Yes, I continue to read Lawrence Auster’s idiosyncratically ultra- conservative
blog. It is immensely entertaining.
I even donated some cash during one of Larry’s recent panhandling campaigns. But the prideful fucker rejected my money!
(You can read his detailed
explanation as to why, if you care to.)
One of the nuttiest aspects of Larry Auster’s career as a self-styled public intellectual is... he spends most of his time and energy attacking fellow conservatives.
Yesterday he crossed a line into ethnic name-calling, referring to
David Frum, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush, as a “Jewboy.”
This so offended some of Auster’s readers, he eventually removed the reference from his blog. But not before posting an earnest defense of himself this morning... arguing that he was
right to call Mr. Frum a “Jewboy.” (“If I am being brutal toward him... he deserves it.”)
I copied all that stuff. Just in case.
Before I share it with you (and with future Google searchers), let me point out that Lawrence Auster himself is an ethnic Jew (and a staunch defender of Israel), though he converted to Christianity and is now a devout Anglican.
Mr. Auster also has denounced conservative writers more famous than himself – specifically Pat Buchanan and Paul Craig Roberts – for being “very close” to anti-Semitic. (Even though they’ve never called anyone a “Jewboy” in print.)
So here’s the deal. Auster yesterday put up a
post slamming David Frum for, among other things, attacking Rush Limbaugh in a Newsweek essay last spring.
At the end of the post, Auster called Frum a “little Jewboy on the make”... which is a quote from Mordecai Richler’s novel “The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz.” Auster’s point was that David Frum “will do anything to advance himself.”
A reader asked Auster to remove the “Jewboy on the make” line... because it is “reprehensible, cringe-making, and not fair.”
Auster responded that it was not “some terrible expression.” “First, a ‘Jewboy’ is simply a Jew. Yes, the term is used by some people in a derogatory manner, but when I was growing up it was mainly a humorous term of affection used by one Jew about another.... It is not the Jewish equivalent of the ‘N’ word.”
Furthermore, Auster wrote, “think of the way [Frum] portrayed Rush Limbaugh.... It was an act of total treason and aggression against the conservative movement. Why then does he deserve any particular consideration in the way that he’s discussed?”
In finally erasing the word “Jewboy” from his post, Auster wrote: “I personally felt that the description, in the context in which I had presented it, was defensible, and I defended it. However, I also believe that to create offense
unnecessarily is wrong.”
Cool. Now if only this douchebag could stop calling black people
“savages.”
Next Tuesday, Meshell Ndegeocello’s latest studio album drops. It’s called “Devil’s Halo,” and it has a real alternative-rock feel.
I’m having a ball checking out all this new music, looking for FREE MP3s to share for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Last night I was at my favorite sushi spot. As occasionally happens, I saw a movie actor come in there. Alone.
Hispanic Heritage Month... steady funkin’ on...
So... where does Brazil fit into Hispanic Heritage Month?
Another funky group I wrote about during Hispanic Heritage Month 2008 is Pacha Massive from the Bronx. (Leader Ramon Nova grew up in the Dominican Republic.)
“Just Want to See Ya” (MP3) 
More on this album
I first blogged about San Francisco’s Latin Soul Syndicate during last year’s Hispanic Heritage Month.
Album available at iTunes Music Store
An old buddy of mine, Bill Castronuovo, recently hit me with an old snapshot, circa 1991. That’s me toiling on one of Bill’s old Mac Classics, producing my short-lived fanzine UNCUT FUNK.
This week the new ballot of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees was announced: Kiss, Red Hot Chili Peppers, ABBA, Genesis, LL Cool J, Donna Summer, Laura Nyro, Darlene Love, the Stooges, the Hollies, the Chantels and Jimmy Cliff.
By now I have uploaded more than 1,500 sound files to my Vox blog... most of them music tracks. And I dare say the best singer I’ve ever featured is Susana Baca. (I blogged about her here and here.)
Three weeks ago, I blogged about Anne-Marie Johnson’s campaign for the presidency of the Screen Actors Guild.
Today’s FREE MP3 is from longtime hipster Alejandro Escovedo, whose famous musical family includes Sheila E. (his niece).
Conan O’Brien seemed uncomfortable, the audience was sometimes silent, and Johnny Carson probably spun in his grave. Wanna see for yourself? Follow this link to Hulu. I got the clip all cued up.
Speaking of MacArthur Fellowships, watch me segue slickly back to Hispanic Heritage Month.
I even donated some cash during one of Larry’s recent panhandling campaigns. But the prideful fucker rejected my money!
Nuyorican R&B singer Tata Vega cut a few LPs for Motown in the late 1970s, but never burned up the charts.
1. “La Ultima Milla” (“Folsom Prison Blues”) – Mingo Saldivar
This being Hispanic Heritage Month, I can’t leave the Dominicans out. Roberto Gell is a Dominican-American reggae artist based in Southern California.
Andres Mijangos – known professionally as Mijangos – is a club DJ, remixer and record producer from Acapulco, Mexico. He is said to have spreaded house music throughout Latin America.
Roc Raida (Anthony Williams), a pioneer of turntablism, has reportedly died at the age of 37.
I flew back to L.A. last night after a week of intense and fruitful story meetings in New Orleans.
To Buenos Aires we go for today’s FREE MP3... from a pop/folk band called Doña Maria.
Nominations for the Latin Grammy Awards were announced yesterday.
Only recently did I discover that Bernie Williams, former New York Yankee outfielder, is a successful jazz musician.
1. “Kids and Sports” – Willie Barcena
(Below are actual Twitter posts from earlier today.)
I mentioned two months ago that it was coming. Yesterday, Living Colour’s new CD – “The Chair in the Doorway” – arrived in stores.
Speaking of Carlos Santana... did you know that his son, Salvador, is in the music business? (I did not.) He’s a Bay Area keyboard player and bandleader.
Today is September 15th, the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. On this blog, that means we’ll be celebrating the music of Hispanic and/or Latino artists for the next four weeks.
Janet Jackson last night used Twitter to point her fans to a FREE MP3.
(While the U.S. Open was rain-delayed – again – Serena Williams killed time today on Twitter, tweeting a bunch of her fans... and making their day!
Eight months ago, I posted an enchanting clip from Nina Paley’s animated feature “Sita Sings the Blues.”