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Archive for September 16th, 2008

16
Sep
2008

9:29 am

Rangel Should Stay

filed under Misc.

The title gives it away — this is a New York centric site, dedicated to the theory that you can carry New York with you wherever you may go.

And as a New Yorker at heart, the turmoil on Wall Street is particularly disturbing because it will have major implications for the city and the state — none of them good. Wall Street is the engine that powers much of what government in New York does — the fall of Lehman and the crisis at other firms will make it harder for the City and State to deliver its essential services without budget cuts or tax increases.

That’s why yesterday’s New York Times editorial calling on Harlem’s Congressman Charles Rangel to step down from the Chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee was so shortsighted.

Having a New Yorker at the helm of the Committee that writes this nation’s tax policy will be vital at a time when the City and State may be heading into the worst fiscal crisis since the mid-70s.

Rangel will be in a position to deliver big for New York at a time when New Yorkers will desperately need it.

As a (currently relocated) New Yorker, I would not give that up just because Rangel has one too many rent controlled apartments or failed to pay taxes on a rental property. Do I excuse this? No. But his misdeeds simply don’t measure up when weighed against the great good he can do for the City and the State.

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16
Sep
2008

6:03 am

Containing Multitudes

filed under Music

On bloglines Bob Mould’s website is subtitled “a quiet and uninteresting life.” Of course, neither is true.

As a member of Husker Du, Mould helped compose some of the loudest music in rock history, and his life, as a pioneer of the 80s indie scene and as a gay man coming out amidst that movement, continues to be incredibly compelling.

Little wonder then that he has decided to write his autobiography, as he details here on his blog.

I was late to Husker Du, and discovered Mould when he released his first solo album, Workbook. A collection of mostly acoustic songs, built around cello and Mould’s guitar, Workbook managed to represent both a break, and a continuation, of his work in Husker Du. A break, for those fans who associated Mould with Husker Du’s astringent, lacerating early songs, and a continuation for those who heard the trio embracing more traditional pop structures on the band’s final albums.

I gave Workbook a rave review in my college paper and it remains — nearly twenty years later — one of my favorite albums. During those two decades Mould released several more superb albums — Black Sheets of Rain, and, as a member of the trio Sugar, Copper Blue and FUEL. At his best, Mould has found the perfect spot where melody embraces noise; no one expresses anger more beautifully, or with such regret.

Mould’s career has had a searching quality, and I can’t say I have followed it everywhere. He has recorded furious 2 minute punk screeds, perfect power pop bouquets, quiet ballads, and, lately, electronic dance mixes. He has performed in classic rock trios, brilliantly reinterpreted his own work alone on stage with an acoustic guitar, and dj’ed in clubs. What has remained consistent is his integrity as an artist and a willingness to trust his instincts, even when they led him, as they did, to become a consultant to World Championship Wrestling.

Mould lives in DC now and his website chronicles his comings and goings around town — how he spends his time, his workouts, his dinners. His interviews in music magazines are always must-reads: introspective and brutally honest, just like his music. I can’t wait to read his book. Now, if he would just release a live album of one of his solo shows….

For your listening pleasure:

Circles (From Body of Song, here live)