Steve Earle was right: The revolution starts now. He just didn't expect the neo-cons to be the ones running it. One can almost see the pinstriped suits doing the limbo to the banal spoof "Condi, Condi" and laughing all the way to the World Bank as "Rich Man's War" whines to the blue-state choir. In an electoral environment owned and operated by the same evil geniuses who proffer 666 different kinds of toothpaste to your friendly neighborhood Walgreens, Earle's slapdash ramparts -- he confessed that 2004's
The Revolution Starts Now was rushed to meet the anti-Bush deadline -- don't stand much of a chance. So he got a Sunday night radio show on Air America. Clear Channel isn't exactly begging for mercy.
Or offering any. Hence, the redneck punk rock of Earle's "F the C C" is just slamming and catchy enough to dispel any fatalism at another half-baked rock revolution. The '60s were a bust too, but we got a couple thousand great tunes out of the bargain. Earle only has a couple dozen, which amounts to a dozen more than most of his peers. He may still write more songs about chicks than lefty principles, but he doesn't let anyone off the hook -- least of all himself.
Doors open at 7 p.m., show is at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20; call 314-726-6161 for more information.
