Our Morning Roundup: Let The Michael Jackson Idolatry Begin

Good morning, City Desk readers. Did you miss me? Dave didn't--dude told me to "bring it hard" this week, and I will. I'll start by saying all this love for Michael Jackson seems pretty fucking bizarre. Last time this guy was in the limelight, 2/3 of the country was outraged that he got away with child molestation. Now MJ kicks the bucket and all we can talk about is Off the Wall and Thriller? What about the wine? The touching? The kids-only ranch?

It's like making two of the greatest pop albums of all times sanitizes your legacy. I bet what's left of Lewis Carroll's husk is flopping around in his grave, wishing he'd played the electric lute or some shit instead of writing all those weird books about his neighbor's daughter's rabbit hole. And don't get me started on all the sanctimonious freaks on Twitter who were all like, "Why's everybody in a rush to call 'first' on MJ being dead?" BECAUSE: INTERNET.

On to the day's business.

• Tom Morello has a new album out. The eponymous Street Sweeper Social Club features someone even more politically incoherent than the joker who sang dirges for the UAW while mainlining Sony's green: Boots Riley of the Coup. If you don't know anything about the Coup, then congratulations, you don't listen to shit! Like Morello, Riley is a delusional tool. Unlike Morello, he never found a way to turn his band into a major-label commie megaphone. Morello has come a long way since huffing tear gas at that Miami free trade protest--despite evidence that free trade has lifted millions of people out of poverty and that tear gas is bad for you. His promise that he would do something outrageous during the Republican National Convention was overshadowed by people who actually did outrageous things during the Republican National Convention. If Street Sweeper Social Club is his idea of a revolutionary followup, well, I'm not one to call him out. The album has some funny lyrics thanks to Riley, who could've gone places if he wasn't so caught up in trying, at various times, to start race and class wars. Is the album worth the money? No. But if you're hellbent on listening to their radical leftism--and no, radical isn't over the top: these dudes advocate domestic terrorism against wealthy folks--download that shit for free. (It's revolutionary! Fuck capitalism!)
• In case you missed it, Housing Complex Day occurred/was/happened yesterday. Nothing was good enough for Walter Gagliano. Head honcho Erik Wemple harassed interviewed folks outside of Home Depot. With Darrow Montgomery beside him ("not in front of or behind" him), Jason Cherkis interviewed the kind of salt-of-the-earth people who make people like me feel guilty for bitching about ANYTHING. And that's not even the half of it. Seriously, spend a little time perusing yesterday's coverage at the Housing Complex.

Tags: Boots Riley, dave, erik wemple, Home Depot, Housing Complex Day, Jackson 5, Jason Cherkis, Lewis Carroll, Michael Jackson, Republican National Convention, The Coup, Walter Gagliano