MacDries says, "Not to mention also that it was Ford's boys Cheney & Rummy that brought on the war to finish what Poppy wouldn't. Woodward must have a huge satisfaction knowing he owns information that if revealed might have huge ramifications. And how many hours passed before Woodward revealed the info? Journalists are almost as scummy as politicians."

MacDries says, "Hoffer was a college fave of mine. I recently re-read The Temper Of Our Time and found out that, unlike some other early enthusiasms, he still held up well. The True Believer was another of his best books. He was often criticised as a conservative, auto-didact which is just silly."
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements (Perennial Classics)
The Temper of Our Time
Billary/Obama-Rama

The '08 Democratic nominee.

MacDries says, "Many polls claim Billary is in the lead and she has not even declared to be running. I'm wondering if you could win the nomination by staying on the sidelines."
Great Photos

Dorothea Lange (det.) Go HERE.
Little Italy

©2005 Danny Dries
Sleep
I've developed a new ritual, rather like meditating. After I wake and drag myself out of bed each morning, do my toilet, have coffee and a light breakfast, I go back to the couch for a short nap. It is the best sleep of the day.
Sassy Scatting

Emmylou & The Cheiftains

Go HERE to hear Emmylou do For No One.

MacDries says, "ABC is the new FOX. RIP Peter."

MacDries says, "Years ago, I saw a flyer on a light pole in Bed-Stuy advertising a concert by James Brown, only a few blocks away. My wife at the time was working that night so I wandered over, paid my $3 and went in. As the crowd began to file in and it got pretty church-like, I began to notice I was the only white face in the audience. It didn't bother me and no one seemed to notice me but I left as he began to do his cape routine. The audience was eating it up and I found it a bit boring.
Xmas Eve & Gone

Emma started off with a horrendous flu that eased up a bit as the day wore on. Dinner was a success. Heated discussion about about war & peace with Kate, Emma and Sam all on the side of peace. Everyone enjoyed their gifts and I got the new Neil Young and some interesting books. Kate gave me a Liebowitz book: photos of musicians. Emma gave me Augustan Burroughs' Magical Thinking. Gretchen sent me a boxed set of 7 Preston Sturges DVDs. Awesome.
I got Kate and Emma a few of 60s-70s artifacts: Woodstock & The Last Waltz & Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman. Emma had never heard of the Woodstock generation.
Then Nana, Kate & Emma retired to Ann's place for the night and Xmas Day gift-o-rama. I watched America's Top Chef then went to bed and slept until noon. Grey aand cloudy, 47 degrees.

MacDries says, "I gotta clean house so not much blogging today. Deal with it."

MacDries says, "He comes from Iowa and that puts him on my list. Plus he actually thinks about things."
Countdown
Baby Jesus is coming soon. Here's how my man Giotto saw the happy day.

And here's how my pal Pablo saw it.

©Pablo Bartholomew Go HERE.

MacDries says, "I once stood at the next urinal to Newman, one of my actor/artist heroes, at The National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden. He was, is, a couple inches shorter than me, which was a surprise. He and his wife were both there to watch one of their daughters compete. Joanne Woodward is way more beautiful than me. I just TiVoed her the other night doing The 3 Faces Of Eve. Awesome. How's that for trivia?"

MacDries says, "It was bad enough when you got stuck near one of those compulsive talkers. Now this..."
More Old Art

Enamel on wood - Sept 1989, Bench 28"X 48"x 28". Painting - enamel on doilies, needlepoint, wallpaper on wood - 28"x 28" (Subtitled 'Mi casa es su casa')
I once gave this to some friends but they never bothered to pick it up. They are no longer friends but not for that reason.
Festivus

Tree for the rest of us is filling up.
Early Dylan
Blowin' In The Wind.

And The Ballad Of Hollis Brown Go HERE.
And Man Of Constant Sorrow. Go HERE.
And All I Really Wanna Do. Go HERE.
And Only A Pawn In their Game. Go HERE.
Charity?
Robert Reich on welfare for the rich and affluent. Go HERE.
Diana Krall
Some people claim to like Pat Barber more than Krall. Not me. You judge.

Go HERE if you like Xmas songs.
Patricia Barber
I've had some of her music for a while but haven't gotten into it yet. Rather like Cassandra Wilson's phrasing w/o the husky voice.

MacDries says, "Nice pix Grupp."
Who Is Buying It
"Marijuana production, at a value of $35.8 billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion)." Go HERE.

MacDries says, "Let's just say, I'm sceptical of these figures. There was a time when most people I knew were smoking the stuff daily or weekly and always had a stash. A lid cost $20-30. These days, I know maybe 3 people who still smoke it on weekends. A lid costs $ 200-300."
Dylan
Chimes Of Freedom from Another Side Of Bob Dylan just came up on iTunes and once again I'm amazed what a genius he was and is. He is a poet, as good any other.
Re-Elect Gore
Go HERE.
Getcha Some Green
Al, that is. And check that suit.

Go HERE for more.
More Old Art

Paint on cardboard -Feb. 8, 1992, 15"x 12"
Cloudy & Grey
Rain coming and I'm going back for a nap. Got nuthin' once again.

MacDries says, "Why are the Dems such cowards? The way to lose in 2008 is to continue funding this war and then it becomes theirs. Make the Shrub end it now and it is his lonely folly."
John Edwards
Seems he's running but not announcing yet. He's got some guys announcing that he's gonna announce soon. Edwards' spokesman, David Ginsberg, would not confirm or deny that Edwards planned to announce he would run in 2008. Ginsberg said "Edwards would make an announcement about his future when he is ready".
Unless he announces that he's not gonna run but was thinking about it.

MacDries says, "I was not a huge fan last time but unless Gore runs, Edwards looks to be about the best man or woman in the field in '08. That is amongst those who will be taken seriously. We don't have Rev. Al or Carol Mosely this year."
XmaShopping
Just about done and mostly wrapped. Here's our tree. The girls have a "real" one around the corner at Ann's place.

B.B.
Medal Of Freedom winner with Clapton.

Bye Bayh
One up, one down. Guess he's gonna shoot for Veep.

MacDries says, "He apparently also had very long arms."
Media Complicity
The "Media" does help foster fear and paranoia by publishing essentially useless stories. i.e. this one from CNN:
The "blind sheik" who inspired the World Trade Center bombing has been hospitalized, raising fears of new attacks if he dies in U.S. custody, the FBI says in a bulletin. Radical Egyptian cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, who is serving life in a U.S. prison, has himself called for attacks if he dies in jail.

MacDries says, "Why publish such crap? Except to sell print pages or internet hits. Let it die and let him die. Don't spread the word. As if Al Qaeda needed another reason to hit us again. "
McCain May Have Sealed His Fate
By calling for more troops, John McCain may have just pushed his Better Than Bush campaign beyond what even America can take. America said "enough" and John says, "no, more". He is stuck in big muddy, just like Lyndon.

MacDries says, "America has to re-learn not to enter or start un-winable wars."
Natures Imitation Of Art
You might notice a similarity of the Senator Johnson (D-SD) episode with Tolstoy's The Death Of Ivan Ilych. Everyone is jockeying for position and seaching for loopholes. The Senate is at stake, not a man's life.

MacDries says, "Some folks oughta get a life. And that includes me for not ignoring the story."
Panic Attack!
OMG! I just had to go to Century 21 to get some new flannel sheets. The onslaught of shoppers, perfumes, hustle & bustle to buy stuff always drives me nuts. I escaped within 10 minutes but it was touch & go there for a few.
Free Music
Bill Graham's archives combined with King Bisquit Flour Hour and more. Go HERE.
You can't download but you can stream whole concerts. Music memorabilia store as well. Winterland, Fillmore, Allman Bros, Van & Bruce @ The Bottom Line, it goes on and on.
Elvis & Diana


New York -- Elvis Costello and wife Diana Krall are the parents of twin boys. The new arrivals are named Dexter Henry Lorcan and Frank Harlan James.

MacDries says, "That's a lot of names."
Billary/ObamaRama
Gawd! Even the Brits have caught the hype machine. It's rather like Americans being interested in Lady Di or taking royalty seriously. Go HERE.
Mr. Fix-it?
Don't forget who James Baker is: Go HERE.
Becoming A Better Man
A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own life.
-- Bill Gates
Go HERE.

I Say Merci!
And thank you too much. Sen. Tim Johnson D-SD it seems did not have a stroke, nor a heart attack. Maybe he ate at Taco Bell.
Turns out he is in critical condition after surgury for a brain hemorage. Pray 'em if you know 'em.
I Say Jesus Fucking Christ
Does The Shrub even have a fucking brain? Go HERE.

MacDries says, "I'm gonna say puke. I'm outta here."
I Say Merde!
Sen. Tim Johnson D-SD had a stroke. If forced to retire his replacement will be chosen by the Republican Governor.
And that will tip the Senate to Dickhead Cheney. Read it and weep.
I Don't Need This Feature
In the early days, if one had a bug in one's software, you would just list it as an added feature.
1. We have a family cell phone account with Cingular and each of us has a message when we are not online. However, after the message, some clone comes on and says, "To page this person, press 5, and yadda yadda yadda, or leave a message after the tone."
I called and tried to find a way to opt out of this minutes eating feature/bug. I was told there is none.
2. When you are stuck in VoiceJail, amidst menus and options, most systems have a way of asking for a real person. I need a Universal key to acheive this. Any key will do.
3. I do not need to hear advertisements or Musak while on hold. An occasional beep will do to let me know I'm still connected.
4. Many magazines now have a fold-out front cover to add advertising space and to annoy me. They also have perfume ads which make me sneeze cuz I'm allergic to perfume. Please revert to scratch and sniff. Your perfume, hairspray, deodorant, is my air pollution. Take a bath.
Oh Doze Crazy Artists
Canadian artist Jason Kronenwold does chewing gum portraits of blonde bimbos (Britney, Courtney, etc.). Go HERE.
Billary/ObamaRama
Billary hires a guru to entice evangelicals in a "possible" Prez run.
Go HERE.
A Fond Adieu To Rummy
Or, Jon rips Don a new one.

For Kate

More Old Art

This is about 8 feet long and is dated by the time of the Finley N.E.A. Fiasco.
Billary/ObamaRama
Barak drops the coy routine. Go HERE.
Sleepy & Dopey

Dickhead claims he was not sleeping during Chinese Prez's speech.

MacDries says, "He and Condiment were not sleeping together either. They were both praying and meditating."
Ahmet Ertegun, 83
The founder of Atlantic Records is in a coma from injuries sustained at a Rolling Stones concert. Wake up Ahmet! Gotta party on. Atlantic, for those who don't know, developed Ray and Aretha, Coltrane, Dizzy, Mingus, Led Zeppelin and The Stones. The list is lengthy.
The Movies
Kate and I went to For Your Consideration yesterday. We agreed it was so-so and a bit depressing at the end. The humour and directions was as always excellent but the plot was probably obvious. I'd wait for the DVD if I hadn't already seen it. One good thing is I now get the geezer discount.

MacDries say, "Billary strikes me as a girl who after a tiddled tryst the night before insists to your face that she is still a virgin. What you knew happened was all in your mind."
Artist Of The Day
A friend, Claire Seidel is a wonderful painter and is now doing some great photography as well. Go HERE to check out her site.
Al Gore
Still hasn't ruled out running.

MacDries insists, "He's running and he would be my 1st choice just because of the dirth of integrity within the Dems. Someone said that when he starts losing weight will be the true tip-off. Let's just project Gore/Obama. That has a ring to it. But recall when he picked the first Jewish running mate and remember who the rabid-dog was that came back to bite us all in the ass this year."
Wrong Wing Humour

Some people think this is funny.
Public Service
Feel like a Luddite cuz you don't know what your kid is saying when she says ROTFL in an email to you? Go HERE.

MacDries says, "The Dems will shoot itself in the foot with either of those two losers and we're stuck with Prez McBush."
Da' Blues
Gary Moore doesn't get much attention but he's Still Got The Blues. Go HERE.
Pretty Awesome. I've had one of his CDs for a few years and never got around to listening to it much. I'll do so now.
Pedro Almodovar
I've said before he is the greatest living, active film director; especially since Altman died. Volver is his latest and one of his best. And all those female actors who complain about no good roles for women ought to suck up to Pedro. He clearly loves women and the transgenders and all his films are full of wonderful characters.
As your attorney, I'd advise you to see it. It's only playing in 3 theatres in all of New York and that includes Brooklyn. So, any of you in the hinterlands, you may have to really seek it out all though there is lots of Oscar buzz for Pedro and Penelope Cruz. It's difficult to believe that anyone so beautiful can also be a great actress.
Also hard to believe she ever spent time with that other Cruise, Tom.
Pedro Almodovar Classics Collection
Emma's Party
Seemed to be a success even if I wasn't here. There were a few guys here as well; fellow actors in her productions. Surprise of the night was all the chocolate cupcakes left over. And more than enough pizza for dinner tomorrow night.

MacDries says, "My my, you'd think he would have sobered up by now."
More Old Art

Paint on comp board - 1997 - 26"x 46"
Emma's Party
Nothing like a party to get my little piglet to clean her room. I got her a digital camera so she can work on her vanity shots. She's at that age and isn't convinced how gorgeous she is.
Also a party gives me a push to do the odious mopping, vacumning etc. and bathroom scrubbing, so don't expect much blogging today.
Tonight I'm making myself scarce and going to see the latest Almodovar,Volver.
Jane Monheit
The babe just came up on Party Shuffle so I YouTubed her and came up with a bunch of good links. Go HERE.
Come Dream with Me This one has The Waters Of March.

MacDries says, "Y'know Jon Stewart is not really Abbie Hoffman but he's pretty good and he's got a public pipeline. The big difference is Abbie never made a point of his ethnicity each time he spoke."
Iraq War May Be Criminal
According to GOP Sen. Gordon Smith of Oregon. Go HERE.

MacDries says, "No maybe about it."
The Doldrums
OK, Indian Summer is over, the temp is down to the 30s and that's freezing. I always take winter personally and have never found a way to move to a nicer climate. I don't know why that is.
I wish I were a bear and could hibernate.
New Video
Bob does Thunder On The Mountain Go HERE.
The Internets
Man the tubes sure are plugged up today. They need a good flush.
More Old Art

The Marriage Of Art & Money (with Kate) 13' x 7' 1992
I'm Gonna Say Puke
Wm. Safire is being awarded The Medal Of Freedom.

MacDries says, "Knowing the meaning of a past participle does not qualify as freedom fighting. Two notes, however, from B.B. King's guitar does qualify."
Wisdom Of The Day*

*via WlfSng

MacDries says, "I swear, if '08 boils down to a choice between Billary and McBush... I'm going to do the big puke."
Mr. Clean
John McCain intends to play down and dirty this time. He's now hired the guy who did the racist ad against Harold Ford as his Campaign Manager.

MacDries says, "The innuendo express has left the station."
What The...
hell ever happened to the power of Congress to declare war? They don't even have the power to declare it over except to cut off funding. Even then Shrub would just ignore them.
Is...
George Clooney the new Tom Cruise?

MacDries says, "Sort of but no. He's actually handsome and pretty smart."
More Old Art

Studio exhibition. All works destroyed.
Mystery Train
Vince Gill, one of the best guitarists around. Go HERE.
Wisdom Of The Day*

*via WlfSng
Heroes
Roy Rogers was my first hero and here he is with George Jones & Tammy Wynette all these years later. Go HERE.
Caught While Surfing
Idea: Why not send Cheney hunting in Iraq since he had different priorities during the Vietnam War and this war is his idea. He's proven he can pull the trigger, even on a good friend. Ergo: War is over if he has to go.
Why Nothing Will Change
ISG has issued its report which esentially sets a date of 2008 before troops can start coming home. It's depressing but I think we all know that we ware not going to have a repeat of the departure from Vietnam with helicopters airlifting refugees from the American Embassy.
Robert Reich explains why even though the Dems now control Congress, nothing will change until 2008 which means 2009. Go HERE and then brace yourself for 2 more years, minimum.

MacDries says, "Man, that's great Foreign Policy, treat them like unruly kids. But I'd suggest he say camel-shit instead. They may not understand the subtlety."
Punditry 101
Yesterday The Daily Kos predicted '08 is Obama's to lose.
Yeah, right. This is what they predicted in 2003.
"It is clear that our nominee will be either Dean or Clark. No one else has a shot. Therefore, I will not criticize or point to criticism of either of those two candidates. Each one of those guys has his plusses and his cons, and each one of them can beat Bush. That's all that matters."

MacDries says, "True, I was a Dean supporter and even sent him money but I never was convinced he had a great chance. He was too much like McGovern and Carter; he spoke the truth. I was also a Clark antagonist and still think he is a paper tiger with little to offer. This time my pecking order will be Gore, Edwards and beyond that I would probably be voting against again. As usual."
D'oh Of The Day
Iraq Study Group Says Policy Is Not Working.

MacDries says, "It took those dozen guys a few weeks to conclude what everyone already knew and the electorate confirmed. Even Rummy stopped denying it at the end. Does anyone wonder why so many people think politicians are 3-day a week jerk-offs? Giving themselves yearly wage increases while not raising the minimun wage year after year. Feeding at the private and public troughs simultaneously. Plus politicians and jounalists are codependent; one needs the publicity and the other needs a story."
Billary Watch
Hillary's machine already humming.

MacDries says, "Is that like having a hummer?"
The Shrub Says:
"The country is tired of political bickering."

MacDries says, "Once again, Bush is brilliant. We are not tired of sons and daughters getting killed by the hundreds. Not tired of the billions upon billion of dollars being wasted. We are tired of bickering."
Wisdom Of The Day*

*via WlfSng
But First, This
Dickhead Cheney's lesbian daughter is pregnant with child out of wedlock.
Gonna Need A Nap
Lay awake last night until about 3am and then the construction guys started in as usual. So, you'll excuse me.

MacDries says, "That's a bit scary."
Billary Watch
She's still thinking about running.
More Old Art

Paint on wood. Not that old.
Xmas Approaching
The "War on Christmas" is nearly over as far as I see it. My "Happy Holidays" card is designed (with one significant person missing) and ready to be emailed. My list of non-email friends is reduced by a huge margin this year. Thus I only need to print a half dozen for snail mail. My list of gifts is almost complete and mostly purchased. Plans for "celebration" have been formed so the season can be put behind me for another year. I like Xmas best if people don't make too much of it and don't force me to listen to the really odious sounds of Gene Autry singing Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer and The Little Drummer Boy too many times. I can now shop online so as to avoid most of the crowds looking for SALES. I haven't yet solved "The Tree" issue.
This year, I only look forward to having Kate & Emma around and having fun.
Happy Holidays to all you Pagans, Jews, Christians, Buddhists and Muslims. And especially to the atheists and agnostics of Earth.

MacDries says, "A reader notes: 'I have a flash. The NYT may think I am stupid. I don't think the NYT is stupid. I know it is stupid.'"
Good Eats
Texas style chicken fried bacon with cream gravy. Go HERE.

MacDries says, "There is a diner up the Taconic Turnpike, near Ghent, that serves Deep-fried Cheescake. Always tempted but managed to resist."
Morning Music
Gerry Mulligan & Art Farmer. Go HERE.
Bush Bummed About Bolton
Heh heh. So it begins.
Frikkin'
CNN has a headline today using the substitute F word. Even small children are using it. Is there anyone who doesn't know what ir means. Americans just can't take anything straight. This too is denial.

Skin Deep

I clutch my sister
as we stand
underneath an awning

Plink, Plop

I shift my bag,
directing it away 
from a leak.

I look at my feet; Staring into this cold, wet world
sends a chill through my body.

My father, 
brave in his own way,
is catching our ride home.

"Emma, Kate"
He motions to us.

Quickly we run out
into the stinging mist

As we ride down the slick street
I watch people shuffle under black umbrellas
I feel their shivery-wet coldness
skin deep.

MacDries says, "Wow! That is a surprise."
Optical Illusions
If ya' like'em... Go HERE.

MacDries says, "Y'a hear that lord? Not very intelligent design."
More Old Art

4 of 100 silkscreen prints with felt-tip ink, crayon and watercolor. 27" x 32" each
Rummy's Last Hand
This is rich. Rummy finally admits it's failing and posits a new PR plan. Go HERE.
1st Christmas Cards Arrive
Niece Jill & burgeoning Family & Harry, Leslie & Sam were the first. Congrats Jill & George on your upcoming 3rd BuzBee. I can see my sis in your girls.
And yes Leslie, I had two years of Albers color theory drummed into me in art school. Great colorist if not a very exciting artist. His wife Anni was also very good. Thanks.
Guess I'd better think about designing this years card but with little enthusiasm since our family has shrunk. My family always enjoys seeing if my girls are still beautiful. And they are.
Steve Earle Time
Copperhead Road. Go HERE. And here he does Dylan's It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry. Go HERE.
Van Zandt Time
Townes sings Snowing On Raton. Go HERE.
And Townes with Emmylou and Steve Earle. Go HERE.
Reading Jazz
Wonderful book by Robert Gottlieb. Last night I was reading a great memoir of Bill Evans by Gene Lees, his friend and lyriicist on Waltz For Debby. You can buy it on Amazon. Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism from 1919 to Now
Piano Time
Monk. Go HERE. And Go HERE.
Bill Evans. Go HERE. And Go HERE. And Go HERE.

Dance 4 Life
Commercial for AIDS Awareness. Go HERE.
Rub It In
The Republican Revolution.
Go HERE.
Ret. Gen. Wesley Clark
He's being coy but he's never stopped running from the sidelines.
Loserrrrrrrrrrr!.
Heroes
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."
-- Jimi Hendrix. Jimi's guitar just sold for $168,000. Electric Ladyland

MacDries says, "I once saw the Goddard film in a stained glass chapel at Washington University during a lightning storm. Multimedia? I'd say so."
The Bastard Fairies
They are giving away their album. Go HERE.
Probably a good idea cuz I don't know anyone who would buy it. They are some weird and crazy gals and guys. Follow their MySpace link as well for more on them. Go HERE.

Que e mas stupido?
Antonin Scalia or Borat? Go HERE.

MacDries says, "My money is on Tonio."
Ho-ho-ho Hum
Windoze Vista finally goes on sale. Vista. Get it? WYSIWYG. What you see is what you get when you look into or out of a window. Those Gatesians are so deep.
Now there is even a web site pushing Bill for Prez. I'm not gonna give you the link. You'll have to google it. There are worse ideas but that one is pretty dumb. He's doing fine since he started his philanthropy. I'd rather Warren Buffett ran but then he's too damn smart to get involved with all those jerks and criminals, pedophiles and preverts.
Damn!!! December
Word for the day, week, month, year, election cycle, decade is: Megalomania. The definition is: George W. (The Shrub, The Twig, Poppy's 2nd favorite son) Bush. Can I get an Amen?

Back at'cha Shrub. You little twerp!
Go HERE to see the whole tape.

For The Latest Dries Art GO HERE
For The Latest CyberToonz GO HERE
I've never actually watched an episode of The Simpsons (I'm more of a Pixar kind of guy) butt...
*Dislaimer

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