BAD COVER VERSION 018: HAS HE LOST HIS MIND?

Continuing the theme of songs that cross genre boundaries, it’s not unusual for hard rock bands to cover easy listening hits in the name of irony, but it’s rarer for pop bands to cover hard rock. Unless they’re from Sweden!

THE SONG: “Iron Man”

THE ORIGINAL: Black Sabbath

COMMENTS: If you had to name just one song by Black Sabbath, this would probably be it. From the famous opening riff to the wig-out solo at the end, this was where Black Sabbath started defining heavy metal as we know it, though they were still a few years away from critical respect. Classic.

THE COVER: The Cardigans

COMMENTS: Yes, the same band that brought you “Love Fool”. As it happens, the Cardigans did a number of Sabbath covers, and despite the “irony” of doing Sabbath in a lounge-pop style, Nina Persson always insisted in interviews that the band’s own songs frequently had their dark side, so covering Sabbath wasn’t that big a stretch. Either way, the translation from metal to languid electropop works like a dream, thanks mainly to Persson’s typically dreamy vocals.

WINNER: Well, c’mon, it’s gotta be Black Sabbath. The Cardigans’ take is entertaining as hell (provided yr a fan of the band), but in no way do they pwn the Sabbath.

Next week: The Stones vs Devo!

Heavy boots of lead,

This is dF

TSA FINALLY ACHIEVES STUPIDITY SINGULARITY

ITEM [via Schneier]: Airline pilot Patrick Smith – author of the excellent and highly recommended “Ask The Pilot” column in Salon – is prevented from bringing a knife on the plane he is about to fly.

The punch line: it’s the exact same type of knife that flight attendants will be handing out to first/business class passengers during the flight.

Actual dialogue:

"No serrated knives. You can't take this."
"But sir, how can it not be allowed when it's the same knife they give you on the plane!"
"Those are the rules."
"That's impossible. Can I please speak to a supervisor?"
"I am the supervisor."
"Come on. The purpose of confiscating knives is to keep people from bringing them onto planes, right? But every person on my flight was legally handed one of these knives with their meals. How can you ... I mean ... it just ... At least admit to me that it's a dumb rule."
"It's not a dumb rule."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't."

You see the problem here.

There are probably dumber stories out there, but this story highlights just how mindlessly and needlessly stupid airport security has come. And according to Smith, it’s not going to get any better. Read the whole thing to find out why.

FUN FACT: George Carlin reached the same conclusion. BEFORE 9/11.

Packing my bags myself,

This is dF