Dr BLT's Virtual Blog n Roll Coffee House - drbrucelthiessen's Blog - The Bakersfield Voice

Pass the P.U.C.! Settle argument between John Rich and Rosanne Cash over Johnny Cash's politics

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:01:04 PDT

Welcome to my brand new blog n roll series, Pass the P.U.C. (Pass the Polical Uniter Challenge). I'm Dr. BLT and I'll be your host.

In this series, you will compete to be the Political Uniter of the Day by offering a statement you would offer to John Rich and Rosanne Cash to settle the argument or ease the tension between country/cable TV star, John Rich of Big and Rich, and Rosanne Cash over the politics of Rosanne's father, Johnny Cash:

http://www.theboot.com/2008/08/18/rosanne-cash-fires-back-at-john-rich/9

If you can offer a statement deemed by myself and other blog visitors to be the most likely to lead to a reconciliation between the two, you will be named Political Uniter of the Day.

Are you ready for me to pass you the p.u.c.? Remember, partisan dividers (discouraged, but not forbidden to offer partisan comments in this series) will try to get to you with partisan bait. They will try to sap your Unifer energy by passing you their negative energy. They are the goalies if you will. You must not allow them to deter you from scoring a goal, landing the p.u.c. right in the net?

So, are you Ready? Set? Blog n roll!

Entire Collection of Johnny Cash Hits from A-Z added to new Dr BLT CD, Blackout

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:45:52 PDT

To honor Johnny Cash, on the anniversary of the day of his passing, I've begun the internet edition of Blackout, a collection of original songs I've written and recorded about the life and music of Johnny Cash.

If you've been fooled by the title of this blog post, allow me to disabuse you of the notion that every single Johnny Cash hit has been included on my CD. In fact, there are no Johnny Cash covers on the CD, but The Entire Collection of Johnny Cash Hits from A-Z is the title of one of the first two songs I've added to the collection.

The other is a duet I wrote about Johnny and June and it features Allyssa Kaess as my guest singer.

To read a personal "moving story" of mine about Johnny Cash and to hear and review the first two songs added to the internet edition of Blackout: A Tribute to Johnny Cash, visit:

Bakersfield Sound Underground

http://www.bakersfieldsoundunderground.com

One September Mournin': Remembering heroes and survivors

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:02:13 PDT

Every year it gets easier to forget. Every year it gets easier to take our safety and security as a nation for granted. I try to use music to remind people not to forget to remember.

One September Mournin' was a CD written by me, Dr BLT, and recorded with a little (okay, a lot) of help from my friends, known collectively then as Sacramento Bands Together. It was initially put together as a community intervention right after the terrifying events of 9/11. You can

read more about it here:
Sacramento Bee Story

This year, on the ever-expanding online edition of the CD, I've written, recorded and added two brand new 9/11 retrospective songs, Widow in the Wake of 9/11, and The American Dream. You can hear these two via this link (scroll all the way down when you get there if you want to get straight to the new songs):
two new songs

CANDY STRIPERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS: Hear today, here today: The new job-affirmation song!

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:55:07 PDT

Welcome to the blog n roll series, Hear Today, Here Today! This ones for fans of my CD covering the election events of 2004, Right-wingers Need Love Too! Now, let me be clear, I'm a big McCain/Palin Republican, but lately I've grown wearing of my fellow Republicans putting down Obama for being a Community Organizer, whatever that is.

So, the moral of this song, for those who haven't figured it out after hitting the play button on the play station I've uploaded here, and listening to the sample, is Community Organizer. really quite simple: Just because a particular job may be below one's pay grade, or not the type of job that would necessarily qualify one to be President of the United States of America, doesn't mean that we should put that job down. Even working at McDonalds requires certain innate responsibilities that are of benefit to society, and how else would you get your Big Macs?

Candy Stripers across the country, I hope you unite around this song. Community Organizers, that goes for you too! And let me add this: Community Organizers, though some Candy Stripers would say they do more than you, it's just a pecking order thing. Ignore it, raise your head and be proud to be an American and proud to serve your country in the outstanding, if mildly dubious capacity as Community Organizer.

Let's rise above the temptation to diss these so-called low-man-on-the-totem-pole jobs and elevate these people, giving them the credit they deserve for serving their respective communities, and the country at large!

Yes, you can hear it today, because it's hear today. Tentatively, it's the title track to my tentatively entitled Election 2008 Soundtrack,

CANDY STRIPERS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS.

After you've heard it, visit my website, hit the music button, scroll to the album, and give it a spectacular, great, good, fair, or bad review (bad, in the slang sense, meaning cool :)

http://www.drblt.net

Candy Stripers and Community Organizers

if you've never been a Candy Striper

or a Community Organizer

you should not make fun of these jobs

if you've never been a Candy Striper

or a Community Organizer

then what right to you have

to be a snob?

chorus:

I'm not sayin' either one

qualifies you to be President

but don't make fun of either one

or both

'cause Candy Stripers

play a key role in society

and so do C.O.'s so get out and vote

Candy Stripers

comb the hair

and empty bedpans

and they care

for sick folks

in the hospital

you know I'm not quite sure

what C.O.'s do

but I'm sure that

it is special too

so don't put them down

or call them clowns

(chorus: repeat chorus and then go visit a local Candy Striper of Community Organizer and give them a few encouraging words and a hug!)

This Ain't Life As It Should Be

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 23:08:13 PDT

Bakersfield has it's positives, but this song is an expression of what I think about the new logo "Bakersfield, LIfe As It Should Be".

Mrs. Pain

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 23:05:04 PDT

Mrs. Pain is a metaphor for depression.

Merle Hasn't Lost His Fightin' Side

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 23:02:39 PDT

A 9/11 song I wrote about Merle Haggard.