Corner Booth

It was not my original intention to post two "Top 5's" so close to each other but this one just kind of fell in my lap. So I was talking to a friend who shall remain nameless, and I was explaining to her that I have really never liked the White Sox. This particular friend has apparently been a South Side Sox fan her entire life judging by the tenacity with which she defended them (though the jury's still out on that one). Honestly, I could really care less about the World Series this year (along with the rest of the country judging by the ratings Fox has been getting for the Series), but this person's die-hard attitude has made me dislike the Sox even more. Here are the top 5 reasons that the Chicago (Black) Sox are cheaters:

5. "Big" Hurt: Frank Thomas is on the juice...'nuff said

4. Stealing Signs: In the 1950s, coaches with the Chicago White Sox bought a WWII submarine periscope, which they used from the scoreboard to steal catchers' signs to the pitchers. The periscope was so powerful that they could see whether the catcher's fingernails were dirty or not.

3. Bringing down the Roof: Tonight the Sox were scared to death that the Astros were going to play with their dome closed. The Astros are 35-17 when they play with the dome closed. Sox management whined and bitched enough that Bud Selig ruled the roof must be opened. Apparently home field advantage means absolutely nothing anymore. I half expect the Sox to whine about the fact that there are no DH's in games played on NL fields...chances are the Evil Emperor would take their side on this one as well.

2. Original "Black" Sox: In the 1919 World Series the Chicago White Sox threw the World Series because they felt they weren't being paid enough. 8 players, including the legendary "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, were kicked out of baseball for their cheating ways. Consequently...the Reds won the Series that year.

1. Full Confession: Ozzie Guillen (manager for the 2005 Black Sox) said, and I quote, "If you're doing whatever you're not supposed to do and you don't get caught, keep doing it ... Everybody cheats. If you don't get caught, you're a smart player or pitcher."

Chicago fans...you may post your rebuttals.
Much love,
Bo

In the spirit of "High Fidelity" and in an attempt to spark some controversy I've decided to start an ongoing series of blogs of my "Top 5's." I would say that these are my top 5 favorites, but that wouldn't spark any controversy because you can't argue that someone's opinion is wrong (unless they're a Democrat....ooooh, ZING!!). That being said here are the current top 5 most under appreciated male vocalists currently active:

5. Rufus Wainwright
4. Amos Lee
3. Jamie Cullum
2. Joshua Radin
1. Martin Sexton

Disclaimer: If you haven't heard of some of these people it's because they are UNDER APPRECIATED...c'mon, pay attention. Feel free to comment and tell me what a moron I am and how little I know about music (both of which can be adequately argued), and tell me how vastly superior your list would be. That being said...I'm right and you're wrong.
Much Love,
Bo, BSN

"Through The Drinking Glass"...is done. I shouldn't really say that it's done so much as I'm sick of working on it. It's only 8 songs because I realized I pulled some of the lyrics from "I'm Gone," and put them into "Dance On." "Chicken Little" was pulled because it needs a third verse and I don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to finish it. Also, as mentioned before, there will be no piano on this CD. I'm kicking around the idea of a totally piano Remix CD of all the slower songs, but we'll see about that in the not so distant future. So without further ado, here's the final song list with a little explanation for each song:

1. Through Dreams (4:34) This is by far the song with the best sound quality. It was also the first song recorded so maybe I just got lazier as I went on (it's been known to happen). Oh, and yes you can hear my brother's dog barking in the background at one point during the song.
2. Through The Drinking Glass (3:46) I have no idea what I was doing with my voice on this track so don't ask, there's definitely a striking contrast between how I sound on this song and the rest of them. This is one of the more up-beat songs, but you may have to turn the volume button dial up a bit.
3. Hush (4:20) This is my baby. It's the first song that I've written where I actually attempt to finger pick so be gentle.
4. Violet (3:59) Formerly known as "The Sad Bastard Song." Sorry Rex, this is not a Saved By The Bell reference.
5. Tequila For Two (3:01) Another up-beat song. I played this the last couple of times I sang at Million's.
6. Late Night Affairs (2:54) This song was written while I had an overabundance of inspiration and wrote three songs in two days...this is the only one that made the final cut.
7. Dance On (3:25) Yes, this is the same strumming pattern as "Violet," GET OFF MY BACK!!!
8. Gracefully (4:06) I had every intention of re-recording this song months ago, but once again, I don't have the time, energy, or inspiration to do it now, so that's why it's last.

I'm burning the discs right now so I should have a few ready by this evening if I see any of you. Enjoy.
Much Love,
Bo

Alright, it's 2:45AM and insomnia has gripped me by the coin purse again. I've just made an executive decision on my next CD/Demo/Medium for Narcissism and this won't mean anything to most of you (for once). Those of you who used to come out to "Habit's" on Sunday nights when I first started playing will remember (hopefully) a song that I used to play that never had a name. It was affectionately dubbed "The Sad Bastard Song," (really as any given one of my songs could be). What? You don't remember? Well screw you then. Anyway, I was just looking through my first song book and found it and have decided that it has to go on this next catastrophe of mine. That's about it. I guess there really is no true point to this post because only about 2 people who read this would ever remember that song, but it's now 2:53AM, I can't sleep, and I needed to do something other than lay in bed, stare at the ceiling, and name my unborn children (consequently, my first son's name will be Arrow so that when he gets his report card it will read "Bowen, Arrow"; feel free to laugh, boo, or if you're from Cleveland, throw bottles at that joke). Alright, I'm off to attempt to name a song that I wrote about 4 years ago (sorry about all the brackets in this post but my mind is in like 20 places at once right now; and yes, I do get the irony that I apologized for the brackets while writing in brackets).
Much Love,
Bo

So I was reliving my childhood a couple day ago watching "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." This is the version with Gene Wilder, not Jonny Depp (sorry ladies). I can remember being enthralled by this cinematic masterpiece as a child. Longing for the day when a place like the mystical chocolate factory would find it's way into my life and I could feel like a giant next to those little jaundiced dwarves. Alas, that day has yet to come (but I still have hope). In High School, I remember watching it and realizing all the "life messages" and "deeper meanings" that were littered throughout the movie and feeling I had found an untapped resource for existentialism and random bullshit quotes. Things like "A little nonsense now and then, is relished by the wisest men." and "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker." (my personal favorite). But watching "Wonka" the other day I found a quote that I found a bit disturbing. When explaining to Charlie why he was to soon inherit the Chocolate Factory, Wonka explains that he has long realized that the factory must go to a child. I had always found this endearing, along the lines of "I believe the children are the future, teach them well and let them lead the way."(tear) In actuality, though, Wonka is a power monger (that's right, monger) who refuses to give up his tyrannical ways, even beyond death. His rationalization for giving the factory to Charlie is, and I quote, "...an adult would want to do things his own way, not MINE." Wonka isn't giving the factory to a child in order to preserve it's innocence or to fulfill the dreams of an impoverished family, he's doing it because he understands that a child's mind can be molded and manipulated into believing that Wonka's ideas are flawless and noble. Bullshit. Wonka you bastard. This is no different than the tobacco companies telling me, all those years ago, that smoking would make me cool. Well lemme tell you something guys, I've been smoking on and off for a while now and have yet to become "cool." Wonka must be stopped...long live Nestle.
Much Love,
Bo