It’s well-known that Beltway media elites and the Bush administration are extraordinarily chummy (see the sickening display that was MC Rove, for instance), but who knew they rocked together as well?
Tonight, in an historic first, the pampered dandies of the networks, represented by CBS’ Bob Schieffer, and his Honkytonk Confidential outfit, will take on administration spokesfucker Tony Snow and Beats Workin’ in a battle of the bands that will likely focus more on the audience’s (and indeed, the bands’) endurance than on songcraft or charisma.
The National Press Club is hosting the event, and tickets are a mere $50 for members and $60 for non-members.
The real reason for this post, however, is to mock the pitiful skills of Beats Workin’s Web designer (undoubtedly one of the chumps in the band). Check out the obsessive use of “And More!” on Beats Workin’s “Songs Lists” page (a theme you’ll find repeated on the Honky Tonk Confidential home page [scroll down to the red (!) typeface under the second photo]). Beats Workin’ also misapprehend the lyrics to “All Along The Watchtower” on their “Contact Us” page, thus creating an alternate reality where the wildcat does not, in fact, growl, making the whole scene a lot less menacing.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2007.
Is it correct to use the article “an” before “historic”? I don’t consider the “h” in “history” to be silent.
yes, it is silent, like the “p” in “you’re annoying.”
“An historic” is an annoying, meaningless Britishism that must be banned from American English immediately (so should “amongst” and “amidst,” for that matter). The H in “historic” is aspirated, and therefore it makes absolutely no sense to use “an” before the word. After all, nobody, not even the English, say “an hospital” (although those of the Cockney persuasion may say “a ‘ospi’al,” with glottal stops where the H and T should be). “An historic” is pretentious nonsense, and should be employed only ironically, if at all.
ouch! that was an historic smackdown, reel! YOU’RE ON MY LIST!
Forget “an historic” for pet peeves, because I have a real pet peeve: The overuse of the phrase “at the end of the day.”
Watch CNN or any news program where they are interviewing someone or doing some form of analysis: Sooner or later, somebody will say, “….because, at the end of the day, you have to look at the larger picture….” or something similar.
Even Tucson’s Savannah Guthrie was spotted using this cliche representing Court TV in a recent interview.
Where did this stupid phrase come from? Why is “the end of the day” the only time to assess the fuller situation? What’s wrong with morning? Afternoon?
Because let’s face it: At the end of the day, robotically copying trendy speech patterns opens a can of worms that’s totally for the birds.
Incidentally, I went to the link posted above, and it was indeed a crappy web site. It made it look like Tony Snow was part of a cheesy suburban band full of middle-aged dads trying to “rock out with their prostates out.”