Ghost of Electricity

Mark Olson- Salvation Blues

it depends on1 when you start counting - at conception or birth.

Not necessarily. This is not child pornography.

It is in response to the implication that he should be treated differently because of the tragedy he has had in his own past. Perhaps I was reading a bit too much into your post, but the French government, for example, has said as much.

I live in Krakow. As I write this I'm sitting in my appartment, which is located in what used to be the Jewish ghetto. This does not qualify me in any way to claim I have insight into the experience of those who survived the Holocaust. Knowlege, perhaps. True understanding, not a chance. They are two realities which have a location in common but are in and of themselves unrelated. The very notion is ridiculous. The fact that I live here is actually completely irrelevant to this discussion. Similarly, the fact that Polanski is a survivor is completely irrelevant to this discussion. The

Lunacy, perhaps.

We'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

I don't quite catch what you are saying here- that his time in exile will be counted retroactively as time spent serving time? That if/when he comes back the plea-bargain agreement will be honored? I haven't hear either of these, and am not quite sure what you mean. please clarify. the severity of the crime is a cakewalk? I think you mean that whatever punishment he receives for a crime of this severity is a cakewalk, but again, I'm not sure.

too bad Roman and Jack weren't listening to Andre Williams that night. The whole thing might never have happenned. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w09ukTUUhBY

Good point. No, he needs to answer for drugging and raping a thirteen year old girl. After he answers for that, he should also answer for being a fugitive. But the former is a far more heinous crime than the latter.

Whenever anyone visits me i request hazelnut. Since when does McDonanld's have lattes? Are they any good?

No, I haven't. I would like to go, though. However, I am aware of research that shows a drop in capital crime when capital punishment is abolished. There are other reasons than what I mentioned above for punishment, such as rehabilitation, or to protect the public from that particular individual commiting the rime again. As Polanski is in his mid seventies, doesn't live in the country, and hadn't committed this crime before this incident and hasn't committed it since, neither of these applies in this case.

I was listening to "Whatever Happened I Apologize" again the other day and again it struck me (like it did when I first listened to it) that some of these songs would sound great with Jeff singing.

For once, Crow, I agree with you. ...for the most part. There is some logic to the argument that punishment serves as a deterrent, however the statistics (as far as I know) don't back it up. The fact is that stiffer punishments have no bearing upon the frequency at which a given crime occurrs. If Polanski were to be punished as a deterrent or example, therefore , it would seem logical but would not actually be an effective measure to achieve that goal. So we have to ask ourselves, then "why punish?" Is it eye-for-an-eye? Is it simply vengeance? If it is the former, then the logica

yes, and can I humbly beg your permission to steal that line and use as I see fit in the future? I do believe it's a keeper.

If Polanski had drugged and raped a thirten year old boy this discussion wouldn't be taking place right now because there is no way he would have escaped the country. No plea bargain would ever have been reneged upon because none would ever have been reached. So why is it different because it was a girl?

I think perhaps at the height of his experimentation (ST, YHF) he also was (for whatever "2 guitars are obsolete" reason) playing more keys than guitar.

This is not my experience. I have a 1984 or 5 Gibson 335 and a 2006 Gretsch Historic Series G3161 (Korean made), which are roughly comparable. The 335 is a semi, the Gretsch a full hollowbody, the Gretsch is a single cutaway, the 335 a double. The Gretsch has fewer frets. These are the main differences. The Gretsch is equal to the Gibson in terms of playability, and exceeds it in looks and, most importantly, tone. The Gibson doesn't sound nearly as good. In terms of workmanship the Gretsch is very well built. My only complaint with it is that some of the stock components, the pickup switche

I hear you. And this is kind of surprising, given Jay's penchant for experimenting with sound in terms of engineering techniques and finding new keyboards, etc. i wonder why he didn't mess around with pedals more.

um, no. I don't even live in the U.S.A. If I vilified anyone it was myself as I readily admitted to owning a made in China guitar. The body is mahogany too, so if there's any justice in the guitar afterlife I will undoubtedly be going to the other place. And yes, I would rather work in a factory in the States Just sayin'.

I guess I meant poser in terms of "someone who strikes a pose" which Pat does. The question is, does he practice them in front of the mirror. At any rate, they are a bit too affected for my taste.

Last week I spun Mark Olson's "My Own Jo Ellen" and Ted Hawkin's "The Next Hundred Years" and was some of the guitar work struck me as similar. So I looked and sure enough, there was the name Greg Leisz credited on both. Yes, the same Greg Leisz who played peda; steel on "Being There." So it got me wondering, I knew I'd seen the same in liner notes before, how much has he actually done? Here are just a few names: Bill Frisell, Emmylou Harris, Dave Alvin, Bon Jovi (hey, nobody's perfect), Beck, Willy Nelson, Louden Wainright III, Matthew Sweet, T-Bone Burnett, k.d. lang...these are just s

I could live without the rockstar moves. One word that springs to mind is "poser" which I would rather not use in association with this band. Unquestionably talented as a musician, however.

the xrt website isn't very forthcoming. will this be archived?