THROUGH THE YEARS WITH FRAN GALLEGOS

In today's New Mexican I wrote a retrospective of the career of former Santa Fe Municipal Judge Fran Gallegos, who resigned Thursday after felony charges of record tampering were filed against her.

As the paper's police and courts reporter for most of the '90s, I covered most those early controversies with Fran.

It didn't make our free Web site, so I'll publish it here.

For Jason Auslander's stories on the resignation, click HERE and HERE


A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 5, 2005

Judge Frances Gallego’s nine-plus years as municipal judge were colorful, controversial and often contentious. Here’s a brief history of her public career.

*November 1994: Gallegos, running as a Green Party candidate, gets 45 percent of the vote in running against Democrat Richard “Buzzy” Padilla for Santa Fe County magistrate judge. Though she lost, her percentage was considered remarkable in the heavily Democratic County.

*March 5, 1996: Longtime Municipal Judge Tom Fiorina, under the cloud of Judicial Standards Commission investigations, loses by about 250 votes in a four-person race to Gallegos.

*May 1996: Less than two months after taking office, Gallegos asks the City Council for a raise. By the end of the year, the council agreed, increasing her salary from $39,500 to $49,500. By the time she leaves office, her salary is $65,000.

*June 1996: Gallegos causes controversy by appearing in a newspaper advertisement for a downtown restaurant. The ad, for the now defunct Fabio’s, showed a picture of the judge with a caption declaring the lobster at Fabio’s “judiciously wonderful.”

*August 1996: Gallegos starts a program that would become a trademark of her tenure in the city court — requiring convicted drunken drivers to wear bright pink baseball caps while performing court-ordered community service work in public places. The program later is expanded into a rainbow of cap colors: green for shoplifters, blue for domestic violence offenders and brown for animal ordinance violators.

*January 1997: During a long-running dispute with city officials over court funding, Gallegos filed notice of intent to sue then-Mayor Debbie Jaramillo, the city manager and several city councilors. By the next month she dropped the idea of suing the city.

*February 1997: Gallegos asks the city to buy her a .38-caliber stainless steel Smith & Wesson Ladysmith handgun for $369.99. The city declined.

*February 1997: Hundreds of Santa Fe residents who thought they’d taken care of traffic tickets — from up to nine years before — receive court summons to failure to appear in court. She acknowledged that many of those summoned were victims of bad record keeping by her predecessor, but Gallegos initially asked those summoned to supply proof that their tickets were already adjudicated. Many ended up paying court costs for the years-old tickets. After criticism, Gallegos relented and stopped the summonses. (For full story CLICK HERE)

*May 1997: Following a spate of unfavorable news coverage, Gallegos decides to restrict the hours that members of the news media can request court records to one hour a week. She quickly retreated from this plan.

*1998: Gallegos begins an alternative sentencing Drug Court program for drunken drivers and drug abusers. The program requires meditation and acupuncture.

*Jan. 10, 1999: A friend of Gallegos, who was married to a state legislator, was arrested on drunken driving charges shortly after midnight. The man called Gallegos at home. She immediately went to the county jail and ordered him released — contradicting her own policy of requiring DWI suspects to spend at least 12 hours in jail.

*Feb. 29, 2000: At a candidate forum where opponents attacked the “pink hat” program, Gallegos answered, “...sure I got carried away.” Then she made a little curtsy and said, “But I’m ‘Girl Judge.’ That’s what we do.”

*March 7, 2000: Gallegos is re-elected to a second three-year term. She defeated Fiorina and a third candidate by a healthy margin.

*August 13, 2000: Gallegos marries Michael Trujillo in a ceremony on the Plaza. The couple later divorce.

*April 2003: Gallegos is formally reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for not living within the city limits of Santa Fe for nearly two years. She said she moved to a home south of the city limits after she separated from Trujillo in the winter of 2000.

*June 2003: Following heated criticism Gallegos stops her practice of ordering traffic offenders to attend a for-profit driving-safety course taught by her chief administrator Mary Ann Caldwell. Gallegos allowed Caldwell to use the court’s facilities and property for the class. Caldwell reportedly made $30,000 during a five-year-period for the safety course. During the height of this controversy television investigative reporter Larry Barker chases Gallegos into a court restroom, where she stayed instead of talking to Barker. She finally emerged, pushing past Barker, telling him she had a meeting to attend.

*August 2003: Gallegos gets national attention for her New Agey alternative sentencing program, in which traffic offenders can learn tai chi and Japanese tea ceremonies.
*March 2, 2004: Gallegos reelected, defeating three opponents.

*July 1, 2004: State District Judge Steve Pfeffer rules that Gallegos had not been properly advising drunken driving defendants of their legal rights.

* March 2005: The state Supreme Court disciplines Gallegos for the Caldwell traffic classes, ordering Gallegos to take a course in judicial ethics.

*May 12: Gallegos confirms she is pondering a campaign for Santa Fe mayor in 2006.

*August 2 Gallegos decides she won’t run for mayor.

*August 7: The New Mexican reveals accusations that Gallegos systematically altered records of numerous DWI cases, often inflating jail sentences and the amount of time defendants spent behind bars.

*August 12: State Judicial Standards Commission recommends Gallegos be immediately suspended for “a myriad of ethical violations.” Besides the altered records, the commission said Gallegos failed to properly instruct defendants on their options for making pleas.

*August 24: The Supreme Court suspends Gallegos for 90 days while Judicial Standards conducts further investigations.

*August 30: The City Council appoints Sonya Carrasco-Trujillo, deputy chief of staff for Lt. Gov. Diane Denish as a temporary municipal judge.

*Sept. 1: Caldwell resigns.

*Sept. 13: Carrasco-Trujillo stops “pink hat” program.

*Oct. 11: The City Council votes not to pay Gallegos’ legal bills beyond the $20,000 initially approved.

*Nov. 3: Gallegos resigns after state police file three felony counts of tampering with public records.

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, November 4, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Hogs on the Highway by The Bad Livers
Pick Me Up on Your Way Down by Jimmie Dale Gilmore
The Old Man Down the Road by John Fogerty
No Place in History by Big Al Anderson
Two Step Too by Delbert McClinton
Don't Ya Tell Henry by The Band
The White Trash Song by Steve Young
Please Don't Bury Me by John Prine

River, Road or Rail by Nancy Apple & Rob McNurlin
Hurricane Season by Tom Russell Band
Joe Citizen Blues by Son Volt
The End by Marah
Doreen by The Old 97s
Party Lights by Junior Brown
Crimson and Clover by Dolly Parton
Black Sheep by Mark Weber

Keep Going by Boozoo Bajou with Tony Joe White
All You Rounders Better Lie Down by Clothesline Revival
Mother Prays Loud in Her Sleep by Flatt & Scruggs
The Waltzing Ladies by Josh Lederman & Los Diablos
Turn Row Blues by Bobby Earl Smith
Burn That Broken Bed by Iron & Wine with Calexico
Polk Salad Annie by Tony Joe White

I Don't Wanna Play House by Tammy Wynette
Weighted Down (The Prison Song) by Alexander Spence
Glasgow Girl by Rodney Crowell
Down Here Where I Am by Blaze Foley
Funny How Time Slips Away by Willie Nelson
Shine on Harvest Moon by Bobby Bare
3 Hearts Later by Marti Brom
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

LIKE A NINJA

OK, Tom over at The Donegal Express challenged his cronies in blogdom to use the phrase "like a ninja" on a blog post between now and Monday.

I'm not sure exactly why.

He probably wanted something more subtle, but I had this stupid Madonna song in my head ...

I made it through the wilderness
Somehow I made it through
Didn’t know how lost I was
Until I found you

I was beat incomplete
I’d been had, I was sad and blue
But you made me feel
Yeah, you made me feel
Shiny and new

Chorus:

Like a Ninja
Touched for the very first time
Like a Ninja
When your heart beats (after first time, with your heartbeat)
Next to mine

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: BETTYE'S BACK

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Nov. 4, 2005

The new album by soul belter Bettye LaVette, I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise reminds me of a couple of other excellent albums from recent years.

There are obvious similarities between LaVette’s latest and Solomon Burke’s 2002 CD Don’t Give Up on Me. Both were produced by roots rocker Joe Henry, and both consist primarily of vibrant covers written by better known, (primarily) rock artists. (Burke sang tunes by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Tom Waits and Elvis Costello. Here LaVette covers Sinead O’Connor, Lucinda Williams, Joan Armatrading, Aimee Mann, Dolly Parton and other female composers.)

Perhaps even more comparable to LaVette’s new album is Howard Tate’s 2003 tasty “comeback” album Rediscovered. (I’ve actually become angry when I saw this CD in bargain bins at a record store a few months ago. “The fools!” I nearly screamed.) Like Tate, LaVette is an unjustly overlooked singer who should have been a huge star in the 1960s, but through a series of strange misfortunes, somehow missed the boat. I’d like to believe that there’s a parallel world somewhere in some galaxy in which both Howard and Bettye are right up there in higher reaches of the soul pantheon.

Unlike Tate, who went missing for several decades after his recording career flopped, LaVette stuck with it, her career “like a case study in the annuls of Murphys Law, full of bad luck, wrong decisions and nonstop professional disappointments,” a wise critic once wrote.

On the new CD, Henry has assembled a very capable but unassuming batch of musicians to back her up (guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, no horn section.) But he wisely allows LaVette’s voice to remain front and center.

The album starts off with “I Do Not Want What I Do Not Have,” which was the title song of Sinead’s greatest album. Like the original, LaVette’s version is performed a capella. But the similarities end there. O’Connor’s version sounded like the cry of a wounded child. LaVette -- who has taken so many liberties with the melody she should get songwriter credits, sounds like a field holler, oozing with raw spiritual power.

Then the band comes in for “Joy” with a funky crunching guitar (Doyle Bramhall II) and LaVette shouting the title. This is one of Lucinda Williams’ greatest rockers. I never thought anyone would ever make it better, but somehow LaVette did.

She turns Parton’s folkish “Little Sparrow” into a voodoo-soaked blues, while “The High Road” written for LaVette by Sharon Robinson sounds like a gospel ballad worthy of Mavis Staples. But even prettier is “Just Say So,” in which LaVette is accompanied only by an acoustic guitar. It sounds like a long, lost Stax demo.

The only slight disappointment here is “Down to Zero,” the song that introduced Joan Armatrading to the world in the late ‘70s. LaVette’s cover is worthwhile, but I find myself missing Armatrading’s understated moan.

The album ends with Fiona Apple’s “Sleep to Dream,” whose refrain not only gave LaVette the title for her album, but also reveals the singer’s underlying attitude: “This mind, this body, and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways. … I‘ve got my own Hell to raise.” It’s not clear to whom LaVette is directing her rage. But I wouldn’t want to be the one to try to stifle this voice.

(The photo of Bettye LaVette is from Robert Mugge's Blues Divas.)

Also Recommended:

One Night Stand: Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963; Night Beat; The Best of Sam Cooke. With a new biography on the shelves (Peter Guralnick’s Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke) and these three reissues from RCA/Legacy, perhaps the time has come for a full-fledged Sam Cooke revival.

This new version of One Night Stand is the “20th anniversary edition” of an album which for reasons I will never understand wasn’t released until 1985, more than 20 years after Cooke’s death.

Before this, the only live Cooke album was the rather tame Live at the Copa, which showed the softer, smoother, more uptown side of Sam. But here, Cooke, fresh off a British tour with Little Richard is all sweat and grit in this Miami show. With a band led by R&B sax titan King Curtis (grim note: both Cooke and Curtis died as a result of homicide), Cooke rips through most of his biggest hits, spotlighting the gospel fervor that had only been hinted at in the studio versions.

One Night Stand was recorded in January 1963. About a month and a half later he went into the studio and in three nights recorded what would become Night Beat.
It’s not nearly as raw as the Harlem Square show, but no less soulful. Here he plays with a small combo, including a young Billy Preston on organ. While Cooke wrote most of his own material, Night Beat is a collection of blues songs, including some Charles Brown tunes and a snazzy takes on the Howlin’ Wolf hit “Little Red Rooster” and Mississippi Fred McDowell‘s “You Gotta Move.”

But the record starts out with a quietly urgent version of the old spiritual “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen”.

The fact he was doing religious material is significant. Cooke started out as a gospel singer with the influential Soul Stirrers and his “defection” to the world of pop was considered by some as an affront to God Himself. But Cooke proved here that his gospel roots still were strong.

I like the “Best Of” album here mainly, to steal a Cooke hit title, “For Sentimental Reasons.” It was one of the first albums I ever owned in the early ‘60s. It still makes me grin when I read the hyped-up headline that was on the original back cover: “He lives in the Top Ten…”

Still there are far better retrospectives to introduce a new fan. Both Portrait of a Legend, released just two years ago and The Man and His Music (1986) have about twice as many tracks, and unlike this one, contain “A Change is Gonna Come.”

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: MORE ON MR. BUCKMAN

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
November 3, 2005

If nothing else, Mississippi political operative and all around colorful character Richard Buckman stirred things among New Mexico Democrats.

First there was his “sweetheart” contract with the state Democratic Party for which he took in $40,000 between December and September — while his real-life sweetheart Vanessa Alarid worked as the party’s executive director.

State party chairman John Wertheim insists that Alarid had nothing to do with the contract with Buckman’s TCB Consulting firm.

Then there was his precedent-setting drunken driving case.

Although two Albuquerque police officers said Buckman showed signs of intoxication — bloodshot, watery eyes, slurred speech and the strong odor of alcohol — and although he failed a field sobriety test when he was pulled over in the early morning hours of Oct. 27, 2004 — the charge was thrown out.

A judge ruled that the field sobriety test was invalid because Buckman was too heavy.

Police guidelines say that DWI suspects more than 50 pounds overweight shouldn’t be given certain physical field sobriety tests involving balance. Buckman’s DWI charge was dropped.

Buckman didn’t return phone calls made Tuesday and Wednesday to his Los Angeles office. He’s now working in the show biz world with a company called Sand Castle Entertainment Group.

But even before Buckman came to New Mexico, Buckman’s name was attached to controversies in other states.

The Wall Street Journal in March 2004 reported that Buckman approached an associate of U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss. with an unusual offer concerning the Democratic filibuster of President Bush’s judicial nominees.

According to Pickering, Buckman had proposed a deal: Democrats were willing to end their opposition to the nomination of the congressman’s father, Charles Pickering Sr., to a federal appeals judgeship.

All the younger Pickering had to do was agree to a redistricting plan that would effectively eliminate his Congressional seat.

Buckman, in a Mississippi paper, denied trying to influence the confirmation of Judge Pickering.

Charles Pickering became a federal appeals judge, eventually getting a temporary recess appointment by Bush. He resigned late last year, shortly before his term was up. Chip Pickering still is in Congress.

(Strange aside: An online Fox News article about the alleged Pickering proposal says Buckman is “formerly a GOP consultant.”)

Also last year, Buckman found himself in the middle of an ethics fight in D’Iberville, Miss. — though he was not accused of wrongdoing himself.

According to accounts in The Sun Herald, a Biloxi, Miss. paper, Buckman was hired as a consultant on economic development issues in 2003, receiving a monthly retainer of $1,500. But when a Buckman associate went to pick up his money, the city manager said he had to go talk to a city councilor about the check.

D’Iberville Councilor Oliver Diaz said that he had made a personal loan to Buckman. Diaz said he and Buckman had agreed that if Buckman couldn’t pay his loan, Diaz would keep his consulting check.

Buckman had fallen behind on his loan payments, Diaz said.

“Richard and I are still friends. In fact, he still owes me $500,” Diaz was quoted in The Sun Herald in April 2004.

Diaz in December was found to be in violation of the city’s ethical code and was forced to reimburse the city for $1,500.

Love & Gloating on the Campaign Trail: For another perspective on Richard Buckman, check out Stump Connolly's account of meeting "a dark, brooding man in a dark suit and camel's hair coat leaning into my shoulder" while covering last year's Wisconsin primary. Buckman eventually asks Connolly, "Just paint me clean! Just paint me clean, brother."

This is where I stole the photo of Buckman -- with Stump's blessing. Be on the lookout for a soon-to-be-published book by Connolly based on his coverage of the 2004 election.

Pigskin preview: Perhaps state government is trying to create less news about kickbacks and more about kick-offs.

Whatever the case, the state is advertising for proposals for consultants who will study the feasibility study of attracting a National Football League to New Mexico.

James Jimenez, secretary of the state Department of Finance and Administration said in an interview Wednesday that this request for proposals came about as a result of talk earlier this year about trying to lure the New Orleans Saints franchise to the state.

After Saints owner Tom Benson talked about the possibility of moving the team out of New Orleans — and this was well before Hurricane Katrina — Richardson sent representatives to talk to the team management.

It’s not likely that New Mexico will get the Saints, Jimenez said. But Richardson wants to study everything that is needed for the state to be in the position of being serious about trying for an NFL team, he said.

“We want to know what are the business requirements, what’s expected of a public entity, what kind of stadium would be required, the number of tickets you’d have to sell,” Jimenez said. “Everything needed to make New Mexico more attractive.”

The maximum the state will pay for the study is $150,000, Jimenez said. The deadline for proposals is Dec. 2.

And though I’m sure it’s premature, my vote is to call the team The New Mexico Jackalopes.

WERTHEIM UNDER FIRE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
Nov. 2, 2005

State Democratic Party Chairman John Wertheim — under fire recently from some Democrats who say he has kept them in the dark on party finances and other matters — said Tuesday that he hasn’t done a good job communicating with his members.

“I haven’t done enough reaching out and soliciting other people’s advice,” Wertheim said in an interview. Wertheim has been state chairman since April 2004.

Wertheim said he is working on improving his communication with party rank-and-file and has taken to heart criticism of his leadership listed in a letter last week from 16 members of the party’s state Central Committee.

The Oct. 24 letter — sent to all 350 central committee members — was from members from the state party’s “progressive” wing.

One of those signing the letter, Barbara Wold of Albuquerque, said her main concern is that the state party needs to be more transparent and more communicative.

In a progressive Democrat blog called Democracy for New Mexico, Wold wrote, “We believe the party's focus has been on candidates and their big personalities at the top instead of on principles and positions that come from the bottom up — the very things that define who we are and what we stand for as a Party.”

Charlotte Roybal of Santa Fe, a longtime party activist who signed the letter, said she and others made a proposal to Wertheim to form a progressive caucus. She never heard back, she said.

Wertheim’s critics say he has not made the state party’s budget available to them. Those signing the letter said they want to see “a meaningful and detailed accounting of the incomes and expenditures that have reduced our state party’s coffers to a dangerous low.”

Wertheim denied that the party is having financial problems.

According to the most recent available filing with the Federal Election Commission, the state party has cash on hand totaling $50,818. Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30, the state party has spent about $40,000 more than it had taken in.

Party spokesman Matt Farrauto said having $50,000 in the bank during an off election year is “fantastic.” He said the contention that the party is in financial trouble is “fiction conjured by people who don’t have a good perspective.”

Wertheim said the party’s finances and budgets are available to any Central Committee member “who wants to come in and look at our records.”

He said that all the party’s monthly finance reports are available on the Internet. State political organizations are required to file reports with the FEC. But he said he intends to require the party treasurer to come up with a way to help party members better understand the financial reports.

One large expense that has been criticized by some Democrats is a now-terminated consulting contract with a firm called TCB, which cost the party $40,000 between December and September. The company is headed by a man named Richard Buckman, who at least for some time in recent months, was dating the party’s executive director, Vanessa Alarid.

The letter also complains that Wertheim hasn’t responded to requests for regular meetings of the Platform and Resolutions Committee “so we can counter the recurring criticism that the Democratic Party does not stand for anything.”

Wertheim said the activists have a point in this criticism. He said he recently reactivated the committee.

Some Democratic activists have raised concerns about the large turnover on the state party staff in recent months. Last month the party lost long-time comptroller Brian Monaghan, who was hired in 1998 to straighten out problems the party was having with the FEC. Monaghan, 65, said last week his retirement had nothing to do with any problems in the party.

Wertheim said that while some positions haven’t been filled, the party recently hired four regional field organizers to help Democratic efforts in all parts of the state. Their salaries, he said, are being paid by the Democratic National Committee.

Until recently, the party had four other field organizers who were paid by Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign fund. Those four still work for the governor’s political operation.

Wertheim said part of the party’s problems is that so many new people became active in the party during the 2004 election.

“There’s a lot of energy and passion for the party by people who want to get involved who have no prior experience in party politics,” he said.

Wold, a Howard Dean supporter who became active during last year’s state Democratic presidential caucus, said that she is one of those newcomers Wertheim mentions.

“The party’s not used to having all these new people come in,” she said. “There are 40 to 50 state Central Committee members who are new and don’t expect things to be run like they’ve been run before.”

Wold said the challenge of the Democrats is to “get new blood without turning off the people who’ve worked (with the party) a long time.”

Meet Richard Buckman

A Democratic political operative from Mississippi who was paid $40,000 the state Democratic Party while dating the party’s executive director, has raised eyebrows among some party activists.

TCB Consulting, headed by Richard Buckman, 37, was contracted for “party building and fund raising” between December and September. During at least part of his tenure in New Mexico he was dating Vanessa Alarid, executive director of the state party.

Wertheim said in an interview Tuesday that Alarid had nothing to do with Buckman’s hiring.

During his time here Buckman was arrested on a drunken driving charge in Albuquerque shortly before last year’s election.

However, his lawyer was able to get the DWI charge dropped after convincing a judge that the 300-pound Buckman was too heavy to pass a field sobriety test in which Buckman had lost his balance while trying to walk a straight line.

In September he pleaded guilty to having driving without insurance or his driver’s license.

Buckman couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday.

Some Democratic critics of Wertheim have questioned the TCB contract and what exactly the Democrats got for their money.

Wertheim said Buckman did valuable work for the party in terms of fundraising.

One of TCB’s major accomplishments, Wertheim said Tuesday, was getting retired Gen. Wesley Clark to speak at a fundraising dinner in Hobbs. Strengthening the Democratic Party in southeastern New Mexico — which voted overwhelmingly Republican last year — is crucial, Wertheim said.

In a July e-mail to a county party chairman who had questioned Buckman’s contract, Wertheim wrote, “TCB’s consulting arrangement focuses on strengthening the (state party’s) relationship with the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, both of which have provided substantial financial support to the DPNM during my tenure as Chairman.”

Last week outgoing party comptroller Brian Monaghan said he had never seen the TCB contract, though he had once asked Wertheim to see it.

“I’m not going to read anything into that,” Monaghan said. But he said normally he would see such contracts.

Wertheim said “I’m not sure why he said he couldn’t see it. The contract is on file at the office.”

The contract with TCB was terminated in September by mutual agreement of both parties, Wertheim said.

The DWI arrest had nothing to do with the contract being terminated, Wertheim said.

Buckman currently is in the entertainment business in Los Angeles.

UPDATE: A Democrat reader just pointed out to me that in my subhead for this post I mistakenly had written "Meet Richard Buckner."

For those who don't know, Richard Buckner is a wonderful singer in the alt country realm. You can read about him HERE. As far as I know, he's never been a political operative from Mississippi.

Fortunately, I got Richard Buckman's name correct in the rest of this post, and, thank God, in the paper.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, October 30, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

THE STEVE TERRELL SPOOKTACULAR!
Halloween Hootenanny by Zacherle
Monster by Fred Schneider
Haunted House by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Monster Rock by Screaming Lord Sutch
Zomby Woof by Frank Zappa
Werewolf by Southern Culture on the Skids
Pet Semetary by The Ramones
You Must Be a Witch by The Lollipop Shoppe
Voodoo Voodoo by LaVern Baker
New Mexico (from John Carpenter's Vampires)
The Blob by The Five Blobs

King Henry by Steeleye Span
Demonoid Phenomenon by Rob Zombie
Everyday is Halloween by Ministry
Monsters of the ID by Mose Allison
Lonesome Undertaker by The Ghastly Ones
(I Lost My Baby to a) Satan Cult by Stephen W. Terrell

Graveyard by Trailer Bride
Night of the Vampire by Roky Erickson
Rockin' Bones by The Cramps
Brand New Girl by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) by Concrete Blonde
The Man with the Candy by The Frogs

Feast of the Mau Mau by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Loop Garoo by Dr. John
Am I Demon? by Danzig
Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper
Night of the Wolves by Gary Heffern
Wound by Stan Ridgway & Pietra Wexstum
Heebie-Jeebies by Little Richard
Happy Halloween by Zacherle

IT'S SPOOKALICIOUS!

Just a reminder that the 200th Annual Steve Terrell Spooktacular is tonight on KSFR, 90.7 FM, starting at 10 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, going on to the witching hour.

Those from out of town can listen on the web.

Dance and romance to beloved fright songs by Roky Erickson, The Cramps, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Rob Zombie, The Cramps, Screaming Lord Sutch and more.

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: SWEET SOUL MUSIC

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 28, 2005

Southern soul music of the 1960s -- which for my money was one of the major pinnacles of American music -- represented not only a joyful triumph of Black culture but provided a vibrant example of the possibilities of integration.

The music that came out of Memphis and Muscle Shoals -- which was rawer and grittier than the more polished pop of Motown -- featured amazing Black singers. The Stax/Volt galaxy, for instance -- Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas and Percy Sledge. But you can’t overlook the contributions of certain talented Caucasians to this glorious sound.


Guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn -- members of Booker T & The MGs who performed on countless classic soul records -- are high on this list. So are songwriter/producer Dan Penn and keyboardist/songwriter Spooner Oldham. These guys are living proof that soul knows no color line.

This duo is responsible for the recently released Moments From This Theatre: Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham Live, recorded from various concert performances in the British Isles while touring with Nick Lowe in 1998.

Unlike the countless hits that bear the mark of Penn and/or Oldham, this CD isn’t a high-charged, sweaty, Dionysian strut. Instead, it’s low-key, a little moody, full of quiet intensity. These still waters indeed run deep. The soul’s so thick, you might break the knife if you tried to cut it.

Penn strums an unassuming guitar, singing lead (on all but one song) with his mournful drawl. Oldham’s gospel-drenched Wurlitzer piano sounds almost otherworldly.

The duo leads us through some of their best-known material, starting out with “I’m Your Puppet,” originally a hit for James and Bobby Purify.

There’s “Sweet Inspiration,” a faux gospel tune that was a minor hit and signature song for a girl group appropriately called The Sweet Inspirations (who later would become backup singers for Elvis Presley’s touring ensemble); “Cry Like a Baby,” a hit for a young Alex Chilton with his ‘60s band The Box Tops; a lesser known and unjustly overlooked Percy Sledge hit “Out of Left Field”; and “A Woman Left Lonely,” best known for its version by Janis Joplin.

Probably the best-known -- and probably the best period -- Penn songs -- “Do Right Woman, Do Right Man” and “Dark End of the Street” are both here. These songs, both high in gospel influence, are like emotional bookends. The former is a sturdy declaration of everlasting fidelity, sung not from a starry-eyed, giddy, “I’m-in-love-I’ll- promise-anything” perspective, but as a hard-won, well thought out piece of wisdom. It’s a pledge of respect and a demand for respect.

The latter is a confession of shame and weakness, but a nonetheless sincere cry of devotion to an illicit romance. While “Do Right” implies that some kind of moral crisis has been vanquished or averted, the narrator of “Dark End” is sinking fast and isn’t even sure if he wants to be pulled out.

My personal introduction to both of these songs, which were co-written with Chips Moman -- were on Gilded Palace of Sin, the first album by The Flying Burrito Brothers.

“Do Right Woman” first was recorded by Aretha Franklin. Between her 1967 record and the Burritos’ 1969 version, the song was covered by William Bell, Joe Tex, Cher and Delaney & Bonnie.

“Dark End of the Street” has been around the block even more. It’s been covered by Aretha, Percy, Joe Tex, Dolly Parton, Gary Stewart, Ry Cooder, Gregg Allman, Lazy Lester, Richard & Linda Thompson, Porter Wagoner, Elvis Costello The Afghan Whigs, and most recently, Frank Black (on his latest album Honeycomb, which features performances by Penn and Oldham).

“Everybody keeps asking me what’s my favorite version of `Dark End of the Street,’” Penn says, introducing the song here. “As if there was any others but James Carr’s.” Carr was the first to record it in 1966.

There are several lesser known tunes here too, “I Met Her in Church” (an obscure Box Tops song) and the funny country funk of “Memphis Women and Chicken” standing out.

Penn and Oldham did their most important work in the shadows of more famous singers. But this short excursion into the spotlight only enhances their invaluable contributions.

(The Web site for Proper Records has no information on this CD at this writing. If you can’t find it in local stores, just Google the title and you’ll find several online vendors who have it.)

*If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry by Marah. Like the best work of this Philadelphia band, this new album is raucous and rootsy.

Brothers David and Serge Bielanko, who make up the core of the band, do little to discourage comparisons to Springsteen and Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart.

But don’t assume Marah is some kind of classic-rock revivalist band. The more records they put out, the more distinct they sound.

One of my favorite songs here is “The Hustle,” in which Dave sings of leaving the maddening pace of the city (“Claim me a country hill and a woman with which to grow old …”), though the frantic rhythm and the pounding guitar paints a picture of a crazed but seductive urban world to which you know he’ll always go back.

“The End” (no, not The Doors’ song) starts out with a gentle dobro riff over a shuffling beat. The song goes quiet for several seconds before coming back with an urgent melody that Lindsey Buckingham would have killed to have written.

But the high point of this record is “The Dishwasher’s Dream,” a Dylanesque (harmonica and all) nightmare of working class angst, blood and suicide and Cheetos and dope. The melody sounds like some Irish outlaw ballad.

No, If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry doesn’t measure up to Marah’s greatest album Kids in Philly. But it’s a worthwhile listen.

The Steve Terrell Spook-tacular: A Santa Fe Halloween tradition for the past 200 years. Tune into Terrell’s Sound World, 10 p.m. to midnight Sunday, 90.7 FM or web casting at www.ksfr.org.

Laurell Reynolds will be filling in for me tonight on The Santa Fe Opry, 10-12 on KSFR

THE VIGIL RESIGNATION

Here's the link to my story on State Treasurer Robert Vigil's resignation.

Here's a quick glance at Vigil's political career.

Here's where you'll find Quicktime versions of videos of conversations between Vigil and investment adviser/FBI informant Kent Nelson.

Here's something on my new Capitol Bureau partner Dave Miles. (Hey, what the Hell? They didn't do this for me when I came over from The Albuquerque Journal 18 years ago ...)

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: MORE POLITICAL CHATTER FROM VIGIL TRANSCRIPTS

A version of this stroy was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 27, 2005

Federal prosecutors and defense lawyers are arguing about the significance of certain conversations between indicted former state Treasurer Robert Vigil and a “cooperating witnesses,” surreptitiously captured on video and audio tape.


But one thing that comes out clearly in transcripts is Vigil’s view of state politics and some fellow New Mexico politicians.

Vigil, who resigned Wednesday and faces 21 federal felony counts primarily involving extortion, visited the Downs at Albuquerque racetrack Aug. 24 with California-based investment adviser Kent Nelson.

Political fundraising was prominent in Vigil’s mind that day. At one point he told Nelson, “I spend most of my time trying to keep my job.”

Vigil spoke to Nelson about Paul Blanchard, who is a co-owner of the Albuquerque track, state Board of Finance member and huge financial contributor to Gov. Bill Richardson. The treasurer told the California consultant that Richardson “just gave (Blanchard) another racetrack down south.”

Blanchard was in the partnership to which the state Racing Commission awarded a license to build the track and casino in Hobbs now known as Zia Park.

After gossiping a bit about Blanchard’s wealth, Vigil said, “So, you know, our business is small, is small compared to …” He didn’t finish his sentence.

“I've been asking this Paul Blanchard to do a fundraiser for me,” Vigil said. But, Vigil he said he’d had no luck.

“So why don’t you get with the governor and just tell the governor to put a fundraiser on for ya?” Nelson asked.

“ I could, I could, but I don’t like to be indebted too much, you know,” Vigil said. “I help him out; I do; me and the governor sorta have the same, you know, I agree with a lot of things he does, so I help him out, but I’ve never really asked him for favors.”

Earlier in the conversation, Vigil, speaking about a businessman and his company, had bragged, “he knows that I have a lot of influence with the governor, so now they treat me good.”

After Vigil’s arrest last month, Richardson repeatedly and publicly urged Vigil to resign.

Everybody’s smoking it: Later in the afternoon, Vigil talked about another state official who recently has been in legal trouble and controversy: Public Regulation Commissioner E. Shirley Baca.

Talking about a possible candidate for Baca’s seat, Vigil said, “There’s an incumbent in that office, but she was caught; she was caught with marijuana, but then she, but then she was cleared, you know.”

Baca was arrested in December on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge at the Albuquerque International Sunport. The charge eventually was dropped.

“You know and most people, I guess, smoke marijuana, so it’s gonna be interesting if they hold that against her or no,” Vigil said.

The treasurer offered an interesting insight — that Baca’s re-election campaign could turn out to be a de facto referendum on drug-law reform.

“I think it's important for her to be on the ballots to see where people are with that issue,” Vigil said. “Cause, you know, most people I guess smoke it, so … that’s what they say, you know.

Somebody’s gotta smoke it. When they bring it over in truck loads, I mean, I don’t smoke it, so somebody else must, right?”

The next month, when the FBI searched the homes of Vigil and former Treasurer Michael Montoya, who also was indicted on federal extortion charges, agents seized an unspecified amount of marijuana from Montoya’s home. While the FBI took financial records, computers and a book on ethics from Vigil’s property, they didn’t report finding any pot.

Gubernatorial parodies: Earlier this year Gov. Bill Richardson was parodied on Saturday Night Live by comic Horatio Sanz.

Now another national humor outlet has aimed its slapstick at our governor. But this time the humor was of the dark variety.

In last week’s issue of The Onion, an online newspaper parody, the headline was “Six Dead In Gubernatorial Suicide Pact.” Among the six was You-Know-Who.

Supposedly the governors drank poisoned liquor in the Ohio statehouse and died with their bodies arranged in a circular pattern on the floor.

“Although the reasons behind the suicide pact remain unknown, many of the country's surviving 44 state chief executives said they are not surprised by the tragedy,” The Onion said. “The governors were all known in their home states for their penchants for dark suits, their similar hairstyles, and their ‘fuck everything’ attitudes.”

The story has a fake quote from another governor saying he had seen signs of the coming tragedy: “Bill (Richardson) had developed this habit of slashing at his arms and chest with his New Mexico flag lapel pin.”

THE WHITE GUY WHO HAD TO STAND

Thank you Miss Rosa, you are the spark,
You started our freedom movement
Thank you Sister Rosa Parks.
The Neville Brothers

No doubt that the late Rosa Parks was a heroine. Last night on CNN when Aaron Brown referred to her as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia went a step further called her one of the mothers of Modern America.

But when considering heroes, I like to consider villains too.

I'm not talking about the obvious villains of the Civil Rights era -- Wallace, Maddox, Bull Connor, the Ku Klux Kretins who committed bombings and lynchings and midnight terrorism.

I'm talking about someone who has fallen through the cracks of history: The white man on that bus in Montgomery in 1955 who wanted Rosa Parks' seat.

By all the accounts I've read, it was the bus driver, not this anonymous white passenger who caused the uproar -- ordering Parks to stand up or be arrested, then actually calling the police.

But I want to know how that white passenger felt that day.

Was he just another Alabama bigot, angry at the uppity nigger who was sitting in the seat that rightfully belonged to him?

Was he less than a hater, just a passive participant in the Jim Crow laws, quietly accepting segregation as the natural order of things? Did Parks' refusal confuse him? Did he really care about getting a seat all that much? Was he embarassed when the bus driver made a scene? Or was it he who reported Parks to the driver?

Did this guy's views of Civil Rights change through the years? Did he curse the sit-ins and freedom marches? Did he vote for George Wallace? Was he one of those who drove Parks and her husband out of Montgomery by making threatening phone calls?

Did he ever come to feel shame about that day on the bus? Did he ever feel less than manly about trying to oust a middle-aged woman from a seat on a bus?

Did he ever get to know Rosa Parks? Did he ever apologize? Did he ever realize that her act that day actually made him more free?

Is he dead or alive? Who is this guy? I believe the story of Rosa Parks is incomplete until we know.

AS LONG AS THEY DON'T ARREST FAKE OZZIE

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
October 25, 2005

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Elmo, the red and cuddly Muppet from the Sesame Street television series, has learned a new lesson: 'H' is for handcuffs.

A man dressed as the character was one of three impersonators arrested last week for allegedly harassing tourists for tips after posing for photos on Hollywood Boulevard. Booked with him were people impersonating superhero Mr. Incredible and the dark-hooded character from the horror movie "Scream."

The impersonators said they were taken into custody at gunpoint, handcuffed and paraded on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before stunned tourists and other impersonators. They were charged with misdemeanor "aggressive begging," police said.

"With all of the crime in Los Angeles they pick on us?" said Elmo impersonator Donn Harper, 45, who makes up to $400 a day in tips.

Tourists have complained that the costumed characters harass them for not tipping after posing for photos in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater and the Kodak Theater. Merchants say some of the costumed characters are scaring tourists.

(Anton with Ozzie impersonator near Grauman's Chinese Theater last August. Darth Maul, above, hissed at me when I didn't tip him.)

MONEY, POLITICS AND ROCK 'N' ROLL

Remember this 1992 campaign speech by the first President Bush?:

"(Bill Clinton)was in Hollywood, seeking foreign policy advice from the rock group U2. Now, understand, I have nothing against U2. You may not know this, but they tried to call me at the White House every night during their concert. But the next time we face a foreign policy crisis, I will work with John Major and Boris Yeltsin. And Bill Clinton can consult Boy George. I'll stay with the experts."

It looks like the former president's boy, George has a different idea.

And while Bush 43 is lunching with Bono in the White House, some of his fellow Republicans -- as well as some Democrats -- are using U2 concerts as a fund-raising device.

"The Irish rock band U2 is doing its best to disassociate itself from members of Congress’s plans to use the group’s 2005 world tour to raise money, but the band remains a political cash cow.

"Debt AIDs Trade Africa (DATA), an advocacy group founded by U2’s lead singer, Bono, issued a statement last week separating the band from any political activity that might take place at its concerts after some media outlets continued misreporting a story that Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) and U2 had teamed up for a $1,000-a-seat concert in Philadelphia on Sunday. The stories reported that Santorum and others were buying private skyboxes and selling the seats to donors."

I dunno. I kind of liked it better when conservative politicians used to trip all over themselves to denounce the evils of rock 'n' roll.


Oh well, apparently Rush Limbaugh, whose loathing of "long-haired, dope-smoking, maggot-infested rock stars" is well articulated, hasn't jumped on the U2 bandwagon. (Of course my favorite Rush rock criticism was back in 2002. In a fine example of synchronicity, I was driving to work having just written my review of the late Joey Ramone's solo album. I turned on the radio and Rush was in a froth because The Ramones had been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and the Moody Blues hadn't.)

All I can say is where have you gone, Frank Zappa? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you!

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, October 23, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell


OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Headlights On by The Dirtbombs
Communist Moon by The (International) Noise Conspiracy
Little Girl by The Syndicate of Sound
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead by Warren Zevon
The Fox by Sleater-Kinney
Just Can't Please You by Detroit Cobras
Cool. Calm, Collected by The Rolling Stones
Rock and Roll by The Velvet Underground
Don't Touch Me There by The Tubes

Bo Diddley is Crazy by Bo Diddley
TV Eye by Iggy Pop
In This House That I Call Home by X
Dumb All Over by Frank Zappa
Bucket of Juice by BigUglyGuys
Moulty by The Barbarians

Karate King by Kevin Coyne & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Deserted Cities of the Heart by Cream
She Is Suffering by Manic Street Preachers
Cheeseburger by Gang of 4
The River of Water by Yo La Tengo
Bold Marauder by Drywall
Voodoo Priestess by Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Summer's Almost Gone by The Doors
Don't Send Me No Flowers, I Ain't Dead Yet by The Reigning Sound
Port of Amsterdam by David Bowie
Just Like Greta by Van Morrison
The Green Fields of France by Dropkick Murphys
What Kind of Fool Am I? by Grandpaboy
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

JOHNSON BREAKS HIS BACK AGAIN

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 23, 2004

Former Gov. Gary Johnson, known for his athletic ability and attraction to both traditional and “extreme” sports, is bed bound for the next six months after breaking his back in a paragliding accident.

In a telephone interview Saturday, Johnson said he suffered his injury Oct. 13 on the island of Maui in Hawaii.

“I feel fine and I’m going to be all right,” Johnson said.

This is the second time the 52-year-old governor has broken his back. In January 2001, while still governor, he slipped on a patch of ice during a morning jog.

However, Johnson noted that injury was not as serious as his recent one. “I think I was up running again about six weeks that time,” he said. Now he is expected to be bedridden until April.

Despite his injury, Johnson said he feels lucky. The late actor Christopher Reeve, who was thrown from a horse, was paralyzed from a fall of only six feet, Johnson on noted.

Paragliding involves a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft with a self-inflating wing. The structure is similar to a hang glider, though it’s lighter and larger. Paragliders jump off hillsides to launch.

Johnson said he was with about 10 other paragliders the morning of his accident. He had been paragliding from the same spot for about two weeks, he said.

He was the first in the group to take off. “There was no wind, really,” he said. “There was no lift on take-off.”

Johnson found himself heading toward a tree. “My harnass caught in the tree and the wing, if you can imagine this, acted as a slingshot, hurling me into the ground.”

Johnson said he landed on his tailbone. “The main thing I remember is just how hard the impact was he said.

He tried to stand up but his knee gave out, Johnson said.

As it turned out, he suffered a burst fracture of his T12 vertebrae, a broken rib and a knee injury, which Johnson said, will require minor surgery.

Johnson said a helicopter had to be called to airlift him to the hospital in Maui. He returned to New Mexico on Monday.

Johnson said he’s able to walk. “I can get up and go to the bathroom,” he said. He said he can ride in a car, though he realizes that even a minor accident could be devastating to his back.

It’s been a tough year for the former governor. In September, shortly before leaving for Hawaii, he was involved in a minor car crash on I-25 north of Albuquerque. And earlier in the year he and his wife of 28 years, Dee Johnson, divorced.

“That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” Johnson said Saturday.

During his eight years as governor (1995 -2002), Johnson was known his athletic pursuits and thrill seeking.

At the end of his term he told reporters that his best day in office was a time he got to go hang gliding. He is a frequent competitor in the Iron Man triathlon in Hawaii. He enjoys skiing, motorcycling, bicycling, kayaking and ballooning.

He also has been known to suffer some physical mishaps. Not long after his 2001 back injury from jogging, he took a spill on a motorcycle on N.M. 14. He wasn’t injured.

A month after leaving office, Johnson broke a leg in a ski accident. However that barely slowed him down. Three months later he scaled Mount Everest.

Johnson said Saturday that he will paraglide again. “Oh yeah,” he said. “Life is live and learn.”

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, October 21, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
So What If We're Out of Tune with the Rest of the World by Marah
Lucille by Nancy Apple & Rob McNurlin
Lonesome, On'ry & Mean by Waylon Jennings

STEVE YOUNG SET
(Live in the Studio)
Little Birdie
Silverlake
Long Way to Hollywood
You're Right, I'm Left, She's Gone
Ramblin' Man

Not Another Beautiful Day by Jubal Lee Young
Oklahoma Bound by Steve Young

Dolly Parton Set
(All songs by Dolly except where noted)
Seven Bridges Road
Those Were the Days
Dumb Blonde
Silver Threads and Golden Needles by Dolly, Tammy Wynette & Loretta Lynn
Old Flames Don't Hold a Candle to You by Sally Timms
Love's Like a Butterfly
The Pain of Loving You by Dolly, Emmylou Harris & Linda Rondstadt
The Cruel War
My Tennessee Mountain Home by Maria Muldaur

Jamie II by Joe West
Some Humans Ain't Human by John Prine
Memphis Women and Chicken By Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham
In God's Eyes by Willie Nelson
If I Could Only Fly by Blaze Foley
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

THOSE ADORABLE LITTLE NAZIS

Checking out my Statcounter numbers this morning I realized that quite a few visitors to this blog in the last day or so had done searches for Prussian Blue -- that 13-year-old twin duo that sings songs of "White Power," struggling against the "Darker Races" and promoting the National Socialist agenda -- who I blogged about a few months ago.

Several more visitors came from other blogs that linked to my original Prussian Blue post.

That post received more comments than anything else I've ever blogged. Many of the comments were from the Nazi community, defending Prussian Blue as a refreshing alternative to the "degenerate Black music" fouling the morals of today's youth.

They're out there, people. They're out there.

(Unfortunately the stupid comment service I used to use here zapped all my old comments.)

But why the sudden resurge in interest in these loveable little hatemongers? Looks like ABC News just did a feature on them.

So welcome new readers. Stick around and read some of my stuff on degenerate music too.

JOE WEST IN UK

British and Scottish audiences are in for a treat. Santa Fe's Joe West is heading their way, on what he calls "A mission to spread Santa Fe poetry and country music across the world."

Says Joe, "If you have any friends in England or Scotland, please let them know of the Santa Feans that are bringing green chili to their neihborhood."

Here's the tour schedule, as sent by Joe:

Oct 24 London -The Borderline (with Chris Mills and The Havenots)

Oct 25 London -The Borderline (with Sarah Lee Guthrie/Johnny Irion and The Barker Band)

Oct 27 Southampton- Talking Heads (Note from SWT: I think that's the name of the venue, not the opening act.)

Oct 28 West Hoathly/Ardingly -The White Hart

Oct 29 Lewes -The Lansdowne Arms

Oct 30 Brighton -The Greys

Nov 2 Leicester- The Musician

Nov 3 Berwick -The Barrels Ale House

Nov 4 Aberdeen BBC Radio Scotland (2:30 show time)

Nov 4 Glasgow -The Liquid Ship-8:00PM (with Donny O'Rourke)

Nov 5 Ullapool Medicine Show Loch Broom FM 1pm

Nov 5 Ullapool -The Arch Inn

Nov 6 Inverness -Hootananny's(The Listening Room )

Nov 7 Gateshead -The Sage Arena (with Jon Dee Graham) (Note from SWT: This is one I'd love to see.)

Nov 8 Nottingham -The Maze (Forest Tavern)

Nov 9 Manchester -14 Lloyd Street

Nov 10 Swindon -The Bee-hive


If you can't make it to any of these shows, you can at least watch a fascinating video by this guy who calls himself "Dancing Butterflies."

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: STILL IN DOLLYWOOD

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 21, 2005

Dolly Parton’s Those Were the Days probably is the closest thing to an anti-war protest album you’re going to see coming from a bonafide country music icon, at least this year.

Basically this is a collection of tunes from the late ‘60s and early ‘70s -- mainly easily recognizable folk or folk-rock hits -- in which Dolly is joined by some of the the songwriters or the singers who made the songs famous as well as other guest stars. (The happy news: Most of it’s not as bad as such a project sounds like it would be.)

Many tunes here -- and I’m assuming it’s no coincidence -- are anti-war anthems. Apparently back in the ‘60s Dolly was listening Peter, Paul & Mary as well as Porter, Possum & Merle.

This wouldn’t seem so radical except for the fact that the only musical commentary on war and peace that you hear on commercial country radio is from the Toby Keith/Hank Williams Jr. blind-patriotism/America-kicks-butt variety.

There’s no way the County Music Industrial Complex is going to embrace Dolly’s peace-and-love tunes any more than they did Merle Haggard’s biting Iraq commentary “That’s the News” or Willie Nelson’s “Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth” a couple of years ago. Or any more than they embraced Earl Scruggs in the late ‘60s when he began playing anti-war rallies.

Of course, Dolly, and for that matter, Haggard and Nelson aren’t exactly tied down by the surly bonds of the C&W establishment these days. Country radio ignores them, while these entertainers continue to make fine music below Nashville radar.

Most of the anti-war tunes Dolly performs here still have power and relevance in light of the war in Iraq.

There’s Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” done here in a bluegrass/pop style with the band Nickel Creek. There’s a beautiful take on “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” featuring Dolly’s sweet harmonizing with Norah Jones and Lee Ann Womack.

She does a heartfelt, banjo-driven version of “Turn, Turn, Turn,” (Roger McGuinn’s somewhere in the mix.)

The only one that seems rather strange is “The Cruel War.” With vocal harmonies from Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski and guitar by Tony Rice, the song sounds heavenly. But the whole concept of the song is questionable. And I’m not even talking about the corny happy ending Dolly tacks on.

This song, which some say dates back to the American Civil War, seemed antiquated even back in the mid ‘60s when Peter, Paul & Mary had a hit with it.

“The Cruel War” is the story of a young woman who so hates the idea of her Johnny going off to war, she offers to disguise herself as a man to go with him.

“I’ll tie back my hair, men’s clothing I’ll put on/I’ll pass as your comrade as we march along … ”

Such a scheme seemed unlikely in the ‘60s. And now in the Iraq war, where some of the most famous soldiers -- from Jessica Lynch to Lynndie England -- are female, it’s irrelevant.

And, considering Dolly’s celebrated figure, it seems rather ridiculous. As one Dolly fan blogger, commenting on Dolly disguising herself as a man, put it, “Honey, you're gonna need a truck load of duct tape!!”

Not all the songs here deal with issues of war and peace.

Parton’s version of “Me and Bobby McGee,” done here with the songwriter, Kris Kristofferson, sounds so natural it‘s a wonder she’s never recorded it before. Same with the surprisingly vibrant take on the old chestnut “If I Were a Carpenter.” (Both writer Tim Hardin and singer Bobby Darrin are dead, so Dolly duets with Joe Nichols.)

While I never envisioned Tommy James & The Shondells’ psychedelic relic “Crimson and Clover” as a country song, Dolly makes it work with a fiddle/banjo/dobro/mandolin arrangement. Tommy James himself is along for this ride, making sure the song’s trademark tremolo guitar stays intact.

But my favorite track here is the title song. Dolly sings with Mary Hopkin , the Welsch waif who had the original hit with the song in 1968. There’s also an impressive chorus that includes Porter Wagoner, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Pam Tillis and country Cajun star Jimmie C. Newman, and instrumentalists including Sam Bush on mandolin, Ilya Toshinsky of the Russian bluegrass group Bering Strait, and a snippet of the Moscow Circus, recorded live in Dollywood.

It’s as much fun as it sounds.

On most guest-star heavy albums, the main star often is overwhelmed by the famous friends. Not so here. Overshadowing Dolly Parton is no easy task.

True, there are a couple of clunkers here. I’ve never liked John Lennon’s sappy “Imagine” and Dolly does nothing with it to change my mind. (As Elvis Costello once observed, “Wasn’t it a millionaire who said `Imagine no possessions’ …”) And as far as Yusef Islam/Cat Stevens’ “Where Do the Children Play?” goes, isn’t it time we declared a fatwa on ‘70s singer/songwriter wimps?

For the most part though, Those Were the Days, proves that these days are pretty good days for Dolly Parton.

Also Recommended:
*The Essential Dolly Parton: This two-disc set is a good retrospect for one of the most influential singers, songwriters and personalities of country music. It’s got Dolly’s greatest songs -- “Coat of Many Colors“ “Jolene,” “I Will Always Love You,” -- some amazing lesser-known early 80s hits -- “Single Women” and “Old Flames Can’t Hold a Candle to You” -- and some guilty-pleasure pop sclock -- “Here You Come Again,” “Islands in the Stream” (When you talk of country kitsch, Kenny Rogers’ still the king.)

But my favorite tunes here are a pair of 1967 tracks, “Dumb Blonde” and “Just Because I’m A Woman” plus a 1969 obscurity, “My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy.” How could anyone have heard these and not realized that Dolly was soon to be a giant?

ROUNDHOUSE ROUND-UP: DELAY vs VIGIL

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 20, 2005

The campaign is still very young, but by the campaign rhetoric already arising from the Heather Wilson/Patricia Madrid showdown, one might think that the 2006 First Congressional District race is a battle between Tom DeLay and Robert Vigil.

Republican DeLay stepped down as U.S. House majority leader after being indicted in his native Texas on felony charges of money laundering and conspiracy.

Democrat Vigil was indicted in federal court on 21 charges of extortion. He has refused to step down from his post, although his lawyer told the Associated Press Wednesday that Vigil “continues to weigh his options” whether he will resign because he feels the ongoing House impeachment proceedings against him are unfair.

In declaring her candidacy last week, Madrid issued a statement that spoke of “culture of incompetence, corruption and cronyism.”

“The marriage of special interest politics and the Republican leadership of George Bush and Tom DeLay and the complicity of Heather Wilson have failed New Mexicans,” Madrid said.

Even before Madrid got into the race, state Democrats were criticizing Wilson for taking nearly $47,000 from DeLay’s political action committee Americans for a Republican Majority. Wilson has returned the $10,000 she collected from DeLay’s PAC in June, but not the $36,959 she received from the PAC between 1998 and 2003.

But Republican leaders say the corruption issue could backfire on Madrid.

Enter Robert Vigil.

Last week on the eve of Madrid’s announcement, Marta Kramer, executive director of the state Republican Party, said the kickback scandal at the state Treasurer’s Office could bode ill for the entire Democratic ticket, but particularly Madrid.

Kramer recalled a scathing 1999 audit report on Vigil’s tenure as state auditor, which, according to the state police chief, showed “strong patterns of public corruption” at the auditor’s office during Vigil’s tenure there.

Madrid later said that the audit was “not unbiased” because of the long-standing political feud between Vigil and his successor as state auditor, Domingo Martinez. No state legal action was ever taken in the 1999 audit.

“Madrid turned a blind eye to the biggest corruption scandal in the state's history by refusing to investigate the state treasurer when called upon to do so by Gov. Gary Johnson in 1999,” Kramer said. “Madrid should first work toward ending corruption and promoting accountability in New Mexico before pointing fingers at Republican elected officials in D.C.”

Political Chatter: Some of Vigil’s thoughts about state politics were captured on tape by the FBI in conversations between the treasurer and San Diego investment counselor Kent Nelson — who was wearing a wire.

In May, while driving from the Albuquerque airport to The Quarters barbecue restaurant on Yale, campaign contributions were on Vigil’s mind. The deadline for reporting contributions was only four days away.

You’ve got to report at least some of your contributions, Vigil told Nelson, “so it'll scare some of your opponents away.”

“They gonna be scared?” Nelson asked.

“No, not that scared,” Vigil said, “but I mean it's at least it makes them think twice if you don't report anything.”

Vigil explained that it was too early at that point for opponents for the 2006 race to be coming out of the woodwork, “but if you don't have any money man, you'll get 'em lined up like hot cakes. They see a report and they see you don't have any money . . . the Governor's gotta report 2.6 million.”

He was close. Richardson actually reported $2.9 million in the May campaign finance reports a few days later.

In talking about big campaign coffers frightening off potential challengers, Nelson noted that Vigil didn’t have any Republican opponent in 2002. Vigil had a theory about that.

“Well that's because they thought I wasn't gonna win,” Vigil said. “Jan Goodwin, my opponent was being supported by the Republicans thinking she was gonna win.”

Three days later Vigil filed a campaign finance report with the Secretary of State that showed he’d collected $26,205 since the last report and had a total of $127,732 in his campaign treasury.

Something tells me that if Vigil stays in the race, this amount won’t be enough to scare off opponents.

WOULD YOU CARE TO COMMENT?

If anyone gives a hoot, I've just changed the "comments" feature of this blog.

My old comments service, Haloscan recently removed all the comments odler than, I think, three months. Didn't delete them, mind you. I could get them all back if I upgrade to their paid service.

But freeloader that I am, I decided to switch to Blogger's inhouse comments feature. (THis prompted a paranoid thought: Are Blogger and the other free blog services just getting all of us us blog junkies hooked before they lower the boom and start charging us? Will there be a crime wave of bloggers ripping off car stereos to support their habits?)

The only drawback is that all the recent posts you fine readers left are now gone. So you'll just have to make more comments from this point on.

Warning: I've been plagued recently with some of those pesky SPAM comments. ("Your blog is fantastic. Check my (stupid commerical site) at (link)") So far it hasn't been difficult just to delete 'em when I see 'em. But if it gets worse I might go to the system where comment-posters have to fill in the annoying "word verification" secret code before posting. Such is the price of freedom.

Now leave me some damn comments!

UPDATE: Since changing over this morning, I've gotten several of those accursed SPAM automated comments. I'm not talking about NewMexiKen, whose blog I encourage all to visit. I'm talking about geeks from Herbalife, free video web hosting services and other stupid advertisers. Sneaky bastards tend to post their crap on older posts in your blog, so there might be some I missed. (Please report to me any you come across. And for the love of Christ, don't click on their links or buy any of their products.)

Anywho, I've made good on my threat to use "word verification." Please don't hestitiate to use it.

MESSING WITH TEXAS

Former New Mexico journalist Walt Howerton has been exiled in Austin for a few years now.

By the looks of his new blog, apparently it's starting to get to him:

Says Walt:

"I live in Texas. I came here with my wife a few years ago because she needed to be here. I love my wife, I like my house, I like the weather, I like the music. But I do not like Texans."

So there you go ...

It should be noted that Walt loves The Drive-by Truckers and Kings of Leon as much as I do.

By the way, nice hat.

STEVE YOUNG ON SANTA FE OPRY

Songwriter Steve Young will play live on The Santa Fe Opry shortly after 10 p.m. Friday. That's on 90.7 FM. (It'll be Webcast live HERE.)
KSFR,

Steve is best known for his song "Seven Bridges Road," which has been recorded by The Eagles, Dolly Parton and a zillion others. But my personal favorite is "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean," made famous by Waylon Jennings.

Mr. Young is in town for a house concert in Santa Fe the next night, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 22. That'll cost you $15.00 at the door.

Please Call 466-2209 for reservations.

There's also a Steve Young house concert -- actually a gallery concert -- at The Donkey Gallery, 1415 4th Street SW, Albuquerque on Oct. 27. $10 at the door.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, October 16, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Hey Gyp by The Animals
Rock and Roll by Lou Reed
Your Love Belongs Under a Rock by The Dirtbombs
Yo! Beanhead by BigUglyGuys
Scene of the Crime by Kevin Coyne & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts
Death Sound Blues by Country Joe & The Fish
The Godfather by Satan's Pilgrims
Yakety Yack by The Coasters

Everybody's Going Wild by The Detroit Cobras
I See the Light by The Five Americans
Johny Hit and Run Paulene by X
Sing Me Spanish Techno by New Pornographers
Steppin' Out by Paul Revere & The Raiders
Jailbait by The Flamin' Groovies
Walk Idiot Walk by The Hives
Night Time by The Stangeloves
Baby Bitch by Ween

Wild Rover by Dropkick Murphys with Shane McGowan
Fourty Deuce by Black 47
Grace Cathedral Hill by The Decemberists
Brutal by The Mekons
Truck Stop Cheii by James Bilacody & The Cremains
The Story of Jazz by Yo La Tengo
Dead End Street by Lou Rawls

Find Me Now by The Reigning Sound
Little Hands by Alexander Spence
The Boys of Mutton Street by Richard Thompson
Have You Seen the Stars Tonight by Paul Kantner & The Jefferson Starship
Maricela by Los Lobos
The Foggy Dew by The Chieftains with Sinead O'Connor
Danny Boy by Frank Parker
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

HATE FACTORY

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 15, 2005

A horrifying book about the most horrifying bloodbath in modern New Mexico history is back in print.

The Hate Factory by Georgelle Hirliman is an unbridled and frequently graphic account of the February 1980 Penitentiary of New Mexico riot, which left 33 inmates dead and many other inmates and guards scarred for life.

Hirliman will read passages from the book and sign copies 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today at Borders, 3513 Zafarano Drive.

Originally published in 1982, the book has been off the shelves since the mid 1980s. “But it’s become a cult classic,” Hirliman said, pointing out that on some used book Web sites such as Abebooks.com, original copies of The Hate Factory sell for as much as $144.99.

She decided to self-publish the book after a former-inmate Oakland-based filmmaker, Sean Wilson bought the movie rights last year. Wilson in January told The New Mexican, the film “will make a great story of survival and heroism amongst some of the most brutal, inhumane acts ever documented.”

The Hate Factory was written by Hirliman based on interviews with a veteran prison inmate who was back in the joint on a parole violation, and scheduled for release several weeks after the riot.

In the book, this inmate is known by the pseudonym “W.G. Stone.” In an interview Friday Hirliman said her collaborator’s real name was W.G. Gannons.

“He died in 1985 in prison of cirrhoses of the liver,” she said.

Hirliman became involved in prison issues when she was a radio reporter in the 1970s for the long-defunct KAFE-AM in Santa Fe and KUNM in Albuquerque.

(Ironically the book tells how an early riot plot involved inmates taking hostages during a planned live KUNM broadcast from the prison in December 1979. This plan, according to the book, was thwarted when prison authorities got word of it and canceled the show.)

“I got to know the prison system and I hated it,” Hirliman said.

Hirliman covered the infamous Vagos case — in which four California bikers were convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of a college student in Albuquerque and later exonerated when the real killer confessed. She eventually married one of the bikers, who has since died.

“I wrote a book about that case, which was supposed to be published by Easyriders magazine,” she said. (She hopes to revise and publish the Vagos book in the near future.)

But then the riot happened.

Through her prison sources, she met Gannons, who had been in and out of prison since the 1960s.

The Hate Factory describes in grim detail the brutal deaths of several inmates — including mutilations, a beheading and torture with acetylene torch — and the beatings and rapes of corrections officers.

But it also deals with the severe conditions in the prison that led to the uprising. There was the prison psychologist who “treated” inmates by putting them in plaster casts from neck to ankles (with appropriate holes for body functions) and the dreaded “Dungeon Hole” where problem inmates were stripped naked and left for days in darkness with a hole in the floor as a toilet.

The Hate Factory deals with the politics of corrections and the cliques that ran the prison.

The revised version of the book has a new introduction that begins with the 2004 shooting of the Adam Sandler/Chris Rock comedy The Longest Yard at the site of the old main facility, which hasn’t been used to house inmates since 1998.

“New Mexico’s Film Commission and Tourism Department will be happy to take you on a tour of the empty old prison,” Hirliman waxes sarcastically. “Perhaps they will even point out the hatchet marks permanently cut into the floor where Paulina Paul’s head was so agonizingly severed, or where the one-armed man nearly lost the other to the blade of a berserk biker.”

In the introduction, Hirliman writes about many of the state corrections controversies that have occurred in more recent years — privatization of prisons, the 1999 murder of Corrections Officer Ralph Garcia at the private prison in Santa Rosa, the policy of non-contact video visits (halted two years ago), and even former Corrections Secretary Lane McCotter’s involvement in the planning of the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

“We have to start doing something else besides prisons,” she said. “Punishment just doesn’t work. We’ve proved that over and over.”

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, October 14, 2005
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Hot Dog by Rosie Flores
Mama Tried by Old 97s
6 String Belief by Son Volt
Fat Boy by Marah
Raining in Port Arthur by The Gourds
If I'd Shot Her When I Met Her, I'd Be Out of Jail By Now by Diesel Doug & The Long Haul Truckers
The Crawdad Song by The Meat Purveyors
I'm a Nut by Leroy Pullens
Psycho by Jack Kittel

I Hung it Up by Junior Brown
Alone at a Table For 2 by Marti Brom
I Met Her in Church by Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham
My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy by Dolly Parton
Maybe Mexico by Jerry Jeff Walker
The Combines are Comin' by Joe West

Kinky Friedman Set
All songs by Kinky except where noted

We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to You
Wild Man of Borneo by Guy Clark
Men's Room L.A.
Western Union Wire
Before All Hell Breaks Loose by Asleep at the Wheel
Highway Cafe
Ride 'em Jewboy

Bringing Mary Home by Mac Wiseman
Silver Wings by Earl Scruggs with Linda Rondstadt
A Few More Years by Tim O'Brien
As Victims Would by Will Johnson
Entella Hotel by Peter Case with David Perales
With His Old Gray Beard a Shinin' by Clothesline Revival featuring Pearl Brewer
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: RIDE 'EM, KINKY!

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 14, 2005

I don’t often get to review music by people running for political office. To be honest, I don’t often want to. For instance I wasn’t really interested last year in reviewing The Electras, John Kerry’s band from the ‘60s.

But Kinky Friedman is Kinky Friedman. And though I view him first as a musician, it seems somehow natural that he’s Mayhem Aforethought, a recently unearthed live recording with his original Texas Jewboys in a 1973 radio concert, will seem so refreshing in contrast to the safe, sanitized, focus-group-tested rhetoric of the “serious” politicians it will propel the Kinkster to victory.

Could it be possible that in a couple of years Kinky Friedman will be posing for photo ops beside Bill Richardson at governors conferences and pardoning singing Texas murderers in hopes of finding the next Leadbelly.

A long shot for certain, but stranger things have happened in politics.

(Full disclosure time: Twice in the 1990s, I opened for Kinky Friedman in concerts at the El Rey Theater in Albuquerque. I got paid money for my performance and Kinky autographed my Sold American CD “Steve, God luv you.” Otherwise there’s no personal, financial or political connection between us.)

Basically Mayhem Aforethought contains the core of Kinky’s notorious repertoire that has carried his reputation for decades.

There’s “The Ballad of Charles Whitman,” a black-humor, happy stomp ode to the infamous Texas Tower sniper. (Check this story by Marlee MacLeod.)

Even more controversial at the time was “Get Your Biscuits in the Oven and Your Buns in the Bed,” (“You uppity women, I don’t understand why you have to go and act like a man … You’d better occupy the kitchen, liberate the sink …”), which sparked countless debates between those who thought Kinky was an evil sexist and those who argued that he was just making fun of sexism. Needless to say, large numbers of feminists in the 1970s failed to see the humor in the song.

While songs like these and “They Ain’t Making Jews Like Jesus Any More,” (not included in this CD) made Friedman a national phenomenon, unfortunately they drew attention away from the seriously beautiful country songs he also was writing.

Friedman had a knack for writing sad tunes about washed-up, broken down singers. “Nashville Casualty & Life” is about an old banjo player getting arrested at Nashville’s Union Station. “They busted him for loitering when he was making memories rhyme.”

Even more poignant is “Sold American,” the title song of his first album, which has been covered by Billy Joe Shaver and Glen Campbell.

“Writing down your memoirs on some window in the frost/ Roulette eyes reflecting another morning lost/ Hauled in by the metro for killing time and pain/ With a singing brakeman screaming through your veins.”

One of the strangest but loveliest songs Friedman’s ever written is “Ride ’em Jewboy.” Despite the title, which sounds like the song’s going to be one of the funny ones, Over a mournful cowboy melody, “Jewboy” mixes imagery from the range with what seems like oblique references to the Holocaust -- “smoke from the camps,” “helpless creatures” being led to slaughter, “dead limbs play with ringless fingers.”

It indeed is a heavy song, and it’s to Friedman’s credit that he can pull it off so gracefully in the context of so many sardonic tunes and wicked stage banter.

Friedman gets away with saying things most musicians -- let alone politicians -- wouldn’t even attempt these days.

Introducing bassist Willie Fong Young, Friedman says, “We got a little Chinese boy in the band.” At another point he announces, “we’ve been in Nashville, Tenn. for the past few months at the Glaser Sound Studios workin’ on a Tampon jingle …”

But the Jewboys were a fine musical unit -- unless you include Kinky‘s crony Jeff “Little Jewford” Shelby and his kazoo, which mars this version of “Biscuits.”

Featured in the band is guitar man Billy Swan, just a year before his big country/pop hit “I Can Help.” He gets a solo spot on this CD on his song “Lover Please,” a hit in the ’60s for Clyde McPhatter.

Take my word for it: Mayhem Aforethought is a lot more fun than almost any political speech.

Also Recommended:
* The Austin Experience by Junior Brown. While all of his studio albums are enjoyable, what Brown’s fans say is true: The best way to appreciate this former Santa Fe musical stalwart. Known for his flashy picking and geological baritone, is live.

In Santa Fe we’re lucky. The artist formerly known as “Jamie Brown” plays here pretty often. But if you haven’t had a chance to see him in person performing miracles on his magic guit-steel (a combination electric guitar/steel guitar Brown invented) this CD, recorded live at Austin’s Continental Club in April, is your next best bet.

(More disclosure: I went to Mid High and Santa Fe High School with Brown circa 1968 -70. We even shared a locker until he dropped out of high school. I haven‘t seen him in a few years.)

Most of Brown’s best loved songs are on this album -- “My Wife Thinks You’re Dead,” “Highway Patrol,” and “I Hung It Up,” done here as an eight-minute blues jam.

Brown makes a surprisingly effect stab at Tex-Mex music with “uan Charasquado,” aided by Flaco Jimenez on accordion, though my favorite duet here is the sweet stomper “I Want to Live and Love Always,” which he sings with his wife Tanya Rae Brown.

And no Junior album would be complete with a so-dumb-it’s-inspired tune. Here’s we’ve got “Lifeguard Larry,” an original beach-blanket boot-scooter about a lifeguard who loves the mouth-to-mouth.

POLITICAL TIDBITS

I have to admit, my goat was gotten this week when the Associated Press ran a story -- that ran in about a zillion papers -- about governors switching to hybrid vehicles that started off like this:

When gasoline prices soared after Hurricane Katrina, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson looked at the Lincoln Navigator that ferries him around his home state and thought about the message he was sending.

The large sport utility vehicle doesn't get the best gasoline mileage -- about 15 miles per gallon. So the former U.S. energy secretary decided to switch to a Ford Escape hybrid, which combines gasoline and electric power.

I don't want to blow my own horn, (in fact, my former colleague Ben Neary is responsible for this) but I truly believe it was more likely that Richardson came to this decision not after looking at his Lincoln Navigator, but after looking at my Sept. 22 Roundhouse Round-up:

Gov. Bill Richardson held a press conference at a Santa Fe gas station Tuesday to announce he’s calling a special legislative session. He wants a rebate program for taxpayers to cover higher oil and gas prices.

“The nation is in a continuing energy emergency because we’re over dependent on oil and gas,” the governor told reporters. “It’s a reflection of weak, shortsighted national energy policy.”

Richardson drove to the press conference in a Lincoln Navigator, his preferred ride since he stopped tooling around in a Cadillac Escalade. According to the Web site www.fueleconomy.gov, Lincoln’s behemoth SUV gets about 13 mpg in the city while the Caddy was good for a whopping 14 mpg.

XXXXXXXX

It looks like the push by Richardson and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman for an early Western presidential primary is gaining some momentum.

Come in Idaho!

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For my analysis of the recently departed special session, CLICK HERE. (Looks like Monahan and I might have a common "alligator" here.)

WHERE'S PATSY?

Joe Monahan quotes some alligators today saying that Attorney General Patricia Madrid is once again a likely contender to run against incumbent Republican Rep. Heather Wilson for Congress.

This goes along with a story this week in Roll Call, a Washington D.C. paper specializing in coverage of the U.S. Congress, by Josh Kurtz, a Santa Fe Reporter alumn who is now Roll Call's political editor.

Unfortunately you need a subscription to read the whole story.

But here's how it starts out:

"If Democrats fall short in their efforts to recruit New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid into the race against Rep. Heather Wilson (R-N.M.) next year, they may have to blame their failure on the political trajectory of the state's governor, Bill Richardson (D).

"In the Land of Enchantment, most Democrats are convinced that if a Democrat retakes the White House in 2008, Richardson will either be the next president, vice president or secretary of state.

"So the question of who serves as his lieutenant governor has become a topic of intense discussion -- something that may explain why Madrid is contemplating running for that post in 2006 instead of for Congress, even though there already is a Democratic incumbent in the No. 2 slot.

"Nevertheless, Democrats in Washington, D.C., are becoming increasingly optimistic that the heavily recruited Madrid ultimately will choose to challenge Wilson. And a key Madrid political lieutenant hints that an announcement could come as soon as this week."

I can't vouch for Josh's claim that most Democrats here think Richardson will be on the national ticket or get a cabinet position in 2008. (Remember, the Democrats have to win for the latter to come true.) But I do think most everybody here believes Richardson will try.

Here's another notable section:

Madrid ... has prided herself on her independence from Richardson, and is the rare Democrat in New Mexico who has not shown complete fealty to the powerful governor. Madrid, in fact, is close to a potential rival to Richardson in the next presidential race, former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), though that is just one source of the tension between her and the governor.

Richardson has been mum on the prospects of a bloody primary fight between Madrid and Denish. But his formidable political team is likely to aid Madrid if she challenges Wilson - in part for the political bounce Richardson would get if he helped knock off a perennial (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) target.

Of course Richardson's formidable political team wasn't enough to carry New Mexico for John Kerry last year ...

The story even mentions the Vigil/Montoya scandal and how it might affect a madrid campaign:

"... Republicans in New Mexico, who are unlikely to find viable challengers to Richardson or Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) next year, now have one new factor going for them: the twin indictments late last month of the current Democratic state treasurer and his predecessor for allegedly taking kickbacks from investment firms seeking to do business with the state. ...

"Roxanne Rivera, a spokeswoman for the New Mexico GOP, said Republicans cannot believe that Madrid did not know about the corruption in the treasurer's office. She predicted that voters would punish Democrats up and down the ballot in 2006.

"This scandal is more far-reaching than anyone realizes," she said.

"But a top Democratic strategist in New Mexico said the party has a ready response for anyone who attempts to tie Vigil's woes to other leading Democrats.

"At the same time you have Vigil, you have Tom DeLay," the strategist said ..."