the sons on the mike malloy show

this is an email from mike's educational correspondent to the malloy show....

Hi, Mike & Kathy:

So there I was, running in Golden Gate Park and listening to the podcast of Friday's show, when all of a sudden, I heard a familiar voice -- and it wasn't either of yours! It was "The Star Spangled Boner," performed by Joe Kaline and his group, "The Sons of Emperor Norton."

Joe and my husband, Jim, have been friends since high school, where they both played sax in the school band (and were both traumatized by the Jesuits, but that's another story). Jim didn't pursue the music thing after college, although he continues to adore jazz -- especially the Big Band era. That was the type of music that Joe played for the most part, but then, along came the Bush Crime Family. Joe got as pissed off as I did, but instead of writing outraged e-mails and "report cards," he channeled his anger into his music. The result was "The Battle Hymns for the Blue States," which includes "The Star Spangled Boner" that you played on the show last Friday, and the song he sent to you today, "The Pledge of Obedience/Killing for the Oil Companies."

I have listened to these songs A LOT over the past few years, so much so that when I go to baseball games, I have to be careful NOT to sing Joe's version of the national anthem -- even though his is certainly more fitting in the America of the past 30 years.

Hope you are having a great vacation,
Kay

P.S. I remember telling Joe about your show shortly after I discovered it back in 2005. He responded, "Oh, I know him -- 'Those rat bastards! Those thugs!'" :-)