Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Blah blah blah March 25 2008

Even though I’m not venturing out of town except for Iowa City, there’s no shortage of bargains found at Goodwill.  But must say, I haven’t bought anything at Half Priced Books in about three weeks.  But did meet a interesting person saying that they’re on their way to the Des Moines HP Book store.  I suggested them going to Madison, they have two and much more to offer than Des Moines.

In repsonse to a email inquiry, no I’m not going to Des Moines right now.  I don’t see a reason to.  And besides, we have our very own Taco Time, so don’t see the need of going to Ames right now although it has been almost a year.  Don’t get me wrong I do like Ames, but don’t like going down that two lane hell of Highway 30.  And I’m not sure Hastings would have enough turnover to warrant me to find anything of note.

New release Tuesday, and I do notice that old Relic Jerry Scott has a habit of being there around two oclock.  Amazing that once upon a time Scott had the coolest record store in town and the coolest co workers that worked there and now he’s nothing more than an old relic seeing what’s new out there.  I don’t think he reconized me though my wind blown hair and my dark sun glasses but I kinda skirted by him without making any impression that he knew me.  But I knew him.

On the subject of James Suppel....It’s a shock knowing that this guy would off his wife and family the way he did and then took the pussy way out in life.  Murder suicide to me is like these suicide bombers blowing themselves up to take innocent lives with them.  What gets me is that these adopted children that they had, all were murdered were adopted by this monster.  Makes me wonder what the biological parents would have thought had they known that they gave their children up for a better life, only to be murdered by the adopted parent whose suppose to love them and protect them.  What also gets me is that James Sueppel tried to off himself a couple times before.  If these losers don’t wanna live anymore then maybe there should be a suicide booth for them to do it instead of taking innocent lives such as his wife and adopted family.  Here’s hoping that the family is in a better place and God have mercy on James Sueppel wimpass soul.  Sidenote:  Roberta Caris, is one of Sueppel’s neighbors and used to work at Pearson Inc in the computer room.  I’ve known her for about twenty years, back to the days when she too lived in Marion and is a pretty good person herself. 

The Oreo Strawberry Milkshake Cookies are now back for a limited time at your local supermarket.  These things are highly addicting, so much that I’ve gotten four packages for myself..  Betcha can’t eat just one.  Package that is. These cookies are addictive.


Can’t review them all section: Nashville Harlots

Another email writes  Dear Crabby,
What do you think about the female Nashville stars on GAC or CMT?

Answer, not a lot.  Oh sure Taylor Swift is one hot cutie, tailored made for the hot and horny teenage boys but this old Crabb, she’s 17 which means I’m too old for her anyway.  I think it’s great she can write her own songs about teardrops on her guitar and about Tim McGraw ( If she sang about Buck Owens or Johnny Cash, I’d be suspicious) but the question remains will she be viable two to three  years from now.  And history has showed that’s not the case.  Remember Lila McCann? Jessica Andrews?  About five, ten years ago CMT plastered their videos all over the place and nowadays these women can’t get arrested.  Jennifer Hanson?  Made a pretty good album for Capitol and six years later she can’t get her new record out anywhere. Going independent would have done wonders for her.  Jennifer Day?  Alicia Elliot?  They were the pinup girls for the week of someday in 2000 and now they have disappeared off the map completely.  Elizabeth Cook is still around five years later and on the independent label and is doing well with being on the Opry from time to time and hosting her own satellite radio show but she’s the exception than of the rule.  And we love her for that.

I don’t buy in the fact that Carrie Underwood is country, she is manufactured by the record label and by American Idol and managed to win the lottery of luck.  You can’t escape her videos or her face anywhere on CMT or GAC.  Even when I see her in concert, there’s something not genuine about her, sure she got’s the looks and she can sing 14 different high notes per chorus per song but I still think that she will be following the footsteps of the Lila McCanns and Jessica Andrews of the world.  Likewise Kellie Pickler who does process a good voice but as long as producer hacks like Blake Chancey keep hindering her with crap ass country popcorn fluff, I doubt folks will take her seriously.  Better to hook her with Frank Liddell who did wonders with Miranda Lambert and her studio band.

I could make a exception with these girls if and when I hear something credible from them like I did with Miranda Lambert, who I poopooed till I hear Kerosene, her album and changed my opinion about her.  Sure she may have been on Nashville Star but she did held back till she made her albums and out of all the American Idol/Nashville Star artists, Lambert remains miles ahead better than anything the Idols have come up.  I also think in the long run, that Taylor Swift might have a better future than the aforementioned Underwood simply of the fact that she writes better than the cliche stuff Underwood throws up with the Nashville Hitmen.  But five years from now, I do have a feeling that most if not all will be in the "where are they now" segment that GAC will show, after they become country’s answer to Vh1’s reality crap and I’m sure some live at home thirty something will be making snide remarks about Teardrops on guitars or so forth.  After all, nobody’s showing Jessica Andrews or Lila McCann videos anymore.

A final thought, LeeAnn Rimes has managed to defy odds and still makes the rounds as a much more soulful country singer than her Patsy Cline soundalike beginnings.  But the fly in the jello is that she’s stuck on Curb Records and though she’s managed to have a couple of nice songs (Probaly Wouldn’t Be This Way is my fave of hers) her albums remain spotty at best.  But she is so down to earth that you can’t help but root for her.  Jewel going country is a better idea than going disco.  And the less said about Jessica Simpson’s country album the better.

But for good country female music I still root for Elizabeth Cook, and Miranda Lambert cause they do write their own songs and do managed to rock out and still be convincing of it.  If Jennifer Hanson ever gets her second album out, I’ll take a listen to it and I might check out Taylor Swift should I find a cheap copy of it at the pawnshop.  But as for Carrie Underwood, uh uh.  I think she’s country as Celine Dion.  Which is not. 
And so it goes.