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2 Skinnee J's, 311, and Galactic Move to Volcano Records
Just in time for the holidays Capricorn Records has formally sold a majority of its back catalog and current artists to Volcano Records, ending a long
period of confusion for us, and beginning, most likely, a new one (period of
confusion, that is...). We'd like to thank everyone for sticking around during this period and we look forward to releasing our new record sometime soon. Until then, have a happy holidays and a great new year. We'll see you on the road.
Winter 2001 Club Dates: January February Street Team WWW.2SJ.COM A Note on the Elections As the American public waited around to find out who the next President would be, we heard a number of appeals from both camps to the "principles of Democracy" in a vain effort to take the moral high ground. Do they really think we're that stupid? If nothing else, the back and forth arguments between Gore and Bush revealed one thing - the only democratic principles they care about are the ones that would get them elected. How else can we explain George Dubya and his Republican cronies crying about the recount in Florida, then playing switch-hitter and asking for one in New Mexico? And what about Al Gore who coyly asked, "Are we going to count every vote or not?" If he really wanted to count every vote he wouldn't have asked for a recount in just 4 conveniently Democratic leaning counties and instead would have demanded one in the entire state. And, moreover, why was Gore, the champion of the dimpled chad and "voter intent" hell-bent on discounting over 15,000 absentee ballots due to technicalities. Aren't those voters' intents important to the process as well? Of course not, because they wouldn't have helped Gore win. Indeed, both candidate's desire to subvert democracy to their own purposes was made patently obvious during the campaign when they denied Ralph Nader a spot on the debating podium. After all, isn't informing the public of the choices they have before them part of the essence of democracy? Again, the answer is "no" if those elements of democracy in any way threaten the stranglehold of power to two major parties have on our system. They, not the people of the country, make up the rules. The reality is that both Gore and Bush are unprincipled representatives of the status quo, only pretending to be different as a means to win in a lustful battle for power. They, and the parties they represent, serve the same masters - big money and corporate power. They have no interest in change, only in furthering the agenda of those who already hold the power in our nation. We should also be very concerned at the manner in which the various branches and cells of government have played their roles straight down partisan lines - the liberal democratically aligned local election boards demanding recounts in their heavily democratic counties; the conservative republican aligned Secretary of State denying the inclusion of votes counted two hours too late; the conservative republican appointed circuit judge denying Al Gore's appeal of the decision; the liberal majority democratic appointed Florida state supreme court overturning the circuit court decision and demanding a recount; and the final blow from the heavily Republican/conservative U.S. Supreme Court not only stopping the counting from going on BEFORE they made their decision (ensuring that the count could not possibly be done prior to the December 12 deadline - suspicious, huh?) then voting largely along partisan lines in a terribly written, confusing, convoluted split decision. (By the way, this decision by the Supreme Court is a classic example of smart people using confusing language and diversionary arguments to avoid really explaining to normal people what they did and why. Disgusting.) In the end, the victory went to the man who benefited most from the rules that ended up being applied, not to who most definitely got the greatest number of votes. If we were to disregard absentee ballots for slight technical reasons, Gore would have won. And because in the "interest of time" we didn't count ballots that "look like" the voter meant to vote for Gore, Bush won. What is certain is that we will never know for sure who actually got the most votes in Florida. Out of 6 million votes, a count which has to worry about "voter intent" and supposed voter fraud, there is a margin of error greater than the 154 votes that separate the candidates. With that in mind, we at the Skinnee J's propose the following solution - a game of rock, paper, scissors to the finish. And let it be pay per view on TV like everything else, with Stumpy owning the rights. The result of that contest will be as random and arbitrary as any result of counting votes. And to the victor goes the spoils. (P.S. Though we disregard both candidates as puppets of corporate power, the post-election debate did bring out one startling and disheartening event - the reemergence of James Baker III into the public spotlight. Any of you who remember this man, know that he is probably the closest thing to pure evil we've spawned in our country. Let us all pray that he is not included in any future government.) Addendum from AJ Stumpy Johnson: Pay close attention, everyone. What you have just read, Skinnee fans, is the most overt example any of you will ever see of the love my band, 2 Skinnee J's, have for me. I know, I know...they show an unparalleled amount of respect and deference to me onstage and at shows. But this, my friends, this is something that truly warms my heart because it demonstrates their conviction that I should have been elected President using my patented rock-paper-scissors method, albeit clumsily and through the liberal use of euphemism. As they say, there is nothing so sweet as the first efforts of a child to embrace it's parents except for, perhaps, this. Now I know that I am not one known for my sentimentality but as the election controversy fades and the Holidays approach I am finding myself more appreciative than ever for some of the more annoying elements of the J's. Special J's bouts of Attention Deficit Disorder, J Guevara's uncanny ability to clean out a thrift store before anyone else even so much as has a looksee, Eddie Eyeball's need for 22 hrs. of sleep a day, Stevie Spice's penchant for being the handsomest bull in a china shop, Mikey B's power to drop his vital signs so low as to appear dead and Lance Corporal's addiction to the "I've got your nose" game have all been elevated from punishable offenses to near virtues. At least until after Christmas. A.J. "Stumpy" Johnson Feedback from Special J's Open Letter: A number of people from Nebraska and elsewhere wrote us about my open letter regarding Nebraska's passage of ballot measure 416 which banned the state from recognizing gay marriages. While almost everyone who wrote us agreed with our position, some people from Nebraska thought that I made it seem like everyone from Nebraska had supported the measure. Looking back over what I wrote I agree that I was probably too harsh. So, we'd like to thank all those people in Nebraska and elsewhere who worked to keep bills like this from passing. We face an uphill battle, but it is a worthy struggle. Here are a couple of the letters we received. (There are also a number on the bulletin board at 2skinneejs.com) We just read your email and were upset by some of the comments made by Special J. We live in Omaha, NE and voted against 416. Just because the amendment passed doesn't mean that everyone voted for it. All three of us took the time to go out and vote against it. So please don't include all Nebraskans as being so pig headed and behind the times, because not all of us are. If you have other comments about this or anything please write back. THE J'S ROCK! Keep rockin' hard- And from Omaha.... Two weeks ago, I got the opportunity to exercise my right to vote for the first time. And as dorky as it might sound, I got a little excited being able to do it. After seeing how close elections were in other places, especially on the Presidential level, I truly got to experience just how important one little vote is in the grand scheme of things. Needless to say, I considered myself an "informed voter", a rarity in my demographic. When I first read about the same-sex marriage referendum vote (Here, known as Proposition 416), I was mortified. The idea to make it essentially illegal, or rather unrecognized, for same-sex partners to be married only symbolizes the ass-backward mentality of Nebraska's bureaucrats, once again confusing "Religion" and "Morality" for Politics. The idea that any government could be so blatantly prejudiced against a faction of people boggles the mind. What makes things more interesting is that according to a recent study, Lincoln, the capital, has more homosexuals per capita than almost any other city in the U.S. But, allow me to explain something to the people that aren't as familiar with how politics work in NE like you and I are, Special J. Nebraska can be easily explained thus: there's Omaha (Pop: 350,000), there's Lincoln (Pop: 250,000) and then, there's everything else. Outside of Omaha and Lincoln, the city with the next highest population would top out around 50,000 (Kearney, perhaps...). Herein lies the rub. The collective population of "everything else" can MATHEMATICALLY eliminate a liberal college town, like Lincoln, or even the closest thing we have to a "big city", Omaha. Which is why no matter how hard efforts are in those two cities to systematically expand people's minds with new concepts and ideas, the land-locked, sheltered, farming contingent of this state will always shoot it down. This is why our state continues to vote Republican/Conservative. This is why we don't have any professional sports teams, or even an arena to put them in. (We suck, I know.) I voted against 416, and spoke out against it in any way I could. I voted against it to protect my friends who have chosen homosexuality as their lifestyle. I voted against it so that, God forbid, if I raise children here, that they can be free to make their own decisions about their lives, without discrimination from their father, or their state. And like you, Special, the fact that it passed doesn't even begin to describe the frustration I feel about it passing with such an overwhelming majority. It truly makes me feel ridiculous to call this place home. And what makes me feel worse is that people from other places around the country can now black-list me along with Farmer Joe Bob, from Alliance, NE, who "just plain hates queers." I guess what I want you to see is that, though some seventy percent of my crappy state said no to homosexual union, some thirty percent of us said that it's fine. And, I'm willing to bet that the 2SJ's fan base here would more than likely fall into the latter category. Hate, by all definitions, is disgusting. And counter-productive. (And unimaginative, for that matter...) As a race, the human race, if we don't learn to coexist with what's unfamiliar, to be "indifferent to differences" to coin a phrase (to focus on unity, rather than dissimilarity), all of our successes in other areas will be in vain. Ignorance and inequality will be the demise of our society. And that's if we don't rape the land we're on first. Mark my words. Fortunately, I do see a change, or at least the beginnings of change in my generation. I see a more tolerant constituent, ever-growing in numbers. And if I can honestly say that about my friends and family, collectively my generation, in crappy little Omaha, NE, I can only surmise that we are not alone. And we are growing. Thanks for your letter. It needed to be said. Just don't count out the underdog voters like me. The Champions of the Little Guys, like you, should know that. Respectfully, VOLUMIZER on Napster Horns of Destruction www.2Skinneejs.com for all your online needs. 2sj.com also! Call the Hotline 212-560-7494 for updates and the sweet sound of Stevie Spice's voice. Letters can be sent to 2 Skinnee J's at: P.O. Box 1033 All merchandise checks should be made out to Stumpycorp To Book 2 Skinnee J's contact Bob Engel at Variety Artists Intl. 805-237-4275. This letters attachment is great. Stevie Spice off tour. Those receiving the attachment- go ahead and download. Those not receiving it or who choose not to download it may view it on the web at http://members.aol.com/FamousRT 2 Skinnee J's Webpages online. If you have a 2sj page, I urge you to email FamousRT@aol.com and your URL will be added below. There are some new additions below, please visit these links and show your support for the hardworking fans who dedicate their time to spreading the word! http://members.aol.com/FamousRT/2sj.html |