August 21, 2007

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: No, We Can't All Just Get Along

Linking to Matthew Yglesias thoughts on the growing ideologically purity of both parties, Atrios comments:

And, frankly, the fact that the two parties broadly reflect distinct ideologies is good thing, not a bad thing, even if it makes it harder for David Broder to figure out which dinner parties to go to. The weird New Deal coalition was, well, rather weird, and I don't see why one should be sad that the Democratic party no longer contains a bunch of Dixiecrats. Certainly it's touching when politicians find common ground on unlikely issues, but it isn't especially important. Politics isn't about getting along, it's about getting things done.

LEST WE FORGET: So That's Why We Love Blind Faith

Instapundit points us to EARVOLOTION's Top Ten Bands that Never Existed, including:

• 9. Alvin & The Chipmunks - An animated precursor to the boy bands of the Nineties, Alvin and his brother chipmunks Simon and Theodore were directed, managed and possibly owned by David Seville, Lou Pearlman's fictional ancestor. ... Despite some continued success as a Saturday morning animated series (Alvin once caused controversy by claiming they were "bigger than Mickey Mouse"), the original boy band would have faded into obscurity had the gimmick not taken new life in 1980 with Chipmunk Punk, which contained hyperspeed versions of "My Sharona," "Call Me" and Tom Petty's "Refugee."


• 4. The Blues Brothers - A labor of love, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi meticulously cultivated The Blues Brothers mythology, mapping out the backgrounds of Elwood and "Joliet Jake" long before they memorialized their story in John Landis' 1980 film. ... Aykroyd and Belushi perfected their Blues Brothers gimmick by entertaining SNL's cast and crew during after-show parties. ... Aykroyd and Belushi believed so heavily that their alter-egos were more than a fad, they were willing to leave the hottest TV show of the Seventies to devote more time to the venture ... but were sadly derailed by Belushi's untimely death in 1982.


• 1. Dr. Teeth & The Electric Mayhem - Even though they didn't know it at the time, children of the Baby Boomers got their first real exposure to Seventies-era rock culture from The Electric Mayhem. Led by Dr. Teeth, an acid-inspired amalgamation of Elton John, Dr. John and other flamboyant rockers, Electric Mayhem served as the house band for Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest on The Muppet Show. ... Henson presented The Electric Mayhem without irony. Not only did they look like the freakiest rock band since Parliament/Funkadelic, they acted like it too, with their personalities and laid-back attitudes (well, not Animal) more apropos to a be-in than a children's show. ... Given The Muppet Show's target demographic, The Electric Mayhem indelibly imprinted the colorful world of rock and roll upon millions of young minds, easily making them the most influential rock band that never really existed.

Posted by Conn Carroll at August 21, 2007 12:46 PM