GRHAWAARGH

English Russia has one of the most interesting stories I've read in quite some time. Basically, some construction workers in Russia discovered either a new or a previously thought extinct species of fish on a job site. Before smashing it to death with their tools. Check out the link though because the pictures are pretty amazing and you can only wonder how bitey these things might get. Remember that crazy Snakehead fish that everyone freaked out about a few years ago? Imagine if this thing was flapping around our suburbs...

I think I've figured out this Economist thing. I hope so anyway, because I've spend a whole day trying to figure out how and where to host this thing. I'm hoping to find somewhere else, because I don't like megaupload's software and the file is too big to use mediafire or rapidshare. So yeah, suggestions are welcome on that. Anyway, here's the audio podcast for the upcoming week's Economist. Please let me know if that link doesn't work, and I'll work out some sort of resolve. With fire. I usually skip about a quarter of it because, well, money bores me. But it's still an amazing source of information and perspective that I can't recommend highly enough.

I've been reading up on the cryptozoology again, specifically about yeti scalps and the Alma, Russia's counterpart to the Abominable Snowman. Someday, I swear, I will actually try to maintain some knowledge about something that is actually useful. Something that could prevent someone from getting sick or provide a nice little tax break or some damned thing.
But it won't be today. Because I'm currently about to sit down and spend a couple hours reading the compiled oral history of a fictional zombie war.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen returns on Wednesday with The Black Dossier, which I'm all too fucking excited for. Even with the knowledge that I've gleaned from the web, I still have no idea what sort of story it will tell and I can't wait to put my life on hold while I read through it.

off to read. enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Christopher Lee: Greatest IMDB trivia page of all time?

other great ones: Paul Newman, Yul Brynner, Jimmy Stewart, Gary Cooper, Clark Gable, Eli Wallach, Burt Lancaster, Jimmy Cagney, Peter Lorre, and of course, Vincent Price

of course, there's interesting pages for some of today's actors, but I always find these infinitely more entertaining. You really don't want to know how much time I spend over there...

Worthless Post #311

my god it's been a pretty crazy week. and now, with some sort of walrus flu going around my workplace, I'm just trying to hold things down and take 5000 mg of vitamin C a day. I'll let you know how that works out. My wife is camped out across the street from death, so I don't have much hope.
I was reading some Doug Coupland earlier and it got me thinking how much of his earlier works convey a lot of the same anxieties, fears, joys, and general tones that I (and much of my generation, I would suspect) have felt at various stages in my life. Lately, not so much, but one of his most dominant themes, namely that our brains get filled with mush and leftover cereal ads and higher math and old Seinfeld episodes or whatever and after awhile we fail to capture new emotions or register new memories. That our brains get clogged up like an old hard drive and we're screwed with it.
I really do not want that to happen to me. Last night as I was doing laundry it occurred to me that I'm old enough to be casually drinking a beer in a laundromat as I fold laundry without anyone calling the cops. I'm pretty happy with that, and it's certainly a new feeling.

There's a Worthington, PA? huh...

Pat Robertson endorsed Rudy Giuliani. Are you fucking kidding me? I don't know what the hell is going on here, but there's no way any good can come of it. Giuliani!

Japanese whiskey commercials are GREAT (via BoingBoing)

oh, and I'm gonna start putting that thing up here. I'm not sure when I'll get it, hopefully tonight, but expect it sometime this weekend.

Pulp Discography

I know I haven't updated this in awhile, and I wanted to actually wanted to talk about the presidential debates last week and a slew of other stupid things I noticed online. But My mother and grandmother have been out here and between them and work I'm pretty much a wreck. Tonight I decompress, tomorrow it's laundry, and then I might actually start finishing up this mix. Anyway in the meantime go here and get yourself a shitload of James Brown. Because seriously, you can never have too much.

Question: if I posted the weekly economist podcast here would anyone want it?

For the fifth year or so in a row, I've stumbled completely by accident into a Halloween parade. I'm pretty sure I've had the same tired squint splashed across my face every time I've done it, too. This morning wasn't much different, other than the allergy attack I was having (in addition to spreading the rign of fire across southern California, the Santa Ana winds also bear spores pregnant with allergens, making the Santa Anas the perfect weapon.

Overheard a conversation in the bar the other night supposing that maybe terrorists lit the fires. ugh.

Fell asleep on the couch watching Battlestar Galactica (SHUT UP) last night, and I woke up this morning with a head like a mucus-filled piñata. It's just how my day shouldn't have started.
Anyway, I'm off to work with literally hundreds of children and senior citizens for eleven hours. Hear me now and believe me later, I will be needing a drink late tonight. Consider mailing one to me.

Go here and download a fucking great Halloween mix compiled by a man who knows.

Cale eyed Morrison's bright red T-shirt enviously. Emblazoned across it was the phrase "I Kill Moonies," a reference to cult followers of Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Its irreverence made Cale roar with laughter. "I have to have that shirt," he demanded.

"No, no, nope," Morrison folded his arms protectively. "This is mine. Get your own."

"I'll give you mine," Cale shucked the sweaty T-shirt he had worn onstage and wadded it up as an offering. "C'mon. 'I Kill Moonies.' Brilliant."

"Oh, okay," Morrison sighed dramatically, and divested himself of the shirt, handing it over to Cale. Cale put it on and admired it, then handed him a clean T-shirt to wear in place of the dirty one offered. Sterling pulled it over his slim frame, muttering good-naturedly, "I guess I would give you the shirt off my back."

Riverbend in Syria

Morning dusk

It's 9:28 in the morning and my office looks like this because of the fires. This is getting weird.

A U.S. MGR-1 "Honest John" missile with cutaway portion of warhead revealing M139 Sarin Gas bomblets, circa 1960.

Yes, that Sarin.


The fires are fucking out of control, and plumes of smoke trail upwards from nearby towns. The sky is backlit at night and hazy during the day. I'm told that the power might be going in and out as the fires get closer and closer. Fuckin' fantastic, that is. It's starting to look like end of the world poems, and I can only sit and enjoy the light as entire towns nearby go up in smoke.

"Rick Santorum has been the most courageous and outspoken public figure in
America alerting all of us to the true nature of the enemy we face," said
David Horowitz, founder of the Freedom Center, and organizer of
"Islamo-Fascism Awareness Week," which includes events at over 100 schools
across America.

All the burning bridges that have fallen after me

The theme song to "Kelly's Heroes" is stuck in my head and I can't get it out. It's driving me nuts. But it's a really good song in that weird 70s feelgoodery sort of way. Did I put that on a mix? I remember finding it at some point, but haven't heard it in some time. I will find it tonight and it will go on a mix I aim to complete by friday. Then we shall all rejoice, and drink from wooden bowls the life of the earth.

I just wrote a letter to Jay Rockefeller calling him a whore and now I'm going to listen to Spacemen 3 as loud as I can to cleanse my aural palate and grant me fury.

New word of the day: Frass. Means insect poop. Right now there is a lot of it in the office next door to mine.

in 1995 I saw a movie with my best friend and another guy after eating some mushrooms. As usual, we hadn't anticipated the effects of what we'd taken, and we certainly hadn't anticipated the effect this movie would have on the three of us. I remember leaving the theater and trying to convince Sean to drive his car off a cliff because nothing mattered anymore. I remember driving home through a rainstorm and seeing waves creep up over the hood of the car. I remember thinking we wouldn't survive the night.
Now, 12 years later I'm sitting here watching 12 Monkeys, a movie I've owned for years but haven't had the courage to watch until now. I'd be lying if I felt completely at ease, or comfortable with this movie. I can't tell you for sure if this is some weird, lingering psychic aftermath from that night. But this feels as ominous and Cassandriatic as it did when I first saw it. I've had the chance to think this over and over again, and it should be kid's stuff to me, especially considering the state of mind I've been in lately. But I still feel the same dread I'd always imagined. Time still messes up for me.
Reading now and recalling it (along with 7even, another terrifying flick) was filmed in Philly and that I know intimately the places it was filmed doesn't help a goddamned thing. ugh. It is amazing to see the Brad Pitt role again, though. I forgot how dedicated he was here.


The Go! Team was incredible. I was trying to think of a reference point earlier for a guy at the bar, and instead of using the term "cheerleader rock" (a term which I've previously applied and now see as futile) I realized that they are the Peanuts of rock. Completely sincere and excited. I danced my ass off tonight. I'm still trying to figure out a way to force them into everyone's daily lives. It may take awhile. I apologize for the lack of jungle tales, though. I am all too curious to talk to Ricky about the new Cat Power show in the meantime. Love all 4 of you.

Slept in today after a late night of reading and Fido. It's a nice day, so I went for a walk, and made nice with the teenagers posturing on the corner with clove cigarettes. They liked my t-shirt, which has a Japanese ad for Kidsbeer. Last weekend, one of these very kids called me a faggot from a moving SUV window.
In the record store, there were about 20 copies of Radiohead's In Rainbows in the used section. I'm not even remotely sure how that's legal. I guess selling used mp3s is just the same as used CDs.
Anyway, I picked up some milk and albums and came back home to make myself two eggs, over easy, a pot of coffee, and some toast. Miller's Crossing is on. So I'm gonna watch this, eat my breakfast, and go for another walk before heading to Pomona to see the Go! Team tonight. I've barely listened to the new record since it came out, and I'm hoping that will make tonight even more pleasant.
Then, tonight, in the vacant glow of early morning, I will drink many beers and regale you with jungle tales.

How fucking adorable is this? It's painful. It hurts me, the cuteness of this picture.

If this doesn't excite you then you are a terrible person.

Schlubba Ho-Tep

I know how easy it is to write off the fat Elvis. I mean, the whole era remains a caricature of a caricature that leaves a taste in your mouth not unlike fair food. Funnel Cake and buttered popcorn. Hot sausage. and sure, the whole production comes across about as greasy as the aforementioned heart-destroyers. It's hard not to picture Elvis, half-exhausted on the edge of the stage, a chicken leg in one hand and his flying eagle jumpsuit unbuttoned far below even the decency laws of Vegas should be allowing. The one time sex symbol and idol to millions reduced to crooning Neil diamond songs. and of course the Memphis Mafia. Redneck enforcers of the King's will, or at least his reputation. Slamming methamphetamines into their bodies and laying meaty paws all over the already-pawed ladies of Vegas*
Well, first of all fuck you, I happen to enjoy some of Mr. Diamond's repertoire. Second, don't be so quick to dismiss the fat bastard. It's not like this happened overnight. People seem quicker to dismiss late-era Elvis than the movie star Elvis, which is fucking preposterous. Elvis starred in 31 motion pictures, and with a few exceptions, they're not even fit for Mystery Science Theatre standards (though that would be entertaining). Jesus, have you ever seen Double Trouble? or Kissin' Cousins? blech. The movies are what ruined Elvis. And though the '68 comeback special is what is generally seen as his glorious return to the stage, and that's true. He was terrified and convinced that his audience had given up seeing Elvis apply himself to anything ever again.
But it was here, in Vegas, that he really had to prove himself. It's easy to suck in your gut and put on a show for 90 minutes. But twice a night? for several years? Karate kickin'? Bloated, drug-addled, schlubby. These all apply. But to say he wasn't working hard, or to say that his band wasn't among the greatest working at the time is just stupid.
James Burton. D.J. Fontana. shit, even Scotty Moore pops up on disc 4. Anyways, yeah, it's cheesy and over-the-top. Yes, it's ridiculous and spangled and decadent and the precursor to pretty much everything there is to hate about Las Vegas. But that doesn't mean it's not a great show. So make yourself a corn dog. Dip it in powdered sugar, and enjoy the spectacle for what it's worth.

Download 4 discs of it here.

yeah, you just wasted this time reading what is essentially a link to someone else's website and upload. You see what I did there? But it is worth listening to I promise. I suggest downloading Discs 1 and 3 in the very least.

*with apologies to guys like Red West, who I still think were true friends to Elvis and standup guys in spite of it all.

In a van...

I’ve been listening to this song on repeat since I woke up this morning, and it’s one of those songs that I grew up loving, put on the first 20 mixes that I ever made, got burnt out on, and then sort of forced myself to forget about for the better part of a decade. I was brushing my teeth at 1 this morning and this came on my headphones and though I was exhausted, I had to stay up and listen to this at a skull-crushing volume. And I pretty much have been since.

It’s so easy to forget how versatile Neil can be, even over the course of the same song. Up until I was 13 or so I though Neil Young only played predominantly acoustic folk rock. Then I stumbled across the second side of Live Rust (recorded 3 months after I was born) and had my mind just blown out of my asshole. Because I’m not sure I’d ever heard a guitar like that, except for maybe my brother’s punk records.

I think I learned then and there that there’s a difference between playing a guitar loud or fast and playing a guitar hard. And this was definitely the latter. It sounded like he was playing it with a fist, fer chrissakes. I don’t know how he wasn’t stopping to change strings every 15 seconds because it sounds sometimes like he is raining blows down on that thing.

And “Down By the River” was always my favorite example of that. It’s not often that Neil is credited with being a great guitarist, and that’s understandable, considering his playing style is hardly flashy or nimble. But then neither is most of Pete Townsend’s, and he seems to do alright. But that isn’t to take away from what he can do with it.

Lots of hack music rags love to describe how people like Clapton or Hendrix “wield” their guitars. They fuckin’ love it. And I never understood that. Because it just didn’t seem right to me. Those guys massaged and coaxed their instruments. It’s people like Phelps Collins or even Greg Ginn that wield their guitars, that use them like a tool and not a precision instrument. Neil Young fucking wields his guitar. Over the course of this song he uses it to the same effect that one would use a rusted putty knife, a rubber mallet, and a chainsaw. And unlike many others that have tried, it works in a way that that sounds completely natural. Those solos don’t require the most talent, but that never meant they were easy to play. If played loud enough, they can be even exhausting to listen to. And just picturing Neil stamping his foot on that weird way that he does makes it even more tiring. Goddamn, it’s great. That’s all I really got today, but I just felt like sharing since I’ll never be able to find a place for something like this on a mix again. It just doesn’t fit with anyone else’s music.

“Down By the River” – Neil Young

Live in Massachusetts, 1986

and since I've been listening to the new Steve Earle a bit lately (which has a verson of Tom Waits' "Way Down in the Hole" which will serve as the theme song for season 5 of The Wire), here's my favorite song off that.

"Steve's Hammer" (for Pete)
buy Washington Square Serenade here.

You're number 37, have a look

It's a turdish fall day here. It's actually the closest I think I'll get to having a fall out here, since the skies are gray, it's a little chilly, and the sycamore outside my office window is one of the only trees in the area that I've seen changing colors. I'm trying to make the most of it (hellooo Arab Strap, Microphones) and keep a gloomy demeanor. So yeah, there's that.

It's strange, thinking about it, but I only have one friend within 900 miles of here. Who I happened to live with, work in the same building as, and am married to. It serves as sort of an insulation from everything else around here, and I'm wondering if after awhile this hinders both of us from making new friends or even being able to tolerate a lot of people we normally would. Have I always been this picky about the people I hung around with? Probably not, judging by some of the acquaintances I've made in my lifetime. Is Southern California (or at least this town) actually that loathsome that likeable, interesting people are that hard to come by? Doubtful.

I don't remember knowing so many overly dramatic people than I've met here, though. This probably isn't true. Most of the discussions I encounter outside our home seem to be about failed relationships (both platonic and romantic), inter-office politics, smug dissections of other lifestyles/beliefs, and in-depth talks about botanic nomenclature.

I can't tell you how sick I am of all of these things. And it's not that I feel like I have anything much more interesting to talk about, but there's gotta be more than that. No wonder a guy can get to feeling dejected.

Anyways I shouldn't complain here, it's not your fault. It's not theirs, or ours. It's not mine. Blame the patch of Autumn I just stumbled across this morning.

Mata Hari was executed 90 years ago today. Huh.

Racism in Switzerland?

Things I currently want to disappear, at least for a little while:
Steampunk
Ambient music
Democratic Party Leadership
LARPers
Bullshit non-binding resolutions
Dane Cook
Baseball in general

Now Listening:

Rebetika is essentially the outsider music from the early 1920s to the late 1950s in Greece. It's the music of drug addicts and prisoners and lovers. Not surprisingly, then, it gets a lot of comparisons to American blues. It was actually banished by the far-right and censorship-happy Metaxas regime. However, also much like American blues, the genre was cleaned up sold to the upper class and eventually nationalized.
I can't speak a word of Greek. I can barely spell most of the Greek foods I like. But this music is really interesting and in some cases heartbreaking. I'm sure I'll sneak some on the next mix I throw together, whenever that might be.


I'm also reading some stuff on the breaking of tradition in the practices of Zoroastrianism. It's... a lot more interesting than it sounds.

Also, Trader Joe's sells scotch here. Someone help me wrap my head around this.

Flexo

"Nah, I'm just messin' with ya; you're all right"

Dynastification

your daily magazine theft:

This is an extraordinary situation, for all sorts of reasons. The race ought to be wide open: it is the first time that neither party has an incumbent, in the form of a vice-president, since 1928. The rise of the netroots has transferred political power from the Washington establishment to smaller donors. And America is in an anti-establishment mood: the Democratic Congress has even lower approval ratings, at about 27%, than George Bush. Yet Mrs Clinton has all the advantages of an incumbent, from a brand name to an established political machine, without many of the disadvantages.
Americans are remarkably insouciant about this development. They should not be. It suggests that American political life is in the hands of a small group of insiders who are organised around semi-royal families. And it divides America into “players”, who control political life, and “observers”, who simply comment on it. The dynastification of American politics is happening at a time when economic inequalities are growing, and the “haves” are proving increasingly successful at transmitting their privileges to their children.

evacuation

I've been looking through these pictures of suddenly abandoned homes I came across on English Russia. They're amazing. It's too easy to imagine a context in which someone would rush out the door of their apartment, leaving for good with their highly personal belongings strewn out across their floor. I imagine fear of toxic gas, of nuclear holocaust. Fear of mob reprisal and torch-wielding mobs. Fear of secret police and instant death. I imagine crying children leaving behind filthy, beloved stuffed animals and prized television sets left in haste.
But the sad reality of it is that these places were probably left in fine order with everything where it was supposed to be. The apparent havoc left by scavengers and drug addicts, looking for expired medicine and Nazi gold.
When I was a sophomore in high school there was an abandoned house that some friends of mine had found. There were newspapers dating back to 1986 stacked up just inside the front door. The closets still had sweaters, the pantry still had dry goods.
There was also a fully stocked bar in the basement. I remember we found some sort of board game that basically consisted of a vinyl football field and a stack of cards that we somehow had turned into a drinking game. We would line up four shots of whatever we'd come across (this was the first and only time that I ever would drink banana schnapps) and somehow counted them as downs and field progression.
I went outside to smoke a cigarette (I still am filled with a small pride that I respected the abandoned home enough not to fill it with smoke) and walked smack into a police officer. I was 16 and pretty drunk. It was the second time I was ever arrested.
This is how I live now. It's 11:30 on a Saturday night and I'm looking at crap on the internet and telling high school stories to nobody in particular. We went to a nearby shopping center today and came very close to dying in a car crash on the way home. Fucking California drivers.

Watching: The Science of Sleep. It's so filled with whimsy that I just want to blink myself out of existence.

Reading: The Nightly News by Jonathan Hickman. I'm pain in-the-ass late on this, but it's the most impressive graphic novel I've read in a very long time. It's put together from a graphic design standpoint and can at times be an utterly exhaustive read. In a good way. I can't recommend this enough.
I got Warren Ellis' book in the mail on friday, and expect to read it in one giant sitting. Perhaps I'll write something on it late.r

"they are going to have to pry this vibrator from my cold, dead hand. I refuse to give up,"

urp

So, it only took about 2 months, but this morning I received my first email at this new job that assumed I was a woman because of my name. I'm actually pretty surprised it took this long. California, I guess.


"Milton Road" - Mice Parade - (My Skull With Flowers Remix By Kim Hiorthoy)

The Revolution Is Over

A Swedish diplomat who visited Burma during the protests said last night that in her opinion the revolution has failed.

Liselotte Agerlid, who is now in Thailand, said that the Burmese people now face possibly decades of repression. "The Burma revolt is over," she added.

"The military regime won and a new generation has been violently repressed and violently denied democracy. The people in the street were young people, monks and civilians who were not participating during the 1988 revolt.

"Now the military has cracked down the revolt, and the result may very well be that the regime will enjoy another 20 years of silence, ruling by fear."

yes, the picture above is a dead monk.

I hate all Iranians, US aide tells MPs

Are you fucking kidding me? Is this really the sort of person that is representing all of us to our allies? Anybody who is stupid enough to say things like this should be cleaning up after farm animals. Seriously, what is wrong with these people?

In related news, Sy Hersh pointed out just how bad of an idea it is to bomb Iran right now, though it seems increasingly unavoidable with the swheer amount of fatheaded sabre-rattling that is happening right now. Prepare to be fighting 3 wars. Prepare for more death. Prepare for an entire region of the world to pray for our own deaths because we were prodded as a country into fear and hysteria by a group of insanely rich white men who want to make even more money and perpetuate this completely backwards and aggressive state of being. How many times can we learn the same lesson before we actually remember it?

I just erased a multi-page rant about how sick of this shit i'm getting, but honestly, there's no need to go through that again. I just don't know how anyone can actually be ready for more war at this point. Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Useless Mountain Rant

So, as I've stated before, the move from Pennsylvania with a moderate amount of friends to California with no friends but many healthy acquaintances, I find myself being slightly more assertive with my time, which includes going hiking and eating risotto-and-kale dinners. and I find myself in at 11 PM on a saturday night, which I cound not have been convinced as recently as one year ago that I would ever stand for.
If I had a brain I'd be going to bed (my lovely wife is snoring next to me as I type this) or at least try to get another few scenes written for this Big Worthless Project. but instead I know I'll stay up and read the rest of these comics and have a Fat Tire or two. I rented the DVD copy of Rude Boy, and I'm wondering if the extras will be as great as I'm hoping (a recent interview with Johnny Green!). As a completely random aside, I want to know who the production designer for Stranger Than Fiction was and how I can con them into designing living space for me. This week I need to think about picking up tickets to go home for the holidays and what the hell I'm going to do with myself when I'm there. I'm just realizing that I don't even know where I'll stay. not even what state. bah.

I just watched SNL and for the umpteenth consecutive time I've felt completely ripped off and pissed that I actually wasted my time on this fucking show. I really like Lebron AND Kanye West, and this was still massively disappointed (other than the awesome skit about Kanye's Awards Show behavior and the Lebron guidance counselor bit, both buried in the last half hour). And I get the feeling that in the very least that I'll at least tape the Seth Rogen/Spoon show next week. What a sucker.


My TiVo is convinced that I'm an elderly black man. I shit you not, I've got more Matlock and Sherman Helmsley than one would ever want lined up on this bitch. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?

"If I hear this "If You Want it )Here it is" Saturn ad one more time I'm going to burn down Paul McCartney's America-loving ass.

Is it a coincidence that with Fred Thmompson's political flameout that the Fox Movie Channel has been airing Die Hard 2 lately? Just a thought. Go patriotism.

Tuun-La: Not of This Earth

The same. sort of.

i was at the mall when it happened

So after working on it for about 6 of my last 8 waking hours, I've managed to put together one mix. I have the other one three-quarters done, but don't hold your breath for it because this one was goddamned infuriating to make. I like it a lot, though, and haven't gotten tired of listening to any of these songs despite having to re-load and re-sequence them more times than I care to think back on. The forthcoming mix will have some older stuff on there and hopefully not as many creepy samples, but I'm not going to make any promises on that latter point. I know this posting has been erratic lately, and the link fever of yesterday was probably annoying if not frustrating with the same-colored font. Pretty much everything with a chip in it lately has been acting up on my in the last week or two, including my brain and robotic arm. Also, it looks like I won't get to go to the demolition derby tonight because I gotta do something for work, so boo on that. Anyway, I'm hoping this thing will load okay for you, and the artwork seems to have messed me up some, but the biggest problem is that the sound quality is sort of screwy. I didn't mix this all together because I know some people won't like some of these songs here, but as a result things can go from very loud to very quiet and I just wanna give you the heads up.
Anyways, enjoy. It's slit up into 2 parts again because Mediafire doesn't like me. Those bastards. The title is from a Doug Coupland end-of-the-world story.

i was at the mall when it happened

-
On That New Thing - Madlib
We're a Winner - Curtis Mayfield & The Impressions
Lamb of the Lam (In the City) - Band of Horses
No Time to Chill (f. Little Brother) - 9th Wonder
Tea Leaf Dancers -Flying Lotus
Heavyweight Champion of the World - Reverend & the Makers
Could Be Worse - Eef Barzelay
-
What'd I Say - Elvis Presley
Aretha, sing One for Me - George Jackson
The Sweeping Wind (Kwa Ti Feng) - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers
Mercy, Mercy - Don Covay
The Hand that Leads You - Percee P
-
Accordian for Raj - Madlib
Heartbreak - Celebration
Backed Out in the... - Kevin Drew
Window - Double Deuce
-
I'm Sorry for Saying I'm Sorry - The Arrivals
Wrigley Scott - Future of the Left
Setting Vs. Rising - Sunset Rubdown
-
Children of War - Buffalo Killers
I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)
-

total run time: 1:01:23

Part 1
Part 2

The Dog Shouterer

Want a lick? PSYCH!

Last night we were at the bar talking with a guy and his dog, which was adorably reminiscent of a bear cub. Anyway, as we're hanging out and having a beer or two, this guy stumbles out of the bar (I'm pretty certain that 2 of his friends were just thrown out of the bar) and kneels down in front of the dog and looks up at us, slurring "Watch this! Watch this! My cousin is Cesar Romero!"
All 3 of us: "who?"
Guy: "Cesar Romero"
Me: "The guy who played the Joker?"
Guy: "No, the dog whisperer, man!"
Dog Owner: "I think his name is Cesar Millan"
Guy: "I think I know what my cousins name is"
Then he proceeds to shout in this little dogs face and struggle to maintain upright for a few minutes. At one point he loses his balance and smacks his head on the side of the building. His friends are yelling back at him telling him to hurry up.
Guy (to his friends): "Goddamnit in a minute!I'm doing my dog trick" (and then back to us) "watch this" This went on for a few more minutes. Then the drunk guys ran their friend into a plate glass window (it didn't break) and got in a truck and drove off. Terror on the road in Claremont last night.

Rented the Tarentino half of Grindhouse last night, hoping to see the fake trailer that Edgar Wright made for the release, but was soundly disappointed that none of the fake trailers made it to the DVDs. Then I got treated to 2 hours of Tarentino's foot fetish. This is getting out of control. Make a goddamned real movie already. Quit delaying the inevitable.


So, remember when I said I was gonna make a mix in a week...urm, 2 weeks ago? Well, last night I sat down to actually get things all set up and decided I have about 2 mixes worth of stuff at least. This is largely because I got about 250 of the weirdest and therefore most usable audio clips I've heard in awhile and god knows I love filler. Anywhy, this morning I wiped my ipod after copying all of this, so this so-called mix project is still coming, it just might be a few days. For real this time. I have sequencing worked out and everything.

You can now get fined for puking in bars in PA. Blammo!

Asterisk!

Japanese peeping toms!

Ninjas. The threat is fucking real already! If I find out that this is someone I know from college +10 points.

oh dear god!

you know what gets me homesick? Ridley trash fires!

You know who I don't want asleep? The people guarding NUCLEAR REACTORS. The dudes in Art museums are like spry cougars, but put someone in charge of something that can melt my family and it's bedtime for bonzo.

Torrey Pines State Reserve

the rarest Pine in the US. Yes, this is what my life has become.

"a sweet boyfriend who will bring her presents."

Why does it seem like every single man in a position of power in this country seems to be actively involved in trying to HAVE SEX WITH OUR CHILDREN? Bloody hell, this is ridiculous. a 5 year-old girl? What's worse is when he will invariably try to pin this on drugs/alcohol/hippies and then find jeebus in an effort to soften his punishment. No dice, Chachi. Hope prison is impossibly cruel to you.

"Don't diss my homies"

While Greenspan did just admit that the war is, after all this, about oil. But Ray McGovern (a former CIA analyst who has gotten arrested countless times in the last few years for trying to call these guys out on their bullshit) has a great article here delving deeper into this and proving for real that as high and mighty it is to tell the world, to tell our soldiers, that we're fighting for an ideal that we can't even maintain on our own shores, they're in it to make a lot of money for some already superfluously wealthy fat white men. shocking, I know.

"Wait until they've heard what I can make up this time. Obama bin Laden!"

As excited as I am for TV to start back up, between OJ 2 (threat-filled boogaloo) and Alan Keyes announcing that he's gonna run for president again, the next few months just got hilarious. Cue the goddamn carnival music.

blech. fun fact! There are both male and female pine cones. and Giant Sequoia cones are no bigger than eggs! fascinating!


Funner fact! Donald the Duck's middle name is "Fauntleroy", which has cracked me up consistently for the past few days.

I'm still making that mix. I keep getting new music though so I want to sort through this becore I make a final list. Keep an eye out.

300 (not the homoerotic comic book adaptation)

2/3 of the world's Polar Bears will be gone by 2050. You think that's depressing? Also, every single dog you've ever met on this earth will be dead. Terrible, I know.

Another to be filed under perpetual doom and hysteria:

Notice: Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks

Consistent with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for 1 year the national emergency I declared on September 14, 2001, in Proclamation 7463, with respect to the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, New York, New York, the Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines flight 93, and the continuing and immediate threat of further attacks on the United States.

Because the terrorist threat continues, the national emergency declared on September 14, 2001, last extended on September 5, 2006, and the powers and authorities adopted to deal with that emergency, must continue in effect beyond September 14, 2007. Therefore, I am continuing in effect for an additional year the national emergency I declared on September 14, 2001, with respect to the terrorist threat.

This notice shall be published in the Federal Register and transmitted to the Congress.

GEORGE W. BUSH

300 posts. sweet jesus that seems like I've wasted a lot of time. I was going to post another mix up this week, since both of you that downloaded it seem to have enjoyed it so far. This will be an older son-oriented, single track mix, but that'll have to wait a bit, because my desk at work is weeping from the amount of shit I've placed on top of it.

Anyway, Nelson sent me this link of abandoned plane wrecks of the North, which is probably the most entertaining site I've been to in weeks.

and keeping in line with my Soviet Russia fascination, here's a fucking awesome site devoted to the posters of that era.

other than that I got nothing but to get back to work. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premieres tonight, and for the love of fun please watch it, because I want to be able to enjoy it in the future and it needs you to do that. Anywho, it's supposed to shoot back above 100 this weekend here, so who knows, maybe I'll be pushed into making that mix sooner than later. ta.

I'm frantic like a bastard today, and just had the following conversation:
I'm in one room trying to quietly grab my lunch from out the fridge when I overhear 2 of the people I'm on a holiday party planning committee (that I clearly did not volunteer for) with. I overhear them talking about the party:

co-worker 1: We should call Cotton in here so he can get caught up
so of course I pick up me pace and start ti tiptoe out of the kitchenette with my salad.
co-worker 2: Cotton, can you come here a second?
my brain: goddamnit!
me: um, okay. I'm just getting ready to eat my lunch though.
co-worker 1: okay, we'll be quick then. We were going over the budget, and-
my brain: awwwwwww. there's no fucking way this will be quick. just run out of the room. quick! ABORT! ABORT!
co-worker 2: Since we're paying so much for a band we were thinking you could break the contract with them that we all agreed to
me: I'm not sure if we should do that, for the obvious reasons.
my brain: this will so result in my getting drunk tonight.

(sigh).

anyway, Lucy: Daughter of the Devil premieres all over this weekend on Adult Swim. This is written and directed by Loren Bouchard, who was about half of the creative force behind what might be my all-time favorite TV show, Home Movies. He's the half that didn't go on to do Metaloclypse, which is also awesome. Anyway, Lucy is a lot more like HM from what I've seen of it, and has already resulted my totally having a crush on a second cartoon character.

Go watch the pilot here. It's funny, I swear. or clips here.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia starts up again nect week, too. So I'm gonna be writing a lot of TV stuff. and laughing. and probably feeling a little homesick.

on a good note, it's cooled down here considerably. Now all I gotta do is wait and laugh at you jerks during the Winter.

Lonesome George: Bangin!

and just so you don't start hating him just because he's too busy sexing it up outside of his species and not even bothering to wipe the food off his face, he's also got a little buddy:

My Melting Life

It was 109 degrees here yesterday. It's been over 100 for the past 4 days. I am not made for this. All I can do is sweat, and move as little as possible. Lizard mentality is what I've been reduced to. shit is just melting everywhere around me. I tried to write on this project I've been working on, but pretty much sat there hallucinating for an hour. I got less than 3 hours of sleep last night because even with the crappy A/C window unit on, it was too hot to sleep. I know that I won't mind this when it's December and I can wear shorts, but right now I just want to blow up the sun. so miserable.

In better news, I put together a mix. I was going to actually mix it and have it all on one track, but my patience was thin enough last night that I was just happy to have finished it. So there's that. It's mostly spaz-rock songs with a lot of clips. Hope you like it.


My Melting Life
Intro
"Grape Nuts and Chalk Sauce" - Blockhead
"No Need to Be Rude" - Black Hollies
"You've No Clue, Do You?" - King Creosote
"Serious" - Richard Hawley
"Easy Street" - Cheeseburger
"Hangers On" - Dan Sartain
"Wall of Death" - Dax Riggs
"No Regrets" - King Khan & the Shrines
"This Mic" - Special Ed
"LCD Soundsystem Vs. Franz Ferdinand
"You Made Me Like It" - 1990
"What Comes After the Blues" - Magnolia Electric Co.
"Rolling One Sun Blues" - Wooden Wand and the Sky High Band
"My Shadow" - Jay Reatard
"Maria Bartiromo" - Joey Ramone
"Ride On Josephine" - Bo Diddley
"Humble Me" - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
"Bellies Are Full" - Portugal the Man
"Simmerin'" - Weston Prim and Backlash
"Miles From Nowhere" - Cat Stevens
Part 1
Part 2