These Are Good Times

1) I didn’t have a camera with me, so no pictures, but last night I caught the band The High Strung performing a free concert in Kellogg Park. It was the 49th stop on their summer-long “Public Library Tour” – a fairly-ingenious marketing ploy for a band that looks too young to get into bars anyway. (I think they did the same tour another recent summer.) They are goofy and the singer’s voice is an acquired taste, but they can rock out and often do. The bass player is their not-so-secret weapon: When he lets loose onstage, it’s kinda like seeing Cheap Trick get elbowed aside by The Who. Recommended album: These Are Good Times.


2) Bill Clinton pulled some punches, speaking at the DNC.

What I mean to say is: Watching him speak last night, I found myself thinking, “What a great president he was. I can’t wait to join him in voting for Barack Obama!” when, instead, I very easily could've been thinking “I can’t wait to cast my vote for Bill Clinton!”


3) Here’s a major difference between the two parties:

Bill Clinton is most likely the best living American political speechmaker, but a Republican would never say that out loud without a sneer and a lot of qualifying remarks.

If, however, George W. Bush ever displayed a whisper of talent for anything –- anything at all –- I, a registered Democrat, would be genuinely appreciative, and would not hesitate to give him his due.