeing all the "popped collars", backwards caps, Oakley's, UK and UL shirts (because god forbid we leave that behind for a fucking day, right?), fake tans, and wife beaters. And while we are at it...hey, UK fans...there is no need to keep chanting "C A T S Cats" over and over. We already saw your hat, shirt, tattoo, and belt buckle....we get it, you like UK....get the fuck over it, you are at a music festival and nobody gives a shit. NOBODY. 

Here's the thing; if you are going to go out to these events, try to be respectful of your surroundings. If you want to have a conversation, move to the back and have it so you don't interrupt someone else's enjoyment. If you want to get drunk, well, OK....but it doesn't give you the right to slam into people and act like an asshole. I know that's a shock to some people, but being drunk isn't a good excuse to be a dick or a douchebag or a bitch. When you are at the movies, turn off your damn phone or go home and rent a DVD. People pay money to try to enjoy these things and you are not the fucking show. Sorry, I don't care if you are a blonde with double D cup melon breasts and pretty blue eyes....if you are drunk and yapping while others are trying to enjoy themselves, you are a selfish bitch, no matter how many guys want to get in your sweaty shorts. 

In closing, here's what I'm trying to say; be self aware and don't be THAT guy/girl and don't involve yourself in douchebaggery. You are better than that, aren't you?

And, if you want to know whether or not you are a doucebag or want to be able to spot them, here's a little help.

The Douchebag Post!!! CLICK ME

The Replacements : Pleased To Meet Me

(At one point, I call this a review, but it's not. It's a "love letter" to the album.)

I've never made it a secret that one of my favorite bands (if not my tip top favorite) is The Replacements. Maybe I should say "was" The Replacements, since they broke up about 20 or or so years back. They were a band that influenced grunge and the emerging "alternative" sound as it came alive in the early 90's. I never understood the concept of a band or a song getting mainstream radio play being called alternative. Alternative to what? The Replacements, Concrete Blonde, REM (for awhile at least), The Smiths, Sonic Youth, and The Cure were real alternative bands. They were making music that college kids and misfit teenagers alike, who were sick of hearing the overproduced and over exposed synth rock of New Wave and the bloated excess of popular rock, wanted to hear. It was real and much of it was raw. The Replacements were a band that started out worshipping punk hero's like Black Flag and the New York Dolls, but wound up moving towards the pop sensibility of say The Box Tops or the Stones at their ragged best. At times, it seems that their fans, record label, and media wanted them to be famous more than they did. The self sabotage is great rock n roll history and diving into "All Over But The Shouting" by Jim Walsh explains some of it quite well. Showing up to gigs drunk and playing horribly when the "suits" were there to see them, and then showing up the next night and tearing the roof off. Pissing off the executives at NBC so bad that they were banned for life from Saturday Night Live. Taunting censors at the AMA awards in the infamous "Talent Show" incident. It was who they were. They never seemed comfortable getting attention. They didn't understand how to deal with it. Perhaps the pressures of fame chasing them hastened their death as a band. Perhaps it was inevitable either way. That's history now though and their body of work is a progression that is interesting when viewed from the distance of time. I could write thousands of words about The Replacements, but I wouldn't be saying anything that hasn't been said before, so I'm going to review my favorite record by The Replacements; Pleased To Meet Me. 

If you are still with me, then you probably either care about The Replacements or want to learn more....or perhaps you are really bored. No matter why you are still reading, thanks for sticking around. Pleased To Meet Me Was released by Sire Records in 1987, so it's been 25 years since it hit the shelves. PTMM, as I will refer to the album from here on out, was the band's second major label record, after having put out four albums on the smaller, Minneapolis based label called Twin Tone Records. Many people consider the 1986 album Tim as their masterpiece, and with the music on that record it's hard to disagree. It was their major label debut and had several songs "Bastards Of Young", "Hold My Life", and "Left Of The Dial", that proved to be anthems for many young music lovers who were coming to grips with moving out of their teenage years at a time when everything from fashion to music seemed hollow or to have a dollar sign on it, including their rock n roll heroes. For me though, PTMM was their grandest, most accessible and dare I say, greatest album. Maybe it was because it was the album that my friend Brian forced upon me unlike anything else he ever asked me to try. I was a card carrying Beatles, Zeppelin, and Floyd guy. Alternative music? Bah. If it's not on the radio, it must be minor league music. Whoops. That still stings. I had the cassette tape that I was loaned for ten years before I gave it back. I listened to it begrudgingly at first. A track here. A track there. Then I decided to just leave it in the car cassette player for awhile. And it started getting through. It started speaking to me. And not just the album, but the band and the way they played. The way Paul Westerberg sang with ragged desperation. The way Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars drove the music through your soul like a hammer slamming a nail into wood. The sensible, sometimes fun, and sometimes sad song writing. This album led me to become a full fledged Replacements addict. I collected everything I could find, from music, to magazines, to VHS tapes of them, and finally into an underground tape trading circuit where (I also met some neat people and still correspond with them today; Rob, C9) I collected tons of great live music, demos and outtakes from my new obsession. 

Well, I can't help it I suppose. I keep going personal when I simply want to review the record. Oh, well, fuck it. It's my blog, right? How can I share anything about this album without telling you what the draw is? I can't. 

PTMM checks in at a frantic 33 minutes in length. The cover is a take on Elvis' GI Blues album cover and the depiction of a "suit" shaking hands with a someone who was obviously ragged plays into the title of the album. Was it showing The Replacements coming to terms with being a major label commodity? PTMM was produced by Jim Dickinson and was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee. The Memphis influence can be felt at times, especially when the famous Memphis Horns, and Alex Chilton lend their work to "Can't Hardly Wait", and Luther Dickinson (Black Crowes lead guitarist) puts his stamp on "Shooting Dirty Pool". To date, it was their most polished and technically savvy recording, but don't mistake that for clean and anti-septic. The songs have life and drive. 

First up on the album is "IOU". It starts the record off on a raucous note. Driving the guitar right down your throat from the get go and letting you know that you are listening to The Replacements. The lyrics, when dug into, seem to reject the fact that simply because the band is being pushed towards the bright lights, they still don't buy it. They do what they do and don't owe anyone a damn thing. The drumming by Chris Mars is not always technically proficient, but he really pushes the song with his relentless beat. 

The next song is an homage to Alex Chilton, a fantastic song writer, who was a member of the Box Tops (The Letter, Cry Like A Baby), and one of music's first "alternative" bands Big Star. Paul Westerberg was a big fan of Chilton's songwriting and was probably hoping to turn a new generation on to one of his heroes. The tempo of this song is infectious, as Mars does great work once again and Westerberg writes one of his best hooks ever; "I'm in love, what's that song? I'm in love, with that song". "Alex Chilton" is featured on the Rock Band video game, just as an FYI. 

"I Don't Know" is the Replacements showing their grit. Tommy Stinson, in my opinion, is the backbone of the music with his relentless bass, along with the subtle saxophone work. The lyrics, once again, seem to be a push back on "hitting it big". The line is "one foot in the door, the other one in the gutter". Westerberg realized they were just one step either way from being nothing or being something. There they were, stuck in the middle, with the door closing. 

Up next is "Nightclub Jitters". It's a nice slow down take on cocktail jazz. I feel guilty for not listening to it in a dark bar with a bourbon sitting in front of me. This is a song where Westerberg was exploring something different. It fits pretty well right in between "I Don't Know" and "The Ledge", acting as a bridge from pissed off rock n roll to a song with a conscious. "The Ledge" is Westerberg's taking on suicide. Because of its lyrical content, which is a stark look inside the mind of a disaffected youth who is ready to leap to his demise, it was banned from MTV and seemed a very strange choice for the albums first single. We are talking about The Replacements here, so why should anyone be shocked. The song doesn't give you a happy ending. The kid doesn't come to his senses. We get a look into his thoughts as people gather below and around him. There is no "movie" ending. "All the love, that they pledge, for the last time will not reach the ledge" I think Stinson does some of his best bass work on this song. 

"Never Mind" is yet another song that uncovers Westerberg's feelings that he doesn't want to be duped by the draw of being a pop star. If you don't invest in it, how can you be hurt? It's evident in later work that Paul Westerberg wanted to be a star, he just didn't possess the ability to jump in the water and throw caution to the wind. "Never Mind" gives way to one of the most underrated Westerberg songs ever. "Valentine" searches for something. There's a longing to the lyrics. I don't know of many songs that open with a better line about romanticism ripped away than "Well you wish upon a star, that turns into a plane". It doesn't get any more hopeless than that. This is such a great song that tears your heart out, I can't believe another band hasn't covered this. It has it all. Great beat. Rousing guitars. Heartfelt lyrics. 

"Shooting Diry Pool" and "Red Red Wine" are the obligatory "throw away rockers" and they fit right into the album. These are songs that in less than capable hands, could have been a drag on the record as a whole. Sometimes a band just mails in the filler material. The Replacements don't, and some credit probably goes to producer Jim Dickinson and his direction for the album as a whole. They treat their second tier songs with just as much fervor and love as their more notable tunes. You get what they want to give you. Most of the time, they give you what you want. "Shooting Dirty Pool" is a straightforward rocker with some really fun, soaring guitar work from Luther Dickinson of the Black Crowes. 

The album winds down with two of the bands greatest songs. "Skyway" is a soft, low key song about a person who has a longing for a woman he has seen, but never met, on the mass transit system. He dreams of meeting her, but can't quite find the nerve. Love is fleeting, especially when it's expressed from afar. A theme that Westerberg has hit more than once in his career. Notably on "Love Untold" from his solo record Eventually.

The only way to end this album was to save the best for last. "Can't Hardly Wait" features the Memphis Horns prominently, but their presence doesn't detract at all from the raw feeling of the album. There is a lot to love about this song. The lyrics are sublime. Westerberg longs for (and dreams of) home as he sits in a shitty hotel room (perhaps in Memphis?) somewhere on the road, far away from his hometown of Minneapolis. Lyrically it's hard to beat "I'll be home when I'm sleeping. I can't hardly wait" and "Hurry up, hurry up, ain't you had enough of this stuff? Ash tray floors, dirty clothes, and filthy jokes." Alex Chilton lends his guitar to this song and he carries it musically. The rest of the band plays in a controlled manner, with Stinson plucking away in unison with Mars' drum pace which is simple and patient. I've probably listened to this one a thousand times in my life. I never grow tired of it.

That's about it. Yeah, I could go on, but I don't really expect very many people to read this honestly. It's lengthy and the subject matter appeals to only a few. This was a labor of love. It's one of my favorite albums and it's hard to believe it's been 25 years since I was a clueless 18 year old, who latched on to something he didn't immediately understand, but knew felt right. The album only charted at 131, yet The Replacements following over the years has expanded enough to the point that Rhino released a remastered version (along with all the other Replacements albums) along with demos and outtakes. Even if the public, or you, didn't care about it, the fans and critics did. Famed critic Robert Christgau gave it an "A-", Pitchfork checks in with a 9.3 out of 10, the Rolling Stone Album Guide ranked it the fifth best album of 1987, and PunkNews.org rated it 4.5 out of 5.

 Perhaps the best review I have read about Pleased To Meet Me comes from David Fricke (Rolling Stone Magazine) who gave it a glowing review, saying "Tracks like "I.O.U." and "Shooting Dirty Pool" practically sound like Exile on Main Street at 78 rpm. It is ironic that Westerberg and the Replacements can make such a joyful noise out of so much anguish and insecurity. But on Pleased to Meet Me, the pleasure is all yours." Fricke got it, way back in 1987. And yes, the pleasure has been all mine! 

Thanks for reading.

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