Never Forget

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On this, the eighth anniversary of 9/11, I offer an updated version of a piece I originally wrote and posted on my Facebook page a year ago, before the inception of this blog. I want to share my thoughts, feelings, and memories of that day; I encourage you to share yours in the comments section below.

I can tell you where I was when I watched Space Shuttle Challenger explode. I can tell you what I was doing when the news broke that President Reagan had been shot. I will never forget anything about the morning I awoke to the news that John Lennon had been killed. I remember the fear associated with Three Mile Island. Yet all of these events, terrible as they were, even taken as a combined whole do not approach that horrific day eight years ago.

Do you remember how crystal clear the sky was that morning? It was the kind of day when you secretly began formulating some sort of excuse to cut out of work early so that you might drink in some of the beauty, knowing that there would not be many more of these days left before the weather turned too cold.

I went to work that morning as any other, and had just gotten my morning coffee and sat down to read my emails when a coworker began calling everyone in the building to say that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Wow - that's kind of weird...how bad of a pilot do you have to be to not see the Twin Towers, especially on day like this? The image in my mind was that of a small private plane, and I thought that the damage to that plane would have to have been much greater than any damage to the building. I made a mental note to check the news when I got home that evening, and went about my morning routine.

Then the second plane hit.

It's funny how your sense of scope can sometimes be so very far off. I remember immediately thinking "terrorists," but, having no knowledge of what had happened other than being told that two planes had hit the World Trade Center, in my mind's eye I still saw only two small private planes, piloted by crazed terrorist kamikazes. How could anyone have imagined the breadth and depth of this attack, much less that it wasn't over yet?

By now, some coworkers had foregone their morning assignments to start following what was happening online. We had no TV in the building, but a few more radios were rustled up. Do you recall the misinformation that began to flow as everyone tried to make sense of what was going on? When the third plane crashed into the Pentagon, it was not originally reported as such, at least not on the broadcast I was listening to. Instead, it was reported that a bomb of some sort had gone off "near" the Pentagon. Now, panic was starting to rush in. What the hell was happening?

I remember one coworker who reported for her scheduled shift later that morning in tears. She was the first person I saw reacting emotionally to the attack. The only words she could muster were, "They're gone. The towers are gone." Footage of the collapses was showing up online, and panic turned to outright fear. Word came that Lancaster was closing our courthouse and other public buildings. We, too, closed for the day.

The real impact of it all did not hit me until I got home and turned on the television. It's at about this point in the day where that "where were you when" clarity of memory fades into a cloud of rushing images, sounds, and emotions for me. Watching the footage of the planes as it was being found and thrown on air, raw and unedited. Seeing the pictures of people standing almost zombie-like, caked with dust and tears and blood and fear, unable even to move much less understand what had happened to them. Realizing how many innocent people had lost their lives without ever knowing what happened; and then realizing how many more lost theirs with full knowledge of what was happening. And further - realizing how many voluntarily ran towards the disaster as everyone else was running away, knowing that they were likely to lose their lives but doing so to help others. As clichéd as it sounds, there is no better definition of "hero".

Then, the panic and fear I felt was joined by an emotion I did not expect: anger. Outright, unfettered anger. HOW DARE THEY?!? I've never been what you would call a war-monger. I'm not of the "kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out" school of thought. I abhor violence as a means to resolve dispute or exact revenge. But, as the saying goes, in this case I made an exception. I was full of patriotic anger, and to this day I make no apology for it. I wanted us to find out who did this and blow the fuckers off the face of the Earth - period!

I started to write this wanting only to share my "where were you" story and ask others for theirs. Amazingly, all these years later, writing this is causing many of those same emotions I felt that day to well up in me again, just as they had resurfaced three years after the attacks, when I had the opportunity to see Ground Zero with my own eyes. To be there, where those towers once stood, where the attacks began, where so many lost their lives for no reason and so many more for the most heroic of reasons, brought it all rushing back in a way that again surprised and, frankly, frightened me.

Despite that surprise and fear, I do pray that there never comes the day that thinking about the events of 9/11 doesn't cause so strong an emotional response in me. Although I was not physically there that day, I am forever grateful to those men and women who gave the greatest sacrifice in the effort to save people whom they had never met, and will forever think of those who did not survive. May this day be one where your thoughts and, if you offer them, prayers go to those folks, and not a moment of your time be given to those who committed the atrocity that made this day so painful.

999 On 9/9/09

Seems today is one of those funky dates that everyone gets all excited about because "this only ever happens once in lifetime!" or some such nonsense. In this case, It's 9/9/09. Nine-Nine-Nine. Hey - that could be the name of a band!

In fact, it is! And what better way, then, to celebrate this once-a-century date than by listening to 999?

I featured 999 and their video clip for "Emergency" early in the New Wave for the New Week series here. Bop on over to that post to read about the band and hear that song, then come on back here and feast your ears on a grab-bag of some of my favorite 999 tracks, including the very similar clip for "Homicide".

Happy 9/9/09!

New Wave for the New Week #26

What a nifty find! The original, rarely-seen video for The Mo-Dettes' debut single, "White Mice!" As soon as I learned this had hit the Internets from the wonderful Bedazzled blog (which you should bookmark yourself), I knew it was going to be the next entry in the NW4NW series.

The Mo-Dettes released six singles and one album, The Story So Far, beginning with "White Mice" in 1979. A multi-national group (singer Ramona Carlier is Swiss, guitarist Kate Korus is from the States, and Jane Crockford and June Miles-Kingston, bass and drums respectively, are British) based in the UK, their music was a bit rough around the edges. Landing somewhere between The Slits and Gang of Four on the musical spectrum, with a pseudo-syncopated beat kicking along below the surface, "White Mice" became a big indie hit in the UK, and is probably the band's best-known song.

The video clip, which surfaced in May of this year, is very much of its time: ever-changing neon colors and basic, primitive transitions try to make the fairly straightforward performance clip seem more off-kilter than it really is, but in 1979 it likely seemed very cutting edge. Still, it's a cool thing to see again after all these years, and the song's quirkiness will stick with you.

So, enjoy this week's New Wave for the New Week entry, The Mo-Dettes' "White Mice":

Time to Give Ashley a Helping Hand!

We're four days into the voting on Facebook for the Intel Vote for a Cause contest, and Ashley Kumlien's MSRuntheUS Inc. has been putting up a very nice showing so far. My great thanks to all of you who have been casting your votes daily to help her cause, which I first introduced here about two weeks ago.

For the first three says, MSRutheUS held the lead. Today, Ashley's cause has fallen to second place. She needs your continued votes - and she needs your help in spreading the word!

With over half a million folks afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis in this country, the chances are you may know of someone who is fighting the disease. Here is a chance for you to help out without it costing you a thing but a brief moment of your time.

Continue to go to Intel's Vote for a Cause page each day to cast your vote for MSRuntheUS Inc. You may vote once each day, and every vote counts! Then, if you would, simply ask one other person on your Facebook friends list to do the same. Just that like that, you have instantly doubled your vote! Ask them to ask one person as well, and before long we'll have Ashley back on top! Let's give Ashley a helping hand, and help find a cure for MS.

Again, my great thanks to all of you who for your support on this worthy cause.

New Wave for the New Week #25

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Raise your hand if you knew of and loved any of the following bands: Flat Duo Jets? The Pressure Boys? Southern Culture on the Skids? The X-Teens? The Connells? Let's Active?

If these band names brought a smile to your face and memories of a gloriously jangly, irresistibly catchy, slightly off-kilter pop sound to your mind, then you, my friend, have known the joys of being immersed in the "Chapel Hill" sound. In many ways the lesser-known sibling to the Athens, GA sound made famous by bands like The B-52's, R.E.M. and the like, the Chapel Hill sound burst forth from North Carolina in the 1980s and swept across college radio in a wave of pop-based delight. For a brief period, it seemed as though anyone who lived in or moved to North Carolina was capable of picking up a guitar and making fantastic records. And, just as the band Pylon had been the initial model that all of the Athens bands tried to emulate in one way or another, so too did the Chapel Hill scene have its "blueprint band".

Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple formed The dB's way back in 1978. Their first single ("(I Thought) You Wanted to Know", credited to "Chris Stamey and The dB's") was released in the fall of that year, and quickly defined the band's sound: ringing guitars, upbeat tempos despite downbeat lyrics, and tight, Beatle-esque arrangements. They quickly became darlings of music critics everywhere on the strength of two solid albums, 1981's Stands for Decibels and 1982's Repercussion. These two albums (reissued on one CD in 2001) are must-haves for fans of power pop; not a bad song can be found on either.

Stamey left the band the following year, but Holsapple and the rest of the crew carried on. 1984's Like This continued in a similar vein, although a tinge of country began to creep into the mix and a clunker or two made the final cut. The final dB's album, 1987's The Sound of Music, has its moments but is overall fairly forgettable. By that time, the bands that worshipped at the altar of The dB's had passed them, and their time was done.

An excellent compilation of alternate takes and demo recordings, Ride the Wild Tom-Tom, was put together by Rhino Records in 1993, and is a worthwhile starting point for those wishing to take their first steps into the wonderful world of The dB's. In the meantime, here's this week's New Wave for the New Week entry, the seldom-seen video for the single "Neverland" (1982). A perfect distillation of what made The dB's so wonderful, it may be the most joy-filled break-up song you'll ever hear!

Sites You Must Bookmark, Volume 2

There are three things that I am very proud of the fact that I have never done:

I've never drank a Snapple Beverage. Something about calling it "Snapple" that just makes me say "No thanks."

I've never seen a Jackie Chan movie. Look, I have unhappily been forced to sit through movies involving Pauly Shore, Adam Sandler, Jack Black, Jean Claude Van Damme, and Steven Seagal. All either inanely stupid un-funny people trying desperately to be funny or blockheadedly untalented "action heroes" trying desperately to act; in no cases have either group seen success. I'm not about to subject myself to a hybrid of such stupidity!

And the one that seems most polarizing among the folks I share it with: I never have, and never will, set foot inside a Wal-Mart. A quick bit of Googling on your part will lay out the evils of this soul-sucking corporation much more effectively than I can in a brief paragraph here, but that philosophical issue is not my only reason. There is a wonderful site out there sums up in hilarious fashion another of my reasons for refusing to patronize the establishment.

One friend of mine who does, on occasion, enter the Wal-Mart netherworld, has said that you see people in Wal-Mart who you see nowhere else in your community. "Where do they come from? Where have they been hiding?" he asks. People of Wal-Mart is a collection of photos, both culled by the site's creators and submitted by readers, of those people in their natural habitat, with appropriate - and gut-achingly hysterical - captions.

Do yourself a favor and bookmark this one right away. You'll either be laughing hysterically or shaking your head in utter disbelief. Or, like me, a little of both!

Let's Help MSRuntheUS Win the Intel Vote for a Cause Contest on Facebook!

Last week, I shared with you the story of Ashley Kumlien and her efforts to to raise awareness and donations for Multiple Sclerosis research by running across the country, from San Francisco to New York City, over a six-month period beginning next March. Ashley is currently working to find sponsors for this run, and has been nominated in Intel's Vote for Cause Contest, being run on Facebook. The winning cause will receive $50,000 in co-branded advertising, which would go a long way in helping.

If you are currently on Facebook, I again urge you to help out. It costs you nothing but a moment of your time each day next week to cast a vote for MSRuntheUS, Inc. Become a fan of MSRuntheUS here, and check out the videos Ashley has posted and will be posting explaining how to help.

Voting begins this Saturday, August 29, and continues through Friday, September 4. Each person may vote once each day, but you must be a fan of Intel Vote for a Cause and add their voting application to do so. You can become a fan here.

And please, spread the word to your friends on Facebook. Let's help Ashley win this contest, and then cheer her on as she runs the US for MS next spring!

New Wave for the New Week #24

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Quickly - how many bands can you name who feature a classically trained oboist? If you said "Icehouse!" give yourself a hand.

Iva Davies, known for his mega-mullet and for crooning some for the schlockiest Top Forty drivel this side of John Oates (who co-wrote one of Icehouse's biggest American hits, 1987's "Electric Blue"), was pretty much single-handedly Icehouse. Singer, songwriter, producer, keyboardist - and, yes, able to rock an oboe - Davies took his band from Australian obscurity to worldwide MOR radio success in the late '80s. So why am I writing about a band who made their fortune peddling mainstream fluff? Because of one album and, more specifically, one fantastic song which remains one of the catchiest, most wonderful blasts of synth-pop from the New Wave era.

Icehouse began life in the late '70s under the name Flowers. Based out of Sydney, Australia, Flowers originally was a fairly straightforward bar band. Synthesizers were becoming more and more accessible at the time, and Davies took to the plinky electronic sound quickly. Flower's debut album, 1980's Icehouse, was a bright, shiny slab of synth-based, hook-filled delights, and with the major record labels searching the world over for their piece of the New Wave pie, it wasn't long before Chrysalis Records came calling with an international record deal.

One catch: the band had to change their name. Seems there was also a British band at the time calling themselves The Flowers, and Chrysalis did not want any confusion. So, in 1981, Davies and his band were introduced to the world as Icehouse, with the album of the same name remixed and re-released, with all references to the previous band name gone.

Some seeds of Icehouse's eventual wimp-rock sound are evident in a few of the album's tracks, but the strength of the three singles released from Icehouse make this album, a must-have for fans of early synth-pop: the eerily ethereal "Icehouse" (yes, they seemed to really like that word...), the shimmering "Can't Help Myself," and this week's NW4NW entry, the exuberant "We Can Get Together."

Sporting a nifty "real life vs. animation" video years before everyone oohed and ahhed over A-Ha riffing on that visual theme, and loaded with some of the catchiest hooks around, "We Can Get Together" remains one of those songs that leaves most folks scratching their heads wondering why it wasn't a massive hit. But it was roundly ignored by commercial radio, and saw minimal airplay on MTV. Icehouse seemed destined to fade from the map.

Six years later, Davies reinvented his band, grew his hair out to Michael Bolton-esque extremes, and ratcheted up the "sensitive guy" factor, and finally hit the big time with songs like "Crazy" and "Electric Blue." For those of us who knew Icehouse back when, this new Icehouse was a great disappointment. Thankfully, we can pull out that one wonderful album and remember the good version of the band.

So here is this week's New Wave for the New Week entry, Icehouse's "We Can Get Together." Enjoy!

Run Ashley, Run!

Multiple Sclerosis is a terrifying thing. MS is a disease in which a person's immune system begins to attack his or her own central nervous system, resulting in any or all of a wide spectrum of neurological issues ranging from physical debilitation to loss of vision to loss of speech to loss of cognitive function. At its worst, MS leaves its sufferers virtually trapped within their own bodies.

Not a great deal is really known about the causes of MS, and at present there is no known cure. Continued research has helped the medical community become better at treating patients with MS, but current treatments still only manage symptoms. More work needs to be done to pin down the causes and finally find a cure, but this work requires funding.

I care about MS because, once upon a time, I was tested for it myself as my doctor tried to help me find the cause for inexplicable numbnesses, discomfort, and pain I was experiencing, and still do on occasion experience. We've never been able to determine exactly why I have the symptoms I do (although we feel certain stresses, combined with depression and OCD, both of which I have been diagnosed with, are the most likely culprits), but I was fortunate in that my test for Multiple Sclerosis came back negative.

Many others are not so fortunate. According to the National MS Society, almost half a million people in this country live with MS, with nearly 200 new cases being diagnosed weekly. Worldwide, there are estimated to be almost 2.5 million cases. In June, I posted here about Exene Cervenka's announcement that she had been diagnosed with MS. I know the fear I experienced waiting for my test results; I cannot imagine how someone feels upon receiving the news that their test had a positive result.

Recently, a high school classmate posted a link on her Facebook page to the website of an non-profit organization, MSRuntheUS Inc. MSRuntheUS is, in reality, one person. Ashley Kumlien decided she wanted to do something to raise both awareness and, hopefully, donations, for MS. Her mother, Jill, has been battling MS for the past 26 years, and is Ashley's inspiration.

Ashley is a avid runner, with a specific love for long-distance running. She has taken it upon herself to run quite a long distance indeed: 3,200 miles! Starting in San Francisco, CA, Ashley intends to spend about 6 months running an average of 20 to 30 miles a day, 6 days a week, until she has crossed the country and arrived in New York City. She hopes her efforts will help raise funds through both sponsorships and donations - funds that can be used in MS research.



Toward that end, she created MSRuntheUS Inc., set up her website, and set up a Facebook page so that people can follow her progress. She also hopes folks will help her non-profit win Intel's Vote for a Cause campaign on Facebook, where the winning non-profit will receive $50,000 in co-branded advertisement. If you are on Facebook, you can help her garner enough votes to take the prize. It's best to let Ashley herself explain that process, so please become a fan of her page and watch the videos she has there explaining how you can help. (If you are not on Facebook, please go to Ashley's website to learn about other ways you can support her cause.)

When I learned of Ashley's efforts, thoughts of my own brush with MS and the folks I have known personally who struggle with the disease compelled me to want to help spread the word. I hope you will all consider helping out in any way you can, whether through monetary donation, helping Ashley gain the votes she needs to win the Vote for a Cause contest, or by spreading the word to as many people as you can. No help you offer is too little.

New Wave for the New Week #23

One of New Wave's more stylish Canadian exports were Maurice & the Clichés. Formed in Vancouver in 1978 by Maurice DePas, Paul Wilson-Brown and Gary Westlake, Maurice & the Clichés quickly became darlings of the local club scene. They were known for their fairly elaborate multi-media stage shows, and within a year, their self-titled debut album was out and word of the band began to spread beyond Canadian borders.

By 1982 they were signed to Los Angeles-based RMS records, and in early 1983 the album C'est La Vie hit the shelves. From it came the band's best known song, this week's New Wave for the New Week entry, "Soft Core."

Wickedly funny, highly stylized, and irresistibly catchy, "Soft Core" became a huge favorite on college radio and dance club playlists. Maurice & the Clichés' moment in the spotlight was a brief one however. They chose not to create a video for the single, an unwise choice in the midst of MTV's ascension to the height of its promotional powers. As such, the single, and the band, faded quickly from memory.

A third album was recorded but never released, and the world heard no more from Maurice & the Clichés until 2006, when the retrospective Flogging a Dead Horse was released, including tracks from both LPs and a fair amount of the unreleased material. The later stuff is hit-and-miss and the earlier stuff is good but primitive; "Soft Core" was the absolute pinnacle for this band.

Since no video was ever made, there is none to share with you. Still, it's such a great song that it must be shared - making this our first audio-only NW4NW. Enjoy!