We all know the old saying, "where there's smoke, there's fire." Likewise, where there are wraps, you will also logically find smoothies. And probably low-fat muffins. So says Janeane Garofalo on an almost daily basis on her Air America radio show the Majority Report, which airs weeknites from 7pm-10pm ET. I have become strangely addicted to the lefty rants & insights of Janeane & her co-host Sam Seder, who don't run the slickest operation you'll ever hear, but for me that's part of the charm. Personally, I find their semi-constant, sibling-like bickering quite amusing, though it's easy to see how others might see it as just annoying (Janeane is of the latter opinion).

This week, Sam has been making the most of the "days of awe," the ten days between Rosh Hashannah & Yom Kippur, the jewish high holy days. He has been using a sound effect of someone blowing the shofar (aka sounding a ram's horn, which is done to announce the jewish new year - and is not a double entendre, people) to encourage New York Times' chief political corospondent Adam Nagourney to atone for his shoddy reporting. It's a part of the Majority Report's new Media Accountability Project, Sam & Janeane's attempt to hold the cowed corporate mass media responsible for the hack journalism that's become so prevalent since 9/11/01. You can read some of Sam's views on the subject in this Gothamist interview from late August.

MP3 Billy Bragg & Wilco - "All You Fascists"
Each broadcast of the Majority Report begins with this Billy Bragg track, which appears on the 2000 album (which featured Wilco as his backing band) Mermaid Avenue Vol. II. It's a call to arms, albeit a repetitive one, for people to come together & organize to defeat said fascists, which in this case would be the Bushies & the neo-cons. Sam & Janeane are big on supporting grass-roots organizations & helping to raise money for the worthy political candidates they have on their show, so this song is an appropriate way to start off each nite. FYI: For the first month or so, the show began with Radiohead's "The National Anthem."

MP3 Atmosphere - "National Disgrace"
This track from local Mpls MC Slug's Atmopshere (from last year's Seven's Travels LP) is often used as bumper music during the Majority Report. It's a bit preachy, though it does manage to get its point across & has a sorta likeminded point-of-view about the media. Of course, Janeane also likes to call the Bush administration a "national disgrace" in its own right. This song also mentions Max Fish, one of my favorite bars in NYC (on "Houston & Ludlow") and where I got the drunkest I have ever been (on 9/19/00). What can I say? People just kept giving me free drinks.

To catch up on the Majority Report (or to put it on your iPod and listen at your leisure), check out the mp3 audio archives over at Air America Place. Also stop by the Majority Reporter fansite, which was recently overhauled.


Sam Seder searches in vain for gay republicans at last month's RNC in NYC.

In other political-related nonsense, head over to Wonkette to check out the transcript from Jon Stewart's appearance on The O'Reilly Factor earlier this week. Bill O'Reilly makes the ridiculous claim that 87% of The Daily Show's viewers are "intoxicated" when they watch it, referring to them as "stoned slackers" to Stewart's understandible disbelief. Heads up via Info Typewriter.

Check out the new "book" from Stewart & his Daily Show crew, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. I got it for my buddy Sam's birthday earlier this week, and it seemed pretty funny from what I read of it. And to hate more on O'Reilly, check out O'Reilly Sucks & Sweet Jesus, I Hate Bill O'Reilly, as well as News Hounds, a site that kindly documents the lousy reporting of Fox News "so you don't have to."

If you haven't done so already, check out the very solid speech that John Kerry gave at my old stomping grounds of NYU early this week, before making appearances on Regis & Letterman on a swing through NYC.

Lastly, Oveis has some fascinating insights on how the hurricanes in Florida & the 2000 presidential election may be inter-related. Spooky stuff.

BTW: I'm really backed up on my e-mail, so if you've contacted me over the past few weeks & have yet to receive a response, I apologize. I'll do my best to get back to people by the weekend, but don't hold me to that.

This entry was posted by mr gilbert at 9/23/2004 09:15:00 AM.