Grown up, calmed down

Your omniscient author in absentia:
No strip today. Instead, I'm working for the Clampdown.

 

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Comments

[Redsauce]

Crikey! Clampdown sounds painful...

[h.b.]

The reference to the Clash's song "Clampdown" reminds me -- There is a part to the lyrics that goes:

"You start wearing the blue and brown and / You're working for the clampdown."

Although I've heard and sung along to those lyrics countless times, I've never really understood the "blue and brown" reference.

I mean I get the overall gist that this blue and brown, like the other examples in the song, indicates some sort of resigning oneself with the status quo of taking it from "the Man," so to speak -- But I don't get specifically the blue/brown meaning.

Anyone have any answers on that?

[Jim]

you got it, hb: working for the man, wearing your blue suit and brown shoes...

[James]

The only band that matters.

[h.b.]

Really, Jim? But blue suit with brown shoes is a fashion faux pas. Or is that only in the US and in the UK it's the norm?

[ParkerStPete]

Or the soulless employees of a mega-merged IBM and UPS?

[Harwich Rich]

Hot longy-long :)

[Bob]

I wrote a song for my buddy Robert's band that references Blue & Brown. It was the Boston version. "Blue Collar and Pearl Necklace, neighborhoods in Boston are side-by-side reckless, in Britain it's Blue and it's Brown, but it's union and Back Bay in this town."

[Professional Hitter]

Get along, get along.

[Jim]

the fashion norm in UK? do we really care about their norms? should we be following their standards for cuisine? or dental hygiene?

Of course you're going back 30 years on the reference, and I didn't major in fashion marketing like a former gf...

[Kaz]

Blue collar, brown pants? That's what I would have assumed. Reading through it though, I'm guessing it just means blue and brown suits (not talking about 1 day's worth of clothing, but the fact that you're locked into blues and browns as you work for The Man in general.

Now your under control, now you do what they told you...

[stratomaticboy]

I always thought the 'blue and brown' was just a reference to fascists in general, i.e. Franco's "blue shirts" and Hitler's "brown shirts". My two cents anyway....

[Go Sox. Go Heels. Yankees Suck. Dook Sucks.]

Wittgenstein was a beery swine who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.

[Bob]

I hear A-Froid (fraud+roid?)is going to re-join the Skanks earlier than anticipated.

Good. Very good.

Nothing says "Dream Team Collapse" quite like the presence of A-Donna in the clubhouse.

[Rob in CT]

I got nothin'...

[Bob]

Monty Python, GDGHYSDS?

One of my favorite drinking songs:

Immanuel Kant was a
real pissant who was very rarely stable,
Heidegger, Heidegger was a boozy beggar who could
think you under the table, David Hume could
out-consume Schopenhauer and Hegel, And
Wittgenstein was a beery swine who was just as
schloshed as Schlegel. There's nothing Nietzsche
couldn't teach ya 'bout the raising of the wrist,
Socrates himself was permanently pissed... John
Stuart Mill, of his own free will, with half a
pint of shandy was particularly ill, Plato, they
say, could stick it away, half a crate of whiskey
every day, Aristotle, Aristotle was a beggar for
the bottle, Hobbes was fond of his dram, And Rene
Descartes was a drunken fart, "I drink therefore I
am." Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker but a bugger when he's
pissed.

[Harwich Rich]

Bob,I want you to cut down this tree...with a herring ;D

[yazbread]

Sorry Bob - but I think ZZ Top put the phrase 'pearl necklace' to better lyrical use.

[Bob]

It can't be done.

[Bob]

Actually, Ron Jeremy put that phrase to best juice. I mean use.

[HunterStars]

stratomaticboy, I always thought it was the Fascist thing, too. Part of the Irish separatist movement saw the Fascists as an ally against the UK- even buying weapons from them. In fact, the Italians were "Black Shirts" and the Irish wore blue! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blueshirts

[Go Sox. Go Heels. Yankees Suck. Dook Sucks.]

Reminds me of the Pogues song "Boys from the county Hell":

My daddy was a blueshirt

And my mother a madame

My brother earned his medals

at My Lai in Vietnam.

[paddy24]

Hey guys -

Can anyone help me? It's driving me crazy that I've checked every Red Sox site, and still can't get an answer regarding the 24 man roster. If teams are allowed 24 men, and 5 will be starting pitchers, with 9 position starters and Baldelli/Green/Cater/Kottaras on the bench, that leaves 6 relief spots. EVERY single site persists in claiming that Papelbon, Saito, Okajima, Delcarmen, Lopez, Ramirez and Masterson will be making the team. That's 7! This is a mojor story. A legitimate big league pitcher apparently will NOT be making the team. Who? Lopez? Saito? Delcarmen? I'm baffled. Have the rosters been changed to 25? I never heard that, if it's the case. Or are we going with only 3 bench players? I can't believe none of the Red Sox reporters bother answering such a basic question. Thanks -
paddy24

[Bob]

It's been a 25-man roster for as long as I can remember.

[Bob]

(I can't remember 1986. Jameson don't ya know.)

[Rob in CT]

Uh, hasn't it always been a 25 man roster?

Today is April 2nd, right?

[paddy24]

Bob, no, unless it's been changed for this season, it's been a 24 man roster for years now. Maybe Saito is disabled. Also, if Penny does poorly today, they are seriously going to send him to the minors? Today's Dirt Dogs said that Buccholz would claim the 5th slot. This is getting crazy. Tazawa, Bard, Bowden and Smoltz all look great. Our bench and Varitek stink. Let's shop one of these ten billion pitchers for a proven young catcher and a quality outfielder or infielder. Baldelli is going to be useless. Crisp was such a luxury. Lots of pitching depth is great, but we have about 15 quality pitchers. If it were up to me, I would just trade or cut Wakefield, since he's useless once the playoffs roll around. I also fear that Ortiz will never be the same. He's going to be a major distraction all season. This is a guy that can't run or field, and all he did was complain last season. Throw in injuries and I don't see what purpose he serves. I like this team though. The best relief crew I've ever seen. 100 wins should not be out of reach.

[Jazz Lunatique]

Ah yes, working for the Clampdown. Me too, always.

"Let fury have the hour
Anger can be power
You know that we can use it."

[Jim]

25. And me too Bob, '86 is a bit of a blur.

"...begging to be melted down..."

[sonomasox]

that's the paddy we all love...good to see ya. in true mid season form.

I think I'll wait a bit before hitting that candy coated red panic button. see how the boys do - the trade deadline awaits and in theo we trust.

If I look like ben linus waking up to see locke, its time to hit the button

[Kaz]

Paddy, I love you man (no homo), but it's a 25 man roster. Check out April 5, 2009 on the MLB important dates calendar. It's been a 25 man roster ever since the players requested it as part of the 1990 collective bargaining agreement ending the lockout (right column, p. 35).

[Kaz]

By the way, what do you think it would take to get Wieters away from Baltimore? They're too stupid to realize the good thing they've got going there and we need a catcher. I think we could trade them Sheffield and a few steamed lobsters for Wieters straight up.

And we don't even HAVE Sheffield to trade, but I still think Angelos would go for it. Come on, Theo, float this idea and get us that catcher!

[RedStripe Nan]

Hey Fellas -
Yes, you're supposed to wear brown shoes with a blue suit or a brown suit. Black shoes go with a with a grey suit or black suit. Or a Red Sox uni. Black shoes with blue suit? Nevah.

[paddy24]

Thanks everyone. I guess I was confused because many times I looked at the active roster for the Red Sox last season and saw 24 players. Perhaps they were too cheap to call up another player.

[paddyb24]

Sorry for questioning you, Bob.

[Bob]

Sorry? Sorry???

There's no sorry on this creepy site.

[louclinton]

we're all sorry on this creepy site.

[Yossarian]

I too, always thought the song referenced the military/facist/nazi angle.

Opening lines of the song, per 2 different lyrics websites:

****What are we gonna do now?
Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?
'Cause they're working for the clampdown*****

[soxdownunder]

i'm really fucken sorry

[soxdownunder]

as Rumpole of the Bailey said of a colleague 'He spends his life in a perpetual state of apology'

[Kaz]

We don't want to hear about your rump pole, SDU.

Oh, Rumpole...I'm sorry.

[soxdownunder]

sorry

[Bob]

This thread has degraded a little for some reason.

[Harwich Rich]

Sorry :>

[Flirting]

Degraded? For SOME reason? It was degraded to start if ya ask me. Anything that has the clamp in it just sounds too similar to other stuff to not get this kind of jokes. ;)