Jesus would oppose the Paul Ryan budget

By Brent Budowsky - 04/11/12 11:27 AM ET

 I fully respect the Catholic faith and sincerity of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and do not question that he believes his budget is consistent with his faith, as he stated in an excellent story in The Hill. But, with all due respect, I must suggest that Jesus would oppose the Ryan budget. Jesus did not teach government preferences for the most wealthy, cruel punishment for the most poor, attacks on programs that benefit women, decimating cuts that hurt the poorest children and the sanctification of greed in economics. Ron Paul and Paul Ryan may believe in Ayn Rand and Austrian economists, but Jesus taught a much different ethic: those who have the most should not game the system to get more but should help those who have the least, including selling their possessions and giving the proceeds to the poor.



Let’s keep Ayn Rand in the past. Let’s keep the Austrian economists in the dusty and outdated books of failed theories. Let’s keep Jesus out of the business of helping the rich and punishing the poor.


copied from THE HILL online newspaper by chloelouise

MY BEST DOG PARK...GRAPE STREET IN SAN DIEGO

I take my Ronnie out everyday for a walk.  The Grape Street Dog Park is just about the best place.  I like La Mesa, where I live, but it is often too hot for Ronnie--he has a hard time keeping  cool in the heat.  There is always a nice breeze at the grape street.  I usually find a place to park in the shade.  This eucalyptus walk starts my day off just right.




The park is all grass.  The people are friendly.     It is well maintained and watered.     


Original art.




  


Some people are dog walkers and they come every day.  Here is a picture of charlie and Body and Grover  Interesting and well dressed people visit daily.                                                 D. Jones, a bartender at

 RockBottom--working on the "lederhosen" look for a new German beer they are trying out for Oktoberfest.                                                                                       

It is located at Grape and 28th Street in the south Park/Golden Hills area of San Diego.  There is plenty of parking--right by the dog area--not unnecessary walking on a leash.   Good restrooms and plenty of drinking water for people and dogs.    

chloelouise and ronnie   MY BEST DOG PARK...GRAPE STREET IN SAN DIEGO

La Torta Cafe Owner and San Diego Celebrity Chef Miguel A. Rojas

My interview with La Torta Cafe Owner and San Diego Celebrity Chef, Miguel A. Rojas

Well, I go home after work and watch the food channel, so yes, I like food, cooking and restaurants.

Tonight, I m going home to take a shower and Im going back to work--as evidenced by his La Torta Cafe shirt--Miguel Rojas was happy to chat about his well known San Diego eatery as I nabbed him for further information.

You don't have to live in San Diego very long to hear about the famous La Torta Cafe.  I have been listening to raves about their food for years.

I could see it from my house in  La Mesa and the cafe was all anyone talked about--going to La Torta, enjoying a sandwich and a beer and sitting at the beautiful outside table on historic La Mesa Blvd.  Oh, and have you tried the fries?

Well, everyone wondered what happened when they temporarily stopped service--the word divorce was whispered on main street.

Then, in an even more beautiful setting with its own tree filled, shady courtyard, creating a sanctuary of good food in busy downtown La Mesa, a new La Torta Cafe rose from a family and restaurant re-invention.  It is basically right around the corner from the old location but the setting is even more picturesque.

Mr. Rojas was eager to talk about his restaurant--its so obvious he loves it.  He talked with compassion about his divorce, selling his other locations in San Diego, closing his original in la Mesa, a much loved and grown establishment from his own heart--and eventually rebuilding an even more successful and renown establishment. 

It was inspiring just to hear him talk.  Oh my gosh I love restaurants and I love food--what a perfect respite from a busy, hot day of shopping at the La Mesa Farmer's or antiquing on LMB.

Miguel has that certain gusto, he has that special spark that makes a restaurant a hit.

Personally, I'm going there right now to sit on the patio with the flowers and the trees, try the shrimp tacos and enjoy a nice cold beer under the shade.  I'm challenging anyone to beat that recipe for a good time in La Mesa.

And by the way--It's a torta, not a sandwich!

--
chloelouise

CNN--Fredricka Whitfield And Her Legal Boys--They Should Have Their Own Show

Fred riding the wild horse of 24 hour cable news

Saturday mornings...good chemistry...good information,,,and entertaining...
  
That's Fredricka Whitfield and her legal guys, Avery Friedman, civil rights attorney out of Cleveland and defense attorney, Richard Herman hailing form NY and LV.  Its the best CNN Saturday morning show since STYLE WITH ELSA KLENSCH.  I recommend it highly.  All the legal situations revealed on television news shows today--they're so interesting but who understands them?  I always loved the show, BURDEN OF PROOF, with Greta Van Susteren and Roger Cossack; what a sad loss of interesting information when it ended. 

Fred and her boys have successfully resurrected this very entertaining format.  They have a real good chemistry going on.  The boys love Fred and like any good mom, she challenges them to bring out their best--to share their knowledge and let us all be better informed.

Mom's home.......

We could see the boys were longing for Fred when she recently went on location--they liked the fill-in host and they performed well, but that certain dynamic and spark were missing.  They were so happy when Fred was back to cheerfully prod the kids and then congratulate for a job well done--mom was proud and the legal smiles went ear to ear. 

Fred knows her stuff....

Like any beautiful and knowledgeable mom, she prods the guys with facts to not only divulge information but engage in a polite, interesting and informative repartee.  By the time they're finished we have a good grasp of the situation and a informed view to both sides of the issue.

Good job Fred!




I was particularly interested in Richard Herman's and Avery Friedman's outrage with Jerry Sandusky.  Why?  At first glance that program seems like such a good opportunity for kids--especially for a busy mom.
--
chloelouise

8-20-12...update..my sincere apologies for the misspelling of the name Avery Friedman.  He provides us with good information each week, we are so lucky to have the chance to hear him speak,,,he deserves to have his name spelled correctly.  cl

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Jeremy Irons--Sexy and Funny

He's the worst type of actor. I saw some footage of him where he grabbed a photographer and came out with this sentence, "Look, we celebrities work VERY VERY HARD." He was being deadly serious. Honestly as if he was part of a master race called "celebrities." I can't remember anything he's been in for years. Has he retired? Love the footage of him on Playaway though!

- Edith Expat, London, 16/7/2012 20:18

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2174374/Jeremy-Irons-enjoys-late-night-meal-daughter-Bosnian-president-wanted-alleged-war-crimes.html#ixzz20tSRQ7ro

Jeremy Irons really comes across as rather stuck-up in his interviews.. that being said, his voice is one of the sexiest things on the planet, second only to Alan Rickman's.

- Anna, London, 16/7/2012 13:46

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2174374/Jeremy-Irons-enjoys-late-night-meal-daughter-Bosnian-president-wanted-alleged-war-crimes.html#ixzz20wZmqmJM

Edith--you're so funny I put you in my blog. I have always thought Jeremy is particularly brilliant and good looking. and that voice......and he is a good actor, too. I went to London a few years ago just to see him in a show. I guess actors have to have a certain sense of ego to be able to move forward.....I just didn't know it was going to be so humorous.

- chloe louise, san diego, 17/7/2012 8:42

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2174374/Jeremy-Irons-enjoys-late-night-meal-daughter-Bosnian-president-wanted-alleged-war-crimes.html#ixzz20waNf7eL


This column appeared in the Daily Mail about Jeremy.  Click the link to see it in The Mail.

Charlotte Bronte--Ernest Borgnine

Charlotte Bronte--Ernest Borgnine

Charlote Bronte, Jane Eyre and Ernest Borgnine, Marty--humble, truthful--trying to just live in society--a picture of life:  what others have that we will never have--yet we keep on fighting every day just to cherish a tiny piece of happiness. 

--
chloelouise

Buses are like submarines and I feel like I"m under water.

                                          tabletops
                                          amethyst and rose quartz......2.88
                                          www.chloetoo.com

To CNN--Hire Ann Curry--Put Her in the Big Leagues Where She Belongs

I watch the news all day or I listen to the radio and watch a few shows in the night--I don't know why I am just a news person, always have been.

I previously wrote to you about the compassion often shown from your great reporter, Martin Savidge.  You have so many real good journalists in all shapes and sizes and ages.  Well, that is the shape of our country, isn't it.

Why not hire Ann Curry and show off her talents.  I often write in my blog about the way women are treated.  I think it would be good for your network and good for her.

I quit watching shows like "Today" a long time ago, because there is really no substance to those shows.  There is no Wolf Blitzer, Candy Crowley Andrea Mitchell, or Chris Mathews, if you know what I mean..........or the one with equally stunning earrings and interview skills, Leslie Stahl.

Does the dinosaur, NBC, really have a grasp on the current thinking and trends of the media today?  I would not even consider watching "Today" now, after the way they treat people.

Anyway, just a thought, but I think it would show forward thinking of your network and you would have a real, real good reporter, or even give her a big position or her own show.  Put Ann Curry in the big leagues where she belongs.

Respectfully,

Chloelouise

lapis lazuli earrings...12.00...www.chloetoo.com

Obama 2012.....Dick Morris--not so much.

Dick don't be a hater.

President Obama has spoken against rush limbaugh on women's rights.  Health care is something he wants for every citizen of the United States.  The repubs are going to have to act fast if healthcare is over turned and the 26 year olds have no insurance.  President Obama has come out in favor of gay marriage.  He helped boost the car companies and boost the economy.  He has shown moral leadership in asking for equal rights for everyone.  He sets the example and sets the tone.

As far as his speeches:  not only is he funny--he's cute, too.  Talking about the "red sox" speech.

Obama 2012....Dick Morris--not so much.

...In answer to Dick Morris constantly bashing President Obama.

President Obama will continue to out maneuver Romney

President Obama will continue to out maneuver Romney and enjoy a second term.  He has already stood up for too many important issues such as gay marriage and against rush limbaugh speaking against Sarah Fluke.  He setting the tone and setting an example for a high moral ground in the United States.  He wants health care for everyone like all of the other advanced nations.  He will go down in history as a great president, one who was not afraid to speak out for what was right.

You'll find that Barack Obama is the president of every citizen of the United States, and that is something to be proud of, and that is why he is respected around the world, in comparison to some of our other leaders.

........written in response to Juan's posting on "The Hill'' and all of those crabby conservatives.

  On immigration, Romney is left without an answer, as usual.  On healthcare, there will be many angry citizens whose children are now covered to the age of 26.  The repubs will have to answer for that--and provide healthcare if it is overturned.  The conservatives are very good at digging their own grave.

Conservative Talk Radio in San Diego--Unleashed and Out of Control!

Conservative Radio San Diego--Unleashed !

Well, here is an example from San Diego.  We have a guy on the conservative, tea-party type radio station always calling for vigilante justice because he is so mad at someone for not being what he calls patriotic.

Yes, it is usually against women--an Asian politician in the San Francisco area refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance and he thought "her ass should be kicked."  But, it is endless...he thought Gloria Allred should be "body-slammed."  He wanted to jump over the lectern and do something real violent to Barbara Boxer, wanted smokers to be "gunned down" in lieu of another government law about smoking...and on and on and on.........  I called the station and they insisted the host only says interesting conversation that inspires comments.
   
They erase some things from the pod cast like the gunning down comment----yet, when asked,  the webmaster denied they erase anything.  The host called for a politician to "die in a burning building you scum bag."   But that did happen in San Diego...people were killed that way in a domestic violence case.  He makes it seem okay so solve everyday disagreements with violence.  He says it repeatedly,  I tried to write about it in the San Diego Reader blog.  They took it down saying it was libel.  I knew what I was writing was true.  I heard it myself.  Often the host, when questioned, denies what he says and gets real angry and shouts at the guests.  He shouts listen to the podcast.  Well, it is erased. 

It's really quite disgusting but my point is that its all about ratings, just like Rush Limbaugh.  I really do not think he would have stopped until President Obama stepped in and said something.  I was shocked when the Reader sent me and e-mail saying not to try to publish anything about chip franklin.  He also publishes some of his things in the Reader.  The Reader does try to be so expose-ish, occasionally,  but I guess that is only about certain things of their choice.  I think chip franklin is still in the money-making trendy/funny category. 
I really became almost afraid to write my critique of his show at one time because I think he also tried to get rid of my blog with his own camouflage of similar headlines.  I don't know why since I have very few readers and apparently he has very high ratings. 

He often talks about how women do not need an equal rights amendment then continues his bashing--he even bragged on the radio his son knocked down an occupy member (not a woman) who was blocking his way to class. 
I think Barack Obama did a very good thing speaking against Rush LImbaugh and coming out for gay marriage because it sets the tone and gives a good example for respect.   The often unleashed chip said at one point after rush, we really have to be careful about what we say now.
It seems like there is really not censorship about radio until an incident such as Doctor Laura and Don Imus force the sponsors to back out, particularly the big ones like Motel 6.  Also, the bullying people listen to the bullying people--the people who feel entitled.  My very conservative, republican neighbor says about Rush  "Oh, I just think he's so funny."  And, her son is gay.   chip franklin who also does tiny television news bits, is popular in San Diego; I do not think the media wants to address the nature of some of his statements--he is making money for too many people
Anyway, in San Diego, in the Hillcrest area the council recently voted to fly the rainbow flag as well as the American flag.  My friend told me it will be up in time for the Gay Pride Parade.  Well, chip, how is that for patriotism?

Bullying of LGBT youth goes beyond the schoolyard.......

I wrote this as a comment to the blog post above when it appeared in "The Hill."  I was trying to make the point that talk radio is out of control--unleashed and like the wild, wild, west.
--
chloelouise


At one point in time, around November of 2011 I did hear Mr. Franklin say "There is a woman who writes a blog about me."

Citizens in Favor of President Obama

Brent join me and Brian Terry's family in requesting that Eric Holder and President Obama release all records in relation to Fast and Furious. Shouldn't the parents of an honorable Border Patrol Agent murdered in the line of duty by an Amercian Gun sold by the US Government have all the truth out?

  Just wondering... how do those numbers compare to the war of George Bush and its toll on American citizens and soldiers.  The parents of the fallen soldiers are sad, as well.

 President Obama is the man who has demonstrated leadership in standing up to Rush Limbaugh in his horrible rant against women; he is also the President who has spoken in favor of civil rights for all and spoken in favor of gay marriage.  President Obama is the man who has made headway in providing healthcare for all of the citizens of the United States, just like the other advanced countries in the world.  President Obama is the one who voted in favor of saving our big car companies.  Right now the repubs have to think of a plan to cover the kids up to the age of 26 on the parents plan if the current healthcare guidelines are overturned.  Many parents, even conservatives, wil be very angry about that.



The first paragraph was a comment on Brent Budowsky's pundit blog on employment issues.  This appeared in "The Hill" yesterday.

The second paragraph is my comment against it.

The third paragraph is another comment I made in favor of President Obama.  I do feel he will win again--he sets a good example for civil rights in the United States.

CUISSON AVEC ALIA: Bringing the world together with food and fabric on the ronnie republic

 Cooking With Alia

CUISSON AVEC  ALIA----translated on google translate.......by chloelouise

Les gens ne vous voulez voir une nouvelle, créative, spectacle différent cuisine authentique et très intéressant? Ensuite, je suis très très recommander Cooking With Alia. Je souscris à ce sur You-tube. Je me lève le matin, boire mon café et regarder ce magnifique spectacle joyeux, lumineux et intéressant à droite sur mon adresse e-mail. J'aime cette chose la technologie - J'aime You-Tube et j'aime e-mail.

 Ses recettes sont marocains avec une touche gastronomique française - mais ils sont faciles à suivre pour moi. Elle m'a appris comment faire soufflé au citron. Alia est du Maroc, mais la nourriture est également basée sur la cuisine française traditionnelle qui est une composante de la cuisine marocaine. Elle est si bien informé ..... J'ai commencé à la suivre parce que je peux l'entendre si facilement. Elle est facile à comprendre pour moi.

Ses recettes sont marocaine avec une touche gastronomique française - mais ils sont faciles à suivre pour moi. Elle m'a appris à faire soufflé au citron. Alia est du Maroc, mais sa nourriture est aussi basé sur la cuisine française traditionnelle qui est une composante de la cuisine marocaine. Elle est si bien informé ..... j'ai commencé à la suivre parce que je peux l'entendre si facilement. Elle est facile à comprendre pour moi.

file under:   bringing the world together with food and fabric.......

do you have a story you would like to share on this blog, the ronnie republic,  about this subject.........or another important story you would like everyone to know about........I am also trying to showcase the people and the food and fabric of Palestine........thanks for your time and thank you for reading the ronnie re....cl

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chip franklin.....ironic, violent or just plain stupid

chloe louise to cliffalbert-------program director of KOGO 600

show details 11:59 AM (0 minutes ago)

 
I just couldn't help noticing something very "ironic" while I was listening to KOGO this morning.  Cliff Albert was giving his usual spiel on morality at 7:30.  He felt there could be less violence and, people, citizens, should just do more to stop these horrible events.  He was referring to the house that was burned down this past weekend in El Cajon.  A lady and her granddaughter were dead and a policeman was shot in the head or neck.  He felt warning signs from this person should have been taken more seriously.  The man did have a history of violence and two relatives had restraining orders against him, according to Cliff Albert, the program director.  Cliff must be a very moral individual himself; he always has a lot to say about living correctly and apparently he does not like dogs, motorcycles or the mentally ill. 

Today, Cliff did make a valid point.  I know personally of a story where the police were called three times for a complaint of domestic violence.  It was not until a lady sheriff arrived that the man in question was finally taken downtown.  Then this lady proceeded to inform the victim that they could indeed get a restraining order against this individual and part of it could come to an end.  Sometimes the violent person beats the system, like last weekend.  Like Cliff I do not know the answer but we could look into it and maybe have more education about the whole thing.  Maybe we could stop morning talk show hosts from suggesting and shouting about violence as an act of retaliation.

I could not help but note it was so "ironic" that chip had recently shouted in a very angry voice "Die in a burning building, you scum bag!" in reference to politician David Wu possibly having a relationship with a very young lady.  I think he has since resigned.  The next day I heard chip comment that he must be careful about his remarks because there are kids in the car.  I have often thought to myself --not just kids in the car but anyone listening.  His statements are so offensive and so unnecessary in order to describe an event. 

I wonder if that will be erased from the record like so many other things that chip says and then later denies he said it.  Yes, denies it and then gets real angry that anyone could possibly accuse him of making the statement. 

Well isn't it ironic that chip called for someone to die in a burning building and then someone actually did.  Isn't it ironic that chip called for someone to meet a violent fiery death and then his boss said that kind of act is too violent. 

Is it a coincidence that Cliff called for something not to happen that chip said should happen to David Wu.  Is it just plain stupid that chip made that statement.  Is it just plain stupid that chip said he wanted to crawl over the lectern and do some violent act to Barbara Boxer?  Is it stupid that chip said he wanted to punch Whoppee Goldberg?
 
Does Cliff Albert not know what chip franklin says?

Is all of this "ironic" a "coincidence" or "just plain stupid"--as chip often asks in his favorite game--and then gets real angry when someone disagrees.

Maybe Cliff okays this violent talk from chip because it brings in high ratings. 
--
chloelouise....originally posted August 24, 2011.......here is the link:

http://open.salon.com/blog/chloelouise/2011/08/24/chip_franklinironic_violent_or_just_plain_stupid

Bullying of LGBT youth goes beyond the schoolyard

By Chad Griffin, president, Human Rights Campaign - 06/08/12 04:55 PM ET 

.......copied from "The Hill" by Chloelouise

 

It’s a story too familiar lately – a young lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender teenager is the victim of relentless bullying and harassment, sometimes with dire consequences. But as hurtful as words and actions from peers can be to a young person, the harm done by community and government leaders can often be just as bad – if not worse.
The Human Rights Campaign has just completed the largest ever survey of more than 10,000 LGBT teens across the country on what life is like for them in America today. We learned that while peer-to-peer bullying is hurtful to LGBT teens, it’s actually their peers that teens say are the most accepting. On the other hand, it is the adults in their communities – be it their elected leaders or their churches or even their families – that they feel least accept them.

For too many LGBT people in this country, they’ve grown up being told every day that they’re different, they’re less-than, and they’re not worthy. They read in the newspaper that politicians think they don’t deserve to be protected against bullying, or covered by workplace non-discrimination laws, or even be able to one day marry the person they love.  In fact a staggering 92 percent of LGBT youth report hearing negative messages about being gay – and 60 percent say they hear those messages from elected leaders.

Thankfully many of these young people do believe that life will one day get better.  But according to our survey, 63 percent say they’ll have to move away from their community if they ever want to be accepted. Can you imagine?  Life is so miserable that they feel like they have to leave their family and friends behind in order to live a happy life. There shouldn’t just be a patchwork of places where young people can believe in themselves; that should be the norm from coast to coast. Our country’s LGBT youth should be bombarded with the message of “it’s ok to be who you are,” not “the only way you’re going to be happy is to move to San Francisco.” And the reality is that packing up and moving isn’t something most LGBT people could afford anyway.

America’s leaders have a responsibility to these youth. Those in power need to realize that their words and actions (or inactions) have severe consequences. Never should a kid have to hear a politician on TV shaming them deeper into the closet or saying that their relationship is worth less than someone else’s. They should be able to go to school every day knowing that adults care about them without worrying about senseless bullying.

There’s no doubt that around this country tonight there are LGBT kids who will go to their rooms, turn off the lights and stare at the ceiling unable to sleep, worrying about what the next days and weeks and months may bring. But we can do something about it. We can pass anti-bullying laws and create safe havens in our schools. We can ensure that an employer can’t use one’s sexual orientation or gender identity as an excuse to fire someone.  And we can make sure that all loving and committed couples are able to share in the joy of marriage. When you stand against these protections you are endorsing state-sanctioned discrimination against a generation that deserves much better.
Griffin is the new president of Human Rights Campaign.

--
chloelouise........copied from "The Hill"

chip franklin--YOU'RE TALKING OUT OF YOUR ASS!

chip franklin--YOU'RE TALKING OUT OF YOUR ASS!

Yes, that's what the caller said to chip franklin this morning around the 7:30 hour.   She laid chip out bad......and of course chip panicked...first--he started shouting, then he tried to be condescending and call her "honey" and say she did not know what she was talking about (of course she did)......then he cut her off in frustration.   No, that was only the first verbal knife chip suffered  today...the second lady also tried to inform chip he did not know what he was talking about...deriding the Paradise Hills school district and the teacher's union.   He tried to say Paradise Hills was a challenged area and the citizens did not like it. 

Oh, that chip, that crazy, crazy host of KOGO 600, that unleashed shock jock of San Diego radio, trying to be so bold with his subject matter, yet when a lady comes on and gives him a piece of their mind he becomes quite undone.  He cut the second lady off, too.  Did he listen to a word of what she said?  I'm afraid not!

If this guy is representing the conservative movement and the Tea Party in San Diego I am feeling pretty good about a second term for President Obama.  I wonder if these things will be erased from the podcast as some of his other outrageous statements have been in the past.

To me, it seems like chip really hates women when he can't force them into agreement.  I think Fran Drescher made her point the best when she tried to explain the need for an equal rights amendment for women.  chip was not having it, the only problem was he could not get a word in edgewise on "the nanny."  chip was beat bad and he couldn't cut her off. 

Oh chip, maybe you should pick a better subject matter, one that isn't so near and dear to your heart at such an early hour of the morning.  One where you don't have to take it so personal when the girls win.



--
chloelouise

KOGO 600's Program Director Cliff Albert Responds to Accusation of Frequent Call for Vigilante Justice by Host

Albert, Cliff CliffAlbert@clearchannel.com
to me

chloelouise,

Neat name you have by the way.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.  You actually are a pretty creative writer. And it sounds to me like you do listen a lot based on your knowledge, so let me say thanks for listening to us when you do.

In the radio talk show business, the goal is to stand out from the dozens and dozens of choices that people have on how to spend their time. So it is natural for a talk show host like Chip, or Rush, or LaDona or Roger to be rather demonstrative with the words they use and the approach they take.   I guess it's like a debate team in high school or a lawyer presenting closing arguments in a trial. You don't succeed by just calmly reciting a bunch of facts and statements.  You have to have a passion and express emotion and be noticed and remembered. 

Talk show hosts also use lots of analogies to make a point and obviously do not literally mean to communciate that they want to hurt anyone. It's all designed to share thoughts and feelings that we think most of our listeners either share or want to offer an opposing opinion which 

we encouirage because it makes good radio.

As for my "usual speils on morality", they are designed to spark reaction and conversation and get people to thinking about some serious issues at times.  

Again, thanks for listening to KOGO when you do.  

cliff

This was Cliff Albert's response to a letter I sent to him about chip franklin often calling for vigilante justice. 

8-24-11

Jimmy Miller--Perfect Sound Forever

Jimmy Miller

Searching for the Groove
by J.P. Gelinas
(December 2007)

"One thing that producers and engineers tend to have in common is their undeniable love of music, and it is the highs they experience in the recording studio--those exhilarating moments when the blending of artistic effort, musical material, and technical input produce great results." --Richard Buskin, from the introduction to Inside Tracks (Avon Books 1999)

Who was Jimmy Miller? Even if you don't recognize Jimmy Miller's name, chances are that you've heard his work as a producer on many classic rock tracks over the years. His studio production on such classic rock albums as Mr. Fantasy, Let It Bleed, Blind Faith and Exile on Main Street illustrates that he was one of a handful of individuals, including Phil Spector and George Martin, who defined the sound of sixties and seventies rock & roll.

Miller was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1942, and his early roots were in show business. His father, Bill, was an entertainment director in Las Vegas and was responsible for booking Elvis Presley's memorable return to live performances at the International Hotel in 1969. Miller's earliest musical experience consisted of performing with local bands as a drummer. In an interview with Richard Buskin, Miller described his developing musical career: "Around '63, '64, I went on the road as a singer and got a recording contract with Columbia, and when I went into the studio I realized that that was what interested me most. So, I soon started writing songs with a young arranger friend of mine and cutting demos of other artists performing our material."

In the early sixties, it was standard practice for fledgling songwriters and producers, such as Miller, to create their recordings independently and then attempt to lease the songs to a major label for distribution. One such song Miller produced, "Incense" by the Angelos, came to the attention of British record label impresario Chris Blackwell, who was in the States looking for suitable material to release in England. Blackwell, impressed with Miller's production work, released the song to great success in the UK in 1965. Shortly thereafter, Blackwell, who was having difficulty establishing the Spencer Davis Group (which featured the young Steve Winwood) in the United States, hired Miller to work with the band.

When Jimmy Miller arrived in England, his first task was to remix the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin." The song, now a rock classic, had been recorded and released in the UK, but Blackwell felt it needed something more to have a chance at making the charts in the States. Listening to the song today, one hears the magic of Jimmy Miller's production technique: a driving bass line reinforced with the slap of a drum hit, cascading percussion throughout the track, and a beefed-up chorus of voices (some provided by members of Winwood's next band, Traffic). The song was a big hit in America, and the band quickly followed up this success with "I'm a Man," which echoes a lot of the production elements in "Gimme Some Lovin." It's interesting to note that Miller's friendship with Steve Winwood had developed to the point that Miller was credited as a co-writer of "I'm a Man." This sort of involvement would become commonplace throughout Miller's career--he often participated in the recording studio not only as a producer but also as a musician. After "I'm a Man," Winwood left the Spencer Davis Group to form Traffic and asked Miller to come on board as the producer of their first album, Mr. Fantasy.

It's important to understand the musical climate that existed in the fall of 1967, when the album was recorded. The record's ambiance is one of mystical sweetness and druggy references that reflect the halcyon days of the "Summer of Love," which had just ended. Songs like "Dear Mr. Fantasy," "Heaven Is in Your Mind," "Paper Sun," "Smiling Phases," and "Coloured Rain" captured the psychedelic fever of the day. Miller performed as a percussionist on many of the tracks, and on the jazz instrumental "Giving to You" he speaks the line "You know where I'm at, but I mean jazz."

Mr. Fantasy was one of the first projects at Olympic Studios, one of the first independent recording studios in London at the time. This studio would function as a creative workplace for Miller over the next several years. Phil Brown, one of the original engineers at Olympic, states in an interview at prosoundweb.com that "the kind of producers I worked with originally were people like Jimmy Miller who were producers who set up a situation and controlled things but they were vibe merchants. Jimmy Miller was this incredible kind of energy and drive and force. He made the session feel like you wanted to be there and make music. But he wasn't a hands-on producer. There was more of an overall control, a bit of a vibe." In the book Inside Tracks, Miller explains his view of the producer's and engineer's roles: "As a producer I pretty much let the engineer get the sound together, and I might add my own suggestions if there's a particular sound I'm after or if there's something that I would like to change." Statements like this give credence to the theory that Miller's genius lay in listening to the band and musically participating in the session as opposed to working the mixing board.

In a 2003 interview at mixonline.com, Eddie Kramer, the engineer on Dear Mr. Fantasy (later to become Jimi Hendrix's producer), gives a clear picture of what it was like to watch Jimmy Miller at work in the studio: "Jimmy Miller was my mentor. He just had the most amazing ability to take a group of musicians, rehearse them, get them in the studio and get them so excited about what they were doing and make it all seem so much fun that I realized that this is the way that records should be produced. He was just a terrific catalyst. He had a great sense of humor. And he was unstoppable in the sense that his energy level was always up. He really, really dug the music; he was always so into the band: ‘How can I get you guys to feel this track the way I'm feeling it?' He would sing parts. He was like a master of ceremonies."

Kramer goes on to describe the session that produced the song "Dear Mr. Fantasy": "We had the band set up on a riser at one end of the studio, which is a big room--maybe 65, 70 feet long by about 45 wide with about a 30-foot ceiling. They were set up as if they were onstage and I recorded them live, straight to 4-track. I can remember with such clarity the time when we were actually cutting ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy': We were in the middle of a take and there's a part where the tempo changes--it jumps--and I look around and Jimmy Miller's not in the control room. The next thing I see out of the corner of my eye is Jimmy hauling ass across the room, running full tilt. He jumps up on the riser, picks up a pair of maracas and gets them to double the tempo! That, to me, was the most remarkable piece of production assistance I'd ever seen. They were shocked to see him out there, exhorting them to double the tempo. Their eyes kind of lit up. It was amazing. That was Jimmy!"

After his success with the Spencer Davis Group and his ongoing work with Traffic, there was a buzz in the rock & roll community about Miller. He was beginning to get a reputation as a "feel" producer, a guy who knew how to find the groove. During the sessions for the first Traffic album, Mick Jagger, at the suggestion of the Rolling Stones' recording engineer, Glyn Johns, dropped by one of the sessions to observe Miller's work up close. Shortly thereafter, Jagger asked Miller to produce the Rolling Stones' upcoming album, Beggar's Banquet. This album marked the beginning of a long studio collaboration between Jimmy Miller and the Stones.

At the start of 1968, the Rolling Stones were in trouble. In an effort to keep up with the style of the current rock music scene, the band had just released Their Satanic Majesties Request, an album heavily influenced by the psychedelic sounds of the San Francisco bands and the Beatles' recent release, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Satanic Majesties had caused the Stones to lose touch with the heart of their own music and their overall fan base. Needing to rehabilitate their image, they decided to record an album based in the blues, a genre that previously had defined the band musically.

In Inside Tracks, Miller describes the beginning of his relationship with the Stones: "Musically they were just coming out of their psychedelic period, which hadn't been too successful for them, and I think that was lucky for me, because I didn't insist that they change direction but they were ready to do so, as was evident from the new songs that they played me. What they had written was rock and roll, yet I subsequently received a lot of credit for getting them back on course, so I benefited a lot from being in the right place at the right time. There again, I think it's fair to say that being American also helped, because--as was the case with many successful British bands during that era--they had been raised on American records. As things turned out, it was not always easy--they could take a long time over certain things--but it was always a pleasure, especially when they'd eventually hit those magic moments as they inevitably seemed to do. The first of those just happened to be on the very first track that I produced for them, ‘Jumpin Jack Flash.'" This song features the element that was fast becoming a trademark of a Jimmy Miller studio production, layers of percussion, which fill the song with energy and momentum. Excited by the recording, the Stones scheduled it for immediate release as a single rather than holding it back for inclusion on the album.

A remarkable blend of blues, old-style country music, and rock & roll, Beggar's Banquet is arguably the best-produced album of 1968. Miller's studio expertise gave added depth to many of the album's tracks. For example, he chose to record the basic track for "Street Fighting Man" (guitar and drums) on a cheap cassette because the song needed a raw feel to capture its violent political leanings. "Sympathy for the Devil," with a samba-like groove that is reinforced with layers of percussion, is a perfect blend of dark lyrics and sensuous rhythm.
In December 1968, after finishing Beggar's Banquet, Miller worked with the Stones on Rock and Roll Circus, a television special intended to promote the new album. This project remained unreleased until 1996.

Earlier in 1968, Miller produced Traffic's second studio effort, Traffic. His production work sparkles on the ethereal "Forty Thousand Headmen" and what is now considered a staple jam song, "Feelin Alright." This album would be the last time Miller worked closely with Traffic in the studio, although he oversaw the production on Last Exit (1969), a pastiche of studio outtakes and live material, and on the live album Welcome to the Canteen (1970), both projects instigated to fulfill the band's contractual obligations to their record label and both largely forgettable.
In 1969, sessions began for the next Stones album, Let It Bleed. Miller's contributions during these recording sessions were plentiful. "Honky Tonk Women," which would be released as a single in advance of the album and ultimately withheld from Let It Bleed, features a brilliant opening cadence of cowbell played by Miller. "Gimme Shelter" has an urban soul music feel bolstered by Merry Clayton's dramatic vocal and Miller's percussion contributions. Miller's production helps "Midnight Rambler" blend the sinister overtones of "Sympathy for the Devil" and the Chicago blues style of the Stones' earliest records. The album's final track, "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which can be interpreted as an elegy for the sixties, features a celestial choir directed by noted arranger Jack Nitzsche, keyboards and French horn by Al Kooper, and Jimmy Miller playing the drums. Miller jumped behind the drum kit when Charlie Watts began having trouble with the song's quirky tempo. Miller's presence on this recording is felt in another way--many sources claim that the "Mr. Jimmy" referred to in the lyrics is Jimmy Miller.

Due to his work with the Stones, Miller's services as a producer became much in demand. During 1969, he worked on a variety of projects. Among these were the Move's magnificent single "Blackberry Way" and Spooky Two by the fledging outfit Spooky Tooth. Perhaps Miller's most significant project in 1969 was Blind Faith.
Blind Faith was one of the first bands to be called a "supergroup." Featuring the talents of Steve Winwood (Traffic), Eric Clapton (Cream), Ginger Baker (Cream), and Rick Grech (Family), the band evolved out of a series of casual jam sessions held at Clapton's country estate. When the group entered Olympic Studio, Jimmy Miller was on hand to add his production expertise. One of his most important contributions to the Blind Faith album occurred when he convinced the band that the track "Can't Find My Way Home" would sound better if it was re-recorded using acoustic rather than electric guitars; this proved to be a crucial element in making that song shine. Sadly, Blind Faith did not survive the tremendous audience expectations placed on it, and the band dissolved shortly after touring America in support of this album. Building on the relationships he had established with the various members of Blind Faith, Miller was soon involved in production duties on the recordings Ginger Baker's Air Force and Delaney & Bonnie on Tour with Eric Clapton, both projects taking place in 1970.

In the summer and fall of 1970, Miller and the Rolling Stones were busy crafting the album Sticky Fingers. This project would take Miller and the Stones out of Olympic Studio, as the album was recorded largely using the Stones' mobile recording truck at Mick Jagger's country estate, Stargroves. Sticky Fingers has a more textured sound than the previous Stones albums Miller worked on. Stargroves' wooden floors and high ceilings might have added a natural ambiance to the recordings' overall sound. Among the tracks that feature Miller's unique contributions are "Brown Sugar," "Moonlight Mile," and especially "Can't You Hear Me Knocking." Like "Jumpin Jack Flash" and "Honky Tonk Women," "Brown Sugar" is an instant Stones classic that benefits from Miller's ability to integrate crisp layers of sound and rhythm within the music. "Moonlight Mile" features layers of instrumentation that provide a certain airy quality. In "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," Miller's use of percussion establishes a funky soul groove that helped the Stones enter new stylistic territory.

During this same period, Miller worked on Sailor's Delight, an album by a new band called Sky. The band featured a young musician named Doug Fieger, later to re-emerge with the Knack and the hit song "My Sharona." In an interview at classicbands.com, Fieger describes his experience with Jimmy Miller: "I grew up in Detroit, yeah. I had a band called Sky, which I have a funny story about. I wrote a letter to the producer of the Rolling Stones and Traffic and Blind Faith, a guy named Jimmy Miller, when I was in high school. I said if you're ever in Detroit, come and hear my band. He answered the letter and came to my house and signed us. A week after I graduated from high school, he took us to London and we recorded our first album. There aren't very many producers around today of the caliber of Jimmy Miller, I'll tell you that. That's how I got into show business. I was seventeen years old."

At the start of 1971, Miller was involved in the production of Refugee, a blues- and gospel-influenced album by the Danish progressive rock band the Savage Rose. By the spring of that year, the Rolling Stones had been forced to live and work outside of England to avoid paying high taxes. To record their next album, Exile on Main Street, the band set up recording facilities in the basement of Nellcote, Keith Richards' villa in the small French town of Villefranche-sur-Mer. Unlike the pristine surroundings of London's Olympic Studio or the natural-sounding environment of Stargroves, the basement of Nellcote proved to be quite a challenge for Miller. In Inside Tracks, he sheds some light on the primitive conditions there: "For Exile, we suddenly found ourselves in this concrete basement with very little ventilation during a hot summer in the south of France. The sound was really harsh, and no matter how hard we tried, no matter how many different microphones we tried and no matter how many different positions we tried, we could never get it right." Besides the acoustical problems that Miller was dealing with, Keith Richards' growing addiction to heroin and Mick Jagger's frequent absences while spending time in Paris with his new wife, Bianca, added additional obstacles that had to be worked around as the chaotic sessions dragged on for the remainder of the summer. In retrospect, it's a testament to Miller's production abilities that he was able to salvage the album under such trying circumstances. In part, Miller pulled this off by using some tracks that had been recorded previously: "Sweet Virginia," "Sweet Black Angel," "Loving Cup," "Stop Breaking Down," and "Shine a Light" were originally created during sessions for the Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers albums. In November 1971, Miller and the band flew to Los Angeles to conduct extensive overdub sessions and to mix the final version of the album. Despite his professional and personal difficulties at the time, Miller's deft production touch is apparent throughout the album. Once again, many tracks are enhanced by his work as a percussionist. On "Happy" and "Shine a Light," he handles the drum kit. At the end of "Tumbling Dice," he reinforces the rhythmic breakdown to great effect.
Some sources claim that Miller's ongoing frustration with the recording situation during Exile led to the beginning of his own narcotics addiction at this time. Other forces may have been at work as well. In Robert Greenfield's Exile on Main Street: A Season in Hell with the Rolling Stones (2006, Da Capo Press), a comprehensive description of the album's making, Andy Johns, the engineer on the sessions, describes some of the difficulties Miller was having with the band: "When they first started working with him, he was a lot of help. Then after a year or two, they kind of used Jimmy for what they wanted, and learned Jimmy's tricks, and started shutting him out a bit. So by the time of Exile on Main Street, they weren't listening to Jimmy very much, and it did him in. They weren't really rude, but they would ignore him a lot more than he would have liked."

By the end of the project, Jimmy Miller was, in Andy Johns' words, "burnt out on the thing, and I didn't blame him." After his association with the Rolling Stones ended, Miller frequently disowned Exile, saying, "I was never happy with the sound of that album, especially after Let It Bleed and Sticky Fingers." In a 2003 interview, Mick Jagger said, "Exile...is not one of my favourite albums, although I think the record does have a particular feeling. When I listen to Exile it has some of the worst mixes I've ever heard. I'd love to remix the record, not just because of the vocals, but because generally I think it sounds lousy. At the time, Jimmy Miller was not functioning properly." There is a certain irony in all this. Decades after its release, Exile on Main Street has achieved a legendary status. It is a complex album, filled with dense, raw sounds that seem to literally capture the restless cultural limbo of the early seventies.

Toward the end of '73, Miller embarked for Jamaica, where sessions for the next Stones album, Goats Head Soup, were underway. After the frenetic experience of making Exile on Main Street, Miller and the band seemed to take a lackluster approach during the sessions in Jamaica. Andy Johns, also the engineer on these sessions, describes what was taking place: "Because of drug habits, those sessions weren't quite as much fun. And there are a couple of examples on there where just the basic tracks we kept weren't really up to standard. People were accepting things perhaps that weren't up to standard because they were a little higher than normal." Keith Richards, in a 1975 interview, portrays Miller as having reached the end of the line creatively: "Jimmy Miller went in a lion and out a lamb. We wore him out completely. He ended up carving swastikas onto the wooden console at Island Studios." While Goats Head Soup seems anticlimactic after Exile on Main Street, there is some fine production work here. The textured nuances of tracks such as "Winter," "Angie," and "Coming Down Again," along with the hard hitting "Star Star," indicate that, while Miller wasn't at the top of his game here, he had not lost the ability to blend multilayered instrumentation on tape to capture the groove.

In 1974, when the Stones gathered in Munich, Germany, to record It's Only Rock and Roll, Miller was not invited to participate. A golden era for both Miller and the band had quietly drawn to an end.
Jimmy Miller's post-Rolling Stones career has been subject to his being written off as a drugged-out has-been who never produced any significant music again. This is false. While his projects following his involvement with the Stones did not have as much visibility and rock & roll cachet as albums such as Exile on Main Street, he worked as a producer until the end of his life. Following his tenure with the Stones, he signed a lucrative production deal with the ABC/Dunhill label and recorded with a wide variety of artists such as Genya Ravan, Beck Bogert & Appice, Henry Gross, Bobby Whitlock, Locomotive GT, and Joey Stec.

In the late seventies, Miller produced two excellent albums, Overkill and Bomber, for the heavy metal band Motorhead. In 1980, he worked on projects that covered two ends of a musical spectrum, producing New Hope for the Wretched, by the wild punk band the Plasmatics, and Billy Falcon, the self-titled debut album by a New Jersey singer-songwriter. In the late eighties, thanks to a production deal with his manager Joe Viglione, Miller was heavily involved in producing Boston bands. Especially notable is Miller's work on the song "Movin Up," on the 1992 Primal Scream album, Screamadelica. The sound of this track recalls the majesty of Let It Bleed and is solid evidence that Miller still possessed the chops of a great producer. In 1994, while producing sessions for a reissue of the 1975 Joey Stec album, Jimmy Miller passed away due to liver failure.

In recent years, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been prone to revising history regarding Miller's importance as a producer, often belittling his contributions to what now stands as their band's finest work. To understand Miller's contribution, one need only compare the albums Jimmy Miller produced for the Stones with the albums the band has made without him. While a handful of songs might aspire to the level of quality that Miller brought to the proceedings, the Rolling Stones have made an overwhelming amount of mediocre music since Jimmy Miller's departure.
Concerning Miller's legacy, Greenfield may have said it best in his book: "Although Jimmy Miller certainly deserves to be remembered as one of the greatest rock producers who ever lived, virtually no one who listens to his music now on various greatest hits compilations has any idea who he was. Nameless and faceless, he has become just another name on the back of a repackaged CD case. Perhaps that is the way he would have wanted it. To be remembered for the music and nothing else."

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