Fuck that movie Juno Fuck that Roland Juno Fuck that Juno, Alaska
The only thing I can think about is shooting a basketball. Occasionally, when the idea of shooting elbow jumpers fades in to something more sublime, I pick up a musical instrument or do something stupid like pretend to play the drums along with recordings through tinny, teeny-tiny speakers.
Hillel is for all the hungry non-jews, and seriously hungry jews.
Darren Daulton
Bon Scott
Von Wafer
Wafer thins (Vanilla):
Best guitar for under 2,000 dollars:
Martin
or
Taylor
2008/07/26
Carlsberg is not a twist-off beer bottle.
When you cut your hair, your face looks wider. Only certain demigods like Brad Pitt and Gilbert Godfried have yet to fall victim to this human inevitability.
In a musical world full of puff pastries, buttery, fattening treats with no real nutritional value or particular flavor, Love added some real color to the mix. Their most recognized song, in my mind, is "Alone Again Or", which Wes Anderson used in the Bottle Rocket soundtrack quite masterfully. So you probably already own this album, but maybe you don't. If you d/l and find that you were wanting more B-sides and versions that hit the cutting room floor, don't hesitate to comment and those will get sent right your way.
I don’t give a fuck right now about what I made before today Mainly because most of it is garbage
This whole weekend is dedicated to Jackie, so I decided the only way to start it would be by having a Puerto Rican conversation between myself and the TV, just like she once had for a day or so in Miramar, a wealthy section of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Fran’s projected results:
USA
Spain
Argentina
I love basketball, I love basketball; that’s what every fan tells himself as he takes a long sit on the porcelain throne. Why is toilet time such a good time for releasing things? I guess that was a dumb question.
Carmelo Anthony to Europe? Just ask Bill Walton:
His FIBA game is incredible, maybe he’s an even BETTER fit for a Euroleague club than a Josh Childress type. Wow, ‘Melo has been dunking with great tenacity. Why doesn’t Walt “Clyde” Frazier announce every video game? A dream team of him and Keith Hernandez might cause my TV to shatter, Cathode Ray tubes have a tendencies to overload when the colors are too intense.
Digital Photography
This is not a photograph, it’s a file.
How does it feel for Leo Rautins, playing for daddy? That must suck to know your dad was a bigger beast than you'll ever be at basketball. Anyway, go Canada, I guess. Also, I thought Carl English would be nasty, but there is only room for one English in the short history of the NBA and that is our man, Alex English. As NBA.com will tell you,
Alex English Jersey #2 Retired: March 2, 1993
Alex English's career can best be summed up in one word: consistency. In 10 of his 11 seasons with the Nuggets (1979-90), English averaged better than 21 points per game. In eight of those 11 years, he scored more than 25 points per game.
When he departed as a free agent in 1990, English left as the Nuggets all-time leading scorer - having notched 21, 654 points - and his career average of 25. 9 ppg is the best in Nuggets history. He also ranks 10th on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
The eight-time NBA All-Star is also the Nuggets career leader in games played, minutes played, field goals made, field goals attempted and assists. He ranks third in rebounds and steals.
In each of his first 10 seasons with the Nuggets, English finished among the top 10 in the NBA in scoring. In 1982-83, he became the first and only Nugget to lead the league in scoring with a 28.4 average. English also holds the distinction of leading the NBA in scoring during the decade of the '80s, after compiling 19, 682 points.
A second-team All-NBA member in 1982, '83 and '86, English guided the Nuggets to Division championships in 1984-85 and '87-88.
Also a leader in the community, English was presented the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for community service in 1988. IN 1985, he convinced NBA players to donate their shares from the All-Star game to Interaction Ethiopia, a relief fund.
During his playing days, he was also involved in a variety of other activities such as acting in major motion pictures, Amazing Grace and Chuck. He has continued to stay busy since his playing days by being involved in Internet sites and coaching in the NBDL.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997.
Roosevelt Roads; give that shit back to Puerto Rico, what the fuck USA??!??!? Elliott Smith’s Self-Titled; Wes Anderson, ok I forgive myself for buying in to his movies, is pretty on point in following Gus Van Zandt’s lead in utilizing early Elliott Smith pieces in films to emphasize sadness.
NCAA basketball is dumb, it should share rules with FIBA, that way the NBA can have a true outlet to international style. This way more players will develop in the international style and make all national teams better by having the NCAA system be one where players the world round interested in attending school, and getting certain extracurricular benefits, can actually improve their basketball games. Athletic departments need to have accountability, as all students should have equal opportunity to pursue their aims, therefore we should take title IX on step further and say that all academics and athletics should be funded equally.
Tayshaun Prince versus UNC:
Maybe he is a great team USA addition. Also, how good defensively was the Dominguez team with Tyson Chandler and Prince in high school?
Blogs really should just be what you do in person, but whatever watered down version of that the internet can cook up. That is why I will try to give away as much music as possible on it before it’s too late.
Elliott Smith-S/T Wow, this is a really amazing recording. It feels like someone is stabbing himself in the heart with a steak knife until he finally bleeds to death along in his kitchen. Something like that… I bet a lot of people like to Google their own names. So maybe I’ll just write down people’s names here, and maybe if they google their own name randomly they’ll find me.
Dan Opatut John Rocker Rock Hudson Hudson Hawk Josh Smith Wes Anderson Birdman (The Rapper) Taka Yasuzawa Edward Sayid Nathan Link Alex Diaz Guillermo Diaz Dax Shepard Horace Grant Brian Grant Ron Gant Tom Hanks Colin Hanks Colin Farrell Will Ferrell Woody Harrelson Kobe “Beef” Bryant Joe “Bean” Bryant Mick Foley Axl Rose Phil Lynot (Thin Lizzy lead singer) C.C. Sabbathia Max Kotelchuk Jordan Peter In that order Because let’s face it, you can’t play the game unless it’s all in order, otherwise it’s just random chaos.
Ella Fitzgerald Richard Simmons Ernie Sims Homer Simpson Gomer Pyle Phytoplankton Johnny Depp Gerard Depardieu Gary Carter Joe Carter Mitch Williams Butch Cassidy Dan Akroyd Dana Carvey Steve Harvey Harvey Fierstein Robin Williams Edward Norton Bill Gates Edward Sayid Englebert Humperdink Coronel Clink Bell Peppers Dr. Bepper Yuta Tabuse Lane Staley Darren Mcfadden Dante Nate Dogg That last one was the best one yet. Dante + O.G. = Nate Dogg Calvin Broadus Charles Bronson Will Leitch Emitt Rhodes Darrel Arthur Ichiro Suzuki Jianlin Yi Manny Corpus Roberto Bein Mr. Bean Mr. Clean Bruce Willis Sir Sean Connery Duff Man Expendable Lad Lard Lad Inspector Clusoe Peter Sellers Larry Sellers Lon(g) Johnson John Trapasso Jim Morrison
Love single-coil pickups? Sure you do, even if you don't play an electrified string instrument, you've enjoyed countless recordings that featured the clarity and ring of these lovely magnetic boxes. Count me among the millions of people who dig on the single-coil. However, just as poop trumps pee in every numerical argument, at least in an olfactory sense, two is always better than one. So let's not forget the importance of the dual-coil, "Humbucker", pickup; credited in large part to Seth Lover, while working at Gibson, he sought a way to eliminate the low level electrical hum through common-mode rejection.
There is an increasingly widening gap between my left and right butt cheeks.
Oh, you're still reading. In that case, make yourself at home. Here's an album I really like (SEEB EHT EERF), because it has 5 things all albums ought to have:
I may have promised some other shit first, but I just remembered that this album is ridiculously good. As allmusic.com will tell you, Beulah was a member of the Elephant 6 collective, big ups to Phil Warren for opening my eyes to this music back in freshman year.
As allmusic might also tell you, this album demonstrates Beulah's leap from lo-fi to medium-fi. There are so many standout tracks, it may take repeated listens, so take your time with this album.
Some quick thoughts: -When I watch old couples sitting and eating in a restaurant I get really sad. Does this mean I have problems? -Isn't there a better way to be happy than by doing what other people tell you? -Why can't there be full frontal male nudity on public access programming?
Sometimes a record hits home for no reason at all, for better and often for worse; treat the Macarena like the Alamo, never forget the asinine group dancing. When I first heard The Good Life's Album of the Year I was immediately hooked, and I was perfectly happy with my girlfriend of the time to boot. Repeated (excessive, daily) listening drove me slightly mad and to the single life; I was so absorbed by the themes of alcoholism, loss and the midwest that I actually was compelled to lead my life in a similar fashion. Call me pathetic, call me what you will. So it is with a great pain in my heart that I reveal the album that started a movement in my head that will just not slow down no matter how stoned I get in rebellion of my formerly alcoholic self.
In other news: The Phillies are going to the first round of the playoffs, and then they will lose to whoever the hell they are playing. The capital of Cambodia ain't got shit on the Baton Twirl. Dunking outdoors by yourself in your hometown is pathetic after years of hyping oneself of.
The elevator at 150 W. 58th street is remarkably fast. Up on the 30th floor one can find the austere Spanish consulate general that reminded me of the Department of Motor Vehicles, but with a nice view.
Stay tuned for some Band of Bees, Neil Young, Little Feat, and some Chris Brown (maybe) all this week. Also, don't throw beer bottles after chugging them, nobody ever wins in that situation.
Long story short
Baseball is having an interesting year The NBA off season is full of intrigue and bad signings by the NJ Nets The Boston Celtics might be better this upcoming season if Tony Allen and J.R. Giddens start smoking out of the same ROOR bong The Golden State Warriors are in big trouble The LA Clippers are going to win just enough games to disappoint Bill Simmons The LA Lakers will dub Andrew Bynum, "Baby Bitch", because of his obsession with chocolate and cheese Goldschlager will jockey for position with Jaeger in the pools of vomit I leave all over my quiet neighborhood Philadelphia might show the world the genius that is Ed Stefanski Bald GM's continue their coup of building successful NBA rosters around talented players whose skills can be placed in to the coaches system, implying they find coaches that have proven system that can work with particular pieces. In a desperate attempt to stay current, Danny Ainge calls up Dan Akroyd and borrows his skin cap from "Coneheads". When Carmelo Anthony hits the trading block for pennies on the dollar, will he finally team up with Lebron James to form the postmodern Bulls squad we've all been waiting for? Maybe Denver should defrost the formerly rotting corpse of Gerry Mcnamara and get him to show Carmelo what it means to love the game again. Earl Boykins can bench press a lot of weight, they say.
Meet me at the corner of Jorge Luis Borges and Avenida Santa Fe, and we'll walk a block to Kentucky Pizza. Later I'll take you down Thames, to MALOUVA and there we ingest Malbecs from 2004 and beyond. Oh the future is grand, as we take a turn down to Hollywood, not so far away, but as Liberacci rolls over in his grave, we take in all the sights of Mundo Bizarro's brand of brutish behavior. A quick survey, the scene, a sighting of slight figures, slim, slow, sultry figures, locomotive motor train whistle blowing through my brains.
Again, Levon Helm will simply not leave my head, his drumming too idiosyncratic.
You better stop and think about what you're doing:
Before there were hipsters there was Harry Before there was ketchup there was corn syrup
Out in Dubai they're building a man made island where it's land locked and dry so why change the world for some white collar tourists?
Before they brought back the dead of next year they tried their hardest to squeeze the square peg in to the round hole
Vagina anti-inflammatory Eric Mangini formerly of Foxboro's fine facilities
There's a plague and it's eating away at the population's base and we worry when our parents say that we are more spoiled than they are because we see first hand the destruction of man and we think that it's time to place blame not upon ourselves us, we're great and progressive and kind and we might be running late but surprise! we're resiliant little carnivorous mammals and we'll move on when we find the real source of our divine worrying over the race of life's sport
No support, none whatsoever, as we cascade down the mountainside's cool breeze's glide, reminiscent of a bath in KY, I wonder why I didn't cover my face. The awkward moment, like a fart at a funeral, left cupid to wander and wonder if his arrows were defectively plumed; I told you I loved you, you told me confusion, I guess I don't listen while speaking, but who does anyways, am I so far inside my own head that I can't see the problems are remedies? 420 friendly listed on craiglist for apartments in New Amsterdam, time to get my brain fixed.
It's hard to imagine a world where your two best friends both die from drug overdoses. If there was ever a way to pay musical tribute to Danny Whitten, the original guitarist in Crazy Horse, and roadie Bruce Berry, Tonight's the Night is it. That said, 1973's On the Beach is perhaps the greatest cathartic achievement I've ever heard a studio musician create.
He's baring all his soul for the sake of reconciling both the internal and external pressures and criticisms that had been surrounding him ever since his star began to shine brightly. I don't think you should read about it, one ought to just listen and form her own opinion.
Also, this album ought to get remastered and reissued digitally. Neil make it happen!
It took some time, back when Apologies to the Queen Mary first played in my headphones I didn't think much of their sound, but hundreds of listens later, I think that might be one of the best albums that came out this decade. So, they decided to drop a new album recently, it's, uhh, really good.
I'm going to compile a picture essay about Truan Savage. Why not a different notable Oberlin 5th year, like say, Sean Mair? It's a long, complicated answer, but, in short, it's easy.
Phil Spector, like him or not, has had a profound effect on the way we appreciate popular music. His work in the studio is prolific, incredibly original and often controversial. The Wall of Sound recording technique certainly warrants mentioning as a crucial development in Mono recording, he was adamantly opposed to stereo recordings, saying they focused too much on the listener, and not enough on the producer; read about it here.
People like covering his work. If you went to Oberlin College, Wesleyan, or live in Brooklyn, you might have overheard someone mention a band called Grizzly Bear; they are pretty fucking good, and they don't mind wearing their influences on their sleeve, whether or not one can appreciate that is a different question. Here's them doing their best girl group impression, I guess, on their version of "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)"
Reasons to not like Phil Spector:
-He's a megalomaniac -He may have shot his wife dead during an argument (I suppose he's no William Burroughs in that regard) -He played Dr. Kevorkian to the fading esprit de corps of the Beatles -He may or may not advocate domestic abuse in his songwriting (I personally think that the band Grizzly Bear pretty much hit the mark with their take on the Crystal's classic, when sung by a sullen male voice to take the irony of the track and make it in to a modern Bo-Diddley kind of swagger song)
Did he kill his ex-wife? Probably, he's a crazy motherfucker.
The perfect storm will crash down upon the Atlantic Division come 2010, which believe you me is on the way, and it may or may not require Lebron James. More to come on my zygote of a theory about idealism, Jorge Luis Borges, NBA perfection, the importance of James Posey, Bobby Brown and Julian Wright to the New Orleans Hornets, the overall expendable nature of basically every player on the Houston Rockets summer league squad, The deep seated fear of mercenary free agents ruining entire seasons of intrigue in a desperate search for the glory of a championship, Jews in the NBA,the ballad of DJ Mbenga, the importance of Run THC (Sean Williams, Yi Jianlin, and (in my funny, jewcentric world) Jordan Farmar), and maybe even a peek at some Chinese people wearing Yi Jerseys.
Paul McCartney:Sean Marion::The Beatles:Phoenix Suns under Mike D'Antoni John Lennon:Steve Nash::"" George Harrison:Amáre Stoudemire:"" Ringo Starr: Mike D'Antoni New York Knicks (2008-): who knows, maybe The Ringo Starr All-Star Band, maybe just a cameo on the Simpsons.
It's been a loooong day. Christian Rock is soooo condescending. She said go get a haircut, so I showed her my bare butt. Is this what we want our children to turn in to?
Twang is one of those words whose usage is limited essentially to American English:
twang |twa ng | noun a strong ringing sound such as that made by the plucked string of a musical instrument or a released bowstring. • a nasal or other distinctive manner of pronunciation or intonation characteristic of the speech of an individual, area, or country : an American twang
Anyone who enjoys Country music can easily associate twang with particular artists (Ry Cooder, Merle Haggard, etc.), perhaps even with particular stringed instruments (Fender® Telecaster®, Banjo, etc.). In the world of Pop music, twang can serve as a tool to augment one's sound or it can be an impediment like none other, causing those who listen to lose all respect for you as a human being. With this thin line of good taste often being toed nowadays by a plethora of artists looking to employ twang(From Ryan Adams to Jenny Lewis to the down syndrome laced affair that is Toby Keith) it's important to look back at some earlier innovation in this sonic area. So, if you've got the time, it might be worth taking a look at the debut album from The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gilded Palace of Sin. Gram Parsons did a lot of drugs, he had cool friends, he went to Harvard for short while, hell, he even banged a snaggle-toothed Emmylou Harris for sometime, by that logic alone, this album merits at least one single listening. Also, bonus points for having not one, but two tracks named hot burrito.
As noted genius Saul Flores will tell you, it was not The Rolling Stones, but, the Flying Burrito Brothers who were responsible for such fan unrest, that Hell's Angels had no choice but to brutally murder an audience member at the Altamont Speedway in December, 1969. Someone brought a knife to a gun fight, and won.
What's up Casual Male XL? Smiling big for the camera, and driving home a little tipsy. Could you be all the things, I've ever wanted to be. Do I feel condescendingly better than thee? Will you stop the Joseph McCarthy of sports bloggers from saying Yi will not succeed with me? I guess I'll have to do it all myself.
Once someone told me that if you write things down in front of other people, just to seem more mysterious or motivated to act a certain way, you say really terrible things. This can only be justified by the rationale that women are always more forgiving than men; I have come to believe that gross over generalization is acceptable when you don't really believe what you're saying.
Civil Society: ¿Cómo hemos aceptado la amplia definición de ser americano en el norte? Mi cerébro está separado en dos secciones; izquierda y derecha.
How truly can one type his/her feelings? I prefer the pen, it is more like an extension of one's hand, whereas the keyboard is an extension of a computer, which in theory is used to dictate your mind, which is only later connected to your heart.
Getting pulled over by the police is a jarring experience. Except, when you come off as a competent individual. If you beat them to the punch, then it's lights out! In relative honor, of a great Saturday night out, we sing to thee our new song called "Neighborhood Watch"; a gay tale, I'm quite sure of it.
Ok now this is happening:
For my final thought; Ben Kweller is the 5th member of Badfinger, we just never knew it. The drums are so crisp; yeah it's from Fort-Worth, Texas, but it wasn't fried with southern batter. This makes me think that anyone is capable of being literate no matter the socio-economic circumstances that people haphazardly associate with being unable to locate their elbow from their ass. Just what is this Texas!?!?!? I demand answers; first, the jews are up in arms, kvetching about, to and fro, gently mocking their current landlords that, even though they pay rent the best, even though they're clear on the fact that she's selling the place, they plead for an extra month to get all their chachkas out of the joint.
Badfinger; no, not an anglo-ska band, rather the supposed next greatest thing, according to the Beatles, if you buy in to that sort of thing; I did, and I wasn't even a twinkle in my momma's eye when it actually happened. So I ask then, is history more important then the future, what is the point of releasing things to the public; when do you want to be understood? What is the fundamental values that set your aims in a manner that can be easily understood? Are you bi? Bi-curious? Bi-pre All-Star break blockbuster? Biennial? Buy more Lipton Tea®.
Dennis Wilson played drums for the Beach Boys. Maybe piano too, I don't really know. I heard a song off of this album once, then saw it on sale for 450 dollars on Amazon.com. Does that make this album important? Only you can decide.
Now for my last gasp of air before going underwater for the foreseeable future:
Shayne Weinstein hooked it up in the fall of 2006. People talk about Vegan skinny bitches, and Shayne fit the bill, but was actually the nicest person I met the entire time I was down in the Southern hemisphere. Tattoos aplenty; the outline of a sailboat was pretty kickass, but the winged, abstract piece on her back was by far the most outstanding of the body art. Like strings of seaweed in the night sky, her hair was always on the verge of being a mess, but always the most well kept of all the other students. Did it help that she was 26, while the vast majority of us were not even 21? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Everything about her was spot on, even her hottie, bartender boyfriend, Adam; another skinny, sinewy twenty something. She hailed from Portland, Oregon, home of countless Indie Pop artists, she herself not a musician, much to my surprise with the sort of rock star like following she received from just about everyone in the program.
While riding a bus up in the high altitudes of the Salta region of Argentina, we found ourselves occupied by our respective iPods. Knowing all I did about her visual aesthetic, I inquired as to what she was listening to. Much to my surprise, she was enamored with Pop from the 1960's and 1970's; an area of music which, at that juncture of my life, knew practically nothing about. So along comes sounds that I had always been hearing in my head, but never knew how many people were trying to achieve; I suppose the major difference is that they so far have succeeded in their endeavor.
So I bring you Emitt Rhodes, the saddest power popper ever. He did it all himself in a home studio built in his parent's garage. Then one day he discovered he couldn't put out records as fast as the record company demanded. They fucked him. So let's all enjoy some pop music, because we're all kidding ourselves for one reason or another.
New plan, less Neil Young, more power pop. Tune in next time for a little Pacific Blue. Basic Cable bike cops that is to say.
What makes Neil Young's After The Goldrush so good? Well, Neil Young's songwriting, singing, guitar playing, and overall aesthetic certainly play a part. Another area is the tremendous piano by Nihls Lofgren.
Before we get to the nitty gritty, oh shit!
SOUTHERN MAN:
Obviously this song is a classic, and, perhaps even more notably, it helped spawn the Lynyrd Skynyrd country jam Sweet Home Alabama.
As Al Kooper mentions in an article he wrote for Rolling Stone a long time ago,
"We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," says Van Zant, who wrote the lyrics to the song. None of the seven members of Lynyrd Skynyrd have gotten any personal reaction from Young on "Sweet Home Alabama," but Ed King, one of the group's three lead guitarists and, with Van Zant and Gary Rossington, a composer of the song, knows him personally from a tour years ago on the West Coast (he is the only Skynyrd member who is not from Florida). "I showed the verse to Ed and asked him what Neil might think," says Van Zant. "Ed said he'd dig it; he'd be laughing at it."
Later in the article, he quotes Van Zant in saying:
Van Zant has no interest in turning the dialogue into a volleyball match. He smiles and says, "Neil is amazing, wonderful . . . a superstar."
Now to the important stuff.
A question I would like to pose to Jackie Bousek, Ben Ryant, and all other interested parties; is this really a tribute to our Ghost Town Trio?
You can listen The Band's s/t album on the shittiest speakers, yet it will somehow sound good. I hope to never hear it on a high-definition system, it might ruin it for me.
On that note, everyone talks about Elvis Presely's descent in to a decadent, self-destructive lifestyle, but what about old Rick Danko? This guy was the next best thing to a heartthrob that whole Woodstock scene could produce, Canada's finest one might say. As time passed, he gained a considerable amount of chins, as well as plaque on his heart, leading to his inevitable passing 9 years ago from Heart Failure. It's worth noting that toxicology reports came up negative for even trace amounts of Drugs in his system at the time of his death.
Skinny Rick
Fat Rick
Anyone who likes the Band has undoubtedly uncovered many songs that they find aurally pleasing. A few of my personal favorites are:
The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down performed live at The Last Waltz. With the addition of a fantastic horn section, arranged by Allan Toussaint, and some inspired Drumming/Singing (hard to decide which comes first) by Levon Helm. The clip from the Martin Scorsese directed documentary begins with some silly jamming.
Long Black Veil off of Music From Big Pink, another fantastic album to drop in the Roman calendar year 1968. While not a Robertson & Co. original, no song really captures how fucking country these guys could be nearly as well. Others might chime in that Evangeline is a straight up country song, especially w/ Emmylou Harris singing on it, and therefore is more country than LBV, but I have to disagree. Just listen to how fucking spot on the shift in the harmonies are in the chorus and verses. Danko takes the lead, with Levon Helm providing some simple 3rds and 5ths on top, whereas in the Chorus Helm takes the melody and Danko soars in to some impressive falsetto work. They may not sing like angels, but there is something haunting about this rendition of this rustic ballad.
Look Out Cleveland off of the S/T album is a gem to me for several reasons. The most important one is that they shout out two obscure ass cities for 1970 in the hook; everyone was singing about NYC, Paris, Chicago, and what have you, but these guys had the balls to sing it somewhere else, and mean it. Robbie Robertson plays pretty average for what he is generally capable of, I much prefer his work on King Harvest, or Up on Cripple Creek, but Rick Danko plays his ass off on this track.
Skinny bitches, when the revolution comes, you're first on the wall.
When I consider just what it is that separates all the greats from the also-rans, I hope to look past the notion that luck is the major contributor. We make our own circumstances just as those situations we put ourselves define how we shall act.
Let's talk about Wonderwall Music, considered by many to be the first "Solo" Beatles album.
George Harrison was asked to score the soundtrack for a film that centers around a man's fixation with a couple who live in the flat next door that he can view through a hole in the wall.
The result is a sort of zygote of what would come to fruition on his future contributions to both The Beatles and in his impressive solo career. You can sense that Harrison lacked a proper outlet for his ideas, being that the Lennon-McCartney hegemony relegated him to outsider status when it came to what actually got released as Beatles tracks. Harrison has always been tabbed as a series of contradictions; the most spiritual, but (I'm not quite sure how one might go about measuring the egos of the biggest names in Pop music history, but I'll just say it for the sake of sounding academic) the most egotistical, and perhaps material member of the group.
I mentioned in my last post that this album dropped in 1968, a great year to go unheard with the abundance of great releases. This album is particularly obscure in the sense that Harrison does not actually play on a single track, rather, a mixed bag of Indian and British session musicians play his arrangements.
There are some very interesting tracks that manage to successfully blend the two unique sounds, but in comparison with tracks like "Within You Without You" and "Love You Too", there is nothing particularly groundbreaking going on here. That said, the musicianship is absolutely splendid.
Jesus Christ is our lord and savior. If I write this and, I die, will you think I was a religious man?
I'm worried about the potential to not be taken seriously, because people can't take a joke.
It's kind of hard to listen to frank Zappa, that is to say, it's not as easy as listening to Neil Young, or what, my favorite A Tribe Called Quest beats. It's not the weirdest music I have, but it's pretty weird.
Is 1968 an important year to me? Let's take a look at the months first:
January: Alexander Dubček was elected President of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. (The events that followed led to what scholars refer to, in this day and age, as the Prague Spring) February: Civil rights disturbances occur at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Probably more places than this, but these were big Public Universities of high academic prestige) March: Nerve gas leaks from the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground near Skull Valley, Utah. (SLC Punk was born five days later) April: Surgeons at the Hôpital de la Pitié, Paris, perform Europe's first heart transplant, on Clovis Roblain. (Oh Clovis, we'll always remember you for being able to commandeer those fancy roads of the greater Paris metropolitan area) May: "May of 68" is a symbol of the resistance of that generation. Agitations and strikes in Paris lead many youth to believe that a revolution is starting. Student and worker strikes, sometimes referred to as the French May, nearly bring down the French government. (Bernardo Bertolluci employs this as the backdrop to his film The Dreamers) June: A football stampede in Buenos Aires leaves 74 dead and 150 injured. (While probably had to an asado a huge group of fans headed for a blocked exit, and the numbers kind of speak for themselves) July: Pope Paul VI publishes the encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae, condemning birth control. Many American Catholics defy it. (This of course is to not be confused with the popular beverage bottled by The Glaçeau Company, Vitamin Water) August: France explodes its first hydrogen bomb, thus becoming the world's fifth nuclear power. (Remember May 1968? You better, because it officially became a distant memory when the central government got a nuke.) September: A 13 year-old Trudy Sugiura, may have heard Ry Cooder's handy mandolin playing on the Rolling Stones record, Let it Bleed. (See Relevant Albums) October: Kingston, Jamaica is rocked by the Rodney Riots, provoked by the banning of Walter Rodney from the country. (Los Angeles County Police would forever feel shame for assuming that Rodney King was this very Jamaican expatriot) November:The Heidi game: NBC cuts off the final 1:05 of an Oakland Raiders-New York Jets football game to broadcast the pre-scheduled Heidi. Fans are unable to see Oakland (which had been trailing 32–29) score two late touchdowns to win 43–32; as a result, thousands of outraged football fans flood the NBC switchboards to protest. (How are blogs affecting journalistic integrity? What about Bob?) December: Mao Zedong advocates educated youth in urban China to be re-educated in the country. It marks the start of the "Up to the mountains and down to the villages" movement. (Chinese Success explained in layman's terms?)
Musical Highlights from z-O: The Zombies' Odessey & Oracle probably obscure because of the poor spelling by a graphic designer friend of the band. (I don't understand why anyone would want to see a 61 year-old Colin Blunstone crooning numbers like or Blood Sweat & Tears debuted with Child is The Father to the Man Creedence Clearwater Revival dropped a s/t album. George Harrison released the Wonderwall original soundtrack. Otis Redding releases Dock of the Bay and Macon, Georgia is on the map baby!
I used to really like the band Bloc Party, until I realized that by wearing their influences so heavily on their sleeves, I, as the listener, was left wondering why I didn't just listen to the original bands.
My ideas for how to make a successful rock band:
-Whimsical Lead Singer, who demonstrates technical skills on various instruments, but never enough to take away from the band's overall sound.
-A drummer who can play huge even on the smallest of kits.
It's hard to express in words just how important this man is, so I now present my first video essay:
Oh Shane Battier...
Despite our need to mythologize the motherfucker, it's important to show vulnerabilities
All in all, I can't think of a more important player in the history of my NBA viewership. He played for the Knicks, the Nets and the Sixers all in a 5 year span; if only Todd Mcullough had that kind of mass-appeal (or functional legs)
Who's star shined brightest that night in 1968? Certainly the Stones headlined, but it was really the sideshow that came through.
Jethro Tull did not make any sense to me until I saw this live performance clip:
The Who really were the biggest beasts, goddamn they killed it:
New Brunswick, New Jersey, is a strange place. I suppose it's just sad to see how little drinking gets done at a supposedly big school on the 4th of July.
Amaretto Sour
Cat Power leaks out through my speakers and in to the neighboring rooms
As an experiment I consumed an entire bag of sour mix
In conjunction the music and the drink did mix quite well
As soon as I buy the plane ticket, I'm headed somewhere in Andalucía, España in late September. Even though it feels like something radically different, since I won't be returning directly to an American university after this experience, I now have to entertain thoughts of just what I'm going to do when I get back.
Do I dare Disturb the Universe?
And tell you all that I think Phish manages to ruin one of the best songs Neil Young has ever written, in a way totally unique to them and them alone. In reality, if Trey Anastasio wasn't onstage, I would have no complaints, but for chrissakes, he doesn't know the fucking words to the hook.
Jersey girls are pretty awful to each other insert any adjective before that noun and the result is essentially the same
In my endless endeavor to appear competent in public places, I have managed to get myself all the way to the lowly position of bus boy. I am fully qualified; I speak Spanish and English halfway decently, I have all my limbs in tact (with most of my fingers functioning properly, this damn right pinkie is in pain), and I am easily led. who is creepier, him for making this video in this manner, or me for trying to present it to people in the world outside?)
Douglas Forrester, former Republican gubernatorial candidate of the State of New Jersey, was back for the 3rd time in 3 weeks to our find establishment, JL Ivy. He speaks with aplomb to people who seem to have serious questions for him about their lives. Read about Doug Forrester here. So he's personally endorsed by George Walker Bush. Anyways, after all the cronies had cleared out and he was left to leave with the last bit of the mess. I imagined I was a hitman hired by a radical terrorist organization and I shot him down, dead to the ground. He then showed me something that is of great importance apparently, American Express Black® card. This means he has a butt-ton of money. Am I saying we should rob this motherfucker? Of course not! This is a civil servant after all. That said, it left me wanting to talk to him, could he still be humble after making ALL that money.
AJS: Excuse me sir, I was just wondering, you being in the field of politics and all, if you went straight to Law School after Undergraduate studies?
The Honorable DF: Actually, I never went to Law School. I had a different path, and frankly those who go straight in to politics never end up having as much to offer to us.
AJS: (Mildly impressed with his candor) That's a good point, I've been reading David Halberstam's book, The Best and the Brightest on the supposed, great Democratic White House that got us in to Vietnam.
THDF: Yes that's a great book, but remember that idealism is still very important.
Earlier today I was speaking with Maurice, the waiter who magically resembles the Jamaican Harry Shearer, and he had this to say about the good judge;
MTHW: All those conservative pricks try to do is fuck us.
How much writing can I get done in the time it takes to listen to Side A of Everybody Knows This is Nowhere? My guess, not as much as I thought.
Anyhoo, let's get down to the nitty gritty:
-Is Javale Mcgee's mama's WNBA presence of any consequence whatsoever? When I see highlight reels of him, they are all offensive. Don't these Wizards need an inside presence that is ready to dominate; no one can perhaps answer this question, but I would have loved to see someone like JJ Hickson for the Wizards. A questionable fit in Cleveland, with his great upside implying a need for some serious minutes before he can be a "suitable replacement for Joe Smith" (who they just fucking traded for!!!! [Maybe a sign that Lebron won't be around in a couple of years unless they seriously develop some young drafted talent!!!!) If Mcgee somehow offers anything other than the uncanny ability to play well in Summer League/Preseason garbage minutes against the likes of Loren Woods, or other super studs of yesteryear, then I, for one, will be thoroughly impressed with Ernie Grunfeld's decision to continue his erratic drafting habits. What the hell is Eddie Jordan's system anyway? Just good enough to make the playoffs? It's not exactly fate that they keep meeting Cleveland so early, both teams are linked by their inability to field a team that can be considered the regular season elite, so that perhaps some of their deficiencies, on the bigger stage, can be masked a little bit more.
Cleveland needs reliable offensive talents who can supplement Lebron's explosiveness. A lead guard is a good place to start; one that understands how important passing is a part of his game, like no other wing before him. An active big man, like Drew Gooden, but not such a bitch when it counts; wasn't Drew Gooden a small forward in college anyway? Or was that just how I used him in NCAA Live 2001? I'm so confused.
The Wizards? They need to really define the roles of their "Big 3" who all like filling up stat sheets, but don't seem to do much else on the court. Who of Arenas, Butler and Jamison can play game changing defense? Butler has the most potential in this regard, but maybe Bill Simmons is on point when he called him "either the most unathletic athletic guy he's ever seen, or the most athletic unathletic guy" it's ambiguous. In other news, the youngins look slowly promising. How much can these Eastern teams keep preaching the future, when the West continues to develop talent along side proven players.
Boston's "Blackwater" mercernary squad, maybe that sounded a little too much like Don Imus, won because they had something better than chemistry; a clear path. What Boston achieved by thinking like a Western Conference team, was being able to slowly steamroll the competition. I thought THE A-TEAM was a great show; is that why I like Mr. T so much still? I never saw the PSA's that Robert Smigel seems to have so brilliantly mocked, too young. I stopped eating Slim Jim's when I realized that I was becoming a portly version of what I saw in my dreams every night. I guess I have trouble believing that a former professional wrestler (even in Rocky 3 he was regarded as a grappler, not a puncher) could hold the nation's youth hostage with his aggresive brand of American values.
Down by the River; has Neil Young or Chris Farley better defined the issue of what it truly means to experience the river?
Açai Berries in fruit pops that only have 35 calories? Horribly unsatisfactory.
Be on my side or Be on your side
There is no reason for you to hide
It's so hard for me staying here all alone
When you could be taking me for a ride
She could drag me over the rainbow and send me away
Down by the river I shot my baby Down by the river
