Hammer Mill Days

Well, it's, I don't know, the album's China anniversary. That makes it sound like we're traveling to Beijing. Not that I wouldn't, if luncheon is provided ... but I must be fed, or I remain at home. Yes, who can believe it, folks ... it's been 20 years since the release of our first album, 2000 Years To Christmas , or at least I think it is. Totally makes sense, in a way. After all, twenty years ago was the year two thousand, so that's when we would have done it, pursuant to our obsession with accuracy. Hah! As if! We dropped the album at some weird ass time to accommodate the disc production schedule. They were taking their time about whittling those CDs. I know it's painstaking work, but really .... six weeks? Outrageous. Well, our Indonesian sweat shop finally churned out the product, weeks after Christmas. Picture rows and rows of workers, chipping away at blocks of plastic, knocking off everything that doesn't look like a CD, then hand-paint...

It would be hard to overstate the sheer joy being felt by our corporate media over the last couple of weeks. It reminds me of those times when there's three major stories and a hurricane. They are never so happy as when the news machine is firing on all cylinders, and that is certainly what's happening now - impeachment hearings, international upheaval, Democratic debates. Lots and lots of content, and very little effort needed to push it out. So here I am, sitting in front of the television on debate night, watching the long wind-up led by erstwhile nightly news anchor Brian Williams, basking in the lights, moderating a conversation between failed Senate re-elect candidate Claire McCaskill, former Howard Schultz vendor Steve Schmidt, perennial talk show host Joy Ann Reid, and Chris Hayes, smartest man on TV. The ten candidates include a billionaire who basically bought his way onto this stage. Cautionary comments from Schmidt and McCaskill counseling centrism. Hoo boy. F...