A Canadian industrial rock band called Skinny Puppy has sent an invoice for $660,000 to the U. S. Department of Defense. The band says its music has been played at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center during the interrogation of detainees, and it is now demanding compensation. The band disapproves of its music being used for “torture.”
Here we have a example of foreigners doing a job that should have been filled by Americans. Why couldn’t Op-Critical’s music have been used?
There are more bad musicians than there is bad music.
—Isaac Stern
I can’t sing, but I know how to, which is quite different.
—Noel Coward
You know, there may be a limit to how low the Cabin Boy™ is willing to stoop.
So far as I can tell, he’s never played any of Brett Kimberlin’s “music” on any of his Internet radio feeds.
BTW, Amazon still offers a few new and used copies of The Dread Performer Kimberlin’s last album Epoxy: Nothing Else for as little as $1.08.
In December, 1977, Mrs. Hoge received the first B.A. degree in Audio Production awarded by Indiana University. She moved to Nashville in the autumn of 1978 and began working as a recording engineer.
I reached into our old collection of vinyl and found this which was one of her first gold album credits. It’s John Hartford’s You and Me at Home album which was recorded in 1979 at The Sound Shop in Nashville.
In Nashville and on the road Mrs. Hoge recorded a wide range of acts, including Ricky Skaggs, Stella Parton, Leon Russell, Leo Kottke, Jimmy Buffett, Dizzy Gillespie, Weather Report, the Chamber Society of Lincoln Center, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She decided to leave the music business when we moved to Southern California.
UPDATE—Here are couple of the albums Mrs. Hoge worked on that are available on Amazon.
John Hartford: You and Me at Home
Jimmy Buffett: Volcano
Science cannot tell us a word about why music delights us, of why and how an old song can move us to tears.
—Erwin Schrödinger
Back in the late ’60s when I was working the midnight to 6 am shift on an FM station, I sometimes suspected that I only had a dozen or so listeners.
A worrisome thing who’ll leave ya to sing
The blues in the night
Yes, babe, only, only blues in the night …
The Cabin Boy™ must be longing for the olden days …
Of course, the new anthem is Comrade Brett. I’m sure he cherishes the official version recorded by Op-Crtical.
A Beethoven symphony should be rehearsed like chamber music, only for a lot more people.
—Andre Previn
Brett Kimberlin has wanted a successful music career for decades. The Gentle Reader can find his music videos lurking on YouTube and see why success has eluded him. On page 354 of Citizen K: The Deeply Weird American Journey of Brett Kimberlin, Mark Singer quotes Brett Kimberlin as saying:
My lyrics are very potent, and they’ll touch a lot of people. I see myself as being in the Phil Collins mold more than, say, in the Michael Jackson mold. I can’t be fake that way. I have to be real.
Certainly, Kimberlin does not rise to Michael Jackson’s stature …
The Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin alleges in his proposed second amended complaint for his Kimberlin v. The Universe, et al. RICO Madness that the coverage of his antics by my codefendants and me has adversely affected his music career. This is from paragraph 204.
I think that anyone who has had the misfortune to listen to one of his recordings or music videos would agree with me that a proper response to Brett Kimberlin’s music is “Don’t give up your day job.”
The Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin tries to claim that my 21 codefendants and I did all sorts of mean things to him to ruin his business. This is from paragraph 265 of his second amended complaint in the Kimberlin v. The Universe, et al. RICO Madness.
Now, it is true that I have written a negative review of his musicianship.
Review: “Nothing Else” by Epoxy (#BrettKimberlin)
Originally posted on 17 July, 2012
Back in 2002, Brett Kimberlin fronted a band named Epoxy and released a CD called Nothing Else. The story he spun promoting the album was that it contained songs that he had written while he was being held as a political prisoner in the federal prison system.
The band consisted of Brett Kimberlin on guitar and vocals, Wade Matthews on Bass, and Robbie White on Drums. The genre of the album is someplace between grunge and punk, neither of which are among my favorite musical forms.
Let me first comment on Mr. Kimberlin’s voice. I had heard his speaking voice in court, and I understand why some people refer to it as whinny. His singing voice reminds me of the silly voice that Weird Al uses on tracks such as Eat It. Mrs. Hoge, who listened through the CD with me, said, “Eddie Haskell.” On most of the tracks his voice was off key, usually flat.
Most of the songs could have been filler tracks on a generic grunge album. Some of the alienation in them seems to be more appropriate for a 17 year old, not someone 30 years older. Mr. Kimberlin was in his late 40s when the recording was made. However, three of the songs stood out. Vicegrip was actually interesting musically. Donuts had clever lyrics. It’s about lousy prison food and would probably get a nod of approval from G. Gordon Liddy.
Then there’s the last cut Keyhole. It was outstandingly bad. Mrs. Hoge and I met while we were in the music business, and during her career as a recording engineer, she recorded more gold and platinum records than I did. Her comment was, “If you’re gonna mike a guitar that close, you should use a better guitar and make sure it’s in tune. And get a better guitar player.”
While he didn’t do especially well with the acoustic guitar on Keyhole, Brett Kimberlin is actually a reasonably good guitarist. He probably couldn’t cut it in Nashville or LA, but could make a living in a minor market (such as Seattle) or playing the Holiday Inn circuit. Indeed, the world would be a better place if he did ignore the usual advice and give up his day job.
Nothing Else by Epoxy (Pollen Records, $16.04 from Amazon) is interesting because of who recorded it, but I can’t honestly recommend it for the musical experience it offers.
The CD is no longer reliably available on Amazon.
One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.
—Bob Marley
Someone had done a study of musical tastes versus SAT scores. Here’s a bit clipped out of the published chart.
If it were to include my tastes, Bach, Mozart, and Weird Al would be shown in an area off the right edge of the chart.
UPDATE—I’m also a fan of U2, Dylan, and The Eagles.
Gentle Reader, do you ever wonder what the Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin does when he isn’t involved in vexatious lawsuit? He’s got himself a rock-and-roll band called Op-Critical. One of the sca … uh … promotions he’s attempted for the band was trying to get a performance by Op-Critical included in the soundtrack of the Twilight movie Eclipse.
It shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with Op-Critical’s body of work to learn that Twilight Angel isn’t on the album. You can listen to The Dread Performer Kimberlin singing Twilight Angel on YouTube, but I don’t recommend doing so. Normally, folks with TDPK’s level of talent are advised not to give up their day jobs, but I’m not sure which causes more harm in Kimberlin’s case.
Last night, I was running iTunes in random mode when The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas came up. The first time I can remember hearing that piece was when I saw the movie Fantasia at the Tennessee theater in downtown Nashville back in the ’50s. The work is a symphonic poem that tells the story of Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling. You probably know the story: Rather than do his chores the old fashioned way, a young apprentice tries to use magic. He loses control of his enchanted broom but is saved in the end when his master returns and sets things right. Mickey Mouse plays the apprentice in the Disney version.
But back to my story …
I didn’t initially realize what was playing in the background because I was concentrating on writing today’s Team Kimberlin Post of the Day. When I did notice the music, it struck me as somewhat related to what I was writing. The post was about Bill Schmalfeldt’s bumbling attempts at lawfare. He’s tried to use lawfare as an easy pushback against the various attempts to hold him accountable for his online harassment and cyberthuggery. Yet, each time he tries something, the legal waves break higher and higher against him.
One wonders—will his master save him?
Probably not.
His master has been no more successful in the long run with his lawfare. Team Kimberlin’s performance, by master or apprentice, can’t even be described as “mickey mouse.”
The Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin alleges that the coverage he receives here at Hogewash! is bad for his business. This is from his second amended complaint in the Kimberlin v. The Universe, et al. RICO Madness.
Musician? Humpf. From my point of view, the biggest obstacle to The Dread Performer Kimberlin’s success in the music business is his lack of talent. I more fully explain my feelings about his musicianship here.
Perhaps his omnibus opposition to all the motions to dismiss (due at close of business a week from today) will offer some crackpot legal theory that will attempt to keep alive the claim “supported” by this allegation.
Stay tuned.
That’s a principle of personnel management that I’ve seen demonstrated many times during my business career. It explains a lot about Team Kimberlin. Consider, for example, the choice of someone like Cabin Boy Bill Schmalfeldt to handle PR.
It also explains Very Ordinary Seaman Ferguson. (My recent post touching on The Dread Performer Kimberlin’s musicianship reminded me of VOSF.)
After listening to his Sub-Aetha offerings on iTunes (which mostly sound like electric Jew’s harp recordings), it’s obvious that he is a part of Team Kimberlin to make TDPK’s stuff look good by comparison.
Here’s an interesting claim from one of Exhibit 7 of The Dread Pro-Se Kimberlin’s omnibus opposition to the motions to dismiss his Kimberlin v. The Universe, et al. RICO Madness. 
The SAC (that’s the second amended complaint) alleges that the mythical RICO enterprise began picking on Brett in August, 2010, although it doesn’t mention any specific acts occurring until October. So what sort of “social causes” was The Dread Performer Kimberlin “highlighting” before August, 2010? Well, in March of that year he was promoting teenage love with werewolves.
As for TDPK’s claim that he was unable to produce songs and videos after August, 2010, Freakin Frackin was posted to YouTube on 12 January, 2011; Occupy Music Video: Anonymous was posted to YouTube on 17 June, 2011; Coal Miner’s Family was posted to YoutTube on 5 December, 2012; and that’s not a complete list of TDPK’s work published online since 2010.
The most amazing things about Brett’s lying is how clumsy he is with it. You’d think that after all those years of practice, … oh, never mind.
ANNOUNCER: From Westminster, it’s time for—
SOUND: Skype rings once.
JOHNNY: Johnny Atsign.
RULE 5 GIRL: (Telephone Filter) Good morning, Johnny.
JOHNNY: Good morning. It’ been a while since you called. What’s up these days.
RULE 5 GIRL: (Telephone Filter) Nothing much with me, but The Bomber’s finally filed his opposition to the motions to dismiss his RICO suit.
JOHNNY: Oh, yeah. That was due yesterday.
RULE 5 GIRL: (Telephone Filter) I just saw it on PACER.
JOHNNY: I guess I’ll take a look.
MUSIC: Theme up and under.
ANNOUNCER: The Lickspittle Broadcasting System presents W. J. J. Hoge in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed Twitter account, America’s fabulous free-lance Internet investigator …
JOHNNY: Yours Truly, Johnny Atsign!
MUSIC: Theme up to music out.
JOHNNY: The following is partial extract of the tweets sent and received during my investigation of The Short Fused Dude Matter.
AARON TWEETS: (SYNTH VOICE) @JohnnyAtsign Give me a call.
SOUND: Road noise, car interior POV.
JOHNNY: Aaron was one of the defendants in The Bomber’s RICO lawsuit. He had downloaded the opposition and had found several points that he thought needed investigating. He lives in Northern Virginia, and I’m based in Northern Maryland, so we arranged to meet roughly half-way between near DC.
SOUND: Cross fade from road noise to restaurant background.
AARON: (Fade in) … isn’t the only new claim he’s making, but it strikes me as the easiest to debunk.
JOHNNY: Uh, huh. It’s a pretty lame claim anyway. What was he thinking?
AARON: There’s no telling.
JOHNNY: Also, why bother debunking it? This is a new allegation. Didn’t the judge say he couldn’t offer any further amendments to his complaint? Why not just move to strike it and the other new stuff?
AARON: I may, but that may not be the best strategy. If the judge does let it come in, I’ll need the evidence to shoot it down. Even if the judge throws it out, The Bomber’s PR flacks like Bunny Boy and Cannoli will try to use it to create sympathy for him. If it’s been properly debunked, that will make it harder for the lie to get traction. The more we can …
WAITRESS: OK, your order’s up. Let’s see, you had the burger.
JOHNNY: Yeah. Thanks.
WAITRESS: And here’s your salad.
AARON: Umm, hmmm.
WAITRESS: Can I get you anything else?
AARON: Another unsweetened ice tea.
JOHNNY: No, thanks. I’m fine.
SOUND: Fade out restaurant background.
ANNOUNCER: I just got the last of my Christmas shopping done. Most of the gifts are coming from Amazon, but the stocking stuffers are coming from The Hogewash Store. There’s all sorts of interesting goodies available there. Stop by today, and spend some cash to support Team Lickspittle. You can also show your support Team Lickspittle by hitting the Tip Jar or by doing your Amazon shopping via the link on the Home page.
JOHNNY: OK, I’m sure you’re wondering what that easily debunked claim was. Here it is—The Bomber claimed that, ever since the mean, nasty bloggers had been tell the truth about him, he had been unable to create any songs or videos. He claimed that their truth telling made it impossible for him to work.
Of course, that was an easy enough claim to check. The Bomber and his house band Op-Comical inflict their various caterwaulings on the public via YouTube. Doing a search on the band’s YouTube page showed several “music” videos that were posted in 2011 and 2012.
So when did The Bomber claim that the defamation by truth telling began? His rambling opposition was a bit unclear, but it was either August or October of 2010. Yet, right there on YouTube were video showing ©2011 and ©2012 by BomberSongs.
Some jobs are just too easy.
JOHNNY TWEETS: (SYNTH VOICE) @Aaron You were right. 2012 came after 2010.
MUSIC: Theme up and under
ANNOUNCER: Now, here’s our star to tell you about next week’s intriguing episode of our story.
JOHNNY: Next time? It’s the Christmas season—let’s enjoy the holidays. Join us, won’t you?
Yours Truly, Johnny Atsign!
MUSIC: Swell theme and under
ANNOUNCER: Yours Truly, Johnny Atsign, starring W. J. J. Hoge, is transcribed in Westminster. Be sure to join us next Monday, same time and URL, for the next exciting episode of Yours Truly, Johnny Atsign.
MUSIC: Theme up to music out.
ANNOUNCER: Johnny Atsign is a work of fiction. If anyone thinks it’s about him, he should read Proverbs 28:1.
Be sure to tune in every Friday at 6 pm Eastern Time for an episode of Blognet or Blogsmoke on alternating weeks. This is LBS, the Lickspittle Broadcasting System.
