Cheney Tells the Truth About Iraq

I know this administration is almost gone, but the next administration will either keep us fighting in Iraq or pull us back to a marginal force. I for one was against invading Iraq since before we went in. I never thought it was a good idea. I said to my family, who supported the invasion, 3 days before the invasion "This will be a quagmire and alot of Americans will lose their lives and Saddam isn't worth it right now". This Administration also said the war, in TOTAL, would cost us less than ten billion. It now costs ten billion a MONTH, and economists say it's long term effect could cost 3 TRILLION. This war has now lasted longer than World War II.

If you still somehow support the Iraq war, please watch this video, and tell me our leaders did not know what they faced if we invaded Iraq. This is an interview with Dick Cheney (who served in Bush Senior's administration during the first Gulf War, which i did support). This is 1994, and he sounds like he's got a crystal ball into how the current Iraq war has played out. Remember, this interview is from 1994.

1994 Dick Cheney Interview Video

They knew. We went in anyway. John McCain will keep us fighting there. If you haven't yet registered to vote, the deadline is approaching quickly. I posted a blog last week with an easy link to Register to Vote online. it takes 3 minutes. Do it. Then vote on November 4th.
-Ken Lewis

Mixing "RAIN" aka Jung Ji Hoon

I havent been blogging much lately. There's a reason, i have been swamped with great songs to mix. If you don't know who "Rain" is, you are most likely not Asian. I think it would be safe to call Rain a mega-star in Asia. Rain is a Korean pop star (also film star - he had a major role in"Speed Racer"), model, actor, etc... He is very popular throughout Asia, especially in Japan, China, and Korea.

Time Magazine placed Rain on their "100 Most Influential People In The World" list for 2006, and last year he sold out Madison Square Garden 5 nights in a ROW. He was even on the "Steven Colbert Show".

I am currently mixing Rain's new album, due out in October. I've finished 4 mixes so far and (though i cannot understand alot of the lyrics) i am really impressed with the album. I think they are shooting a video to the first single right now. I'll keep you posted!
-Ken Lewis

Economics & the Presidential Campaign

Suffice it to say, as happened to alot of people, I watched helplessly last week as alot of my financial wealth (i use that term loosely, i am anything but wealthy), but i watched alot of my own financial wealth vanish. Fortunately, some of it came back this week with the market bounce. One thing it definitely did do is make me read and listen to anything and everything about the economy, past, present, and future. What the many causes of the meltdown were and who might best fix it. Its no secret I am a strong Obama supporter, but i didnt get there by accident. I got there by absorbing every bit of knowledge on every candidate, democrat and republican, and formed a decision. I personally think Obama is by far the strongest candidate, for whatever thats worth.

I just read a great article on the current crisis. you should read it. all of you. read it twice. The most striking message of the article is basically who surrounds themselves with better people, draws from their experience and expertise, then makes the right decision. I think John McCain is terrible at it, as was demonstrated by picking Sarah Palin, the governor of the 3rd smallest state (by population) in the country, who has been in office just over 18 months, and her only experience before that was as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, population 7,000. I've been there. Is this the caliber of person you want a heartbeat away from the presidency? Is this the caliber of person you want filling Dick Cheyney's shoes? Yikes. Anyway, back to the economy. Please read this article, its excellent. knowledge is power.

Economy Article

Ken Lewis

REGISTER TO VOTE!!!!!!!!

Barack Obama just posted the coolest webpage. It makes registering to vote very quick and easy, only a few minutes. It also lets you check to make sure you are still registered to vote, and will even tell you where your closest polling station is to go and cast your vote.

All of this is critically important moreso this election than any in my adult lifetime. I also encourage you, if you are already registered, to check and make sure you still are (only takes a couple minutes, I checked my own). There has been a HUGE purge of people's names off of voter roles in many states this year, which is currently being investigated. But your name might be one of those purged, dont take it for granted.

SO. REGISTER... VOTE!!! Preferably for Obama, but ya'll can make up your Obama own minds :-)

Here's the link

REGISTER-TO-VOTE

Every eligible American should cast their vote this year for whoever you choose!

Thank you.

Ken Lewis

Two Top 20 Albums!

OK, so the new Young Jeezy album debuted at #1 this week selling 253,000 copies! SWEEEEEET. I created the intro of the album which is a collage of TV news broadcasts, only it was created from scratch, not sampled, and made to sound like a bunch of TV broadcasts. Much harder to create than you might think. Took me about 24 hours. The album "The Recession" is Jeezy's second #1 album, and my 25th #1 album. Also hitting the charts this week is the new Donnie Klang record which debuted at #19! So for the second time this year, i have two albums in the Top 20. Exciting stuff. and there is even more super great stuff coming out this year for me. More on that later.

-Ken Lewis

Pictures From Ireland

(Click on the pictures to enlarge) After flying into Dublin, I drove to the Medieval town of Kilkenny (you bastards!!) and the first thing i saw upon arrival in Kilkenny was a giant can of Guiness on wheels. I thought for a moment i had died and this was heaven, then the giant beer drove away and i realized it was Hell. Actually Kilkenny was a very cool town.



This is the 13th Century Gothic Cathedral of St Canices in Kilkenny. I've never seen a graveyard like this right out in the Cathedral front lawn, and i thought it was beautiful with all of the Celtic Crosses and leaning gravestones.



The Angel of St Canices. I just thought this statue was beautiful and haunting at the same time. Also note the size of the stone used to build St Canices. Thousands of small to medium size rocks all hand laid. I don't think I've ever seen a Cathedral built in this fashion, and I've seen ALOT of Cathedrals!



Dromoland Castle. This was my HOTEL in County Clair, a bonafide 17th Century castle converted to a hotel. I stayed in the oldest part of the castle and the vibe was really amazing.



The Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Ireland. These are the highest cliffs in Europe, rising 700 feet at their highest point. Pictures can't begin to do justice so such an awe inspiring place.



These are the ruins at the Rock of Cashel. this fortress Cathedral dates back to the 11th Century. I wish i could show you more of this place, but its so massive that its hard to capture the depth of it with a few pictures, so here's a single shot. This is atop a high hill which slopes down steeply on all sides. I'm sure the location was picked as much for its defensibility as it was a place that could be seen from tens of miles away.



To Dublin at last! OK, so i'm a sucker for Cathedrals, I know I know. This is Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. Its a beautiful structure but fairly unremarkable on the inside as European Cathedrals go.



And of course, the reason everybody comes to Dublin, the beer! The Guiness Brewery is in Dublin, and they offer tours, which of course i had to take! This is my pint of Guiness at the end of my tour. Yum. Not my favorite beer, but i certainly enjoy it.

Ireland is a beautiful and very green country. I've driven hundreds of miles from East to West, North to South, and its simply green everywhere! Hence, i'm sure, the national colors. I have also noticed the very talented singers that Ireland seems to spawn. Virtually every singer i've heard from Kilkenny to County Clair to Dublin has been really excellent, whether they are singing traditional Irish folk songs or belting out covers or singing originals. And Dublin seems to be a very musical city, much like New Orleans. Often you'll see an accordion player on the street, or a duo with acoustic guitars, or mixed instruments with fiddle and banjo. Even on a Sunday night in Temple Bar, great live music was everywhere. Cheers to Ireland!

-Ken Lewis

KILKENNY - You Bastards!

No, I'm not in South Park, I'm in Kilkenny, Ireland. Or, well, i was yesterday. So, i discovered a sport i've never heard of before called "Hurling", and as it turns out, Kilkenny are the best Hurlers in the world! No, its not some crazy drinking game, its kind of like Rugby and Field Hockey combined, and is actually alot of fun to watch. Kilkenny just won the All Ireland finals for the 3rd year in a row. The town of Kilkenny is a quiet little place dating back to Medieval times. I had dinner and drinks in a restaurant founded in the 1200's. Also saw Kilkenny Castle which at one point was the capitol of Ireland and at another point was subject to English cannonfire so much so that one wall of the castle was obliterated. Doesnt seem like a big deal until you know that the castle walls are 9 feet thick at their narrowest point!

I left Kilkenny and drove to the spectacu....... ummm... wait a minute Ken, did you say you are DRIVING in Ireland? Yes, driving, on the wrong side of the road in a stick shift. Talk about alot for the brain to keep straight.......drove to the spectacular Cliffs of Moher, the highest cliffs in Europe. I promise i'll post pics of all this stuff, its worth seeing. Now its on to Dublin!

-Ken Lewis

Jeezy is #1 on the Charts

Young Jeezy's new album "The Recession" dropped this week and will cruise easily to the #1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 Albums Charts next week. Early sales figures put first week sales at 250,000 units! Half way to gold in one week, not too bad at all! Have you bought the record yet? Well, if so, my work is the very first thing you hear on the album. Track #1 The Recession Intro was completely created by me. Its basically a series of TV Newscasts talking about the current economy and the looming recession. Well, they would be TV Newscasters if they weren't hired and scripted by me. Its not easy at all to get authentic voices for these things, so i did what any smart guy would do and enlisted 4 voiceover pro's. The hard part was really getting all of their very well recorded voices to then sound like they were coming out of a series of TV sets in different living rooms across the nation. Hopefully i pulled it off well.

This album will be the 25th #1 Album of my career! Only 16 years into making major label records and I'm already a quarter of the way to my goal :-) The scarey thing is there are guys out there who probably have worked on 100 #1 albums. Just give me some more time. This is the 3rd one for me THIS YEAR, so its been quite a successful year so far. And there's more great releases to come!

-Ken Lewis

Young Jeezy & Donnie Klang Drop This week

Well, i've been a little quiet and not blogging lately. Its not that there's nothing to talk about, its that my workload has reach insanely epic proportions and i'm working very hard to keep up. This week was a GREAT week for me for album releases. My name graces the liner notes of two of the biggest albums of the week, Def Jam's Young Jeezy and Bad Boy's Donnie Klang, the solo artist from Making the Band. I did very different things on both albums.

For Donnie Klang, I mixed his first single "Take U There" which is doing very well, and mixed 6 more cuts on the record at both my own studio and at Daddy's House Studios in Manhattan. I also had the distinct pleasure of playing guitar for super producer Seven on a song called "Love In Stereo". So when you hear the wailing slow guitar bends, thats me. I really like Donnie's record and its a good listen start to finish.

I haven't had a chance to listen to Jeezy's album, but if you've heard it, my work is the very first thing you hear. I always love it when i get to work on either the first cut on a record, or the title track, or the first single. It always ups the cool level just a bit. On Jeezy's album, I was actually called in to create an authentic sounding TV newscast to set the record off. The album is called "The Recession" and all of the TV voices are talking about the current economy and the recession, except it was all created by me with alot of help from some great pro voiceover people. It was a lot of fun to create and much more challenging than i thought it would be. Enjoy it!