Monday, August 28, 2006

All Politics Are Local

Living in Washington, DC makes one a political animal whether one likes it or not. On Saturday, your dj and the Long-Suffering One attended a meet-and-greet for Marie Johns, candidate for DC mayor. If you happen to be lucky enough to be a DC resident, and are confused about who you'd like to vote for (since everyone in the city seems to be running this time), you might want to give Marie Johns a look.
Like most sensible people, I'm generally skeptical about anyone who wants to be mayor of DC. But after meeting her, and talking to her (the people at the meet and greet -- including me -- really grilled her), I think Ms. Johns stands head and shoulders above Fenty, Cropp, and the rest.
Fenty has no experience, and Cropp acts like it's her turn to be mayor. Orange, Brown, and all the rest don't have single new idea between them. I was impressed with Johns' considerable experience, dedication to the city, and her eagerness to answer frankly the tough questions on crime, the income gap, affordable housing, public health, HIV/AIDS, marriage equality, locally-owned business, and homelessness that we put to her. (See, I told you we grilled her) She seems to have real ideas and plans, not the polished and carefully crafted soundbites that you usually get from politicians. She also doesn't change her answers based on whether she's talking to 40 gay men at a cocktail party or a congregation at an African American church.
I know this sounds like a commercial, but I really was impressed. I urge you to stop by Ms. Johns' website and learn about her.

http://www.johnsformayor.com/

Oh, and by the way, she's funny too.

Deedlecast returns to its regular musical format on Friday, just in time for the holiday.

Friday, August 25, 2006

Stairways to Heaven




For lo these many years, gentle listener, DJDeedle has observed most faithfully a "no Stairway" policy in both his musical and personal affairs. But when the venerable WFMU collected over sixty (60) versions of Led Zeppelin's moldy classic, "Stairway to Heaven," how could a dj resist turning all those minutes of musical roadkill into musical overkill for your listening pleasure? Fear not. DJDeedle will not subject you to all sixty-plus versions. Rather, DJDeedle has reviewed them all, selected the gems, and distilled a them to about 40 minutes.
Trust me, after you've listened to this many versions of "Stairway to Heaven" you'll likely adopt a "no Stairway" policy of your own.

Direct download: Deedlecast_-_Stairways_to_Heaven.mp3

Friday, August 18, 2006

Time Keeps on Slippin'




Everybody's favorite band, the Eagles, meet Greenday, Ludacris, Groove Armada, Daft Punk, Kelley Clarkson, Jay-z, Pherrel, and David Bowie. Not to be left out, former Eagles, Don Henley and Glen Frey, are mixed up variously with Davie Bowie and Sly Fox.



Caution: This Deedlecast contains a rude word.

Direct download: Deedlecast_-_Eagles_et_al.mp3

Friday, August 04, 2006

But Is It Legal?




Taking samples from other people's records is one of the most widespread and controversial aspects of computer music. The concept of using snippets of taped sounds to make collages of music is not new. Nowadays, it is easy for anyone to sample sections of recordings from LPs or CDs to make new recordings using your computer sequencer.
But is it legal?
Deedle's stance on this question can be found at About Deedlecast.
Feel free to ponder or ignore the question while you enjoy this week's Deedlecast.

Direct download: Deedlecast_-_But_Is_It_Legal.mp3