tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290881902010-08-28T23:18:10.698-07:00Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-55873455506912632132010-08-28T20:42:00.000-07:002010-08-28T20:42:10.264-07:00

No offense to Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin and all those yokums who descended on the Lincoln Memorial earlier today, but I really don't want God back in this country. I don't have any specific objection to God being anywhere, and I don't mind if he takes over certain parts of this country. Mississippi, for example. He can have Mississippi. He could open up as many Steak and Shakes as he wants in

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-60620825865224909432010-08-17T18:25:00.000-07:002010-08-17T18:25:37.287-07:00

***** – This movie is required viewing. You should have already seen it. If you haven't seen it by the time you solicit my opinion about it, then your scheduling system already needs to be reassessed. The mere question should never have been raised. You should have been supernaturally compelled to see this movie once post-production wrapped. Being a member of free society, you should choose to

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-55957185322796096852010-08-03T00:45:00.000-07:002010-08-03T00:45:30.155-07:00

Once back in the '70s a British music producer was trying to line up musicians for a recording gig. He gets on the phone to the musicians' union and says, "Yeah, I'm trying to get anybody who can play sort of traditional British folk-rock music for this singer I got. So if you have anybody down there who can play like Steeleye Span, make sure you get them down to my studio tomorrow at 9am sharp!

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-86036407167919864552010-07-06T00:52:00.000-07:002010-07-06T01:00:08.791-07:00

I haven't much brainpower to write about each album specifically, so you'll just have to take my word for it that my reasoning is excellent and my critical power is at its peak. That's what she said. This list subject to change at the end of the year to include albums I haven't actually heard yet. 1. The Archandroid, Janelle Monae Very rarely has someone shot for the moon with so much return.

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-66700238237252104662010-05-15T22:43:00.000-07:002010-05-15T22:45:00.738-07:00

This afternoon I made grilled Johnsonville bratwursts parboiled in beer and onions. When I opened the grill I thought it smelled really, really good. So I went inside and made a status update on Facebook: "Brats in beer w/grilled onions & sauerkraut. You should smell my deck right now."Merwyn comments: "That can be the theme for new edgy commercials that get the young demographic wanting to buy

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-32700627697288137792010-05-10T00:55:00.000-07:002010-05-10T01:03:51.457-07:00

1. It's Easier To Write Funny Material For People Who Are Good At Being Funny.Somewhere along the line SNL got the cachet to book high-profile stars or current big names to guest-host the show, and while most of them showed some gift for comedy, many of them (Megan Fox, January Jones, Colin Ferrell) do not. The show suffers because the writers have to work harder to conjure up supporting

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-43767441639586275582010-05-08T23:03:00.001-07:002010-05-08T23:04:23.691-07:00

Respect the mollusk! Several things were in place at this year's Seattle Maritime Festival Chowder Cook-Off that indicated to me that the restaurants are taking this competition much more seriously than before. Most tellingly, none of the chowders was an outright disaster. Usually you can count on one restaurant doing something untowards, like making the carrots too raw, merely opening up

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-48920578505351495582010-04-27T00:04:00.000-07:002010-04-27T02:10:27.665-07:00

I'm writing this a little sooner than I normally would with these kinds of critical-analysis reaction things because, quite honestly, I want to start processing the original source, M.I.A.'s video for her new song "Born Free," out of my head as soon as possible. That's not to say it's a bad video. In many ways it's a very good video. Every element makes narrative sense, especially the art

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-31086882519972253772010-04-23T02:35:00.001-07:002010-04-23T15:16:40.544-07:00

Have you become a fan of the hottest group on Facebook yet? One million strong, baby. Here's what it's called: DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN. There are four friends of mine of Facebook who have

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-43737366027417204322010-04-12T23:31:00.000-07:002010-04-23T15:17:49.853-07:00

(Originally posted as a discussion on a highly regarded psychological marketing journal site Facebook) Paul Pearson: What do you think? I don't think it's crass. It's certainly calculating though. On whose part I'm not sure. Nike's the only sponsor he has left, and they certainly couldn't show him using a sand wedge to slay a dragon. They'd have to address The Thing somehow. Not sure the

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-27734114178901200732010-04-04T01:36:00.001-07:002010-04-05T19:01:37.718-07:00

These are initial results. Subject to change. I'm trying to think in terms of quarterly business reviews lately. Good for my posture. 1. Plastic Beach, Gorillaz There's nothing as immediate as "Feel Good Inc." or "Clint Eastwood" or "DARE" here. I think that works in the album's overall favor. There's less pressure and as such Damon Albarn has come up with some his loveliest tunes and most

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-12829783497320760572010-03-29T00:46:00.001-07:002010-04-05T19:05:07.217-07:00

Awhile back I had the notion to go on an apologetics spree defending the music of Hall & Oates, but succumbed to the seeming futility of the exercise several times. For one thing nobody would look me in the eye again, and if they did they'd probably be doing so for the purposes of aiming a paintball at me. The temptation has returned several times since, especially as nostalgia for the '80s

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-56793228079716089422010-03-26T00:37:00.001-07:002010-04-05T19:06:33.811-07:00

The first album I ever purchased with Alex Chilton's name on it wasn't by Big Star, or even the Box Tops. And (by mere weeks) it wasn't even the Replacements' Pleased To Meet Me, which contained the song "Alex Chilton." It was a 1987 solo CD called High Priest, which combined Chilton's newest album of the same name with a tossed-off EP centered around Chilton's very off-color, AIDS-era anthem "

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-2452182911575039852010-03-07T00:58:00.000-08:002010-03-07T02:12:14.923-08:00

The Who, 1971It's a cynical song. It's one of the few instances in rock history where cynicism is expressed as catharsis. It's about the failure of the Sixties revolution. Their hearts were in the right place, but they had no plan. Townshend sees that the struggle isn't going to be resolved in simplistic terms - so he "smiles and grins at the change all around," recognizing that people's hearts

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-18849595049122910162010-02-15T20:03:00.001-08:002010-02-15T20:04:37.302-08:00

Bob Costas: The Emo Years

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-54317417179109524892010-01-31T23:43:00.001-08:002010-01-31T23:45:58.838-08:00

Elton John & Lady Gaga have a beluga caviar fight backstage and don't bother to clean up.Music industry doesn't get Stephen Colbert."21 Guns" by Green Day sounds a lot like ELO's "Telephone Line" in this context.Colbert on Susan Boyle: Music biz "has been saved by cat lady with sensible shoes." There will be no better line tonight.Taylor Swift feigns surprise at winning Best Country

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-83904160003601444692009-12-16T01:29:00.001-08:002009-12-16T02:49:12.609-08:00

This is probably more obvious than a Nickelback record, but it bears repeating: "Best album of the 2000's" is not necessarily the same as "my favorite album of the 2000's." I mention this because my favorite album of the 2000's is showing up on absolutely none of any publication's catchall lists of the greatest albums of the 2000's. Not even in any top 100's.I'm neither proud of the uniqueness

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-11528648250433395302009-12-14T01:12:00.001-08:002009-12-14T01:15:55.113-08:00

I was going to do longer reviews of these records but I'm short on calendar. So I thought I'd shove these out Quarter Pounder style and focus all my energies on writing about my #1 album of the decade. I am fairly sure my choice will be something of an underwhelming disappointment to you all, but I promise to try and defend it. You know, like I do with Hall & Oates.But here are the other 9.#10:

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-51879362577045039542009-12-07T01:05:00.001-08:002009-12-07T01:27:32.760-08:00

"I'm just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else's hurt - my dream of what awards shows are supposed to be." – Kanye West to Jay Leno, 9/10/09, after interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the VMA's You know what? I agree with Kanye West. Awards shows aren't what they're supposed to be. They're not what they used to be.You can never expect to recapture the excitement of old-time

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-46283694559136880882009-12-03T01:30:00.001-08:002009-12-03T02:20:23.731-08:00

I know you're expecting it. If you're not expecting it, you should be expecting it, by God. This year, though, I don't really wanna write it. For one thing, I haven't written that much lately. I've been shackled to a crossbar for about six months now with a non-stop supply of Steel Reserve Malt Liquor and tiny Mexican candies, and I must say, the stagnation's sort of grown on me. At first I was

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29088190.post-8352901548093442892009-11-09T21:19:00.000-08:002009-11-09T21:24:08.545-08:00

Paul Pearsonnoreply@blogger.com0