Monday, November 30, 2009
Dear LHC
Will you please adopt me? I will be your high energy, particle-colliding child. I would love to set world records with you.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Bananas: We accept you, one of us
So if you're not familiar with the children's show 'Yo Gabba Gabba!', it can be summed up thusly: Sesame Street meets Japanese Cosplay for the hipster-parent generation. Started by the MC Bat Commander of Aquabats fame, the show fuses edutainmental bits with an indie rock aesthetic that can be enjoyed by both children and their parents. But the high point is the music. Guests have included The Roots, The Ting Tings, Jimmy Eat World, The Aquabats (of course) and the Aggrolites, of all people, who originally performed the song that Dinosaur Jr. rocks in this video of the live 'Yo Gabba Gabba' show.
So yep. Must be bizarre to play for a roomful of kids when you're used to playing for a bunch of drunken college-mops, but they look like they're having a blast, after getting through that tentative, deer-in-the-headlights "Hi Kids."
Black Friday is disgusting. We didn't have any doorbusters or the nonsense that major chains had, but we do now have the only coffee shop in the mall, so our store was pretty ridiculous. I just don't understand the greed that we as Americans seem to have hard-wired. I'd like to say that I'm not part of it, but to be honest, I'm pretty messed up with it. I have constant envy of things that I don't own, when I haven't finished all of the ones that I do. Stupid, but I shouldn't look down on myself. Black Friday, with children complaining that they want every toy in the store, people attempting to negotiate for better deals and my sister getting yelled at because they ran out of the tote her store advertised, is a pretty horrible symptom. I need to fix it in myself before I can avoid it outside of my body.
Shoot the moon.
So yep. Must be bizarre to play for a roomful of kids when you're used to playing for a bunch of drunken college-mops, but they look like they're having a blast, after getting through that tentative, deer-in-the-headlights "Hi Kids."
Black Friday is disgusting. We didn't have any doorbusters or the nonsense that major chains had, but we do now have the only coffee shop in the mall, so our store was pretty ridiculous. I just don't understand the greed that we as Americans seem to have hard-wired. I'd like to say that I'm not part of it, but to be honest, I'm pretty messed up with it. I have constant envy of things that I don't own, when I haven't finished all of the ones that I do. Stupid, but I shouldn't look down on myself. Black Friday, with children complaining that they want every toy in the store, people attempting to negotiate for better deals and my sister getting yelled at because they ran out of the tote her store advertised, is a pretty horrible symptom. I need to fix it in myself before I can avoid it outside of my body.
Shoot the moon.
Place
This is a placeholder, but let me just say that I'm disgusted by the greed shown on black friday.
Night.
Night.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Roombas and Guitar Strings
So why is it that people such as myself can never be satisfied? Everyone my age wants to be famous. We want to have everyone know our name. They need to know our music, our writing, our art. But really, we're just feeling lazy and entitled.
Since this is my blog, we'll use me as the fr'instance. I have high hopes for my writing. Anyone who is reading this right now can probably puzzle that one together. But my identity is made up of a bunch of different things. In elementary school, I was the kid who broke at least one backpack a year. I would fill them, to the point where the zipper seams tore, with books.
There was no way that I could read all of these books in school. We had classes, recess, never mind that elementary school was a more social time. But I simply liked the feeling of having these books around me, even if they were never opened. They ran the gamut of science texts to fantasy novels, and really just provided a safety net.
Whatever it might be, that safety net disappears as we grow older. In junior high and high school, the number of 'fun' texts I could carry dwindled, and in college, my non-school reading dropped to near zero. I really had nothing holding me up anymore.
It's scary, not being able to rely on something you've always had before. There are ways around it obviously; drugs, alcohol. You fill the gap with something powerful and life changing. Many of us can't find a way to do that, and almost delude ourselves into seeking new identities. We become sure that we'll be famous.
The punchline here is that that is unlikely.
I sit down some days and strum my guitar casually. I'm not very good yet, and in my head there's a voice telling me that I should be. I've had this guitar four years, I should be a performing singer-songwriter with his own backing band. My poems should be recited in high school classrooms as exemplary works. I should be making my way through the money with a shovel for my fiction.
Life doesn't work that way. It gets in your way, changes the game. You can catch yourself saying that this is bad.
Or you can strum the guitar. Hammer out one more chord before you go to bed. Learn something new.
Since this is my blog, we'll use me as the fr'instance. I have high hopes for my writing. Anyone who is reading this right now can probably puzzle that one together. But my identity is made up of a bunch of different things. In elementary school, I was the kid who broke at least one backpack a year. I would fill them, to the point where the zipper seams tore, with books.
There was no way that I could read all of these books in school. We had classes, recess, never mind that elementary school was a more social time. But I simply liked the feeling of having these books around me, even if they were never opened. They ran the gamut of science texts to fantasy novels, and really just provided a safety net.
Whatever it might be, that safety net disappears as we grow older. In junior high and high school, the number of 'fun' texts I could carry dwindled, and in college, my non-school reading dropped to near zero. I really had nothing holding me up anymore.
It's scary, not being able to rely on something you've always had before. There are ways around it obviously; drugs, alcohol. You fill the gap with something powerful and life changing. Many of us can't find a way to do that, and almost delude ourselves into seeking new identities. We become sure that we'll be famous.
The punchline here is that that is unlikely.
I sit down some days and strum my guitar casually. I'm not very good yet, and in my head there's a voice telling me that I should be. I've had this guitar four years, I should be a performing singer-songwriter with his own backing band. My poems should be recited in high school classrooms as exemplary works. I should be making my way through the money with a shovel for my fiction.
Life doesn't work that way. It gets in your way, changes the game. You can catch yourself saying that this is bad.
Or you can strum the guitar. Hammer out one more chord before you go to bed. Learn something new.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Thursday Afternoon Short Story
"I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore. There's just a monotone to your voice.. and it's there all the time. Even when we talk about shit like this. I'm sorry. I can't...I'm sorry."
She hung up.
Into the silence, he said "At the sound of your rejection, the time will be 3:30 pm EST."
She hung up.
Into the silence, he said "At the sound of your rejection, the time will be 3:30 pm EST."
Mother of Mindfuck!
So Pitchfork posted this yesterday, and I felt that it's general strangeness was worth commenting on here. Beck and actress/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg are putting out an album together. The first single 'Heaven can Wait' is available at the iTunes store, and I dig it, but the music video is the weirdest combination of imagery I've seen in a while. Check it.
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck - Heaven Can Wait
Charlotte Gainsbourg and Beck - Heaven Can Wait
Amphibians
A poem I'm working on right now. It still needs work.
In nature camp, we’d turn
over logs, roll them back into
the patches of poison ivy that
seemed to thrive around them.
We were looking for worms, insects,
anything that thrived in the dark
and wet,
the real joy coming with a log tipped
and that glossy back, spots
of yellow or red, and the slow flashing tail
of the salamander.
We’d pick him up, careful not to
break, fragile limbs with sticky hands.
Tigers, spotted, toxicity needed to stop
exactly this groping, drying hands, as we roll
them over and see the pale, non-hiding
underside.
Luckiest
are dropped into a tank of peat, worms,
plastic plants and a classroom filled with
six year olds, end up dehydrated husks.
Tipped back under a log as burial.
Then
swollen with new moisture, they find
a grub who hasn’t seen them before
and swallow it whole.
In nature camp, we’d turn
over logs, roll them back into
the patches of poison ivy that
seemed to thrive around them.
We were looking for worms, insects,
anything that thrived in the dark
and wet,
the real joy coming with a log tipped
and that glossy back, spots
of yellow or red, and the slow flashing tail
of the salamander.
We’d pick him up, careful not to
break, fragile limbs with sticky hands.
Tigers, spotted, toxicity needed to stop
exactly this groping, drying hands, as we roll
them over and see the pale, non-hiding
underside.
Luckiest
are dropped into a tank of peat, worms,
plastic plants and a classroom filled with
six year olds, end up dehydrated husks.
Tipped back under a log as burial.
Then
swollen with new moisture, they find
a grub who hasn’t seen them before
and swallow it whole.
More mythology for your buck
So odds are you've seen the trailer for Clash of the Titans the remake of the 70s original that made Ray Harryhausen a bit of a household name.
Well, now we've got that same movie for the Harry Potter set.
The third trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief went up and I've gotta say, it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Christopher Columbus, the guy who directed the first two Harry Potter films is behind the camera, and I think we'll be getting a similar feeling out of this one.
Check it out.
Well, now we've got that same movie for the Harry Potter set.
The third trailer for Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief went up and I've gotta say, it looks like it'll be a lot of fun. Christopher Columbus, the guy who directed the first two Harry Potter films is behind the camera, and I think we'll be getting a similar feeling out of this one.
Check it out.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Who poured mercury in my ear?
So my head feels like it's exploding, and this is going to be a short post because of that, but I still have a couple of things to say.
My friend Lauren pointed me to this video, and I think it's excellent. It really sums up what needs to happen in the world, and in the schools, to keep us going and possibly to push the economy back to where it belongs. We're stagnant.
Ken Robinson at TED
Also, I'd like to share a little humor with you folks out there. Some folks might be aware of Ray "Banana" Comfort and his revisionist 'Origin of the Species' that will be passed out November 22nd at college campuses. Well, the National Council for Science Education had a bit of a silly rebuttal on the subject.
Finally, if you're able, the annual Leonid meteor shower, as we pass through the tail of the Tempel-Tuttle comet, reaches its peak tonight, with 20 to 30 meteors estimated to be visible each hour, starting at midnight and most significant at 3 am on the 17th. However, if you're in, or closer to, Asia (I'm looking at you, Christopher, Katie and AV) then you'll be getting 200 to 300 an hour. So please, take photos and share with us.
I'm going to see if I can find Hephaestus and fix this headache.
My friend Lauren pointed me to this video, and I think it's excellent. It really sums up what needs to happen in the world, and in the schools, to keep us going and possibly to push the economy back to where it belongs. We're stagnant.
Ken Robinson at TED
Also, I'd like to share a little humor with you folks out there. Some folks might be aware of Ray "Banana" Comfort and his revisionist 'Origin of the Species' that will be passed out November 22nd at college campuses. Well, the National Council for Science Education had a bit of a silly rebuttal on the subject.
Finally, if you're able, the annual Leonid meteor shower, as we pass through the tail of the Tempel-Tuttle comet, reaches its peak tonight, with 20 to 30 meteors estimated to be visible each hour, starting at midnight and most significant at 3 am on the 17th. However, if you're in, or closer to, Asia (I'm looking at you, Christopher, Katie and AV) then you'll be getting 200 to 300 an hour. So please, take photos and share with us.
I'm going to see if I can find Hephaestus and fix this headache.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nighty Nighty: Day off Photo
Relaxing cliche tree photo I took for you to look at overnight.
Sweet dreams.
Sweet dreams.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Soda Culture: Nerdcore, Cartoons, and Why Those Pants Don't Fit Anymore
Let me start the day off with this statement. I'm pretty sure I've figured out the country's obesity crisis. It's people shopping while hungry. Or maybe you fatsos should exercise more. Either way.
"A beard is no substitute for a jawline, no matter how you trim it."
Adult Swim is a pretty well known brand in the world of cartoons for the adult (surprising, I know) consumer. But while I've discussed this show before, I still find that there are a lot of people out there who aren't aware of the glory that is 'The Venture Brothers'.
Now in the early stages of the fourth season, 'The Venture Bros' was conceived and created by Jackson Publick, aka Christopher McCulloch, one of the main writers on 'The Tick' animated series. Originally to be a comic book, he decided to instead do it as an animated series after realizing he had a larger story to tell. The show was picked up in 2002 and began airing the first season in 2004.
Alright, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, why is this show so great? Simply put, it's a show for everyone who grew up in the 80's and 90's. Dr. Venture, a pill-popping scientist with two moronic sons and a hulking be-mulleted bodyguard directly recalls Dr. Quest from the old 'Jonny Quest' tv show (and the stupid relaunch). The Monarch, a butterfly-themed super-villain traveling in a flying cocoon is a Bond bad guy crossed with the Batman rogues' gallery. The show throws in the pop-culture left and right, including David Bowie in a significant role, the Scooby gang re-imagined as famous serial killers and victims, and a GI Joe-esque montage that gets really over the top, really quickly.
So if this show is as awesome as I say it is, why isn't it more popular? A couple of reasons, I think. The time slot, 12 am on a Sunday is pretty much shit for anyone outside the college set. Yes, I manage to stay up and watch it, but I crash immediately after, having to work the next day. I think the biggest factor is, oddly enough, the humor. People aren't smart. I hate to say that, but a large portion of the population can't wrap their head around anything more sophisticated than a 'Family Guy' joke, where you're given the set-up, and then the punchline is handed to you through imagery. A show like 'The Venture Brothers', where the referential material flies fast and furious without even a second to explain it is going to get lost on some people. When Edgar Allen Poe says that a sacred object is hidden under his floorboards, I snorted with laughter, seeing a quick "Telltale Heart" joke, while the person next to me just looked confused. A brilliant Exodus 21:24 joke in the last episode flew right over my head, a more Biblically educated friend pointing it out to me. So while the show is enjoyable for everyone, it's sort of the same situation 'Futurama' found itself in, except that instead of the science nerd, the hipster pop-culture (excuse me, Soda Culture) geek is going to find himself king of the couch with this show.
"Technologies. That's gangstas with computers, y'all."
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I dig rap. I have a few friends who hate the entire genre based on some preconceived notions about the way it presents itself. There are others I've met who think that every rapper who does some moronic thing is God himself, and there's of course no way he actually did the stupid shit there are six witnesses to.
I fall somewhere in the middle.
I hate to say it, but I'm a bit of a hipster, even in my rap choices. I listen to a lot of indie stuff: Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Atmosphere, El-P, Doom, De La Soul...kind of the who's who of semi-underground, lyrically intelligent rap artists. Also in the play rotation are the precursors: Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys...the things you listened to as a kid that your parents and Tipper Gore didn't want you to. This probably makes me pretentious. Hopefully, this next bit will fix that.
Ever listen to Nerdcore?
The genre came out of the uterus back in 2000, birthed by balding father-figure MC Frontalot and his self-publish, DIY ethic. The songs tend to deal with nerdy (durr) topics, ranging from computer games to DNA, the nineties ska scene to unrequited love for goth girls. Since he first came up with the term, many other rappers have defined themselves as such.
My personal favorite is probably MC Lars. A graduate of Stanford's English program, his nerdy references walk happily hand in hand with classical literature. In fact, he's adapted several classics into ridiculously catchy rap tunes, including Moby Dick, The Raven, and Hamlet. Self-reference being a large part of nerdcore, Lars also writes about Guitar Hero derangement syndrome (the idea that being good at Guitar-Hero means you are somehow a musical genius), the cliched hipsters of Williamsburg, and the oft-ridiculous green movement. However, he also can write a damn good serious rap-tune, teaming up with nerd MCs YTCracker, K.Flay and the Former Fat Boys for a defense of the genre on one of the best tracks off his most recent album, 'We have Arrived'.
While some say Nerdcore is dead, I think the genre is not only going to hang on, but evolve. Artists like Jonathan Coulton, while not nerdcore, are making it cool to be a Nerd again in a way it hasn't been since Peter Parker had a clone. And I know there are a lot of us out there. Playing Munchkin with friends two weeks in a row is proof of that.
So sit up. Get out your synth. Sing a song about LISP and Visual Basic. And kick it.
"A beard is no substitute for a jawline, no matter how you trim it."
Adult Swim is a pretty well known brand in the world of cartoons for the adult (surprising, I know) consumer. But while I've discussed this show before, I still find that there are a lot of people out there who aren't aware of the glory that is 'The Venture Brothers'.
Now in the early stages of the fourth season, 'The Venture Bros' was conceived and created by Jackson Publick, aka Christopher McCulloch, one of the main writers on 'The Tick' animated series. Originally to be a comic book, he decided to instead do it as an animated series after realizing he had a larger story to tell. The show was picked up in 2002 and began airing the first season in 2004.
Alright, now that we've got the boring stuff out of the way, why is this show so great? Simply put, it's a show for everyone who grew up in the 80's and 90's. Dr. Venture, a pill-popping scientist with two moronic sons and a hulking be-mulleted bodyguard directly recalls Dr. Quest from the old 'Jonny Quest' tv show (and the stupid relaunch). The Monarch, a butterfly-themed super-villain traveling in a flying cocoon is a Bond bad guy crossed with the Batman rogues' gallery. The show throws in the pop-culture left and right, including David Bowie in a significant role, the Scooby gang re-imagined as famous serial killers and victims, and a GI Joe-esque montage that gets really over the top, really quickly.
So if this show is as awesome as I say it is, why isn't it more popular? A couple of reasons, I think. The time slot, 12 am on a Sunday is pretty much shit for anyone outside the college set. Yes, I manage to stay up and watch it, but I crash immediately after, having to work the next day. I think the biggest factor is, oddly enough, the humor. People aren't smart. I hate to say that, but a large portion of the population can't wrap their head around anything more sophisticated than a 'Family Guy' joke, where you're given the set-up, and then the punchline is handed to you through imagery. A show like 'The Venture Brothers', where the referential material flies fast and furious without even a second to explain it is going to get lost on some people. When Edgar Allen Poe says that a sacred object is hidden under his floorboards, I snorted with laughter, seeing a quick "Telltale Heart" joke, while the person next to me just looked confused. A brilliant Exodus 21:24 joke in the last episode flew right over my head, a more Biblically educated friend pointing it out to me. So while the show is enjoyable for everyone, it's sort of the same situation 'Futurama' found itself in, except that instead of the science nerd, the hipster pop-culture (excuse me, Soda Culture) geek is going to find himself king of the couch with this show.
"Technologies. That's gangstas with computers, y'all."
I'm not embarrassed to admit that I dig rap. I have a few friends who hate the entire genre based on some preconceived notions about the way it presents itself. There are others I've met who think that every rapper who does some moronic thing is God himself, and there's of course no way he actually did the stupid shit there are six witnesses to.
I fall somewhere in the middle.
I hate to say it, but I'm a bit of a hipster, even in my rap choices. I listen to a lot of indie stuff: Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Atmosphere, El-P, Doom, De La Soul...kind of the who's who of semi-underground, lyrically intelligent rap artists. Also in the play rotation are the precursors: Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys...the things you listened to as a kid that your parents and Tipper Gore didn't want you to. This probably makes me pretentious. Hopefully, this next bit will fix that.
Ever listen to Nerdcore?
The genre came out of the uterus back in 2000, birthed by balding father-figure MC Frontalot and his self-publish, DIY ethic. The songs tend to deal with nerdy (durr) topics, ranging from computer games to DNA, the nineties ska scene to unrequited love for goth girls. Since he first came up with the term, many other rappers have defined themselves as such.
My personal favorite is probably MC Lars. A graduate of Stanford's English program, his nerdy references walk happily hand in hand with classical literature. In fact, he's adapted several classics into ridiculously catchy rap tunes, including Moby Dick, The Raven, and Hamlet. Self-reference being a large part of nerdcore, Lars also writes about Guitar Hero derangement syndrome (the idea that being good at Guitar-Hero means you are somehow a musical genius), the cliched hipsters of Williamsburg, and the oft-ridiculous green movement. However, he also can write a damn good serious rap-tune, teaming up with nerd MCs YTCracker, K.Flay and the Former Fat Boys for a defense of the genre on one of the best tracks off his most recent album, 'We have Arrived'.
While some say Nerdcore is dead, I think the genre is not only going to hang on, but evolve. Artists like Jonathan Coulton, while not nerdcore, are making it cool to be a Nerd again in a way it hasn't been since Peter Parker had a clone. And I know there are a lot of us out there. Playing Munchkin with friends two weeks in a row is proof of that.
So sit up. Get out your synth. Sing a song about LISP and Visual Basic. And kick it.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Beards for Breakfast
Look at this, you lucky people. You get two posts in the same day. I know, I probably spoil you.
A couple of days ago, I discussed some comic books that are pretty awesome, and the movies coming out based on them. Well today, my dreams...aspirations...well, we finally got a look at Kick-Ass, the movie based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name. Thanks to Gordon over at Movie Make-out for the link.
Really, it looks pretty awesome. The opening shot is a really obvious set-up for a more obvious joke, but overall, we're looking at a movie that is a pretty interesting, unique, and probably hilarious take on the 'What would superheroes in the real world be like?' question that Watchmen and Batman have addressed most recently. Not Oscar-Fodder, the way upcoming genre films like The Road, Avatar, and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus will be, but still, a good reason to head to the cinema.
The Flaming Lips video I posted earlier is strangely not the only pornographic music video to surface recently. A few weeks ago new wunderband, Girls, came out with a video for their song 'Lust for Life' from the album, 'Album' (hurr) that at moments approaches laugh out loud gay porn. Girls - Lust for Life (Extremely NSFW). Worth watching, and the song is tits, but those same tits and penis abound, so heads up.
On to much more serious matters.
Today was an important day, really, the world over. Here in the US, it's the day that we celebrate our veterans and the service they gave to their country. My father was in the Navy during the Korean war, working on a Minesweeper. He was lucky enough to not be rotated into the waters around Korea before the war ended, but there are many families of soldiers out there who can't say the same. We need to remember, not just today, but in some way every day how much these people give to us.
Much of the rest of the world also celebrates and remembers today. Armistice Day. November 11th is the day when a treaty was signed between the Allies of World War 1 and Germany. While things did get bad in that area of the world again relatively quickly, globally speaking, we should remember that Peace is possible. I mean, the amount of hatred and anger in the US is staggering to me. The news is full of rape, mass murder and war on a daily basis. It's depressing and if there is a God, I think he'd be pretty disappointed with how people use him to justify all of this. The Westboro Baptist church. Anti-Abortion bombers. The 9/11 attacks. Really, what the fuck is wrong with humanity?
I'll get off my soapbox and end by posting a somewhat humorous holiday that is also celebrated today. If you're like me, you love corduroy. You love the way it feels. You love the noises it makes. You generally think that corduroy is rad. Well, there is a group of people out there who feel the same as you. The Corduroy Club uses November 11th as their celebration of all things corduroy, including speakers and a gathering. This year's speaker (who will already have spoken as of this writing) was writer Sloane Crosley. A humorist, I'm sure her speech was a lot of fun.
I always have trouble wrapping these entries up. No idea what to say. So I'll end with what was my word of the day, at least until general anxiety set in.
Beard.
Thank you and goodnight.
A couple of days ago, I discussed some comic books that are pretty awesome, and the movies coming out based on them. Well today, my dreams...aspirations...well, we finally got a look at Kick-Ass, the movie based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name. Thanks to Gordon over at Movie Make-out for the link.
Really, it looks pretty awesome. The opening shot is a really obvious set-up for a more obvious joke, but overall, we're looking at a movie that is a pretty interesting, unique, and probably hilarious take on the 'What would superheroes in the real world be like?' question that Watchmen and Batman have addressed most recently. Not Oscar-Fodder, the way upcoming genre films like The Road, Avatar, and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus will be, but still, a good reason to head to the cinema.
The Flaming Lips video I posted earlier is strangely not the only pornographic music video to surface recently. A few weeks ago new wunderband, Girls, came out with a video for their song 'Lust for Life' from the album, 'Album' (hurr) that at moments approaches laugh out loud gay porn. Girls - Lust for Life (Extremely NSFW). Worth watching, and the song is tits, but those same tits and penis abound, so heads up.
On to much more serious matters.
Today was an important day, really, the world over. Here in the US, it's the day that we celebrate our veterans and the service they gave to their country. My father was in the Navy during the Korean war, working on a Minesweeper. He was lucky enough to not be rotated into the waters around Korea before the war ended, but there are many families of soldiers out there who can't say the same. We need to remember, not just today, but in some way every day how much these people give to us.
Much of the rest of the world also celebrates and remembers today. Armistice Day. November 11th is the day when a treaty was signed between the Allies of World War 1 and Germany. While things did get bad in that area of the world again relatively quickly, globally speaking, we should remember that Peace is possible. I mean, the amount of hatred and anger in the US is staggering to me. The news is full of rape, mass murder and war on a daily basis. It's depressing and if there is a God, I think he'd be pretty disappointed with how people use him to justify all of this. The Westboro Baptist church. Anti-Abortion bombers. The 9/11 attacks. Really, what the fuck is wrong with humanity?
I'll get off my soapbox and end by posting a somewhat humorous holiday that is also celebrated today. If you're like me, you love corduroy. You love the way it feels. You love the noises it makes. You generally think that corduroy is rad. Well, there is a group of people out there who feel the same as you. The Corduroy Club uses November 11th as their celebration of all things corduroy, including speakers and a gathering. This year's speaker (who will already have spoken as of this writing) was writer Sloane Crosley. A humorist, I'm sure her speech was a lot of fun.
I always have trouble wrapping these entries up. No idea what to say. So I'll end with what was my word of the day, at least until general anxiety set in.
Beard.
Thank you and goodnight.
NSFW: The Flaming Lips - Watching the Planets Video
For those of you with less internet-savvy than the average 13-year old, NSFW=Not Safe for Work. So don't yell at me.
The Flaming Lips are bizarre. Wayne Coyne is possibly the weirdest, most awesome front-dude since GG Allin. But I think personally, that giant, furry, pig-snorting vagina eggs spewing out naked people is a lot more awesome than throwing your own feces at your audience. But hey, that's just me.
But yep, a few months ago Coyne advertised for people in the Portland, OR area who were willing to be naked to come out and be part of the shoot for the Lips' song "Watching the Planets". They apparently turned out in droves, and lead to both some really cool imagery, a lot of it reflective of their newest disc's title, Embryonic, and a nice celebration of humanity, as we're treated to the entire spectrum of body shapes and sizes. Pretty neat. Check it out.
The Flaming Lips - Watching the Planets (Warning: Extremely NSFW)
Oh, and Coyne gets nude too.
The Flaming Lips are bizarre. Wayne Coyne is possibly the weirdest, most awesome front-dude since GG Allin. But I think personally, that giant, furry, pig-snorting vagina eggs spewing out naked people is a lot more awesome than throwing your own feces at your audience. But hey, that's just me.
But yep, a few months ago Coyne advertised for people in the Portland, OR area who were willing to be naked to come out and be part of the shoot for the Lips' song "Watching the Planets". They apparently turned out in droves, and lead to both some really cool imagery, a lot of it reflective of their newest disc's title, Embryonic, and a nice celebration of humanity, as we're treated to the entire spectrum of body shapes and sizes. Pretty neat. Check it out.
The Flaming Lips - Watching the Planets (Warning: Extremely NSFW)
Oh, and Coyne gets nude too.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Neurose #6362: Holy crap, what if a lion breaks in right now and eats me?
I'm a worrier. It's something that I'm really quite good at. At times, I think that I should be a world leader, as I think we're tending towards a humanity that is, above all else, really worried about everything.
Look at what's happening in the news here in the US. The right is worried that we've somehow elected some foreign-national communist to the highest office in the land and that he's going to force us all to marry gay babies while directly siphoning our blood from our veins into the nearest homeless person. The left, on the other hand, finds concerns in whether a rubber faced whinging pundit is going to incite their Jesus-eyed neighbors into a war at home with religion and intolerance planted in the eye of the storm. In fact, it seems like both sides are so busy worrying about the other that they're neglecting more important things.
And that's what worry comes down to. You become consumed by it. I know there are days, particularly days off from work, when I'll become lethargic from it. I'll wake up and something will plant that little seed of can't or won't into my brain and I'll plop myself down on the couch and watch cartoons until the streetlights come on. I could still be reasonably expected to do other things, but that part of my head is steadily gnawing away and tells me that I'll just fail anyway.
That part of our brains is a little bit of a dick.
So what do we do about it? Looking around, at the books in the self-help section in particular, a popular way to try to fix it is with things. This is a shortcut to failure. French Women or Dr. Phil or even that Oprah lady don't know you. You do.
I'm at risk of sounding like a self-help seminar here, which isn't at all what I intend to do with this blog, so I'll wrap it up. When I become worried, I try to sit down and have a little chat with that part of my brain. We'll call him Wart. You've gotta say, look Wart, you're being a dick. Cut it out.
Because odds are, there isn't an atomic bomb or plane crash or tiger shark out there with your name on it.
Fun Fact before I close out this blog for the night: Ella Fitzgerald singing Cole Porter is really awesome and will put you in a good mood. This is a proven fact by order of the 10,000,000,000 or so happy neurons in my brain currently.
Goodnight.
Look at what's happening in the news here in the US. The right is worried that we've somehow elected some foreign-national communist to the highest office in the land and that he's going to force us all to marry gay babies while directly siphoning our blood from our veins into the nearest homeless person. The left, on the other hand, finds concerns in whether a rubber faced whinging pundit is going to incite their Jesus-eyed neighbors into a war at home with religion and intolerance planted in the eye of the storm. In fact, it seems like both sides are so busy worrying about the other that they're neglecting more important things.
And that's what worry comes down to. You become consumed by it. I know there are days, particularly days off from work, when I'll become lethargic from it. I'll wake up and something will plant that little seed of can't or won't into my brain and I'll plop myself down on the couch and watch cartoons until the streetlights come on. I could still be reasonably expected to do other things, but that part of my head is steadily gnawing away and tells me that I'll just fail anyway.
That part of our brains is a little bit of a dick.
So what do we do about it? Looking around, at the books in the self-help section in particular, a popular way to try to fix it is with things. This is a shortcut to failure. French Women or Dr. Phil or even that Oprah lady don't know you. You do.
I'm at risk of sounding like a self-help seminar here, which isn't at all what I intend to do with this blog, so I'll wrap it up. When I become worried, I try to sit down and have a little chat with that part of my brain. We'll call him Wart. You've gotta say, look Wart, you're being a dick. Cut it out.
Because odds are, there isn't an atomic bomb or plane crash or tiger shark out there with your name on it.
Fun Fact before I close out this blog for the night: Ella Fitzgerald singing Cole Porter is really awesome and will put you in a good mood. This is a proven fact by order of the 10,000,000,000 or so happy neurons in my brain currently.
Goodnight.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
An addition to yesterdays post...
A friend of mine pointed out that advertising I'm drinking while writing is not the best decision, but I felt it was pretty clear that I was being facetious. For those of you without a sarcasm detector (pretty hard to detect, internet style), I was joking. I was not in fact being an alcoholic. Thank you.
This retraction/apology has been brought to you by the United States congress, the group in charge of making inapropriate statements and then apologizing for them.
Edit: Also, I apparently can't use the correct form of addition.
This retraction/apology has been brought to you by the United States congress, the group in charge of making inapropriate statements and then apologizing for them.
Edit: Also, I apparently can't use the correct form of addition.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
I'll Fuck up your Truck
It's impressive how easily the Republican party can drive me to drink. I'm guessing that if I spent more time on right wing blogs and watching Fox News, I'd be an alcoholic within a year. That being said, I'm three beers in after viewing this extended piece of jackassery:
Lord, really? I know that Dingell said to object as each speaker came to the podium, but I think there's a distinct difference between that and acting like a spoiled five year old screaming about not getting his way. The debate here (since it isn't labeled) centers around abortion. Wouldn't want those women to have a voice in that debate would you? Better talk over them!
So with that bit of bile all cleared from my system (imagine me taking a sip of my Gin and Tonic here, because I am that classy), I'm going to move onto happier topics. The first of these is the music that you should be listening to.
Nick Cave is a renaissance man. He just released a new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, the audio version of which is read by him and includes a soundtrack. He and his band the Bad Seeds manage to put out new music pretty steadily. He wrote a screenplay or two (2005's The Proposition as well as a rejected sequel to Gladiator, proposed by pal Russel Crowe). Somehow, amongst all of that, he's been scoring movies as well. And recently, he and songwriting partner Warren Ellis (sadly not he of Transmetropolitan/Crooked Little Vein fame, I checked) have released an album of their soundtrack work, White Lunar. I finally had a chance to listen to this two disc set today.
And it is brilliant.
The album consists of the duo's work on movies like the aforementioned Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The English Surgeon, and even the upcoming The Road, John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer winning novel. Reading through that list, it probably surprises no one that the album is a pretty bleak affair. The songs are spare, dark and mostly without lyrics. But they are hauntingly beautiful.
Sadly, I wasn't able to get a good, headphones-only listen of the album, but was instead listening to it in a busy store as I shelved graphic novels next to a body-odoriffic mouth breather. What I could catch was great, and I'll definitely check it out again. So, the consensus of all the critics that matter: worth your time.
As a giggly aside, the title of tonight's blog comes from a comment made last night during a game of Munchkin. If you haven't played that game, check it out. Awesomely ridiculous card game/sorta-RPG with tongue firmly in cheek. And a really stupid place to say something as "tough" as "I'll fuck up your truck."
Hm. Not much else. I've been trying to track down a poem I wrote some time ago, entitled 'The Great Sage Equal to Heaven' inspired by the Chinese monkey god. I remember it being a lot of fun. In any case, to close out the night, here is a poem I scribbled the other night in my physical journal. It is pretty terrible, and has had no editing at this point.
"Untitled"
I was hard, tough,
the rock she landed on
and the foundation of
our house. We carved a
hearth and life from it,
forged in me and her.
I aged, brittle now,
and she shored me up,
no dynamite-mine but wood
slats holding sagging ventricles.
She had more give, strength,
but it was me, the
cold stone.
Like I said, not very good. I wrote it in about five minutes before bed, Wednesday night.
And on that note, I'm going to finish up this drink and head for that self-same place.
Lord, really? I know that Dingell said to object as each speaker came to the podium, but I think there's a distinct difference between that and acting like a spoiled five year old screaming about not getting his way. The debate here (since it isn't labeled) centers around abortion. Wouldn't want those women to have a voice in that debate would you? Better talk over them!
So with that bit of bile all cleared from my system (imagine me taking a sip of my Gin and Tonic here, because I am that classy), I'm going to move onto happier topics. The first of these is the music that you should be listening to.
Nick Cave is a renaissance man. He just released a new novel, The Death of Bunny Munro, the audio version of which is read by him and includes a soundtrack. He and his band the Bad Seeds manage to put out new music pretty steadily. He wrote a screenplay or two (2005's The Proposition as well as a rejected sequel to Gladiator, proposed by pal Russel Crowe). Somehow, amongst all of that, he's been scoring movies as well. And recently, he and songwriting partner Warren Ellis (sadly not he of Transmetropolitan/Crooked Little Vein fame, I checked) have released an album of their soundtrack work, White Lunar. I finally had a chance to listen to this two disc set today.
And it is brilliant.
The album consists of the duo's work on movies like the aforementioned Proposition, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, The English Surgeon, and even the upcoming The Road, John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's Pulitzer winning novel. Reading through that list, it probably surprises no one that the album is a pretty bleak affair. The songs are spare, dark and mostly without lyrics. But they are hauntingly beautiful.
Sadly, I wasn't able to get a good, headphones-only listen of the album, but was instead listening to it in a busy store as I shelved graphic novels next to a body-odoriffic mouth breather. What I could catch was great, and I'll definitely check it out again. So, the consensus of all the critics that matter: worth your time.
As a giggly aside, the title of tonight's blog comes from a comment made last night during a game of Munchkin. If you haven't played that game, check it out. Awesomely ridiculous card game/sorta-RPG with tongue firmly in cheek. And a really stupid place to say something as "tough" as "I'll fuck up your truck."
Hm. Not much else. I've been trying to track down a poem I wrote some time ago, entitled 'The Great Sage Equal to Heaven' inspired by the Chinese monkey god. I remember it being a lot of fun. In any case, to close out the night, here is a poem I scribbled the other night in my physical journal. It is pretty terrible, and has had no editing at this point.
"Untitled"
I was hard, tough,
the rock she landed on
and the foundation of
our house. We carved a
hearth and life from it,
forged in me and her.
I aged, brittle now,
and she shored me up,
no dynamite-mine but wood
slats holding sagging ventricles.
She had more give, strength,
but it was me, the
cold stone.
Like I said, not very good. I wrote it in about five minutes before bed, Wednesday night.
And on that note, I'm going to finish up this drink and head for that self-same place.
Exhausted Brain Thought Soapbox
Driving home, I noticed if you glance away from the blinking yellow light and glance back, you can fool your brain into thinking it stays solid for longer than it does. Try it. But don't crash.
Night.
Night.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
I just ran over your nanoparticle in my quark
Let's start off the evening with some Weezer.
I've gotta say, reading everything leading up to the release of 'Raditude' (brilliantly stupid name, awesomely ridiculous cover), I was kind of leaning towards thinking that Rivers and the rest of his band had gone totally insane. I mean, Lil' Wayne? Adam Lambert? Katy Perry? Granted, those last two aren't actually on the album, but are people he's working with now. Still, I found myself skeptical in the extreme. However, having viewed that video, and tapped my foot along with the silly, over the top and generally infectious song, I'm pretty pleased with what we've got here. For a lot of people, Weezer haven't done anything good since 'Pinkerton'. I think that's fairly short sighted and generally pretentious. Yes, a lot of the time their songs aren't serious, and I think that this album will likely showcase that side of them more than most, but something to remember is that music can be fun. There is nothing wrong with a song that enjoys itself. I mean, this is a band that teamed up with the Muppets, resulting in what is arguably the last time we'll see the old theatre from the Muppet Show (though I'm hopeful with Jason Segel's "The Cheapest Muppet Movie ever Made" coming out sometime in 2010) and Andrea Bocelli seems to think that it is cool to team up with the Muppets as well. Does this mean Bocelli is no longer a serious musician? No, it means that sometimes it's ok to have fun. And I think that's what Weezer likes to do.
I discovered a new magazine yesterday, and I feel that I have to share with you. Alarm Magazine is arguably one of the most gorgeous periodicals I've ever seen. Quarterly, it's printed on quality paper and is filled with fantastic photographs and well written prose. The content isn't too shabby too, often focusing on lesser known bands and artists, giving them time to shine. A huge plus, right off the bat, is that the advertisements are all clustered in the beginning, so that once you begin reading you're not taken out of the booklike quality by some stupid Levi's ad that seems to think you're a Pioneer.
Well, that's really all for tonight. I'm going to start NANOWRIMO, but I may end up just finishing up the short story, 'Exploring' that I started back in September. It's at about 4500 words right now, and I'm still not sure which way to take it. Part of me wants to head into Steampunky territory, but another bit wants a more traditional, less over-the-top conclusion. Maybe I'll write both out, and then post them here. Any advice?
Goodnight, and may we wake up in a world that has decided against endorsing hate. Maine, I'm looking at you.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Soda Culture: "You know about a lot of awesome s**t"
This is my 100th entry in this blog. Thrilling. You can't tell (unless you're stalking me) but I am super excited about this right now. Really.
So my co-worker Alissa's boyfriend informed me that I know about a lot of really cool stuff, and I should have a blog where I talk about this cool stuff. Hence, welcome to Soda Culture. Soda is classier than Pop, and I am a classy bastard. I'm not sure if this will be a regular segment, but I feel I should at least discuss what I'm reading or hearing lately.
Fredric Wertham can suck it
Graphic novels. They're dismissed as fodder for the uneducated, or kid's stuff. They 'don't tell real stories' or 'aren't real literature' according to a fair number of parents I've overheard at work. Well, in today's case, that second parent is sort of correct, but it doesn't make the Scott Pilgrim series any less fun.
Equally influenced by Indie Rock, 80s nostalgia, and Japanese Manga, the story of Scott Pilgrim is a timeless one. Boy meets girl, then meets other girl rollerskating through his dreams, dumps first girl, asks out second girl, but to prove love to second girl, must defeat second girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Simple and timeless yeah?
Maybe not so much.
In any case, creator Bryan Lee O'Malley manages to throw in references to video games my generation grew up playing (Sonic and Mario will come to mind and brilliant moments abound as each evil ex is defeated and dissolves into money), names his characters for famous musicians and bands, as well as telling a fairly compelling romantic story. You're sucked into Scott's world and accept all the impossibilities simply because you want to find out what happens and whether Scott will be able to prove his love to the wonderful Ramona Flowers.
The story of Scott Pilgrim has been being told since 2004, so you're probably wondering why I'm just talking about it now. Well, not only can we expect the sixth and final volume sometime in the next few months, we're also going to be treated to a big screen adaptation. Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is teaming up with Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and a group of other young actors for a live action adaptation. All throughout filming, Wright was posting video blogs, and judging by the amount of fun happening on set, I'm hoping for sheer brilliance. Check it out yourself: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Another comic book movie I'm pretty pumped about, despite not having had a chance to read the comic itself, is Kick Ass. A high school student without any powers to speak of decides he wants to fight crime. He gets the shit kicked out of him his first time out, and while recuperating, finds out he's inspired a whole group of ordinary citizens to go out and fight crime. I can already tell you my favorite will probably be Hit Girl, a twelve year old terror seen in advance footage decimating an entire room full of mobsters with twin handguns. Brilliant, over the top stuff. And likely a blast.
Soda Culture Religious Playtime Corner! Yay!
Finally, I'd like to discuss something that will probably surprise you. I've become oddly involved the last few weeks in several things that are, for lack of a better word, religious pop culture items.
Wow, that was a really boring way for me to introduce a comic book and album.
So anyway, we got a really intriguing book in at work. It's the 'Book of Genesis' as illustrated by R. Crumb. Let that sink in for a moment. R. Crumb, for who it is impossible to draw an attractive human being, apparently teamed up with the Big Guy to produce a graphic version of the first book of the Bible. Seems like an odd match, yeah? Not so much when you remember that Genesis has some truly fucked up bits. From incest to murder, shameless sex to transformations, Crumb takes Genesis (in his words) 'as a straight illustration job' and does a damn fine one.
I tried to convince my co-worker that shelves the religion section to stick a copy over with the bibles, but he decided that it might offend people. Which makes sense, but is disappointing on some level, as it seems hypocritical when the words you live by are simply put with pictures and they're all of a sudden offensive (Crumb actually includes the entire text of Genesis in his book).
As for the music, I've been semi-addicted to the Mountain Goats' latest, "The Life of the World to Come", a selection of songs each inspired by bible verses. Vocalist John Darnielle, known for his amazing lyrics, is in fine form here, avoiding both preachiness and snark, presenting stories sometimes as direct interpretations of the verse in question, more often as allegories inspired by the general theme. I'll admit that I haven't looked up all the verses, but even a heathen like me recognizes where some of them are coming from.
So there you go. My first Soda Culture. Pretentious title. Hopefully less pretentious content. Zero calories.
Goodnight.
So my co-worker Alissa's boyfriend informed me that I know about a lot of really cool stuff, and I should have a blog where I talk about this cool stuff. Hence, welcome to Soda Culture. Soda is classier than Pop, and I am a classy bastard. I'm not sure if this will be a regular segment, but I feel I should at least discuss what I'm reading or hearing lately.
Fredric Wertham can suck it
Graphic novels. They're dismissed as fodder for the uneducated, or kid's stuff. They 'don't tell real stories' or 'aren't real literature' according to a fair number of parents I've overheard at work. Well, in today's case, that second parent is sort of correct, but it doesn't make the Scott Pilgrim series any less fun.
Equally influenced by Indie Rock, 80s nostalgia, and Japanese Manga, the story of Scott Pilgrim is a timeless one. Boy meets girl, then meets other girl rollerskating through his dreams, dumps first girl, asks out second girl, but to prove love to second girl, must defeat second girl's seven evil ex-boyfriends. Simple and timeless yeah?
Maybe not so much.
In any case, creator Bryan Lee O'Malley manages to throw in references to video games my generation grew up playing (Sonic and Mario will come to mind and brilliant moments abound as each evil ex is defeated and dissolves into money), names his characters for famous musicians and bands, as well as telling a fairly compelling romantic story. You're sucked into Scott's world and accept all the impossibilities simply because you want to find out what happens and whether Scott will be able to prove his love to the wonderful Ramona Flowers.
The story of Scott Pilgrim has been being told since 2004, so you're probably wondering why I'm just talking about it now. Well, not only can we expect the sixth and final volume sometime in the next few months, we're also going to be treated to a big screen adaptation. Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is teaming up with Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and a group of other young actors for a live action adaptation. All throughout filming, Wright was posting video blogs, and judging by the amount of fun happening on set, I'm hoping for sheer brilliance. Check it out yourself: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Another comic book movie I'm pretty pumped about, despite not having had a chance to read the comic itself, is Kick Ass. A high school student without any powers to speak of decides he wants to fight crime. He gets the shit kicked out of him his first time out, and while recuperating, finds out he's inspired a whole group of ordinary citizens to go out and fight crime. I can already tell you my favorite will probably be Hit Girl, a twelve year old terror seen in advance footage decimating an entire room full of mobsters with twin handguns. Brilliant, over the top stuff. And likely a blast.
Soda Culture Religious Playtime Corner! Yay!
Finally, I'd like to discuss something that will probably surprise you. I've become oddly involved the last few weeks in several things that are, for lack of a better word, religious pop culture items.
Wow, that was a really boring way for me to introduce a comic book and album.
So anyway, we got a really intriguing book in at work. It's the 'Book of Genesis' as illustrated by R. Crumb. Let that sink in for a moment. R. Crumb, for who it is impossible to draw an attractive human being, apparently teamed up with the Big Guy to produce a graphic version of the first book of the Bible. Seems like an odd match, yeah? Not so much when you remember that Genesis has some truly fucked up bits. From incest to murder, shameless sex to transformations, Crumb takes Genesis (in his words) 'as a straight illustration job' and does a damn fine one.
I tried to convince my co-worker that shelves the religion section to stick a copy over with the bibles, but he decided that it might offend people. Which makes sense, but is disappointing on some level, as it seems hypocritical when the words you live by are simply put with pictures and they're all of a sudden offensive (Crumb actually includes the entire text of Genesis in his book).
As for the music, I've been semi-addicted to the Mountain Goats' latest, "The Life of the World to Come", a selection of songs each inspired by bible verses. Vocalist John Darnielle, known for his amazing lyrics, is in fine form here, avoiding both preachiness and snark, presenting stories sometimes as direct interpretations of the verse in question, more often as allegories inspired by the general theme. I'll admit that I haven't looked up all the verses, but even a heathen like me recognizes where some of them are coming from.
So there you go. My first Soda Culture. Pretentious title. Hopefully less pretentious content. Zero calories.
Goodnight.
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