On the Case

The older I get, the more I become like my grandfather. Which is not a bad thing. Harry J. Schmitz taught me a lot about life, which I didn't necessarily take to heart when it was originally given to me way back when. But it was internalized, and now I find myself very thankful for his many life lessons as well as his eccentricities (which, Mrs. F has noticed, are slowly creeping into my own habits--from methodically going through IKEA cardboard fillers in order to get all the non-recyclable materials off of the cardboard to methodically wiping down the shower to avoid mildew--there was a lot of method to Harry). My grandfather was also the first person I knew who composted way back in the early 1990s in Minnesota, and I think if he were my age and living in this age, he'd too would be as phat on the eco-fascist tip as I'm becoming.

Anyhoo, one of the things I love doing for friends is making CD mixes. Today, I was getting more and more pissed off at our stooopid, f**king President and his goonsquad and needed to blow off some steam, so I started making a mix to express some of that pent-up anger. And I started to think about making some copies to send to some friends. But I've vowed before I make another mix CD that I would find a better solution to the plastic jewel case. I was intrigued by a mention on Treehugger of Hemp Plastic, but it doesn't look like they're available at the consumer level quite yet. What I'd really like to find is a good gatefold cardboard sleeve made of recycled paper (with a high percentage of post-consumer recycled materials). If anyone out there has any suggestions, lemme know.

In the meantime, here's the Bush Bash mix that I put together. It's got a lot of Reagan-era protesty stuff, but it's amazing (and a little sad) that it seems so pertinent today.

• Flame of the West - Big Country
  
• Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots
  
• The Stand - The Alarm
  
• Medicine Show - Big Audio Dynamite
  
• Love Vigilantes - New Order
  
• Two Tribes - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
  
• I'm Not Fooled So Easily - UB40
  
• People See Through You - Bruce Cockburn
  
• Rich Man's War - Steve Earle
  
• Pounding - Doves
  
• I Still Believe - The Call
  
• The Turning Tide - Super Furry Animals
  
• Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
  
• Sunday Bloody Sunday - Party Party

That last song, a cover of the U2 tune, came from The Party Party web site, which offers a number of collage-like songs featuring George Bush's voice set to electro beats, some covers and some originals. You can stream them via Real Audio or download MP3s. It's pretty hilarious the first go-round or two, but they'll become a little old after awhile. Still, very creative stuff and something you should definitely check out.