Photo Roundup

Straight Outta San Jo!

Here's a real cool article about NWA and the posse, and where all the members ended up after they parted ways:

http://www.laweekly.com/2010-05-06/music/whatever-happened-to-n-w-a-s-posse/

Despite the difference in scale, it's interesting to see how connections were made and broken, how some of the guys became superstars while others faded away, not unlike some of the people I know.

This is for you!

Who's going to the next Gathering of the Juggalos with me?

Babies

Courtesy of the always great My Third Eyeball.

The D.O.C. It's Funky Enough

Spose - I'm Awesome

I just read this article about another rapper from Maine named Dray who has this to say about Spose: "I think it takes away from the real rap, it puts comic on that, and it's harder for people to take guys like me seriously." Why wouldn't Spose be considered real rap? Because he's self-deprecating? Because his song doesn't fulfill some fantastic stereotype to which all rappers must adhere? Is Snoop Dogg real rap? That guy's been a total clown for years now. Has he ever heard Rapper's Delight, you know, that really old rap song? There's a verse about eating bad chicken and needing some kaopectate in it!

I only heard Spose for the first time one hour ago, but I find it annoying that someone as wack as Dray Senior would have the gall to discredit someone else as fake when his best line is "I'm like Hammer in his prime." Is it "real rap" to have 5 myspace pages? Are clean versions of your songs "real"? Does being the hardest gangsta from the mean streets of Portland, Maine make you "the best rapper alive"? Hardly. You're not even the best rapper in Maine.

The Big Bonanza

This looks like the best anime I've never seen.

Rock It Hard

RAAAAAAAANDY!!!

I have fallen in love with Aziz Ansari's alter-ego Raaaaaaaandy. Pure genius. Low-brow genius.

Spanish Bombs

Does anyone else think that Joe Strummer and Mineta Kazunobu have similar voices? Both sort of airy and hoarse.

Time to pay a parking ticket... who wants to buy zines off of me??? Billz billz billz.

Nobody says that many "bros" if they're not drunk!

28 Drinks Later from Futuristic Films on Vimeo.

A Retrospective on FIve Years of Last.fm

1st track: Unknown - Unknown * ---
1000th track: Unknown - Unknown * ---
2000th track: Unknown - Unknown * ---
3000th track: SPARTA LOCALS - ƒ[ƒ‹ƒh 10 May 2005
4000th track: The Bruce Lee Band - 04 31 May 2005
5000th track: SPARTA LOCALS - Party 26 Jul 2005
6000th track: Crimpshrine - Summertime 31 Aug 2005
7000th track: Les Savy Fav - Hello Halo, Goodbye Glands 21 Sep 2005
8000th track: Dinosaur Jr. - The Post 13 Oct 2005
9000th track: N.W.A - Quiet on tha Set 25 Oct 2005
10000th track: Q and Not U - District Night Prayer 08 Nov 2005
11000th track: Operation Ivy - Bad Town 30 Nov 2005
12000th track: Blockhead - Cash 13 Dec 2005
13000th track: Breakfast - Vertigo 02 Jan 2006
14000th track: Stevie Wonder - Part-Time Lover 02 Mar 2006
15000th track: Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot 23 Apr 2006
16000th track: Scared of Chaka - Time's Up 07 May 2006
17000th track: Earth, Wind & Fire - September 07 Jun 2006
18000th track: Shinobu - boourns 22 Jun 2006
19000th track: Operation Ivy - Smiling 02 Sep 2006
20000th track: The Weakerthans - Illustrated Bible Stories for Children 16 Sep 2006
21000th track: 銀杏BOYZ - No Future No Cry 04 Oct 2006
22000th track: Miles Davis - Moon Dreams 31 Oct 2006
23000th track: Common Rider - Toss Around 14 Nov 2006
24000th track: Slow Gherkin - Shed Some Skin 29 Nov 2006
25000th track: I Need Sleep - Parasite 11 Dec 2006
26000th track: Yuri Misumi - The Wonderful Star's Walk Is Wonderful 22 Dec 2006
27000th track: Zazen Boys - No Time 10 Jan 2007
28000th track: Modest Mouse - Doin' the Cockroach 27 Jan 2007
29000th track: Slow Gherkin - Baby Snake 10 Feb 2007
30000th track: Jawbreaker - Boxcar 08 Mar 2007
31000th track: Skankin' Pickle - The Dub 27 Mar 2007
32000th track: 曽我部恵一 - 3つの部屋 13 Apr 2007
33000th track: Beastie Boys - Time to Get Ill (Instrumental) 25 Apr 2007
34000th track: Daft Punk - Aerodynamic 07 May 2007
35000th track: Leatherface - Baked Potato 22 May 2007
36000th track: Jawbreaker - Pack it Up 12 Jun 2007
37000th track: Hüsker Dü - Beyond the Threshold 06 Jul 2007
38000th track: Dinosaur Jr. - Almost Ready 25 Jul 2007
39000th track: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Da Introduction 01 Oct 2007
40000th track: 東京事変 - Metro 17 Oct 2007
41000th track: Fruity - Love Your Tummy (Live) 31 Oct 2007
42000th track: Dinosaur Jr. - No Bones 21 Nov 2007
43000th track: Bad Manners - Mafia 05 Dec 2007
44000th track: Billy Bragg - The Busy Girl Buys Beauty 22 Dec 2007
45000th track: 2Pac - Keep Ya Head Up 11 Jan 2008
46000th track: Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Barstool Blues 01 Feb 2008
47000th track: A Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation 21 Feb 2008
48000th track: Beastie Boys - Something's Got To Give 11 Mar 2008
49000th track: The Constantines - Goodbye Baby & Amen 29 Mar 2008
50000th track: Public Enemy - Welcome To The Terrordome (1990) 18 Apr 2008
51000th track: The Cherry Tempo - A Conjoining Sense of Togetherness 10 May 2008
52000th track: MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS - ???? 05 Jun 2008
53000th track: Guided by Voices - Hot Freaks 24 Jun 2008
54000th track: Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part 4 08 Apr 2009
55000th track: Violent Children - Live free or die 19 Apr 2009
56000th track: Dr. Dre - LOLO (INTRO) Featuring Xzibit 28 Apr 2009
57000th track: Buffalo Daughter - Counter Parrot 17 May 2009
58000th track: 2Pac - California Love feat. Dr. Dre 16 Jun 2009
59000th track: four tomorrow - About my unclearly far fuckin' tomorrow song 30 Jun 2009
60000th track: Perfume - love the world 24 Jul 2009
61000th track: 矢野顕子 - Denwasen 24 Aug 2009
62000th track: Gucci Crew II - Sally (That Girl) 17 Sep 2009
63000th track: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down - Bag of Hammers 19 Oct 2009
64000th track: Still Flyin' - Dead Memory Man 07 Nov 2009
65000th track: 7Seconds - Out Of Touch (Live) 19 Nov 2009
66000th track: 細野晴臣 - 北京ダック 30 Nov 2009
67000th track: Yellow Magic Orchestra - Rydeen 19 Dec 2009

It's Not a Day Wasted

Seeing the Slow Gherkin reunion last week had me thinking all sorts of stupid tripe that I wasn't sure should really be put out in to the ether, but here I find myself on the toilet pooping and typing away while the Wire plays in the next room.

Slow Gherkin played such a big part in my development as a person, insomuch as that music has played a huge role in my life, and Slow Gherkin is one of the few lasting musical influences in my life that has withstood the transition from teenager with poor taste to balding young adult with slightly less questionable taste. I was never under the illusion that Slow Gherkin were superstars of any sort, but always thought of them as a band that had made it. A touring band, with records on Asian Man Records, playing all across the country and around the world. I was just happy that I could see them locally a million times a year if I so chose, because other people around the country wouldn't have had the same chance.

Now that I have many of the same achievements under my belt as they did (Asian Man, tours, blah blah blah, poorly attended local shows) I can't help but feel really strange about how I admired them so much. Make no mistake, I still admire the hell out of them, but it's strange feeling extremely ordinary as I do knowing that they are ordinary just like me. There's probably some kids out there who thought the world of Shinobu, not fully grasping how ordinary we really were (and are).

However, I still feel like Slow Gherkin's existence was so much more significant than Shinobu's, by far! But, I found it a bit heartening to think that maybe someone might feel the same way about me and my friends as I did about my teenage heroes. I'm still considering my options as far as continuing to pursue the rock & roll lifestyle, but I'm extremely happy to see these people that I so admire living their lives and being real people. I don't feel so bad about, nor fear, facing my life and living it.

Calm 'n' Punk

I saw a bumper sticker today that said "I'm already against the next war". This was one of the nicest things I've seen in a while.

I find it hard these days to focus on the specifics or details of anything in the world, aside from living my own life happily and surrounding myself with people who make me happy (and who hopefully feel the same way about my presence!). I can't really be bothered with the news, politics, music, TV shows or movies. I do enjoy these things, but I really just like being around the same old awesome people, eating the same old food that I like, and laughing about the same old things.

This seems very selfish of me, as I stop to think about what I'm putting in the proverbial ink here. As of now, however, I'd really like to focus on being positive and optimistic on my own terms and hope that the world takes care of itself without me.

Songs I want to hear tonight:
Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place
Ging Nang Boyz - I Don't Wanna Die
Sokabe Keiichi - Doyou no Yoru
Doobie Brothers - What A Fool Believes

Your Kind of Loving Makes Me Feel So Good

As a sage once said, "No give up."

As the same sage once said, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Every Mother's Child is Going to Spy

Not only is this a great song, but the story behind it is cute.

I have a couch and a xmas tree now!

Naughty Boys x Crass Crew

I think that the first two Yellow Magic Orchestra albums are some of the best music I've ever heard.

東風

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Tong Poo



New neighborhood haunt, Jus' Like Ya Mama's Soul Food.

Horchata

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Technopolis



Crass House in half effect! Gnarboots practice tonight. Gnarboots show on Saturday. Here's to surviving another week.

No Con Chones

Flans - No Controles



Thank you, iTunes, for validating me as a Mexican by playing two Mexican songs in a row while set to shuffle.