by Carrie Brownstein

Lost is nowhere near the artistic level of a certain on-hiatus rock band. (But then again what is? Maybe the 1973-75 Led Zeppelin that has cropped up in earlier discussions?)

Yet I, too, am awaiting the season opener.

I liked when you offhandedly said that classical music was probably too elitist for the masses on "Talk of the Nation" today--I bet that ruffled some feathers but my feeling is you are very right. Though as host Alex hinted, I do think Wagner has been used by at least one "politician"... yikes.

Also found it hilarious that you (indirectly?) caused them to play "North American Scum" on a serious political-type talk show.

Sent by David G. | 5:46 PM ET | 01-29-2008

I am left-handed, and I have a library card that is long unused. Despite relaying both of these facts in the same sentence, I don't believe they are related. And now I feel compelled to point out that I'm an avid reader and that I buy books frequently. I can remember a time when a Bush or Clinton was not in the White House. The first president I remember clearly is Reagan. I take my own snacks into the movies, but not drinks. The fact that John McCain is gaining momentum makes me nervous. I've never liked AC/DC. I have been to Victoria, BC, which is technically in Canada but is probably the least Canadian city you can visit.

Sent by jason | 6:00 PM ET | 01-29-2008

I always tip 20 percent at a restaurant.
I will be rooting for the New England Patriots during the Super Bowl. (Only because I hate the '72 Dolphins, though not Larry Csonka, who has a great last name.)
I have a library card. (I have two.)
I can remember a time when a Bush or Clinton was not in the White House
I (sometimes, when I remember to) sneak your own snacks or drinks into a movie
You have not yet purchased music in 2008. (Still on 2007 year end mixes made by friends.)

Brett Favre? Really? Oh, geez.

Reading: By Night in Chile by Roberto Bolano.

Sent by mikeyj | 6:17 PM ET | 01-29-2008

Carrie, I bet you know how to play a little Stairway on guitar...

Sent by Meagan | 7:17 PM ET | 01-29-2008

You were conscious of politics before 1981? Bush Sr. became VP that year. I didn't start paying attention until junior high myself.

Treasury hunts=good times

Sent by Elizabeth | 7:45 PM ET | 01-29-2008

McCain, Carrie??!! Say it ain't so.

???? -CB

Sent by Rachel | 8:53 PM ET | 01-29-2008

I'm also reading The Shock Doctrine. I feel like I don't know enough economic theory to understand it completely, but it's fascinating (and horrifying)

Sent by Jen | 8:54 PM ET | 01-29-2008

The Shock Doctrine was by far, the most mind boggling book i've read. What an eye opener.

Have you by chance read, "No Logo" by Klein? It has made me think daily about the choices i've made, and has continued to pursuade the present and future decisions that will cross my path.

Sent by Jade | 9:26 PM ET | 01-29-2008

The fact that John McCain is gaining momentum makes me excited AND nervous.

Agreed. Anyone who can keep Romney & Huckabee out of the nomination is fine by me at this point.
Reading: "No One Belongs Here More Than You" by Miranda July

Sent by stephanie | 10:15 PM ET | 01-29-2008

Oh, Naomi Klein. Swoon. Why is Canada the source of all things ground-breaking and wonderful? Time to move to Quebec. (For me, not you.) And yes, Lost start begin soon enough. I loved your reaction to the "Combat Rock" suggestion on Talk of the Nation.

Sent by Jaime | 11:09 PM ET | 01-29-2008

Just finished The Shock Doctrine. Awesome. In Defense of Food is up next. And I agree with Jade, Klein's No Logo is highly recommended, if you haven't read it yet.

Sent by Tommy | 2:51 AM ET | 01-30-2008

-i usually tip 20 percent, although sometimes i will leave more if the server seems like they need it, and at the time i don't. my mother thinks its ok to tip less than 10 percent. she often finds reasons to excuse this behavior as well.

-i don't know when the super bowl is, but when it comes on, i will watch the ads so i can discuss them with my women's studies professor.

-never heard of brett f.

-i played tennis in high school, but not for school. i was never very athletic. i got in trouble a lot. i discovered books. i discovered girls. and i discovered music.

- i have a library card that doesn't get much use. i end up at the book store buying books so i can write in them and make notes and get a little rough.

- i can remember jimmy carter. i remember seeing his face on tv and then waking up with a dollar under my pillow. i thought he was the toothfairy.

- i don't think i am even slightly interested in johnny mccain gaining momentum. i am tired of having to pick amongst the least gross. here is a quote from him post 9/11..."War is a miserable business. Let's get on with it." F - that. i will move to another country before i will vote for him.

- there is a book i have about women in rock. i read it a while ago. it has people like bjork, and marianne faithful, tori, tanya donnelly, kristin hirsch, liz phair, the women from lush, kate bush, ruby, kim gordon, etc. it was well written and gave some good insight. other than that i have read here and there about certain bands. i read a lot about madonna when i was in junior high school.

LISTENING TO: stars -- hearts
READING: no one belongs here more than you (m. july) and pardon me, youre stepping in my eyeball
(p. zindel)
WATCHING: the last episode of twin peaks
AWAITING: change

Sent by shmaila | 10:53 AM ET | 01-30-2008

Agreed. Anyone who can keep Romney & Huckabee out of the nomination is fine by me at this point.

I respectfully completely disagree.

McCain will be a more challenging opponent to Obama or Clinton, due to his broad appeal among unaffiliated voters and some who tend to vote Democratic. He's hard to attack as he was a prisoner of war, something that gives him massive credibility that neither Democratic potential can claim. He has a well-maintained image of being a "straight shooter" a free thinker and he's good at talking to people--many trust him even as they disagree with him. His former criticism of the war on Iraq gives his current "stay-the-course" rhetoric credibility among many. Huckabee and Mitt are just not nearly as strong candidates, I think either Obama or Clinton would defeat either of them much more easily, and I would much rather see either of them get the nomination.

So the rise of McCain makes me very nervous.

I don't really think he's significantly better than Romney or Huckabee. I'm glad that he finds torture unacceptable, but that's about the only thing he's any good on. He admits global warming exists, but he wants to address the problem through nuclear power. He gets undeserved points among young voters cuz he's savvy enough to say that what's happening in Darfur is bad (without proposing anything concrete that he would do about it, natch.) Etc. Given his ability to appeal to people who normally wouldn't tolerate his right wing positions, he's much more dangerous and I don't see how anyone can get excited about him.

Sent by Constintina | 11:16 AM ET | 01-30-2008

I agree with Stephanie - Romney and Huckabee make me nervous AND very nervous.

Sent by JJ Hellgate | 12:10 PM ET | 01-30-2008

If the next President of the United States HAS to be a Republican, then I prefer McCain over the other GOP options.

For a Republican, McCain is sometimes on the correct side of issues. And when McCain is wrong, he's just wrong. Not wrong and slimy (Romney), or wrong and insane (Giuliani), or wrong and an ass (Giuliani again), or wrong and fundamentalist (Huckabee).

Sent by Mick (not "Mick") | 12:12 PM ET | 01-30-2008

If this NPR gig doesn't work out you always have a future as the nation's Campaign Theme Song Czar. :-)

In Hillary's defense, I believe the Celine Dion song was chosen by the "people". The "people" being those who voted for it on her campaign's web site. I think there was a split vote between KT Tunstall and the Dixie Chicks, which allowed Celine to sneak in with a win. That's my theory anyway.

Sent by East Coast Terry | 12:59 PM ET | 01-30-2008

i know Lost "jumped the shark" (or should I say jumped the polar bear) a long time ago, but i'm hooked, and its an abusive relationship. i am also awaiting the return of Battlestar Galactica.

Sent by AguaLinda | 1:03 PM ET | 01-30-2008

I respectfully completely disagree.

McCain will be a more challenging opponent to Obama or Clinton, due to his broad appeal among unaffiliated voters and some who tend to vote Democratic. He's hard to attack as he was a prisoner of war, something that gives him massive credibility that neither Democratic potential can claim. He has a well-maintained image of being a "straight shooter" a free thinker and he's good at talking to people--many trust him even as they disagree with him. His former criticism of the war on Iraq gives his current "stay-the-course" rhetoric credibility among many. Huckabee and Mitt are just not nearly as strong candidates, I think either Obama or Clinton would defeat either of them much more easily, and I would much rather see either of them get the nomination.

So the rise of McCain makes me very nervous.

I don't really think he's significantly better than Romney or Huckabee. I'm glad that he finds torture unacceptable, but that's about the only thing he's any good on. He admits global warming exists, but he wants to address the problem through nuclear power. He gets undeserved points among young voters cuz he's savvy enough to say that what's happening in Darfur is bad (without proposing anything concrete that he would do about it, natch.) Etc. Given his ability to appeal to people who normally wouldn't tolerate his right wing positions, he's much more dangerous and I don't see how anyone can get excited about him.

Very good point, but Huckabee and Romney give me the heebie jeebies and I'd rather have anyone else. Hopefully the democrats will just win this election, but on the off chance that things change and people turn back to the republicans I'd rather be safe.

Sent by stephanie | 1:50 PM ET | 01-30-2008

over the christmas holidays i became addicted to rockband for a week (then my friend asked for his PS3 back). after a while, when i listened to music, i would imagine how it would be played on the game. i went to bed still hitting those notes in my brain.

the whole time i wished there were sleater-kinney songs on there. how fun would it be to play "jumpers" with my the fam?! answer: lots.

i haven't listened to the npr thing about campaign songs, but my suggestion for hillary would be "american girl" by tom petty.

Sent by Lauren | 2:41 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Carrie, how do you feel about the possibility of Bloomberg to run?

Sent by lee | 2:43 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Right - that's what I meant. While I agree that McCain is def. the best of the bunch, I think he's really the only Rep. who could beat Clinton or Obama.

Sent by Rachel | 2:51 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Well I'm a day late posting on this but I was thinking about Lost yesterday it's a really good show but i jumped in watching somewhere in the middle and had no idea what was going on. So if you have not seen it since the beginning season you're pretty much lost too. I work late nights anyways i wouldn't be able to watch it. how i wish i had some tivo.

Sent by Danielle | 3:03 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Consider this:

The people of this country re-elected a monkey with a small, unwrinkled brain in the last presidential election. It didn't matter that the Democrats had a war hero running against him. The monkey spanked the hero (there must be a joke there).

The country is so divided right now that I believe it is imperative to have a viable candidate on the Republican ticket. The theory that the GOP nomination of Slimey, Preachy or Grumpy is a plus for our nation just because it increases the electibility of the Democratic nominee is defeatist, and is in my opinion a symbol of what is so terribly wrong with our political climate today.

Sent by Chad Bly | 3:23 PM ET | 01-30-2008

I have to say that I find the "Yes, but McCain is the least scary" angle to be very short-sighted. Or maybe it's a defensive posture.

The bottom line is that with a more radical candidate like Romney or Huckabee, there is no way another Republican takes the White House. But McCain, who despite the past 8 years of cozying up to Bush and doing whatever it takes to appease the Republican machine so that he could be the nominee this year still somehow gets credit for being a "Maverick" and "Independent Thinker", has an actual shot at winning. He is actually the ONLY way Republicans can retain executive branch power in '08.

That's why he is the scariest option of the bunch. He's the one that can win and make sure the next Supreme Court nominee will vote against Choice and other critical issues. (like protections for workers, which the court is eroding already) He's the one that can win and extend the Iraq debacle indefinitely and has postured aggressively against Iran...

And it's especially concerning because he's been able to keep his far right leanings under cover, and the media's complete adoration of him seems to prevent him from exposing the fact that he is truly far right, and not the moderate he claims to be.

Long story short -- McCain is the WORST case scenario for anyone hoping change will come out of this election.

Sent by Mike L | 3:33 PM ET | 01-30-2008

Carrie, thanks for the Imaad Wasif tip. I love what I hear so far.

Oh, and book geek that I am, I assume everyone has a library card!

Sent by Setya | 2:19 AM ET | 01-31-2008

What do you think of La Vie En Rose? I'm a huge fan of Edith Piaf and I guess I had really high expectations for this film, but I found it pretty disappointing. I have nothing against nonlinear storytelling, but I do think in this case the whole picture would've made a lot more sense and been a lot more moving if they'd shown us the death scene and brief monologue within it at the beginning (that's not a spoiler, is it? She's a real person who died 45 years ago...I hope I haven't ruined anyone's experience!). Without understanding the concept of the film's structure until the very end, I was just irritated by the heavy tone of the whole thing. Anyway, just saying. The art direction was good.

(p.s. I just noticed the post says "La" but the tag says "Ma"-- which is it? Ma Vie En Rose is terrific.)

Sent by nikki | 4:55 PM ET | 01-31-2008

Im currently reading the Saga of Chief Joseph... But I have to put it down every so often, Or it makes me a lil too sad...

Carrie for President in 2012?

wait, maybe that wouldnt be such a good idea? wed loose out on too many good Pearl Jam protest songs...

Sent by Kramer | 10:22 AM ET | 02-01-2008

Oceanic 6!?
who do you think the other three are carrie?
my guess: sawyer, juliette & claire

Sent by esme | 1:22 PM ET | 02-01-2008

sweet beans, I received the The Shock Doctrine for Christmas!! I have yet to read it because I figured I should start No Logo, which has been sitting on my bookshelf for 2+ years unread first.

And I love LOST!!!

Sent by janet | 3:01 PM ET | 02-01-2008

I STAND CORRECTED: I just watched a marathon of season 7 "America's Next Top Model."

Sent by Gina V. | 9:02 PM ET | 02-01-2008

Since you bring up the subject of tipping, may I pose a question of my own? What are my tipping obligations at a coffee shop when I purchase a cup of black coffee? Twenty percent - sometimes literally twenty cents - seems like an insulting tip, so I usually only tip if I have two or three cups. And even then, it's not a difficult order to fill. Is tipping even necessary? This is making my life more awkward than it ought to be.

Sent by KG | 11:14 PM ET | 02-01-2008

today would be a good day for a post about the relationship between professional sports and glam-rock.

Sent by gary glitter | 5:08 PM ET | 02-03-2008

Although you raised several interesting points, I will comment on only one. I love Brett Favre too :). Not only because I am a Wisconsin native (and therefore a diehard Packer fan), but because Brett is the definition of passionate and if we all can't be passionate about something, at least we can experience it for a few hours every Sunday (hopefully for at least another year).

Sent by KT | 3:11 AM ET | 02-10-2008