'Cause It's An Experiment. Experiment With Me.

I love this picture. It's of the WPA, one of my all-time favorite logic-defying experiments. The United States is in the midst of a crippling depression, the country is scared and weak and broke. Conventional wisdom says, "tighten the damn belt, wait out the lean times." Franklin Roosevelt said, "bullshit. Let's spend like we've never spent before. Let's pay people to build crazy shit like Hoover Dams, highways, zoos, whatever. And you know what, let's pay artists, too. Let's get someone to write a stage play about a down-and-out salesman, and let's get someone else to paint pictures of flowers that look suspiciously like vaginas. That's gonna turn this thing around!" Foul mouth aside, he was quite the visionary. And so in this picture we've got people building. We've got someone painting a picture of the people working. And we've got someone else taking a photograph of the whole scene. And I'm willing to bet that there is a writer less than a stone's throw away getting drunk while everyone else is hard at work. It was brilliant. And it sickens me to hear people try to denigrate the accomplishments the Greatest Generation made before they ever picked up the weapons of war.

The WPA kicked ass. Deal with it.

But, all of that nonsense is a way for me to say experimenting is vital! So, I've been experimenting with the jokes, lately. Here's the latest results of my mad science: Works in Progress, A'ight?

Enjoy!

Oh, and since this post brings me to a total number of posts divisible by 20, I'll list the last 20 songs I used for post titles. Check these people out on the ol' iTunes, or eMusic, or even an actual record store.

Oh, and check out the comedy show at Opolis in Norman this weekend! I'm not in it, but some hugely funny people are. So get ye to the comedy!

And I Swear There's Something Evil In The TV 5/17/07
“95 St. Marks Place” by The Sharp Things

You've Made It Pretty Clear What You Like 5/23/07
“Papa Was A Rodeo” by Kelly Hogan (Magnetic Fields cover)

Didn't Mean A Word Of It 5/25/07
“Moment of Weakness” by Bif Naked

I've Gotta Talk To You, But I'm So Sick Of Words, Words, Words 5/31/07
“Lost” by David Garza

It's The Same Old Thing As Yesterday 6/28/07
“King of Pain” by The Police

In The Company Of Strangers With Some Vulgar Shit To Say 7/2/07
“You Miss the Point Completely I Get The Point Exactly” by Harvey Danger

Hey Baby, It's The Fourth Of July 7/4/07
“4th of July” by X

And It Gives Me Something To Laugh About, 'Cause My Real Life Ain’t Fuckin’ Funny 7/25/07
“Can’t Get Out of What I’m Into” by Liz Phair

I Wanna Know What Love Is 7/26/07
“I Wanna Know What Love Is” by Foreigner

I Should Be Grateful, I Suppose, And Compare You To A Summer’s Rose 8/7/07
“This Piece of Poetry is Meant to Do Harm” by The Ark

It's Everything That Is Connected And Beautiful 8/16/07
“Kissing Families” by Silversun Pickups

You Can Surely Try To Be More Alive 8/28/07
“Fraud In The 80’s” by Mates of State

It’s Water, Don’t Try To Fight It 9/10/07
“Dear Sarah Shu” by John Vanderslice

Once Again, It's All About Me. And Pride Is Not A Factor, No. 9/11/07
“Moral Centralia” by Harvey Danger

White And Black, The Friendly Bears Of China. White And Black, They Rarely Reproduce. 9/14/07
“Pandas” by Corky And The Juice Pigs

No Telling How This Came To Be. You Ended Up Here When You Didn't Agree. 9/29/07
“Say Goodbye” by Papas Fritas

Sou Yo Kokoro No Nai Kotoba Nanka Yori 9/30/07
“Night Of Tokyo City” by Morning Musume

Anything Is Better Than Nothing. 10/30/07
“New Monkey” by Elliott Smith

Turn Down All The Lights. I'm Just Along For The Ride. 11/6/07
“Along for the Ride” by Mates of State

'Cause It's An Experiment. Experiment With Me. 11/07/07
“An Experiment” by Mates of State