Contraband

first things first. Velvet Revolver is the new band comprised of Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum (all formerly of Guns N' Roses), lead singer Scott Weiland (former lead of Stone Temple Pilots)... oh and one other poor schmo named Dave Kushner (Tony's little brother, i think). listening to their debut album, CONTRABAND, which i picked up yesterday. i think it is good, though i have to listen to it a few more times to really get a sense of it/them.

i'm a *huge* GUNS n' ROSES fan, for reasons i won't delve into right now. i always thought the thing a GNR-band-minus-Axl would be lacking in would be a sense of poetry and heart. (Slash's Snakepit wrote a song called "BE the BALL", about Slash's love for pinball, for chrissakes.) so the idea of someone like Weiland stepping in is promising. the trick of an outfit like this is the band gelling into something organic and unique -- and not just familiar echoes of its disparate parts. i am dimly hopeful for them. i'd love for a real rock band to be big again.

i also watched CITY OF GOD, which was incredible. it is a tremendous film.

and now that i've established that i'm a human being for the day, here's my preachy bit...

what does Ron Reagan, Jr. think of The Bush House?
April 14, 2003: "The Bush people have no right to speak for my father, particularly because of the position he's in now," he said during a recent interview with Salon. "Yes, some of the current policies are an extension of the '80s. But the overall thrust of this administration is not my father's -- these people are overly reaching, overly aggressive, overly secretive, and just plain corrupt. I don't trust these people."