Straight from GP himself:

"Reading three books, The End Of Faith by Sam Harris, The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, and God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens, has been a mind expanding experience for me. It has become clearer to me in recent years that religious faith and belief, even in their most liberal settings, as Harris so brilliantly explains, are the two most dangerous and divisive elements at work in the world today, and that the time to erode them with the light of reason and banish them to the mariginal fringes is long overdue. These three books were written by men with vastly superior intellects, not to mention education, than mine, but as a lowly three and a half chord songwriter, they inspired me to throw in my ten cents worth and help to bring criticism of religious faith and belief into everyday conversation despite the excuses of the faithful, who so often insist that their unprovable and extraordinary ideas about the nature of reality are untouchable."

Click on this link to buy "The End of Faith":

The Old Town School of Folk has posted some video of Graham Parker playing three songs last week at the venue! Go here to take a gander!

There's some great shots and a review of Graham Parker's show at the Old Town School of Folk last weekend up at concertlivewire.com! To check them out, go here!

The Australian entertainment site undercover.com.au has posted an in-depth three-part interview with Graham Parker filmed at SXSW! To view the interviews, go here!

Popmatters has declared Don't Tell Columbus to be "The best thing Graham Parker's done since his 1970s heyday". For the full review, take a look here.

Graham Parker's hitting the road in April, but you can get an early taste of his live performance over at the brand-new Old Town School of Folk Music blog, which has footage of his last appearance at the venerable Chicago institution. Head over there and check it out! Link

Don't miss WUSB 90.1 FM'S Graham Parker archive of an exclusive 90 minute interview with the man himself! The interview is posted in several parts, click on the links to stream each individual segment in RealAudio:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Or you can also check out WUSB's master archive here.

An intimate live performance of Almost Thanksgiving Day can be found on the new DVD Bloodied But Unbowed. This DVD features 31 videos and live performances from the likes of Ryan Adams, Bobby Bare Jr, Deadstring Brothers, Detroit Cobras, Alejandro Escovedo, Old 97s, and the Waco Brothers, 8 short films with appearances and performances by Split Lip Rayfield, Neko Case, Kelly Hogan, The Meat Purveyors and others, plus a photo and poster gallery .

Also, the audio track, recorded live at Antone's in Austin, is available exclusively on the digital only "soundtrack" to the DVD.

Here's a chance to listen to Graham talk a bit about what led him to write and distribute, "2000 Funerals," his response to the growing death toll in Iraq.

Graham Parker on Air America

From the Louisville, KY Weekly:

Positively Yeah Yeah Yeah
by John M. James

"With the left and right indignantly sneering at each other over the Gordian knot of the Iraq war, I’ve been waiting for a songwriter to succinctly sum up the universal sorrow of the situation without pointing fingers like a smarmy, self righteous lunatic. So God bless the spit and vinegar of Graham Parker, of the world’s greatest songwriting treasures, to get it right in a new song that I think everyone can agree on with “2000 Funerals.” Reacting to the escalating death toll in October, Parker penned this somber masterpiece in reaction, and after performing it live a few times, has decided to release the song, as he says, “before the figure 2000 is a distant memory.” Available only through iTunes and eMusic, if you’ve never taken the plunge and purchased a downloadable single, now’s the time to give it a try, and breathe deeply in this haunting statement, no matter what side of the fence you’re dug in on…"

From GP:
In late October, after hearing the news that 2000 American military personnel had died in Iraq, I began work on this song. It was not hard to get angry about this depressing development, but feeling angry is like falling off a log for me, and the melodic structure I quickly developed suggested a much more complex reaction. Therefore, I shunned any outright commentary and attempted to imbue the song with respect and dignity and pay tribute to the idea that 2000 sons and daughters are gone forever. After playing the tune live a few times, it seemed a good idea to release it immediately, before the figure 2000 is a distant memory. Who knows, maybe an Iraqi songwriter will respond by writing a song called "A Darn Sight More Than 2000 Funerals."

Produced and mixed by GP and Aaron "Louie" Hurwitz.
GP: Vocal, acoustic, electric guitars, lap steel, bass guitars and harmonica.

For the past 30 years, Graham Parker has had one of the sharpest tongues in Rock and Roll. From his early ground-breaking records with his band The Rumour up to his most recent release, 2005's Songs of No Consequence, GP's knack for crafting irresistible hooks coupled with a punk's lyrical snarl have cemented his place in the pantheon of legendary performers.

"2000 Funerals," released by Bloodshot Records, is ONLY available on iTunes and eMusic. You can access it on eMusic at http://www.emusic.com/album/10892/10892266.html.

Vancouver's Georgia Straight weekly just issued their best of '05 lists and Graham Parker's Songs of No Consequence has made Steve Newton's list. Here's what he's had to say:

Graham Parker, Songs of No Consequence
"He’s been operating below the radar of the mainstream music scene for years now, but Parker still has a natural propensity for cutting, incisive pop tunes, whether skewering media conglomerates (“Vanity Press”) or exposing fraudulent relationships (“She Swallows It”). Songs of no consequence, my ass."

We're having a huge poster sale, and while supplies last, you can pick up copies of the Graham Parker posters for the Bloodshot releases, Songs of No Consequence and Your Country. And that's not all! $4.00 each or 3 for $10.00, we have posters by all of your favorite Bloodshot artists. Jim and Jennie, Detroit Cobras, Ryan Adams, Waco Brothers. Now's the time to buy before we run out.

Check out our Merchandise section for a complete listing of all posters for sale.

Buy "Songs of No Consequence" on eMusic and receive an exclusive, internet-only bonus track, the aptly named "Search Engine".