Steve Earle

Coming next Tuesday is the release of a new Steve Earle album called "The Revolution Starts Now." For those who haven't heard him, he is a very interesting guy with a fascinating past. He has put out a lot of albums over the years from hits like "Copperhead Road" to a just fabulous album called "Transcendental Blues" to the controversial "Jerusalem" that included the controversial "John Walker's Blues" about American Taliban John Walker Lindh. He is also a fantastic song writer, great singer and musician.

He has been to prison, is a recovering drug addict and has become a staunch anti-death penalty crusader. In a recent Onion (yes, the Onion) interview, he spoke about his stance:

O: What about the criticism that you're more sympathetic to killers than to victims?

SE: Well, I'm not. Just look at my record as an activist. My main area is the death penalty, but I've done most of my work with Murder Victims' Families For Reconciliation and Journey Of Hope... From Violence To Healing. The idea that murder victims' families are best served by continuing the cycle of violence is something that I consider to be not only a lie, but criminally negligent. You lie to victims' families when you tell them they're going to receive closure if they participate in the process and witness the execution of a human being. I've witnessed the execution of a human being. This is not an abstract for me. I promise you, it isn't going to heal anybody. I'll never recover from it. It's incredibly irresponsible to allow victims' family members to witness executions.

Anyway, his new album comes out this Tuesday. I hope people vote with their feet just like they have with Farenheit 9-11 and buy this album. Show Toby Keith that he isn't the only picture of a modern American. BTW, in another interview, Earle watched as his dog Beau (a Blue Heeler! Wonder if Streak is related) gets sick during a taping. The dog had swallowed a tennis ball and had to have surgery the next day (he was fine).

Sucking on a cigarette, Earle says, "I can deal with losing girlfriends." He has been through six marriages with five wives. But, he adds, "there are two things I won't be able to stand: losing that dog and seeing Bush reelected." He tosses the cigarette and heads back into the booth.

Anyway, go order the album. Now.