by Blogbot

Every week we ask the ladies and gentlemen of the web to show us their finest ink in celebration of #TattooTuesday.

Our favorite submission from Twitter wins a free 3 month membership to SuicideGirls.com.

This week’s #TattooTuesday winner is @AlPantaju.

Enter this week’s competition by replying to this tweet with a pic of your fav tattoo and the #tattootuesday hashtag.

Good luck!

A few things to remember:

• You have to be 18 to qualify.
• The tattoo has to be yours…that means permanently etched on your body.
• On Twitter we search for your entries by looking up the hashtag #TattooTuesday, so make sure you include it in your tweet!

Check out the Tattoo Tuesday winners of weeks past!

by ChrisSick

Or, a helpful guide for aspiring Werewolves and how that leads to the strangulation of senatorial aspirations by very expensive coattails.

“He [Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid] is the latest in a long line of political leaders to channel the ruthless wisdom of another former Senate majority leader, President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who, as the late Hunter S. Thompson told it, sealed a comeback win in his 1948 Senate primary campaign by calling a news conference to allege that his opponent, a prominent and well-regarded pig rancher, ‘was having routine carnal knowledge of his barnyard animals.’

When Johnson’s press secretary balked, saying it wasn’t true, Johnson spat back: ‘Of course it’s not, but let’s make the bastard deny it.’”

—Gregory J. Krieg, Harry Reid’s Attack Boxes Mitt Romney In, ABC News, 7 Auguest,2012

Let us, for a moment, in a relatively slow week that’s already been much dissected and discussed, get a bit…elemental.

Politicians, at bottom, have only one job that comes in two parts. Traditionally they really only had to work at this job in the late summer and early fall, but these days they tend to be year round affairs. To be a politician:

1. Move in a straight line.
2. Move your opponent off their straight line.

That line, of course, being basically a straight shot to whatever office they’re running for.

This is politics at its most basic, and come debate night, as you soak in the warm stream of disinformation fed to you by professional talking heads — many of whom should probably be in prison — you’ll probably hear the phrase on-message quite a bit. You’ll hear, and surely have heard, much talk of candidates building narratives. You’ll hear dissection, autopsy, and painful amounts of over-analysis about who “scored” with good lines that most effectively needled in their side’s pre-established talking point.

Its all horseshit, of course.

“Narrative,” “on-message”, and “talking points” are really creative and educated (-sounding) ways of saying who moved down their path the straightest and who deviated the most. Because that’s all politics — in a two-party race/system, anyway, which is all I’m intimately familiar with as a citizen of this country — really is about. Whether you move your opponent off his path by accusing them of not paying taxes for ten years or of fucking their livestock, it doesn’t really make much of a difference at the end of the day.

Everything else is phoney artifice and bullshit jargon thrown at voters, candidates, and media alike to blind them with science and convince them that David Axelrod or Ed Gillespie is really worth somewhere between $175,000 to $1.3 million per year they earn advising their candidates. Their job is to come up with a good story somewhere between six months to a year before the election, and then spend the rest of the cycle as glorified babysitters and occasional mouthpieces. A job — it’s worth noting — that Ed Gillespie still manages to both fuck up and get paid a bonus for, somehow.

Those of us in my age group — the one that was politically aware but not yet politically active during Bill Clinton’s first and second terms — are familiar with one of the greatest narratives of modern politics, because it’s only four words long: The Man From Hope. But no matter how much attention you were paying in junior high, you couldn’t fully grasp Clinton’s incredible political ability until you heard him get the DNC to applaud George W., moments before turning it into an attack line against congressional Republicans.

Which brings us neatly back to my point, about the line and how one follows it or doesn’t. From the jump, Obama and his team have called this a choice election, while Romney and his team have called it a referendum election. And — please, allow me to parse the bullshit for you since I’m pretty sure it’s part of my job here — that should tell you all that you need to know.

Neither team feels strongly enough about its message or its candidate (read: product), to trust that voters will vote for them. This is why this is a base election (in more ways than one), because unless you’re already in the bag for one of the two candidates, its extremely unlike either is going to offer you a very compelling reason to vote for them. So the best they can hope for is to convince you to vote against their opponent.

To that end, Romney’s “straight line” was through convincing voters to — in the memorable words of a geriatric cowboy arguing with a chair while trolling his way to a nation’s heart — fire the President for poor performance. And Obama’s was to scare the living shit out of you by basically pointing to Republicans not named Romney (cough, Paul Ryan, cough) and reminding you all those white dudes share the same party.

It’s really that simple, and every day Romney spent talking about his taxes, defending his 47% comments, or trying to dispense with the notion that his campaign was in disarray — and holy fucking shit that was just this week — he was off his path and losing this election. Now both the head of the RNC and his own VP have taken up the language of “choice election,” which is pretty much his two biggest public supporters hammering the last nails in — what I’m sure is — his very expensive and luxurious coffin.

But seriously, fuck that guy. Never liked him.

In fact, he’s so bad at this, that he’s knocked every Republican Senator off their path this past week.

“The trend in the presidential race has been difficult to discern lately. President Obama has very probably gained ground since the conventions, but it’s hard to say exactly how much, and how quickly his bounce is eroding.

There are no such ambiguities in the race for control of the Senate, however. Polls show key races shifting decisively toward the Democrats, with the Republican position deteriorating almost by the day.”

—Nate Silver, “Senate Forecast: What Has Gone Wrong for GOP Candidates?,” FiveThirtyEight Blog, 20 September, 2012

Silver offers two potential hypothesis to explain the sudden decrease in the chance of Harry Reid losing his gavel come January: One is that Romney is so terrible he’s hurting all of his party’s candidates in tough statewide elections.
The other is that their own extreme conservatism is hurting the entire GOP brand, as evidenced by moderate candidate Linda McMahon of CT (yes, that Linda McMahon, we live in a country where the best experience you can have prior to going into politics is, actually, pro-wrestling. Suck it up, buttercup!) and mostly-moderate Senator Scott Brown of MA are distancing themselves from the national party.

My modest suggestion is that both reasons factor in. Because, really, under the circumstance who can stay on the path, or if you prefer, build their narrative, stay on message, or stick to their talking points? Romney cannot stay on message, because his message changes from day to accommodate his audience while simultaneously accommodating his rapidly degenerating-into-insanity-base.

It isn’t that Romney’s a bad politician, he’s exactly the best the Republicans had to offer this election cycle. It’s just — in part — that Barack Obama is actually a very good politician. If there’s any lesson liberals and Democrats needed to take away from the Bush years, it was the danger of underestimating your opposition. Jokes about Karl Rove’s weight may play well with the peanut gallery, but really, underestimating that man as a political strategist is just shy of insanity.

And when you compile the long list of things that the Conservative Right is convinced that Obama is — a list that would have to include how he’s a stunning incompetent, bumbling idiot, and empty suit, who ALSO somehow managed to trick 53% of the country to vote for him, while concealing his secret Muslim origins and Marxist ideology — it isn’t hard to see how underestimating their opposition lead the GOP to the hole they’re in now.

Related Posts
Tactical Animal: Regarding The Pain Of Being Right…Or More Reasons Mitt Romney Will Never Be Your President
Tactical Animal: Have You Got Yourself The Belly For It?
Tactical Animal: Sorry Folks, Election’s Over, Donkey Out Front Shoulda Told Ya
Tactical Animal: Politics In The Post-Truth Era
Tactical Animal: Now We’ve Got Ourselves A Race

by Chris Goodman

When asked to describe Guided By Voices in one word they all said “family.” The original line up is back together, and they consider themselves and the fans one big family.

2012 was a busy year from the start with a January release of Lets Go Eat the Factory, their first album since 2004, which was quickly followed up by the July release of Class Clown Spots a UFO. In addition, November promises the release of yet another full-length entitled The Bears for Lunch, which is to be followed by English Little League, in February 2013. Now reformed, these guys are unstoppable.

“If you write 3,000 songs 30 of them will be good. Good enough to play a show in Pittsburgh,” says Robert Pollard as he struts around the stage cigarette and Miller High Life in hand passing around a bottle of tequila to the audience. Pollard’s banter between songs is pretty damn entertaining. At one point he misses the lyrics on “If We Wait” three times and explains, “Listen, if you get a bunch of 50 year old men on stage drinking and fucking around, they’re gonna fuck songs up. If you wanted KISS, you didn’t get it!”

Everyone knows the music. Everyone loves Pollard’s high kicks. Every song plays like a drinking anthem for an endless summer night that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. A GBV show is more like a party with friends. They kick it off with new material and the intensity never dips or waivers for a second. The entire audience is singing along with every song.

“It’s nice that people know more than ‘Game of Pricks,’” drummer Kevin Fennell says to me. “They know it all.” The band ends with three encores, over 40 songs in all, and we’re all left looking at each other surprised that we heard every song we wanted them to play.

I caught up with Fennell and Guitar player Mitch Mitchell after the Mr. Smalls Theatre show in Pittsburgh, PA, and though it was hard to hear them while all the bottles and broken glass were being cleaned up, I was “Smothered in Hugs” (ha ha) and given an attentive and warm interview.

Chris Goodman: You guys started in ‘83. It’s 2012. 30 years later…What keeps you going?

Kevin Fennell: A lot of it is the new material. I’ve always said this is more of a brotherhood than just a band. We’re so close, like a family. And I know that it sounds cliché but it’s so true. There’s a lot of love going on here.

CG: You reunited in 2010 for the Matador 21st anniversary party with the original line up. That has to add to the dynamic and intensity, being together again…More so than when members were floating in and out?

KF: Some fans might like the other lineups, but personally I think we’re all partial to this one.

CG: Do you have time for any other projects outside of GBV?

KF: I’ve got a day job. We all have day jobs. So between that and the music, making records I stay pretty busy.

[Kevin gives me a hug and gets back to packing his drums up. Mitch’s girlfriend brings him over then he gives me a hug and asks what he can do for me…]

CG: Mitch. It’s an honor. GBV has a new album coming out in November and another scheduled for release in February. Where does it come from at this point? What keeps you going?

Mitch Mitchell: It’s the free beer. It keeps us going. The venues give it to us. They have all been great. The places and the people treat us so well and that truly means a lot. When you’ve played music for the majority of your adult life, you find some clubs really treat you like shit. I’ve never played here before but this was really a great place to play. And like I said…they give us all the beer we can drink. We’re all stoked. You can’t argue with beer.

CG: Is there going to be another tour after the next album?

MM: I hope so! We actually have a gig lined up for New Years Eve…It’s at Irving Plaza. I just found out today actually. We’ve always had a great response on the East Coast. New York, Philly, DC, Boston…These are some of the best rock cities there are. You go out to the West Coast and it’s a different kind of rock. The East Coast is the ballsy rock. But you know, rockers rock, man. Where rockers live, we will find them.

CG: Everyone was talking tonight about how stoked they were to see the original line up. Tobin Sprout is back. That’s huge for a lot of people. I heard “bigger than the Beatles” and “my fuckin’ heroes” thrown around all night.

MM: These guys are our heroes! You, the fans. They come to the shows. They support us. They have to work in the morning. I mean we play this music because we like it. We tour because we like it. The fact that other people can dig it is such a driving force though. To be on the road traveling it’s so nice to know you pull in somewhere and it’s like we’re all friends and they know your name and we all know what crazy shit we’re going to get into tonight. That is what means a lot.

CG: What’s the news with Mitch Mitchell’s Terrifying Experience?

MM: We do shows around our hometown. We don’t tour a lot. Just stick close to home and have fun.

CG: Is there an album coming out?

MM: Well there was, but things kind of snagged. I need to find out what’s up with that. I’ve got tons of new material. Two records recorded and ready to go and I’d like to get the shit out. The records are actually done, we just have to find out how to get them released. I’m kind of ignorant to that side of music. I don’t understand the nuts and bolts to putting a record out. If I have to put this shit out myself somehow then that’s what I’ll have to do I guess. We really put a lot into it and I’d like to get it to people GBV is my first and foremost priority, but the Terrifying Experience is like my baby. It’s a great time.

CG: How did you start playing music?

MM: When I first started I was 9 years old and I went to take some lessons at a music store. I listened to a lot of music growing up and I had always wanted to learn to play guitar. And I figured you had to learn from someone that already knew and that you couldn’t figure it out on your own. You had to be taught.

I found a guy at this music store called Dayton Band and I signed up for lessons. The first time I met with this guy he says, “The first thing you need to know about music is ALL drummers are crazy. The second lesson is that most drummers are assholes.” I mean this was my first guitar lesson. And he was right. To this day most of the drummers I’ve met are the nuttiest people in the band.

CG: So you had two lessons, and then figured you could just listen to Stones records and figure the riffs out?

MM: Ha. I took two fuckin’ lessons and decided I’d do it myself. That experience molded me. I learned to do things myself. I know a lot about drummers. Kevin and I have been playing since I was 10 years old. I love him with all my heart. I don’t ever have to look at him to know what’s happening or what he’s gonna do. It’s an unspoken connection.

CG: So there were ups and downs, but how the hell have you stayed a band for 30 years?

MM: The best advice I can give to guys in bands is to just drink and drink and drink! And to rock. If you can drink every night with the guys you’re in a band with, you will become unstoppable. It creates a special bond. Like brothers.

CG: So what have you been listening to lately?

MM: My girlfriend turned me on to Off! recently, Keith Morris’ band.

CG: I found those guys through my roommate and didn’t know who they were and I thought, this is so good but the singer is biting Keith Morris hard. Then I realized it was Keith Morris. I was blown away that they had that whole thing going on.

MM: They are as punk as a punk band gets….You know those early punk bands influenced me so much growing up. With music and skating. These bands just epitomized a lifestyle and a way of thinking. You related to these guys like you knew them, ya know. It was emotional on so many levels. The music and the attitude just spoke to me. And that’s how you connected to them. You hear them play and you might not even know what the hell they’re saying but you just ‘got it.’ And when you finally read the lyrics you realized these guys are going through what you’re going though. That’s how punk spoke to us…

CG: Who else really spoke to you growing up?

MM: Another band I always loved is the Descendants. Those guys just had it. All those old punk bands too…Septic Death, Christ on Parade, DRI, Subhumans, Black Flag and all those SST bands…All those old punk bands are the best. I wish I had the chance to meet them all and thank them… In my heart that shit is the core of what’s driving me. That balls-out attitude and just giving it everything you’ve got.

CG: I interviewed Mike Watt once and it changed my life…

MM: That dude is fucking amazing. I’ve been trying to hook up with Keith Morris for a while…

CG: You’re in Guided by fucking Voices and you can’t get a hold of Keith Morris?

MM: I’m computer illiterate man. I’ll have to have Gwen do that.

CG: Any last words?

MM: I’ll paraphrase Mike Watt on this…That this is all a mutual experience and it’s not just what we give to the fans…It’s what we get back that keeps us moving.

More information can be found at robertpollard.net/. You can try gbv.com but you will be directed to a site that was probably last updated in 1998. It’s actually kind of worth a look…Mitch Mitchell’s Terrifying Experience can be found on Facebook.

by Shotgun

We asked 10 Suicide Girls if they could curl their tongue, and filmed their reaction. While Annasthesia can do multiple tricks with her tongue, Tovi has given up trying. It’s okay though, she has plenty of other talents, like baking. Watch them, along with Phecda, Kentessa, Oakley, Smayx, Vellin, Yesnesnia, Madison, and the lovely Tita as they stick their tongues out and show off their skills.

Patton Suicide in Hyacinth House

• INTO: Art, broccoli, bats, body piercings, tattoos, Halloween, loud music, things that hurt, tight pants, loyalty, lunchboxes, dancing, quantum physics, workaholics, astral projection, needles, respect, monsters, insomniacs, wormholes, math equations, empathy, gore, mass murderers, machines, alternate dimensions, coupons, anatomy, Tetris, zombies, sharp objects, shiny things, comfy tees, short shorts.
• NOT INTO: Nonsense, egos, arrogance, hustlers, skanks, injuring myself while barefoot, grocery shopping, being cold, batteries dieing, alarms going off, spilling things, interruptions, pretentious attitudes, cops, doppelgangers.
• MAKES ME HAPPY: Picture texts, phone calls, body warmth, cats, boobs, sweet tea, surprises, broccoli, holding hands, kisses on the forehead, getting tucked in, Ugg boots, bats, sketchbooks.
• MAKES ME SAD: Brooms, iPod running out of power, getting out of bed, burning my hair with my cigarettes, nosebleeds, laundry, icebergs, the ocean.
• HOBBIES: Reading, painting, singing songs to myself, causing general pandemonium, dancing, being naked.
• 5 THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Sunglasses, my cat, cigarettes, loud music.
• I SPEND MOST OF MY FREE TIME: Daydreaming, working non-stop, untangling my hair, pulling out eyelashes that stab me in the eye, pretending I’m a princess.

Get to know Patton better over at SuicideGirls.com!