Twostepcublog

" Geek Stink Breath " - Green Day from the album Insomniac (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: ineligible to chart Billboard Hot 100 Airplay peak: #27 (one week) Weeks in the Hot 100 Airplay Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the pioneering pop-punk trio Green Day , who after taking rock radio by storm with their major-label debut Dookie , they landed another Alternative Rock #1 with "J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva)" from the movie Angus that had enough mainstream radio love to make the top-40 of Billboard 's Airplay chart but was kept from the official Hot 100 pop list by not being released as a single (which labels often did to spike album sales, though in this case I'm not sure that was the case). In the fall of 1995, Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt, and Tre Cool returned with their next album Insomniac . A more nuanced album than Dookie , it nonetheless was preceded a month before by the lead single "Geek Stink Breath". Writte...

" The Place Where You Belong " - Shai from the album Beverly Hills Cop III (Original Soundtrack) (1994) and Blackface (1995) Billboard Hot 100 peak: #34 (one week) Weeks in the Top-40: 6 Today's song of the day comes from the soul vocal group Shai , whose debut album If I Ever Fall In Love scored three top ten pop hits with " Baby I'm Yours ", " Comforter ", and the #2 smash " If I Ever Fall In Love ". In 1994, the group returned with a single taken from the soundtrack to the Eddie Murphy cinema juggernaut Beverly Hills Cop III , "The Place Where You Belong". Written by the band's members Garfield Bright, Marc Gay, Carl Martin, and Darnell Van Rensalier, the smooth adult soul has a subtle new jack swing beat in the background. The song was released as a single after Patti Labelle's " The Right Kind of Lover ", which hit #8 on the R&B chart, topped Billboard 's dance chart, and stopped at #61 ...

But seriously, while many fans of football player Michael Sam, including myself, were disappointed over the "cut" of the defensive end from the St. Louis Rams , the reaction of his fans, and the supportive words from Rams coach Jeff Fisher, and beyond all the class displayed by the man who still may be the first openly gay NFL player on the field (but if so possibly with another team), showed that there is a bright future for Sam. This happens all the times with hundreds of players in the league, and while there's no doubt that Michael's backstory is as much an asset as a possible risk to other teams, I'm certain that the support that Sam has gotten has shown to NFL owners and coaches (seriously, fuck Dungy already) that besides Sam's proven skill (hey, he did great in preseason, just that the Rams were defense-heavy as it was), he's a draw for fans, and money does talk. Now how about it, Chicago? Make my day.

For 7yrs I have not officiated NJ weddings because many citizens were denied that equal right. Next week I will officiate. #Equality #Pride — Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 18, 2013

It's not that the CEO of a company has a personal opinion that I don't agree with. For real, going down that road, Dan Cathy insulted not only the GLBT community, but anyone else who isn't married to their first wives. Remember, he boasted about that as the centerpiece of his nefarious self-righteous quote that grew this meme. But that just means that a great amount of people in line today for a fried sandwich are oblivious that he basically thinks you're trash. But whatever. Lots of people who run business are self-righteous loons. Hell, look at the crazy dolt who runs Whole Foods, John Mackey . He's been much more vocal about his opposition to healthcare reform, unions, and all that other Libertarian bullshit, and tons of gay people still sashay around that organomart. What's got me and a ton of others' panties in a knot is the blatant use of company profits and resources to campaign, promote, and insert themselves into the equality debate . Organizat...

photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images So let me get this straight... This dickhole who caused a scene at last Friday's press conference by interrupting and attempting to argue with the president on his assholic assumption that the proposed amnesty directive means Obama favors foreign workers over American ones, yeah, that dickhole, is a foreigner here on a fucking green card .So his whole charade about asking the right questions has nothing to do with his own situation and how well he sucks Tucker Carlson's dick. This right-wing game of Calvinball is getting too fucking ridiculous. Romney says Obama is out of touch. Romney proceeds to be amazed by the Wawas ( sic ) and their newfangled hoagie-orderin' machine as a fucking Friedmanesque sign of the sanctity of the free economy, whatever the fuckall that means. It's just getting to be "play the game of say whatever crazy and see if anything sticks", isn't it? It's like the political process has become ...

Look, Ma, I can get blown with no hands! Today Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, not the bubbly judge from the Gong Show , but the company that sort of lost 2 billion fucking dollars from the economy, was hauled before Congress so that they could indict him on fraud charges lick his balls like an overeager eunuch. Dimon testified before the Senate Banking Committee, which by the name would seem to imply a certain assumption of knowledge about the subject. But instead we get this from South Carolina's (that's the brain-addled Carolina) Jim DeMint, King of the "Tea Party".... "We can hardly sit in judgement of your losing $2 billion," the junior senator from South Carolina explained. "We lose twice that every day here in Washington and plan to continue to do that every day. It's comforting to know that even with a $2 billion loss in a trade last year, your company still, I think, had a $19 billion profit. During that same period, we lost ov...

What's the difference between these two? Apparently, this weekend was the weekend for people who shouldn't be driving to smash their car into someone else in Los Angeles. In Lindsay Lohan's case, she crashed her rented Porsche into a tractor-trailer on Friday afternoon. She and her assistant were taken to the hospital (though conspicuously Lohan not by ambulance) and were released without major injuries. The truck driver, whom Lohan claims to have cut her off, also is stating that her reps attempted to "buy him off" at the scene. Now before I go any further, when the fuck did TMZ become the prime news source for this shit? I mean, if ABCNews has to quote TMZ , what is next? McDonald's providing recipes to the Food Channel?  That said, the news feeds are putting out there a supposed leak that Lohan lied to the police initially about who was driving the car, her or her assistant, which would be quite a legal problem for her probation if found untrue.N...

Dear Governor Christie, using a pie reference , especially with an "infinite" quality, only highlights your gluttony, dillweed. And talking to the public like an asshole doesn't make you a "straight-talker", but pretty much of a douchebag. Now go away. Toodles, twostepcub

A sign that all that's just isn't just from the ocean-bordered parts of America, the Supreme Court of Montana issued a ruling upholding a ban on state and local election spending by corporations , something the half-corrupt US Supreme Court didnt in Citizens United . That this happened in a place that could be swung by the power of the big mining and forestry companies, gives hope that given the chance and the right group, could reassess the federal ruling. And that, my friends, is ten times more important that the race between Mr. "Man On Dog" and Mr. "Dog On Car" for who's going to lose this November.

I couldn't resist. As we begin the arduous task ahead on choosing who is going to lose the presidency this year, the reality show called the Republican primary made its "Rock Of No Love" tour stop in Iowa today, in a caucus attended by less people than a normal Bon Jovi concert and just as meaningful. I know we should all hold in great awe the power of a state with less people than Brooklyn and Queens, but after seeing week upon week of media and stumpers falling over themselves to see exactly what combination of rascism, homophobia, and jingoism will win over votes of people who consider Applebee's a "haute cuisine dining experience", I'm pretty much over the whole process. And face it, the Republican party has become nothing but a bunch of grown-up bullies, bent on judging and persecuting others not like them (or in many cases, like them). It does surprise me at times how the gay-marriage card can be thrown still (though not for much longer). There is...

Yesterday's two primary races in California, for Governor and Senator, proved triumphant for for two women , Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina (pictured above). Whitman, the former CEO of eBay, spent 71 million dollars of her personal wealth for so far just the primary election, while former (and notably ousted) HP CEO Fiorina spent 5 million of her own. Both are pretending to ride some sort of populist uprising, but of course they both represent nothing but the deregulation-hungry assholes that rape the common 'people' the teabagger contingent also pretends to be. Both offered nuanced right-wing talking point blather to gain the votes in the primary, and hopefully both will get nailed on them in the general election. Neither Jerry Brown nor Barbara Boxer is a novice in dealing with these two morons. Both Whitman and Fiorina have proven gaffe-prone, while not really having a truthful position on anything but business. Which they want hands off. Like BP. And see where that go...

So, let me get this straight. Some genius with a flipcam can stop 89-year-old Helen Thomas, an Arab-American, and ask what she thinks about Israel. This is after an aid boat was raided in international waters and 9 people killed, though of course for effect that was left out. With a lens basically on top of her face, this is what she said. Now beyond what looks like a deliberite edit, the thought of sending Israeli Jews to Germany and Poland is of course an indefensible slam on the exile from the Holocaust, but of course considering the horrible history of the treatment of Palestinians (who, mind you, had nothing to do with said Holocaust), someone who has seen the plight people in her area (her parents are Lebanese immigrants, though of the Catholic sect) and I can honestly see the emotional response from her. But of course, since she's #1) a woman, and #2) a persistent reporter who asks tough questions, the guvmint/media fuckfest finally get their chance to have her head. After i...

It's been over a month since an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing oil and carbon pollutants to spill into the area in the hundreds of thousands of gallons. So far almost 62,000 square miles have been blocked from fishing , and since the ooze along with the possibly toxic dispursants BP has been using have hit the shorelines of Louisiana and beyond, an irrevocable catastrophe has hit the same area that mother nature only temporarily shut down a few years before. Finally, after all this the administration is setting to do something, as the Attorney Generals office is preparing criminal investigations and admitting that BP is not to be trusted . A well pipe has been cut to prepare for a cap , but now more oil is flowing than ever. The thing is, would we actually be waiting all this time if this amount of oil would be spewing on land? And why isn't that fuckweasel CEO who is shouting for newscameras to stop filming in jail? And where is the idiot brigade with the ...

Last night, on the beloved Facebook , someone I knew had answered a poll about whether they'd vote for Obama in 2012. It came with a "R U NUTZ ". I have no idea why I even would pay attention, since I could care less about all those polls, games, apps, whatever in there. Yes I guess after a day with no heat, I was a little cranky. I made a comment about what was the better option: McCain/ Palin ? That started a string of typical talking point bullying that wasn't backed up by any fact. One thing stuck out, this guy kept repeating about how the economy and the country is going to hell, and somehow history leading up to this doesn't matter. And as I have a real valid problem with people in Obama's economic team and their priorities (read: Geithner / Sumners ), the one thing that I did grasp was the need for a stimulus program to spark the flaccid job market (though I agree with economists like Krugman that it should have been larger). Well the proof truly is ...

Over the past year I've been critical over the Obama administration's neglect over advancement of equal rights for gays and lesbians, whether it be towards marriage equality or protection of GLBT armed forces servcemembers. Last week's State Of The Union address was (perhaps over-) heralded about a turning point, with the statement stuffed in about repealing the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that has resulted in thousands of dismissals from all branches of the military. At that time, the Congress (well, the Democratic ones) roared approval, while the Joint Chiefs there sat stoically. I wasn't feeling it. Well, today's hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee gave reason for hope. While Secretary Robert Gates explained the proposal for a year-long study, which I think has been overstudied, though at least employing top-level brains like General Ham who heads Europe's Army forces. Even better was Admiral Mike Mullen, who gave a heartfel...

...or rather a Libyan, as the focus of the first appearance by President Obama at the United Nations seems to be hijacked by the ho odoo over where Moammar Gadhafi will be staying. Since most of the world's leaders are meeting at the UN for the General Assembly. The town of Bedford is at arms that Gadhafi's group is preparing to stay in a tented area on a property leased by Donald Trump by Middle Easterners. This is after the Libyans failed to be able to set up shop either on their own property in Englewood, and in Central Park (nice try). The thing is, first of all, yes Gadhafi is a douchebag, and we all know it. That Lockerbee conspirator getting released was total bullshit. But we KNOW he's coming. He's not the only idiot, since he and Admedispaghettios from Iran will have a pissing match on who's the nuttier. And he's got to stay somewhere. Who gives a shit? He ain't gonna do anything but throw a freaking "Rock the Casbah" party anyway. And I j...

Today brings news that actor Patrick Swayze passed away after a publicized bout with cancer. Swayze is best known for his roles in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost , but I reserve a special place for the fab job he did in playing Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar. He was assured enough in his own sexuality that he could play a dancer and a drag queen, and not really care what people thought. Here's a highlight. Dirty Dancing also gave Swayze a top-10 pop hit with "She's Like The Wind", which compared to other actor-musician affairs, comes off now as rather respectable...

Dear Kanye, You've obviously by now figured out what a stupid spectacle you made of yourself during the MTV video music awards last night . Were you drunk? Or just ignorant? I mean, it's the FUCKING VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS. Not the Nobel Prize. With less anticipation than the People's Choice Awards. And while I may have disbelief at times on Swift's ability to carry a note, she's obviously musically very talented and genuine in what she does. No beefs with anyone. And Beyonce's video is cool, but it is a remake of a more classic dance number ...and a "viral" popularity of a clip doesn't mean she was robbed of anything in particular. And if you really want to argue the importance of a video music award Beyonce won best video of the year. So, whatever angst you've got going, you just blew your wad of sentiment. Chris Brown is laughing at you. You're on the one hand championing tolerance for gay rights, then back up Jay-Z with a lyric like Its cr...

I hope everyone in the US enjoyed the final big weekend of summer, Labor Day Weekend. In doing so, remember those workers whose hard work and perseverance enabled us to be entitled to things like an eight-hour work-day, health coverage, and freedom from unsafe work conditions. To celebrate, jam to a little Dropkick Murphys. Peace out. Thanks Susie @ Crooksandliars for the inspiration of clip...