THINGS THAT ARE MAKING ME SAD AT THE MOMENT...

1.) The INS/ICE continuing to fuck with Slick Rick. Check out the whole saga in this new Village Voice piece. I’m not suggesting he should get special treatment just because he’s “The Ruler.” But it’s obvious that deporting Ricky Walters makes no sense whatsoever. NY courts understand this and have judged in his favor numerous times over the past decade, but Florida has the strictest immigration laws in the country and it was in that state where he got into trouble. It now looks like the moment Rick feared – to quote one of my favorite tracks by him – is finally here. If the court rules against him, as is predicted, he’ll have to leave his wife, his family and friends, and everything he’s ever known (he came to NYC from the UK as a kid).

But as Julia Reischel, a reporter for the New Times Broward Palm-Beach, points out in this well-written and comprehensive article (which was picked up by the Voice), the upcoming legal battle has broader ramifications for immigration law in general. The gist of it is that Rick is being tried for the same offense twice. Double jeopardy, which is unconstitutional. But in our post-9/11 world, a whole different set of rules apply to immigration law.

Folks like Russell Simmons and Will Smith have stood up for Rick in the past, and he is going to need their help again. By bringing national attention to this story, perhaps we can’t alter the outcome of the trial but we can certainly shine some light on the issue of immigrants’ rights.

2.) Me missing the Amy Winehouse show at Joe’s Pub. The British soul singer had two sets at this intimate venue last night. I tried to buy tix (which were only $12!) a few days ago, but they were already sold out. Winehouse has a reputation for being fabulously drunk and sloppy at her shows, but folks on Okayplayer today were raving about her performance. She was backed by the Dap-Kings (damn!), who usually play with Sharon Jones – I’ve often praised them on this site. And I’m sure they brought a great, full sound, with their brass section and all. Apparently, it was a very “industry” crowd, with lots of music bigwigs in the house, including Jay-Z, Mos Def, Joss Stone, Nona Hendryx, Dr. John, Alice Smith, Citizen Cope, Tamar-Kali, and Mark Ronson, who produced much of her new album. Speaking of which, Back to Black is going to be released in the States this spring (it is currently #1 in the UK!) and I give it my highest recommendation. It was one of my favorite records last year, and if you don’t believe me, take it from ?uestlove, who ranked it at #2 in his list of top albums of 06. Winehouse performed almost the entire CD last night, and she even did a cover of Lauryn’s “Doo Wop (That Thing).” Aargh.
3.) Alice Coltrane’s passing. Seriously, when is it going to stop?
4.) This Chuck Klosterman book I’m reading, Killing Yourself to Live. Ugh, this was a dissapointing read. It's about his cross-country trip to the sites of dead rock stars, which is a cool premise. But there are just too many corny, self-indulgent passages about his love life, and all his cutesy pop culture references get tiresome. I guess I like Chuck better when he’s writing within some established parameters, such as a magazine interview. And don’t even get me started on that article he wrote for the New York Times magazine about Gnarls Barkley, which really pissed me off. Needless to say, Klosterman is much more on point when he sticks to what he knows, classic rock and modern/indie rock.

I do sometimes very much enjoy Klosterman’s writing. I admired a bunch of the pieces in his latest collection, Chuck Klosterman IV, especially his Spin interviews with Jeff Tweedy, Bono, Radiohead, and others. Oh, and there’s this hilarious conversation with Robert Plant, where Plant basically disses all heavy metal, even Black Sabbath, and says he regrets being considered in any way responsible for this genre of droning sludge that Zeppelin supposedly influenced. I found this quite interesting, because I’ve always felt there’s a liveliness, particularly in Zep’s rhythm section, that is completely different than Sabbath or other bands associated with metal. And I remember reading how Bonham and the boys were infatuated with James Brown and Motown, so I guess that makes sense. But I digress.

5.) Mos Def’s musical career arc. I’m not going to say anything more about this, it’s just too depressing.

6.) Mixtape DJs getting arrested. What!? This story is crazy. People like DJ Drama are totally legit. They're not bootlegging or making counterfeit CDs; they're giving the people what they want (exclusives, freestyles, etc.), and this is a practice that the artists and record companies support. So what's the problem? And why this sudden and extreme response from the RIAA?

7.) How safe and calculated Hillary Clinton’s every move is.

8.) The “surge.”