HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 

Book Review: Truth with Jokes

by Lang Reid

The Truth With Jokes (ISBN 0-141-02316-3, Penguin Books, 2005) unashamedly begins with the final stages of vote counting in the last US Presidential election, with author Al Franken ready to celebrate the crushing victory expected by John Kerry. However, that crushing victory did not eventuate, the US electorate voted George W Bush back in for a second term, and Franken wants the reader to know why.
The underhand methods used in politicking in the US are laid bare in the book, with much given to the important role of innuendo (which is not an Italian suppository). Examples showing just how public opinion can be swayed by instilling “half truths” or just “downright lies” by infiltrating universities who spread the “facts”, with each sequential telling making it look even more “factual”.
Negative messages are also used extensively. Apparently Bush ran 49,050 negative adverts against Kerry, during the election campaign, while Kerry only ran 13,336 against Bush. This fact is used by Franken to show what an honorable chap John Kerry really was, compared to the evil monster George W Bush. However, to me it shows a certain sickness in the electorate. After all, Bush did win, didn’t he?
The book dissects every aspect of the way Americans relate to presidential candidates, even down to the fact that John Kerry took 82 percent of the vote among atheists and agnostics. Franken makes a wry point here writing, “Which I suppose makes sense, though you’d think agnostics would be swing voters.”
About half way through the book, Franken throws in a chapter about his being Jewish and his father dying and perhaps there is a God after all. I could not really see what this had to do with the subject matter the book alleged to be covering. Unless you are an agnostic perhaps!
It does cover the Republican tactics which he neatly refers to as the Three Horseman of the Republican Apocalypse: Fear, Smear and Queers. However, I am more than confident that these three represent two-edged swords and the Democrats do have dirty underwear hiding under their Gucci suits. Much of Franken’s evidence is in transcripts from the media in the US, but since these are very small clips, the risk of it being taken out of context is high.
I found the book heavy going at times, with Franken introducing a whole swathe of US politicians who he asserts were involved in the post 9/11 debacle, in one way or another. Both good and bad. For readers intimately connected with the American political scene, this is probably fine, but for those non-American readers who have been over-viewing the situation from afar, it is a little too confusing.
The book claimed on the front cover that it was “Hilarious, laugh-or-cry-out loud,” but I did not find it so. It showed for me just how two-faced politicians can be in a country where the media can not only be manipulated, but also revels in being manipulators. Was there a lesson for Thailand? Probably not, but it was interesting to surmise.
At B. 495 an expensive put-down on George W Bush.

  Mott’s CD review: Ian McDonald

Drivers Eyes

Mott The Dog’s hand Sorted by Meow The Cat
5 Stars *****
There had been twenty nine years since Ian McDonald’s last solo release in 1970, a collaboration with drummer Michael Giles, and this solo album ‘Drivers Eyes’ (1999). Why the long wait between albums is the obvious question, and why has it taken Mott the Dog so long to review it? Well the answer is that we have both been rather busy, although one obviously feels that Ian McDonald has probably spent the intervening years rather more fruitfully.
After five years in the army (Mott has never even been sent to obedience classes!), in 1968 Ian McDonald emerged with a natural musical rhythm and a fine sense of discipline. With great musical beliefs he sought out like-minded musicians and formed ‘King Crimson’ with Robert Fripp on lead guitar, Greg Lake on bass and vocals and Michael Giles on drums. Ian McDonald himself played saxophone, flute, back up vocals, and keyboards including the very new and incredibly unpredictable mellotrone.
The band was an instant commercial and critical success. Their first rehearsal was in January of that year, their first paid gig at the London Speakeasy in April, they supported the Rolling Stones at their huge free concert at Hyde Park in July and by Christmas had completed a sell out sixty date tour of the United Kingdom, and an eighteen date tour of the United States of America. Their debut album ‘In The Court of the Crimson King’ had reached the top five in the U.K. whilst going top thirty on the other side of the Atlantic. Even the mighty Beatles had not achieved success so quickly.
But on their return from the States just in time for Christmas, under a year since their first rehearsal, Mike Giles and Ian McDonald left the band fearing for their sanity, and handed over the reigns of King Crimson to Robert Fripp, who still keeps the King Crimson flag flying today even though they are on about line up twenty five.
Ian McDonald and Mike Giles retired to the recording studio to record a more relaxed album, ‘McDonald, Giles’, which quite honestly was not a commercial or critical success. Although listened to today, it stands up rather well.
For the next six years Ian McDonald made his living doing the odd bit of session work here and there (including playing on T. Rex’s ‘Get It On’). When David Cross left yet another version of King Crimson, after playing as a session man on their album ‘Red’ (1974) he nearly re-joined King Crimson, but the band fell apart anyway so nothing came of that.
He also whiled away part of his time ripping up cinema tickets as an usher down the local Odeon to put bread on the table.
Deciding that life possibly held more for him than ripping up pieces of cardboard Ian McDonald packed his bags and set sail for America. There, it was not long before he teamed up with another ex-pat Brit in the shape of Mick Jones, ex-Spooky Tooth and The Leslie West Band. Deciding to form a band they sought out the best and like-minded Americans they could find and settled down in the rehearsal studios for a full year before venturing out so that when they did they could hit the ground running. Included in the line up were drummer Dennis Elliott, and a young vocalist with an amazing range Lou Gramm. They suitably named the band ‘Foreigner’.
In 1977 they released their self titled debut album (produced by Ian McDonald) and toured America to packed out stadiums wherever they went. The album went top five and the first two singles burst into the top ten. The next album ‘Double Vision’ (1978) did even better, so they had to play in even bigger concert halls, and when Head Games (1979) hit the charts they could rightfully claim to be the biggest rock band in America. They meant absolutely nothing to the rest of the world and its neighboring planets, but hey! 30 million Americans can’t be wrong.
But after four years, three top five albums, countless hit singles, being voted best new band by Billboard, Rolling Stone and every other magazine, doing all the production work on all the albums, writing half the songs, being able to play a much improved mellotron from the awkward thing he was required to play on his first tour of America, in other words with the world at his fingertips Ian McDonald stunned the rock world by quitting the band. Although he did play as a session musician on their next album, the multi platinum ‘4’.
So for nearly two decades Ian McDonald roamed the musical world turning up on scores of albums as a session musician, or finding new bands who he felt needed a hand and whilst giving them the benefit of his knowledge would also produce their albums. Far to many to mention. But he would also make live appearances with the likes of John Wetton, just to keep his hand in.
Then in 1999 the creative juices could be held back no more and Ian McDonald stepped back into the studio. Bringing with him the nucleus of a band, Steve Holley on drums, and Kenny Aaronson on bass, only the best rhythm section would do for a musician of this caliber, Dan Coleman did all the string arrangements, and of course Ian McDonald either wrote or co-wrote all the songs himself whilst playing an array of instruments from guitar, synthesizer, flute, saxophone, electric piano, percussion, clarinet, and basically anything else he could get his hands on to improve the sound.
The album is a collection of songs that make up a perfect modern rock album, driving music, played with thought and inspiration. There are eleven songs in all, including four instrumentals and seven rock songs that would grace any album. ‘Overture’ opens the album perfectly giving you the vision of what is to come. The other three instrumental titles speak for themselves: ‘Sax Fifth Avenue’, ‘Hawaii’ and ‘Demimonde’.
The guest list of musicians that come into play on some tracks is a who’s who of the best of rock. On ‘You Are Part Of Me ‘ John Waite (ex Babys) steps up to do the lead vocal duties, whilst Michael Giles helps out on drums, G.E. Smith handles the guitar solo and Steve Hackett (ex Genesis) is relegated to harmonica. John Wetton takes lead vocals on ‘Forever and Ever’, ‘Straight Back To You’ finally lets Steve Hackett have a go at a lead guitar solo whilst Lou Gramm puts his throat on the lead vocals. Peter Frampton lays down a sizzling guitar solo on ‘If I Was You’ whilst Ian Lloyd doubles up on lead vocals. The final track on the album is probably the jewel in the case. It is a collaboration between Ian Macdonald writing the music and for the first time since 1969 on ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ Peter Sinfield supplies the lyrics. Believe me, the old magic is still there. It is a remarkable track to finish the album, and who better to sing it than Gary Brooker of ‘Procul Harum’.
Strangely the album was not a great success although it is still available through www.amazon.com and is what they call a steady seller, still selling well after all these years. The artwork on the cover is also quite stunning.
These days a very fit looking Ian McDonald leads ‘The 21st Century Schizoid Band’, a collection of ex King Crimson members including the very talented Ian Wallace, drummer for King Crimson for two years, from the ‘Islands’ album, Mel Collins who was on ‘Lizards’ (1970) complimenting Ian McDonald on saxophones and flutes, on bass guitar is Pete Giles who was with Robert Fripp and Michael Giles before King Crimson was invented, and then appeared on the ‘In The Wake Of Poseidon’ (1970) album. Plus many others ex members of the band except of course Robert Fripp, who has, though, given his blessing to the band. Live, the band plays songs relevant to when each player was in the band plus music from their solo albums, including a fair smattering from this album. Ian McDonald is a very talented musician.
Songs
Overture
In Your Hands
You Are A Part Of Me
Sax Fifth Avenue
Forever And Ever
Saturday Night In Tokyo
Hawaii
Straight Back To You
If I Was
Demimonde
Let There Be Light

To contact Mott the Dog email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mott-the-dog.com

News | Business | Features | Columns | Mail Bag | Sports | Auto Mania
Our Children | Travel | Our Community | Dining Out & Entertainment
Social Scene | Classifieds | Community Happenings | Books Music Movies
Clubs in Pattaya | Sports Round-Up

E-mail: [email protected]
Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
62/284-286 Thepprasit Road, (Between Soi 6 & 8) Moo 12, Pattaya City
T. Nongprue, A. Banglamung,
Chonburi 20150 Thailand
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596

Copyright © 2004 Pattaya Mail. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.