Ms. Jackson ... But I Ain't Nasty

Janet Jackson is coming to town.

Well, maybe.

So she canceled six shows because of a mystery box ailment. Is it a crazy hangover? Is it humiliation? Is it liposuction? Is it the flu? Vertigo? Dog died? Cat got her tongue?

Could be any one of those things, but what we do know, at least right now, is she will be coming to Mohegan Sun Saturday night. That show is not yet canceled. Stay tuned.

But Jackson, for all the drama, is a great performer and a legendary artist. Respect basic pop music or not, she is one of the top pop artists of all time. And if you were around in the early 90s, you definitely know of her work. "Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814" remains, to me, one of the best albums of the last 25 years. Hard beats, grinding tempos, attitude. The whole thing. And Janet knew it would be a big album, stacking the thing with interludes. In all there are 12 proper songs. Eight became singles.

Want to know how big it was? My brother, at the time 7, owned a copy.

I listened judiciously, not really getting the fact that she was a female pop star and that I was a young boy who shouldn't really be interested in female pop stars. I was more intrigued by the music itself, the directness of it. The title track, with that great Sly and the Family Stone sample, just rolls off the tongue: "peopleoftheworldtoday ... areyoulookinforabetterway .. of life ... sing! weeee are a paaaart of the rhytttthm nation!" If you, white man, were turned away from the harsh reality of Public Enemy, this was a little easier to swallow.

Then she comes out with "Miss You Much." Pretty standard dance track, but I still get the "M. I. S. S. YOU MUCH" in my head from time to time. "Escapade" was just a fun song. Then, like, out of nowhere, you get "Love Will Never Do," which is this awesome, soaring song. You never want it to end. And lest I forget the iconic video, with Janet prancing around the beach in a little shirt and tight jeans. A sex symbol was born.

Yeah, I listened to Janet growing up. Who didn't? I'm not going to the show Saturday (heck, Janet might not, either), but I certainly will turn up the dial if a song from "Rhythm Nation" hits my radio again. Forget it. I'm gone.

Lindsay loves Lennox. Makes sense.

So Lindsay Lohan is speaking out to America via her MySpace blog, saying forget Sarah Palin's daughter mama trouble and focus on the politics.

Yay for Lindsay — she's right.

The AP wrote some background on Lohan's MySpace blog, including:

She’s also used her blog to recommend music (Annie Lennox’s “Walking on Broken Glass,” was a pick) and search for a particular ice cream.

For some reason that music pick struck me as absolutely appropriate for Lohan. It's one of those catchy, kitschy, cool late-80s songs that gets in your head and never escapes. Kind of an anthem for the "dramatic, crazy, wild girl" type. The kind of song you can play just chilling, or out in the club with a dance remix. Annie Lennox always knew how to tap into the strung-out girl contingent.

It'll be hard to vote Obama because Palin is hot

This is Sarah Palin, John McCain's vice presidential pick and governor of Alaska.

Since I have a "history" with cougars, I have to write this post. I mean, that's what I'm about, right?

Palin was voted by someone America's hottest governor. This is a picture of her from back in the day. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the hottest person ever on a presidential ticket (although I can't help but take a shining to Milliard Filmore).

Seriously though, this is a real risky choice for McCain, though it shows smarts and goes right along with his history of being a "maverick" (They love throwing that word around, don't they?) Since she has literally no foreign policy experience, it completely washes Obama of all his detractions. And I can't wait to see her debate with Joe Biden. Can she handle someone who's been around the block and then some? Captivating stuff.

The scary thing, to me, is Palin was a city councilor in a small Alaskan city just a couple years ago. And now she could be a heart attack away from the Oval Office. Funny how this country works sometimes.

That's a big platform

So we're less than 12 hours from seeing Barack Obama at Invesco Field accept his party's nomination for president.

Of course the question has been raised before — is it a little too much?

Listen, I'm all for big, grandiose statements, but in music, crowdgoers usually feel a larger "connection" (be it real or through the use of acid beforehand) with an artist if it 's in a smaller, more acoustic setting. You know, like you really get to feel what they're feeling. Or something.

Usually when you go to a big stadium concert, you're either there to take in something that's totally out of reach (say U2 or something) or you're there to get wasted and spend time with people listening to music (Dave Matthews, etc.). Most people at Invesco tonight will feel that way — some of the more engaged figures will take it all in, while the idiots who're there just to look like doofuses will be dancing in the aisles.

If I'm Barack, I'd be careful about the message you're sending to middle America. They might not be completely keen on a guy who has to sell out an 80,000-seat football stadium to proclaim his presidency for his party.

Sad day for Dave fans

LeRoi Moore, saxophonist for the Dave Matthews Band, died yesterday at age 46.

He died of injuries he sustained in an June 30 ATV wreck. The band had been touring without Moore, but there was no reason to think he'd die. He was rehabbing when he was hospitalized.

Pretty sad day for DMB fans. I was always a big fan of theirs, more during their classic run in the late 1990s. I remember listening to "Under the Table and Dreaming" during one summer while I was taking art classes in Philly. It must've been the year the album came out, too. I was hooked pretty early.

I went to a couple Dave shows, but none very recently. I guess things started falling off for me when Dave went solo. Like a good lot of his fans. "Busted Stuff" renewed interest, but after that I moved on. "Stand Up" wasn't anything much for me. But I always was a big fan. LeRoi will be missed.

One thing I always remembered about him is he wore his sunglasses because of a bout of stage fright. Considering DMB became the biggest touring act in the country during their heyday, it was pretty funny. Always so cool in those shades, behind everyone else, just doing his thing.

Why I hang out with 30-somethings

My mom — in one of her moments of nostalgia — faxed me results of my psychological exam at age 3. The gist of the summary was I had already learned to read and was feared of being "bored" in preschool. My psychologist tested me in various forms of aptitude (using Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence) to determine a recommendation for my schooling.

While he found I was overly intelligent and bursting with potential, he recommended I stay in regular line with grade ascension. He added while I should socialize with people my age, as I became older I would likely prefer the company of older people.

This past weekend I went out for drinks with a 38-year-old woman. Earlier this year I went out with a 32-year-old woman. At local bars and clubs I find myself unable — maybe purposely — to talk with women my age. Most of my best friends are older than 26.

I'm not a normal 20-something. On the surface I may come across as such, but that's my front. That's what makes other comfortable. I suppose in time I should really think about what's comfortable for me. And sometimes I do that, and that's when I'm happiest, admittedly.

It's important, really, to find your comfort zone. It's important to find the people and things that give you challenge, that give you strength, both outside and in. Only then will you be able to discover who you are.

For me, it's all coming together.

Computer Rules Me

My Apple Macbook broke almost two weeks ago.

While it's being fixed, I've been running between my work computer and a friend's computer as the two connections I have to the world. It's been hard. Very hard.

It made me wonder just how much our lives are based on our computers. Everything we think, say, do, write, create finds its way onto the computer. Sure we hold things in our minds and write on paper, but for a lot of us, everything is right there. Our music, our shows, our profiles, our contacts, our friends, our words and numbers.

From Orwell to modern-day interpretations, we live by technology and isolated connection. When we go without what we truly think we need, then we go insane. I don't think I'm insane yet, since I have been able to access things via other computers, but if I didn't have a machine for long enough, I very well could thrash my eyes out. What a horrible conceit, and yet, what an amazing thing.