Music

One of my favorite Hoosier excursions over the years has been to the June bluegrass festival in Bean Blossom -- good music (when Uncle Pen played the fiddle!), good food (ham 'n beans n' cornbread!) and friendly people in a relaxed atmosphere. And you get to see and even meet the people whose records you've been buying for years. So hooray for Steve Johnson, the Indianapolis businessman who is trying to save the place.

I don't know if it means my good taste or my bad taste has been confirmed, but the rest of America agreed with me on four of the top five on "America's Got Talent." The only one I picked who didn't make the cut was Jessica Price; instead, Donald Braswell went on to the finals, and since he was my sixth choice, I guess I can't complain too much. And here is the clip of what Nuttin But Stringz played Tuesday night that knocked me out. The clip I put up earlier was from a previous broadcast.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMHPA5-yIcc]

I don't know if it means my good taste or my bad taste has been confirmed, but the rest of America agreed with me on four of the top five on "America's Got Talent." The only one I picked who didn't make the cut was Jessica Price; instead, Donald Braswell went on to the finals, and since he was my sixth choice, I guess I can't complain too much. And here is the clip of what Nuttin But Stringz played Tuesday night that knocked me out. The clip I put up earlier was from a previous broadcast.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMHPA5-yIcc]

I've been sticking with "America's Got Talent," even though it slowly transformed from a variety show to just another version of "American Idol" -- nine of the top 10 finishers are singers. I watched last night, and it was pretty easy for me to choose my favorites for the five finalists. So long, Sinatra impersonator and Elvis impersonator; I'll watch you on TV, but pay to see you in Vegas? Don't think so. Goodbye to the 4-year-old -- what was she doing there in the first place? Catch you later, Osmond Family wannabes. Donald Braswell almost makes the cut for me.

Groups such as Rush, Chicago and the Moody Blues still haven't made it into the Rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame and won't make it again this year, but lame acts such as the Pet Shop Boys, Nick Cave and that hard-rockin' mama Whitney Houston have been put up for nomination. No wonder there isn't exactly breathless anticipation:

The closest thing to the Madonnas, R.E.M.s, Van Halens and U2s that have starred at recent inductions is probably the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

As a persistent and strident critic of excessive federal spending, I feel compelled from time to time to comment on a national program that seems defensible. One of those is the "orphan products" program of the Food and Drug Administration.

Have to say that when it comes to musical taste, I'd go with Barack Obama

Everyone knows you're a Jay-Z fan, but who else is on your iPod?

The worst song ever:

BAHA MEN's summer hit record WHO LET THE DOG'S OUT? has been named the worst song of all time.
The track, which topped charts around the world in 2000, is number one in a new list compiled by editors of Spinner.com and AOL Radio.
It beat off tough competition from rapper Vanilla Ice's memorable hit Ice, Ice Baby and a more recent chart success for Ricky Martin - She Bangs.

Today's existentialism quiz.

Bob Dylan: If you aint' got nothin', you got nothin' to lose.

Kris Kristofferson: Freedom's jsut another word for nothin' left to lose.

What's the difference?

I can think of at least a couple.

What's the world coming to? The chief justice of the United States Supreme Court quotes a pop icon  (pdf file) in his dissent on a court ruling:

The absence of any right to the substantive recovery means that respondents cannot benefit from the judgment they seek and thus lack Article III standing. "When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose." Bob Dylan. Like a Rolling Stone, on Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia Records 1965).