Toronto Mayor Rob Ford Goes Off

Another day, another startling revelation surrounding Toronto mayor Rob Ford.

Weeks ago, Ford came to attention of international media for his bumbling antics and roly-poly figure. While his "drunk Uncle" routine made him the butt of late-nite comedians' jokes, it soon became clear that there was more to the story.

Like Breaking Bad's Walter White, Ford's persona has become ever darker and more bizarre with each new revelation. Rumors of drug use heightened as local police revealed that they had videotape evidence of Mayor Ford's smoking crack cocaine with known gang members. After weeks of repeatedly denying the charges, he finally admitted to his drug use when confronted with irrefutable evidence.

But even his confession was marked by an odd line of defense. At the press conference earlier this week, wearing a characteristically wacky necktie, he blamed his crack cocaine use on judgement impaired by "a drunken stupor". More than one cable TV news crew has speculated jokingly what a shame it is that Saturday Night Live's, Chris Farley isn't around to lampoon Mayor Ford. Yes. What a shame. If only he hadn't died tragically of…you know…a drug overdose, we could've all had a good laugh.

All of which brings us to today's latest revelation. A tape has surfaced that shows Ford going off like De Niro's Al Capone in the Untouchables. Maybe the context is missing here, but it's hard to look at that and honestly say that this man should be running the fourth largest city in North America. (WARNING: strong, but slurred, language.). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcPD7tzcU60

Maybe the oddest part to the whole Rob Ford saga is his reputation's resilience when it comes to bad news. Since the allegations of drug use surfaced, his poll numbers among Toronto residents have actually gone up. Whether he survives these latest bombshells politically is up to the voters. Surviving them physically is up to him.

Worst Congress Ever Tops itself

“They didn't break me. I broke myself.”

-Max Brooks, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War

As we enter the second week of the U.S. government shutdown, polls show that although most citizens still blame the GOP lead House of Representatives, they're more than willing to spread the blame around.

How we reached the point where handful of renegadeTeaParty Rupublicans, lead by junior Texas Senator Ted Cruz, could bring the entire U.S. government to its knees shows just how broken the system is.

With the Budget ceiling deadline coming up on Oct.17th, the stakes for reaching an agreement have never been higher. Failure to raise the debt ceiling to pay off money already spent would likely result in a huge disruption to the world economy. In fact, because the stakes are so high, few believe that even the most dysfunctional Congress ever would dare cross that line. We'll know soon enough.

Syria's Assad: Between Iraq and a Hard Place

“Perhaps, when we remember wars, we should take off our clothes and paint ourselves blue and go on all fours all day long and grunt like pigs. That would surely be more appropriate than noble oratory and shows of flags and well-oiled guns.” -Kurt Vonnegut 'Cat's Cradle'

As the second entry in my 'ruthless despot' series, I hereby present Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

It seems like only yesterday that South Korea's Kim Jong Un was grabbing all the headlines for his nuclear threats against the west and his nearby neighbors. But no sooner had ambassador Dennis Rodman defused the situation there, than, like a endless game of Whack-a-Mole, another dictator pops up to grab the world's attention.

Already, just a few weeks after Assad's military launched a sarin gas attack on his own people, here in the U.S., the media's focus has shifted more toward domestic budget issues for the time being.

Let's hope the latest UN/Russian/US plan to destroy Syria's chemical weapons doesn't go up in smoke and the middle east can get back to it's conventional mayhem.

Kim Jong Un: North Korea's Risky Business

As of this writing, North Korea's mad boy king has yet to launch the missiles he has aimed at neighboring Japan and South Korea, but that could change at any moment. When Kim Jong Un succeeded his father Kim Jong Il as Supreme Leader of North Korea in Late December of last year, some were hopeful that his youth and western education would give him the a more measured approach to global relations. Alas, that seems not to be the case. The latest speculation is that to mark the April 15th birthday of his granddad, Kim Il Sung, in lieu of (or in addition to) ice cream & cake, Kim Jong Un may celebrate by launching his missiles. If there's any good to come from all this posturing on the part of North Korea, it could be that the US and China will find common ground, if even temporarily, in wanting to avoid all out war, and that a unified coalition may be able to get North Korea to rethink its aggressive behavior before it's too late. Let's hope.

David Byrne and "How Music Works" at the Music Box Theater

The "big suit" may be gone, and the hair has turned white since his days as front man for the Talking Heads, but David Byrne still possesses the same creative energy that fueled one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the 80's, and lead to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Coming from an art school background background, it not surprising that Byrne's creative work includes books, photography, and film in addition to his music. Since 1986, he's written or contributed to nine books, including the Tabloid inspired "True Stories" and 2009's "Bicycle Diaries", which chronicles his experiences pedaling through the streets of New York City and other cities around the globe.

David Byrne's latest book, "How Music Works", explores the business and the process of making and experiencing music . Last night, I attended a talk by Byrne and Bettina Richards of Thrill Jockey Records at Chicago's beautiful Music Box Theater. Music critic Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune MCed the proceedings and he did a terrific job of coaxing some thoughtful answers out of his sometimes bemused subject. Byrne, looking fit and more youthful than his 60 years, still has some of his trademark quirky mannerisms,and his occasional spontaneous chuckle makes you think there's more going on his head than he sometimes lets on.

Some topics that came up in the discussion:

•On mp3s: Though he knows many musicians who despise the artificial sound quality, Byrne doesn't see it as a big issue and thinks it's remarkable how up to 80% of redundant sound information can be tossed out and still retain an enjoyable listening experience.

•Licensing music out for advertising: Given the declining revenue generated for record sales, Byrne sees the need for modern bands to sell music rights to advertisers, though he's steadfastly declined commercial offers himself, saying simply "I don't need to".

•Visual aspects of performing: Byrne believes that every music act, even those bands that opt for street wear and no frills,  makes a conscious decision regarding what the audience will see as well as hear. He related a couple of anecdotes regarding his own "performance art" including a pre-Talking Heads' performance which involved shaving his Amish-style beard onstage to the accompaniment of an accordion player, and more recently, emerging onstage in a tutu.

In all, Byrne came across as analytic but amiable, like a seasoned Sheldon Cooper.

David Byrne will perform this evening with St. Vincent (aka Annie Clark) at the Chicago Theater, which he will presumably commute to via bicycle.