Tuesday, December 22, 2009

El Majority...or the Crowded/Community Effect


This is an interesting list.

100 Best Novels

Brings up some interesting points about community and people's tendencies to rally and whether that is good or bad or even matters. Personally, it annoys the shit out of me sometimes, like this list. It seems the purpose behinds these types of communities is to prevent any kind of tyranny or favoritism, but as you can see, the list is heavily tilted. Of course the purpose of Community goes much deeper than this, as you can read below, but on the surface, allowing the majority or a large community voice to make decisions can be risky (see '00 - '08). There is also a different between a community and majority. I'm kind of disgusted when I see large groups of people honestly, like protests, or Second Life. I think, "if you see or hear about a large group of people doing anything, be skeptical." There's a great song on MMJ's most recent record about this.

More about Communities.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Outside of Society



Word has it, PBS will be screening Dream of Life, Steven Sebring's doc on Patti Smith, on December 30th. For all fans of integrity, I highly recommend making your way there — she's an American Artist.

New Banner

Courtesy of JSegertimeradio.

Prisencolinensinainciusol

The lyrics are pure gibberish, intended to sound like American English as heard by a non English-speaker. In an interview, Celentano explains that the song is about "incommunicability" because in modern times people are not able to communicate to each other anymore. He added the only word we need is "prisencolinensinainciusol" which is supposed to stand for "universal love." The song has been described by scholars as "proto hip-hop."

Jordanian

Ever heard the rumor or conspiracy that Jordan was asked to leave Basketball due to his gambling problem, but to stay in Chicago and continue generating money for the "organization" by playing baseball?

Just throwin' it out there.



Thursday, December 17, 2009

Christmas Card


L.A. is a strange place. Another thing thats funny about this photo is that when I showed it to my Mother, she ACTUALLY THOUGHT I became a freakin' SCIENTOLOGIST! She told me she wasn't amused.

"Oh ye of little faith."

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Took'd Out




About 150 drawings comprise Nathanael Roney’s exhibit “Take me out,” currently on display at Harvest Records in West Asheville. The sheer volume of work is impressive and when viewed as a whole, the mass of drawings tells a compelling story as strange and beautiful as each individual piece.

Xpress readers may already be familiar with Roney’s work; he regularly illustrates the “Junker’s Blues” column and has illustrated many fine covers. His drawings might best be described as “anti” contour drawings, as the confidently rendered lines run against the natural contours of his subjects, for a stylized effect that is oddly disarming and expressively gooey. Literally these are “twisted” drawings.

Using only a ball point pen, the simplicity of Roney’s medium exaggerates the curious quality of his subject matter, which ranges from baseball players, portraits of historical figures, monkeys, goats, soldiers and landscapes. The artist has drawn himself and his wife in many of the pictures — often in cheeky ways, such as the drawing where he appears as a minotaur. In another he stands contemplatively in front of a gravestone.

Peppered here and there are witty text and thought bubbles which poetically challenge the viewer’s experience.” Go ahead, look back” is written next to an image of Roney, looking over his shoulder — referencing the ultimate iconic rebel, Bob Dylan, subject of the film Don’t Look Back.

“He F--ks Me” is written over a barren landscape in one drawing, and in another drawing of the same landscape (with slightly differing shadows)“He F--s Me Not” is written. This is the kind of thing that is so refreshing about the show — moving through differing emotional textures, Roney doesn’t dumb down or compromise subject matter for his viewers. And his viewers appreciate that.

— Ursula Gullow, Mountain Xpress







See more. Hear more.

Friday, December 11, 2009

The Armpit Collection XXVIII: Soul Jazz



"Soul jazz was a development of hard bop which incorporated strong influences from blues, gospel and rhythm and blues in music for small groups...Soul jazz tends to use an 8th note groove (similar to what developed in rock and R&B music), while hard bop generally uses a shuffle rhythm, although there are soul jazz songs with shuffle rhythms and hard bop songs with steady 8th note grooves (although the latter are arguably definable as both hard bop and soul jazz."

This is a unique posting in the Armpit Collection because it depends entirely on your motivation and research to fill in the big blank _______. No specific record is officially chosen for slot XXVIII for a few reasons, one of which being that I'm personally still researching this whole Soul Jazz / Studio One phenomenon myself.

Basically, there's this great record label in the UK called Soul Jazz. I first ran into Soul Jazz during my year-long free record spoilings courtesy of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" 45 dangling from a chain around my neck. The consequence of wearing this necklace was winning a free record each month for a year from Harvest in Asheville. One of these records was Studio One's Rockers. Studio One is Reggae music the way you want Reggae music. Soul Jazz has been blessed with free range over the Studio One vaults, to which they're doing incredible justice by re-issuing and compiling a virtual historical retrospective on many aspects of not only Reggae music, but also musical culture of the mid twentieth century.

My palette is ripe with the possibility of how many of these compilations I can justify getting. At this time, I only have two, the aforementioned Rockers, and Scorchers, a collection of Reggae Soul Instrumentals. I'll continue with the second Volume of Scorchers and likely move on to the 3 Volumes of Roots and the 2 highly coveted Volumes of Soul as soon as possible. I urge you to browse the vast and compelling catalog of Soul Jazz.

"Roots music flourished in the 1970’s as Rastafarianism, Black consciousness and self-determinization became the most important aspects of Reggae music."

"Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and the civil rights movement of the 1960s loom large as self-determination, economic power and musical freedom led to jazz artists finding new paths – both musical and economic."

See Also:

Trojan Label and Box Set Series

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Perfect Day (with old people)



Celebrating 20 years of the Velvet Revolution in Prague on 17. November 2009.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Sunday, December 6, 2009

To Live and Die in L.A

Last weekend my girlfriend and I went on a somewhat impulsive trip to California. The plan was to see her family in Santa Barbara for Friday through Sunday, and then visit my old Towson friends in Los Angeles Monday, and fly back Tuesday.

Our plane touched down late Friday night, close to midnight. By the time we went to the car rental place, it was close to 12:30am. We get in our newish Mazda and head down the road. For the sake of convenience we got GPS for the car. Amanda was in charge of the GPS and I was driving. When we got to the first stop light, I glance at the little car in the GPS machine and noticed it was still driving down its imaginary road. Hmmm.

I drive a little farther, and then start seeing familiar street signs (familiar for all the wrong reasons): Crenshaw, Florance, Normandy. Yes, I'm in Watts, one of America's less fortunate and infamous neighborhoods. The GPS keeps slurting out directions, but when I hear "turn off the ramp here on your right," I know we're completely lost, we're in a goddamn hood nowhere near any ramp.

I had been up since 6:30 that morning, it's 1am now, and I have an hour and a half drive to Santa Barbara ahead of me. I do not have time to be lost in Inglewood ("always up to no good," according to my outspoken family physician, Dr. Dre). Amanda and I start to panic...

I pull up to a restaurant and a homeless man approaches the car explaining, "Just because I'm homeless doesn't mean I don't know where I'm at. You're lost." Keep driving, Matthew.

I drove into the parking lot of a gas station to ask for directions. No less than eight hoods are standing together outside of the station. I can't leave Amanda in the car. I don't want to get out of the car. On the other streets covered in trash thrown about, stray pit bulls eating whatever they could find, shitty cars with dark tinted windows.

Finally we approached a McDonald's drive through window. A kind lady approaches the window, a window complete with jail cell-like metal bars protecting her while she works. You can fit a large drink between the bars, but well, I just hadn't seen that before. The first thing she tells us is "You're lost." She told us what turns to make to get us back to LAX.

On the way back to the airport I tell Amanda to turn off the GPS and then turn it back on. She did and voila, it finally showed us on streets we were actually driving down. I was expecting the GPS to tell us, "Why are you here? Please leave the neighborhood immediately."



Zero "New Blood"



We Are All on Drugs: War Edition



Here's a link to another clip where U.S. soldiers speak rather bluntly (pardon the pun) about how high the Afghan Army is on the battlefield.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving from Kurt Lennon


Sports In Plain Site

American football
Background music for that third Thursday of every November
Players bodies snapping like wishbones
The breaking of the bread, the tossing of the coin
Commence the recipe for victory
Helmets and forks and elbows collide
Sweating gravy during halftime Sherry snoozes
Post patterns and pumpkin pies
An army of ham holders boo at the quarterback
Kool-Aid kids imitate the tackles on t.v.
The turkey gobbles and laughs at the carrots
While the asparagus blitzes the sweet potatoes screen
A festivity with field goals
Celebrated by young and old:


Monday, November 23, 2009

Hell Train courtesty of The New York Post

John Lennon said, "All I want is the truth. Just give me some truth."

Early today I read in the New York Post (read first) that a hard working man, an exterminator, was getting off work at 2am late Saturday/early Sunday in midtown Manhattan. Mr. Sanchez boarded the D train, asked a filthy homeless man to please move his shit, he's tired and needs to sit down. The homeless man:

"refused, and a cursing match quickly ensued. The victim, who stood at least 6 inches taller than the 5-foot-6 Sanchez, punched his antagonist in the face..."

Mr. Sanchez proceeded to lose his shit and stab the homeless man in the hands and neck (his carotid artery severed, he died instantly). 30 passengers in the train were horrified out of their minds. The train stopped between stations, and the passengers spent minutes
(the longest minutes of their lives) in a subway car with a stabee... and a stabber. This is what I proceeded to read in the comments:

he was responding to a physical assault by a much larger adversary. If he felt his life was in danger, which he reasonably might have, it seems like self-defense rather than "madness".

One less digusting POS smelly bum on the subway. Thousands more to go! Give him key to the city. He works during the day as janitor and cleans up the subway on the way home. If libs love bums so much, let them take it home. You know how your lib wife and daughter love BBC.

Hmmm... After a few hours I stumbled upon this article (read second). WHOA! Mr. Sanchez is a bastard! Before the altercation he, "seemed deeply disturbed,'eating something, making a mess,' a source told The Post." Ugh, I hate those people. Mr. Sanchez then "without provocation" wielded a knife in the neck of just-minding-my-own-business homeless guy, killing him instantly. WTF? People commented:

Of course he should go to jail, probably forever. But I can only read stories now and take them with a grain of salt. And this guy has never killed anyone in his life before.

I bet the armpit of a country Sanchez is from there is no subway and he would never get a seat on the bus. I bet Sanchez wished he stayed in his country. Why do immigrants come to the US to demand rights? Stay in your country

I hate the New York Post. I feel kinda terrible writing about this, because regardless of THE TRUTH, a man has been arrested to the surprise of his peers and another man died on a subway train, a train a friend and I could have been on that night (this is why I take fucking cabs at 2am on the weekends).

Man, is the New York Post a total rag! This reporting is irresponsible and really plays into the sensationalism and fears of everyday people. So am I supposed to run when someone asks me to move my bag... or should they be attacked? I assume I only stumbled upon this because Amanda brought me the book "New York Post: The Best Headlines from America's Favorite Newspaper." The cover reads "HEADLESS BODY IN TOPLESS BAR."

It just a dull, yet shocking reminder that any of this stuff exists. (inhale)

Voyeurs and Gunslingers


Gene Smith had 1,740 reels of tape in his collection when he died. I highly suggest diving into one of the few forms of media attached to The Jazz Loft Project. I've listened to all of the WNYC broadcasts so far and there's a lot of sides to this that give cool insight into the greatest rock in the world, concrete jungle nyc. Hearing about the way this guy lived his life as an artist is inspiring, let alone the people he managed to surround himself with.



RADIO SERIES


OFFICIAL SITE




Rosin Bags and Georgia Pines

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Darkness On the Ledge


Anyone who's attempted to sit through the ENTIRE '75 show in London following the release of Born To Run will appreciate this word.

I'm pumped at just seeing him say the word "invitation."

Friday, November 13, 2009

Smokers Not Welcome

Towson University has implemented a campuswide smoking ban, becoming the first four-year college or university in Maryland to prohibit smoking.
The university announced the policy Wednesday. It will go into effect Aug. 1.

University spokeswoman Marina Cooper said the policy states that anyone who violates the regulations will be "subject to fines and sanctions." The policy also states that visitors refusing to comply may be denied access to the school's campuses and possibly even arrested for "criminal trespass."

Smoking, which is already banned inside university buildings, will be prohibited outdoors on the 328-acre campus. The policy bans people from smoking anywhere on campus grounds, including parking lots, garages, and sidewalks. Towson University has about 21,000 students.
The policy was created on the recommendation of the university's smoke-free task force, which was established in 2007. Ms. Cooper said the group is made up of many individuals all seeking to eliminate secondhand smoke. The group includes representative of campus police, judicial affairs and student government.

"We have conducted several student forums on smoking," Ms. Cooper said. "And we have found that the majority of students pick up the habit upon college admission."

source

Monday, November 9, 2009

20 Years Ago


I remember watching the fall of the Berlin Wall on television. I was in Tennessee watching the news with my mother. People were tearing down the wall, and seemed to be going "bonkers" in my seven year old eyes. I asked my mother why are those people were tearing down the wall, and I'll never forget what she said next. "I hope they don't run them over with tanks." My mind was blown thinking of that possibly happening.

Check out this link. Remember when newscasters were worth listening to?

Just Breathe

The Armpit Collection XXVII: Prize Fighter




There he is, sandwiched between Black Sabbath and Television...Or Duke Ellington and Elvis Presley. But given a spot in history nonetheless, and still appreciated in retrospect.

Hank Williams is profoundly important in American music. Country music could have began and ended with him and I'd feel the same about it as I do now. He is it, and yet now in retrospect, more. He wrote the playbook. He built the myth. So many couldn't of _____ without his songs. He supersedes the unfortunate cheesiness that's utterly dismantled a culture he embodied. A twinge of tongue and cheek, a thick grin and tilt of the hat, a skeleton frame boxed in stiff tailored linens.

I've seen this shenanigan before (or after)...

Get the full rundown here.

Unfortunately, I don't have this, but my birthday is coming up.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Guess Who Back? Back Again?

It's 26-time World Series Champtions, the New York Yankees! Tonight they will (hopefully) play the Phillies in the Bronx. As a New Yorker, I'm rooting hard for the Yankees to win. Most people have a "love/hate" relationship with the Yankees, aka you either love 'em or hate 'em. I've always been in the "love" catagory. I appreciate their legacy as a team, and I've admired their professionalism in the last decade or so. Yankees-haters focus on this professionalism as the main reason they hate them, but I ask you this... What's so wrong with wanting have the most money and being the best? What's so wrong with buying up the best players money can buy? What's so wrong with baseball uniforms that fit, and facial hair that is kept trim?

Are you watching the World Series this year? Who do you want to win?

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The Armpit Collection XXVI: Spectrum


Good Old Boys/Sail Away - Randy Newman
Darkness On The Edge of Town/Nebraska - The Boss
Beggars Banquet/Let It Bleed - The Stones
Music From Big Pink/The Band - The Band
Harvest/Time Fades Away - Neil
Workingman's Dead/American Beauty - The Dead


These albums are all gamers in terms of American or classically American influenced song form and themes (being recorded by Americans, Canadians, and Brits).

I recently got the pleasure of hearing the deluxe version of Good Old Boys in which Randy Newman narrates the sketches of his songs and planned record as he's in the studio demo-ing them for the impending album recording. These are my favorite Newman: thematic, gritty, classy in the arrangements. Look for "Mr. President...".

Darkness is an interesting record in the Boss' canon. The follow up to BtR, it has a very definitive rock sound, but the songs are less dramatic and more a step in the working man direction that Bruce would continue and maintains his grasp upon. Then of course Nebraska has gained a lot of mileage through they years, serving as a pillar for many indie hipster songwriters at this point who wear the lo-fi badge. I think the truth was that Bruce recorded the songs as demos for the band, carried the tapes around in his back pocket and was finally convinced to release them as is. I urge you to find the Hank Williams III version of Atlantic City.

The Stones had quite an evolving sound from the mid sixties to the mid seventies, a very understandable progression if compared to American popular rock n roll's evolution in the same time period. Beggar's is their true homage to American country music, and it's wildly successful in substance. Let it Bleed gives is argued by some to be their best record. It does cover a lot of ground.

The Band opened their career in historical fashion. They opened their first official release with a biting, challenging number cowritten by Richard and Bob, "Tears of Rage," a song that could be interpreted as a serious jab at the counter culture. Since Basement Tapes serves as the unofficial godfather of modern Americana music to many, Big Pink is the Band's extension of that. They crush the competition, if you look at it that way. The self-titled release confirms that.

Despite this record's desperate need of remastering, Harvest is a milestone for the weaker singer songwriters budding in the early 70's. It opened doors. It proved that a few chords, distinctive voice and wistful romantic lyrics could get a long way in folk/country rock. None of them went on to make their Harvest because in hindsight, they couldn't get that real country sound. Neil superseded these shortcomings, something few of his contemporaries did. He went on to make a series of broken,legendary, and extremely honest records that will likely be included later. This is somewhat chronicled harshly by Time Fades Away.

The Workingman's Dead and American Beauty reflect the sound of the Dead that I personally enjoy the most. I side with Workingman because of "New Speedway Boogie" and "Black Peter," two of my favs by them. It's also a great reflection of the times in terms of folk/country "rock." Europe '72 may even be a better choice, but I'm stickin' with my Workingman's. American Beauty is just shake on the packed bowl.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Godless Rails

I wonder if Christian graffiti artists will deface these posters in the subway... "YEAH RIGHT! GOD RULZ!" Stand clear of the closing doors please.
I thought atheists were above spending millions of dollars for a multi-million dollar ad campaign. A Coalition of Reason, huh? Sounds like competition for the Brotherhood of Logic (Ryan and I started Brotherhood of Logic back in college, based on the infinite wisdom of Dr. Fortkamp). I smell a turf war. BigAppleCoR.org's goal is to "increase awareness of secular-minded groups throughout New York City. Once we're FINALLY aware that "I am not alone," are we supposed to hang out? "Yeah, me neither." If this is anything like my old church, sounds like an excuse for people to get together for spaghetti dinners and free babysitting.

But what if God was one of us? Just a stranger on the bus? Are their ads on the bus too? Hope God doesn't get pissed.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Balloon Boy Pukes on the Today Show

All that hype, and it comes to this. Ahhhhhmerica. The dad is so devastatingly grossed out right around second 0:32. He must be thinking, "Why is this happening during my bastardization of 15 minutes of fame? All my friends are watching." The boy can't put up with the bullshit any longer. Something's gotta give.

Broke: The New American Dream

I caught this documentary yesterday morning before running out the door to see Ryan's Upright Citizens Brigade performance (great job btw, Ryan). The movie did an excellent job breaking down where America is going disastrously wrong financially; projects some interesting comparisons between poker and trading. I caught it on NYCTV, Time Warner Cable's channel 25. I'm sure it'll be on again if you're interested in seeing it.

New Banner

I decided to update the banner this time, going with a Halloweeny theme.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

A Diamond In The Rough


Top Eight Ugliest Guy Cities:

8. Houston, TX
7. Philadelphia, PA
6. Detroit, MI
5. Mobile, AL and Huntington, WV (tie)
4. Greensboro, NC
3. Miami, FL
2. Hagerstown, MD
1. El Paso, TX

[study]

Friday, October 16, 2009

36 Hours in Richmond, VA

Hmmm, this building looks vagely familiar... New York Times

Charlie Rose Theme Song

I caught the tail end of Charlie Rose Rose recently and for the first time noticed that he has a Theme. It plays over the credits. Well, at first I wasn't sure if it was "the theme" or just some instrumental music that was placed in "as a theme." Turns out it was written specifically for the show by a couple of guys in Brooklyn.

I decided to send an email:

Subject: About the Charlie Rose Them Music

"Greetings,

First off, thanks for providing a great show, always thought-provoking.

I was watching recently and was intrigued by the music that played over the credits as the show ended. Accomplished musicians, writers, arrangers as they may be, the sound and tone of the instrumental was stale and relatively outdated - and please do understand that I write this in complete humility. I have nothing but respect for Charlie Rose Productions, which is why I'm writing this.

I'm unsure if this is the same song that plays at the end of each show or if this is a choice by local syndication, nonetheless, it got me thinking. Have you thought about commissioning a new Theme? A fresh tone and sound could bring vigor and relevance to your audience, possibly confirming the inspiration one may feel as they think about the guests and ideas of a given show.

For example, the theme's from Bill Maher's Real Time, Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm or Mad Men, this is the sound of today's Television themes and each tailored to the specific tone of the show while also remaining current in terms of sound and production.

I appreciate your time and consideration. I would be more than happy to speak further about this, as I am an accomplished musician, songwriter and have the pleasure of knowing some of the finest working NY musicians.

Thanks again"

Then I signed it "J Seger, NY Musician"...and my phone number.

I have not received a reply. It was difficult to find a full example of the theme, a clip is linked from the references in his wikipedia article, but you can get the full deal below. Your gonna want skip to just before 55th minute.



One of the classic Theme songs from a Television show, granted, a little different format of a show.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

1905-1906 Russian Underground Press

Blood and Laughter: Caricatures from the 1905 Revolution

"Sunday 9 January 1905: Hundreds of thousand of workers assemble in the streets of St Petersburg. They are in their Sunday best and accompanied by their elderly relatives and children. There are no banners or slogans though some carry icons or church emblems, for this is to be a peaceful demonstration led by an Orthodox priest, Father Gapon. They set off for the Winter Palace, bearing to the Tsar their petition for a constitution. ‘Sire!!’ it reads. ‘We workers have come to you to seek justice and protection. We are in great poverty, we are oppressed and weighed down with labors beyond our strength. We are insulted, we are not recognized as human beings…’

For two cold hours they stand waiting in the snow for Tsar Nicholas to appear and receive their petition. A shot rings out, and they stamp their feet. Another, and they laugh that it must be blanks. A third, and suddenly women and children slump lifeless int eh snow. Still they assure themselves that this must be a mistake, for the Tsar would not shoot down unarmed civilians. But now the gendarmes are galloping in the crowd, and the slaughter has begun. The shooting continues all day long. The dead are counted in the hundreds, the wounded in the thousands, their blood spilt on the Schlusselberg Highway, the Troitsky Bridge and the Nevsky Gates. But the police cart away the bodies so quickly that it is impossible to know the full toll.

Dear Andy,



Letter from Mick Jagger to Andy Warhol, discussing the design for "Sticky Fingers" (according to LettersofNote.com)

Friday, October 9, 2009

J Seger "With His Hat On"



Enjoy! Here's the link if you want to watch it in High Quality (HQ).

Something Interesting: Nobel Peace My Ass



(enter explanation here)

The 90's


It has been almost a decade since we gathered together panic-stricken in our homemade backyard bomb shelters awaiting the apocalypse disguised as the Gregorian calendar year of 2000. I have since overcome my fear of new millenias and have embraced the 21st century as my home and also as the little brother I never had. Some argue we had it right with harem pants, silk shirts, and George Constanza, but I much prefer the Now and Later®.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009

Mac or PC?

This is a hilarious article I found from across the pond. Read it in a British accent, and it's even funnier.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Who Do You Think You Are?


This is probably the cockiest pose I've ever seen a Robot make in real life.

The Armpit Collection XXV: My Heart Should Be Well Schooled




My heart should be welded solid by rock n roll, country, blues, jazz and anything deeply soulful I've heard at this point, but no. I as any other am susceptible to the romantic, fortunately.

I first heard Chet Baker on some dusty old cassettes that had fortunately remained in the car we were wielding, riding through New Mexico. His voice is like a cloud cover. It made me wonder where it came from and why.

His trumpet playing is a different story and has a deeper complexity and more ambiguous musical legacy.

I've initially held back from including this Chet collection (it's all vocals) because I thought I would find the Chet Baker that truly called to me and I've humbly heard some of his music. It's besides the point that I've read his biography. His commercial music surpasses the personal legacy of the man. His path is nothing short of astounding; pathetic, sad and yet understandable and shockingly realistic.

It's a grower and a real blessing to be able to reach back into a quintessential era in America and feel that you're connecting to the tone of a generation, even before it was romanticized.

The Best of Chet Baker Sings

Friday, September 25, 2009

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Quick Look @ French Fries & Homogenization In America




The orange and red maps show all the locations of McDonald's in the United States and the bottom blue and green maps show all of Wal Mart's. A good many of these dots are probably McMart's. Am I supposed to be happy for these corporations' success or completely terrified?

“If You’re a Viper,” you’re always a viper.


I just read this great article on marijuana in New York Magazine. It's a lengthy piece on the history and current illegalization practices taking place in the city:

Pot hasn’t been the preserve of the Birkenstock wearer for years. At least the last three American presidents have been tokers, and you know Bush inhaled, for all the good it did the rest of us. Obama will no doubt tread lightly with the health-care loonies on his neck, not to mention the conservative black clergy he doesn’t want to alienate, but he’s already presided over curtailing federal busts of medical-marijuana dealers who are in compliance with state laws. A lively blogosphere debate ensued over whether Obama could really afford to expend any of his political capital on a bud-in-every-bong policy, as the legalize-it forces were hoping. But the move confirmed officially what many had long known. Pot smoking simply does not carry the stigma it once did, even in the straightest society...

The fact is, New York City is the marijuana-arrest capital of the country and maybe the world. Since 1997, according to statistics complied by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, 430,000 people age 16 and older have been pinched in the city for possession of marijuana, often for quantities as little as a joint, a reign of “broken window” terror-policing that kicked off in the nasty Giuliani years and has only escalated under Bloomberg and Ray Kelly. More than 40,000 were busted last year, and at least another 40,000, or more than the entire population of Elmira, will be busted this year. Somehow, it comes as no shell-shocker that, again according to the state figures, more than 80 percent of those arrested on pot charges are either black or Hispanic....

The scenario of what happens on the street, as told to me by several arrestees, is remarkably similar. It goes like this: You’re black, or Spanish, or some white-boy fellow traveler with a cockeyed Bulls cap and falling-down pants. The cops come up to you, usually while you’re in a car, and ask you if you’re doing anything you shouldn’t. You say, “No, officer,” and they say, “You don’t have anything in your pocket you’re not supposed to have, do you, because if you do and I find it, it’ll be a lot worse for you.” It is at that point, because you are young, nervous, possibly simple, and ignorant of the law, you might comply and take the joint you’d been saving out of your pocket. Then, zam: Suddenly, your protection under the Marijuana Reform Act vanishes because the weed is now in “public view.” The handcuffs, the paddy wagon, and the aforementioned court date soon follow....

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Blogerature: Bernard Mickey Wrangle



Tom Robbins has written a handful of books (and experienced a hell of a life). My ol' lady got one of his books as a present a few years ago and passed it to me. Since then, I've blazed through 4 or 5, each time with a revitalized feeling about American novels and the imagination. I've also slurped up quite a bit of tequila - drink of choice for the title referenced character from Still Life With Woodpecker. Robbins has a refreshing disregard for reality limitations. Many of the characters in his books are strong, hold some bizarre mystical powers or exaggerations, and lay claim to ideals. This makes for fun reads. I try to pick out books and follow my intrigue, but as all of us who dive around the book store know, sometimes you pick boring loser books. Thus I return to the authors I know. Robbin is one of the people who you just read everything he's written.

Friday, September 18, 2009

And that Idealism Rears it's Head


That title is a reference to my comment about the 50 things the Internet murdered. If only we could "try" it. So the Flaming Lips I feel have never done anything but release good progressive, honest, relevant art for the past 10 or 15 or however many years. They have a new double discer coming out, which apparently will make many iterations. Of course the artwork, sound, delivery, every god damn part of the release looks and is cool, which is what makes them ideal.

It's being streamed in it's entirety on the Colbert Report's website, that's what the image is from.

I read something about the sound being between "Instant Karma" and a Miles later era band. Which now upon listening to most it, isn't necessarily true, but it's much more interesting than anything any of "the shits" are putting out.

[the shits refers to any band, act or publication that is any way associated or touted as indie, hipster, etc.]

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Two More Interesting Articles

This one is from Timothy Egan's New York Times blog titled "Working Class Zero."

The first nine years of the new century have yet to find a defining label, something as catchy as Tom Wolfe’s “Me Decade” of the 1970s or the “Silent Generation” of 1950s men in gray flannel suits. Bookmarked by the horror of 9/11 and the history of a black president, the aughts certainly don’t lack for drama.
But last week, lost in the commotion over the brat’s cry of Joe Wilson and the shotgun blast of rage in the Washington protest, something definitive was released just as this decade nears its curtain call.
For average Americans, the last 10 years were a lost decade. At the end of President George W. Bush’s eight years in office, American households had less money and less economic security, and fewer of them were covered by health care than 10 years earlier, the Census Bureau reported in its annual survey.



The second article comes via Drexel University. Gave me some interesting takes on Inglorious Basterds, a movie both loved and hated by many.

The plot of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds is ridiculous. A group of Jewish American soldiers are recruited by a Tennessee mountain man played by Brad Pitt to kill Nazis during the Second World War. Along the way they discover a plan to screen a new propaganda film by Goebbels at a cinema in Paris. All the top Nazis will be there, Hitler included. Exterminating them in one fell swoop will end the war. A few twists later, that is exactly what happens. So what's the point? What is it about this counterfactual and openly farcical scenario that so intrigued Mr. Tarantino?


pic via New York Shitty

50 things that are being Killed by the Internet

Found this link on This Isn't Happiness. Here were a couple I could relate to:

1) The art of polite disagreement - While the inane spats of YouTube commencers may not be representative, the internet has certainly sharpened the tone of debate. The most raucous sections of the blogworld seem incapable of accepting sincerely held differences of opinion; all opponents must have "agendas".

11) Music stores - In a world where people don't want to pay anything for music, charging them $16.99 for 12 songs in a flimsy plastic case is no business model.

34) Mainstream media - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Rocky Mountain News in the US have already folded, and the UK's Observer may follow. Free news and the migration of advertising to the web threaten the basic business models of almost all media organisations.

42) The nervous thrill of the reunion - You've spent the past five years tracking their weight-gain on Facebook, so meeting up with your first love doesn't pack the emotional punch it once did.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

This Isn't Happiness

A couple months ago I heard about this awesome photo site "This Isn't Happiness" which features lots of cool retro pics interspersed with modern art and (everyone's favorite) classy pictures of naked chicks. Here is the link. Someone updates the site all day long (making it a great site to return to). Below is a sampling. Enjoy!