One balmy spring afternoon in 1996, I sat on the balcony of my dorm room at New College with my buddy Paul Beer (see montage at right). We spoke and joked, as we often did, about matters French, and we stumbled upon the fact that he had never heard of Jordy.

I explained that this four-year-old singing sensation had swept France with his newborn vigor and brilliant lyrics (like "Dur dur d'etre un bebe" -- "It's so tough to be a baby"). I'd seen Jordy several times on MTV and naturally assumed everyone else had too. As I told the story, Paul's eyes lit up.

His response (as best I can recall) was: "That's [expletive] brilliant! We should go get it right now!"

And so we did.

We ran to my car, shouting "Jordy! Jordy!" at the top of our lungs (which would have attracted attention anywhere else in the world, insofar as New College can expect such an event about once a day). Off we tore to Spec's, where we had the best chance to find the tyke's album. Sadly, it was not in stock -- but they promised to order it and call us when it arrived.

When it did, I raced over to Paul's house and we ripped into the street like madmen possessed. The next three months were a nonstop Jordy fest. We played Jordy for everyone who came to visit (my room was a central gathering point at that time, given its proximity to the main courtyard and my status as a Resident Assistant -- "You need some toilet paper? Have you ever heard Jordy? No? Sit down!")


I've still got that disc -- its booklet was damaged in The Great CD Soaking of 2001, but it plays like new. Paul and I were editors -- along with Dallas Taylor and Nathan Walker for a short time -- of a magazine at New College called The Final Analysis (later The Albatross, earlier Schneia), and one of our last issues (May 96) became the Jordy issue. (His glorious visage appears on the front and back covers.)

Well guess what, Paul and everyone -- Jordy Lives! Yes, it's true.

Jordy is now 16 years old! Still liveing (sic) in the France countryside. He loves the outdoors. Fourweelers & dirt bikes. He loved his past experences as a singer, but now enjoys being a normal kid. Now he mixes his own techno music, & hopes to be a big Techno star someday.

"But Ep," I hear you say. "I've never heard Jordy! How can I experience the music that moved you and Paul and everyone else so profoundly?" Well, chill -- and check out the Jordy MP3 Archive.

Ah, good times. (wiping tears of laughter from my face)

Human Rights in Belarus

Hey, them's my people! Amnesty International is reporting on harrassment and intimidation of trade unionists in Belarus. What the fudge!

On 30 October 2003 the chair of the Belarusian Automobile and Agricultural Machinery Workers' Union, Alyaksandr Bukhvostov, was detained by police in central Minsk for staging a peaceful protest action against the government's alleged interference in the trade union's internal affairs.

Okay, so they're not being killed like unionists in other parts of the world, but still -- my people gots to be free!

Torture in Iraq


I'm sure you've all heard about it by now -- Iraqi prisoners have been tortured by US forces.

An internal U.S. Army report found that Iraqi detainees were subjected to "sadistic, blatant and wanton criminal abuses," according to The New Yorker magazine.

Amnesty International calls it a "pattern of torture," but of course top US generals insist it's a "just a handful" of wrongdoers. Like the LAPD. And Tailhook. And Colorado State. And My Lai. And Wounded Knee. And East Timor. Isolated examples. No need for cynical responses, people!

Sigh.

Killer Robot News


Look at the Air Force ripping off The Simpsons! This is a machine called Robosaurus (You know, like Truckasaurus on The Simpsons, but different), even poised in the same exact position as the monster on The Simpsons. Give me a break!

They're just mad because they're not one-tenth as cool as Survival Research Laboratories. (I don't care for their treatment of animals -- in this case, a cow -- but their robots kick butt.)

TimeWaster™

That was a TimeWaster™!

Today I'm listening to: Duh!