tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64843310089399886152024-02-07T19:07:17.136-06:00The Maximum LeaderBryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-63469739750223428512008-06-12T14:03:00.000-06:002008-06-12T14:04:05.454-06:00show next week<A HREF="http://www.myspace.com/bryanhartleymusic"><img src="http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/johnpaulshaffer/OL-6-20-08-b-1.jpg"></A>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-17548949377793237022008-04-07T16:09:00.002-06:002008-04-07T16:12:02.739-06:00The Other WomanI know that I have already declared my love for DT. But .... <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXWvjkX446A&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXWvjkX446A&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />Now if I could only find my copy of Moon Pics.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-90928194722144361412008-03-13T10:43:00.002-06:002008-03-13T10:44:46.165-06:00The Maximum Leader Presents ...Since I am basically phoning it in this week anyway, let me take this time to introduce you to one of my favorite performers of all time, a true country music icon, Big Al: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gzUzgwPsI-8&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gzUzgwPsI-8&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-48096542172658537122008-03-12T13:00:00.000-06:002008-03-12T13:01:20.599-06:00The Maximum Leader Presents ...Dead End (1937) <br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O7qOnx1gQ8Y&hl=en"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O7qOnx1gQ8Y&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-36081551878326754222008-03-12T12:37:00.002-06:002008-03-12T12:39:09.685-06:00The Truth is a Blank #2Sorry there's been no action on the leader this week. no excuses really, so I'll just blame inertia. Damn Intertia. Gets me every time.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-91171294636697501122008-03-06T17:19:00.002-06:002008-03-06T17:22:00.836-06:00The Maximum Leader Endorses...<object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bv1uCIhggKk"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bv1uCIhggKk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />Carly Smithson for American IdolBryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-37873550645661098802008-03-05T14:04:00.002-06:002008-03-05T14:06:04.611-06:00The Truth is a Blank #1and that being the case, there isn't much to report from the Maximum Leader headquarters right now. I did hear that Bai Ling got off with a fine, and she's real sorry for pocketing those batteries without paying for them. So maybe the truth can be the sun smile afterall.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-10533952785669891542008-03-04T09:35:00.003-06:002008-03-04T09:41:28.466-06:00The Maximum Leader Presents ...<strong>The Last Days of Disco</strong> by Whit Stillman. I have watched this movie a hundred times or more. I'm completely hooked on it. I love Charlotte. and the snappy dialogue too. my favorite scene comes about a minute into this clip when "The Tide is High" starts up. <br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/K5EPv_X_bxM"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/K5EPv_X_bxM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br /><br />What would Sacco think?Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-43866710021738928762008-03-03T09:38:00.002-06:002008-03-03T09:45:47.838-06:00The Leader Goes Hollywood!This weekend I finally saw the Halfacre Gunroom's movie synch debut, DRIVE-THRU. In what could only be described as personally surreal irony, "The Day is Done" is the creepy janitor's theme. Really. No matter what the scene, hearing my voice sing "What do you know about devastation?" in a horror movie was really, really damn cool.<br /><br />The movie itself was kind of over the top and ridiculous, but I'm not gonna complain. I couldn't find a clip with the gunroom song, but here's the trailer:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kc694Vp3zpw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kc694Vp3zpw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-41324602039655656932008-02-29T13:42:00.002-06:002008-02-29T13:46:55.634-06:00The Maximum Leader Presents ...In this new feature the Maximum Leader will bring you some inspiring words or a story, song, picture, or whatever, by someone other than me. Today's installment is a classic from my Soul Brother Number One, Rob K B:<br /><br />"Now, I want you to think about your great great grandmother, but don't think about her the way <em>you</em> would think about her. Think about her the way <em>I</em> would think about her."<br /><br />yeah, I have no idea either.<br /><br />Nasmaste!Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-7505677242336792242008-02-29T09:38:00.004-06:002008-02-29T12:10:27.433-06:00The Truth is a Lie #7Are you better off now than your were four years ago? How about eight years ago? <br /><br />I will start by saying that I am definitely worse off economically now than I was 4 years ago (lots of folks are in the same boat these days), and considerably worse than eight years ago too. Some of that is the fault of the nations economy. Much of it is no one fault's but my own. But still. <br /><br />When you take that question beyond financial considerations, my life has been much better for the most of the last 8 eight years than it was in the years before that. There was very little love and rock and roll during the Clinton years. Yeah, those years started off pretty good, but sometime in 1995 I hit a slump that did not end until 2001. No love. No rock and roll. The country was in great shape, but I hit 200 lbs. and drowned in Coors Light and self pity. (Is that too candid for the blog? screw it, it's the truth.) The Clinton years were rough that way, but I had a good job and had plenty of money to blow on beer and so-called good times. <br /><br />Then 2001 came around and things started to change. First of all George Bush sent me that check for 300 bucks. That was nice of him. Then I got myself one hell of a nice apartment at the train station, and the White Stripes came to Earnestine and Hazel's. The next morning the world was turned upside down, and everything we'd known seemed wrong. The slate had been cleared. The game was different. So, off into the new world I went, we all went. And there was fear, but there was also a feeling of resiliency. "We're not gonna let those bastards keep us from being free!" so off I went to Nashville to see Ryan Adams play at 328. That was Sept. 29, 2001. (If any of you don't know what happened that night I got a record I wrote about it. Shoot me a message and a few bucks and I'll send you one.) And the world was strange and scary and new and one adventure followed another. <br /><br />The six years that followed that September were the best of my life so far. I shook loose of the doldrums and found the rock and roll, the spirit, the romance, and, finally, the love I'd been looking for all those long years. I don't necessarily have all of those things today, but, damn it, I know what they FEEL like. And that is more than a lot folks can say, and I'm thankful for it. I'm not still hanging in the beer garden any night in 1999 thinking about how great it's gonna be when I have myself a real rock and roll band and find a cool gal to spend my time with. I have had those things, and I know that they CAN be had. (now everyone might not be looking for a rock and roll band or a dark haired doll. but whatever it is you're looking for you CAN find it. The secret is...hell, I don't know the secret, but it does have something to do with not looking --- on the outside anyway.) <br /><br />So, if we're talking about money then I am definitely not better off than I was eight years ago. But, if we're talking about living then yeah, I'm doing good. Does that mean I'm gonna vote for the Republican in November? No way in hell. I just hope I'm not doing myself in, and I hope that I have learned enough in these hard times to make the good times ahead that much better.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-82179142353191584872008-02-28T15:57:00.000-06:002008-02-28T15:58:25.769-06:00The Truth is Strange<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/y4msdMl6HOY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/y4msdMl6HOY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-38508715868021917102008-02-27T15:11:00.001-06:002008-02-27T15:11:41.292-06:00I Heart Donna Tartt<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wUO0GzkLRfc&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wUO0GzkLRfc&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-73579200467233018222008-02-26T16:23:00.003-06:002008-02-26T17:07:45.726-06:00Country Music is DeadI've been thinking a lot about country music lately. I do reside in Nashville after all, and country music is why I came up here --- even if it isn't necessarily the reason why I've been sticking around --- so I might as well keep letting you folks know how I feel about it.<br /><br />A couple of weeks ago I had that meeting with the suit at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BMI</span> who told me about how it works and all that ... you know, about "who are you writing with"...if you don't recall that it's only a couple of posts down so... Anyway this past weekend a made two trips to the Country Music hall of Fame, where they mostly celebrate how things ought to work in Country Music or how they used to work. (I recently purchased a museum membership so I'm trying to get my money's worth.) The Hall of Fame's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">moto</span> is "Honor thy Music." And they do a damn good job of it.<br /><br />Saturday I stopped by the grand re-opening of the Hall of Fame store and saw Charlie <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Louvin</span> sing. He was pretty damn solid for an 80 year old man who confessed that he still likes to have himself a smoke. ( And you know that puts him in good standing here at the Leader!) Sunday I went to a steel guitar demonstration then checked out the new Marty Robbins exhibit. After that I made a quick pass through the museum. It wasn't that long ago that I was there, and there wasn't much new to see, but I did stop in a couple of the "Hear a Classic Country Song" booths --- that was a great follow up to the steel guitar demo. I listened to "Slowly" by Webb Pierce twice, and it has never sounded better. I also checked out Jimmie Rogers and watched videos of Patty Loveless talking about growing up in Kentucky and Gillian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Welch</span> doing "I want to sing that Rock and Roll." David <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Rawlins</span> guitar solo in that song touches something deep inside me every damn time I hear it. <br /><br />Now, there may be some way to draw a line between Jimmie Rogers and Webb Pierce to Brooks and Dunn and Rascal <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Flatts</span>. But I can't come up with it. The music the big wheels in this town make now is not even close to the same thing that has historically been called country music. This is not a new sentiment I know. Lots of folks feel this way, and it has been said about Nashville several times in the past. But damn.<br /><br />(Just to present a different view... I'm in no way saying that country music should not change and evolve. But it's evolved right into some other life form.)<br /><br />And that brings me to the other thing I was thinking about the last couple of days in regards to country music.<br /><br />There's been a lot of controversy lately about some comments that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Kix</span> Brooks from Brooks and Dunn made about the festival formerly known as Fan Fair, now called the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">CMA</span> Music Festival presented by ABC, Chevrolet, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Wal</span>-Mart, and a bunch of other multi-national corporations looking to play the branding game with the country music demographic. Anyway, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Kix</span> said that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">CMA</span> ought to pay the performers or risk losing them or the festival itself to another city. Performers have traditionally appeared at the festival formerly known as Fan Fair for free. It has been their way of giving back to the fans who made them successful. The stars would set up their autograph booths and meet all the folks. It was a big, down home, country party and illustrated one of the major ways that country music was different than many other forms of popular entertainment. But it ain't like that anymore. <br /><br />I don't know how i come down on this issue. Is it really too much to ask a country star to perform a short set for free one night a year? On the other hand, it's not like it's a free concert.<br />Really, the whole thing has just gotten out of hand. Some folks seem to want to hold onto the old myth of country music being about the fans, the stars being just like the rest of us and all that. But it's a terribly corporate system. And business folks like to get paid.<br /><br />We need to take the Hall of Fame's advice and honor country music because it's dead, and it ain't coming back.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com95tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-87368207670176593492008-02-14T16:12:00.002-06:002008-02-14T16:20:19.217-06:00The Truth is a Sun Smile"...why can't I just be the sun smile?" --- Bai Ling<br /><br />I hear you Bai Ling. I've been feeling that way myself. Sometimes things get hard here at the Maximum Leader. But, hey, at least I haven't been swiping magazines and batteries at the Nashville airport, right? Maybe I ain't doing so bad after all.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-88205831059537364802008-02-12T13:38:00.000-06:002008-02-12T14:21:20.247-06:00The Truth is a Lie #6Sorry for the absence. The Leader isn't a very good blogger. But the Leader finally has something to say. <br /><br />This morning I had a meeting with a writer rep at BMI. And I want to let you know that it doesn't look like I will be a "Nashville Country Songwriter" any time soon. Apparently no publishers want to hear songs written by just one person. They only want to know "who are you writing with?" and that person better be a staff songwriter or an artist. There is no wonder all of the product coming out of the country music corporations is so pathetic. <br /><br />I moved up here a year and half ago because I thought I could find someway to turn my songs into some kind of living. I had a meeting with a publisher right before I moved up here, and he told me that he liked my songs, but that there wasn't much chance of him getting them on the radio. And that's the only thing he cared about. He told me I'd be better off getting the Gunroom up here and getting them signed to a label. But the holding the gunroom together back then was enough of a challenge. And I moved on up here anyway. Maybe I should have known better, but I didn't really know what else to so. A year and half later I still don't, so I thought that BMI might be a good place to start. It doesn't hurt to hear what folks in the business have to say. <br /><br />The guy at BMI told me that if I want to be a country song writer I should get out and go to showcases and number 1 parties, network, and meet other writers and try to get them to write with me ---- that's why you've got all these desperate folks running around looking for someone to write with. That's why no one can write a song by themselves any more. Because no one will listen to it unless it's got the right name on it. This system is Fucked! And I probably knew that going in, but I figured that my stuff is pretty damn good, so it's worth a shot. But you know what? It does not matter in the least how good it it. <br /><br />So, I could either spend all of my free time going to parties full of people I don't know and asking people to "write with me" or I could shove that nonsense aside and get on with playing some music. I'd love for Tim McGraw to record "Hot Rod Century." But I sing it a lot better than he ever could. So that's what I'm gonna do. After this morning's meeting, I think that being an artist is the only way to go. <br /><br />Be on the look out, because I'm coming to your town! <br /><br />Bryan Hartley<br />Poet of Doom. Man of Style.<br />(Thanks to L. for the six word bio idea.)Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-69085573418509623062007-12-10T17:01:00.000-06:002007-12-10T17:19:42.313-06:00The Leader is Back!The last Maximum Leader comeback didn't last too long. I got into one movie review and nearly lost my reader. I made up several posts that I deleted. And next thing you know a couple of months have gone by. <br /><br />But The Leader is back once again. Lots of things have been happening here and at home and I'm going to try to catch you up on some of them. There's been a lot of music, and I'll tell you about that. And there's been a lot of running around, and I'll tell you a little about that. And I will tell you about the straight up coolest, strangest thing that has EVER happened to me. That's right , ever. If The Maximum Leader beleives in God this will be why.<br /><br />Lots of things to write about. Lots of stories to tell. <br /><br />Welcome back to The Maximum Leader!!Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-25841362140289847352007-10-18T08:30:00.000-06:002007-10-18T10:32:01.624-06:00The Truth is UnreasonableLast night I watched most of the documentary, <strong>Ralph Nader: An Unreasonable Man</strong>. There are some people out there that are still really mad at him. A guy in the movie blamed Nader for the war in Iraq. Because he took votes from Al Gore in Florida. If Nader had not been on the ballot in Florida, Gore would have likely won that state and the presidency. But if Pat Buchanan had not been on the ballot in Florida, George Bush might have won by a wider margin.<br /><br />None of it would have mattered if Gore had won his home state of Tennessee.<br /><br />This morning I did a little research on the presidential elections of the last 50 years, and here's what I found out:<br /><br />Since 1952 three presidential candidates have failed to carry their home state:<br /><br />Adlai Stevenson (D-Illinois) 1952 and 1956<br />George McGovern (D-South Dakota) 1972<br />Al Gore (D-Tennessee) 2000<br /><br />Barry Goldwater, Jimmy Carter in 1980, and Walter Mondale all got it handed to them in the general election, but they won their home states.<br /><br />No winning candidate, going back to 1948, has lost the state they claimed as their own.<br /><br />Bill Clinton won Arkansas and Tennesse in 1992 and 1996. But when Al Gore took his turn he couldn't win either of them.<br /><br />A professor and a journalist who were featured in the movie rejected the "home state" argument and placed the blame squarely on Nader. But I have a hard time discounting it.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-35760110278063037362007-10-16T08:34:00.000-06:002007-10-16T08:51:56.532-06:00Welcome Back to the Maximum LeaderIt's been over a month since I've made a post here. So it's high time I catch up on a few things.<br /><br />CONFIDENTIAL <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pre</span>-release show was a huge success. there was a great crowd. Thank you to every one who came out. If you weren't able to come, and you'd like a copy of the special edition CD drop me a comment and I'll let you know how to get one. <br /><br />Nashville is still boring, but not as boring as it was. I've got my Nashville weekend behind me for the month anyway. This weekend I'll be in Detroit with the Anthropologist. We're going to see Tiger Army (And that doesn't have anything to do with the Detroit Tigers. It's a post-hardcore <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">psychobilly</span> band from California, and I am real excited about the show.) And we're going to the River Rouge Ford plant where Walter Reuther got beat down by thugs from the "Service Department." <br /><br />Speaking of Walter Reuther, I've been working on a piece about the United Auto Workers. Look for that to be up on the Leader sometime soon.<br /><br />I've done a little volunteering for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Barack</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Obama</span> campaign. I used to be fired up for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Obama</span>, now I'm not so sure. But I still think he's the best choice among the front runners. <br /><br /><strong>No Logo</strong> by Naomi <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Klein</span>. This book is a real eye opener when it comes to understanding how multi-national corporations do business. I'm not sure that I go along with all of her conclusions and I sure don't think that "ad-jamming" is going to make a hell of a lot of difference to our increasingly branded world. But it is an important book all the same. Look for a post on<strong> No</strong> <strong>Logo</strong>, coming soon to the Leader.<br /><br /><br />How did South Florida get invited to the Big East instead of Memphis? And would Memphis be a top 10 football team now if they had?Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-7045981995060285142007-08-30T14:40:00.000-06:002007-08-30T14:48:00.327-06:00"You're Kind of a Snob" Part 4This week I hit the Frugal McDougals and what did I find there? The Rock in a can. An 18 pack for $10! That's a deal.<br /><br />But I noticed something strange on the can. Where it used to say Latrobe, PA, it now says St. Louis, MO. And then I remembered why I wasn't supposed to be drinking Rolling Rock. Because of Budweiser putting the people of Latrobe, PA, out of work when they shut down the plant there. Damn!<br /><br />I have been trying to drink the Miller Lite, and it's not bad. It just doesn't hit the spot the way a CL does.<br /><br />If you look hard enough you can probably find some reason to boycott every corporation in America. Hell, you probably wouldn't have to look hard at all.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-81532181928308063812007-08-22T09:05:00.000-06:002007-08-22T09:12:26.685-06:00The Truth is a WHUUTT!!From today's CA story about the new Itta Bena restaurant on Beale:<br /><br /><br />"We've always wanted to have a quality experience where locals could come, either to enjoy themselves or bring out-of-town visitors to Beale without being in a honky-tonk," said Tommy Peters, majority investor in the three B.B. King clubs around the country, including one opening this fall in Orlando.<br /><br /><br />There are Honky Tonks on Beale Street?! That is so cool!! I thought it was all hippity hop and booty shakin' clubs! But there are Honky Tonks! Country Music is alive and well on Beale Street! <br /><br />Maybe I should round up the gang and go down there this weekend. As long as no one tries to bring a chai past the security guard it could be a swingin' time!Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-46573632854729963682007-08-21T16:09:00.000-06:002007-08-21T16:25:29.221-06:00the Truth is a Lie #5The Evilblog has a very interesting discussion regarding the death of Country Music. I've weighed in a couple of times and intend to make a broader, more developed statement on that topic---probably here on the Leader.<br /><br />But I've also got sports on my mind, basketball in particular. I just read a piece on ESPN.com about the upcoming tournament of the Americas (or something like that) which should be USA Basketball's return to glory. But what really intrigued me was Team Mexico. They've hired Nolan Richardson to be their coach. Hell Yes! I really like Nolan. I know he went sort of crazy and accused the University of Arkansas of being racist of whatever, but the man won the Final Four! With Dwight Stewart! (who I talked to one time in Planet Music on Winchester, the night or so after I got my wisdom teeth taken out and I was a little out of it. Dwight was checking out the rap CDs and I just HAD to congratulate him on winning the Championship. Best I can remember he was pretty cool. Then again, it's all a little hazy.) And Corliss Williamson. That dude was cool. Too bad his rap career never took off. And Nolan even had a white dude on the team. I don't remember his name, but he was from Massachusetts. Anyway, I'm glad to see Nolan is back in the game. He would make a good candidate for the University of Memphis job after the Tigers win the Final Four this year and Callipari jumps to a BCS school or the NBA.<br /><br />And that wasn't the only thing interesting about the Mexican team. The story said they tried to get Earl Watson to play for them?! Earl Watson the former Grizzly. I didn't know that Earl was a Mexican. Maybe one of his parents is from Mexico. I don't know. If anyone has any info on this I'd like to hear it.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-28143258046511921292007-08-08T12:46:00.000-06:002007-08-08T14:22:00.710-06:00"You're Kind of a Snob" part 3On a lighter note, I've been thinking again of finding a new regular beer. Coors Light has been my favorite for quite some time, but several factors have lead to me searching for a new go to brew. They are:<br /><br />1. Coors shut down their plant in Memphis. This was convieniently timed to coincide with the year they would have had to start paying some taxes to the city.<br />2. The Coors plant in Memphis was unionized. And I don't think that the other facilities are.<br />3. I found out that Miller Beers are made by workers who belong to the U.A.W. The U.A.W. is my favorite union so I thought it would be cool to support them.<br />4. My favorite NASCAR driver, Kasey Kahne, is very likely going to be driving the Budweiser car next year. And that's gonna make it strange to put a CL in my number 9 huggie.<br /><br />So, it might be time to make a change. But I do have a couple of guidelines. My new beer is going to have to be a main line domestic. No "sub-premiums" like Busch, Natty, or PBR. And no high dollar micro brews like Sam Adams or Sierra Nevada. I like a S.N. every now and then. But they cost like 8 bucks a six pack. 8 bucks is too much for a regular, everyday beer. This rules out imports too. I am pretty sure I could make Tecate my regular beer if I lived in Mexico, but since I live in Nashville I've got to keep searching my other options. Plus, I might get tired of the lime eventually.<br /><br />That leaves me with the Big Two: Budweiser and Miller.<br /><br />I really like a Budweiser every now and then, but when I come in from the gym (yeah, i go to the gym sometime. I'm 35 years old and I like to drink a cold beer. this requires some time on the treadmill every now and then) the King of Beers is just to heavy. I like a draft Bud Light at the ballpark. But, maybe it's because it's the prefered beer of my dad and my uncles, Bud Light feels kind of old. And it lacks a certain style. I can drink it at the house, but I feel decidely un-hip when I order it out at a bar.<br /><br />Among other Anheuser-Busch Brands there's Bud Select which is o.k., but a little girly and I'd be just as (un)likely to order a Michelob Ultra (also an A-B product,) and Rolling Rock. There was a brief time back in 1997 that the Rock was my beer of choice. It was always good, but for then I moved to the CL. In late 1997-early 1998 my weight was really going up. And moving to a light beer seemed like a good idea. But, since I no longer have the weight issue due to my frequent trips to the gym and a serious decrease in my CL cunsumption, it might be time to reconsider the Rock. The Rock in a can's relative unavailabilty might be a little problem (I've been trying to pre-cycle,) but I could probably get over that.<br /><br />So, if I want to stick with my driver and go with a Budweiser affiliated brand I might try Rolling Rock.<br /><br />But what going with the product that will support my favorite union, the United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agriculural Implement Workers? (The union that was brought to prominence the greatest of the labor leaders, Walter P. Reuther.)<br /><br />Here are my U.A.W. made Miller Beer choices:<br /><br />Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Miller Genuine Draft Light, Miller High Life, Miller High Life Light, Milwaukee’s Best, Milwaukee’s Best Light, Milwaukee’s Best Ice, Leinenkugel’s, Sharp’s (non alcoholic), Mickey’s Malt, Mickey’s Ice, Hamm’s, Hamm’s Draft, Hamm’s Light, Icehouse, Miller Lite Ice, Red Dog, Olde English 800, Henry Weinhard’s Private Reserve, Henry Weinhard’s Blue Boar Pale Ale<br /><br />Does that say Miller Lite Ice? Yuck! I guess that's a light Icehouse. Ice beer is BAD news. Ice beer is a headache the likes of which I never want to experience again in my life. And I don't even know what the hell the rest of that stuff is. I think it's all malt liquor.<br /><br />Taking away ice beers and sub-premiums, I am left with Miller Lite, MGD, and MGD Light if I want to be in solidarity with my U.A.W. brothers and sisters.<br /><br />Miller Lite is good to drink if you are doing something outside, and it is hot. It is also good to drink if you have to drive somewhere. It is very low in calories, carbs, and alcohol. Which makes it low in the important area of "Kick." I have only the slightest familiarity with any beers from the MGD line. Though I would be willing to give one a try.<br /><br />The problem is that I just don't like any of these beers as much as I like Coors Light. A CL hits the spot like a DC if you know what I mean. (And if you don't know, DC stands for Diet Coke, the official soft drink of the Maximum Leader.) Other beers are o.k., and I enjoy them every now and then, but they just aren't the same.<br /><br />I can go with what I like. Or I can go with my principles. This is going to be rough.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-53694298965148593872007-08-08T08:38:00.000-06:002007-08-08T09:30:45.680-06:00MEMPHIS --- Part 1Ever since I moved to Nashville, almost a year ago now, I've read the Commercial Appeal on line. And I often feel much more involved and interested in what's going on in Memphis than I do to what's going on here. Nashville really just feels like a place that I am staying. Memphis feels like home.<br /><br />The last couple of days I have been really bothered by something going on in my hometown: the beating of a 51 year old Collierville man by a 21 year old security guard on Beale Street.<br /><br />The story goes that the man from Collierville and his wife were celebrating their 25th anniversary with a night at the new Westin Hotel downtown. They were walking back to their hotel when they crossed Beale Street at Beale and Third. The wife had a cup of tea, and the security guard told her that she could not bring it onto Beale Street. The man attempted to explain to the guard that they were not going onto Beale Street. They were going to their hotel. An argument followed, and the guard slammed the older man onto the pavement, critically injuring him.<br /><br />I do not know what words were passed between the men. I do not know the security guard's side of the story. I do know that the guard's actions were so far out of line that he has been charged with aggravated assault and is currently sitting in the Shelby County Jail on a $25,000 bond. And I know that one couple's 25th Anniversary was completely and utterly ruined. And Downtown Memphis is going to take another serious hit in the public relations department. Beale Street is going to become a "Steer Clear" zone for a lot of folks---if it wasn't already.<br /><br />This story is so disgusting to me. I imagine my folks coming in from Cordova to spend a special night at the Westin or maybe just go for a nice dinner downtown. They might go for a walk a cup of coffee from Starbucks before heading in. I imagine them running into a young security guard with a bad attitude....and well, I don't even want to think about the rest.<br /><br />Just this past June the anthropogist and I went to Memphis for a party, and, because we had not seen each other in a while and neither of us live in Memphis anymore, we decided to splurge on a night at The Madison. We had a great time there, and being back in Downtown Memphis was awesome. And it should have been for that way for the couple from Collierville. But intsead of a night of celebration, their lives were horrifically changed forever. And the city of Memphis is going to have to step up and do something about this or all of the work that has gone into making Downtown Memphis so wonderful is going to be for nothing.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6484331008939988615.post-72292534455870476502007-07-27T10:51:00.000-06:002007-07-27T11:11:33.695-06:00Back to the TapI've seen a lot of things change in my 35 years on this earth. I've seen music go from LPs to CDs (never mind cassettes which I always thought were rather disposable and might come apart in your player) to digital down loads and now, increasingly, back to vinyl.<br /><br />I can't recall the exact year, but I remember when bottled water started showing up in stores. And I remember that a lot of folks thought it was pretty silly to pay 75 cents for a plastic bottle of water at the convenience store. Water came out of the tap for free! or next to free. No, if were spending our money we wanted something for it. We wanted a Coke! But eventually a lot of us started to think of water as a healthy alternative to Coke and sometimes a person just needs a drink of water.<br /><br />So we bought a cold water at the gas station, at sporting events and concerts. This was a good development. Who wants to get up from the game every five minutes to get a drink from a water fountain? And water fountains sometimes aren't the cleanest places. Bottled water was a hit.<br /><br />But then something happened. We liked the bottled water so much that we started buying for our houses, and they started serving it in restaurants. And now there is too much bottled water. And, according to folks who study this type of thing, the water bottles are piling up in our land fills, and their petroleum based materials are driving up the price of oil.<br /><br />So, what do these folks want us to do? Drink tap water. Yep, just like we used to do it back in the old days. And I don't guess that's a bad idea. Water tastes better with ice in a glass. And nothing beats music coming through a needle.Bryan Hartleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12730933879673644053noreply@blogger.com3