confoundyous injective

200 posts - and that's it

2009-06-04T18:40:00.000-04:00

So, let me redirect you to confoundyous.tumblr.com. I'm going to be writing there from now on. Maybe more regularly. Maybe not. Maybe more interesting content. Probably not.

South Bronx is Akihabara is Damascus is South Bronx

2009-05-04T23:36:00.007-04:00

DJs are clearly the geeks of hip-hop culture. Between operating behind electronic instruments and spending endless amounts of time searching for the best tracks in crates, these are guys who, like other geeks, are meant to live in many different forms of obscurity and contemplation. It's a perfect contrast, naturally, to MCs. There's an obvious affinity between the charismtic poet and the syncopated technician.

Both DJs and MCs also frequently rename themselves when they become a real musical act. This has also happened throughout history. The first canonical re-naming that I can think of is St. Paul, who was re-named from Saul by God. In turn, his mission was changed from one who persecuted Christians to the most Catholic of Catholics. This phenomenon of re-naming permeates culture, including hip-hop culture. This kind of rebirth leads to the creation of a "character" in music. It isn't the actual person who is saying these things or making these rhymes, it's the character. Does anyone think that Afrika Bambatta is really that crazy? That there truly exists a "Method Man?" Eminem, obviously, has explored this theme to perhaps overkill.

At one time, a DJ would thrive by playing tracks made by influential black artists like James Brown. Using James Brown today would be a throwback, but wouldn't really be considered creative in any way. However, it seems that music on the level of James Brown isn't being made today and so many DJs subsist on the detritus of pop culture, hoping to find a beat that nobody else has ever exploited. Other DJs have exploited the most popular beats they can find, mixing melodies and rhythms that are already widely known. This, to me, is what is most amazing about Greg Gillis. He takes the principles of hip hop culture, the beats, cutting, everything, and applies them to indie rock (aka white kid) culture. A great fusion and also one side of a widely diverging road - that between navel-gazing nostalgia and computer-centric beat-making, aka electro.

Forgotten Hereoes: Laura Ingalls Wilder

2009-04-28T23:12:00.000-04:00

I've never read any books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Little House on the Prairie always seemed a bit too girly to me as a kid. It fit in the genre with that other three-named girly author Louisa May Alcott and their English counterparts, the Brontës (whom I have come to thouroughly enjoy) and Jane Austen (whom I still disdain).

I recognize that this was probably due to proto-mysogynism at the age of 11. But anyway, I would now like to publicly repudiate an active dislike of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I mean, she started writing at the age of 65. Not everyone, in fact, hardly anyone, can pull off that sort of total reinvention in old age and fewer can be really, really great at it. I'm 25 and I already think I've peaked. My memory is getting worse and my mind is like a block of cement. Not so for Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Emo Diaries: The Appleseed Cast

2009-04-28T23:08:00.001-04:00

The Appleseed Cast is pretty weird for an emo band. The first album, The End of the Ring Wars, aside, most of the material strays widely from the accepted turn-of-the-millennium formula for emo exemplified by Saves the Day or Alkaline Trio. Instead, these guys take their cues from U2 and Godspeed! You Black Emperor (but in a good, wholesome emo way... I actually don't really like those two bands). That's an awkward way of saying that the Appleseed Cast uses a lot of drone in long songs that typically have the vocals deep in the background.

I saw Appleseed Cast in DC recently at a show that was cut short because there was an after-party for a Ladytron show starting at 11pm. Whatever. The show itself was definitely enjoyable, but it made me think a lot more about the band. These guys just seem beaten. And not only because they were battling illnesses and were almost run over by a tornado recently, but through their songs and performances too. The vibe they give is different from most emo bands - there's a strong sense of doom in a very unironic way. Instead of writing catchy, easy songs for teenage kids, these guys went the opposite direction and paid the price for it. Here they are, coming up on 15 years of existence, and still being booted off stage by some English electro pricks.

It might be the Kansas thing that throws me off. But there's something much more authentically emo about these guys. No flash, no theatre, just pain and resignation. Nobody will be singing the lyrics at these guys' shows, there will certainly be no "whoa-oaa" moments, and if there's anything even remotely like a breakdown, it's hidden under eighteen layers of reverb. Yet their music still speaks, and powerfully so.

The Uncanny Absence of Idioms in Subtitles

2009-04-20T23:30:00.003-04:00

I've never translated anything except the most basic sentences from foreign language textbooks, so I can't totally sympathize with their conundrum, but I feel for those tasked with writing subtitles for foreign films. I think a big reason why foreign films are often considered aloof or incomprehensible has to do with the crevasse between the words as heard uttered from the actors' mouths and the words as read on the screen. There's a lot of alienation going on there and it is reasonable that it puts off most people.

The weirdest thing, though, for even experienced subtitle readers (anime, foreign films, very-very-quiet screenings) is the total lack of idiomatic language in many subtitles. It's difficult, because even if what the actors are saying basically means something equivalent to an idiom in American English, the translator can't really use that idiom. It would sound really bizarre if Marcello Mastroianni said someone was a "dead ringer" or a "flash in the pan." But idiomatic language is an essential element of almost all communication in English and probably is everywhere in the dialogue of most foreign films. Just one of those layers of meaning that I'll probably never be able to unravel...

Rocketboom Concerns

2009-04-20T09:38:00.002-04:00

So Rocketboom has a new host and it makes me very unhappy. I absolutely adored the former host, Joanne Colan. But she's gone, and the new host is this girl Caitlin Hill. The way I said that sounds kind of dismissive or contemptuous... and it's mean to be, kind of. She's not as beautiful as Joanne and even though she also has an English accent, it isn't quite the same. Somebody who knows much more about English accents could probably tell me exactly where Joanne's comes from and where Caitlin's comes from and could tell me all about what kind of a horrible person that makes me.

I also know that I shouldn't judge right after her very first appearance and give her time to ease into the chair and endear herself to me. And I will. I guess I just imagined Elie Rountree taking the seat and was unhappy that she was passed over too.

Great moments in post-punk/hardcore/whatever

2009-04-05T11:14:00.003-04:00

Milo's creepy rapist laugh doesn't appear in this live version... which is unfortunate.

Ian MacKaye has my ideal life story.

Still can't believe I missed the two Rancid shows at Black Cat in 06.

Fiona Apple is my real guilty pleasure

2009-04-01T00:12:00.005-04:00

I have a lot of guilty pleasures. My Chemical Romance and Gilmore Girls are two that I've talked about before to a lot of people. One I don't think I've discussed at length to anyone is Fiona Apple. The thing about Fiona Apple that makes her, probably, my most guilty pleasure is her legitimacy. A lot of other guilty pleasures, like campy movies (by far the most acceptable form of "guilty pleasure," to the extent that it shouldn't even really be considered one), ABBA, or Food Network can be justified in various ways. MCR hearkens back to my emo or Smashing Pumpkins days. ABBA is a derivative of my Stephin Merritt fetish and is ridiculous/outlandish enough to be acceptable. Food Network is utilitarian.

I should have no real connection with Fiona Apple's music. It's undeniably effeminate in more profound and robust ways than MCR or ABBA. She has little to no indie cred; her first album was probably her most popular and came out when she was 19 or something. There's really no reason why I should like her. That's why it makes no sense - there is no justification. For all my other guilty pleasures, there's some sort of 'out' - a reason why I like it. That doesn't exist for Fiona Apple.

Yeah, I mean there's the basic truth that the music is incredible. Tidal, beyond its 1996-esque cred, has about eight really, really good songs. The other albums get a bit more experimental, and that's even better. Her lyrics, also, are some of the very few outside of hip-hop that I actually listen to and care about. But beyond that, as far as image is concerned, there's no justification.

Wait a sec, here's a classic fall-back criterion to vindicate me - she's hot. I'd be all circa-1999-P.T. Anderson with her. I just wish she would come out with more than one fucking album a decade.

Fiona Apple |MTV Music

"Sleep to Dream" is probably the hottest Fiona track ever. You should listen to the drums from the first few seconds on at least mp3; this video fucks them up.

Fiona Apple |MTV Music

"Fast As You Can" is a latter-day Fiona banger that you might not have checked out.

Fiona Apple |MTV Music

A Fiona ballad; I wasn't able to get the video for any of the songs I really like from Extraordinary Machine. This song is pretty good too, though.

2009 is the year of indie adaptations of kids' books

2009-03-25T17:57:00.003-04:00

Here's the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are, which comes out in October. I probably read that book. I probably owned that book. But the book was not beloved to me and in my memory, only a gray blur comes to mind. So, while this trailer is probably meant to target people in my demographic from several angles - indie director, indie band, childhood memories - it doesn't fully succeed for me personally. But it probably does for people who like Spike Jonze or liked the book a lot. I always knew that Arcade Fire song was meant for a trailer, though.

Fantastic Mr. Fox apparently intends to pull at the same heartstrings. I'll definitely be going giddy over that one, even though that particular Dahl novel never really made an impact on me at a young age. I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple other films pop up over the next 18 months that follow this curious little mini-sub-genre forming.

Random thoughts on "Born Like This"

2009-03-23T17:43:00.007-04:00

This album is definitely in the Vaudville Villain trope of grit and darkness. Little to none of the lighthearted attitude of many of the other albums pops up. Maybe that's the effect of taking a couple of years off.
The rhymes are incredibly dense, as usual, but upon the first few listens, a few nice lyrics pop. I expect this one to reward multiple close listens, as most other DOOM albums.
Raekwon sounds kind of quiet on his verse... like he was worried about being too loud or something.
I don't know if I like the tracks that were leaked earlier best because of the familiarity factor or if it's because they're the best.
Goes by "Villain" for the most part now instead of DOOM.
Solid overall, but I was kind of expecting more.

Krzysztof Kieślowski is the Anti-David Lynch

2009-03-14T01:00:00.002-04:00

Lynch:
Surreal, confusing, phantasmagoric; willful concealment of meaning.

Kieslowski:
Concrete, real ethical issues; upfront with themes and meaning.

This guy has no idea

2009-03-13T23:44:00.007-04:00

Here's an article written quite some time ago which is somehow still on the internet about the chronology of the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Because I am totally gullible to think excessively about frivolous things, the article provoked me. Yet, I completely disagree with many of the assumptions of the article and would like to put forward a FBDO chronology of my own.

The Film's Ten Major Time-Sensitive Events:

Sears (Willis) Tower trip
CBOE trip
Art Institute trip
Lunch at Chez Quiz
Cubs game (no earlier than the 3rd inning)
German heritage parade
Stop on the side of the road to check on Cameron
Swim in Sloane's pool
Go back to Cameron's and trash the Ferrari
Ferris walks Sloane home (explicitly ends at 6pm)

A Step-By-Step Examination

Preliminarily, all calculations assume that Ferris knows exactly what he has to accomplish and is busting his ass trying to get it all done in time. Because Ferris is portrayed as more of a cosmic force than a teenage kid, this seems reasonable. (Another interesting teenage cosmic force - Zack Morris apparently has the ability to control space-time by calling "Time Out!", making him more powerful than many, if not all, fictional superheroes. The teen-god trope is taken to its broadest extreme in Haruhi Suzumiya.)
Jeanie leaves for school at 7:45am. Ferris immediately calls Cameron, hacks into the school's computer system, and fucks around at home before Cameron arrives. This could plausibly take an hour, putting Ferris at 8:45am.
Cameron and Ferris trick Ed Rooney, so by the time Ferris picks up Sloane, it's probably about 9:30am.
Ferris speeds the 25 miles down the Dan Ryan from Northbrook to the Loop, taking 30 minutes, including the time it takes to tip the parking attendants. It's 10am.
Ferris gets to the Sears (Willis) Tower and takes a very rapid trip. This is plausible because very few other people appear to be touring the Tower at the time. He arrives at the CBOE, where there are also no lines, by 10:45am. Taking a brief moment to reflect (doesn't really seem like Ferris's style except to bemoan the drudgery of the place), he heads to the Art Institute and arrives by 11:15am.
Realizing there's a lot to do, they check out La Grande Jatte and the Chagall windows and leave, departing by noon. Presuming that Chez Quiz is somewhere in Lincoln Park between the Art Institute and Wrigley (a precursor to Charlie Trotter's?), lunch begins by 12:30 and ends at 1:15.
Presuming a typical 1:20pm start, Ferris arrives at Wrigley just after the first pitch. The baseball game provides John Hughes with the greatest flexibility, as the only concrete information we are given comes when the pizza guy tells Ed Rooney that it's the third inning when Ferris catches a foul ball. So, Ferris could have left Wrigley as early as 2pm. However, assuming Ferris stayed at least a little longer, let's say that Ferris, being a force for good and not really caring about the Cubs (Hughes himself is a Sox fan) leaves the game before it ends at 3pm.
They get back down to the Loop for the German heritage parade by 3:30 and Ferris sings a couple of songs. Let's say they're done by 4pm.
Getting back to the garage by 4:15, they drive back to Northbrook. Including 15 minutes to care for Cameron's mental health, it's now 5pm.
Swimming at Sloane's and reviving Cameron takes half an hour. It's 5:30.
The entire series of events ending in the Ferrari's destruction takes another half an hour, putting us at 6pm.
Sloane lives near Cameron and the walk takes a few minutes. Here we are given more concrete evidence; Sloane's watch reads 6pm. So we are forced to cut Hughes a bit more slack and say Ferris leaves the baseball game slightly earlier than 3pm. From here, the chronology is completely plausible and Ferris makes it safe at home in bed no later than 6:15.

So while I commend the guy who I've linked above on his close attention paid to the film, I think my analysis is superior based on knowledge of Chicago geography and some slightly more plausible interpretations of events. It would have been tough, but Ferris indeed could have done all of these things in one day if he were strictly on the ball.

It's kind of weird to think that a kid as chill as Ferris could be so strict about his time in one day, but he's clearly driven and really smart. Or maybe he held some sort of time-freezing powers akin to Zack Morris (but different in that everyone is still moving while time stands still). Anyway, all of this is clearly irrelevant because you have to give the benefit of the doubt to John Hughes in order to enjoy the film. I mean, thinking about this is about as reasonable as asking yourself if it's realistic to create a woman to do your bidding using a computer.

Also, check out this link for more great FBDO reflections.

Dazzle Ships is underrated and the last great OMD album

2009-03-13T00:23:00.003-04:00

So, I guess I'm predisposed to like Dazzle Ships. I mean, I enjoy pseudo-totalitarian themes in art, synth pop, and baroque pop. (I once wrote about Heartbeat City as the epitome of baroque pop, but I think that article has vanished somewhere on the internet.) Regardless, I genuinely believe that Dazzle Ships is a very good album and is certainly better than anything OMD has released since. I really admire some of the more experimental-type tracks which are interspersed with the regular pop-type songs. Telegraph in particular might be as good as any song OMD has ever made, and that includes Enola Gay. I particularly enjoy the crazy tone that the multiple tracks give to Andy McClusky's voice.

Junk Culture is not a bad album but pretty much represents OMD beginning to atone for their more experimental side with a long series of pure pop albums. Architechture and Morality is clearly the best OMD album, but this one is more experimental while retaining a lot of quality tracks. Dazzle Ships deserves more love than it gets. Oh, and, Of All The Things We've Made is just as touching if not moreso than Souvenir. So mad points for that.

Coolness Hierarchy of Commonly Known Bears

2009-03-09T17:23:00.006-04:00

Ok, so everyone these days is thinking about the bear market. I feel that real, actual bears are getting overlooked amid the frenzy. Here are several famous other kinds of bears, listed in my order of preference.

Polar Bear
What's not to love about the polar bear? The world's most adorable bear is also probably the world's most vicious and toughest bear. Only thing this guy can't survive is global climate change but, uh, I guess we're working on that. Pretty much king of the hill in every conceivable way.
Grizzly Bear
Also a really classic and great type of bear, but slightly below the polar bear because of the whole Arctic factor. Still one of the very best bears.
Chicago Bears
I've pretty much always been a fan of the Bears' style of play through the years and I think it matches up quite well with what I think a member of the ursine family would do if it ran a football team - imposing defense and a strong ground game with a modicum of passing. Bears don't really take to the air that much.
Gummy Bears
Gummy bears are one of the only solid-sugar type candies that I will eat. Many other styles of these candies are coated with sugar, and that's kind of weird. Some are excessively sour, which has its place, but I'm not into it that often. Gummy bears, when soft and fresh, are consistently delicious and pleasing, particularly if you stick with well-established brands. They also now come in vitamin-enriched forms, continuing the long tradition of tricking kids into taking vitamins.
Black Bear
The black bear is not a bad bear, but he just looks kind of stupid. It definitely lacks the ferocity of the grizzly or polar bear. How can you take an animal whose nose and ears stick out so ridiculously seriously?
Berenstein Bears
Even though I read most of the books that were published through about 1990, I never really got the Berenstein Bears. There was never that quirky hook that made books like "Where the Sidewalk Ends," Dr. Seuss, or even "Arthur" worthwhile. They were just kind of a deprived kid's neutered Simpsons while dressing weirdly.
Bear Grylls
Although I couldn't do most of the things he does, Bear Grylls is still a pretty boy. His accent, good looks, and whining while eating snakes just render him intolerable.
Bear Bryant
Never beat Notre Dame, Alabama fans still secretly bitter about it.
Panda Bear
Pretty much the most overrated bear there is, the panda kind of sits around all day looking moderately cute, if you're into the panda sort of thing, eating bamboo. I think a bear should be fearsome, above all else, so the panda totally fails in this regard. Fans love its squeezeable physique, I just see it as weak.
Red Panda (not really a bear)

"Chopped" is a travesty

2009-02-24T22:58:00.003-05:00

I kind of hate Ted Allen. He has no personality, at least on this show, and I don't have any reason to believe he knows about food in the same way that even a Tom Colicchio would.
It's obvious that this is a Top Chef knock-off. It was bad enough when they had "Next Food Network Star," which sucked, but at least was right for Food Network. The skills it tested were more associated the warm nonsense that Food Network goes for than actual cooking. This show purports to be about actual top-level cooking, which is why is fails. That's simply not what Food Network is about, it's about home cooking.
The ingredients are mostly things a Food Network viewer might find at home. It might seem cute and appeal to some, but it just seems contrived and weird to restrict real chefs in this way.
Dessert is the final showdown between the last two contestants. Really? Something real chefs apparently don't really focus on at all is the last task?
Because there are new chefs on every episode, you don't get to know them, so it ends up being another personality-less affair, like Food Network Challenge. At least on shows like Throwdown, you can learn to love to hate Bobby Flay.
There's really only room in my life for one food competition show, and even that one spot has been being squeezed recently by the poor quality of Top Chef this season. Sorry Chopped.

There's often such a fine line between inspired and insipid

2009-02-21T18:12:00.001-05:00

Inspired:

Insipid:

So similar, yet so radically different.

Quote of the Day

2009-02-14T11:19:00.001-05:00

"(All together now, all you masochists out there, specially those of you don't have a partner tonight, alone with those fantasies that don't look like they'll ever come true - want you just to join in here with your brothers and sisters, let each other know you're alive and sincere, try to break through the silences, try to reach through and connect. . . .)

Aw, the sodium lights-aren't, so bright in Berlin,
I go to the bars dear, but nobody's in!
Oh, I'd much rather bee
In a Greek trage-dee,
Than be a VICTIM IN A VACUUM to-nite!"

From Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

'Play-to-lose' on Final Jeopardy is an abomination

2009-02-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

Something strange and infuriating has been happening recently on Jeopardy. Contestants in second or third place prior to Final Jeopardy, even when within striking distance of the money leader, have bid zero or some negligible amount in the hope that all contestants answer incorrectly, resulting in a win by virtue of not losing money.

Take this scenario based on yesterday's game: Alex unveils the category - International Relations. Not so bad, right? "International Relations" is more or less code for history of the past 150 years and anyone on Jeopardy should know plenty about that. The money leader has $20k, second has $15k, last has $5k. The question is pretty easy: Over what country's airspace may America only fly 'hurricane hunter' planes? (Cuba.) Yet, it is answered wrong by each contestant. (Iran, China, and N. Korea, respectively. Idiots.)

Last place wagered everything and zeroed out. Second place wagered $1k and finished with $14k. The money leader placed the standard bet for money leaders, that is, twice the second place contestant's money total before Final plus one. Here, that came to $10,001. That put the leader prior to Final at $9,999, handing the victory to the second place player with $14k.

What sort of bullshit is this feckless strategy? Final Jeopardy clues are often tricky, but it is the rare clue that draws on hopelessly obscure knowledge as to be unanswerable. Typically, the clue provides several hints leading most intelligent people to the answer, regardless of the topic. (Yesterday, those clues were hurricanes and nations hostile to America - hence Cuba.) The 'play-to-lose' strategy is predicated on the assumption that the bidder isn't going to be smart enough to answer the question. I am stunned at this lack of confidence and find that it taints a victory.

Fine, the strategy can work. But only if you're a weak-willed conniver. It's kind of like taking the Don't Pass Line in craps. Sure, you win every now and then, but it's so contrary to the spirit of the game that you deserve a hearty amount of derision when you achieve victory.

Granted, 'play-to-lose' is occasionally acceptable. Last place contestants, where the top two are neck-and-neck, may play to lose. Truly obscure categories where a contestant legitimately may have no knowledge permit a play-to-lose strategy. (Yet, as stated above, well-written questions will almost always have an out for a smart contestant to make a strong educated guess even if he or she doesn't know much about the category.)

The inverse of play-to-lose is excessive aggression, which I really enjoy watching and would probably employ if I were a contestant on Jeopardy. My favorite example of over-aggression was a kid in last year's Teen Tournament who went for 'true' Daily Doubles almost every time he had the opportunity. Because he was really sharp and boundlessly confident, he had some success. However, like 'play-to-lose,' the strategy is flawed. It is based on the assumption that you can answer all of the questions, as opposed to the assumption underlying 'play-to-lose' - nobody can answer any of the questions. He was eventually tripped up on a crucial Daily Double involving Václav Havel. Poor kid. The difference between these strategies is that one is confident and affirming, while the other is cowardly and weak.

So yeah. Get some balls and bid like the trivia genius you obviously think you are. You're on Jeopardy - act like it.

An Old Statement in a New Form

2009-02-09T11:17:00.003-05:00

A big phrase these days is "it ain't trickin' if you got it." It seems to be in every big rap song these days. T.I. and Lil Wayne in particular are noted proponents of the phrase. In its most literal meaning, the phrase means that spending a lot of money on a girl who has sex with you isn't prostitution if you were already entitled to it.

Of course, this is just a reformulation of an earlier expressed sentiment, "it ain't braggin' if you can do it." (Or "...if you can back it up." Sources vary.) This was said by Dizzy Dean, a Cardinals baseball player from the 1930's. Dean's sentiment lacks the sexual imagery of today's rap phrase, but the basic idea is obviously the same: flashy behavior is acceptable as long as you have transcendent talent. (Dean probably adapted this from an earlier source; I'm not accusing Lil Wayne of biting Dizzy Dean.)

No nuanced observations here. Just pointing out something kind of banal that I've noticed recently.

The Tam Diaries: Video Edition

2009-01-28T18:57:00.009-05:00

A few years ago, I completed what I consider to be the definitive compilation of classic pop music songs post-Nirvana and pre-Britney Spears; my middle school years, the raw material that eventually formed my musical tastes. It is called The Tam Diaries. The compilation spans 15 CD-sized playlists and totals 240 songs. The first album contains the 16 tracks that I judge to be the most essential, most defining pop tunes of the later-mid-90s era. Here they are, without commentary.

Everclear, Santa Monica
Beck, Where It's At

Beck |MTV Music

No Doubt, Just A Girl

No Doubt |MTV Music

The Presidents of the United States of America, Peaches

Oasis, Champagne Supernova

Oasis |MTV Music

Green Day, Brain Stew/Jaded

Green Day |MTV Music

Puff Daddy & Foo Fighters, It's All About the Benjamins

Diddy |MTV Music

La Bouche, Be My Lover

La Bouche |MTV Music

LL Cool J, Doin' It

Puff Daddy, I'll Be Missing You

Diddy |MTV Music

Tony Rich Project, Nobody Knows

Tony Rich |MTV Music

The Smashing Pumpkins, 1979

Alanis Morrisette, Ironic

Alanis Morissette |MTV Music

Bush, Glycerine
Sublime, What I Got
Blues Traveler, Hook

Pit Stereotypes

2009-01-24T02:00:00.008-05:00

The Cute Girl: You don't have any business being in the pit, but you survive because every guy follows his instinct to protect you. Always safe from bodily harm of a violent nature, but a prime target for sexual advances.
The Jock: You definitely don't care about the band but only about running into other people at maximum speed. Distorted guitars are an excuse for knocking down some geeks.
The Needless Stage Diver: Dude, you're 275 pounds - don't jump from there, we won't be able to catch you. Ouch, you totally smacked me in the head with your shoe. So don't blame me if I take it off of your foot and toss it at the other side of the stage.
The Guy With Glasses: Okay, so ethics demand that I try to make some space for you while you scour the ground for your glasses which are already probably smashed beyond all recognition, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it.
The Fat Girl: So you're probably smashed up against the front of the stage and really like the band, but just because you push backwards doesn't mean that I'm going to respect your personal space any more than anyone else.
The Supertwins: Yes, if you interlock your arms and spin around, you'll gain enough momentum to clear the pit. Good job. I'll be looking out for an opportunity at a kidney shot later.
The Skinny Kid: I admire your moxie, but I'm only going to lift you off of your back a few times before I give up.
The Indignant Edge-Guarder: The pit grows and shrinks at its own pace. You are not entitled to your spot even if you're standing completely still.
The Legit Punk: I could really feel the Knox Gelatin when your spike poked under my eyelid and I think your bracelet might have pierced my skin that one time. I'm definitely too scared to run into you on purpose.
The Bouncer: Dude... nobody's bleeding yet... everything's fine.
The Eight Year Old: You'll be a scene legend someday, but I heard you kids still have a soft spot in your skull or something, so please stay out of my way.

Weird Qualities of Video Game Music

2009-01-22T09:30:00.001-05:00

What makes some video game music so beloved? Why are there numerous bands that exist only to cover songs from video games made over two decades ago? I suspect the answers to these particular questions have at least as much to do with adolescent psychology as it does with the quality of the music, but video game music does have a number of weird characteristics that make it inherently different from regular pop music, which might partially account for its fandom.

Video game music is designed to play in endless loops. There isn't really a beginning, middle, and end like pop songs because a level could last an eternity. These songs are made to be listened to over and over and over. On the other hand, video game music is designed to make an instant impact in a short period of time. This is kind of the flip side of the first characteristic. It might only be heard for about thirty seconds at a time, or you might hear the game's song for as long as you're playing it. This was also caused by the memory limitations on early games.

As a result, there's a strange tension where, for the best songs, the melody is immediately identifiable and doesn't contain that many complexities, but you aren't annoyed if you have to hear that song forty times in a row. On top of this weird structural characteristic are the technological limitations of video game music. Now, music in a video game can basically be anything. But the most well-remembered music comes from the original 8-bit era, where composers were limited to four instruments at a time. Taken all together, these requirements led to a very different kind of music whose influence can definitely be felt on popular music today. I think there's a certain purity to video game music - when you are forced to strip a tune down to its most basic elements and squeeze it into a very tightly restricted space. Limitations can be liberating, in a way.

Emo Diaries: The Anniversary - Your Majesty

2009-01-20T21:41:00.006-05:00

This album came out at the very tail end of the underground emo phenomenon in January 2002 and exhibited almost all of the qualities of the transitional emo-indie album. The very first thing you'd notice once you got your hands on the CD is that it was packaged in a paper case, immediately recalling the packaging of other completely legit albums like Something to Write Home About or Four Cornered Night. Once you opened it, you knew that the Anniversary had higher aspirations than your local bands who would never release a CD in anything other than a broken jewel case or maybe those flimsy paper/plastic envelopes that really fledgling bands give out. It was also on Vagrant, which still kind of meant something at the time.

The music also belied a deep desire to be an indie rock band. The prior Anniversary album, Designing a Nervous Breakdown was a confection-laden treat with synthesizer bursting from every crevice in the synth-emo style of Ozma or the Rentals (but less straight-up rock than Ozma and less Weezer-cred than the Rentals). Your Majesty eliminated the exploitatively catchy and blip-bloop-y synths for "majestic" organ tones and the tempo of ballads or dirges. Along with these changes, the lyrics also moved up in class. The Anniversary wanted a more literary tone than your average emo band, but ended up with generic poetry-ish lyrics that never really resonated with me, though I did think that the song Devil on Your Side was kinda badass... yeaaa.

I once saw the Anniversary open for Get Up Kids and then once headlining. The differences between those shows parallel the differences between the albums. The first time they were a goofy, hook-y emo band with a really cute keyboard player. The next time I saw them, the lead singer was wearing a fighter jet pilot's helmet like he was Maverick or something. That about sums it up to me.

Of course, in retrospect, The Anniversary is just one of several emo bands from Kansas to have more than a passing dalliance with indie. It could contribute this to Saddle Creek's Nebraskan influence, and on some level I kind of believe it to be true even though I have absolutely no basis for doing so. A hybrid band like the Anniversary is required to show restraint and taste to build up credibility as an indie band, but lack of restraint is pretty much the foundation of all emo. Yet, I still really enjoy the Anniversary even though I never became an enthusiastic fan at the time. Yet, their songs are still solid at their base and definitely worth listening to anytime I want to think back to early 2002.

Designing a Nervous Breakdown era

Your Majesty era

A Pedestrian Post-Colonial Observation

2009-01-14T20:26:00.004-05:00

Watching Toby Young on Top Chef the other day got me thinking. One common trope in reality television is the use of a panel of experts that judge a contestant's worth, eliminating one person every week. Within that trope, it's incredibly common to see at least one of the judges be English. I think everyone can name a few. This phenomenon isn't restricted to reality television, as television authority figures of all types come in the English persuasion. (A particularly curious sub-archetype often recalls a dominatrix, but that's a digression for another day.) However, English reality judges are the most common.

I think that the prevalence of these characters sheds light on an underlying patriarchal relationship between Americans and English. We've heard since we were born that they used to rule us, we used to be them, and that we broke away to be more independent, more rugged, and more free. But the English still held the mantle of taste, refinement, and pure blood, in contrast to our messy, crass melting pot. (I should note that, of course, I realize this isn't the reality, but just a perception dominant in mass culture. I love multi-culturalism and Britain is almost as heterogeneous as we are anyway.)

In our secondary role, we still aspire to access that thing long lost from our cultural heritage, the link to royalty and aristocracy through the English. They know what's best. They're our cultural parents. Every truly bourgeois family has links via the Mayflower the old country. So who's better to yell at us, belittle us, and show us exactly how short we have fallen from their lofty standards?

Rocky Road To Dublin

2009-01-12T21:47:00.002-05:00

Rocky Road To Dublin is a documentary about Ireland in the '60s that I first saw at a screening during undergrad. It's more than worth watching for many reasons, and essential viewing if you have any interest in Ireland. Not only does it strike at the heart of the romantic Irish myth that permeates culture today, but it uses many techniques of the French New Wave - both interesting visually and substantively. The repression in the country at the time is palpable, and despite some heavy-handed commentary, the theme of forsaken revolution still remains relevant. You've seen the caricature of Ireland - so check out how it really was.

Furthermore, the film was banned in Ireland for 30 years and its screening at Cannes in 1968 was shut down in sympathy with the May '68 strikes. So that's kind of cool. Also, for geek appeal, you've got cameos by John Huston, Truffaut, and Godard. And Godard's the villain. Heh.

Unfortunately, Youtube's quality limitations trashes much of the film's nuance, but it at least gives you a taste of what the film's all about and whether you should take the trouble to import the DVD.

Film Proper:
Part 1/7 - Part 2/7 - Part 3/7 - Part 4/7 - Part 5/7 - Part 6/7 - Part 7/7

Making Of:
Part 1/3 - Part 2/3 - Part 3/3

Sometimes, I take emo too far

2009-01-11T00:11:00.006-05:00

So I'm just thinking back this evening about J.D. Salinger. Like many, my first exposure to his work was in sophomore year of high school - the assignment of The Catcher In The Rye. I really took to J.D. and his work immediately, being the severe emo kid that I was. After that phase, I became a serious English major in college and dropped J.D. in exchange for more sophisticated and important authors. Then, maybe about a year or a little more ago, I became more interested in his work than ever.

I don't know what exactly caused it. Certain theories might include concerns about getting older (a common Salinger theme), degeneration of my critical capabilities (something I worry about every single day), or - maybe - a true appreciation of his ability to construct beautiful sentences that resound with truth.

Here're my favorite Salinger moments in my personal history:

Making a photocopy of the elusive short story Hapworth 16, 1924 from the original copy of The New Yorker from Hesburgh Library for a girlfriend, complete with a rainbow-emblazoned cover made on Power Point. (At the time, I disliked that short story greatly, but perhaps I should check it out again.)
Writing inspirational messages on my mirror with leftover shards of soap.
Listening in horror to a friend's story of manufactured hatred toward Salinger - his sophomore year tests included review questions on the number of keys on Holden's typewriter or some other such pedantic bullshit.
Admiring the dioramas in the Museum of Natural History with more than a little bit of meta-respect.
Finally piecing together a comprehensive theory of the Glass family.
Thinking about Salinger every time I think about the name of the degree you get at the end of law school. (J.D.)
Checking out poets almost completely due to recommendations in Seymour: An Introduction.

I do adore pith

2009-01-09T10:54:00.004-05:00

This guy, who clearly has detailed knowledge of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball franchise, has put together a description consisting of exactly six words on every major player related to the team. Some are better than others, but it's still an impressive accomplishment.

Shoot the Piano Player is such a gem

2009-01-09T01:23:00.003-05:00

It's a ridiculously well-rounded movie that hits every emotional tone while maintaining and overall playfulness and never diving into deep cynicism. There are suicides, murders, and tragedy, but its charm is relentless.
It really doesn't seem like a movie that's less than 90 minutes long - and that's a really good thing.
Obviously very new wave, but doesn't fall prey to the worst stereotypes of the genre.
Lena is a true ride or die girl.
I identify with Eduard Saroyan.
A film whose villains carry a musical lighter has to be at least okay.

Says It All

2009-01-01T21:23:00.003-05:00

I was going to write something like this, but I'm lazy and not very witty, while Nostalgia Chick is motivated, smart, funny, and owns video editing software.

I'm becoming increasingly enamored of this woman. Though, I should note that I hate the main guy on the website. And that I've never heard the song "Christmas Shoes."

Music I Enjoyed In 2008

2008-12-25T00:51:00.001-05:00

In no particular order, with one exception:

Fuck Buttons, Fuck Buttons: Two British DJs who want to be the Boredoms except with all the grit filtered out through a silicone and plastic sieve.
Vivian Girls, Vivian Girls: They're the amalgamation of about eight different sub-cultural zeitgeists, but that's forgivable because they're catchy too.
Wayne, Carter III: Yep, so the wait was worth it and his hipster icon-hood only enriches his multi-faceted ironic appeal.
Wale, Mixtape About Nothing: I'd like almost any album that combines a Seinfeld concept with rapping about the DC area, but it helps that this guy has great flow, too.
Stephin Merritt, Distortion: Dude's willfully evading repetition of 69 Love Songs, but still makes a pretty decent recording.
T.I., Paper Trail: The two songs that have dominated everyone's life for the past two months or so speak well enough for themselves.
Max Tundra, Parallax Error Beheads You: Welcome back, Mr. Tundra.
Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles: Luckily, I, too, enjoy the music from Mega Man.
Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst: Emo Wars - Episode III: Revenge of the Nebraskan. This time, he's nearly legitimate.

And my favorite of the year was Girl Talk, Feed the Animals, about which I've already said my piece.

Elliott Smith's strengths are melodic chords and a quivering, irresolute voice

2008-12-23T00:43:00.003-05:00

Here's a good Elliott Smith song.

Here's another song that I like which has great vocal harmonies and percussion.

Here's Elliott Smith's miserable cover of that song.

That's all!

Two Inversely Related Cultural Critics

2008-12-20T02:06:00.006-05:00

Ok, so if the internet is a valuable medium for any types of media besides pornography, it's commentary on things people in their mid-20's might find nostalgic. For me, there are two such critics that stand out above the rest. The more prominent of these is the Angry Video Game Nerd, whose basic idea is ridiculing terrible retro games.

And believe me, I've played a gargantuan share of NES games in my time. The basic trope of that era was to make the game as difficult as possible as to to make the kid playing the game devote as much time as possible to it and fool the parent who bought the game into believing it was a worthwhile waste of $50. In reality, this difficulty was usually not generated by an intelligent and fun game, like any Mario or Mega Man, but by irrationally and frustratingly absurd games. These are the kind of games that AVGN takes up and exposes for the trash that they are.

However, while I greatly enjoy AVGN, I have to admit that a lot of the enjoyment comes from nostalgia. I laugh because I remember playing a lot of these games, remembering exactly how goddamn awful they were. He draws upon the same life experiences that I have. I'm predisposed towards liking him and his show because I know exactly what he's talking about and am begging to laugh at any of his jokes.

The Nostalgia Chick works on the same level as the AVGN, but in an inverse way. AVGN isn't witty, but is fun because I'm obsessed with his source material. The Nostalgia Chick, on the other hand, reviews shitty movies from the 80s and 90s that were marketed towards girls. Not having a sister or any young female friends, my knowledge of 80s and 90s girl culture is more deficient than my knowledge of girl culture today. So, the Nostalgia Chick is reviewing culture that I don't know a damn thing about. Luckily, she's as witty and intelligent as AVGN's source material is familiar to me.

I've never been a fan of Disney animated films or She-Ra, but the Nostalgia Chick is so brilliantly smart, funny, and - yes - cute, that it doesn't really matter. I still wait readily for her next posting. Still waiting for that mixture of a really intelligent and witty person to review things that I like...

Michael Jackson's fashion is pure fascism

2008-12-10T02:04:00.009-05:00

Okay, so I'm probably the very last person to notice this, but Michael Jackson's style is a page taken straight from Pinochet's playbook. Take an objective look - epaulets, armbands, sashes - they're all military-inspired at best and dictator-inspired at worst:

This is a picture of Mike around the time of his trial in 2005 wearing his typical armband - whose fascist connotations I don't think I really even have to get into - and the Order of Vienna medal. Other medals that he supposedly wears are antiques from WWI, WWII, and the Civil War.

Here's a performance from Super Bowl XXVII which explicitly evokes military imagery. The outfit he's wearing is pretty similar to the one he - well, the statute of him - is wearing on the cover of HIStory.

I mean, it could be a totally innocuous fashion sensibility, a method of promoting an album or two. Dude isn't the first musical act to evoke military and fascism in their image, but he is the only one, to my knowledge, to achieve such massive popularity, to not reference it somewhat ironically in his music, and to use it consistently over the course of his career (and even now, with his career over). If I really wanted to go into it, I'd reference the fascist efficiency of his tunes or the subliminal appeal of fascism and how he incorporated it into pop music. Or you could just say the he's clearly afflicted with major mental illnesses and grandeur is just one symptom among many. But it's late and I'm lazy... so I'll just suggest these things for now.

Do you ever wonder how they got people for the audience of America's Funniest Home Videos?

2008-12-07T23:48:00.006-05:00

I mean, about twenty different times each season, they had to fill up a television studio with individuals enthusiastic about people getting hit in the balls and brides fainting at the altar. This goes double for the spin-off America's Funniest People. And unlike other lame shows of the era (despite my affection for AFHV, it is undeniably lame), there was little to no live-action component to AFHV. At least when you're in the audience for Home Improvement there's a live performance for you to see. Beyond that, AFHV had their yearly $100,000 or whatever contest where not only would the people in the studio in Los Angeles vote for their favorite video, but people in three or more other cities in America would vote for which video of buildings falling on people or dogs making babies cry was the best. Who decided it would be a good idea to dress up, go to a television studio, and watch videos on a screen? Maybe I'm overanalyzing it. I mean, I guess I'd go, today, if I had the chance.

I'll never be able to review like Robert Christgau

2008-12-05T19:27:00.001-05:00

Here's his assessment of Enema of the State by Blink-182, an album that I appreciate more all of the time, and mostly on Robert Christgau's terms:

"Ignore the porn-movie cover except insofar as it conveys terror. These guys are so frightened of females that they turn down sure sex from one hussy on grounds of name-dropping and reject another for being too quick with the zipper. There's no macho camouflage--girlophobia is their great subject. And boy, have they worked up some terrific defenses. If preemptive jealousy doesn't do the trick, there's always suicide, or abduction by aliens. Yet note it well--because they're out front about their little problem, "Going Away to College" is the love song the Descendents put Green Day on earth to inspire."

Such pith! Amazing.

Abbey Road is a great album

2008-12-05T01:24:00.006-05:00

Whenever I start thinking about the Beatles, I'm wary to mention them because of their myrad connotations. Beatles fans are too mainstream to be serious music fans (everyone knows that the Rolling Stones were the only band to release music before the Velvets - maybe the Beach Boys or James Brown if you're an effete traditionalist or a historian). That said, Abbey Road is a brilliant end to a career. I think that the impact of the Beatles' early end is underestimated. The ending medely is blissful; very few bands have survived 20+ years with their credibility intact. (apart from the invincible Stones.) And don't forget Lennon's amazing post-Beatles career.

A Very Alinea Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T17:48:00.003-05:00

Ok, so these videos have been making the rounds for a short time and they really probably would have been much more interesting about two weeks ago, but since they get less interesting every day, here they are anyway:

Part One:

Part Two:

I first want to make clear that while I've certainly never eaten at a molecular gastronomy restaurant, I'm no Grant Achatz hater. But I think his confidence really comes through on these videos. He knows exactly what he's doing with every flavor on the plate and that's really the only thing that matters, regardless of what techniques he uses. Yet, his style remains a few light years out of the range of mere mortals using stone-age equipment, such as myself and this pair:

Funny stuff. A cautionary tale. For now, I'll retain my humility and low aspirations; I'll stick to the cookbooks meant for housewives, thank you.

Scenes from Thanksgiving break

2008-11-30T15:23:00.003-05:00

Standing outside of Neighbor's Bar and Grill on Cedar Avenue for about half an hour after being booted due to a suspiciously early last call; watching the local residents play soccer in the parking lot.
Realizing that "pieces of flair" still exist at Outback Steakhouse - a waiter gets one pin for every compliment he receives.
Successfully roasting a turkey.
Drinking Heineken foam from a Miller Lite bottle in a green room while sitting on a futon listening to Queen's The Game on vinyl.
Spending an evening drinking white wine from a bottle with a snap-lid while watching recipes on You Tube.

Les Carabiniers is the most hipster film ever made

2008-11-24T01:51:00.007-05:00

Lo-fi to the extreme
Hell of ironic and antiwar
Requires a liberal arts degree to understand (classical allusions, marxist ideology)
French; Godard; photo negative

Quick Kicks

2008-11-21T14:06:00.003-05:00

Does anyone know the source of this photo?
Dexter this season has been slightly disappointing. The main plot seems to be going nowhere and the subplots are uniformly boring and implausible. The drama had better pick up in the remaining four episodes. Jimmy Smits alone is not getting it done.
The new season of Top Chef seems promising. There are several intriguing characters and many of the chefs seem very creative.
Pujols deserved the MVP. Thomas Boswell is an idiot.
I have no clue what direction the Notre Dame football team is going in. I hope that the next three games provide some context.
Netflix on Xbox might change my life, though I don't know if it's going to be for the worse or for the better. Whichever way, I'm about to watch a lot more 80s movies.
As long as I'm on a geeky strain, I might as well mention that there are several great games out there for the thinking gamer. Braid and World of Goo are both amazingly unique experiences at very low prices.
Check this girl out. Some brilliantly entertaining criticism.
I'm on a soup and cookie-making rampage these days. It's almost time to shift gears for Thanksgiving, though.

Gay marriage amendments

2008-11-12T01:16:00.005-05:00

First of all, don't get me wrong, I don't think that state constitutions should be amended as to restrict marriage between a man and a woman. But I just have to say that the protests that are going on right now probably would have been much more useful before election day. Intuitively, it seems that picketers are much less likely to influence the adjudicative process than the democratic process.

I am also uncomfortable with protesting outside of churches also from a strategic and moral standpoint. Scapegoating the LDS while ignoring the larger causes for the amendments' passage is shortsighted and leads to hatred. LDS make up less than 2% of the population in California and even less in Florida (though more in Arizona). Not only do the protests directed at LDS not help change public opinion, but they could easily degenerate into another form of the same bigotry that amendment opponents justly decry.

Interesting food facts of the day

2008-11-11T00:18:00.004-05:00

"When we eat beets, the red pigment is usually decolorized by high stomach acidity and reaction with iron in the large intestine, but people sometimes excrete the intact pigment, a startling but harmless event."

And on a less puerile note, onion comes from Latin for "one," "oneness," and "unity," garlic is Anglo-Saxon for "spear-leek" and shallot and scallion from the Latin term for Ashqelon, a city in southwest Palestine.

Election Summary

2008-11-06T09:51:00.010-05:00

More than anything else, Obama's victory makes me relieved. As a personification and product of the many successes of the civil rights era and further progress in race relations, it is a triumph and I'm happy to have witnessed such an historic moment. However, the euphoria shouldn't distract from the incredibly difficult work yet to be done. The victory is only a single step toward curing our myriad problems and not in and of itself a final success. I await fulfillment of these promises despite insoluble war and economy issues. Obama discussed all these themes more eloquently, but they deserve emphasis.

From many policy standpoints, I'm neutral or slightly favorable towards Obama. (As opposed to my strongly negative views of many McCain policies and maddening conservative rhetoric). Instead of begrudging, however, my support was enthusiastic due to not only his social impact, but his passive impact on the makeup of the Supreme Court and environmental policy. Robust enforcement and sane interpretation of current environmental statutes by new agency administrators will instantly improve upon Cheney's disastrous energy policies even without proactive implementation of new rules or statutes. The same goes for the Supreme Court - even uninspired selections by Obama would be preferable to McCain's, particularly given that Justices Stevens and Ginsburg appear most likely to retire next.

So I'm relieved. And that's all I have to say about that for a while.

The little things are important

2008-11-04T15:19:00.003-05:00

I still feel that most people vastly underestimate the importance of biodiversity. I believe that threatening biodiversity is morally wrong. However, even the most cynical individual could find compelling the argument that preserving biodiversity provides benefits to our human existence. This article outlines just another instance where this happens to be the case. Environmentalism is important for everyone.

[slashdot]

EDIT: Twittering plants, blogging plant, robotic walking plant. I, for one, welcome these new human-granted plant capabilities.

If I think really hard, I remember when I cared about the differences between The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most and Swiss Army Romance

2008-11-03T21:17:00.005-05:00

I'm emo, even if I'm not exactly sure what that means anymore. Whether it's music, fashion, or an emotional state, to me, the DC area emo scene circa the turn of the century encapsulates everything emo and, at it's peak, its nucleus was the auditorium at St. Andrew's Church in College Park, Maryland.

St. Andrew's was strictly and rapturously DIY: Cash only, no advance ticket sales, a totally unadorned stage, nothing on sale but merch, and loads of local bands opening for national acts (i.e., bands on Vagrant, Drive-Thru, or Fueled By Ramen). I saw at least a dozen huge emo bands in St. Andrew's viscerally intimate atmosphere. Crashing my car in the rain on the way to see Alkaline Trio and was one of the worst moments of my young life.

The greatest show I've ever been to, though, also anticipated emo's demise. Instead of just one huge emo band, several of them performed that night with a few local favorites. St. Andrew's was filled well over capacity with wildly vibrant expectations. The region's emo kids descended on College Park clad in their finest. One bespectacled girl who wore a striped sweater while lying under a tree, a leather bound book held to her chest, stared into the sky while the line progressed behind her into the church. It was probably the most emo thing I have ever seen.

Yet, that night signaled emo's conversion into a mass culture stereotype, personified by Chris Carraba. The crowd, accustomed to a full band's distorted grind, was skeptical of Carraba, then the only member Dashboard Confessional, and his completely acoustic set. However, he quickly caught on. About a year later, Dashboard's soft tones would blow up in the mainstream. Record execs eviscerated the emo-purity of Dashboard's solitary acoustic guitar and added a backing band, making the songs somehow much less emo. When drums were added to "Screaming Infidelities," the emo scene became unhinged as though Dylan had gone electric. This perceived betrayal created the emo caricature that garnered a spread in every supermarket magazine, killing the scene. It wasn't ours any longer, it's been sold and securitized to Universal Music Group though a distribution deal with Vagrant Records and that girl in your english class who wore a Get Up Kids shirt even though she'd never shed a single drop of sweat at a show.

When the Green Album came out, my emo fandom dwindled further. Every song on Pinkerton begat another emo sub-genre; it was emo's VU & Nico. Even better, Weezer had been mostly defunct since 1997 and unable to fuck up their legacy. The Green Album, and subsequent recordings, however, did precisely that and called into doubt whether Weezer, and therefore all of emo, had been fundamentally flawed from the beginning. Sickened by mall-emo, underground kids went back to the well of hardcore for authenticity and came back with screamo. Other more tender souls were captivated by Conor Oberst. Screamo eventually drifted back into punk while other emo kids merged into indie genericism. By that point my interest deviated to totally non-emo things like Dischord shows at Fort Reno and Wes Anderson films at Cinema Arts. (Let me explicitly note the sarcasm here.) Eventually, some jackass set off a firecracker in the middle of a crowd at a St. Andrew's show, quite literally blowing things up and making sure that nobody ever had a show there ever again.

Yet, my emo side will never die. While I don't still wear Dickies and I've never worn Chucks or a spiked belt (all emo standard issue), I still dress sort of emo, love girls with dark hair, bangs, and eye shadow, and wish I cared enough about an existing band to crush myself against hundred of other sweaty people and scream the lyrics all night. The basic environment of St. Andrew's affected me more than any other venue because of the community. We were owned something special and unique. It was ours. It wasn't just about musicianship, it was contributing to something true and DIY with people who understood. Emo's totally dead in all but its remnant form, but my memories remain.

Night creatures call and the dead start to walk in their masquerade

2008-10-31T01:46:00.004-04:00

It's difficult to underestimate the imagination, work ethic, and seasonal appropriateness of this internet video. Dude loves his M.J., and why not; Thriller the album is a monumental work that retains relevance today. This vid pays a tribute to the complexity and brilliance of the original song while still being fascinatingly funny. Watch until the end... that's the best part.

[Thriller Acapella]

A Very Cute Overload Halloween

2008-10-29T02:17:00.001-04:00

So I love Cute Overload. I don't care who knows. Its wit and intelligence deeply contrast with most Lolcat spewing internet kiddies. It's also just cute. A guy isn't supposed to like things like that? Maybe it has something to do with the two new cats that are inhabiting my apartment. Well, at least this inspires me to think up Halloween costumes for them. Enjoy this post, the funniest thing I've seen on the net in quite a while.

[Cute Overload]

Death and the Maiden

2008-10-28T01:31:00.001-04:00

I read this recently and enjoyed it greatly, probably not in the least because it directly appeals to my literary side. The world can be understood through literature and its analysis informs and enriches more than other disciplines.

An ode to the striped fitted sheet

2008-10-27T01:49:00.000-04:00

Fitted sheet with stripes
Up and down are so clear when
I make the bed drunk

((As an aside, I'm not drunk now, yet the poem's underlying truth remains.))

All Hail Nate H

2008-10-14T22:37:00.000-04:00

I'd like to take this moment to publicly commend my friend, Nate. He was on Tuesday's Jeopardy episode, officially becoming the first famous person I know. I haven't spoken to Nate in a while, but I'm absolutely certain he's still an amazing guy. Makes me really kind of wish I graduated in '07. But oh well. We were on two quiz bowl teams. One in '03, which gloriously went to Indianapolis. And another in '05 which was basically a catastrophe. But they were both terribly nerdy and amazing.

Even though he lost by a small margin, it's only because he was fucked by the double whammy of a ballet category (everyone knows ballet categories are only for idiots) and a pretty simple final jeopardy. Even so, Nate, tonight I raise my glass to you.

(Nate's the dude in the glasses in the far left and yes, there's a reason I edited my face out of the photo and yes, there's a reason none of us have pants on and yes, it has nothing to do with our sexuality, in an explicit sense.)

Katy Perry is the Urban Outfitters version of Avril Lavigne

2008-10-10T00:43:00.000-04:00

I like some Avril songs and the two Katy Perry songs I've heard are ok, but each is pop star packaged in a subculture's most commoditized form. It's entirely possible that Katy Perry listens to Spoon and that Avril was in the pit at Earth Crisis shows, but that influence has been sufficiently supressed by their A&Rs. Music executives clearly consider outlandish glasses and Minnie Mouse dresses essential for Katy Perry while Avril has been coached to enjoy lots of plaid and tall socks.

Katy Perry also exploits sexuality in a way that the Hot Topic version of Belinda Carlisle doesn't. It could just be that Avril's more adorable while Katy Perry has bigger boobs. But it's also conspicuous that the androgynous-fascist shaved heads, leather, and spikes of punk, while sexual, don't recall mainstream sexuality like American Apparel models do. Avril softens punk's perversions while a more innocuous sexuality pervades "I Kissed A Girl".

T.I. is today's Ric Ocasek

2008-10-09T15:09:00.001-04:00

The mesmerizing efficiency of "Whatever You Like" has echoed in my head for a week now. After listening to it alot, I noticed many parallels between it and "Emotion In Motion," another song about providing for your woman (whether by popping bottles or just holding on all night).

In "Emotion In Motion"'s basic, nursury-esque beat (also like other T.I. songs) Ocasek favors succinct robot beats. The Cars, though occasionally vibrant, had a synthetic subtext that developed into cold, precise perfection. On his own, Ric vanquished rock tones, replacing its blood and sweat with a silicone circulation. The switch from guitar and rock to synth and precision is mostly propelled by the beat. And I love it.

(In 2003, I listened to "You Might Think" at least ten times as my roommate sat next to me in our 8'x20' room. After he mentioned, "So, you like that song a lot, don't you?", I brought out the headphones. My murder would have been entirely justified had I completed my fifteen remaining listens out loud.)

T.I.'s debut with "Rubberband Man" - wild as the Taliban- is much more euphoric and spontaneous than "What You Know," which is as methodical and catchy as "You Might Think," The hypnotic "Whatever You Like" has a snare and outro which could been sampled from a Cars song and is rhythmically cold while lyrically gentle. Years later, T.I. is converging on the same point that Ric Ocasek ended up on.

*"Live Your Life" is a pretty good song that doesn't bear any resemblance to the Cars. So this only really goes so far.

I'm obsessed with massive structures

2008-10-09T13:53:00.000-04:00

Take that as you will, but I actually mean it in the literal sense. Tallest, longest, most volume... I can't get enough of it on Wiki and elsewhere. So I was amazed to see rocketboom's take on it. A must-watch:

[rocketboom]

More sick Siouxsie covers

2008-10-04T23:16:00.000-04:00

Maybe not as good as Dear Prudence, but still fun. I might have toned down the horns.

Dear Prudence

2008-09-24T16:25:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I tend to forget about the brilliance of the Beatles. The band's songs are everywhere and have been so deeply ingrained into pop music, that it's easy to overlook the simple beauty of most of their work. I caught this cover on the radio the other day and it made me re-think about their excellence. Siouxsie definitely adds a few more layers onto this song, it's a bit noisier, which fits the era. Cool stuff.

Street Art is Fun

2008-09-23T11:25:00.001-04:00

One thing that I always enjoyed while my time in Europe was the omnipresent street performers. There just seems to be a culture that supports that sort of thing over there, while in the States, I've seen it much less often. I wish I could have checked this guy out in DC, though. Very witty, I must say.

[SOS!]

Was going to write this, but found it was already written

2008-09-21T23:50:00.000-04:00

Feel free to read this take on Mullholland Drive. Several of these thoughts came to my mind this weekend when I was watching Contempt. The analogy probably deserves a bit more explication, but I'm very lazy...

[link]

Re: Economy

2008-09-19T03:19:00.000-04:00

Hey, you wanted 1977, you wanted revolution, well you got it. Let's listen to punk rock.

Public Image!!!! Peep this...

Chinese Rock!!!

Hell of apocalyptic!!!

Artists Only!!!

Johnny Thunders x2!!!

Big Finish!!! Get set for anarchy - for real this time!!!

VU: Quine Tapes

2008-09-17T23:16:00.001-04:00

Each VU album is radically different from the others. So, it's weird to listen to their songs stripped down to their basic skeleton and performed in a single straightforward style, as on The Quine Tapes. Nearly every song is imbued with the same heart-rending melancholy of "After Hours." (With the exception of the unable-to-be-suppressed "White Light/White Heat.") While you should have listened to this one already, if you're a musical idiot like me, check it out for different (and often much longer) spins on some of your favorite songs. (Some of your favorite songs are VU songs, aren't they?) Also, it's kind of awesomely excessive to have three versions of "Sister Ray" on one album. (Now, I have eight different versions total. Score.)

Elliott Smith

2008-09-12T03:21:00.000-04:00

So, does it matter that I didn't really listen to Elliott Smith until maybe four years ago? I began to appreciate him way, way after the cool kids, though I don't think it makes a difference. My first Elliott Smith album was New Moon. Does this mean that the emotional resonance to me mean less? Anyway, give Miss Misery a listen...

Art that comes up when I search "Remain In Light" but unrelated to Talking Heads

2008-09-12T02:46:00.001-04:00

Not this one.

I hate xkcd

See you at Chamonix.

I Only Watch TV on Sundays

2008-09-09T00:55:00.000-04:00

Venture Brothers

The best and most conventional show on Adult Swim these days has animation and jokes so stellar that everyone loves it. But, like all Adult Swim shows, full enjoyment presupposes comprehension of its intricate intertextuality.

Metalocalypse

The "brutal" facade belies the true theme of bourgeois boredom. A bunch of guys sitting around getting everything they want, hating each other and not doing anything about it sounds like internet culture to me. The animation isn't that great, but some of the design was clearly well thought out and visually stunning.

Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!
I'll admit that though I'm a public access maven, I didn't really get this show for a long, long time. The most recent season might have been substantially better than prior ones, but regardless, it resonated with me. Pure absurdism and hysteria without dissolving meaninglessness.

Robot Chicken
Still viciously hit or miss but often enough worth the ten minute run time. Other shows are tangentially dependent on parody, but God help you if you haven't seen Robot Chicken's source material.

Mad Men

Though Mad Men might be a pure misogyinst fantasy - see Don Draper's perfect housewife, multiple mistresses, drinking habits - there's a clear pathos lying not too many layers underneath. Mad Men is really about the construction and deconstruction of illusions. The impeccable set design and lighting covers up for a few dull episodes here and there.

The Hills
The persistently vacuous and numbing crown jewel of MTV is falling apart into four or five separate storylines. Intentional or not, the show awesomely exhibits the station's blank values in fast-forward, ridden with drama but emotion free.

Feasting on Waves
Alton Brown is great... but I'm unsure what the seaborne sequel to Feasting on Asphalt has to offer over the other two million shows of its type except better production.

Entourage
The ultimate misogynist fantasy (moreso than Mad Men because of its immediacy) has returned for another season. It's hard to justify watching this one except for the fact that it's so entertaining.

I Love Money
VH1 vets getting their PhD in advanced reality strategy studies.

Pretty much sums it up

2008-09-04T19:45:00.000-04:00

[AV Club/Stewart]

A trip back to middle school

2008-09-03T17:16:00.001-04:00

While I'm at it, please somebody explain to me the lyrics of Everything Zen.

Inspired by the Olympics Commercials

2008-09-01T00:53:00.001-04:00

This was about a year before he was shot and well into his drug addictions. Incredible rendition.

Luis Guzman for Cabot Cheese

2008-08-26T00:45:00.000-04:00

This is the craziest, most random thing I've seen in a while. I never knew that Cabot had any sort of advertising budget. I definitely did not further know that they hired Luis Guzman for some of their commercials. Instead of being stupid, the commercials are actually pretty hysterical if you admire Guzman's sort of humor. He's kind of a minor master at being earnest, especially in the P.T. Anderson films. Who would have thought my research on Cabot cheese would have led me down this path...

Best line: "Yeah, but this cheese is so good, I can't stop to pick up my gun to shoot you."

[Cabot cheddar hunks]

"What's your wish? Wanna kringle like kris?"

2008-08-23T23:20:00.001-04:00

It's Yourz @ Yahoo! Video via Kanye's blog

I vaugely remember when Forever was being anticipated, just coming out. I was really confused. I remember seeing the video for Triumph and continuing my confusion, especially at Rza's rhymes. What kind of rapper would rhyme with cerebral cortex? Anyway, this is a much better video from the same era.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

2008-08-23T19:53:00.000-04:00

VCB will make you travel abroad, eat tapas, drink wine, and have sex, compensating for the film's flaws.

Three women, very beautiful in very distinctive ways, inhabit the very fortunate life of a painter played by Bardem. Romantic chaos naturally ensues against the backdrop of Barcelona. Allen, mostly obscured, though revealed in the credits and characteristically intellectual dialogue, lends the film a presumed legitimacy that the core substance may not completely live up to. Idle musing on the nature of art and love falls flat when juxtaposed with Bardem and Gaudi's harem of beauties.

Yet, VCB's visceral beauty and charm make it worthwhile. Johansson's performance is less than stellar, but Cruz is a spectacular, furious force who devours her screen time, even more deliciously malevolent than in Volver. Sex's prominent role marginally justifies the familiar characterization of this film as a typical Allen misogynist fantasy. But whatever. Like the amusement park the film depicts, it's an enjoyable confection - ratchet up the excess.

Past week or so in review

2008-08-18T11:58:00.000-04:00

Leaving Chicago sucks. Just when I was kind of starting to feel it, get accustomed and comfortable, look to the horizons for new experiences... the rug gets pulled out from underneath. However, twelve weeks was, despite what many may say about their summers, a long, long time. Here's to the hope that I'll be able to pick up where I left off upon my eventual return to the state of Illinois.
Outer Banks is definitely worth it. Yes, the traffic is hell. Yes, everything is spread out, the island is overpopulated, and the style of life is probably the least efficient conceivable. Beside that, the feeling of self-containment, physical separation from daily worries and concerns, and attainable peace of mind makes it worthwhile to check out the beach. And, seven opinionated and at times argumentative people can survive a week together without any bloodshed.
Absence has made the heart grow fonder. Charlottesville is a completely unique place. I'm ready to enjoy my last year there to the utmost. I also very much missed my apartment. The spartan accommodations in Chicago were killing me over the summer. It's very nice to have my things back, set up how I like it.
Billy Corgan is tripping. The show in Charlottesville the other day was a huge disappointment. However, the evening was not a total loss... not at all.

It's Addictive

2008-08-09T00:20:00.000-04:00

Yeah, it's embarassing that I didn't really get into this song until it was on every television channel about five times every hour. Still a good one.

Best parts: Her withering tone at the end of some lines, faux-gangster throwback, that I can't identify the sample.

Plus, work is over, I'm back east, the football season began today, and Doug lost. I'm in a happy mood.

Doug must be stopped

2008-08-04T19:20:00.001-04:00

I really disliked Doug when he started winning a few Jeopardy games a while ago. I knew he would be back, and he is... with a vengance. He embodies everything I hate about Jeopardy contestants. He has a really annoying voice, an arrogant way of clicking the buzzer (hands always folded, buzzer tucked away behind his arms), a weird little flower, and an affected way of writing his name. Also, he's Canadian which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but it gives him an unnatural advantage on the Canadian province questions. (Jeopardy never asks questions about Canadian history.)

Over the past two weeks, Jeopardy has been running its Tournament of Champions. The most annoying thing about Doug's current run (he'll be playing in the finals on Thursday and Friday) is the way he's totally backed into each of his wins. Last week and again today, he dipped into negative territory. Today he was over $10,000 down to the money leader and managed to get back within striking distance before winning the match by wagering less than anyone else. (Nobody got the Final Jeopardy correct.)

Twice, he's been nearly vanquished by his own tendency to make wild guesses only to be saved by a very fortunate streak. The players have one more chance to put an end to Doug's reign of terror. If only for my sake, please, please beat Doug.

I went to Neo last night

2008-08-01T15:50:00.001-04:00

Ok, so a couple of blocks from my apartment in Lincoln Park is this bar/club called Neo. Neo is known for being Chicago's 'goth' place to be. It's been around since 1979, which as you might know was pretty much the peak for a lot of the goth/industrial stuff, especially in the UK. Goth style seemed to have a sort of resurgence in the mid-90s, too with NIN and Manson and all that nonsense.

Anyway, the clientele of Neo is reflective of these two peaks. You've got the new wave/hipster goths (see Ian Curtis, above, right) and then the industrial/metal type goths which are generally a lot scarier. Well, they try to be scarier at least. In actuality, the clientele for Neo is not very scary at all and really pretty friendly. While I'm not into that whole style, I did feel marginally more comfortable around the people who go to Neo than your average person at Hangge Uppe or, god forbid, some other near north bar. (Aside: Hangge Uppe is not utopia, but it is the least annoying and pretensious place in its area.)

As for the actual bar, I was pretty down with it. I would only really enjoy going on Thursdays, when they have 80s new wave (heavy on the proto-goth stuff like Cure, early New Order and less Elvis Costello and certainly no Toni Basil). The other nights are metal or industrial and that's simply not my scene. In addition to some pretty chill tunes, they played Return of the Jedi and Weird Science on the movie screen behind the bar. Big up. I also got a half liter of Spaten in a stylish German glass mug. Very gothic.

The downside is that the place is damn geeky but that's just the name of the game when you're talking goth kids. That tone is preferable to me over places on the other side of the spectrum like Japonais. Also, the fake smoke machine was on overdrive. Just not used to smoke here in Chicago. Neo definitely isn't the kind of place you'd take anyone without an open mind. That probably explains why I haven't been there until this week. I'd have liked to come here more often but honestly, I don't know too many people who could tolerate it. But I think it's fun.

I hope to continue my week of new experiences by going to Delilah's at some point soon. It's a punk bar that's kind of close to my apartment also. The worst thing that could happen, I think, is I'd find another really chill place that I'll regret not going to all summer long. But I still hope for a fun night. Oh, I forgot to mention that last Tuesday I somehow ended up at a nearly vacant karaoke place at Cermak and Wentworth singing Yellow Submarine as covered by some Chinese band. Getting goaded into awkward situations can be fun..

Pitchfork 08 in Brief

2008-07-29T18:09:00.000-04:00

I was expecting less, given the allegedly cramped location and not-so-cooperative weather. But the location was very convenient, mostly clean, and not as wet as it could have been. I'll continue to wear my Wayfarers in selected situations, but it's pretty clear at this point that the trend has peaked. Also, being able to get fresh fruit for decent prices at a music festival is a very nice thing indeed. Scattered thoughts:

Public Enemy seemed kind of weak and drained. I guess it has been a long time for them. Couldn't really shake the feeling that the majority of the crowd was there to see the guy from VH1. Oh well.
Caribou put on a pretty amazing show for early afternoon. Almost made me forgive them for getting injured an not coming to Charlottesville, which caused me to skip the show that would have featured...
Fuck Buttons, who didn't seem quite suited to an outdoor atmosphere. I thought they were good, but the crowd lacked energy. I suspect many people there were curious to see the band with the expletive in their name. That's totally fine, as festivals are meant to widen horizons. But it's also going to make the actual performance less fun than if it were an intimate show with a bunch of people who really like the band.
This was also true of Animal Collective. They were incredible, of course. Not really suited to mass audiences, in my opinion, though.
HEALTH are kind of interesting kids, but I'm not really into anything LA.
Ghost and Rae are always fun to watch but seemed a bit bored and I can't say that I blame them. Of course, it would have been nice if they got excited when I saw them last at an actual Wu-Tang show... but they didn't.
I really like Spiritualized but haven't been as up on the new stuff, and my enjoyment suffered because of it.

Fire Walk With Me Documentary

2008-07-16T11:39:00.000-04:00

One quick word - if you're going to make a documentary about the production of a David Lynch film, I would highly recommend that you make it as straight-forward as possible. Not only are you just going to look foolish juxtaposed with an actual film, but you're going to anger your audience. After enduring 30+ hours of heavy texture and un-meaning (not meaning-less), you don't want to go through a half hour of stupid cross-cuts between Kyle MacLachlan laughing and the guy who played Hawk explaining why his scene got cut. At least, I don't.

Anyway, I'm blogging less recently because my internet at home isn't working... in case you were wondering.

Live at Leeds is definitely an album for later in life

2008-07-05T00:15:00.001-04:00

As a 16 year old kid, I remember hearing about The Who and realizing that a band with such universal acclaim should be owned. I hated them. I hated it just as much as I hated the two Fugazi albums somebody gave me and more than I hated all of my parents' albums, which included every last Elvis album.

The moral of the story is that I can definitively declare that experience, in the absence of talent, lends one an ear for nuance. There are qualities in these albums which I could not have hoped to recognize in my bloody-emotion ridden phase of way back when. (Pure talent has an ear for nuance in the absence of experience.)

As for the album itself regarded with a contemporary disposition, it is really good.

Hidden reason why Obama might lose

2008-07-04T22:13:00.001-04:00

Have you visited obama.com recently?

Also interestingly, neither omaba.com nor jonmccain.com redirects to their respective real websites.

[obama.com]

Chicago hipsters love to play early 60's music in their retail outlets

2008-07-01T23:48:00.000-04:00

Seriously... in thrift shops, American Apparel, record stores... it's all Chiffons and Ronettes all the time. What's up with that?

Several North Side Anecdotes

2008-06-30T23:28:00.001-04:00

Toro (2546 N Clark)
Toro is great first and foremost because of awesome sushi. It tastes extremely fresh and the chef has numerous creative arrangements and compositions. This is the baseline for the restaurant's appeal. Without excellent food, nothing else would really matter. That said, Toro is not only great but awesome because of its location and casual atmosphere. Too many other superb sushi places in the city are utterly pretentious and void of heart. Toro has heart. I feel comfortable being there. It is BYOB. Five stars.

Kiki's (900 N Franklin)
This French bistro is another place that I really like because I feel comfortable when I'm eating there. I like feeling laid back and content in a restaurant, not judged. In addition to this, Kiki's has great cuisine. If you're sick of French bistro style, you probably won't like it, though. There's nothing here that hasn't been done before, it is just done very well and with the utmost care. Bonus points for having a custom painted Citroën out front.

Angels & Kings (710 N Clark)
Yes, it's owned by Pete Wentz, but honestly that's a net positive for me. I like the interior. It has a stylish feel without being stupid pretentious. The waitresses are really cute in a very emo way. Just like Pete would have it. The music is also excellent relative to any other bar nearby, which is huge. If I had enough money, I'd probably be up there on the stage sitting on one of the two old-school leather recliners enjoying bottle service. So I'm not going to throw a fit by the fact that it exists. I will throw a fit when confronted by $5 Bud Lights and a clientele that would please me by remaining in the Viagra Triangle. I might go back at some point, but not for a few weeks at least.

Celtic Crossings (751 N Clark)
It feels very much like an actual Irish pub if it weren't for the fact that no Irish pub would be as spacious as this place is. Completely down to earth, nearly to a fault. A humble jukebox and a variety of tables consist the entirety of the bells and whistles for this place. But it does one thing, and does it well. A welcome reprieve from the many obnoxious bars in the area.

Simply It (2269 N Lincoln)
So I got to Simply It and was nearly handed my order by the lady who was operating the cash register when a man who appeared to be maybe in his 40's suddenly barged out of the dining room and yelled very assertively in what I presume to be Vietnamese. I didn't have my contacts in at this point, and so was quite blind, but heard somehow that the Chicken Noodle Soup was in my bag. I decidedly did not order Chicken Noodle Soup. Briefly, another guy who ordered take out walked in. His order was also under the name 'Jason.' A small debacle ensued between the lady and the man. We two Jasons stood by, bemused. In the end, I got my basil beef along with a spring roll, watermelon, and lemonade. It was good. I will return to Simply It.

Muscle Memory

2008-06-30T08:40:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a bunch of dreams about Charlottesville, none of which are interesting enough to relay here. The interesting thing, however, was what happened when I woke up. In a sequence of events I can only attribute to thinking a lot about Virginia in my sleep, when I woke up, I reached to my right to grab my cell phone (which I use as an alarm) as opposed to my left. This is kind of crazy because I keep my cell phone on my right in Charlottesville but on my left here in Chicago.

Now that this event is slightly removed, it seems odd to make such a big deal about it, but it was a very odd circumstance at the time.

How do I love Joanne Colan? Let me count the ways.

2008-06-27T08:35:00.000-04:00

She's witty!
(Speaking quickly in a coherent manner, even non-spontaneously, is hard work.)

She's techy!
(Just listen to her talk about internet memes. Doubles for being down to earth.)

She's cute!
(Especially her demeanor, which is hell of endearing. It's all about the wry smile.)

She's hip!
(I mean, she lives in New York. She pretty much has to be, right?)

Gregg Gillis is close to transcending the mash-up subgenre

2008-06-21T13:21:00.000-04:00

The mash-up subgenre is easily maligned as derivative. Copying is the explicit name of the game. But there's a difference between poorly playing two songs concurrently and the songs on the new Girl Talk album. Like Eric Prydz but more dense by several orders of magnitudes. Gregg Gillis clearly has higher aspirations.

Ok, this album isn't entirely new. Much of its appeal is ultimately derived from the original tracks that compose it. But something more lies within these fourteen tracks. It's a true internet album, quite suitable for In Rainbows-like distribution. It's an effortless and elegant ode to Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V culture. Internet kids are omnivorous, and this album direclty reflects my omnivorous tastes. For Gillis, guitars, drums, and even sequencers are last generation's tools.

Girl Talk progresses sampling as art. Gillis magically manipulates context - every sample is recognizable but stripped of its temporal and socio-political background. He doesn't give a fuck about meaning, only about de/re-contextualizing the sound and the sound alone. Except of course for Girl Talk's derivation from today's punk rock; sampling culture. The damn label is called Illegal Art, and the album is unflinchingly illegal. But that's the beauty, Girl Talk is both completely aesthetic and completely political. And it's fucking fun.

On a strictly musical basis, Feed the Animals finds Gillis a little more tuneful, melodic, and - dare I say this about such a giddy album - wistful. (See samples of Journey, RHCP, 96 Tears, God Only Knows, Procol Harum, VU, etc.) There are fewer dead moments than Night Ripper, a vast majority of the notes hit home. The album is NOW That's What I Call Music filtered through your average indie kid's music collection. And Rod Stewart. Awesome.

[feed the animals]

[RIYL: top 40 radio, that one dynamic second in that Veruca Salt song, aural puzzles, visceral experiences, preternatural ears]

Crystal Castles Show

2008-06-20T00:52:00.000-04:00

We almost ditched this show because of the massive line out the door, around the corner under the Blue Line tracks into an alley. The five of us dealt with the randoms standing around for a free show. Things given away aren't always valued. People know the band they paid $100 to see.

Anyway, in line at about 8:30 and and began judging the first band at 11. An apparently normal guitarist and drummer emitted digitized sounds passed through some modulator, I think. But it's just a guess. Not a fan.

Crystal Castles took a long time to come onto stage. Egregiously and disappointingly long, but I guess an electro group has to maintain a mystique. Couples doing their crazy couples at indie shows dance that you might have seen before. But trust me when I say that at an electro show your typical Wilco-style public humping takes on an entirely different tenor. The club's cramped design led to excessive sweating and the audio board crowded the stage in a totally awkward position. Generally inferior to Black Cat, which might be the most perfect small venue.

The black clothes, black hair, and heavy black eye shadow maintans Crystal Castles' mystique. Alice Glass, vamping and diving from the stage's edge compensated physical energy for vocal energy. Energetically dispassionate, the distance of Ethan Kath (on synth) highlighted his disinterest with crowd interaction, engrossed in the keyboard, lights, and blindfold-like hoodie.

Fun for a free show, but a compelled payment might have changed my impression. A 30 minute show befits this type of band.

One Beat is the perfect combination of fury, melody, nostalgia, charm, and coolness

2008-06-15T00:32:00.000-04:00

There are definitely "better" Sleater-Kinney albums. However, as much as I love the earlier S-K ones (and I love them a lot), One Beat puts it all together.

Purists decry the pristine production. (reluctant to make a terrible pun here) One Beat lacks the rough edges of earlier work, but these girls aren't street punks and they really never were, regardless of the posturing on Dig Me Out. After all, it took just six months for Carrie to retreat from Berkeley.

As ever, the original bass-less band, the backbone of (you better wise up) Janet Weiss, the many-headed-hyrda singing technique and mad hooks form the structure, but an unabashed tunefulness pervades the album, where that other tracks merely alluded to it. Before they went completely into The Woods, they embraced their stealth-metal edge, tempered by a very Puget Sound dash of indie.

It doesn't hurt that:

I'm utterly enamored of Carrie Brownstein.
The album was released at a fun time of my life and is closely associated with good memories.
S-K was never prone to embarrassment, so even this one, which definitely reaches further than any before it, resonates without being goofy.
Nobody lingers like your hands on my heart and...
Sympathy is a killer final track.

Recent Netflix Roundup

2008-06-08T12:21:00.000-04:00

Pitch Black/Chronicles of Riddick

Better than they have any right to be, but not quite good enough to be worth going out of your way for. Sci-fi lite.

Blue Velvet/Mulholland Drive

Even though Blue Velvet is an abbreviated Twin Peaks with boobs, it's still a great watch. MacLachlan is a master of Lynch-style acting. The darkness tempers the parody. Mulholland Drive holds up much, much better than I thought it would (haven't seen it for about five years) and probably deserves a post of its own to discuss the intricacies. In short, though, this film, and maybe all Lynch, is sleight of hand. The mystery only exists to trick you into focusing intensely on the texture. Detractors point out the meaningless, wandering narrative, and that's fair, but they miss the point. It's truly about the journey, not the destination.

The Savages

Indie dramedy (heavy on the "dram") about getting old and dying. Not exactly topics that I think about a lot, nor do I really want to. I can't quite sympathize with what's going on in this film, which makes its flaws (poor pacing, drab color palette) even more annoying.

Hannah Takes the Stairs

This is kind of funny. A movie about post-collegiate types in Chicago. Going out, doing things that I could be doing, in real life. Heh. Beyond the irony, Swanberg's style probably only works if you're charmed by the precocious type of people he casts. Luckily I am.

Highlander

I was not prepared to hate this movie as much as I did. Awful from the not-really-Scottish accents to the sleepwalking that passes for acting to the painful Queen soundtrack - and I do like me some Queen. How did this movie get so famous? Pass, with extreme prejudice.

Dexter Season 1 & 2

Another work probably worthy of talking about in depth. I might return to it someday, maybe right before Season 3 starts this fall. Obviously, it's excellent, but the inconsistency perturbs me. Season 1 was very solid on the whole, while Season 2 had higher highs and lower lows. The last episode of Season 2 was almost completely unnecessary and seemed totally tacked on. Oh well. Can't wait for new eps.

Bonus: Venture Brothers Season 3, Episode 1

So the two year wait is over, and the first episode was awesome. The first two seasons paid the dues necessary to justify the bold backstory episodes that I expect in this season. It isn't strictly about parody anymore. The animation and stunning sound design transcend that alone. This is a show that simply must be seen, and is operating on an entirely other level than any other show of its kind.

A recent David Lynch

2008-06-08T01:25:00.001-04:00

Eight - count 'em - eight classic Lynch motifs to be had.

HINT: Red Drapes.

A forgotten great

2008-06-07T01:31:00.001-04:00

Commemorating my trip to East Lakeview - an ode to the Pet Shop Boys

2008-06-05T00:57:00.000-04:00

I've got a short story about this one which I won't share now, but on a purely aesthetic level, I love the totalitarian imagery.

A total fucking classic by any standard and Pet Shop Boys build on the brilliance of the song instead of being just a parasite.

Honestly haven't heard this one until just a few moments ago, but it is probably better than the original.

The most anthemic and the best Pet Shop Boys song. Don't let the horrible audio of this video trick you.

Another classic which really needs no introduction - the bridge alone makes the song worthwhile.

Maybe the most famous Pet Shop Boys song in America... despite that, it's still pretty good. Give me one more trip to east Lakeview... I'll be preparing my Kylie Minogue tribute.

Billy Corgan made me who I am

2008-06-05T00:41:00.000-04:00

In fact, I think there's a very straight line to be drawn between my mild Smashing Pumpkins obsession in middle school to my quite total emo persona during high school to my overly-sensitive Wes Anderson and literature-preoccupied college years. In all honesty, the impact of the Smashing Pumpkins in my life deserves a much larger blog post. And it all started with one guy who comes from... Chicago. The influence continues even today.

Song of the Moment

2008-06-02T21:40:00.000-04:00

Reviewing Liquids of Varying Viscosity

2008-06-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

Goose Island Beer

This beer is omnipresent in the Chicago area. It is middle in the hierarchy of generally available beers, above the dreck and below Fat Tire. The types I've had have been aggressively mediocre. On the whole, these beers simply lack flavor. The regular ale and IPA are sub-par and while the 312 wheat beer is crisp, it tastes like sparkling water. The current summer seasonal is probably the best of the bunch.

Virgil's Bavarian Nutmeg Root Beer

Yes, the price of this beverage is completely outlandish. However, it is quite excellent. I don't think that the marginal utility of such an expensive root beer equals a solid choice like an IBC, but if you're throwing thrift out the window, this is the most balanced root beer I've ever drank. It just sweet enough and has a nice spice without going over the line on bite.

Cultural Revolution 5% Yogurt

The first thing I noticed about this yogurt was its somewhat watery texture. The carton of Stonyfield I ate before this was quite thick and this is very much a change. I don't know if it's because 5% has slightly more fat than your regular lowfat yogurt, but this yogurt has considerable taste and tangyness, almost equivalent to cheese. Really good overall, but I would like a slightly thicker texture.

Gerolsteiner

It's German, so maybe it isn't a surprise that it's a little more aggressive than the Italian sparkling water. I usually prefer Pelligrino but would be willing to try different things every now and then. I had Gerolsteiner once a long time ago and wasn't disappointed drinking it this time around.

USC 05

2008-05-25T01:54:00.000-04:00

October 15, 2005 marked a clear turning point in my life. I woke up that morning with moderate expectations. I was a totally jaded senior, though curiously excited for the unusually important football game that day. My girlfriend at the time had a visitor in town and we killed much of a handle of Evan Williams in my single bedroom dorm room. The remainder went into my flask. Feeling, needless to say, quite drunk, we made our way to the stadium. The atmosphere at that point was unforgettable. What followed was by far the most exciting sporting event I've ever seen live. I was obliterated, feeling the Notre Dame spirit more than I have before or since. As everyone knows, the end of the game did not fare well and I felt more viscerally sad than I have then or since. Greatly influenced by my drunken state, but still feeling truly horrible, I hid my face in my Notre Dame hat as alumni walked by outside of Zahm. Dinner at NDH was a morgue. I spent that surreal early evening lying in my girlfriend's futon, not aware by the day, time, or year, totally overwhelmed. I was torn that night. My girlfriend got me to go out to a small party at a friend's house and I despondently drank gin and tonic. It's kind of weird to say I've exposed myself to experiencing more emotions since then, but it's true.

A friend once wrote a poem that went kind of like this

2008-05-21T07:52:00.000-04:00

"Look, but don't touch.

Touch, but don't feel.

Feel, but don't taste.

Taste, but don't enjoy.

Enjoy, but not after 2 A.M."

- G.G.S.

Moving to Chicago for the Summer

2008-05-16T14:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, so tomorrow I'm headed to Chicago for the summer. I feel that there's no better way to get ready for this massive move than watching a bunch of movies that take place, at least in part, in Chicago. You know, in order to build up huge expectations that cannot help but be dashed in reality. Here's what was on my list:

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: shows off Chicago better than any other movie I've seen

Weird Science: actually makes me kind of excited to one day live in Chicago suburbs

Risky Business: In Chicago, at least they have really sympathetic call girls. Also, I now want to buy a pair of Ray-Ban Wayfarers.

Sixteen Candles: This film never really resonated with me like other Hughes films, but it's still pure gold.

The Breakfast Club: Yes, I have visited the high school in this movie.

Rookie of the Year: Despite my hatred for all things Cub, this movie is a reminder of a time when they were truly pathetic, not just a let-down in the clutch.

Home Alone: An all time Christmas classic, higher than Miracle on 34th Street in my book for Chicago Christmas movies.

The Blues Brothers

She's Having a Baby: Hughes' shift away from teen comedies is regrettable, but this is still a good film. Perhaps it is best that he left his excellent record in that sub-genre alone.

Ordinary People

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: The best Chicago holiday-themed movie.

National Lampoon's Vacation: Another verfied classic. Even though the family only begins in Chicago, this movie, the major theme is: wherever you go, there you are.

Something might strike you about this list. Chicago, apparently, was huge in the movies in the late-70s to early-90s era. Much, but not all, of this can be attributed to John Hughes. I am an avowed John Hughes fanatic, which probably accounts for my affinity toward both the 80s and Chicago. Risky Business has striking similarities to many films in the Hughes oeuvre, and you could easily see Rookie of the Year fitting in with the later Hughes family-friendly films. The others are fairly solid films, too. Nothing like taking the edge off of a major life-changing week than warming up to some classic movies. Very comforting, indeed.

I also intend to continue blogging as frequently as time and creativity permit.

I know I'm the last person in the world to see Juno, so I'll keep this short

2008-05-14T23:17:00.000-04:00

I hated Juno. I was completely uncharmed by Ellen Page. I hated how it included every marginally overrated indie movie star on the planet (which now includes Page). The super-cute pun-zingers (e.g., "Phuket, Thailand") in the film's first fifteen minutes alone made me puke, the rest elicited other graphic bodily functions last described in the mid-90s. I also found the moral overtones a bit unsettling. The entire thing really just enriched my enjoyment of Gilmore Girls, which is wittier, and Me and You and Everyone We Know, which is simultaneously more cynical and touching. Somehow, I knew I should have followed my initial instinct and watched Blade Runner tonight.

On the plus side - Sean from Degrassi's cameo.

Star Trek: The Sexed Generation

2008-05-14T12:26:00.000-04:00

Let's face it: making stupid sex jokes is fun. Making stupid sex jokes about a typically pristinely rational and sober show like Star Trek: TNG is even more fun, especially when somebody makes a 10-minute long compilation of awkward scenes juxtaposed for maximum hilarity.

High points:

- Most Geordi parts, particularly "21 centimeters."

- Riker's "wah-wah-wah."

- "Transfer helm controls to manual."

- Pie in the face... obviously.

So this clip slows down greatly after about seven minutes... but it's seven minutes well-spent. This is also maybe the dorikes thing I've ever linked.

- Wesley's timid exploration

Sodas, Pt. 2

2008-05-14T12:19:00.000-04:00

- GuS Grapefruit Soda

Like the other GuS soda I tried, I was quite pleased with the clean crisp taste due to its sparing use of cane sugar, as opposed to an overwhelming use of HFCS. However, I felt that this particular soda did not have a strong enough grapefruit flavor. I realize that the flavors are meant to be subtle, but this soda tasted more like grapefruit-flavored water than grapefruit soda. I'm not willing to give up on GuS entirely, and I expect that further excursions into Grown Up Soda territory will prove fruitful, but I would not recommend this particular flavor.

- Stewart's Root Beer

Like the Black Cherry offering, I found the Stewart's Root Beer to be too sweet and syrupy. I was hoping for a bit more bite in my root beer, yet this soda offered only sweetness. It isn't bad, and it has more spice than, say, an A&W or store brand root beer, but it is not as good as IBC, in my book.

- Stewart's Cream Soda

I don't really know how I feel about this one. Like the other Stewart's, and I hate to sound like a broken record, I disliked the syrupy feel on the tongue. However, this soda was not as offensive as the Black Cherry and I would drink it if offered.

That's all the soda I've drank recently. I'm interested in tasting some other GuS flavors, the Stewart's Key Lime, which one of my friends recommended to me, and perhaps some other root beers. In particular, Old Dominion Brewing Co., a local micro-brew, makes root beer and I'd like to try that. I still don't know for sure what motivated this odd impulse, but there it is.

Indian Food of Fairfax County

2008-05-10T14:23:00.000-04:00

Bombay Bistro; 3570 Chain Bridge Rd.

This is one of my choice meat-serving Indian restaurants in Fairfax County. The tandoori chicken here is particularly good, as at a lot of other places, it can easily get tough. There are few surprises to be found here, but everything is pretty solid. The design is quite nice, and there are fabric tablecloths and napkins, which is a nice touch.

Jaipur; 9401 Lee Hwy

Jaipur is the Indian restaurant that I'm most likely to go to with my family. The buffet is a little expensive, but still a pretty good value. Good curries and solid desserts are highlights. Like Bombay Bistro, there is nothing really special, and you can usually find the same dishes at the buffet every single time, but they're solid stand-by's.

Minerva; 10364 Lee Hwy

You feel like you're eating at a cafeteria at Minerva, so that's negative points right off the bat. However, the food makes up for it. Again, very little separates Minerva from any other meat-serving restaurant, but the couple of times I ate there, I felt that perhaps the ingredients were fresher than many other buffets.

Saravana Palace; 11725 Lee Hwy

This is my preferred Indian restaurant in Fairfax county. It is south Indian, so that means it is vegetarian. There are particular techniques to enjoying things like the rasam, chat, sambar, idly, and dosas, so you should figure out the right way to enjoy these things before going. The flavors are mostly bright, fresh, and light. Highly recommended.

Woodlands; 4078 Jermantown Rd.

The people who run Saravana split off from Woodlands. Woodlands is also a very good restaurant in the same style as Saravana, but gets negative points for being next to a K-Mart in an awkward location and not being quite as clean inside as Saravana.

Soda Review!

2008-05-10T14:09:00.000-04:00

I don't really know why, but today I somehow bought eight bottles of soda. I'll be drinking them in the next few days and sharing my thoughts.

- GuS Dry Lemon

This was an interesting looking soda that intrigued me with their different flavors. I bought the lemon and grapefruit varieties. I like that it's made with cane sugar and that you can see little pieces of lemon floating around on the bottom. The taste is quite good, although I was hoping for something a bit more tart than this soda actually is. Apparently, the special lemons they use are a little sweeter than your average lemon, so that probably explains the taste difference. I'd like to compare this to Pelligrino Limonata, but I couldn't get my hands on a can at the store.

- Stewart's Black Cherry

This was kind of sickly sweet. It uses HFCS, and even though I used to think there wasn't a difference, I can definitely feel the more syrupy texture. Also, it is much sweeter than the soda I drank with cane sugar, but I don't know how much of that is due to the comparitvely less sweet nature of a dry lemon soda than a black cherry soda. Anyway, this tastes pretty similar to Cherry Coke. I didn't really like this one and didn't finish it.

- Stewart's Ginger Beer

This ginger ale is really powerful. The spice is incredibly strong, and will make your nostrils act up. That's a good thing. Again, though, the soda is a little sweet for my taste. Better than the black cherry, but still not something I'd drink every day. Clearly better than your average Canada Dry or whatever, though. I'd be really interested in trying the GuS ginger ale with less sweetness and cane sugar.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

2008-05-07T11:15:00.003-04:00

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the most emotionally demanding, devastating, and fulfilling film that I've seen in a very long time. I won't reduce the power of this film to a synopsis, but suffice to say, it is equally worthy as 2007's other great films and definitely required viewing.

The eye is a dominant theme, and each woman character has spectacularly sympathetic eyes. Peering into these eyes from the camera's first-person perspective, you can see the pain, frustration, hope and understanding in such a subtle performance. Schnabel knows this too; his evocative Velvet Underground track says so.

The humanity of main character, his utter futility, his previous nature, makes for a more whole image of the fate of somebody who is "locked-in." Tuesdays with Morrie or Requiem for a Dream engage in either Oprah-approved sap or graphic, cacophonous scare tactics. This film, in an elegant and, most importantly, realistic and credible manner, strikes through my hardened armor and illuminates the value of life. Can't believe I said that.

I wish I could have seen Talking Heads live

2008-04-28T23:18:00.000-04:00