2009

Well, its been a while since I've updated. The major scoop is that I'm going back to HSU on Tuesday to finish what I started 9 years ago. Finally. It'll be pretty run of the mill because I haven't decided what the hell I'm going back for, but my most anticipated class is radio production. Presumably I'll have some access to KRFH, which will be a lot of fun... I'll shamelessly plug that in the future.

My mom and stepdad are leaving at two a.m. tonight (tomorrow) on a bus to a plane to Washington D.C. Their trek is going to be hectic, frantic, and totally exciting, and I'm a little jealous of everything but the crowds. I don't think she'll be blogging, or I'd link it. However, they were on the cover of the Arcata Eye this week and there will no doubt be stories to come.

My familiarity with D.C. stems from my current gaming obsession Fallout 3. Much has been said about this little gem already- it's made every 'best-of-2008' list I've seen- and the hype does not disappoint. As a huge fan of the previous Fallout games and Oblivion, Fallout 3 is at the acme of video game construction. The nostalgist and futurist in me me met sublimely on this one. Dystopian apocalyptic postulations always strike a chord with me, as evidenced by, well, the title of the blog. Here's hoping my moms experience in the capitol wasteland is better than that of my virtual weary traveler.

A note on the above paragraph: the term "strike a chord" posed a real problem when it came to typing it. I don't know how many hundreds of times I've used that phrase in speech, but I came to the realization that I had no idea what the origin of the phrase was. Strike a cord- like a guitar string? Strike accord? And then Rachael said "strike a chord" and it all rushed back to me. Duh. Funny when you find those little language quirks you take for granted until they appear in a fresh form. I was 15 when I realized "up and Adam" didn't make sense.

Happy 2009 and Happy Inauguration!!

An Anecdote

About four years ago I worked a summer at AG Edwards. It was easily the second worst job I've ever had. Take customer service and add the stress of handling and investing people's money. Combine this with all of the drama of working in an office and waking up at 7:30 and you have my image of hell. And finally, my boss was a dickhead. He lacked tactful social skills, humility, and patience.
In retrospect, I can see all of this, but at the time I felt this strong desire to prove myself, carry out my tasks to the best of my ability, and so on. I had work ethic, but I also needed money.
Anyway, one day the topic of my second job came up whilst talking with my boss. I worked part time at the Minor Theatre as well and he felt obligated to talk movies upon learning this. Leaning back in his chair he said

"The last movie I saw... Oh right, the Pacifier! Yeah that was a really great movie."

It was at that point I stopped caring about that job at all. I try not to be a snob, but his insistence on praising that Vin Diesel tragedy exemplified how distant our realities were from each other.

Nowadays that place is a distant memory but i learned valuable lessons regarding how I want to spend my life earning money.

Jinkies!

Having just watched Yours, Mine and Ours in a hotel in San Francisco, it reminded me of this article. It made me a little sad, as Raja Gosnell is my second cousin. I also worked on Scooby Doo 2 with him at Warner Brothers a few years back. I feel a need to defend him, but I can't help but agree with the article on a lot of it's assessments; these directors look like pampered egoists with no talent.

But I'm gonna go for it anyway. Raja has a vision, but he also has a job and I think he approaches it as such. He is firmly rooted in the Mega-studio system, and therefore doesn't have the control that a lot of people think that directing allows. I learned firsthand that a director directs the people that make the film. In big budget productions, he rarely touches a camera. That's just how it goes.
Also (and I think this is the best redemption), many, many jaded hollywood stress balls that I worked with on Scooby told me repeated times that it was the easiest, most positive production they'd ever worked on. Raja was, in their eyes, a terrific boss. He was (is) kind, polite, humble, and enthusiastic. The studios are an industry, and frankly most of the stuff that comes out of there is crap. So if someone is a real pleasure to work with, that alone should be a saving grace.

And Scooby Doo 2 was pretty damn decent for modern kiddie fare, come on!

Beyonce

Say what you will, she's got pipes (and curves). But shit, I'm on Rachael's Itunes listening to the new Beyonce album and it is so fucking watered down. Boring Faith Hill meets Tori Amos wannabe BS. Seriously, listen to it yourself. It sounds like top 40 country. Even her voice is so filtered down by echo that it has no power. The only upbeat tempo songs are completely devoid of that soul that was so indicative of B. The only songs worth listening to here are complete ripoffs of flash in the pan songs of the last 2 years.

You'd be better off listening to this track and pretend she hasn't released any since.

As much as I love lists, I'm not so into the year-end types, strictly because it's really difficult for me to stay up to date. I'm always a few years behind the curve.

Off the top of my head, you should check this shit out.

Kings of Leon

Hank Williams III- Damn Right Rebel Proud... See what BushAmeriCo has wrought... This is real country

A New Trend

and more to come...

Sins of DVD Menus

As I was trying to watch "The Spy Who Loved Me" today, it dawned on me all of the ways DVD companies torture their loyal customers. I am, as a video store employee, acutely aware of these atrocities, and would like to vent my frustrations upon you. I implore you to share your own stories, which I may not yet have encountered in my daily struggle.

1. Complicated menus trying to mimic or associate with the accompanying movie: "The Spy Who Loved Me", along with all of the recent Bond releases, goes directly to a screen with only one button, which says "activate" or "initiate" or something to that effect. This is before you get to the actual menu screen which takes 15 seconds to load due to all of its fancy digital effects!
Sinners: James Bond; lots of Sci-fi and action flicks.

The most common DVD crimes force me to walk back and forth between the back room where the player is located and the center of the store where I can see the TV. If I have to do this more than once, it's another soul off to compact disc hell.

2. It seems alot of DVDs want to show you 15-30 seconds worth of clips highlighting the movie you're about to watch. TV series are especially bad. As a viewer, I've already bought or rented the film, I don't need to see out of context bits of what I am literally seconds away from watching. As a video store employee, I really just want to get the movie started so I can get back to the register.
Sinners: Generally comedies, especially ones starring Dane Cook or Ashton Kutcher, which shoot their entire comic wad during the menu loop; Family Guy

3. Almost all DVD menus have a repetitive loop of audio and or visuals over their main menu, and it is almost always inexcusable. If a movie ends at workduring a busy time, a single 16 second loop can repeat for up to 20 minutes. I cannot think of a specific DVD where this is acceptable, although I remember noticing a few where the loop is an entire song, or something ambient and mellow, which is bearable at best.
Sinners: Again, TV shows seem to love this feature, which is ironic seeing as they play the show's theme song, which also plays at the beginning of every fucking episode; Mythbusters

4. No "Play All" feature. This has been been widely remedied in later years, but damn it's a stinker. Another TV specific complaint (and store specific-- not such a big deal at home), it means you simply have to walk all over the store every 21 minutes. The Twilight Zone is the worst. Their menu tree is as such:

Main Menu-Episode Selection-Episode (with special features)-Episode Scene Selection

With each episode ending on the same episode's scene selection. I think you have to press the arrow button on the remote something like 6 times to get to the previous menu, then back another screen to the episode selection, down to the next episode, ad nauseam. I'm getting red in the face just writing about it.
Sinners: Early Simpsons, Family Guy, Twilight Zone

I should mention season 5 of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. That DVD features a play all button which begins all13+ episodes simultaneously in thumbnail-size boxes on the screen. Really obnoxious, I know, but I kind of have to laugh every time I see it.

There have been a few strides forward in DVD setup since their introduction. The hugest boon to the home viewing market was the almost industry-wide abandonment of mandatory previews. Nearly any DVD that does still feature previews makes you access them from the menu, or at least lets you skip through them. That alone was reason enough to drop VHS.

Kingdom of the Spiders

Kingdom of the Spiders is the only Shatner movie I've watched outside of the Star Trek universe (well, Devil's Rain in the store). And it's pretty damn good. Rachael Scoffed at me when I said it was better than The Birds, but I might stand by that statement. In craft, few can match Hitchcock, and Spiders owes a lot to The Birds (and Night of the Living Dead), but it manages pure B gold with good acting and a handful of my favorite 70's film techniques. Long lost are the fish eye lens, zoom shots and freeze frames.

The film manages to be creepy, but mostly in a "ohmigodgetitoffofme" way than a tense or startling way. It's effectiveness lies almost completely in the fact that they used real spiders throughout, something that could not be done today. It's a little sad to realize how many actual spiders they drowned, burned, stepped on and ran over to make it (PETA would be raining shit on a movie like that nowdays). But, what's done is done and it's sooooo much more effective than rubber or CGI spiders...

So go check it out and don't skip the shock ending. It's a lot of fun!

It's a Dark Day for Civil Rights in California

Apparently the citizens of our great state believe chickens deserve rights more than homosexuals.

A provision of proposition 2 states that gay and lesbian chickens are to remain in confined cages.

Another Day

I'm so sick of "election fever". It is so aggravating and insulting. They're all guilty. And by the way, if there was ever a proposition we needed in California, it's one to repeal the God-forsaken policy of Daylight Saving Time. It's a travesty. I don't even know anymore which period was the original time setting, but end it please, it does nothing but cause problems.

Ok, enough of that.

You guys want Movies!

I was pretty good this month, plus I haven't written for a while. I'll try and remember everything I watched, but I'll probably update as I catch a few that I miss.

Witchfinder General : Vincent Price is easily one of my favorite actors, and this is easily one of his better films. While I love the campiness of Phibes and House of Wax, this movie is ruthless and brutal, especially for it's time. Apparently there was a lot of tension on the set during filming, and it comes across in the performances. The director died after making only three films at a very young age and his other two are currently unavailable in the US.

The Killing : If prompted, I would call Stanley Kubrick my favorite director, and this film affirms that notion (I have yet to see 5 of his films, but I'm working on it). The Killing is nothing short of brilliant. It's the kind of movie I would recommend to people who think they don't like B&W movies, because it's subtle yet so gripping and I don't feel as moved by a movie very often. Tom got me on a Timothy Carey bent, and his story is another great eccentric Hollywood fable.

Speaking of Hollywood fables, The Long Goodbye is my most recent watch. Elliot Gould is one of those utterly likable actors (see Harrison Ford, Robert Downey Jr.) that carries a movie and when the material is good, the whole thing shines. It's a neo-noir with biting humor and typical Los Angeles avarice. A winning combination.

I got on a Woody Allen kick recently, as well. So far, he has failed to disappoint. While I don't think anything can rival Annie Hall, he comes damn close with Broadway Danny Rose. Slapstick reigns in Bananas, and most recently I saw Take the Money and Run. Woody Allen is a fantastic filmmaker, there's no question.

"After 15 minutes I wanted to marry her. After half an hour I forgot about stealing her purse altogether."

That's all I can say. I haven't seen a bad film he's made (though to be fair, I've been avoiding more recent stuff, as in anything starring Jason Biggs or Will Ferrell).

Cube. Badass. Exactly the type of movie that inspires the poor filmmaker in me. Low budget is written all over it, and it could practically be a play in the sense of scene changes, but damned if it isn't gripping as shit. The silent room made me want to go cry. You go watch!

Movies that could be plays or once were plays are mixed bag. They can feel stifled, or work perfectly. House of Yes was a pretty good movie, but it feels so stage-y that I feel it might be stronger that way. The same goes for Rope. The Hitchcock mastery is present here, but it felt a little lacking. I've been trying to dissect it for a week now, and I can't quite place my feelings. I guess it felt too obvious. The pacing was good, but the premise was a little dated, and would have been better suited with more humor. Picture Arsenic and Old Lace without the laughs. But my biggest issue with the picture may be considered quite blasphemous: I don't really like James Stewart. I guess he's just too much like... James Stewart. Just like when I watch a movie with George Clooney of Leonardo Dicaprio, I can't see any character, all I see is George Clooney or Leonardo Di-Crap-Rio... All I sshee is Jimmy Sshtewart. Ya know?

I've also begun watching an anime series called Gantz. I picked up the manga in... uh... borders to kill sometime and got really intrigued. I definitely don't consider myself an anime fan, but it's peculiar and engrossing.

I haven't watched anything recently that I didn't like, now that I think about it. Kabluey, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Sarah Silverman Show S.2, Twitch City, Indiana Jones 4 (minus the greaser-monkeys-swinging-on-vines-shia-unwatchable-insult-to-anyone-who-has-ever-had-a-thought-lebouf-scene).

Things are looking up for the world, so drink some caol ila, and here's to you!

Fear and Loathing in Martinez, or...

How I learned to drink a fifth of Jim Beam in two days.

I'm about to ride 6.5 hours on a Greyhound bus in a state of heightened hangover. It was worth it. I sold my car to an enthused French-Canadian, wandered around San Francisco (which was surprisingly dull, or maybe it was just me), bought a $90 bottle of scotch (which I am to afraid to drink, of course), sang karaoke in a bar (this is a big one, folks), saw some great friends, rode on a taxi, rode on a bus, rode on a train...

It was a pretty good weekend, all in all. I will call it resounding success if I don't get stabbed or diseased on the Greyhound.

Murs For President

Murs is an undisputed hero of underground rap. But is he qualified for president?

My favorite L.A. rapper Murs recently released a new album, Murs For President. I was excited about this, as his last three solo efforts (Murray's Revenge, 3:16, End of the Beginning) have been stellar. His collaborations with Slug (Atmosphere) and his 3 Melancholy Gypsies album (with Scarub and Eligh) are thoroughly enjoyable, as well (I will sheepishly admit I have heard next to nothing of his original group, Living Legends).

Unfortunately, the new album is thoroughly underwhelming. As I listen to it again, I try and pinpoint what went wrong. My first impression is that it was rushed; rushed for the real world election so Murs could use his clever title, or so he could get a little soapboxing in, I'm not sure.

And soapbox he does, especially on "The Science" (whose title seems a little late in the game for hip-hop activism). Don't get me wrong on this, I don't ever mind hearing people speak the truth, and I understand that if you have the power of celebrity, you are within your right (and possibly obligated) to use it towards curing social ills. I guess my problem is that I'm no stranger to conscious hip-hop, and I've seen it done better by Dead Prez, The Coup, Nas, Immortal Technique, KRS-One, Public Enemy, and even NWA.

Murs' strengths have always been ballad raps, as I like to put it. He tells cohesive stories with multiple characters and often poignant social and political critiques from his first person view. So when he rhymes about the history of the CIA introducing crack to American ghettoes, I feel like I've heard it expressed better musically. I want people to know about these travesties, but I think Murs should stick to rapping about what he knows best.

Murs is one of the most insightful modern philospher/musicians when it comes to the music industry, touring, money, girlfriends and love, city life, and violence. But he does it best on a small personal scale.

An instant warning flash when I heard about his new album was his collaborations with will.i.am, FFA (Frequent Fergie Abettor) and Snoop Dogg-- I'm going out on limb here, I know, but I've never really liked Snoop. His voice annoys me, his raps are bland... he's listenable at best, but I digress-- Murs has always seemed like a proponent of indie raps, so my first instinct is to cry "sellout".

Instinct is powerful apparently. "Lookin' Fly feat. will.i.am" is the weakest song of the record, and maybe Murs' weakest song ever. Fuuuuuck. It has top 40 disease all over it. Recycled simplistic beats with hi hats in all the right places and dull ass chorus (By the way, I've listened
to this song at least 5 times now, and can't find a verse that will.i.am performs. Maybe just having a feat. credit ruins a song).

"Time is Now feat. Snoop Dogg" fares much better. It's a pretty strong beat, but damned if Snoop's verse isn't as dull as ever. Are you really still rhyming "next episode"? I know it's probably a huge selling point to feat. Snoop, but I'm so done with this.

That being said, there are a few gems on Murs For President. "Everything" has one of those uplifting major chord beats that makes you want to go save the world, and features classic personal anecdotes and real world postulating.

"Road Is My Religion" is another straight-talk first person ideology rap that conjures up Atmosphere's anthem "Cats Van Bags".

This is not a bad album, but could've used some more time and some better guests. Those chosen for talent, not for selling power. But that's not the way to campaign for president, as we are all learning on a moment-to-moment basis. And the way things are going, Murs is definitely not the worse candidate out there.

I'm definitely looking forward to the next album, and will never stop listening to End of the Beginning! Or loving L-dot-A-dot!

Voting for Propostion 8 is Un-American

The US constitution guarantees equal rights for every individual, regardless of race, creed, gender, or any other individuating factor. There is absolutely no reason to deny any one person, or a group of people, a civil right that is offered to every other person.

Banning a person (or persons) from any governmental civil service, based on their personal trait, belief, or lifestyle, is inherently unconstitutional. America was formed with the freedom of every individual a right, no matter another person's opinion.

We cannot allow institutionalized inequality in this country ever.

This is a battle that many groups in America have fought and indeed are still fighting.

Proposition 8 is unconstitutional, and voting in its favor is un-American. It's that simple.

Shit, Guys and Gals

As I prepare my statement for the "legalization of gay marriage", let me entertain with a few tidbits.

A pretty damn poignant rap video from the 90's



And if you like David Lynch or surrealism in general, this is the only political video to watch until the bullshit's over.

Crowds

Here's a little video of Alison Krauss singing "Down in the River...". it gives you an idea of what the crowds were like on Friday evening, the least busy day of the festival. Sorry about the jerky-cam and poor quality sound.

Hardly Strictly Moshpit

Went to the HSB fest in Golden Gate Park this weekend, and it was by far the best yet. As a travelling crew, we've finally got it down so it's minimal stress and maximal fun. And the music this year was Hot! Pictures here are a little small, I need a telephoto next year.
























Gogol Bordello was the biggest highlight. I had high expectations and they did not disappoint. They sound great and the live show is blindingly awesome.



Alison Krauss and Robert Plant were pretty amazing as well. He has definitely still go it and let's all pray she never loses it.

Heavy Trash is a band to watch for, if you like rockabilly. They started with a song calling out "Peter Cushing", "Hammer Horror" and so on, so they got a plus in my book. They look damn slick too.

We also saw Jerry Jeff, Iron and Wine (barely), the Gourds, Peter Rowan, Richard Thompson (I could see his beret with my binoculars), Bad Livers, Odetta, and Elvis Costello. Damn! And I feel like we missed so much.





















I read that there were 40,000 people Saturday and 100,000 people Sunday. So it got to be a little hard to move around, but was well worth and we'll see you there next year.

Whoops

Preface: I often get calls on my landline for some surgical/doctor's office. I think the phone number is very similar...

Today:

'Ring'

Me: Hello?

Male Caller: Do you do breast implants there?

Me: No... I think you have the wrong number.

Male Caller: SON of a....

And that was it. He fumbled for a second and then we hung up. You probably had to be there, but it was surreal and funny.