the people's republic of socialist Romanistan

Tumbl'd

2011-10-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Two new Tumblrs I've learned of today. Enjoy.

Parks & Meth

Parks and Rec quotes against Breaking Bad screen grabs.

Kanye'd by the Bell

Kanye lyrics against Saved by the Bell grabs.

Deaf as in Dope!

2011-08-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Insane Clown Posse - Leck Mich Im Arsch by Third Man Records

I apologize for the recent glut of ICP posts, but Jack White is involved for some reason. Detroit really has little to offer the rest of the country.

Madvillain - Strange Ways (Jean-Yves Blanc)

2011-08-23T21:22:00.001-07:00

Some fantastic entries in this fan-made Stones Throw video contest.

My favorite by far was this claymation "Strange Ways" clip. The level of detail is stunning, and I encourage all to check out more of the artist's work at hiphopsculpture.com.

-dk

Gathering of the Juggalos, Revisited

2011-08-16T18:30:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. This year's lady-journo-gonzo-stoner is Deadspin's Emma Carmichael.

I have not listened to any ICP since my last blog post about Gathering 2010. Charlie Sheen was there, but so was Ice Cube (!)

More Hunter S. Thompson-esque gonzo blogging can be found in Daulerio's excellent Xbox LSD no-hitter story. Deadspin circa 2011 feels very edgy & anti-mainstream right now.

-dk

Freaks and Geeks

2011-08-16T16:57:00.000-07:00

Didn't realize how much dancing is featured on this show.

Best Coast

2011-08-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Drew Barrymore directed a supervideo for Best Coast with an all-star (for me) cast. It's got Hit Girl, iCarly, Maeby and Childish Gambino.

Get More: MTV Supervideo, Music, Best Coast

She directed the feature, WHIP IT. I enjoyed it, but I'm a sucker for roller derby as well. Drew's a competent director, but nothing overly flashy or stylish. I felt some performances were left on the table in WHIP IT, but still pretty good, especially for a first time director. In this video, the post-modern West Side Story is kinda timeless and cool, but you can see the twist from a mile away, which makes it super irritating. It's a bit silly (only Donald Glover could make being a Day Trotter look cool), and I think the length hurts it. If the titles are removed and condensed it a bit, it could flow much better without losing any of the story or emotion.

Just for kicks, he's another Best Coast video. This one starring cats. With stellar casting like this, I feel like they're speaking to me personally. Time to go find more of their stuff.

"I Predict a Riot"

2011-07-28T00:07:00.001-07:00

Raves: still alive & kicking after all these years.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0728-electric-daisy-20110728,0,57469.story

-dk

Casablanca

2011-07-27T23:31:00.000-07:00

I'm watching _Casablanca_. I'm drinking whiskey. I have a cane by my side.

I am an 80 year old man.

-dk

CC Rider Riding

2011-07-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/endorsement/charlotte-gainsbourg-trick-pony-010410

-dk

Childish Memes, Reprised

2011-07-18T21:14:00.001-07:00

School has been kicking my ass lately but I'm resolving to increase my post output in this little private corner of the interwebs.

Hat tip to PD, one of your faithful editors, for both the template upgrade & the Childish tumblrage.

-dk

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrslf Clean (Muppet version)

2011-07-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Another great Muppets clip. Especially enjoyed because now I can hear a bit of Kermit-ness in James Murphy's croon.

Though it's sad to hear about LCD's recent retirement, it's a good thing in the sense of an act stepping away from the limelight at the height of their powers.

-dk

Thank you, Charlie Rose

2011-07-15T01:09:00.000-07:00

This is my first recollection of _The Charlie Rose Show_ at the tender age of 17. I've been a devoted follower since. One of the best American interviewers in the history of television, the show is an entertaining & easy way to keep up on the latest current event journalism of the day.

Kudos to the CR team for the in-depth repository of information that is charlierose.com.

-dk

PS: I ended up watching "Summer of Sam" during its theater run; it was my first exposure to "Baba O'Riley (Teenage Wasteland)" which I remember illegally downloading off Napster 1.0.

Pearl Jam - Dirty Frank

2011-07-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

This song is going on twenty years old at this point. I particularly enjoy the early-90s loping funk of it all (Jeff Ament's bass is especially notable).

Pearl Jam lyrics are often hard to decipher (ex: Yellow Ledbetter) but I had heard "Frank" enough times to understand the gist: that the song was about a killer who ate his victims ("Dirty Frank Dahmer / he's a gourmet cook, yeah"), although the tone is goofy & not serious (ex: Shaft joke).

I couldn't have pieced together the entire narrative without the invaluable resource that is pearljam.com. From reading the official lyrics the complete story is that of Frank Dahmer, imagined tour bus driver for Eddie & the band. The song is written from the point of view of Vedder about how his insane tour bus driver is in fact a cannibalistic serial killer luring victims under cover of the nation-wide tour ("Wanted a pass / so she relaxed. // Now the little groupie's gettin' / chopped up in the back").

I know the single was released in the US as a b-side to "Even Flow" & later on the 2003 Lost Dogs compilation. I wonder if the grim subject matter has anything to do with its relative anonymity.

-dk

Childish Memes

2011-04-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

We dig out Childish Gambino here, but we're not clever enough to come up with these meme sites.

For your consideration:

Hipster Childish Gambino

Childish Childish Gambino

And the new kid on the block, Edited Childish Gambino

B-boys on Main Street

2011-04-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

NBA Numerology

2011-04-17T16:54:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to work as much sports-viewing as my schedule will allow these days. (Current rotation: NBA/NHL playoffs, UEFA Champions League/EPL and baseball.)

I'm most excited for the start of the NBA playoffs. One thing I've noticed is that the current crop of vanguard stars are taking on more single-digit uniform numbers.

Aside from Kobe switching from #8 to #24 (attributable to sexual assault allegations) you have LeBron going from #23 to #6 (post-Decision) & Carmelo going from #15 to #7 (& even KG going from #21 to #5).

Now consider the current stars: CP3, Stoudemire & Rose #1, John Wall #2 (he can Dougie!), Wade #3, Deron Williams & Rajon Rondo #8.

I have a theory that the shift is due to the most recent Olympics team (2008 gold medal) and its positive experience team-building in Beijing. Because FIBA (basketball's international governing body) requires uniform numbers between 4-15 during international competition (including the Olympics), many established NBA players had to eschew their professional number for a different number. Make of these facts what you will.

-dk

Odd Futurism by Bethlehem Shoals

2011-04-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/article/241404?id=241404

I've been struggling for a while now with trying to articulate my feelings towards Odd Future -- both in terms of their music and in terms of their cultural meaning. Fortunately, Shoals here has covered every topic I had in mind, as well as addressing numerous ones I am not smart enough to think up independently.

On a side note, it feels appropriate to post this after the recent news that freedarko (an NBA blog founded by Shoals) is shuttering its doors. I had the same feelings reading this article as I do when reading an especially great freedarko post: it's lengthy, dense and cross-references a ton of outside material from different media. The only thing that would make the article more freedarko-esque is a bunch of random photos that seem to make no sense in the context of the writing.

Finally, it is relevant to note that my first introduction to the concept of 'SWAG' comes from this 2007 freedarko post. ("SWAG = competitive style. It's as simple as that.")

-dk

Fight For Your Right - Revisited

2011-04-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned. Check out this trailer for this all-star Beastie Boys movie. Major swag.

Metatextual

2011-04-05T23:55:00.000-07:00

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/blogs/walk-on-music/

Everyone needs to check out what is going on here.

-dk

Sleigh Bells

2011-03-25T00:38:00.000-07:00

Infinity Guitars. Really diggin' on this band and this song in particular.

I Heart Basketball

2011-03-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

I'm excited for this year's NBA playoffs -- I'm certain they will be compelling, and the league is in a good place right now.

As I type this I'm watching the Clippers in double overtime, one night after watching the Lakers go to triple overtime to beat the Suns. Between watching Kobe, Nash, Blake Griffin & John Wall I have an appreciation of the surplus of talent currently present in the NBA.

Speaking of Wall, here's a video of him doing "The Dougie":

-dk

PS: by the time I finished this post the Clippers closed out the Wizards in 2OT & Blake Griffin recorded his first professional triple double in a career-high 51 minutes: (33-17-10)

Odd Future on Jimmy Fallon

2011-02-17T10:01:00.000-08:00

Deepcomputerblue introduced me to these dudes when he had a spare ticket to their LA show a few months back. While some of their antics are kind of juvenile, it's to be expected, they're pretty young. No doubt, they're immensely talented, and once they get over the shock for shock value thing, or harness it better, things will get very interesting.

Also, do you think Brandon T Jackson's not used to not being the coolest guy in the room? With the Roots, Odd Future, Forrest Whitaker and Mos Def combined with the fact he's there promoting the latest installment of Big Mama's house, Brandon's gotta feel a little inadequate, no? I'm sure he's got a pile of cash and ladies anyway, so I'm sure he's doing fine. Maybe, though, it will inspire him to not make such crap fests in the future.

great line from an otherwise tasteless blog post

2011-02-09T23:36:00.000-08:00

It must be hard for women in their 20s in America, because they have to compete for male attention against aggressive 17-year-old sex pots and randy Cougars, all the while hoping some guy sees them for who they are.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?entry_id=82760#ixzz1DXUwHciJ

-dk

Xmas

2010-12-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some of my favorite Christmas songs. Enjoy.

Mike Doughty @ The Bootleg

2010-12-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

For only my second concert this year (mostly thanks to my boycott Ticketmaster) I took in Mike Doughty at the Bootleg (oddly enough, my last show was at the Bootleg, and contrary to what you might think, I am not on their mailing list). This time I took in the show with the Wife after some grilled cheese and micro brew.

Most of my musical icons are either dead or too big to ever be seen in a small venue like this. I've been listening to M. Doughty for fifteen years or so, since he was the frontman for the pre-hipster NY band Soul Coughing. While I got hooked on that bands off beat melodies and infectious hooks, it was Doughty's word play that always stuck with with. Maybe Super Bon Bon was a radio hit, but it was far from their greatest song, and it was often the slower, poetic songs like Soft Serve that really stuck with me.

The crowd at the Friday night show seemed to be indicative of where he is now in his career. It was a much older crowd, and definitely a lot of dudes. Seems probably a lot of guys like me who've been a fan for a while, maturing along with him. The energy was good, as Mike sat alone on the stage with his guitar. Shortly after 10 pm he started, no opener and just played. Just felt like a bunch of people hanging out, listing to an old friend jam, almost as if we were hanging out in the living room at an adult house party and he was a guest, but decided he would play some songs after some goading by the hosts. He didn't bring his guitar, because he didn't anticipate playing, but he graciously played on the hosts son's guitar (they're wealthy, so he has good instruments).

Anyway, he's a very congenial guy, a lot of charisma and just funny. I had previously seen him during his Question Jar tour, where he would answer audience questions submitted to him in a jar. He was backed by a band, including stand up bassist Scaps (who is currently driving a cab in NYC to fulfill a lifelong dream. His next dream? To become a notary public). This time, he stripped it all down and just played his guitar, briefly engaging the audience between songs, if at all. As he took a moment to tune his guitar, he was surprised by his speed, and apologized for not having time for more japes and axioms.

However, that opportunity came later on. I had a great view, five people deep with a direct line of vision to Doughty and his guitar. During Tremendous Brunettes, a string broke right as he was getting to the next verse. He had a spare at hand, and as he replaced and tuned it, he answered questions (that's how we learned about Scraps) and shared his experience riding the train out to Los Angeles. As soon as he was done, he picked up right where he left off in the song.

All in all, a good evening for all the simple pleasures. Grilled cheese, beer and a man playing guitar. I'll leave you with a video of him playing one of my favorite songs that he performed on Friday (this video is not from Friday, but pretty indicative of how it was).

Film Still of the Day

2010-12-09T23:27:00.000-08:00

The only disappointing thing about this Beastie biopic news is that it will only be a short film instead of a full-length feature. (And, yes, that's Seth Rogen, Elijah Wood & Danny MF McBride.)

-dk

Best 77 Seconds of the New Girl Talk

2010-12-03T00:24:00.000-08:00

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker versus Soulja Boy - Pretty Young Swag

-dk

Juke Box Hero

2010-11-23T23:46:00.000-08:00

Anytime the mood strikes me to fire up the jukebox at a bar I find myself gravitating towards Queen's "Under Pressure," whenever it's available. I like it when sometimes people will think it's the beginning of "Ice Ice Baby," and then it's not.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Mary Jane's Last Dance" is another solid choice.

Apropos of nothing, a youtube clip of a homeless man using two Kermit puppets to "dub" the Freddie Mercury / David Bowie duet (an incredible vocal pairing if ever there was one.)

And for the hell of it: the Tom Petty youtube as well.

-dk

Your Moment of Comedy Zen

2010-11-19T00:03:00.000-08:00

http://www.bestweekever.tv/2010-11-17/reggie-watts-appears-on-conan-rules/

Anti-comedy & performance art in the vein of Andy Kaufman.

-dk

The Soft Dive of Oblivion

2010-11-13T00:40:00.000-08:00

I don't remember the exact date or show (either Letterman or Leno), but I do distinctly remember watching Third Eye Blind perform "How's It Going to Be?" while promoting their highly successful eponymous debut album. This means that the performance took place around 1997-98, which would make me about 15-16 years old at the time.

[YouTube interlude]

Holy jeebus I can't believe how easy it was to find the exact performance I was thinking of in internet video format.

My point is this: even at the time I was most ardently a fan of 3eb ('97-98), this performance with the bare feet & leather straitjacket struck my teenage self as incredibly ham-fisted. With age comes wisdom, however, and now in 2010 I've finally acquired the single adjective that most succinctly defines this performance:

Douchey. This is a super-douchey move.

Seriously, at about the 2:20 mark it gets pretty awkward.

-dk

Faygo Showers at the Horror-Rap Hajj

2010-09-03T23:35:00.000-07:00

http://instapaperstories.tumblr.com/post/982886229/in-the-land-of-the-juggalos-vice-magazine

After reading this Vice magazine account of the 2007 Gathering of the Juggalos I find myself full of questions, especially in light of the Juggalo-on-Tila-Tequila violence that marred this year's festivities. Here now, are some:

Wait, so they've been doing these for years? How long? [Since 2000, according to Wikipedia.] And Faygo isn't Juggalo slang for faggot, as I had assumed for years? It's actually a soda? Like, a real soda made in Detroit? And it isn't owned by ICP? How desperate for money & attention is Tila Tequila if she's performing at the GotJ? Wait, didn't Hannibal Buress also perform at this year's GotJ? [He sure did.] Who the hell books this thing? How much money are they making off this? Does this mean ICP are savvy businessmen? How does this affect the credibility of their newfound mission to bring Juggalos to God???

It was at this point that I found JuggaloGathering.com and got caught up in reading Violent J's GotJ recap which included reference to ICP's latest film, "Big Money Rustlas" [which would make for a great #fakebandnames].

In a related note, the knowledge I gained from reading the Vice piece makes this SNL skit about 25 - 33 % funnier because of the level of detail included in the parody. Until next time, my ninjas...

-d

It's no Taco Bell Pizza Hut

2010-09-02T12:43:00.000-07:00

But it'll do. Das Racist, the duo who gave me my Summer anthem last year and the song that endlessly annoys all my friends who fail to see its genius, are out with a new video. Seems the 80's video game aesthetic is still going strong. In a mash-up of all your favorite 8-bit games, check out the video for the song "Who's That? Brooown!" It's not quite as inane as TBPH, but the song is still pretty catchy. This is one where the video really sells it.

The Wilderness Downtown

2010-08-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

The internet is kind of nuts sometimes. Between up to the minute news, humorously captioned cat photos and videos of dudes hitting each other in the nuts, there's endless opportunities for entertainment and time wasting.*

Every once in a while, tho, someone will come along and harness the internet as a medium and you can experience new things in new ways. Such is the case with the new Arcade Fire / Chris Milk interactive film project The Wilderness Downtown. Billing itself as an "Experiment with Chrome" and "Made with our friends at Google" it delivers a personalized cinematic experiment set within the conventions of our haphazard web browsing ways. Add the always awesome, haunting sounds of Arcade Fire and you've sucked me in for the day.

Be sure to used Google Chrome, it just works better.

This comes on the heels of another web film experience by director Spike Jonze, I'm Here - A Love Story in an Absolute World. What's cool about these two projects is they both harness the power of the internet and the widespread use off high speed connections, but in very different ways.

The Wilderness Downtown attempts to create a very visceral, personal experience. It asks you for the address you grew up at, pumps in the Arcade Fire and uses Google Earth aerial views to actually take you back to your childhood. It's pretty fucking nuts. When I first viewed, I didn't even bother to see that Google was in cahoots, but immediately recognized the Google Map interface and saw where this was going. Plus, I loves me some Arcade Fire.

With I'm Here, the the goals and methods are different, but it's still telling us a story via the internet in a new way. The website is set up like a theater, complete with show times. So you can't just virtually saunter up to the ticket booth and click play and expect to watch your movie. It counter intuitively puts restrictions on your viewing, something we're not used to doing in this age of instant web video gratification.

Secondly, there is a maximum capacity. Now, it's in the equivalent of a second run, but when I first tried to watch it, I literally couldn't get in. It forced you to watch a movie as a group. While there was no one kicking your chair, or giving a hand jobs in the back row, you had a sense that you were watching it in unison with hundreds of other people. This shared experience felt vaguely familiar. Watching this robo-relationship play out, we're reminded of those times we've all given more of ourselves to people who'll just take it. But instead of putting up images specific to each viewer like TWD, I'm Here uses the traditional metaphor to convey it's emotion, but creates the virtual movie theater experience to try and reclaim what internet videos have taken away, that communal experience.

So, what was supposed to be a short post on how awesome The Wilderness Downtown is, it has turned into a crappy pseudo essay on internet film. Just go watch the films for yourself and enjoy.

* It's kind of ironic that in a post of how films are harnessing the web, I write a pretty bland post with only two links. Usually I like to throw out a bunch, and make some jokes, but I didn't want to muddle it up lose the two most important links in the post.**

** That and I'm lazy.

Childish Gambino @ The Bootleg

2010-08-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

I think this was the first concert since this blog started that deepcomputerblue, Stroker Ace and myself attended together (The last was an Atmosphere show in Long Beach that was pretty killer).

Mr. Donald Glover performed his third ever show in this tiny plywood theater last Thursday. I think it was the highest per-capita congregation of beards at a hip-hop show ever. Liking something so cool has never made me feel so uncool and old as when I'm surrounded by so many jeggings, fat Blossom and PBR (though I drank one in an effort be thrifty, only realizing I looked like a douche for a measly $1).

Despite all his professional success, Donald Glover isn't a household name, let alone a recognizable "that guy." After watching him perform, and listening to his lyrics over and over, there is definitely something there. He's attacking pop-culture from all these angles, before people are tired of him in one venue and are cynical of his new ventures.

Anyhow, the show was pretty great. D did a good job of reviewing the album, and he delivered in spades live. It wasn't like the show had crazy energy and he was mind blowing live. Instead, you can see an artist on the verge of breaking through.

Favorite line from the album: I eat more pussy than ALF.

He'll start popping up as a role player in a bunch of feature films. You'll hear his music someplace and when someone says, this is Childish Gambino, you'll be like "yeah, I've heard this before." He'll start popping up in a bunch of Funny or Die videos, there will a Troy and Abed web series to support Community and eventually he'll be starring in movies and selling out the Gibson Amphitheater.

I could totally be wrong, and usually am but definitely check him out either live, download his album or simply watch Community. Anyhow, here's a taste of his show.

Culdesac, Reviewed

2010-07-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that Donald Glover has been involved in a lot of projects recently that I am a fan of. After starting out as a staff writer on 30 Rock he moved on to the cast of Community in one of the funniest roles on the show. Because of this track record I even watched his feature-film debut (with his cohorts in the sketch group Derrick comedy) Mystery Team, which was pretty good (as evidenced by its acceptance into Sundance).

Even with all this goodwill stored up, I was still skeptical at the prospects of his most recent album Culdesac, recorded under the guise of Childish Gambino. Expecting something along the lines of a Lonely Island comedy-esque hip-hop album, I was pleasantly surprised to find instead, as Gambino puts it, "more Nas's Illmatic than Eddie Murphy's Delirious."

Alternating between uptempo, breezy rhymes & soft, high-register croons, Glover uses the persona of Childish Gambino to make sense of the life of someone young, gifted, famous & rich. So, while not a comedy album by any means these are still the writings of a talented comedian, and as such there is an abundance of quality punchline rhymes ("I'm in love with you / but this is not tennis // and baby stays stacked / like she bad at Tetris..").

While some of the R&B tracks fall a little flat for me, the album is solid from start to finish and definitely worth a listen -- especially since it was released online as a free download (@ http://www.culdesac-album.com/).

Overall I give Culdesac 3 out of 5 stars, although I wish that Glover had included a downloadable version of the Mystery Team-centric track, "The Stand" (posted below).

-dk

Amanda Fucking Palmer

2010-07-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

In breaking ukulele news:

On July 20th Amanda will be releasing an EP of Radiohead cover songs titled Amanda Palmer Performs The Popular Hits of Radiohead on Her Magical Ukulele. This EP is AFP’s first independent release since her departure from RoadRunner Records earlier this year and will be available digitally and on a limited edition vinyl.

Yes, Radiohead ukulele covers. Can it get any better? This instrument is really coming into it's own. He's the track listing:

1. fake plastic trees
2. high and dry
3. no surprises
4. idioteque
5. creep (hungover at soundcheck in berlin)
6. exit music (for a film)

AND
a special digital only bonus track:
7. creep (live in prague)

You can read more about Amanda Fucking Palmer and download her album on July 20th.

<a href="http://music.amandapalmer.net/album/idioteque">Idioteque by Amanda Palmer</a>

You've got chocolate in my peanut butter!

2010-07-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

What happens when you combine my two favorite things?

What happens when you combine deepcomputerblue's two favorite things?

And for something truly terrible:

Country Hip Hop Dancing - watch more funny videos

Rock out with your uke out

2010-07-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

I went to a show last night with deepcomputerblue. I'll let him expound on the show, as it was more his bag, tho I definitely enjoyed it.

However, hanging out in the bar at the Troubadour we got to talking about ukulele music and he brought up this gal, Julia Nunes.

Thoroughly entertaining, I now want to see her show on Wednesday at the Echo.

That got me to thinking of my favorite ukulele ingenue, Zee Avi. I wanted to see if she has any shows in LA soon, as I missed the last couple times she was here. Sure enough, she's got the show with Jack Johnson at the Hollywood Bowl in October. It's pretty much sold out, and now I remember it going on sale in March. Such a long time between the on-sale and the show. But that's a whole other rant.

Back to Zee Avi. She, too, started out by posting YouTube videos. Now they're using her music in Oliver Peoples eyeglass campaigns with Shirley Manson and Elijah Wood.

les enfants s'ennuient le dimanche (the children are bored on sundays) from Oliver Peoples on Vimeo.

Ambling Alp Video

2010-06-25T22:29:00.000-07:00

Allow me to write a little bit about the song before addressing the weirdly brilliant video clip. I've been listening to a lot of Yeasayer lately and enjoying their skewed, off-kilter take on synthesizer pop. They sound to me like a very earnest electro-pop rock band that is constantly high on DMT.

"Ambling Alp" is my favorite track off their latest album, Odd Blood. I especially love the randomness that the song is named after an old-timey boxer from the 1920s (Primo Carnera), for seemingly no apparent reason.

ANYWAY, the video, directed by Radical Friend, is kind of high-brow in an avant-garde way. Watching it I know that it is of high quality, but I am not a sophisticated enough student of film to clearly express why; it's like how I feel after watching There Will Be Blood, another evocative film of high quality.

Note: this clip is NSFW due to naked people.

Yeasayer "Ambling Alp" from Team G on Vimeo.

-dk

June 23, 2010

2010-06-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

June 23rd, 2010 wasn't quite the day that June 17th, 1994 was, but still a banner day for sports overall.

After a morning that saw one of the most memorable goals in US soccer history, John Isner & Nicolas Mahut played the longest professional tennis match in history during a first round Wimbledon matchup. (Producing this delirious all-day liveblog from The Guardian.)

Props to punch-drunk for the espn3.com screen grab. I'm proud of humanity for progressing to this point in terms of live sports viewing technology.

-dk

It's Spelled Troubadour

2010-06-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

As a former English major, I'm docking myself points for not picking up the misspell sooner.

In any case -- WHERE'S YOUR COPY EDITING AT, _STONESTHROW_

-dk

Upcoming: Dam-Funk at The Troubador

2010-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

I've become a recent supporter of all things Stones Throw during the run of this blog. I think that part of their success lies in their frequent collaborations outside of the music industry. With a range of products from their own Intelligentsia coffee blend to a Huf-commissioned Mayer Hawthorne t-shirt, you can tell that the powers that be running Stones Throw can sometimes make it seem more of an artist collective than record label.

Following this tradition is their latest project: a printing of concert posters for Dam-Funk's upcoming back-to-back California shows in SF & LA, designed by Minneapolis-based Burlesque of North America.

Just bought my tickets for Saturday night's show at The Troubador. Trying not to get my hopes too high, but the last time I saw a show at the Troubador I ended up blind drunk & talking to Ant from Atmosphere about the difference between 'amphibious' and 'ambidextrous' (still one of my favorite shows ever).

-dk

World Cup Fever

2010-05-20T23:34:00.000-07:00

... and the only prescription is, more soccer!

But seriously, as much as one can take a cynical attitude towards the mega-corporate business monolith that is Nike, their kind of money and cultural cachet can really make for quite the elaborate soccer propaganda. The cameos (e.g. Federer, Kobe, & Homer) were an especially entertaining touch.

My point in all this is to say that I'm super excited for this year's world cup to start in South Africa. I don't know exactly where I'll be for the start of the first US match (June 12 vs England!) but it's sure to be a proper pub with a rowdy soccer crowd, and I'm sure I'll be many a pint deep.

-dk

Butt-Man

2010-05-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

When did the cleverness of porn parody titles fade away? I remember the days when you could walk through those saloon doors and find a copy of Schindler's Fist, Punky Jizzster or Get Shorty... A Towel. Nowadays, there's a new trend in unoriginal and un-punny porn titles. Now it's all [insert original title]: a XXX parody. Granted, some of these look inspired, like the Seinfeld one, or the almost shot for shot (with extra sex) remake of The Big Lebowski, but really, can you come up with something a little better? Aren't there guys out there whose job it is to come up with snappy porn titles? Did this art form get lost after the great writer's strike of ought seven?

This all came about after seeing the latest iteration of this phenomenon. Batman, the XXX Parody. I applaud it for going for the old school Batman show route, and really sexing up Bat-Girl the way I always liked to remember her. Even semen-al (see what I did there?) wacky, big dicked porn thespian Evan Stone plays the Riddler to seemingly perfection.

Get out you bat-cuffs, your bat-lube and your bat-dildo and have at it!

Back to Save the Universe

2010-05-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

I was almost hit by this guy during a high-speed police pursuit.

Basically, I was driving northbound on the 5 when I saw the line of police lights in my rear view, so I pulled into the slow lane and reduced my speed to about 50 mph. I neglected, however, to see that the lights were chasing the aforementioned white truck with the gun-wielding driver. In order to avoid the slowing traffic the guy ended up swerving across three lanes of freeway to scrape by the front-left corner of my Jeep (literally less than six inches away). It was terrifying, to say the least. I reacted by cutting halfway onto the shoulder as twelve to fifteen police vehicles zoomed by me at scary-fast speeds.

I finally made it off the freeway and pulled over to wait for my heart rate to slow. I was immediately taken by the fact that my body was completely adrenalized; that is, all of my senses were heightened, the world seemed in sharper focus overall, and my mind was completely clear of all extraneous thought except for the singular focus on not crashing and/or dying.

It was all very primal and cathartic, and I was immediately reminded of the lyrics to Radiohead's "Airbag."

In a fast German car / I'm amazed that I survived / An airbag saved my life

I've known all along now that the song is written specifically about that post-automobile accident moment where you realize that definitively, yes, you are alive and the resulting surge of adrenaline/endorphins that alters your brain chemistry just enough so that you feel something close to a religious experience while you sit on the side of the road trying to gather your thoughts.

An interstellar burst / I'm back to save the universe

Now, I can say that I completely and fundamentally understand the exact set of feelings that this song is meant to evoke.

-dk

Now Tayne, I Can Get Into

2010-05-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

What happens when you combine PRSR favorites Tim and Eric, with Wet Hot American Summer star Paul Rudd?

Someone should call PETA

2010-04-16T09:58:00.000-07:00

I know it's a team of humans, but this song is so bad, I think it's detrimental to actual marlins. PETA's not in favor of killing animals, but I'm sure everyone is in favor of euthanasing Scott Stapp.

I'll take ICP over Stapp any day. Unless, of course, SS starts wearing face make-up and mixing some Faygo with his liquor and singing about miraculous magnets. What a maroon.

Fucking magnets, how do they work?

2010-04-10T10:43:00.000-07:00

Insane Clown Posse's new video is amazing. In the same way that The Room and Birdemic are amazing. This really makes me embarrassed to be white...

If magic is all we've ever know
Then it's easy to miss what really goes on
But I've seen miracles in every way
And I see miracles everyday
Oceans spanning beyond my sight
And a million stars way above em at night
We don't have to be high to look in the sky
And know that's a miracle opened wide
Look at the mountains, trees, the seven seas
And everything chilling underwater, please
Hot lava, snow, rain and fog
Long neck giraffes, and pet cats and dogs
And I've seen eighty-five thousand people
All in one room, together as equals
Pure magic is the birth of my kids
I've seen shit that'll shock your eyelids
The sun and the moon, and even Mars
The Milky Way and fucking shooting stars
UFOs, a river flows
Plant a little seed and nature grows
Niagara falls and the pyramids
Everything you believed in as kids
Fucking rainbows after it rains
there's enough miracles here to blow your brains
I fed a fish to a pelican at Frisco bay
It tried to eat my cell phone, he ran away
And music is magic, pure and clean
You can feel it and hear it but it can't be seen

Music is all magic
(Are you a believer in miracles)
You can't even hold it
(Do you notice and recognize miracles)
it's just there in the air
(Are you a believer in miracles)
Pure motherfucking magic Right?
This shit'll blow your fucking mind
(Do you notice and recognize miracles)

Music is a lot like love, it's all a feeling
And it fills the room, from the floor to the ceiling
[ Find more Lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.org/RFGe ]
I see miracles all around me
Stop and look around, it's all astounding
Water, fire, air and dirt
Fucking magnets, how do they work?
And I don't wanna talk to a scientist
Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed
Solar eclipse, and vicious weather
Fifteen thousand Juggalos together
And I love my mom for giving me this
Time on this planet, taking nothing for granted
I seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly
Miracles ain't nothing to lie
Shaggy's little boys look just like Shaggy
And my little boy looks just like daddy
Miracles each and every where you look
And nobody has to stay where they put
This world is yours for you to explore
there's nothing but miracles beyond your door
The Dark Carnival is your invitation
To witness that without explanation
Take a look at this fine creation
And enjoy it better with appreciation
Crows, ghosts, the midnight coast
The wonders of the world, mysteries the most
Just open your mind, and it ain't no way
To ignore the miracles of every day

(Are you a believer in miracles)
Magic everywhere in this bitch
(Do you notice and recognize miracles)
it's all around you, you don't even know it
(Are you a believer in miracles) Shit's crazy
(Do you notice and recognize miracles,
So many miracles, the magic miracles)

Are you a believer in miracles
Do you have time for the miracles
Do you notice and recognize miracles
So many miracles, the magic miracles
Are you a believer in miracles
Do you have time for the miracles
Do you notice and recognize miracles
So many miracles, the magic miracles
Are you a believer in miracles
Do you have time for the miracles
Do you notice and recognize miracles
So many miracles, the magic miracles
Are you a believer in miracles
Do you have time for the miracles
Do you notice and recognize miracles
So many miracles, the magic miracles

Here Comes a Feeling You Thought You'd Forgotten

2010-03-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

I forgot how brilliant this video is.

-dk

Slip Mat Envy

2010-03-15T22:40:00.000-07:00

Good God I want the donut-inspired slip mats for my turntables, like, right now.

As an added bonus, you can d/l a Dilla interpolation of Men Without Hats's Safety Dance here.

-dk

Lazy Sunday (Live)

2010-03-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

As much as people may (justifiably) hate on Late Night w Jimmy Fallon, it is clear that he truly understands the cultural zeitgeist of this particular era. From his recruitment of the Roots as his house band, to his Saved by the Bell / California Dreams reunionings, I've come around full circle to supporting his show (even though I will rarely stay up late enough to watch it).

Add to the list this debut live performance of "Lazy Sunday." The set pieces were a nice touch to add narrative flow to the song.

Thinking about this song reminds me that watching Lazy Sunday was the first time that I ever watched a video on youtube. I feel... old?

-dk

SNL: Zach Galifianakis / Vampire Weekend

2010-03-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

So there may have been a point earlier in the television season where I planned to recap and reflect upon SNL music. My plans were thwarted, however, when the show cranked out mediocre artist (Bon Jovi) after mediocre artist (Jennifer Lopez).

Compounding the disappointment was the fact that many recent shows have relied too heavily on recycling established sketch premises.

I was therefore hesitant in expecting too much from last weekend's Zach Galifianakis / Vampire Weekend episode. Zach G did not disappoint, delivering one of the funniest opening monologues in recent memory ("Hoobastank is here!"), although the rest of the actual skits were pretty run-of-the-mill.

The one thing that really grabbed my attention was the Pageant Talk sketch where Zach had shaved off his beard, only to appear during the goodnights re-bearded. It turns out that the beard was shaved during Vampire Weekend's second performance, and a fake beard was applied before the show's close.

ANYWAY, I thought Vampire Weekend sounded worlds better than they did during their first SNL appearance.

And just for kicks, here's some Jorma dancing to VW:

-dk

Tito's!

2010-03-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

There's something to be said for a catchy jingle. Especially when it's for something as delicious as Tito's Tacos. Fuck, I want some tacos now.

Philippinos love Karaoke!

2010-03-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

In the rich tradition of Philippine karaoke singers, I bring you, welter weight champion of the world, Manny Pacquiao!

OK GO

2010-03-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

This is a cool video. Songs kind of boring though. Impressive nonetheless.

Ferguson & Fry

2010-02-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2010/02/24/ferguson-and-fry-rock-late-night-by-having-actual-conversation.aspx

THANK you Dana Stevens for piquing my curiosity and making me check out this awesome conversation.

My immediate thoughts after viewing:

1) @craigfergy has one of the best tattoos ever conceived...

2) @stephenfry has cool socks...

3) loved the discussion of 'twitter' & bandwidth restriction (dating back to the 1700s)...

-dk

The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret

2010-02-23T00:36:00.000-08:00

Was going to write some unique material but instead I'm going to watch this and continue to aggregate existing blog material from the internet:

http://warmingglow.uproxx.com/2010/02/first-episode-of-todd-margaret-online

Much respect to warming glow also for becoming one of my go-to blogs in a relatively short period of existence. Kudos.

-dk

Chrome Mix

2010-02-23T00:17:00.000-08:00

http://stonesthrow.com/news/2010/02/chrome-mix

Some good unreleased tracks on this one. Will definitely give this one a listen.

-dk

Jay-Z & Dave-Z

2010-02-19T21:49:00.000-08:00

Armed with a new laptop (RIP 17" HP, 2005-2010) it's time again to resurrect this blog.

I thought this Jay-Z / Letterman video was really funny; they both came across as very clever, witty dudes.

To complete this thought, another Jay-Z on TV in New York video:

Jay-Z (w/ Bleek & Beans) On Saturday Night Live - Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

-dk

That's why they call him "Stroker Ace"

2009-12-21T18:07:00.000-08:00

Karaoke Klassic

2009-11-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

This has been traveling around the interwebs this week. Finally got to watch during this extremely slow time at work. Enjoy.

Jody Hill

2009-11-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

directed this music video for the Avett Brothers. I dig. The video and the song.

Auto-Tune, Revisited

2009-11-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Sasha Frere-Jones with a short article about the history and employ of Auto-Tune, complete with obligatory T-Pain quotes. Definitely worth a read.

"The Gerbil's Revenge"

-dk

Cult Music Mixed by James Pants

2009-11-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

The latest Stones Throw podcast, courtesy of James Pants. My friend says she's going to marry this dude.

-dk

Live Action Stop Motion

2009-10-28T15:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't listened to this song yet, I just watched the video on silent at work.

This is a reminder that people are out there doing new and interesting things while I retread the same boring paths.

Blah.

It's The Great Pumpkin (Rap), Charlie Brown!

2009-10-27T16:10:00.000-07:00

This just makes me sad.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Hope all the ladies are wearing their slutty ______ costumes! Remember, your skirt can never be too short or top too low cut.

Bonus clip!

Since it's not about music, I thought I'd share it with this post as well. Bill Simmons on Kenny Mayne's webshow. Speaking of Simmons and Halloween, check out his mail bag intro from a couple weeks ago.

Kanye & Spike Jonze - We Were Once a Fairytale

2009-10-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Because I am a long-time Kanye mark and I read his (supposedly self-authored) blog regularly, I caught this ten-minute short film collaboration with Spike Jonze that was subsequently taken down a couple days after I watched it. The internet being what it is, however, I've embedded another version I found online, so watch it before it gets taken down, even if it does run a bit long in parts.

Some interesting points:

1) The song playing in the club while Kanye is drunk is "Tell Everybody That You Know," a line from which is used as the title of the short (we were once a fairytale / but this is farewell).

2) The song on the radio when Kanye is either banging some random chick/couch is Mayer Hawthorne's "When I Said Goodbye," the b-side to the "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out" single off of Stones Throw. Hearing that song was probably my favorite part of the whole clip.

3) At the climax, I thought back to this video. Pretty similar.

4) What with this film and the recent Where the Wild Things Are adaptation, Spike Jonze has pretty much cornered the market on creepy puppets.

-dk

Vampire Weekend - Horchata

2009-10-15T14:16:00.001-07:00

I still don't know if I like Vampire Weekend or not, although I know some people who find them to be quite good (Jeff).

I do know that I like it when bands give away new music for free. I also know that I like horchata the beverage--the song I think is also not too bad.

Take a listen, or d/l for free yourself at vampireweekend.com

-dk

[SNL Music] Regina Spektor

2009-10-15T00:53:00.001-07:00

I actually haven't had a chance to watch the full episode yet, but I did catch one of the two musical performances in real time this past Saturday night. Not helping matters was that I was pretty drunk off German beer (Spaten) and, at the time, concentrating more on drunken Jenga than Regina Spektor, aka Brooklyn Tori Amos 2.0.

All I really remember is having SNL on in the background during the aforementioned Jenga session, stopping to turn up the volume for the musical performance, only to quickly turn the volume back off and return to Jenga.

Although I would say that I am a fan of Regina Spektor (though not a very big fan), I think that my recollection of her performance, foggy as it is, speaks for itself.

-dk

Mayer Hawthorne - The Ills

2009-10-10T01:32:00.000-07:00

Found this most excellent youtube clip for my favorite song off Mayer's Strange Arrangement: "The Ills." The visuals really capture the feel of the 1970s Curtis Mayfield-esque rollicking bass line.

Loved the official description from the front page of stonesthrow.com :

"PRETTY SWEET VIDEO SOME TOTAL RANDI MADE ON YOUTUBE".

-dk

Greatest Hits

2009-10-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

Had some spare time recently and I went back and read through a lot of the posts I originally glanced over in the interests of busier times past. Here are some posts I thought were worth another read-through:

[sa] As much as I hate the regrettable 'morning-after-excessive-drinking' feeling, reading this made me feel like it was a kind of sacred rite of passage.

[pd] Matt eulogizes Indie 103.1.

[sa] I still really need to listen to this Portishead record.

[pd] A good meditation on how M. Doughty's music inevitably reflects the experience of living in New York City, one of the greatest cities on the planet.

[dk] I was wearing my faux-music critic hat for this one.

-dk

[SNL Music] Lady Gaga

2009-10-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

I finally had a chance to sit down and enjoy an episode of SNL. I actually thought Ryan Reynolds would be funnier within the format of the show, but it seems like there was a lot more attention paid to big-name cameos (Madonna, ScarJo, Elijah Wood, et al.) throughout the episode.

That being said, there were some musically noteworthy moments.

The Digital Short ("On the Ground") was pretty good--or at least better than either of the two that aired during last week's season premiere. Others might disagree, however, as it's already been established that your humble authors are all pretty big TLI marks. (dk, & pd for example.) I enjoyed the parody of angry, self-righteous 'underground' hip-hop. It felt like a Def Jux b-side.

As for Gaga, I came away thinking that she was a talented and charismatic performer, but also that perhaps dame Gaga might think her music is more culturally important than it will eventually become regarded. Kanye (incidentally, who until recently was supposed to embark on a tour with Gaga) I feel may also think this same way.

The second performance was Gaga's best, involving a piano, copious amounts of stage fog and metallic, gyroscoping rings. Head writer Seth Meyers tweeted that it was a top-5 musical performance for him in all his years on the show. I'm not sure what to make of that, though.

-dk

Here's the digi short

[SNL Music] U2

2009-09-27T21:24:00.001-07:00

So I was thinking for this upcoming season of SNL (its 35th) I would keep track of the musical guests and offer my two cents.

As it's been a pretty busy week for me, I didn't really have a chance to sit down and watch all of the episode on my DVR. And I only really watched U2's first song. It was pretty good. I think they did a third song during the goodnights.

ANYWAY, hopefully I will have something more substantive to say about future musical guests, and it is likewise hoped that others have commentary as well.

-dk

DJ Hero Daft Punk Trailer [HD]

2009-09-21T17:01:00.003-07:00

I've been waiting for this game ever since sucking at it at Family Fun Arcade.

Awesome

999 Follow Up

2009-09-09T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I made it out to the Pasadena leg of Peanut Butter Wolf's 999 tour and could not have been happier with the 90's goodness. He started off the all-video set with Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me" from The Big Lebowski mixed into Stone Temple Pilots' "Vasoline" mixed into some Tupac, which sounds pretty incongruous yet rocked pretty hard.

Anyhow, I checked out PBW's tour blog and noticed this snippet:

After the show, a guy asks me if I meant to play that song when the police officers came in and I said “no, what song?” he proceeds to explain that I played “Sound Of The Police” by KRS-One just as 2 uniformed police officers came in. Oops.

The aforementioned guy? Totally me.

-dk

Blueprint 3

2009-09-03T20:25:00.001-07:00

My favorite track off the new Jay-Z.

-dk

Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) - Jay-Z

Superjail

2009-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Superjail is my new favorite Cartoon Network show. The right level of weirdness, and just enough of a plot to keep me interested. The animation is a mix of Mike Judge and Rob Zombie. David Wain voices the Warden and it's got a cool theme song.

Every episode begins with a petty thief getting caught and taken to Superjail. Here is a compilation of the openings.

(It's Time For) Sports!

2009-08-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I've learned in trying to consistently write in this blog, it's that it can be difficult to focus for extended periods of time on the music world at large. For that reason, I'd like to really explore the studio space here and express my excitement for the upcoming months of sports.

To recap, we are in the home stretch of the (interminably long) baseball season, which means that playoff baseball and the World Series are only a couple months away.

Just three weeks ago the English Premier League kicked off, and I already have a feeling from the first games that it will be an exciting season. I've decided to throw my support from here on out behind Manchester United (the New York Yankees of the EPL), which I defend by pointing out that they have a Korean-born player (Ji-Sung Park), and also that United's games are broadcast liberally stateside. Jeff has already told me that he will be supporting Liverpool this year--Matt, you need to jump on a team as well.

And of course we have the NFL season right around the corner and the NBA/NHL starting about a month after that. All in all, it is a good time of the year for sport.

-dk

PS: the Tim & Eric song is awesome.

I got that taco smell...

2009-08-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

..and pizza gut.

As bad as this song is, it's infinitely more entertaining and listenable than Hollywood Undead.

Now if they can work KFC into the mix, we'll have a real winner.

The Return of The Rappin' Reverend

2009-08-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

I Aint Into That (Short Version) - The Rappin Reverend Dr. C. Dexter Wise, III

I like this song so much that I cut the mp3 out of the podcast and uploaded it to imeem for your listening pleasure...

-dk

Peanut Butter Wolf's 9-night 90s Tour

2009-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to check this out. I'll definitely be going to the Pasadena show 9/4 if anyone wants to go with me.

http://www.stonesthrow.com/news/2009/08/999

-dk

The 80's

2009-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

I wish I had some other insights to share on the 80's, but really I just wanted to share this picture. I nabbed it off SorryIMissedYourParty.com and it's almost perfect. Besides the framed picture of a De Lorean and the leather jackets, I love that they're doing coke of a mirror that says "cocaine" in the Coca-Cola font.

Basically, all I know about the 80's are from John Hughes movies, American Psycho, KROQ Flash Back Lunches (though they're Rock of the 90's lunches now, I hear), and the first season of Saved by the Bell.

Generally, I dislike the eighties. Maybe I'm just jealous I didn't get to listen to Huey Lewis and the News, wear a leather jacket over my sleeveless shirt, don a wispy mustache and have coke benders in the basement.

Things I Fucking Hate

2009-08-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

Maybe I'm becoming a crotchity old man before my time, but I can't stand this song by this band.

The band is The Hollywood Undead and the song is "Everywhere I Go." I had the pleasure of hearing this song for the firs time on KROQ on Friday night on the way to a friends house. I instantly hated it and the fact it was on the Furious Five at 9 made me hate KROQ and Nicole Alvarez even more (I CAN'T STAND THAT BITCH (yes, all caps)). Then, I heard it on the way home, first song when I got in the car. Then, a number of other times over the weekend.

Fuck this song, and fuck KROQ. They're making KLSX killer AMP Radio a viable option. What was edgy and different and goofy nine or ten years ago is just a tired retread. It feels like a bad version of Eminem. These guys are stuck in a hipster vortex, when people do lame things because it's funny in an ironic way, like going to an ugly sweater Christmas party. Then, it becomes and obsession, find the ugliest clothes, but not because it's ironic. They've gone too deep into irony and now the stuff looks good to them. They dress hideous because they like how it looks.

The Hipster Vortex has claimed this band. These guys just take it way too serious. It's past being a joke and fun and to a point where these guys are trying to be serious. The video doesn't seem like a send up of popular hip-hop culture, it seems like a retread. They're just a bad version of what they're trying to do.

And of course, becuase they're white, KROQ is playing it. When was the last black hip-hop artist KROQ played? Cyprus hill? Is that it?

Fuck this band, fuck KROQ, and fuck me for being stuck a world where this is a real song.

Dam-Funk & The Rappin' Reverend

2009-07-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to the new Stones Throw podcast, a Dam-Funk mix called "Spiritual Flight." The whole thing is really worth a listen, but I'm absolutely blown away by the 4th track: THE RAPPIN' REVEREND DR. C. DEXTER WISE, III - “I Ain't Into That” (Short Version) ~ 1986 12” | Fantasy Records.

My initial assumption was that this was not a real person. I was wrong.

As the " Rappin' Reverend " , Dr. Wise recorded his first rap album "I Ain't Into That! " which was the number one song on the number one rhythm and blues station in Detroit, Michigan. The song soared to number fourteen on the dance charts in London, England in the summer of 1987. Other Rappin' Reverend publications are his book " I Ain't Into That! " (The Book) and his rap album, "Crack Attack". There is also a book called Be A Man which compliments his rap song on male responsibility. Also in connection with this, The Rappin’ Reverend went on a fifty school tour and in ninety days got more than 18,000 Columbus Ohio school children to make public commitments to live drug free, crime free and alcohol free lives.

[mind blown]
-dk

90s Radio

2009-06-27T10:35:00.000-07:00

Since Stockton isn't big enough to have its own radio stations, we have to pilfer Sacramento's stations. You can imagine my despair when I heard that the only modern rock station in town was changing formats. That is until I heard that it was becoming an all 90s station, "106.5 The Buzz." Its become my go-to spot on the radio dial. Where else can I hear 4 Non Blondes, Beck, Notorious BIG, and Dee-Lite all in a row? They even have the Snapple lady reading your letters and questions. Check it out:
www.90sbuzz.com

Jorma

2009-06-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Bill Hader looks genuinely not pleased with this moment.

(Wolf)Man Man

2009-05-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

I fucking love this band. It looks like they're making the video leap, folks like Fred Armisen on board, higher production values. I'm excited.

Hopefully they'll come back to town soon, they're an amazing act to see live.

The 100 Greatest Underground Hip Hop Songs of the Last 15 Years

2009-05-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

If you could not tell, I am one of the last people qualified to make this list, but I know Stroker Ace and deepcomputerblue will have some thoughts.

Enjoy.

You're a Zero

2009-05-12T13:09:00.000-07:00

Really diggin' on the new Yeah Yeah Yeah's album, It's Blitz. It's a continuation of their sound evolution. There are less manic riffs than Fever to Tell had; it seems like they're following that natural progression that bands have as they get older and more successful. Songs start to mellow out a bit, maybe more ballads. The new songs, work, however, and don't diverge from what they've done before, but rather, expand.

The new song Zero, is a good example of a song that bridges the albums. There are a couple tracks that are basically dance songs, but with the YYY sensibility, and other songs broach the Arcade Fire territory, which, I think, are fucking rad.

The main thing, though, is that there are songs that I can just picture live. I have yet to go to a YYY's show (because Ticketmaster sucks so much ass), but I can just feel the live vibe from them and imagine where in the set list this song might go. I think it's track 4 or 5 (put the album in and just play it, then I learn the song titles after playing the album a few times through).

I will say, Karen O is the pin-up girl for this website, but a good rule of thumb for me is to just listen to the music and stay out of my favorite artists personal life. Likewise, I enjoy when they stay out of mine. So I have no idea how much of her stage wardrobe bleeds into her regular life, and I hope I never know, so it won't tarnish how much I enjoy the music. Luckily, I don't think they'll ever be so big she'll be in People magazine, and she's kinda funny looking, so I think she's safe.

More Auto-Tune Fun

2009-04-29T15:34:00.000-07:00

Even babies are getting in on the action.

Ben MF Gordon

2009-04-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Watching bulls @ celtics game 5 on tnt. Shaping up to be a great series--here's a clip of Ben Gordon grabbing his crotch:

http://deadspin.com/5228598/a-ball+grabbing-good-time-at-the-united-center

I love NBA basketball come playoff time.

Lyrics I can relate to: Louis Logic

2009-04-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

I would like to start putting up some examples of lyrics that I find especially entertaining, poignant, or, most importantly, that sound like I would have written them. You know, if I had artistic talent and knew Engrish better. I submit for the approval of the Midnight Society a song called "Morning After Pill" by Louis Logic. In it he examines his relationship with alcohol and it's inevitable effects on your psyche the following morning. He also talks about how a pill which cures hangovers would essentially change his life, or at least his partying habits. I first heard this song on a hangover day at about 3 pm, which is about when the shame from the night before starts subsiding and the late-afternoon depression upon realizing what a beautiful day you squandered starts to set in. So this song always stuck with me and if my career path eventually leads me into pharmaceutical research, you can bet I'll be searching for a hangover cure (the "drinker's morning after pill" as opposed to the "slutty girl's morning after pill").

Song: www.imeem.com/toolinmind/music/-n4p13Yy/louis-logic-jj-brown-morning-after-pill/
Lyrics: www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858752418/

Auto-Tune the News

2009-04-23T17:08:00.001-07:00

This is brilliant. Thank you, gizmodo...

3 Clips

2009-04-18T01:38:00.001-07:00

Here are some music videos I enjoy. The common theme uniting them is that their respective directors have gone on to bigger and better things in Hollywood (ie, helming feature films).

The Chemical Brothers |MTV Music

[ The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be (1999) ] Directed by Michel Gondry. This video is wildly virtuosic, if a bit insubstantive. Note around the 2:40 mark how the multiple dancer heads play with perspective--perhaps an early influence on this video (and Conan's cube-like head)??

Notorious B.I.G. |MTV Music

[ Notorious B.I.G. - Sky's the Limit (1997) ] Directed by Spike Jonze. It's no secret that your humble authors are fans of Mr. Jonze. I particularly enjoy this video because it hits all of the late 90s hip-hop cliches with a decidedly Jonzeian tongue-in-cheek sensibility.

Ice Cube |MTV Music

[ Ice Cube - It Was a Good Day (1993) ] Directed by F. Gary Gray. I don't know much about F. Gary Gray except that I think he has a really cool name. Fast forward to the 3 minute mark to see how Cube wakes up his late-night hookup--one of my all-time favorite unintentional comedy moments.

Rise of the Phoenix (witty, huh?)

2009-04-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

While I realize that just about everyone who reads this blog also follows SNL, I felt obligated to point out what a tremendous job Phoenix did last Saturday. Having only heard one of their songs prior to this, I was curious to see what they were all about. Their performances of Lisztomania and 1901 (both from their upcoming release Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, due in May) were absolutely flawless. Phoenix has managed to launch itself onto my very exclusive list of artists which I will happily part with my hard-earned money for. Kudos, Frenchies.
Random thoughts from their performance:
-They look genuinely happy to be there, unlike a lot of the "too cool for school" bands that play SNL
-The little Indian-looking drummer is f'ing awesome. I wish every drummer played with that much gusto. (Though he appears to not be an official member of the band, which is a disappointment.)

DOOM Like This

2009-04-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

DOOM (formerly MF Doom) has been one of my top five MCs since the release of Madvillainy. And even though his production skills are not quite up to the level of his sublimely hazy, stream-of-consciousness flow, I still dig his use of sample material that sounds like it's been lifted straight off of a 60s superhero cartoon TV show.

That being said, my fondness for DOOM has exponentially increased with the release of his latest album, Born Like This. Not only is the title in reference to a Bukowski line from "Dinosauria, We", but Bukowski's reading of the poem is also sampled for the track "Cellz." I wanted to find some more about the new album and came across this quote from a Rolling Stone blog post:

“Don’t freak with old Buke. Buke is nice. He’s as good as the rest of the rappers on there,” Doom says. “He kind of sets the tone for the record, being that we’re living in what he was kind of describing. He might’ve been reaching for the worst description based on what he saw us heading to, but it happened and that made me go, ‘Wow, that’s ill. Kinda prophetic words.’ ”

Bonus points to DOOM for correct usage of the nickname (although the transcription should have read 'Buk').

As for my quick thoughts on the new album: "Wow, that's ill. Kinda prophetic words."

Here's a youtube for "Cellz"

Those Wild Things

2009-03-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

If you have friends like mine, you've no doubt seen the WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE trailer. It's directed by Spike Jonze from the cherished children's book of the same name and it looks amazing.

Particularly of note is the choice of song, "Wake Up" by Arcade Fire and I loves me some Arcade Fire. It just flows together so well, and captures the mood of the movie so effectively. There was a discussion going on at work about how a song can be so intrinsically tied to a movie where you hear that song, and you think of that movie. It came up with M.I.A and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS and I think the same thing is going to happen for FAST AND FURIOUS and the Does It Offend You, Yeah* song. I think that song rocks, and it almost makes me want to see that movie. I think the same can happen for this film. That "Wake Up" comes on the radio the next six months, and you'll see the trailer. Such a good song.

I've been a fan of the Fire (we're that close) for a while now. "No Cars Go" is perhaps one of my favorite songs. Ever. So if a movie can effectively use their music, I'm all on board. If it's a good adaptation of a book we all loved as kids, even better. If Spike Jonze is helming the project, I couldn't ask for anything more.

In the words of The Guys, "I jizz in my pants."

Here's the link to see the trailer in full HD glory (rather than posting a YouTube link that will be down in a day or two).

*I always forget if this is the name of the band or the song. Also, I don't remember the name of the song.

P.O.S. covers Pearl Jam

2009-03-27T07:23:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the re-release of Pearl Jam's masterpiece Ten, MTV2 asked artists to do covers. POS (member of the Rhymsayers camp and frequent tour partner with Atmosphere) did a pretty interesting one.

Band Names

2009-03-23T19:32:00.000-07:00

[A running list...]

"The Gamma Knife"

"Young Youth" *

"Failure to Thrive" **

[To be continued...]

* -- from a Rilke short story

** -- from my buddy Brad's NCAA bracket name

Retro

2009-03-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

I like 8-bit video games. I like hip-hop. Sometimes, it's just that simple.