Harper's Win Bizarre (not really)

The Canadian election has come and gone. A victory for Harper and the Conservatives, as expected. A non-majority, as expected.

It was an election with what is predicted to be a record low voter turn out.
That just seems crazy to me, with the world in a tailspin, long trusted systems crumbling, everything but currency is in a state of potential flux, and we have a record low number of people willing to exercize their franchise. I hate to think that the number of people who "party" on Canada Day exceeds the number who "vote" on election day.



I thought we knew that in parliamentary politics, a victory for the other team can still be a win for you. They teach this in schools. It's dumb and lame and predictable that although Stephen Harper is complained about verbally more than any Prime Minister I've lived under, people (and we'll get the demographics in the morning) chose not to vote.



Another three million spent, nothing changed. My thoughts turn back to the more interesting American election, but first, some music:



I trade lots of songs with my cousin Bubble, and was waxing the other day about how weird it must be that all kids listen to techno these days. Her focus is soul and rock, which led her to drop this all-time zinger "I go to see these dj's and after about an hour I'm like could you please play something I can sing, these all sound like intros!"



Sounding ancient I said: "when I was in my first year of University, everyone who went away to school came back listening to Ben Harper and shit."

I stayed close to home and we just kept on with what we had going, but I'd be lying if I said the bongos at the beginning of this joint didn't make me remember the summer when everyone flooded and flocked back. We thought we were really good at making party.

Ben Harper - Burn One Down (potentially the least downloaded song in the history of this blog)

See in the video below, the earnestness from the year 2000 Gore vs W era, it seems so innocent. Not that we know any more now than we did then, but let's just say the world has been coloured by events that would make that stars and stripes earwarmer of Ben Harper's innapropriate (ps, Ben...Harper, if the stage lights don't make winter headgear too hot then you're probably not playing hard enough, I'm sure he read that).

Harper vs Vedder Burn One Down 2000 Live @ MSG:



This is a more accurate representation of what we were listening to, but all my mixtapes are buried in a time capsule, so I'll fill you in on the specific joints (Wu Tang, Mobb Deep, Cypress Hill, De La, Xzibit, you know) in about five years when I get all my tapes back.

Call it pedestrian if you want, but rap gives you drive.




STYLES P - Burn One Down




Funny memory. My buddy The Ikester, who used to BLAST the Ben Harper song (in a ritualistic fashion), had a Pathfinder with a decal on the back window that read "Biggie Smalls Is The Illist."

That's enough nostalgia trippin'

It's my birthday tomorrow, I'll be feeling older than the internet, burning things down and I'll lace this space with a dose of old songs and further election grumbling.



For now, here's one for forthcoming harbingers now predictable of doom and glimpses of unquestionable beauty. By a dude named Andrew Bird, who it would've been cool to have in first year.


Andrew Bird -Scythian Empire

Here's another song I wish I'd had in the fall of 1999. It goes with the political frustrations, economic madness, chilling autumn, rapidly accelerating sports intensity and heat at the cinema. We dubbed this summer the "Oh Eight, The Summer of Hate", however the love just won't go away. Bizarre.

Sheila E and Prince - A Love Bizarre

Here's Shakespeare's Othello, acted out by the best sweet snack on the market, faithfully yet modernized, wild:



Tomorrow: A big talker looks at 27, the election deaded and we move on.

Spirit of the West - Far Too Canadian