I had a rough night and I hate the Eagles, man

WHAT'S WRONG WITH A LITTLE F#@!ING' PROFANITY PEOPLE?
by Davida Marion

The first time I called someone an asshole was in 3rd grade. I had no idea what the word meant, only that when I yelled it at one of the guys I was playing football with, everyone else laughed and cheered. For a nerdy, awkward, eight-year-old girl with no friends, that cheer was like a million dollars.

My parents yelled the first couple times they heard me curse, and then that anger—for no obvious reason—gradually gave way to indifference. Occasionally, when I cursed in front of my younger brother my mom would snap at me, but it made no difference. “Curse” words were a part of my vocabulary, a part of my language.

The power of profanity is undeniable: People react when I curse. But when you think about it, there’s nothing inherently wrong with saying “fuck.” Sure, the first dictionary definition is “to copulate (www.oed.com),” and if you think sex is dirty, maybe the word “fucking” means something dirty to you. But if you think copulating is healthy and normal, then what’s the problem with fucking?

Read the full article at Internationalist Magazine

How did The Eagles claim the No.1 album of all-time list?
Michael Booth / The Denver Post

Quick, who's got the best-selling music album of all time?

The Beatles, right? "The White Album," no doubt, or "Sgt. Pepper's," or one of the hits collections.

No? Hmmm. Gotta be Elvis, then. Wait, wait, don't say it it must be the Stones. U2? The Police? Who was bigger than any of those?

The Eagles and their little pop masterpieces, that's who. The "top this" distinction of the most copies of one album title ever sold in the United States -- 29 million and counting -- belongs to "The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975."

"Come on, man. I had a rough night and I hate the fuckin' Eagles, man!"

And that compilation doesn't even contain "Hotel California," an iconic song from that era of rock history. No, it's 29 million copies of the "Tequila Sunrise" sound over 30 years of sales, the hits album featuring the carefully honed soft rock of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" and "Lyin' Eyes."

The collective rock wisdom of America finds it hard to take it easy on this sore point. Yes, the Eagles perfected a California vibe that soothed the nation in the mid-1970s.

But really. "Witchy Woman"?

Read the full article at the Denver Post

An NRO Symposium on MTV

Twenty-five years ago this week, for better or for worse, MTV was born. This is not always your father’s National Review here on NRO, so some of us have fond (some guilty) memories of the early days with Jack and Diane.

And, yes: That was back when they actually played videos, not The Newlyweds road to divorce. It's been quite the Journey.

Sure, for some (many?), MTV’s arrival was a Poison Arrow — simple as ABC, right? — but others of us know You Can Do Magic with Bette Davis Eyes.


Sorry, sorry. But It Hurts So Good. I know, I know: Don’t Dream It’s Over, right?

But for just One [25-anniversary] Moment in Time (yeah, yeah, that was Whitney in the 90s, wasn’t it?), we’ve gathered a group who Don’t Fear the Reaper. It’s In the Air Tonight, so we’re just being timely.

In truth, like so much, MTV has been a mixed cocktail. Here we offer some mostly light flashbacks — and a sense that at least in its 25-years-ago form, it wasn't quite the end of the world as we know it.

Read the full article at the National Review

Music

My good buddy Chris is a fan of Rise Against, and since his Philadelphia Eagles first-team squad looked pretty damn good in their first preseason game against the Raiders, here's some Rise Against in celebration.

Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness

Chamber The Cartridge
Ready To Fall
Bricks
Under The Knife
Prayer Of The Refugee
The Approaching Curve
Worth Dying For
Behind Closed Doors
The Good Left Undone
Survive

Felicia and I have been talking about the new Muse album, Black Holes and Revelations. I don't mind it; she hates it. And this surprises me, because she's a huge Muse fan. She feels they changed too much from Absolution, that they made a record that sounds more like a "gay bar techno remix" than it does a tried-and-true Muse album... that the lyrics are transparent and lame, not meaningful and poetic.

Pretty harsh words from a huge Muse fan. What do you think?

Muse - "Soldier's Poem"

Make sure you check out my good buddy Ryan's new look - it's sizzling. He's got a great rundown of what went down at Lolla as well.

Feels good to be back.