Metallica: Favorite song #4 "Damage Inc."

This song from "Master of Puppets" starts with a Cliff Burton bass solo.  Before you think that "Damage Inc." is a jazz selection, you'd be hard-pressed to identify the build up as coming from a bass guitar.  But it does!

Cliff was only with Metallica less than four years, but the true-blue hard-core Met fans will always have something to say about Cliff.

I'm no exception.

I remember racing out of the stadium in Largo MD after the Metallica/Ozzy Osbourne concert in 1986 and finding a non-descript tour bus parked at the top of the loading dock ramp.  A few minutes after a few dozen fans swarmed the bus' door, the door kicked open and both James and Cliff poked their heads out to meet the fans.

While the reaction was nothing like the high-pitched shrieking normally heard at any early live appearance by The Beatles, everyone there was just thrilled to see two of the band members acknowledge, let alone give a little face time to all of us teenage metalheads.

James then stuck his paw out and, like metal shavings to an electromagnet, a dozen hands reached up and out to meet his.  Cliff then stepped forward toward the stair well and, with seemingly nothing in the bus to obstruct or brace him, did the same thing.

I grabbed his hand in a full-clasp handshake while others around had to be content with touching the outside of his hand, the wrist or the faded jean jacket wrapped around his arm.

My guess is the handshake lasted all of 30 seconds -- it seemed to last minutes while in the midst of it.  After 23 years, I still remember the firm handshake with the strong (Cliff played bass with his fingers, not with a guitar pick) yet soft palm.

And then, it was over and both James and Cliff had to surrender their hands back into the bus.  We all had places to go that night.

A few months later, I heard then read in Rolling Stone about the bus accident in Sweden that resulted in the death of Cliff Burton.  It was the first time I could recall knowing someone who died. I kept up as much as I could with how the band and its fans were dealing with the loss and the certainty that the band would replace its bass player.

To this day, I cannot listen to the bass with distortion intro to "Damage Inc." and not think of Cliff -- someone I "met" for all of 30 seconds but who helped me start an interesting spiritual journey that would culminate with the passing of one of my grandmothers, one of my aunts and my mother during the 90's.

His biography is still a work in progress, apparently, and this is one of the few interviews with him available on-line. 

With tonight's theme of choice, I offer one again.  There is an audio version of the song from one of the concerts with a long bass solo intro by Cliff.

Below is the studio version of the song with a pretty-well synched set of Anime clips.

Metallica - Damage Inc. - video powered by Metacafe

You pick the story, I'll supply the outrage!

OK, "outrage" may be too strong a word.  Lots of things have popped up from the satellite as I drove home from the Park n Ride today:

Baseball fans were surveyed recently by the Associated Press.  They were asked what the biggest problem with Major League Baseball was.  45%, the largest percentage listed, said the cost of seeing an MLB game live at the ballpark is the biggest problem with MLB.

Fans also mentioned player salaries, steroid scandals and the length of games as other problems.

I'm still somewhat of a novice baseball fan.  I do understand how the game is played.  I have no problem at all with players using steroids.  I imagine fans will be able to spot the tell-tale physical signs of regular steroid use quickly enough (if they don't already see them by now).  Fans can decide if they want to support teams with a large number of steroid users or not.

Vote with your admission tickets.  Which brings me to my other semi-informed opinion.  I wish MLB well with increasing ticket prices.  If prices are a barrier, then there will be more empty seats over which TV cameras may pan as the games are broadcast.  If the trend continues, I would expect to see more "fan appreciation" nights OR "family nights" where kids get in for 1/2 price, etc.

Not that I'm becoming a bigger fan or anything . . .

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Fox News' Glenn Beck is either stark raving or just crazy like a . . .well, you know.  I'm having problems thinking of the liberal equivalent of this guy.  So, I'll entertain suggestions as long as you back your suggestion with links to transcripts and/or audio/video.

Here (thanks to C & L), Beck carries on about wind power's impractically.  Mr. Amato kindly posts Wikipedia's write-up on overcoming issues inherent with wind power.  It gets a little technical, but I'm sure that's just fine.  It would be quite presumptuous to insist that Beck, oh, I don't know, research for maybe 10 minutes to see that a method exists to harvest wind power without needing to build more nuclear power plants.

For hammy acting and needless carrying-on, I'm sure a Sci-Fi (or SyFy) made-for-TV schlockfest (I say that with much love) will work just fine for me.

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If big-business sports and TV news-ish hosts aren't your cup of tea, try this.  Good article and plenty of pictures to click and view.  Ooh, so pretty !

Metallica: Favorite song #5 "So What"

One of my little joys is belting out this song in my car driving with the windows rolled and the A/C cranked up.  Both the A/C and the lyrics to my favorite song which Metallica has covered, "So What", are decidedly politically incorrect.

The original version, by The Anti-Nowhere League, is actually quite good, though the band is supposed to be punk, they look a little more like a hair band and, for a punk band, the sound is quite slick.

Here's Metallica's slightly more punk version of the tune from about 10 years ago (my best guess).  If you haven't managed a laugh yet this week, try screaming along to the lyrics (just make sure you're someplace soundproofed or far enough away from others)

One more nail in the coffin

I was trying to find text of an essay read on Mike Malloy's radio show this past Wednesday from the point of view of a soldier on guard duty in Iraq in 2004, but I've had no luck finding it!

I have found in the Opinion section of the Washington Post this rather lengthy article once again making the case that torture of prisoners does not turn up any useful intelligence.  Early last month, I posted links to a case of rendition.

And now Spain is putting together a case to try six of Bush 43's administration for war crimes.

An arraignment, Grand Jury indictment, a trial of these six and those above them in the previous administration, needs to start almost immediately here in the U.S.

Enough stalling, posturing and every thing else-ing.  Our country now has an opportunity to reassert ourselves as a leader in human rights and justice.

Problem solved!

We just needed Matt & Trey and their animated paper cut outs to explain!

In last week's "South Park", Stan attempts to return an appliance and gets more than he bargained for:

Just needed a big board behind big closed doors and a little blood shed . . .

Meanwhile, Stan's friend Kyle, having gotten the best charge card ever, handles the town's bills.  Poor Stan's family ends up right back where they started and Kyle's efforts get upstaged.

Politics, economy and religion all poured out of the same frozen yogurt dispenser of comedy.

Don't forget to laugh this week!