Flogging Molly and the death of the Electric Car

Flogging Molly restored my faith in Irish music. I'd heard so much crappy traditional Irish music over a short period of time that I swore off altogether and went straight Bluegrass. Then my friend Jason passed me a Flogging Molly cd. I watched the first half of the Whisky on a Sunday DVD last night. Its one of the more fun "life on the road" biopics I've seen.

Then yesterday I got to see half of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" Why can't I seem to watch a movie straight through lately? Family. Oh well, that's the beauty of DVD players. You must see "Who Killed the Electric Car?" I found it on Youtube, then I went to the website, and now that its out on DVD my dad bought it. He immediately loaned it out so I can't see the whole thing until next week. Anyway, this documentary is the thrilling love story between EV1 owners (leasees) and the car owner, General Motors. Its the story of California politics and the loss of a clean air mandate. Its the story of a corporate product being so good for the public that the owner gets scared and rips it from their hands. Fascinating stuff.

But of course the larger story is about an American coal and oil based infrastructure fighting to keep its archaic claws on the hapless populace.
(How's that for a movie tag line?)

Tags: Flogging Molly, Irish music, "Who Killed the Electric Car?", film, EV1 leasees, GM, coal, oil, infrastructure

Update/Vacation

Let me update you on the last several weeks. From May 22nd to June 1 I traveled down to Bushnell, IL, USA for vacation. We stayed in a nice little cozy trailer borrowed from friends. Just down the hill is a beautiful lake on which we fished and made noise. Gabrielle caught the cutest little sun fish, which btw, did not die though dropped and carried and held for quite a long time! I was a bit worried because it stopped moving. But then when we dropped it back in the lake it took off like a jet.

On vacation we watched Hoodwinked, Zorro II, Madagascar, a Barbie movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, Kyonnisqatsi, Mr. 3000, the Star Wars Saga, Looney Tunes movie and shows, Garfield. . . . and that's about all I can remember. Needless to say lots of fluff--except for Kyonnisqatsi (I know I'm spelling it wrong but consistently wrong!). I so didn't get the music from K. that I got out my guitar to cover it up. The sound of K. and my guitar were enough to drive my wife screaming from the room. Great movie, artsy-fartsy soundtrack, but fine with Honky Tonk licks played in unison. We played a lot outside. Dug our own worms for fishing. Cooked over a campfire. Set up a tent. Found a live opossum in our trash can and had to throw it in the woods. Ran over a large snapping turtle backing out down the drive way (it took days to forgive myself) and had to throw it in the woods. Got hundreds of mosquito bites between us. Gabrielle proudly counted all of hers and beat her brother handedly. Though now it looks like some were poison ivy. All of the kids spent important time wandering or sitting alone in nature. I kept shouting the line from Madagascar "Nature!! It's all over me! Get it off!!"

On Saturday night I went to US Cellular Field and saw White Sox beat the Texas Rangers with a couple of real lifelong Sox fans. I got to hear the running commentary from the radio after the game. Before that we had Chinese food down in Chinatown. It's great being an Uptown Chicagoan with Southside friends and allegiances. "In the world but not of it"--ya know?