Thursday, 2 December, 2004

the UCC attempts to become Organized religion My church's head office has gotten itself into a major media controversy. This alone strains credulity somewhat. I belong to a UCC (United Church of Christ). It seems that with money they got a hold of somewhere, they have produced two television ads to go with their God is Still Speaking campaign. The bouncer ad - which is the one playing when you bring up that page is the only one I've seen. It's a little over the top, but I admire the spirit of the enterprise. Sadly it seems that unless one sees it there one won't see it. They approached the networks cash in hand and CBS, NBC, and ABC's response was 'no go' - too controversial. New York Times > 2 Networks Are Accused of Rejecting Ad on Religious Bias. What did Fox say? No one seems to have asked. Media in the UK notes it is as much membership thing, as it is a political thing Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Church Recruiting New Members With TV Ad. They get the best quote "We're doing it because we made a discovery: there are lots of people out there who don't know we exist," said Ron Buford, who is coordinating the program for the 1.3 million-member UCC, down from 1.7 million in 1989. The UCC has 6,000 congregations." That pretty much sums it up.  Most Congregational churches pretty conservative, certainly the one I grew with in Holliston was. All the same its true the one I go to currently in DC isn't, we are at one with the home office in Cleveland. There has been "chatter" about this on our Yahoo groups listserve. The UCC plagues my father, a Taft-Harding-Hoover-Goldwater-Reagan republican, but he puts up with it, with as much grace as he can spare. Someboby even has a anti UCC website up, UCCTruths.com. It seems to be an inside job, thats passion for you. I know our minister, John Mack, is a strong proponent of this 'God is still speaking' campaign, but this is a man who came to the idea of his calling after a couple of years in Vietnam as a Marine Lieutenant. Myself I don't mind a bit unless the head office took money from the heifer project to do this. 11:59:44 PM    comment [];trackback []; Ted Leo Ted Leo and the Pharamacists are playing downtown at the Black Cat tonight. If I still went to shows I'd go to this one. What I've heard of this Ted Leo album it is the best stuff I've heard all year. Not only for the title cut of the album Shake the Sheets, a protest song, (seems like no writes decent rock protest songs anymore) but for the song "Me and Mia." Over on the label's site Lookout Records - Ted Leo/Pharmacists they have a streaming video for this : Me & Mia video (real player version broadband, they also have a 56k). I guess its a concept video - add points for seeming to have the same concept as the song. In the video the band is playing in a room (picture window) above a pizza shop on a city corner at night. The camera observes this from across the street. About two thirds the way through the song Mr. Leo puts down his guitar and leaves. You see him come out of a stair case onto the side street at the same as a taxi pulls up and another Ted Leo dressed in white gets out. They pass each other without acknowledgment. White shirt Ted Leo goes up to the room picks up the guitar and finishes the song. Denim Ted Leo is seen going into the pizza shop and ordering food and taking it to a table and as the last feedback chord dies out, he starts to eat. The part of the refrain that gives the song its title: Me and Mia, Ann and Ana Know how hard you try. Don't you see it in my eyes? As nearly as I can tell, that can read "Me and (buli)mia, Ann and ana(rexia)." How can one dislike a song with the lyric: Sick to death of my dependence, fighting food to find transcendence. My favorite line from Shake the Sheets : "I want to take it to the president, him and all the cabinet, with a broom. I want to sweep the Halls of Arrogance, sweep the walls of the excrement of these baboons."  You don't really find out much about the band from the Label's website or their own TED LEO + PHARMACISTS (such as the names of the other two band members) So I'm rounding this out with links to two interviews Ted Leo: Pitchfork Interview and a recent one The 5X5 Interview: Ted Leo, Musician. I feel I ought to mention A.C. Newman while I'm on this kick. Carl Newman is from Vancouver and has a solo album out; the Slow Wonder, which also spends a lot of time running on my imaginary iPod of the mind (my real one was stolen...) 11:13:10 PM    comment [];trackback [];

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. 2005 Paul Bushmiller. Last update: 1/04/05; 10:39:25.