Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Stu-Stu-Studio (more works in progress from the frigid artspace out yonder)
Hey there!
In between packing for HB's 9th Annual Birthday Adventure (this year, she and I are going to NYC - The Big Apple - for to visit my family and to have some Beeg City FUN (with a capital F-U-N!!), worrying about the ultimate demise of our red heaired friends, doing dishes, errands to the bank, grocery, video shop and library, and doing some general cleaning of the house incl. the " stinky chore" of deep cleaning the litter area (remember, we have 5 cats (that's right we're CRAAZZYYY!) 'round these parts folks!),
Awww, idin't widdle Dippy Pippy cute?!?!
I have been trying to sneak in some time in the refridgerated "studio" and get some paintings done ...
Ahh, fun with spray paint, wood and markers. What's better than that?
...before we jet east.
Tonight.
@ midnight.
Oh my gosh, I have got to get going here!
Let me know what you think!
Peace out y'all.
In between packing for HB's 9th Annual Birthday Adventure (this year, she and I are going to NYC - The Big Apple - for to visit my family and to have some Beeg City FUN (with a capital F-U-N!!), worrying about the ultimate demise of our red heaired friends, doing dishes, errands to the bank, grocery, video shop and library, and doing some general cleaning of the house incl. the " stinky chore" of deep cleaning the litter area (remember, we have 5 cats (that's right we're CRAAZZYYY!) 'round these parts folks!),
Awww, idin't widdle Dippy Pippy cute?!?!
I have been trying to sneak in some time in the refridgerated "studio" and get some paintings done ...
Ahh, fun with spray paint, wood and markers. What's better than that?
...before we jet east.
Tonight.
@ midnight.
Oh my gosh, I have got to get going here!
Let me know what you think!
Peace out y'all.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Red Hair and Black Leather, My Favorite Colour Scheme...
SAVE THE ENDANGERED REDHEAD!!!
Hey sister, you're gonna need a better attitude than that if you want some help with the plight of your people!
Never heard of this band Coventry, but they seem to embrace the right spirit of the movement. I'll have to look them up, even if the girl does NOT have any black leather on, despite the album title. Sheesh! Got the '52 Vincent Black Lightning tho,' and that counts for alot.
Redheads are walking works of art, attracting the eye of the beholder in a sea of brown, black and blonde.
Most beautiful. This lovely lady reminds me, in a way, of that controversial Blind Faith album cover from back in the day.
"Hello there pretty Irish lass... "
Lookie here!
A '52 Vincent Black Lightning, and a young lady with red hair and Black (& white) leather. Cool,huh,huh,huh...
As a big fan of red heads (especially those who would agree to wearing some black leather on occasion and wouldn't be adverse to riding a '52 Vincent Black Lightning once and a while), I was shocked to learn that their time amongst us is extremely limited.
Let's all band together to help save our redheaded sisters (and brothers, I suppose, since we'll need them too...to make more red headed sisters.) A good place to start is @ the official natural red head appreciation myspace (Serious.)
some more red haired beauties to appreciate...
So thoughtful these 'uns! They've got alot on their minds, seeing as their kind are slowly disappearing!!!
Remember folks, extinction is nothing to mess around with, even if you are only kidding.
"Baby! I say, What 'choo been up too?!?!?"
Hey There Peoble! I been busy playing with paint in "the Studio" as of late, which is why (partialy) I haven't been here in a while. Here is a peek @ what I've been up to. Hope you enjoy.
A series of recent small paintings. These are all done on pieces of wood salvaged from the boxes of french wines shipped to the wine shop I help out at occasionally. Gotta love free art matterials and recycling!
Detail s of a painting inspired by Brian Wilson's song Cool, Cool Water. I had fun with this one. Details are done with permanent markers, and very small paint brushes.
A piece in progress for my friend E. We are big Lou Reed fans.
This next painting is sideways because I have no idea how to flip it vertical. (Help? Anyone?)
Details of the above painting, entitled "oftentimes...lately it seems...I find my heart cries out, yearns, searches for yours". It is for (and inspired by) my wife, the love of my life. Awww.
Sorry some of the photos are not the best. I'm still trying to figure out how best to photograph my artwork with my new camera. I'll keep trying.
A series of recent small paintings. These are all done on pieces of wood salvaged from the boxes of french wines shipped to the wine shop I help out at occasionally. Gotta love free art matterials and recycling!
Detail s of a painting inspired by Brian Wilson's song Cool, Cool Water. I had fun with this one. Details are done with permanent markers, and very small paint brushes.
A piece in progress for my friend E. We are big Lou Reed fans.This next painting is sideways because I have no idea how to flip it vertical. (Help? Anyone?)
Details of the above painting, entitled "oftentimes...lately it seems...I find my heart cries out, yearns, searches for yours". It is for (and inspired by) my wife, the love of my life. Awww.
Sorry some of the photos are not the best. I'm still trying to figure out how best to photograph my artwork with my new camera. I'll keep trying. Thanks for looking. Comments always welcome.
See y'all soon, y'hear?
Friday, January 04, 2008
It's The End Of tThe World As We Know It...
Happy New Year one and all!
I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and participate in the annual societal ritual of a year end round up and top whatever list of favorite things from the time we know as 2007 ( a very good year, methinks, truly, in the midst of all this craziness and bad juju going on all over this planet we call home.). So here goes nothing. My picks for the best of what I heard, saw, read, experienced from the past year, in no particular order of rank, just pretty much randomly as they occur to me (pretty much like how I have written this intro so far, eh?).
Music (I promise I will expand on these choices as I fully digest the albums over the next month or so while I paint in "the studio". Nothing like some new music to jump start the old creative juices. (I don't know why, but that sounds dirty now that I look @ it. <;-)) Post-Mortem Release:
Elliott Smith - New Moon
A collection which reminds those of us who loved his style from the get go (packed La Luna balcony or Satirycon shows in PDX circa 1994-95, anyone?) Just what a loss it was when Elliott did himself in so tragically. I cherish this music as it is the soundtrack to my first years on the west coast, just making it happen for myself far from home in Portland ,OR.
A fine companion to this album is the newly published book, Elliott Smith by Autumn de Wilde a photographer friend who chronicled Elliott's life after achieving some national acclaim and moving away from Portland (to NYC and eventually, L.A. where he met his demise.). Great photographs and prose in tribute to a shy friend who knew how to write about his pain in life, but sadly, was unable to overcome it. We love and miss you here in the Pacific Northwest Elliott. I will always have your songs playing in the background of my mind as I roam the dark, wet, beer soaked streets of the city you loved and lived in for so long before the spotlight found you and thrust you into an uneasy stardom. I hope you are at peace with it all now, a beam of light in the darkness of the greater cosmos.
Major Career Magnum Opus:
Tom Waits - Orphans - This is an odds and sods collection, yes, but it is also much more than that. It is a clear the decks (and closets) of all and various sundry. Mr. Waits has taken this opportunity to put out a late career defining amalgamation of styles and ideas set to music which will have one listening intently for months to come. This is a chance to glimpse at the fascinating inner workings of one of my favorite American eccentric composers. It reminds me in many (good) ways of the Clash's similar closet cleaning experiment in "throwing ideas at the sound engineer and seeing what sticks to the tape" 3 disc set "Sandinista" from back in the late '80's. Yes, there are some throw away tracks, some experiments that make one smile now, but which will likely wear thin sometime down the road, but taken as a whole and complete work - however haphazardly collected or concocted - this is a rock solid effort by a man at the peak of his talents as an artist of true honest singular vision. Essential Waits.
I can't wait to see what Tom and Kathleen have in store for us next!
Innovative Multi-Culti Dance Punk Armed with a Sampler and a Message:
M.I.A. - Kala - As with her debut, M.I.A. brings the hyper crazy angular beats and funky samples to this, her sophomore effort. Chanted vocals with militant messages and cooing sing-song collide with Indian raga, punk attitude, DIY aesthetic and Hip-Hop break beats. This is energetic dance music with multiple layers, require close and repeated listening to fully dissect and digest (my favorite kind of audio challenge!). Bonus points for her use of the best Clash! sample yet, her capture of "Straight to Hell" (my very favorite Joe Strummer studio performance) in "Paper Planes" is a fitting (and crazily catchy) tribute to a fallen idol/comrade in truth.
You just gotta love a song with a shotgun's blast punctuating the point and driving the chorus home!! Sing it with me now, "all I want to do is("Bang, Bang, Bang") and take your $$$!" Another excellent disc in an exciting newish genre. Buy It Now!
Gypsy Punk Provocateurs:
Gogol Bordello -Super Taranta! -Me thinks that much of the charm and energy of this completely insane collaborative of international misfits (the best kind of misfit!) doesn't really translate to record very well. I'd love to see them Live in their element in some small sweaty club in NYC. There are some decent clips of live Gogol Bordello on Youtube which are worth looking up for those who are curious. These guys and gals take off where the Pogues (or even label mates Flogging Molly) left off, and turn the party knob up to 11! (this one goes to "11".) Put this on to take your social gathering up to the next level (whatever that may be)...keep the fire buckets handy though, things are bound to get out of control with the Gogol's as a soundtrack!
Urban West Coast American Dance Collective
Ozomotli - Don't mess with the dragon - While I will concede that this is not my favorite effort by this large band of Los Angeles brothers in arms (that would be their debut featuring the vinyl scratch styling of one Mr. Cut Chemist who has since left the family), this recent release sees the band going down a slicker more pop oriented road. Perhaps they are changing organically, as these collaborations often do, or maybe it is due to pressure from their record label to break through on the commercial radio level, who knows for sure? (Only their hairdressers do!) Despite this more heavily produced direction, I still find their mish-mash of styles and cultural references to be intriguing and certainly positively danceable. Again, this may be a band that is best experienced live, as their whole vibe says "Party" and "let's get together and make the best of it by overcoming our differences". All in all, an enjoyable, but not completely essential disc for 2007 from a band on the cusp of the Big Time. With the rise in popularity of all things pertaining to the Latin American culture slowly growing in our population, these guys are only going to get more and more exposure. Listen to them now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.
More notes on these 'uns later on y'all...for reals, check it out later! Don't forget now, y'hear?
nariwen- Aman Iman (the water of life)
!!!-Mythtakes(?)
Dust Galaxy - Dust Galaxy
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bishop Allen and the Broken String - Self titled
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Carbon/Silicon - The Last Post
Bettey Levette (w/ Drive By Truckers) - Scene of the Crime
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Red Dirt: A Malian Journey
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 days, 100 nights
Graham Parsons and the Flying Burrito Bros. - Live @ the Avalon Ballroom 1969
Mojo Magazine Presents: Stax Soul Power!
Mojo Magazine Presents: In Search Of Syd
Mojo Magazine Presents: Cigarettes and Alcohol
Menomena - Friend and Foe
Sasparilla - debilitated Constitution
Failing Records - A Compilation Of Portland Music, Vol. 3
PDX Pop Now! 2007
Reading
Mojo Magazine as if you couldn't tell by now!)
Paste Magazine
Adbusters
Make! magazine (check it out sometime if you like to build stuff using things you might have around the house. I'm talking useful stuff here, not just "art objects" cobbled together from junk. (not that there is anything wrong with that))
Juxtapoz
Wired
Food books
Pork and Sons
The Cheese Lovers Companion
Pig Earth
I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and participate in the annual societal ritual of a year end round up and top whatever list of favorite things from the time we know as 2007 ( a very good year, methinks, truly, in the midst of all this craziness and bad juju going on all over this planet we call home.). So here goes nothing. My picks for the best of what I heard, saw, read, experienced from the past year, in no particular order of rank, just pretty much randomly as they occur to me (pretty much like how I have written this intro so far, eh?).
Music (I promise I will expand on these choices as I fully digest the albums over the next month or so while I paint in "the studio". Nothing like some new music to jump start the old creative juices. (I don't know why, but that sounds dirty now that I look @ it. <;-)) Post-Mortem Release:
Elliott Smith - New Moon
A collection which reminds those of us who loved his style from the get go (packed La Luna balcony or Satirycon shows in PDX circa 1994-95, anyone?) Just what a loss it was when Elliott did himself in so tragically. I cherish this music as it is the soundtrack to my first years on the west coast, just making it happen for myself far from home in Portland ,OR.
A fine companion to this album is the newly published book, Elliott Smith by Autumn de Wilde a photographer friend who chronicled Elliott's life after achieving some national acclaim and moving away from Portland (to NYC and eventually, L.A. where he met his demise.). Great photographs and prose in tribute to a shy friend who knew how to write about his pain in life, but sadly, was unable to overcome it. We love and miss you here in the Pacific Northwest Elliott. I will always have your songs playing in the background of my mind as I roam the dark, wet, beer soaked streets of the city you loved and lived in for so long before the spotlight found you and thrust you into an uneasy stardom. I hope you are at peace with it all now, a beam of light in the darkness of the greater cosmos.
Major Career Magnum Opus:
Tom Waits - Orphans - This is an odds and sods collection, yes, but it is also much more than that. It is a clear the decks (and closets) of all and various sundry. Mr. Waits has taken this opportunity to put out a late career defining amalgamation of styles and ideas set to music which will have one listening intently for months to come. This is a chance to glimpse at the fascinating inner workings of one of my favorite American eccentric composers. It reminds me in many (good) ways of the Clash's similar closet cleaning experiment in "throwing ideas at the sound engineer and seeing what sticks to the tape" 3 disc set "Sandinista" from back in the late '80's. Yes, there are some throw away tracks, some experiments that make one smile now, but which will likely wear thin sometime down the road, but taken as a whole and complete work - however haphazardly collected or concocted - this is a rock solid effort by a man at the peak of his talents as an artist of true honest singular vision. Essential Waits.
I can't wait to see what Tom and Kathleen have in store for us next!
Innovative Multi-Culti Dance Punk Armed with a Sampler and a Message:
M.I.A. - Kala - As with her debut, M.I.A. brings the hyper crazy angular beats and funky samples to this, her sophomore effort. Chanted vocals with militant messages and cooing sing-song collide with Indian raga, punk attitude, DIY aesthetic and Hip-Hop break beats. This is energetic dance music with multiple layers, require close and repeated listening to fully dissect and digest (my favorite kind of audio challenge!). Bonus points for her use of the best Clash! sample yet, her capture of "Straight to Hell" (my very favorite Joe Strummer studio performance) in "Paper Planes" is a fitting (and crazily catchy) tribute to a fallen idol/comrade in truth.
You just gotta love a song with a shotgun's blast punctuating the point and driving the chorus home!! Sing it with me now, "all I want to do is("Bang, Bang, Bang") and take your $$$!" Another excellent disc in an exciting newish genre. Buy It Now!
Gypsy Punk Provocateurs:
Gogol Bordello -Super Taranta! -Me thinks that much of the charm and energy of this completely insane collaborative of international misfits (the best kind of misfit!) doesn't really translate to record very well. I'd love to see them Live in their element in some small sweaty club in NYC. There are some decent clips of live Gogol Bordello on Youtube which are worth looking up for those who are curious. These guys and gals take off where the Pogues (or even label mates Flogging Molly) left off, and turn the party knob up to 11! (this one goes to "11".) Put this on to take your social gathering up to the next level (whatever that may be)...keep the fire buckets handy though, things are bound to get out of control with the Gogol's as a soundtrack!
Urban West Coast American Dance Collective
Ozomotli - Don't mess with the dragon - While I will concede that this is not my favorite effort by this large band of Los Angeles brothers in arms (that would be their debut featuring the vinyl scratch styling of one Mr. Cut Chemist who has since left the family), this recent release sees the band going down a slicker more pop oriented road. Perhaps they are changing organically, as these collaborations often do, or maybe it is due to pressure from their record label to break through on the commercial radio level, who knows for sure? (Only their hairdressers do!) Despite this more heavily produced direction, I still find their mish-mash of styles and cultural references to be intriguing and certainly positively danceable. Again, this may be a band that is best experienced live, as their whole vibe says "Party" and "let's get together and make the best of it by overcoming our differences". All in all, an enjoyable, but not completely essential disc for 2007 from a band on the cusp of the Big Time. With the rise in popularity of all things pertaining to the Latin American culture slowly growing in our population, these guys are only going to get more and more exposure. Listen to them now before everyone else jumps on the bandwagon.
More notes on these 'uns later on y'all...for reals, check it out later! Don't forget now, y'hear?
nariwen- Aman Iman (the water of life)
!!!-Mythtakes(?)
Dust Galaxy - Dust Galaxy
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Bishop Allen and the Broken String - Self titled
Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha
Carbon/Silicon - The Last Post
Bettey Levette (w/ Drive By Truckers) - Scene of the Crime
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Red Dirt: A Malian Journey
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - 100 days, 100 nights
Graham Parsons and the Flying Burrito Bros. - Live @ the Avalon Ballroom 1969
Mojo Magazine Presents: Stax Soul Power!
Mojo Magazine Presents: In Search Of Syd
Mojo Magazine Presents: Cigarettes and Alcohol
Menomena - Friend and Foe
Sasparilla - debilitated Constitution
Failing Records - A Compilation Of Portland Music, Vol. 3
PDX Pop Now! 2007
Reading
Mojo Magazine as if you couldn't tell by now!)
Paste Magazine
Adbusters
Make! magazine (check it out sometime if you like to build stuff using things you might have around the house. I'm talking useful stuff here, not just "art objects" cobbled together from junk. (not that there is anything wrong with that))
Juxtapoz
Wired
Food books
Pork and Sons
The Cheese Lovers Companion
Pig Earth
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Diggin On It (Like An Old Soul Record)
Lately I've been having fun with alot of new media, (or at least media that is new to me). Here is a short list of cool stuff that has captured my attention recently.
1) Invader Zim - This is a nickelodeon cartoon show from a few years back (I'm not sure if it is still on as I do not watch TV (can't get any reception, won't pay for cable) and the Nick website really messes up my computer (too many flash elements, me thinks) so I won't be going there to look up a link for y'all (that's what Google is for anyhow)) A co-worker wrestled this DVD of season one away from his 7-year old and passed it our way, and I've been hooked since last week. I haven't even shared it with my daughter yet.
This is the story of Zim a diminutive alien who is exiled to Earth (the farthest planet from his home planet) because he is small, overzealous, and annoying (although he believes he has been chosen to be the lone scout leading the way for an eventual invasion of Earth by his race). On Earth he disguises himself as a middle school child (he is small after all) and hilarity ensues. Good modern animation, and enough action, crazy hi jinks and fantasy elements to keep everyone happy, even the most jaded parent brought up on classic animation (like me). Trust me, this is worth checking out for some lighthearted laughter with the kids, or as a wind down after a stressful day (week) before the main event (movie, whatevah).
2) The DVD included with the Ramones Weird Tales of the Ramones box set - Actually, I dig this whole set, mainly for what it is - an Object d'Art in tribute to the finest of punk rock cartoon bands. This whole set is basically a love letter to the fantasy of the Ramones as the perfect punk band of schoolboy, hoodlum, outsider, chums banding together and making it in the hard knocks world of rock-n-roll. The linked description/review says it in many more words, and in much better detail, this box is a tribute to the Legendary Ramones by and for fans. As the review states "the music here is beside the point - much of it past the middle of disc 2 is of inessential, inconsequential later day Ramone material" but as a whole package, this is a fine summation of the band's entire trajectory (tho' here, most of the tradgedy of the Ramones story is glossed over, or swept under the rug in favor of happy shiny nostalgia and good time rock energy). For me, the DVD is exciting for the glimpses of the ramones in concert (what fun times those shows always were!) and those classic MTV videos from my youth back in the day. Watching this disc with my 9 year old daughter has been a blast. I love that she now will ask if she can listen to the Ramones in her room every once and a while. While my mom probably shook her head and wondered "what's next?" when she heard me listening to this junk back in the '80's, I just smile to myself as the "1-2-3-4" shout preceding every song leaks under HB's closed bedroom door, and think "what can I turn her on to next?"
By the by, so far, she digs the Hives (probably because of the videos on the DVD that came with their singles collection Your New Favorite Band, and The Modern Lovers (she was already a fan of Jonathan's solo stuff, who isn't?), but she just turned up her nose @ the Sex Pistols recently. Go figure.
Lesson for record companies to take note of: DVD's packaged with CD's is a good thing to market music to a younger audience who are much more visually catered to these days anyway. Get a clue man!
3) The TimeLife Legends of American Music Series of releases - These are generally excellent overviews of some of my favorite American musical artists. I have managed to find these sets used for $20 -$30 (for 3 packed discs in a nice book-like case with extensive liner notes). So far the house favorites are Johnny Cash (of course) and Jerry "The Killer" Lee Lewis, Tho' the Merle Haggard collection is in close contention. I'm now searching the bins for the Ike and Tina box (book?) which was released in Oct. of this year. Keep your eyes peeled, and check 'em out, these are great bargins, I think. Great for filling in the rock-n-roll history holes in your sound library.
4) The Cheese Lover's Companion - an excellent little tomme (pun intended) from the people who brought you The Food Lover's Companion (also recently published in an expanded edition) packed with information for the cheese dork in us all. Over 1,000 entries for cheeses and cheese related terms. Easy to use "dictionary" format allows for quick reference while waiting for service at your local cheese emporium (shout out to Steve's Cheese in Portland, OR @ which you may spy yours truly behind the counter on occassion). Study of this book will allow you to hold your own with your favorite cheese monger and actually maybe even understand what the heck he is so excitely going on and on about. I'm a big fan of pocket sized references so this one gets two cheesey thumbs up from this dork du frommage.
1) Invader Zim - This is a nickelodeon cartoon show from a few years back (I'm not sure if it is still on as I do not watch TV (can't get any reception, won't pay for cable) and the Nick website really messes up my computer (too many flash elements, me thinks) so I won't be going there to look up a link for y'all (that's what Google is for anyhow)) A co-worker wrestled this DVD of season one away from his 7-year old and passed it our way, and I've been hooked since last week. I haven't even shared it with my daughter yet.
This is the story of Zim a diminutive alien who is exiled to Earth (the farthest planet from his home planet) because he is small, overzealous, and annoying (although he believes he has been chosen to be the lone scout leading the way for an eventual invasion of Earth by his race). On Earth he disguises himself as a middle school child (he is small after all) and hilarity ensues. Good modern animation, and enough action, crazy hi jinks and fantasy elements to keep everyone happy, even the most jaded parent brought up on classic animation (like me). Trust me, this is worth checking out for some lighthearted laughter with the kids, or as a wind down after a stressful day (week) before the main event (movie, whatevah).
2) The DVD included with the Ramones Weird Tales of the Ramones box set - Actually, I dig this whole set, mainly for what it is - an Object d'Art in tribute to the finest of punk rock cartoon bands. This whole set is basically a love letter to the fantasy of the Ramones as the perfect punk band of schoolboy, hoodlum, outsider, chums banding together and making it in the hard knocks world of rock-n-roll. The linked description/review says it in many more words, and in much better detail, this box is a tribute to the Legendary Ramones by and for fans. As the review states "the music here is beside the point - much of it past the middle of disc 2 is of inessential, inconsequential later day Ramone material" but as a whole package, this is a fine summation of the band's entire trajectory (tho' here, most of the tradgedy of the Ramones story is glossed over, or swept under the rug in favor of happy shiny nostalgia and good time rock energy). For me, the DVD is exciting for the glimpses of the ramones in concert (what fun times those shows always were!) and those classic MTV videos from my youth back in the day. Watching this disc with my 9 year old daughter has been a blast. I love that she now will ask if she can listen to the Ramones in her room every once and a while. While my mom probably shook her head and wondered "what's next?" when she heard me listening to this junk back in the '80's, I just smile to myself as the "1-2-3-4" shout preceding every song leaks under HB's closed bedroom door, and think "what can I turn her on to next?"
By the by, so far, she digs the Hives (probably because of the videos on the DVD that came with their singles collection Your New Favorite Band, and The Modern Lovers (she was already a fan of Jonathan's solo stuff, who isn't?), but she just turned up her nose @ the Sex Pistols recently. Go figure.
Lesson for record companies to take note of: DVD's packaged with CD's is a good thing to market music to a younger audience who are much more visually catered to these days anyway. Get a clue man!
3) The TimeLife Legends of American Music Series of releases - These are generally excellent overviews of some of my favorite American musical artists. I have managed to find these sets used for $20 -$30 (for 3 packed discs in a nice book-like case with extensive liner notes). So far the house favorites are Johnny Cash (of course) and Jerry "The Killer" Lee Lewis, Tho' the Merle Haggard collection is in close contention. I'm now searching the bins for the Ike and Tina box (book?) which was released in Oct. of this year. Keep your eyes peeled, and check 'em out, these are great bargins, I think. Great for filling in the rock-n-roll history holes in your sound library.
4) The Cheese Lover's Companion - an excellent little tomme (pun intended) from the people who brought you The Food Lover's Companion (also recently published in an expanded edition) packed with information for the cheese dork in us all. Over 1,000 entries for cheeses and cheese related terms. Easy to use "dictionary" format allows for quick reference while waiting for service at your local cheese emporium (shout out to Steve's Cheese in Portland, OR @ which you may spy yours truly behind the counter on occassion). Study of this book will allow you to hold your own with your favorite cheese monger and actually maybe even understand what the heck he is so excitely going on and on about. I'm a big fan of pocket sized references so this one gets two cheesey thumbs up from this dork du frommage.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Brenda's Iron Sledge (Please don't call me Reg, it's not my name...)
A most fun time was had by all, most especially yours truly and his companion in surreal debouchery and sensory overload, Mr. SJ himself. The occassion was the celebration of musical genius which is more commonly known to the masses as one Mr. Robyn Hitchcock (and his merry band of the moment "The Venus Three" consisting as it does of three other members both nimble and quick of finger Messers Buck, McCoughy and Rieflin). All performers involved are arguably at the top of their game, that game being kick ass psychedellic rock-n-roll.
The evening started after a marathon of early morning schlepping and sausage slinging followed by an afternoon of cutting the cheese and slurping the vino. Mr. SJ and I convined @ Rocket a fairly new eatery in our fine city of bridges. We were greeted by a friend (and co-worker of mine) the lovely Ms. B. who was just finishing her shift, and decided to join us at our feast table. Such a delight!
Many plates were ordered post haste, a couple of cocktails for the wait and we were in blue heaven. Conversation flowed, as the Portland rain tapped at the giant windows beside us. The view of downdown over my shoulder was stunning, even on a murky night like it was. The food we sampled was all quite good. Stand out dishes included the Duck Confit (always a favorite if done right - crisp on the outside, velvet on the inside and oh so richly delicious), a Lobster Spring Roll served with perfectly cooked prawns and a decadent buttery lobster sauce (So good!), a Braised slab of house cured Bacon (soft, smooth, smokey deliciousness), and Butternut Squash Dumplings with microgreens sage and brown butter, (sort of like gnocchi without the potato, light and fantastic). Most playful item sampled was the Lamb Corndog which was the best damn corn dog I've had the pleasure of eating (and yes I've sampled a few in my time).
After a quick perusal of the sweet menu (tempted by the Cherry Pop Tart, and the Apples Carl Sagan) we decide that the concert can't wait, and we leave Ms B @ the bar and head out into the cold rain to ditch jackets, contraband, weapons, and prime ourselves for the event to come.
Again, dashing through the storm, we enter the club (Doug Fir-a new live music venue for me)just in the nick of time, as Robyn and band are about to hit the stage five minutes hence. Quick trip to loo then downstairs. Purchase some pints of ale and position ourselves in the sweet spot - dead center about 20 feet back. Perfect. Two sips into my Pilsner Urquell, the house lights go down and there's Robyn grinning into the crowd, and strapping on his guitar. Most Happy now, we are!
More to come soon!
The evening started after a marathon of early morning schlepping and sausage slinging followed by an afternoon of cutting the cheese and slurping the vino. Mr. SJ and I convined @ Rocket a fairly new eatery in our fine city of bridges. We were greeted by a friend (and co-worker of mine) the lovely Ms. B. who was just finishing her shift, and decided to join us at our feast table. Such a delight!
Many plates were ordered post haste, a couple of cocktails for the wait and we were in blue heaven. Conversation flowed, as the Portland rain tapped at the giant windows beside us. The view of downdown over my shoulder was stunning, even on a murky night like it was. The food we sampled was all quite good. Stand out dishes included the Duck Confit (always a favorite if done right - crisp on the outside, velvet on the inside and oh so richly delicious), a Lobster Spring Roll served with perfectly cooked prawns and a decadent buttery lobster sauce (So good!), a Braised slab of house cured Bacon (soft, smooth, smokey deliciousness), and Butternut Squash Dumplings with microgreens sage and brown butter, (sort of like gnocchi without the potato, light and fantastic). Most playful item sampled was the Lamb Corndog which was the best damn corn dog I've had the pleasure of eating (and yes I've sampled a few in my time).
After a quick perusal of the sweet menu (tempted by the Cherry Pop Tart, and the Apples Carl Sagan) we decide that the concert can't wait, and we leave Ms B @ the bar and head out into the cold rain to ditch jackets, contraband, weapons, and prime ourselves for the event to come.
Again, dashing through the storm, we enter the club (Doug Fir-a new live music venue for me)just in the nick of time, as Robyn and band are about to hit the stage five minutes hence. Quick trip to loo then downstairs. Purchase some pints of ale and position ourselves in the sweet spot - dead center about 20 feet back. Perfect. Two sips into my Pilsner Urquell, the house lights go down and there's Robyn grinning into the crowd, and strapping on his guitar. Most Happy now, we are!
More to come soon!
Promise.
1/18/08 (Seriously, I need to relate the rest of the evening with a review of the show before I forget it all, I'mm getting older by the minute here!)
Friday, November 16, 2007
In Rotation 11/07 (the triumphant return...)
Well, well, well, look see who's back from the shadowy world of reality. Yes folks, it is I, your favorite imaginary friend coming back to Land of Soup after much time away. Now let's see where this will take us this time, shall we?
First off, if anyone cares, SORRY FOR THE LONG INTERRUPTION.
Life is full of weird tangents, sharp corners and periods of bushwhacking. Suffice to say, I have been very busy elsewhere, and my writing here has suffered for it. Hopefully (with your help) that is about to change...
Now let's get down to the business @ hand.
IN ROTATION is in the hizzouse! (Part One)
My listening habits have been all over the map as of late, tho' I seem to be going through a strange period of nostalgia for early British and San Francisco psychedellic rock (Moby Grape, Flying Burrito Bros., Jefferson Airplane, Good ol' Grateful Dead, Early Pink Floyd, Robert Wyatt, Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Etc.) I'm sure this is fueld both by my boredom with much of the modern music choices I am exposed to as of late, and by the recent availability of many fine newly remastered re-releases of classics I haven't listened to in years.
Okay, here goes...
Lyrics Born >>> Later That Day, and Same S#*!, Different Day
These are two of the best, most dynamic, funkiest damn Indie Hip-Hop albums of the last several years (at least that my ears have heard). Serious. Sampling the synth hook of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle" seeled the deal for me. Amazingly free flowing verbosity from LB and his co-horts. (Guests feature Lateef the Truthspeaker, Dan the Automator, KRS-1 and Gift of Gab, as well as DJ breaks from Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow - among the best at their craft at the present time.) Put these on your system real loud, disturb the neighbors, and shake that thang until the house burns down. HOT DAMN!
The production on these albums is top notch. Lots going on at many levels with nice trippy atmospherics flowing from track to track. Excellent headpone music! It must be noted that while Same S!@# is mainly a remix of the other album, there are a couple of new cuts, and it is actually a superior version of an already excellent debut album.
!!! (CHK, CHK, CHK)>>> Louden Up Now!
Recently discovered these guys. Hard Funky White Boy Dance Muzik for the new Millenium. Start with the Talking Heads, add some angst, some Gang of Four Agit Prop, some industrial edginess, and some desire to jam until a trance state is reached, and you have an idea what a !!! show might be like. The addition of a horn section on some tunes brings to mind the JB Horns, or even some twisted version of afro-pop filtered through modern nerdy techo channels. Catchy, and infectious. Great listening while driving (watch your speed!) or powering through house work at maximum velocity. I must admit that the political slant of this disc definately tilts things in its favor for me. Any group that speaks out against War, the dangers of the global economy and makes fun of Ruy Gulliani (whilst paraphrasing Paul Simon) are a-okay in my book. CHK it out! (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings>>>100 days 100 nights
There is a huge buzz about this band and label recently, and upon close listening to this disc, I can entirely see why. This is new R&B at its amazing funky best, with a fiery lead singer in Sharon Jones (a former prison guard, among other blue collar day jobs). The working man/woman's reality is not far away in Sharon's world weary, love lorn and often tearful lyrics. She exhibits Aretha like determination and the drive of a strong no nonsense woman who is tired of life beating her down. Watch out!
There is a bonus disc with some editions of this album which is a very good sampler of other Daptone Records artists, tho' the radio DJ/narrator between cuts gets a bit old after a while (the wife made me turn this disc off halfway through since the DJ was getting on her nerves.). I'm too lazy to take the time to program my CD player, but I suppose that would be one solution to the problem.
Well, I've run out of time before I got to the hippy nostalgia. Damn! I guess the next installment will have to cover that ground.
Until then, Peace Out!
First off, if anyone cares, SORRY FOR THE LONG INTERRUPTION.
Life is full of weird tangents, sharp corners and periods of bushwhacking. Suffice to say, I have been very busy elsewhere, and my writing here has suffered for it. Hopefully (with your help) that is about to change...
Now let's get down to the business @ hand.
IN ROTATION is in the hizzouse! (Part One)
My listening habits have been all over the map as of late, tho' I seem to be going through a strange period of nostalgia for early British and San Francisco psychedellic rock (Moby Grape, Flying Burrito Bros., Jefferson Airplane, Good ol' Grateful Dead, Early Pink Floyd, Robert Wyatt, Steve Miller Band, Small Faces, Etc.) I'm sure this is fueld both by my boredom with much of the modern music choices I am exposed to as of late, and by the recent availability of many fine newly remastered re-releases of classics I haven't listened to in years.
Okay, here goes...
Lyrics Born >>> Later That Day, and Same S#*!, Different Day
These are two of the best, most dynamic, funkiest damn Indie Hip-Hop albums of the last several years (at least that my ears have heard). Serious. Sampling the synth hook of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle" seeled the deal for me. Amazingly free flowing verbosity from LB and his co-horts. (Guests feature Lateef the Truthspeaker, Dan the Automator, KRS-1 and Gift of Gab, as well as DJ breaks from Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow - among the best at their craft at the present time.) Put these on your system real loud, disturb the neighbors, and shake that thang until the house burns down. HOT DAMN!
The production on these albums is top notch. Lots going on at many levels with nice trippy atmospherics flowing from track to track. Excellent headpone music! It must be noted that while Same S!@# is mainly a remix of the other album, there are a couple of new cuts, and it is actually a superior version of an already excellent debut album.
!!! (CHK, CHK, CHK)>>> Louden Up Now!
Recently discovered these guys. Hard Funky White Boy Dance Muzik for the new Millenium. Start with the Talking Heads, add some angst, some Gang of Four Agit Prop, some industrial edginess, and some desire to jam until a trance state is reached, and you have an idea what a !!! show might be like. The addition of a horn section on some tunes brings to mind the JB Horns, or even some twisted version of afro-pop filtered through modern nerdy techo channels. Catchy, and infectious. Great listening while driving (watch your speed!) or powering through house work at maximum velocity. I must admit that the political slant of this disc definately tilts things in its favor for me. Any group that speaks out against War, the dangers of the global economy and makes fun of Ruy Gulliani (whilst paraphrasing Paul Simon) are a-okay in my book. CHK it out! (Sorry, couldn't resist)
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings>>>100 days 100 nights
There is a huge buzz about this band and label recently, and upon close listening to this disc, I can entirely see why. This is new R&B at its amazing funky best, with a fiery lead singer in Sharon Jones (a former prison guard, among other blue collar day jobs). The working man/woman's reality is not far away in Sharon's world weary, love lorn and often tearful lyrics. She exhibits Aretha like determination and the drive of a strong no nonsense woman who is tired of life beating her down. Watch out!
There is a bonus disc with some editions of this album which is a very good sampler of other Daptone Records artists, tho' the radio DJ/narrator between cuts gets a bit old after a while (the wife made me turn this disc off halfway through since the DJ was getting on her nerves.). I'm too lazy to take the time to program my CD player, but I suppose that would be one solution to the problem.
Well, I've run out of time before I got to the hippy nostalgia. Damn! I guess the next installment will have to cover that ground.
Until then, Peace Out!
Friday, January 19, 2007
Mighty Nice Facial Hair...
Pretty funny bit about great mustaches in pop music, I agree more with the second set of picks (or I just like those artists better, I guess...).
I think they should have mentioned Mike Watt from the Minutemen, firehose etc. He sported one of the most memorable 'staches I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
One of my all time favorite musicians...he seems like a genuinely good guy too. Check out his website. Very detailed history of him and Minutemen and that whole scene, look at his extensive photo gallery, that boy really gets around, he rubs elbows with (or plays music with) everyone who is anyone in "indie" music for the last 26 plus years.
In looking at those photos, I see that Mr. Watt only just started sporting the distinctive mustache pictured above sometime in 2000 or so, and he seems to change up his facial hair on a fairly regular basis, so perhaps he is not as identified with his "lip warmer" as others are.
On The Road Again
Well, well, well...lookie here. I have been away from this for exactly a year. What was my problem? Hard to say. Mostly it was a time thing. Being too busy juggling activities and staying alive. Partly I was uninspired, and unsure of how to proceed with this site (and I still am unsure of that direction, but now I feel "ahh, so what?" about that. Let's just see where this journey takes us shall we?). Then there is my famous (to some) procrastination problem. (much, much more on that at a later date...get it?)
I want to push that all aside for now, and concentrate on making this a habit that sticks. I feel the need to work on my writing, and this is a great forum to help me do that. So, here goes nothing. Third time's a charm right?
I have been very involved in many projects over the past year; working sometimes three PT jobs, lots of home improvement projects, volunteering @ my daughters school, attempting to jump start the creative process within me again by establishing a workspace for myself to do my art (I pretentiously call it my "studio", but I figure why not make it a grander thing than it is even if it is in name only, it may make it seem to me that I am doing some important work in there, when in reality I AM doing important work - at least to me), finally having some major epiphanies about my artwork, my life and the direction I am heading with my life's work. Amongst other things.
I want to push that all aside for now, and concentrate on making this a habit that sticks. I feel the need to work on my writing, and this is a great forum to help me do that. So, here goes nothing. Third time's a charm right?
I have been very involved in many projects over the past year; working sometimes three PT jobs, lots of home improvement projects, volunteering @ my daughters school, attempting to jump start the creative process within me again by establishing a workspace for myself to do my art (I pretentiously call it my "studio", but I figure why not make it a grander thing than it is even if it is in name only, it may make it seem to me that I am doing some important work in there, when in reality I AM doing important work - at least to me), finally having some major epiphanies about my artwork, my life and the direction I am heading with my life's work. Amongst other things.
I plan to try and work on this sight much more diligently in the weeks and months ahead, including finally reaching out to the rest of the blogosphere via links and such. For too long, I have been trying to hide in the shadows, and it really hasn't been working for me. I hope this is the start of something good for all involved.
A wide open road of possibilities lies ahead...care to join me?Wednesday, January 18, 2006
I'm back (in the saddle again)...
Wow. Long time no post. Sorry 'bout that. But since noone was really reading (except of course the infamous BYC) I guess it doesn't matter all that much if I decide to take a little break now and then...eh wot?)
So, my Bro-in-law and BBQ nut (in a good way) extraordinaire @ the Hampton Smoker was kind enough to tag me with a little MeMe action a while back (there's a first time for everything, I guess) , so I decided to finally get it in gear and make something happen here. Thanks for the kick in the ass my good man!
Here goes nothing...
Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. "Page"at the local library (from which I was fired for being caught by the little old library ladies hiding in the stacks reading books, instead of putting them away, one too many times...oh well.)
2. line cook (at various eateries in both the western and eastern United States)
3. Ranch Hand/Cook (at a cool educational ranch run by the University of Wyoming in the Wind River Range of the western part of that state.)
4. Pastry Chef
4. Sausage Guy @ the PDX farmer's market with my 'bub Fred.
Four movies I would watch over and over again (and have):
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Raising Arizona
3. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
4. Repo Man
Four places I have lived:
1. Albany, NY
2. Laramie, WY
3. Montepelier, VT
4. Portland, OR
Four TV shows I love to watch:
Not Having had access to television in my home for at least five years, this is hard to say...I will just list shows I used to love to watch, or ones I have been able to catch up on through the wonders of tv on dvd...
1. Sienfeld
2. The Simpsons
3. Gilmore Girls (have to agree with Senor Smoker on this...Lorelei...Rrrrouw!)
4. The Office (British Version)
Four places you I have been on vacation:
1. Cape Cod, MA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. up and down the Oregon Coast
4. Charleston, SC
Four websites I visit daily (well, not daily, but often):
1. The Onion / AV Club
2. All Music Guide
3. Home Star Runner (Happy 3rd Trogday Trogdor "the Burninator"!)
4. Portland Food and Drink
Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Anything having to do with Peanut Butter
2. Potstickers
3.BBQ (esp. pulled pork sammies with the coleslaw on them)
4. good taqueria fare (esp. if the tortillas are house made and steaming fresh)
Four places you would rather be right now:
1. somewhere warm and sunny (we've had something like 40 days straight of rain lately 'round these parts)
2. Hanging with friends/family in the back yard (with food cooking on the grill, and brews on ice)
3. seeing some killer live music
4. on a dinner date with the beautiful Ms. K.
I know I am supposed to tag some other bloggers now, but since the only other blogger I currently know in the blogosphere tagged me, it seems rather silly. Sorry'bout'dat. Now back to your regularly scheduled ways of procrastinating...
So, my Bro-in-law and BBQ nut (in a good way) extraordinaire @ the Hampton Smoker was kind enough to tag me with a little MeMe action a while back (there's a first time for everything, I guess) , so I decided to finally get it in gear and make something happen here. Thanks for the kick in the ass my good man!
Here goes nothing...
Four jobs I've had in my life:
1. "Page"at the local library (from which I was fired for being caught by the little old library ladies hiding in the stacks reading books, instead of putting them away, one too many times...oh well.)
2. line cook (at various eateries in both the western and eastern United States)
3. Ranch Hand/Cook (at a cool educational ranch run by the University of Wyoming in the Wind River Range of the western part of that state.)
4. Pastry Chef
4. Sausage Guy @ the PDX farmer's market with my 'bub Fred.
Four movies I would watch over and over again (and have):
1. Apocalypse Now
2. Raising Arizona
3. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
4. Repo Man
Four places I have lived:
1. Albany, NY
2. Laramie, WY
3. Montepelier, VT
4. Portland, OR
Four TV shows I love to watch:
Not Having had access to television in my home for at least five years, this is hard to say...I will just list shows I used to love to watch, or ones I have been able to catch up on through the wonders of tv on dvd...
1. Sienfeld
2. The Simpsons
3. Gilmore Girls (have to agree with Senor Smoker on this...Lorelei...Rrrrouw!)
4. The Office (British Version)
Four places you I have been on vacation:
1. Cape Cod, MA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. up and down the Oregon Coast
4. Charleston, SC
Four websites I visit daily (well, not daily, but often):
1. The Onion / AV Club
2. All Music Guide
3. Home Star Runner (Happy 3rd Trogday Trogdor "the Burninator"!)
4. Portland Food and Drink
Four of My Favorite Foods:
1. Anything having to do with Peanut Butter
2. Potstickers
3.BBQ (esp. pulled pork sammies with the coleslaw on them)
4. good taqueria fare (esp. if the tortillas are house made and steaming fresh)
Four places you would rather be right now:
1. somewhere warm and sunny (we've had something like 40 days straight of rain lately 'round these parts)
2. Hanging with friends/family in the back yard (with food cooking on the grill, and brews on ice)
3. seeing some killer live music
4. on a dinner date with the beautiful Ms. K.
I know I am supposed to tag some other bloggers now, but since the only other blogger I currently know in the blogosphere tagged me, it seems rather silly. Sorry'bout'dat. Now back to your regularly scheduled ways of procrastinating...
Friday, June 17, 2005
Getting Old??? Bah Humbug!
"Can you feel yourself getting old? Can you feel yourself getting jaded? There's nothing you can do to stop it. Your once-torrid show-going pace has slowed to a crawl, you can no longer stand sitting through opening acts, you start wishing for anti-smoking legislation instead of bumming cigarettes, your back hurts. Older tracks begin to infiltrate your iPod, new albums have a shorter grace period before deletion, sometimes you chose to just read a book. You start to realize that the bands you're listening to are actually younger than you are, for the first time, and this realization finally breaks the dam you've built against constantly playing Spot-the-Influence. Past nostalgia starts to overtake present enjoyment, and no longer are you a first-order listener, frantically casting out nets to be the first one to the next big thing."
(robert mitchum, Pitchfork media)
Funny, this feeling does creep up on me often, especially at all ages shows, but I usually just take it as a point of pride that I am still hep enough to enjoy what the cool kids are diggin' on even still.
It is true however, that I do find myself bored with what is presented to me as new music oftentimes. This has of course made me dig deeper into the nostalgia of my high school days, and even to explore the outer reaches of the fifties and sixties recently. And who can forget the formative radio listening years of the 70's? A treasure trove is out there to be explored, and I am only just starting.
What I need now is a turntable for the "studio" so that I may create and take a trip back to my times of inspiration by listening to all those old LPs in the archives which I have been hauling around with me for 25 plus years. That's right mama!
(robert mitchum, Pitchfork media)
Funny, this feeling does creep up on me often, especially at all ages shows, but I usually just take it as a point of pride that I am still hep enough to enjoy what the cool kids are diggin' on even still.
It is true however, that I do find myself bored with what is presented to me as new music oftentimes. This has of course made me dig deeper into the nostalgia of my high school days, and even to explore the outer reaches of the fifties and sixties recently. And who can forget the formative radio listening years of the 70's? A treasure trove is out there to be explored, and I am only just starting.
What I need now is a turntable for the "studio" so that I may create and take a trip back to my times of inspiration by listening to all those old LPs in the archives which I have been hauling around with me for 25 plus years. That's right mama!
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Mitch Hedburg remembered in his own words...
A tribute to Mitch Hedburg
In my eyes one of the funiest comedians ever.
Some of my favorite bits appear below. We all miss you Mitch, thanks for the laughs and for sharing your skewered view of the world.
I got an ant farm. Them fellas didn't grow shit.
I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long.
Last week I helped my friend stay put. It's a lot easier than helping someone move.
I just went over to his house and made sure that he did not start to load shit into a truck.
I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important than others.
I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. "Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Man, you really like Tide..."
I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it so i crossed it out and wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of shit you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...
...and then at the end of the letter I like to write "P.S. - this is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out, and had to slam the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zip it up real quick?
I type a 101 words a minute. But it's in my own language.
I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry. And that's extra scary to me, because there's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run. He's fuzzy. Get outta here.
I have an underwater camera just in case I crash my car into a river, and at the last minute I see a photo opportunity of a fish that I have never seen.
One time a guy handed me a picture of himself, and he said, "Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture of you is of when you were younger. Here's a picture of me when I am older. You son of a bitch, how'd you pull that off? Let me see that camera...
My roommate says, "I need to shave and use the shower. Does anyone need to use the bathroom?" It's like some weird-ass quiz where he reveals the answer first...
...Every time I go and shave I assume there is somebody else on the planet shaving as well, so I say "I'm gonna go shave too"
Sometimes I wave to people I don't know. It is very dangerous to wave to people you don't know, because what if they don't have a hand? They'll think you're cocky. "Look what I got motherfucker, this thing is useful...I'm gonna go pick something up"
My sister wanted to be an actress, but she never made it. She does live in a trailer. She got half way. She's an actress, she just never gets called to the set.
On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the fuck did you get that banana at...
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
If carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up.
I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store oftentimes I will drop it, so that is achieves its maximum flavor potential.
I bought a seven dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring.
I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil, and the devil is dill...
I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughtnut...I don't need a receipt for the doughnut - I give you money and you give me the doughnut, end of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I can't imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, Don't even act like I didn't buy a doughnut, I've got the documentation right here...
I was walking down the street with my friend and he said "I hear music." As though there's any other way to take it in. You're not special. That's how I receive it too...I tried to taste it, but it did not work...
You know they call corn on the cob, corn on the cob, but that's how it comes out of the ground, man. They should call that corn, they should call every other version corn off the cob. It's not like if you cut off my arm you would call it Mitch. Then reattach it and call me Mitch-all-together...
2-in-1 is a bullshit term, because 1 is not big enough to hold 2. That's why 2 was created.
I have a cheese-shredder at home, which is its positive name. They don't call it by its negative name, which is sponge-ruiner. Because I wanted to clean it, and now I have little bits of sponge that would melt easily over tortilla chips...
I know a lot about cars. I can look at a car's headlights and tell you exactly which way it's coming.
I use the word totally too much. I need to change it up and use a word that is different but has the same meaning. Mitch do you like submarine sandwhiches? All-encompassingly...
This shirt is dry clean only. Which means...it's dirty.
I saw a human pyramid once. It was very unnecessary. It did not need to exist.
I played golf...I did not get a hole in one, but I did hit a guy. That's way more satisfying...
...You're supposed to yell 'fore' but I kept thinking there ain't no way that's gonna hit him.
I have a friend who is a juggler. When I go to his house I don't like to take food from him if it is in threes. "He has three apples left...I guess I can't have one"
At my hotel room, my friend came over and asked to use the phone. I said "Certainly." He said "Do I need to dial 9?" I say "Yeah. Especially if it's in the number. You can try four and five back to back real quick."
My lucky number is four billion. That doesn't come in real handy when you're gambling. "Come on, four billion! Fuck. Seven. Not even close. I need more dice."
I love blackjack. But I'm not addicted to gambling. I'm addicted to sitting in a semi-circle.
I went to the park and saw this kid flying a kite. The kid was really excited. I don't know why, that's what they're supposed to do. Now if he had had a chair on the other end of that string, I would have been impressed.
If you had a friend who was a tightrope walker, and you were walking down a sidewalk, and he fell, that would be completely unacceptible...
I don't own a cell phone or a pager. I just hang around everyone I know, all the time. If someone needs to get ahold of me they just say, "Mitch," and I say, "what" and turn my head slightly...
I hope the next time I move I get a real easy phone number. Something like, 222-2222. I would say sweet. People would say, "Mitch, how do I get ahold of you?" I would say, "Press 2 for a while, and when I answer, you will know that you have pressed 2 enough"
I wrote a script for a guy, and he said he liked it but he thought that I need to rewrite it. I said, "Fuck that, I'll just make a copy."
I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I have to tell them something that is going on. "What time is it, Mitch?" "Uh, that guy is eating a hamburger." "Shit, I had to be somewhere..."
That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there, and the carrot would say, "It's cool, he's with me."
I saw a six pack of soda-pop for $1.20. That price fucks with your head, man. Because then I though that I would start selling soda-pop. Suddenly I got things of pop with me. "What's going on, Mitch." "Not much, looking to buy some pop? Fifty cents a can. It's not refridgerated because this is a half assed commitment."
My friend said to me "Man, this weather is trippy." I said to him, "No man, perhaps it is not the weather that is trippy, it is the way we perceive it that is indeed trippy..." then I thought, man, I should have just said, 'yeah...'
I opened up a container of yogurt, and under the lid it said Please Try Again because they were having a contest I was unaware of. But I though I might have opened the yogurt wrong...or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me, 'c'mon, Mitchell, don't give up. Please try again. A message of inspiration from your friends at Yoplait. Fruit on the bottom, hope on top.
I think foosball is a combination of soccer and shishkabobs.
Foosball fucked up my perception of soccer. I though you had to kick the ball and then spin 'round and round. I can't do a backflip, much less several simultaneously with two other guys.
I never joined the army because at ease was never that easy to me. Seemed rather uptight still.
I don't relax by parting my legs slightly and putting my hands behind my back. That does not equal ease. At ease was not being in the military. I am at ease, bro, because I am not in the military.
The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play, I'll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They're fucking relentless.
I think Pringles' initial intention was to make tennis balls. But on the day that the rubber was supposed to show up, a big truckload of potatoes arrived. But Pringles is a laid-back company. They said "Fuck it. Cut em up."
A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer.
I used to be a hot-tar roofer. Yeah, I remember that...day.
An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an "Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order" sign, just "Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience."
Because of [dropping] Acid, I know now that butter is way better than margarine. I saw through the bullshit.
I
don't have a girlfriend. But I do know a woman who'd be mad at me for saying that.
I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.
My friend said to me, "You know what I like? Mashed potatoes." I was like, "Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."
I went to see a band in New York. The lead singer got on the microphone, and he said "How many of you people feel like human beings tonight?" Then he said "How many of you feel like animals?" And everyone cheered after the animals part. But the thing is, I cheered after the human being part because I did not know that there was a second part to the question.
People teach their dogs to sit, it's a trick. I've been sitting my whole life, and a dog has never looked at me as though he thought I was tricky.
I like cinnimon rolls, but I don't always have time to make a pan. That's why I wish they would sell cinnimon roll incense. After all I'd rather light a stick and have my roommate wake up with false hopes.
I had a bag of fritos, they were texas grilled fritos. These fritos had grill marks on them. Hell yeah, reminds me of something, when we used to fire up the barbeque and throw down some fritos. I can still see my dad with the apron on, better flip that frito, dad, you know how I like mine.
In England Smoky the Bear is not the forest fire prevention representative. They have Smacky the Frog. It's just like a bear, but it's a frog. I think it's a better system, I think we should adopt it. Because bears can be mean, but frogs are always cool. Never has there been a frog hopping toward me, and I thought 'man, I'd better play dead. Here comes that frog...' You never say here comes that frog in a nervous manner. It's always optimistic. Hey here comes that frog, al-right. Maybe he'll come near me so I can pet him, and stick him in a mayonnaise jar, with a stick and a leaf, to recreate what he's used to. And I'm pretty sure I'd have to punch some holes in the lid, because he's damn sure used to air. Then I can observe him, and he won't be doing much in his 16 ounce world.
Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. Goddamn it Otto, you are an alcoholic. Goddamn it Otto, you have Lupis... one of those two doesn't sound right.
I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, "You're gonna have to move, you're blocking a fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammible and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.
When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy they start a waiting list. They start calling out names, they say "Dufrane, party of two. Dufrane, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say their name again. "Dufrane, party of two, Dufrane, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, what happened to the Dufranes. No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this - people are missing. You fuckers are selfish....the Dufranes are in someone's trunk right now, with duct take over their mouths, and they're hungry. Bush, search party of three, you can eat when you find the Dufranes.
So F'in good. And really, what did happen to the Dufranes?
If you aren't laughing out loud by now, I don't even want to know you.
In my eyes one of the funiest comedians ever.
Some of my favorite bits appear below. We all miss you Mitch, thanks for the laughs and for sharing your skewered view of the world.
I got an ant farm. Them fellas didn't grow shit.
I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long.
Last week I helped my friend stay put. It's a lot easier than helping someone move.
I just went over to his house and made sure that he did not start to load shit into a truck.
I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important than others.
I want to be a race car passenger: just a guy who bugs the driver. "Say man, can I turn on the radio? You should slow down. Why do we gotta keep going in circles? Can I put my feet out the window? Man, you really like Tide..."
I wrote a letter to my dad - I wrote, "I really enjoy being here," but I accidentally wrote rarely instead of really. But I still wanted to use it so i crossed it out and wrote, "I rarely drive steamboats, dad - there's a lot of shit you don't know about me. Quit trying to act like I'm a steamboat operator." This letter took a harsh turn right away...
...and then at the end of the letter I like to write "P.S. - this is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
I got in an argument with a girlfriend inside of a tent. That's a bad place for an argument, because then I tried to walk out, and had to slam the flap. How are you supposed to express your anger in this situation? Zip it up real quick?
I type a 101 words a minute. But it's in my own language.
I think Bigfoot is blurry, that's the problem. It's not the photographer's fault. Bigfoot is blurry. And that's extra scary to me, because there's a large, out-of-focus monster roaming the countryside. Run. He's fuzzy. Get outta here.
I have an underwater camera just in case I crash my car into a river, and at the last minute I see a photo opportunity of a fish that I have never seen.
One time a guy handed me a picture of himself, and he said, "Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture of you is of when you were younger. Here's a picture of me when I am older. You son of a bitch, how'd you pull that off? Let me see that camera...
My roommate says, "I need to shave and use the shower. Does anyone need to use the bathroom?" It's like some weird-ass quiz where he reveals the answer first...
...Every time I go and shave I assume there is somebody else on the planet shaving as well, so I say "I'm gonna go shave too"
Sometimes I wave to people I don't know. It is very dangerous to wave to people you don't know, because what if they don't have a hand? They'll think you're cocky. "Look what I got motherfucker, this thing is useful...I'm gonna go pick something up"
My sister wanted to be an actress, but she never made it. She does live in a trailer. She got half way. She's an actress, she just never gets called to the set.
On a traffic light green means go and yellow means yield, but on a banana it's just the opposite. Green means hold on, yellow means go ahead, and red means where the fuck did you get that banana at...
I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it.
If carrots got you drunk, rabbits would be fucked up.
I like vending machines, because snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at the store oftentimes I will drop it, so that is achieves its maximum flavor potential.
I bought a seven dollar pen because I always lose pens and I got sick of not caring.
I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil, and the devil is dill...
I bought a doughnut and they gave me a receipt for the doughtnut...I don't need a receipt for the doughnut - I give you money and you give me the doughnut, end of transaction. We don't need to bring ink and paper into this. I can't imagine a scenario that I would have to prove that I bought a doughnut. To some skeptical friend, Don't even act like I didn't buy a doughnut, I've got the documentation right here...
I was walking down the street with my friend and he said "I hear music." As though there's any other way to take it in. You're not special. That's how I receive it too...I tried to taste it, but it did not work...
You know they call corn on the cob, corn on the cob, but that's how it comes out of the ground, man. They should call that corn, they should call every other version corn off the cob. It's not like if you cut off my arm you would call it Mitch. Then reattach it and call me Mitch-all-together...
2-in-1 is a bullshit term, because 1 is not big enough to hold 2. That's why 2 was created.
I have a cheese-shredder at home, which is its positive name. They don't call it by its negative name, which is sponge-ruiner. Because I wanted to clean it, and now I have little bits of sponge that would melt easily over tortilla chips...
I know a lot about cars. I can look at a car's headlights and tell you exactly which way it's coming.
I use the word totally too much. I need to change it up and use a word that is different but has the same meaning. Mitch do you like submarine sandwhiches? All-encompassingly...
This shirt is dry clean only. Which means...it's dirty.
I saw a human pyramid once. It was very unnecessary. It did not need to exist.
I played golf...I did not get a hole in one, but I did hit a guy. That's way more satisfying...
...You're supposed to yell 'fore' but I kept thinking there ain't no way that's gonna hit him.
I have a friend who is a juggler. When I go to his house I don't like to take food from him if it is in threes. "He has three apples left...I guess I can't have one"
At my hotel room, my friend came over and asked to use the phone. I said "Certainly." He said "Do I need to dial 9?" I say "Yeah. Especially if it's in the number. You can try four and five back to back real quick."
My lucky number is four billion. That doesn't come in real handy when you're gambling. "Come on, four billion! Fuck. Seven. Not even close. I need more dice."
I love blackjack. But I'm not addicted to gambling. I'm addicted to sitting in a semi-circle.
I went to the park and saw this kid flying a kite. The kid was really excited. I don't know why, that's what they're supposed to do. Now if he had had a chair on the other end of that string, I would have been impressed.
If you had a friend who was a tightrope walker, and you were walking down a sidewalk, and he fell, that would be completely unacceptible...
I don't own a cell phone or a pager. I just hang around everyone I know, all the time. If someone needs to get ahold of me they just say, "Mitch," and I say, "what" and turn my head slightly...
I hope the next time I move I get a real easy phone number. Something like, 222-2222. I would say sweet. People would say, "Mitch, how do I get ahold of you?" I would say, "Press 2 for a while, and when I answer, you will know that you have pressed 2 enough"
I wrote a script for a guy, and he said he liked it but he thought that I need to rewrite it. I said, "Fuck that, I'll just make a copy."
I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I have to tell them something that is going on. "What time is it, Mitch?" "Uh, that guy is eating a hamburger." "Shit, I had to be somewhere..."
That would be cool if you could eat a good food with a bad food and the good food would cover for the bad food when it got to your stomach. Like you could eat a carrot with an onion ring and they would travel down to your stomach, then they would get there, and the carrot would say, "It's cool, he's with me."
I saw a six pack of soda-pop for $1.20. That price fucks with your head, man. Because then I though that I would start selling soda-pop. Suddenly I got things of pop with me. "What's going on, Mitch." "Not much, looking to buy some pop? Fifty cents a can. It's not refridgerated because this is a half assed commitment."
My friend said to me "Man, this weather is trippy." I said to him, "No man, perhaps it is not the weather that is trippy, it is the way we perceive it that is indeed trippy..." then I thought, man, I should have just said, 'yeah...'
I opened up a container of yogurt, and under the lid it said Please Try Again because they were having a contest I was unaware of. But I though I might have opened the yogurt wrong...or maybe Yoplait was trying to inspire me, 'c'mon, Mitchell, don't give up. Please try again. A message of inspiration from your friends at Yoplait. Fruit on the bottom, hope on top.
I think foosball is a combination of soccer and shishkabobs.
Foosball fucked up my perception of soccer. I though you had to kick the ball and then spin 'round and round. I can't do a backflip, much less several simultaneously with two other guys.
I never joined the army because at ease was never that easy to me. Seemed rather uptight still.
I don't relax by parting my legs slightly and putting my hands behind my back. That does not equal ease. At ease was not being in the military. I am at ease, bro, because I am not in the military.
The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play, I'll never be as good as a wall. I played a wall once. They're fucking relentless.
I think Pringles' initial intention was to make tennis balls. But on the day that the rubber was supposed to show up, a big truckload of potatoes arrived. But Pringles is a laid-back company. They said "Fuck it. Cut em up."
A severed foot is the ultimate stocking stuffer.
I used to be a hot-tar roofer. Yeah, I remember that...day.
An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never see an "Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order" sign, just "Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience."
Because of [dropping] Acid, I know now that butter is way better than margarine. I saw through the bullshit.
I
don't have a girlfriend. But I do know a woman who'd be mad at me for saying that.
I used to do drugs. I still do, but I used to, too.
My friend said to me, "You know what I like? Mashed potatoes." I was like, "Dude, you have to give me time to guess. If you're going to quiz me you have to insert a pause."
I went to see a band in New York. The lead singer got on the microphone, and he said "How many of you people feel like human beings tonight?" Then he said "How many of you feel like animals?" And everyone cheered after the animals part. But the thing is, I cheered after the human being part because I did not know that there was a second part to the question.
People teach their dogs to sit, it's a trick. I've been sitting my whole life, and a dog has never looked at me as though he thought I was tricky.
I like cinnimon rolls, but I don't always have time to make a pan. That's why I wish they would sell cinnimon roll incense. After all I'd rather light a stick and have my roommate wake up with false hopes.
I had a bag of fritos, they were texas grilled fritos. These fritos had grill marks on them. Hell yeah, reminds me of something, when we used to fire up the barbeque and throw down some fritos. I can still see my dad with the apron on, better flip that frito, dad, you know how I like mine.
In England Smoky the Bear is not the forest fire prevention representative. They have Smacky the Frog. It's just like a bear, but it's a frog. I think it's a better system, I think we should adopt it. Because bears can be mean, but frogs are always cool. Never has there been a frog hopping toward me, and I thought 'man, I'd better play dead. Here comes that frog...' You never say here comes that frog in a nervous manner. It's always optimistic. Hey here comes that frog, al-right. Maybe he'll come near me so I can pet him, and stick him in a mayonnaise jar, with a stick and a leaf, to recreate what he's used to. And I'm pretty sure I'd have to punch some holes in the lid, because he's damn sure used to air. Then I can observe him, and he won't be doing much in his 16 ounce world.
Alcoholism is a disease, but it's the only one you can get yelled at for having. Goddamn it Otto, you are an alcoholic. Goddamn it Otto, you have Lupis... one of those two doesn't sound right.
I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, "You're gonna have to move, you're blocking a fire exit." As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammible and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit.
When you go to a restaurant on the weekends and it's busy they start a waiting list. They start calling out names, they say "Dufrane, party of two. Dufrane, party of two." And if no one answers they'll say their name again. "Dufrane, party of two, Dufrane, party of two." But then if no one answers they'll just go right on to the next name. "Bush, party of three." Yeah, what happened to the Dufranes. No one seems to give a shit. Who can eat at a time like this - people are missing. You fuckers are selfish....the Dufranes are in someone's trunk right now, with duct take over their mouths, and they're hungry. Bush, search party of three, you can eat when you find the Dufranes.
So F'in good. And really, what did happen to the Dufranes?
If you aren't laughing out loud by now, I don't even want to know you.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Irish Eyes Are Smilin'...
Being of Irish persuasion, I feel its okay to poke fun at my tribe. (But if any of y'all try it, then its racism, and you're lookin' for a fight!)
Just as soon as I finish this drink, and possibly the next one after that...and so on.
Happy St. Pat's Day!
McQuillan walked into a bar and ordered martini after martini, each time removing the olives and placing them in a jar. When the jar was filled with olives and all the drinks consumed, theIrishman started to leave.
"S'cuse me", said a customer, who was puzzled over what McQuillan had done, "what was that all about?"
"Nothin', said the Irishman, "my wife just sent me out for a jar of olives!"
"I've Lost Me Luggage"
An Irishman arrived at J.F.K. Airport and wandered around the terminal with tears streaming down his cheeks. An airline employee asked him if he was already homesick.
"No," replied the Irishman "I've lost all me luggage!"
"How'd that happen?"
"The cork fell out!" said the Irishman.
"Water to Wine"
An Irish priest is driving down to New York and gets stopped for speeding in Connecticut. The state trooper smells alcohol on the priest's breath and then sees an empty wine bottle on the floor of the car. He says, "Sir, have you been drinking?"
"Just water," says the priest.
The trooper says, "Then why do I smell wine?"
The priest looks at the bottle and says, "Good Lord! He's done it again!"
"Irish Cemetery"
Three Irishmen, Paddy, Sean and Seamus, were stumbling home from the pub late one night and found themselves on the road which led past the old graveyard..
"Come have a look over here," says Paddy, "It's Michael O'Grady's grave, God bless his soul. He lived to the ripe old age of 87."
"That's nothing," says Sean, "here's one named Patrick O'Toole, it says here that he was 95 when he died."!
Just then, Seamus yells out, "Good God, here's a fella that got to be 145!"
"What was his name?" asks Paddy.
Seamus stumbles around a bit, awkwardly lights a match to see what else is written on the stone marker, and exclaims, "Miles, from Dublin."
"Irish Predicament"
Drunk Ole Mulvihill (From the Northern Irish Clan) staggers into a Catholic Church, enters a confessional box, sits down but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his attention but the Ole just sits there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.
The drunk mumbles, "ain't no use knockin, there's no paper on this side either."
"Irish Last Request"
Mary Clancy goes up to Father O'Grady's after his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears. He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary my dear?"
She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news. My husband passed away last night."
The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible. Tell me, did he have any last requests?"
She says, "That he did, Father..."
The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary?"
She says, "He said, 'Please Mary, put down that damn gun!'
And finally...
What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish wake?
One less Drunk at the wake...bu-dum-bum.
Thank you, thankyouverymuch, I'll be here all week! Pass me the pretzels and crack me another Guinness...
Special thanks to my good friend Rhett in S. Carolina for the jokes.
Friday, March 04, 2005
Twitterpated...
Yup, spring has officially sprung 'round these parts.
Actually, it feels as if it has been here for awhile due to the previous weeks (3!!) of unseasonably warm, dry weather. But, just recently I have really begun to feel those positive vibrations brought on by the increasing warmth of our planet slowly tilting toward the sun.
The daily ritual walk across town. Kids in tow. Our own little parade down Main St. then Water St. to the elementary school to drop off "the banana", and then out the back door and on to the "B" family residence for lunch and naps and mellow three year old kid time has become quite pleasant. An oddly rythmic, comfortable routine. (this isn't to imply that these walks go smoothly everytime from start to finish...that hardly ever happens...someone is bound to be grumpy, or cry, or fall down or get whiney about walking...but for the most part, it's nice to be out strolling through town on a sunny day.)
This is one laid back little village I have mired myself in. Sure there's alot going on around here, but quietly, at an even keel, and behind the scenes. On our walks, we generally don't see anyone in any real hurry to get anywhere. I like it. This pace suits me, and I feel it is good for my soul. I'd like to tap into the small town vibe more fully somehow, someday, in a professional/business way. I've got my eyes, ears and mind open to the possibilities. Scanning the horizon for workable schemes. Ideas filling my head. What if and how about...
"Ahh Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
oh, can you put you hands in your head? Oh no!"
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Today, on our way out the door, I jokingly said to the gang..."okay kids, let's hit the low road!" ( this is the type of thing I do to the wee ones all the time...mess with common phrases, use the wrong word for something, pretend not to know what they are talking about. Keeps 'em on their toes. Plus, it's fun to see how and if they react to it.) My daughter, without missing a beat replied..."No Dad, we're taking the middle road. That leads to Salem. The Low road takes us to Texas, and the high road goes to the winery" (where Mom works). Ooookaaay...can't argue with that kind of kid logic. She's right after all, on a map, the low roads (heading south I guess ) do go to Texas.
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Who is this Johnny Dowd character, and which rock did he crawl from under? Why am I only now learning of his psychotic suburban swamp blues madness? On first listen I wonder how he managed to cross the country and electric blues with Ween-like wierdness and overtones of Don Van Vliet, but in the end it doesn't matter much because it all works. What I have heard so far is quirky lyrical prose with a touch of doom and self pity. Crazy rythms, dark electronic flourishes and guitar solos with the effects peddles set on stun. Odd for sure, but compelling. Try a taste of this guy if you fondly recall Col. Bruce Hampton. Fun stuff.
Actually, it feels as if it has been here for awhile due to the previous weeks (3!!) of unseasonably warm, dry weather. But, just recently I have really begun to feel those positive vibrations brought on by the increasing warmth of our planet slowly tilting toward the sun.
The daily ritual walk across town. Kids in tow. Our own little parade down Main St. then Water St. to the elementary school to drop off "the banana", and then out the back door and on to the "B" family residence for lunch and naps and mellow three year old kid time has become quite pleasant. An oddly rythmic, comfortable routine. (this isn't to imply that these walks go smoothly everytime from start to finish...that hardly ever happens...someone is bound to be grumpy, or cry, or fall down or get whiney about walking...but for the most part, it's nice to be out strolling through town on a sunny day.)
This is one laid back little village I have mired myself in. Sure there's alot going on around here, but quietly, at an even keel, and behind the scenes. On our walks, we generally don't see anyone in any real hurry to get anywhere. I like it. This pace suits me, and I feel it is good for my soul. I'd like to tap into the small town vibe more fully somehow, someday, in a professional/business way. I've got my eyes, ears and mind open to the possibilities. Scanning the horizon for workable schemes. Ideas filling my head. What if and how about...
"Ahh Dreamer, you know you are a dreamer
oh, can you put you hands in your head? Oh no!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today, on our way out the door, I jokingly said to the gang..."okay kids, let's hit the low road!" ( this is the type of thing I do to the wee ones all the time...mess with common phrases, use the wrong word for something, pretend not to know what they are talking about. Keeps 'em on their toes. Plus, it's fun to see how and if they react to it.) My daughter, without missing a beat replied..."No Dad, we're taking the middle road. That leads to Salem. The Low road takes us to Texas, and the high road goes to the winery" (where Mom works). Ooookaaay...can't argue with that kind of kid logic. She's right after all, on a map, the low roads (heading south I guess ) do go to Texas.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who is this Johnny Dowd character, and which rock did he crawl from under? Why am I only now learning of his psychotic suburban swamp blues madness? On first listen I wonder how he managed to cross the country and electric blues with Ween-like wierdness and overtones of Don Van Vliet, but in the end it doesn't matter much because it all works. What I have heard so far is quirky lyrical prose with a touch of doom and self pity. Crazy rythms, dark electronic flourishes and guitar solos with the effects peddles set on stun. Odd for sure, but compelling. Try a taste of this guy if you fondly recall Col. Bruce Hampton. Fun stuff.
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
At Home He's A Tourist...
Had to break out Gang of Four's excellent debut album Entertainment! this morning as I was psyched to learn that the original band is back together and touring this spring. Yes! They will be coming through Oregon with a stop @ the Crystal Ballroom in PDX (Thurs. May 5th). I am definately going to do everything I can do to get my ass to that show. Those guys have always been one of my very favorite second wave English punk/new wave/post-punk/punkfunk (whateveryouwanttolabelthemas) bands from back in the day. I had some previous chances to see the later day version of the band (with Sara Lee on bass) but never did it for some reason or another. (some stupid job that wouldn't give me the day off, most likely) But now, I can finally see Messers Gill, King, Burnham and Allen pound out the agit-funk angularity that they are the true pioneers of. Coolio.
I remember buying the original vinyl of Entertainment! (along with a slew of other cool albums of that era) while on a quick trip to NYC one winter break...me and the boys loose in the big city, feelin' as cool as one could feel sans parents, and with money in our pockets. As per my usual back then, I dropped a wad of cash at a bunch of different record shops. Good times.
I'd say more about that album,but I think Greil Marcus did an awsome job in his essay I linked to above. I will say this...if you are a fan of Franz Ferdinand (and I am) and you don't own GoF's Entertainment! then you owe it to yourself to go out and get a copy of it NOW, just to see how much the Four influenced those Scottish lads. And to put the icing on the cake, it has been announced that the re-formed GoF's upcoming release will have an extra disc of re-mixes of re-recorded older tunes (stay with me here), and guess who is doing one of those re-mixes? That's right folks, FRANZ F'N FERDINAND. So there.
Really, no matter what, get yourself a copy of Entertainment! It Rocks in a very smart way. You won't be disappointed (unless you're a complete wanker).
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On a different musical note, I have been invited by my friend, David the Painter, to see "The Bob" (as in Mr. Dylan) in a couple of weeks (on my brother's birthday...Happy Birthday Doc!). This should prove to be a good time, especially since Merle Haggard is on the tour too. I hate to say it, but having seen "The Bob" a bunch of times in the past, and having sworn off him after seeing the god awful G. E. "I owe my career to Saturday Night Live- showboatin' mother scratcher" Smith play in his band at the end of the eighties, I'm actually more excited to see ol' Merle. If Bob decides to put on a good show, all the better (I hear he is in fine form once again, tho' I'll believe it when I see it). And if that damn G.E. Smith shows up, I think I'll scream and run from the building. As my old pal Tony Marroni used to say everytime G.E would mug for the camera between skits and commercials on SNL, "That asshole thinks he's in a REAL band." (and no, I don't think Hall and Oates qualify!)
I'll let you know what I think of the whole affair. If nothing else, it will be a night out on the town with some good chow, some fermented beverages, some high falutin' conversation, and good music to boot. Can't beat that with a dead peacock. (?)
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Dept. of Aha! I Knew it: Pitchfork Media just announced that they fake hip-hop and rap disc reviews...pimple faced emo geeks don't know shit about breakbeats and street poetry apparently...go figure!
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I remember buying the original vinyl of Entertainment! (along with a slew of other cool albums of that era) while on a quick trip to NYC one winter break...me and the boys loose in the big city, feelin' as cool as one could feel sans parents, and with money in our pockets. As per my usual back then, I dropped a wad of cash at a bunch of different record shops. Good times.
I'd say more about that album,but I think Greil Marcus did an awsome job in his essay I linked to above. I will say this...if you are a fan of Franz Ferdinand (and I am) and you don't own GoF's Entertainment! then you owe it to yourself to go out and get a copy of it NOW, just to see how much the Four influenced those Scottish lads. And to put the icing on the cake, it has been announced that the re-formed GoF's upcoming release will have an extra disc of re-mixes of re-recorded older tunes (stay with me here), and guess who is doing one of those re-mixes? That's right folks, FRANZ F'N FERDINAND. So there.
Really, no matter what, get yourself a copy of Entertainment! It Rocks in a very smart way. You won't be disappointed (unless you're a complete wanker).
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On a different musical note, I have been invited by my friend, David the Painter, to see "The Bob" (as in Mr. Dylan) in a couple of weeks (on my brother's birthday...Happy Birthday Doc!). This should prove to be a good time, especially since Merle Haggard is on the tour too. I hate to say it, but having seen "The Bob" a bunch of times in the past, and having sworn off him after seeing the god awful G. E. "I owe my career to Saturday Night Live- showboatin' mother scratcher" Smith play in his band at the end of the eighties, I'm actually more excited to see ol' Merle. If Bob decides to put on a good show, all the better (I hear he is in fine form once again, tho' I'll believe it when I see it). And if that damn G.E. Smith shows up, I think I'll scream and run from the building. As my old pal Tony Marroni used to say everytime G.E would mug for the camera between skits and commercials on SNL, "That asshole thinks he's in a REAL band." (and no, I don't think Hall and Oates qualify!)
I'll let you know what I think of the whole affair. If nothing else, it will be a night out on the town with some good chow, some fermented beverages, some high falutin' conversation, and good music to boot. Can't beat that with a dead peacock. (?)
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Dept. of Aha! I Knew it: Pitchfork Media just announced that they fake hip-hop and rap disc reviews...pimple faced emo geeks don't know shit about breakbeats and street poetry apparently...go figure!
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Wednesday, February 23, 2005
In Rotation...
This will be (I'm guessing) the first of many posts dealing with what's been spending time in my disc changer as of late. Yeah, tho' I am the very person that the ipod was designed for, I do not have one as of yet, and I don't see that changing anytime soon as my ass is poor. Especially since I am such a damn luddite that I only just got my ass on-line a year or so ago...meaning, it won't be until 2010 before I catch myself up to the ipod type technology...by then, they will be obsolete, and I'll be able to score myself one for like a 10 spot at my favorite pawnshop...
But, I digress...so I'll get right down to it...
The Best of Syd Barrett >>> I creep ever closer to buying some Floyd on disc. Inspired by PA and our little excursion to the "cabin in the holler"near Bend (see Jan. 30th, Big Birthday Adventure - below) I pulled this little gem out of the vault. "Shine on you crazy diamond". Syd is one of those rough around the edges, genuinely artistic, gentle souls that really inspires. (except for the supposed "acid casualty" part of his story) "Gigalo Aunt" (famously covered by R. Hitchcock and his Soft Boys) and "Bob Dylan Blues (reputed to be one of Syd's earliest compositions...written when he was a lad of 17 or so, after having seen Mr. Dylan perform) are my current faves. I also dig "Octopus", Long Gone" and "Two of a Kind". Oh, and let us not forget "Effervescing Elephant"...that title alone - man! - makes it a classic. All in all, this collection is full of fine, hardly polished gems of psychedellic chewyness. Thanks Syd!
Soft Boys -1976-1981 >>>Saw this one coming, didn't you? That's right, I just had to break this out to hear "Gigalo Aunt" in comparrison/contrast. Robyn is Syd with a tighter grip, more refined vision and an even greater sense of the absurd/surreal. LOVE this compillation, it's endlessly odd and listenable. That guy from Katrina and the Waves (!) -Kimberly Rew - looks like Garth (from Wayne's World) and just shreds on freaky new wave acid guitar. Truly. The Soft Boys reunion tour of a couple years back still ranks as one of my favorite live shows in quite some time. A great band.
Talking Heads - Naked >>>The last true "Heads" album...and a superb one really. After slightly lackluster True Stories (tho' there is the blistering "Television Man"*** on that disc)Naked is a refreshingly danceable, topical (even now) often tropical long player from begining to end. "The Democratic Circus" earns its place on my State of our World 2005 mix as, perhaps, does "Nothing But Flowers". Overall this is an album I had almost forgotten the merits of until I just pulled it off the dusty shelf and popped it in the changer. Man, you can't beat an opener like "Blind" to grab your attention by grabbing your ass...;-)
***SHIT! Damn faulty wiring...i'm refering to "Love for Sale" here. "Television Man" is, of course on "Little Creatures"...please forgive me won't you? (3/3)
Tab Two - (No) Flagman Ahead>>>Mid-nineties Euro-centric acid jazz offering. What I'm calling an "Autobahn for a new generation" from duo Helmutt Hattler ("Helmet the Hatter? Huh?) and Joo Kraus - a couple of techno jazz dudes from Germany. One of 'em (Joo, I believe)plays a pretty mean (tho' decidedly laid back and chill) trumpet. (an instrument I gravitate to due to my brief attempt at trying to become a musician in the 5th - 7th grade...my instument of choice...since "everyone can't play the drums"*) This is pretty tasty chill out tunage. Good for evening background music, or impressing the fraulines at those occassional hip and swanky Euro-trash coctail parties.
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot>>>Anybody remember the late 90's swing dance craze? (I wonder what happened to all those Dolls and Cats anyway?) It hit pretty hard in Portland, mainly due to the large under 25 hipster population, and the remodeling ( by the McMenamin Bros.) of the old Crystal Ballroom (a fabulous place to see a show) with its "dancing on air, ball bearing filled, floating dance floor"...really a place worth checking out if you find yourselves in PDX for any amount of time...there are always good bands playing there. These guys were among the better of those retro leaning acts of the time. It's fun to put this stuff on and dance around the room like an idiot with the six year old. "Put a Lid On It" is one cool number, as are many others on this disc. Ms. Whalen has a fine voice (many have said she channels Anita Baker) and she along with Jim Mathus (the other vocalist and guitarist) make some pretty rad puppets which you can see in the CD booklet. Oh, and as I recall these guys smoked live. Lots of fun and dancing and laughter watching all the lesbians swoon at Katherine's feet.
This is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies and the Kinks - V.A. >>>One of my true songwriting heroes given the tribute treatment whilst he still goes on living and contributing to the musical art world he helped define way back in the sixties. This is the Anglophile in me coming out, but I dig the Kinks more than the Who, the Stones and almost all their other English kinsmen of their day. This is a good example of the timelessness and translatability of Mr. Davies tune craftmanship. A nice companion to his own Storyteller album for comparrison and contrast. Quite a good listen on its own really. Stand out cuts: Jonathan Richman "Stop Your Sobbing (nowhere near as good as the Pretenders version from their first album, however), Lambchop "Art Lover" (one of the later day Kinks best songs), and Fastball's mirror image take on "Til' the End of the Day". A nice tributute to a great pop songwriter.
Steve Earle - I Feel Alright>>> The troubadour of our times. (Yeah Steve, I feel alright too...not great, but...) This is a musician I admire deeply for his honesty and his convictions. His politics are as close to my own as any rock-n-roller out there. This isn't his best work, but is still a real fine effort. Pulled it out to listen to "Valentine's Day". (Awww...)
Squeeze - Classics Vol. 25>>> Some well crafted (at times almost too well crafted - if you know what I mean**) 80's English pop songs a'la Paul McCartney or Ray Davies...Hell, Nick Lowe even comes to mind. Difford and Tillbrookcould sure turn a phrase and polish a hook. Some of my favorites are found here..."Take Me I'm Yours", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Cool For Cats". That album and Argy Bargy speak to me of sophmore year high school, hanging out in the late afternoon at RS's house. Listening to tunes, shootin' the shit, plotting our escape from adolescent boredom and the stupidity of our public school reality. Oh, and boy howdy did Paul Carrack ever push all the limits of my patience and squeeze the life out of "Tempted" by singing it at every god-damned opportunity he could find. I've seen him play keyboards in several other peoples touring bands, and he would always pull that one out if given the nod and the spotlight. (probably still doin' that to this day even!) Sheesh, ruined that song for me, I tell you what.
*the words of my old band teacher
**see The bit about Paul Carrack and "Tempted"
But, I digress...so I'll get right down to it...
The Best of Syd Barrett >>> I creep ever closer to buying some Floyd on disc. Inspired by PA and our little excursion to the "cabin in the holler"near Bend (see Jan. 30th, Big Birthday Adventure - below) I pulled this little gem out of the vault. "Shine on you crazy diamond". Syd is one of those rough around the edges, genuinely artistic, gentle souls that really inspires. (except for the supposed "acid casualty" part of his story) "Gigalo Aunt" (famously covered by R. Hitchcock and his Soft Boys) and "Bob Dylan Blues (reputed to be one of Syd's earliest compositions...written when he was a lad of 17 or so, after having seen Mr. Dylan perform) are my current faves. I also dig "Octopus", Long Gone" and "Two of a Kind". Oh, and let us not forget "Effervescing Elephant"...that title alone - man! - makes it a classic. All in all, this collection is full of fine, hardly polished gems of psychedellic chewyness. Thanks Syd!
Soft Boys -1976-1981 >>>Saw this one coming, didn't you? That's right, I just had to break this out to hear "Gigalo Aunt" in comparrison/contrast. Robyn is Syd with a tighter grip, more refined vision and an even greater sense of the absurd/surreal. LOVE this compillation, it's endlessly odd and listenable. That guy from Katrina and the Waves (!) -Kimberly Rew - looks like Garth (from Wayne's World) and just shreds on freaky new wave acid guitar. Truly. The Soft Boys reunion tour of a couple years back still ranks as one of my favorite live shows in quite some time. A great band.
Talking Heads - Naked >>>The last true "Heads" album...and a superb one really. After slightly lackluster True Stories (tho' there is the blistering "Television Man"*** on that disc)Naked is a refreshingly danceable, topical (even now) often tropical long player from begining to end. "The Democratic Circus" earns its place on my State of our World 2005 mix as, perhaps, does "Nothing But Flowers". Overall this is an album I had almost forgotten the merits of until I just pulled it off the dusty shelf and popped it in the changer. Man, you can't beat an opener like "Blind" to grab your attention by grabbing your ass...;-)
***SHIT! Damn faulty wiring...i'm refering to "Love for Sale" here. "Television Man" is, of course on "Little Creatures"...please forgive me won't you? (3/3)
Tab Two - (No) Flagman Ahead>>>Mid-nineties Euro-centric acid jazz offering. What I'm calling an "Autobahn for a new generation" from duo Helmutt Hattler ("Helmet the Hatter? Huh?) and Joo Kraus - a couple of techno jazz dudes from Germany. One of 'em (Joo, I believe)plays a pretty mean (tho' decidedly laid back and chill) trumpet. (an instrument I gravitate to due to my brief attempt at trying to become a musician in the 5th - 7th grade...my instument of choice...since "everyone can't play the drums"*) This is pretty tasty chill out tunage. Good for evening background music, or impressing the fraulines at those occassional hip and swanky Euro-trash coctail parties.
Squirrel Nut Zippers - Hot>>>Anybody remember the late 90's swing dance craze? (I wonder what happened to all those Dolls and Cats anyway?) It hit pretty hard in Portland, mainly due to the large under 25 hipster population, and the remodeling ( by the McMenamin Bros.) of the old Crystal Ballroom (a fabulous place to see a show) with its "dancing on air, ball bearing filled, floating dance floor"...really a place worth checking out if you find yourselves in PDX for any amount of time...there are always good bands playing there. These guys were among the better of those retro leaning acts of the time. It's fun to put this stuff on and dance around the room like an idiot with the six year old. "Put a Lid On It" is one cool number, as are many others on this disc. Ms. Whalen has a fine voice (many have said she channels Anita Baker) and she along with Jim Mathus (the other vocalist and guitarist) make some pretty rad puppets which you can see in the CD booklet. Oh, and as I recall these guys smoked live. Lots of fun and dancing and laughter watching all the lesbians swoon at Katherine's feet.
This is Where I Belong: The Songs of Ray Davies and the Kinks - V.A. >>>One of my true songwriting heroes given the tribute treatment whilst he still goes on living and contributing to the musical art world he helped define way back in the sixties. This is the Anglophile in me coming out, but I dig the Kinks more than the Who, the Stones and almost all their other English kinsmen of their day. This is a good example of the timelessness and translatability of Mr. Davies tune craftmanship. A nice companion to his own Storyteller album for comparrison and contrast. Quite a good listen on its own really. Stand out cuts: Jonathan Richman "Stop Your Sobbing (nowhere near as good as the Pretenders version from their first album, however), Lambchop "Art Lover" (one of the later day Kinks best songs), and Fastball's mirror image take on "Til' the End of the Day". A nice tributute to a great pop songwriter.
Steve Earle - I Feel Alright>>> The troubadour of our times. (Yeah Steve, I feel alright too...not great, but...) This is a musician I admire deeply for his honesty and his convictions. His politics are as close to my own as any rock-n-roller out there. This isn't his best work, but is still a real fine effort. Pulled it out to listen to "Valentine's Day". (Awww...)
Squeeze - Classics Vol. 25>>> Some well crafted (at times almost too well crafted - if you know what I mean**) 80's English pop songs a'la Paul McCartney or Ray Davies...Hell, Nick Lowe even comes to mind. Difford and Tillbrookcould sure turn a phrase and polish a hook. Some of my favorites are found here..."Take Me I'm Yours", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Cool For Cats". That album and Argy Bargy speak to me of sophmore year high school, hanging out in the late afternoon at RS's house. Listening to tunes, shootin' the shit, plotting our escape from adolescent boredom and the stupidity of our public school reality. Oh, and boy howdy did Paul Carrack ever push all the limits of my patience and squeeze the life out of "Tempted" by singing it at every god-damned opportunity he could find. I've seen him play keyboards in several other peoples touring bands, and he would always pull that one out if given the nod and the spotlight. (probably still doin' that to this day even!) Sheesh, ruined that song for me, I tell you what.
*the words of my old band teacher
**see The bit about Paul Carrack and "Tempted"
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro...
and then shoot themselves? What the fuck, over?!? Okay, I know he lead a dark and - at times - twisted existance, and who knows what inner demons, and physical health issues he was wrestling with, but I must say I was/am shocked at the untimely demise (at age 67) of my favorite old radical curmudgeon, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. Good ol' Raoul Duke himself, just couldn't hack life on the physical plane anymore I guess. Holy Shit! Unbelievable. I never saw this one coming. I am taking this a bit harder than I would have thought...I guess I looked up to him a more than I realized.
Yeah, yeah, I know...he probably had that sort of rock star mentality," better to burn out..." and all that, but how could he give up at the time when we need his invective filled rants against the powers that be more than ever? I for one am somewhat disappointed.
What the fuck is going on in this crazy ass world of ours? I blame this ( in an indirect way) on Shrub and his evil henchmen...I mean seriously bad ju-ju is at work in this damn country of ours when we've got an " idiot son of an asshole" - ol' Cleatus R. Dumbass (the most priveliged god damned blue-blood/redneck mother in history) re-elected President, and one of the most talented, sarchastic, funny as hell social critics we have - the good Doctor of Gonzo Journalism himself- suddenly decides it is time to snuff the mortal coil. As insane as he tended to be, he was always - to me, at least - a loud voice of paranoid truth and oddly twisted reason. What the fuck is going on around here anyway? Mark my words, this doesn't bode well for the rest of us progressive thinking folks around these parts...this could prove to be a seriosly bad omen my friends... we have turned the corner, and stuff is about to get weirder and darker than we have yet seen...
I am truly, truly mourning the loss of one of America's great straight shooters, both on the target range and with the truths that flowed from his mind to the page. If nothing else, Senor Thompson was a poster boy for living life the way you want, and fuck all those who see it differently.
You will be missed my commrade, enjoy your time with the great white buffalo, roaming the astral plane. We will struggle on without you, missing all those whacked out musings of yours that used to help get us through. Freak Power must survive, or we are even more seriously fucked than we previously were. And that, my friends, is pretty fucked.
21 February 2005: Larry Lefner, a local sculptor to the Aspen community, will be carving an effigy of the late Hunter S. Thompson's face into a tree in Woody Creek, Colorado, as a shrine to fans and friends alike. No date set for commencement. (this from wikipedia.org)
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (1937 - Feb. 20, 2005...RIP)
Here's a link to the official Rolling Stone tribute...
Yeah, yeah, I know...he probably had that sort of rock star mentality," better to burn out..." and all that, but how could he give up at the time when we need his invective filled rants against the powers that be more than ever? I for one am somewhat disappointed.
What the fuck is going on in this crazy ass world of ours? I blame this ( in an indirect way) on Shrub and his evil henchmen...I mean seriously bad ju-ju is at work in this damn country of ours when we've got an " idiot son of an asshole" - ol' Cleatus R. Dumbass (the most priveliged god damned blue-blood/redneck mother in history) re-elected President, and one of the most talented, sarchastic, funny as hell social critics we have - the good Doctor of Gonzo Journalism himself- suddenly decides it is time to snuff the mortal coil. As insane as he tended to be, he was always - to me, at least - a loud voice of paranoid truth and oddly twisted reason. What the fuck is going on around here anyway? Mark my words, this doesn't bode well for the rest of us progressive thinking folks around these parts...this could prove to be a seriosly bad omen my friends... we have turned the corner, and stuff is about to get weirder and darker than we have yet seen...
I am truly, truly mourning the loss of one of America's great straight shooters, both on the target range and with the truths that flowed from his mind to the page. If nothing else, Senor Thompson was a poster boy for living life the way you want, and fuck all those who see it differently.
You will be missed my commrade, enjoy your time with the great white buffalo, roaming the astral plane. We will struggle on without you, missing all those whacked out musings of yours that used to help get us through. Freak Power must survive, or we are even more seriously fucked than we previously were. And that, my friends, is pretty fucked.
21 February 2005: Larry Lefner, a local sculptor to the Aspen community, will be carving an effigy of the late Hunter S. Thompson's face into a tree in Woody Creek, Colorado, as a shrine to fans and friends alike. No date set for commencement. (this from wikipedia.org)
"I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me." - Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (1937 - Feb. 20, 2005...RIP)
Here's a link to the official Rolling Stone tribute...
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