January 12th, 2010
For posterity, a few links to stuff written elsewhere that you may or may not be interested in perusing. If not, may you be subjected to a fate worse than Jeff Zucker. First, humor me as I again shill for The Stylus Decade. The lists and essays are done and the site is destined to molder in the digital dust bin until some dim-witted nostalgist spends a fortune to reanimate something that was only marginally successful in its prime. If Ruport Murdoch did it for Family Guy, all hope is not lost. Besides, as far as eccentric humor and jangled misanthropy goes, you will not find anything better than Stewart Voeglin’s “10 Years of Stylus Magazine: Success Will Write Apocalypse Across the Sky,” the best Decade recap I read all year. If you ever wondered what I thought about Supreme Clientele and the Marshall Mathers LP, you can find out here and there. I enjoy them.
For the LAT, I enumerated “10 Reasons to Be Cautiously Optimistic about Hip-Hop in 2010.” The major label system is somehow decadent and decrepit and many of the gifted producers of this generation have drifted down the dolo blunted beat road. I know. But there is more good rap music being made today than at any point since there was good rap music being made. I’m sure I left things out. The planets will continue their rotation. Lastly, The LA Weekly ran a Best LA Albums of the Decade feature. I handled Donuts and Quasimoto’s The Unseen. If you don’t think Donuts is an LA album as one sage commenter opined, you overlook the facts of its Cedars-Sinai inception, the LA label that put it out, and the seismic impact it wrought on the Low End crew. It is also, of course, a Detroit album. If you still do not agree, then your bell went wrong wrong wrong.
Posted in Miscellany | 4 Comments »
July 31st, 2009
Ideal prescriptions for remedying a foul mood Friday:
1. Eating: Greasy spoon breakfast–vegetarian omelette (cheese + avocado essential), fresh fruit, raisin toast, strong coffee.
2. Reading: Tom Wolfe, “The Right Stuff.” Raymond Chandler, “The Long Goodbye.”
3. Listening: Y.G.’s “I Need Weed.” Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 leak–Raekwon + Meth + Deck + Ghost + Dilla, “House of Flying Daggers.” Brand-new 14 and a half minute Dungen psych freakout with garbled unpronounceable Swedish name.
4. Goals: Realizing Y.G.’s ambition. Cotton Candy Kush recommended.
5. Activities: Pink Dollaz concert. House party.
Voila.
Download:
MP3: Y.G.-”I Need Weed”
MP3: Raekwon ft. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck-”House of Flying Daggers”
MP3: Dungen-”Samtidigt”
Posted in Miscellany | 2 Comments »
November 27th, 2008
A happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Thank you for continuing to read these pretentious polemics–the support is much appreciated. Really, now is the time for us all to give thanks that we’re not being ruled by a gang of ascetic Pilgrims with a predilection for butter churning and ruffled shirts. After all, take a look at good ol’ John Winthrop above; something tells me he wouldn’t have been too into Zappa.
Download:
MP3: Tyrannosaurus Rex-”The Pilgrim’s Tale”
MP3: Frank Zappa-”Lonesome Electric Turkey”
MP3: David Crosby-”Wild Turkey (a.k.a. Leather Winged Bat)”
Posted in Miscellany | 4 Comments »
November 25th, 2008
I’d have been inclined to post on Confessions of a Would-Be Hipsters’ new compilation off blog name alone, but when I found out that the proceeds would benefit Los Angeles’ longest-running homeless shelter, The Midnight Mission, it was a no-brainer.
Available for $10 digital purchase at E-Junkie, the album features exclusive original holiday songs from such local favorites as Earlimart, The Monolators, Great Northern, Princeton and recent Asthmatic Kitty signees, Fol Chen.
More info about the compilation and a complete tracklisting can be found here.
Download:
MP3: Let’s Go Sailing-”Icicles (Plastic Snow Session)”
* * *
While I’ve got you on the line, thought I might also share the above video from New York’s The Sniper Twins. I tend not to ride for anything remotely resembling white people ironic rap, save for unreleased Passion of the Weiss classic “Ain’t Nuthin’ But a Hipster Party.” Granted, there’s probably something a bit too Samberg-esque about “Stack the Memory,” but it made me laugh when I was sober. So, there’s that.
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November 20th, 2008
- Stuttering to the Airport Courthouse through the steely sludge of A.M. gridlock, I considered the irony of someone selecting me for jury duty. God knows that were the law to nab me for the illegal chimpanzee knife fights I hold in my parking lot, I’d be the last person I’d want on my jury. After all, I’m prone to gross generalizations, chimerical conspiracy theories and a keen avidity for the palliative properties of a medical marijuana prescription. Unfortunately, so is the rest of this county. I feared I was doomed.
- If you get called for jury duty, show up late. Bucking the inherent absurdity of an 8:00 a.m. arrival time, I showed up at five to nine; partially to protest the unholy wake-up call, partially on my correct hunch that the system of justice works on weed head time. More importantly, I wore a t-shirt of a halter-topped woman with a chainsaw. Which, I assumed, would either have me dismissed by noon or stop any and all garrulous goons from starting a conversation with me. (There is only one garrulous Goon, I respect and admire. Well, him and Mike Smrek).
- Waiting in the jury selection room is one of the more gruesomely dull experiences imaginable, though it was kind of weird to see a grim camaraderie settle in. At one point, despite my tacky t-shirt, I found a woman sympathetic to my wild jabbering about the lack of a coffee machine in the vicinity. It was ridiculous; I can’t even tie my shoes while un-caffeinated, let alone render fair and impartial justice.
- Living in Los Feliz/Silverlake, surrounded by a bunch of junior petite, Sparks victims, creates bit of a bubble. At a quick glance, the jury pool looked like the fat, floating coach potatoes from Wal-E, albeit with less cool robots and more blackberries. When I ate an apple at snack break, people looked at me like I was swallowing a gallon of arsenic-laced water.
- Only in Los Angeles will they try to get you amped for jury duty by boasting framed plaques of the various celebrities who had also opted to serve their community rather than face prison or hefty fines. By the computers, I was accosted by signs that read: “Now Playing at a Courthouse Near You: Jury Service, with a cast of hundreds of thousands, starring [insert photo of of celebrity here].” Among the bold-faced names included, Ed Asner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Harrison Ford, Weird Al and bafflingly, Judge Lance Ito. The meta nature was too much for me. I wanted to collapse. Instead, I tried to check my gmail on the abysmally slow court-supplied desktop. A new song from Vince P and Justice? Hmm….
- I’m embarrassed how rattled I got around 4:00 p.m., when they started randomly selecting jurors to go home. The losers would have to continue to another court room to potentially serve six more days. The Founding Fathers had promoted the virtues of a fair trial by jury. Men had died for that and other Democratic principles. And here I was, crossing my fingers, my toes and praying to my pocket-sized Jobu-like Devendra Banhart doll (now available at Insound). When they called my name, I felt like I was an NBA lottery pick, except much poorer, shorter and with less vertical leap. To paraphrase the great Homer, I had embodied the American way: you don’t quit your job, you just do in a half-assed fashion.
Download:
MP3: Chef Raekwon-”Jury”
MP3: 2Pac-”Only God Can Judge Me”
Posted in Miscellany | 11 Comments »
October 30th, 2008
I ask you this, people of America: what exactly do we know about this so-called Tito the Builder character and why have we never seen him and Tito Santana in the same room? I want answers, Palin, and I want them now.
Download:
MP3: Santana-”Evil Ways”
See Also:
Posted in Miscellany | 2 Comments »
October 29th, 2008
Via the inimitable Alfred Soto, comes this 1984 Buchanan/Braden Program clip, featuring Gore Vidal at his most mordant: alleging that Lincoln was syphilitic, eviscerating the idea of the film auteur, and dismissing Ernest Hemingway as a glorified Field and Stream writer with a gift for publicity.
Download:
MP3: Rakim-”New York (Ya Out There)”
Posted in Miscellany | 4 Comments »
October 7th, 2008
I was supposed to type up my interview with Bishop Lamont but instead decided to watch the last half of the Red Sox-Angels Game. As Goodie Mobb once eloquently put it: “Decisions, Decisions.” After watching the Angels blow the game, I have decided to salve my wounds by watching old Woody Allen clips from You Tube. I trust you’ll understand.
The above clip, where Woody interviews Billy Graham, comes from a short-lived variety show from the late 60s. Part two, Woody on The Dean Martin show and a short film of him being interviewed by Jean-Luc Godard are below. In the meantime, Go Lakers.
Part 2
Woody Allen on the Dean Martin Show
Meeting with Woody Allen (Non French-Speakers Might Want to Fast-Foward to the Two and a Half Minute Mark on Part I)
Part I
Part II
Part III
Download:
MP3: Bob Dylan-”Song For Woody”
MP3: Bob Dylan-”Last Thoughts on Woody (Guthrie)”
MP3: Goodie Mobb-”Decisions, Decisions”
Posted in Miscellany | 5 Comments »
June 3rd, 2008
If you’re around the Eastside tonight, head over the Blue Goose Lounge at 5201 Sunset Blvd. (across the street from Safari Sam’s) for the Comedy Coalition’s bi-weekly showcase. Along with several others, the event is being co-promoted by Ian “Sexy Results” Cohen and goes from 8:30-11:00. Comics include Adam Devine, Matt Champagne, Bret Ernst, Patrick Keene, Jacob Sirof, Nate Craig, John Roy. I can assure you that it will be funnier than a very special episode of Blossom. Whoa.
Posted in Miscellany | 1 Comment »
