Letters (Delivered to the
On
the Street
Penthouse Suite via the Ether, Pigeons, and
All Methods In between)
#1.
An On the Street long time reader with close ties to Brazilian street
grappling the medical field
(someone we will now obliquely refer to as Homes) sent this astounding
clip. As with many of the messages sent to the Penthouse
Suite, humor is mixed with sadness. The clip has the feel of
Old World vaudeville, or perhaps I am simply projecting that onto the
clip because it is from the far reaches of Europe, and of course, who
doesn't love the idea
of vaudeville.
At one
point I thought it was a lost Roberto Benigni/Jim Jarmusch clip, which
ultimately only reinforces my point.
Observe...
The host's reaction is so completely wrong and inappropriate it can
only be considered human. The last 15 seconds of
silence bring unexpected pathos.
#2.
Congressman Al sent these clips in at various times during the week.
Given that his dedication to On the Street does not waver by
being in another state, it is only fair if we now refer to
him as On the Street
Mountain Time Zone Correspondent Congressman Al.
(2A.)
Old time fans of the Nature Boy will be happy to see him inject himself
into the current presidential election. The Nature Boy,
combined with Chuck Norris, gives Mike Huckabee a Kinky Friedman-esque
assemblage of unlikely, lovable losers in his political corner.
Ric Flair held onto his
championship reign with the cliched iron fist.
Unfortunately, Mike Huckabee (and his campaign) are drifting
into defeat. I really appreciate having Mike Huckabee on the
campaign trail battling McCain. Though Huckabee is probably
waiting in vain for McCain to have his "macaca" moment of
self-implosion, the idea that McCain could screw up his chances are not
that out of the picture. Scandals begin to whirl around him.
Stories of his evil temper now begin to surface.
Some have even questioned if he should be eligible for
President because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone and not on the
50 states, however Arizona didn't become a state until shockingly
recently, and by recently I mean 1912.
McCain's situation does not bode well for the health of the country.
Ostracized by his base for past statements and views, he now
seems to be trying to appease his base through his stance on
military
and the empire. The People don't want 100 more
years of Iraq, yet these are the outlandish statements he has made to
smooth things over with the people of his party. I can't
imagine this going over well with the majority of people, but then what
do I know?
He might do better than most people first think,
however, I can't imagine most people wanting to have a beer with him,
which is always my most important criteria when choosing a President.
What kind of beer are we going to order? If he is
afraid to order international, is he then also afraid to
order micro-brew? Are we going to have just one
round?
Do we order several pitchers? It looks bad either
way.
Do we get drunk and discuss and the Spurs vs. the Suns
in the 2007 playoffs? And if we do, then is his temper able
to handle it when I bring up the Robert Horry hipcheck?
Yeah, probably not. And that is why I want Mike Huckabee to
somehow find a way to stay in the race. He's the Jimmy Carter
of the Right. His presence in the Presidential debate would
force a much more interesting and "nuanced" course of discussion.
The dude just wants to play his bass guitar...
(2B.)
And as easily as politics drifts into music, sports drifts into
politics. This also from the desk of On the Street Mountain Time Zone
Correspondent Congressman Al...
The joker tells the truth, and the serious commentator responds like a
clown?
Cracking the Pecan King
A few days ago an On the Street associate from the Austin film scene
came through town to do photographic research for the ACLU for
something connected to Emma Tenayuca - most likely for one of the many
commemorations.
Having left the Institute of Texan Cultures we met nearby at Rosario's.
Rosario's has a good racket going on with the tourists. The
food is good in a delicate, crafted sort of way but everything could be
several dollars cheaper. Nonetheless, it exists in its own
bubble and people have a good time there. It strikes me as the kind of
place where when you ask the waiter what he reccomends he'll make up
something, usually choosing the more expensive option, which is pretty
much what happened when I went there. Carrying a camera
probably gave me away for the Iowan tourist I've always wanted to be.
A beer was later had at Beethoven's. The old timers weren't
in yet. I was hoping to show my friend a glimpse of the
German scene but it wasn't meant to be. The auslanders were
right at home.
A Quiet Storm Band Called Bedroom E.T.A.
Based on the positive response from the audio clip from last week
("Ditchweed" aka "Don't Ask. Okay, Go Ahead and Ask") we
bring this follow up. Having tracked down the origins, it seems this a
clip from an upcoming Matador Records comedy album. Very
unusual. On the Street Insider Erin wonders about
their connection to Catpower. Again, very unusual...
Add this to your news reader.
