POLITICS: "It’s about the past versus the future."

This time Obama takes it up a notch, as his South Carolina victory speech hits the bullseye and zings with the vintage sharp edge of the music of fellow Chicagoan Curtis Mayfield.

Full video of the speech:
Part 1
Part 2

And please read Caroline Kennedy's endorsement of Obama from the Opinion page of the New York Times, here.

MUSIC: Happy Sex Pistols Anniversary!

It dawned on me this morning that Sunday (Jan. 6) was the 30th anniversary of many of us from St. Louis trekking down to Memphis to see the Sex Pistols. I can honestly say that every memory of it has remained vivid for me down through the years, from sitting in Dave Thomas' living room that morning before we all hit the road and watching a clip on the Today Show of their first show the night before in Atlanta, to post show cocktails with Alex Chilton. The coverage on the Today Show was significant and really blew our minds, as it just poured gasoline on our already raging fires of anticipation. It's hard to remember the time before there was 24 hour cable news coverage, etc., so the fact that the Today Show showed a clip was a really, really big deal. My favorite memory of the entire experience was Johnny Rotten's opening salvo: "I'm not here for your amusement, you're here for miiiiiiiine!!!!!!!"

POLITICS: Obama's Stirring Victory Speech

If you need a musical comparison for Obama's fantastic Iowa victory speech last night, think Otis Redding's multi faceted historic performance at Monterey.

Video of Obama's speech, here.