It's that time again, folks. While some guys are spending time in court and getting ready to wrestle, most professional football players are packing their hyperbaric chamber into their Denali and heading to training camp. I thought I would set the mood a little with some videos. First, this one goes back to 1994 in Texas. It's high school ball, but down there, that's as serious as it gets. Plano East is down 41-17 with only 3-minutes remaining. I smell a comeback.
On a side note, that star makes me puke. Next, for some more shit from Texas, this dude makes some sick moves. I believe he's making his way into the Big10 world and attending Big Blue this fall. Keep your eyes peeled for his hurdle move. Embarrassing.
I was cruising the information superhighway today and stopped by a few haunts I used to venture onto back in the day to burn some time. There is this Coloring Book Land site which adds captions to images you would find in a coloring book. They've changed it up a little since my last visit. There used to be cheesy music repeating in the background that made it feel like a 50's commercial.
A colleague of mine clued me into Cliff Yablonski. I recall wanting to quit reading at page 3 but ended up clicking my way through the entire collection. Of course those were my Indiana days, and truthfully, there isn't much else to do.
If online comic strips that are updated daily are your fancy, let me suggest Least I Could Do. Starting from the first strip and reading up to the current is an excellent way to waste time which should be spent writing a thesis. Damn you Rayne Summers.
For those of you at the festivities in AC this past weekend, this video should conjure up a chuckle.
While I'm probably no where near thope on the alcoholic scale, I do have a tendency to enjoy good beer. The only thing better than good beer is good herb. Word.
Grimbergen Dubbel This is an abbey (yes, it was originally brewed by monks starting in the 12th century or something - beer brewed with the power of the holy spirit!) beer that I had the privilege of consuming while in Brussels, Belgium. I remember it was dark and delicious...just like thope enjoys his women! I keed, I keed! haha. Belgium has some great beer, unfortunately I can't remember any others. I definitely told myself this was my favorite, which is why I remember its name.
Newcastle Brown Ale You can find this pretty much anywhere, so the whole imported thing is kinda dumb. It is probably my favorite beer that is commonly found in bars and liquor stores. If the bar has it on tap, I stick with it. That is unless they have some delicious microbrews or something.
Bell's Best Brown Ale I love Bell's, which is a brewery in Galesburg, Michigan. I might even go so far as to say it's the best brewery in the Midwest. I was torn between the four brands of theirs that I have tried, but I love the brown ales. Also delicious are the following: Two Hearted Ale, Amber Ale, and Consecrator Doppelbock. The best brown ale is a seasonal, so I've only had it a couple times. If you ever get a chance, give Bell's a try.
Barley John's Wild Brunette Ok, this is kinda random, but Barley John's is a great brew pub probably six miles from my house. I've been there a few times and their beer is amazing. Their monday happy hour goes nonstop all afternoon until midnight, which can be troublesome. The Wild Brunette is made from wild rice, and is my personal favorite. Not only is the beer here delicious, but the alcohol percentages range from 5-15%. They also have a wimpy 3.5, but I've never tried it. That's for children. Notice the irony in that statement...I'm so clever! I think I'm going to touch myself in congratulation!
Summit Winter Ale A seasonal ale from Summit brewery in St. Paul, Minnesota. They have other great types, too. Their beers are actually kind of expensive considering it's a local brewery, but what are you going to do?
You heard me. I am going on vacation starting today. No fainting goats updates from me until mid-next week at the earliest. Maybe someone else will post something, but I doubt it.
Before I leave, here are some links compiled over the past few weeks. A linkdump if you will.
First, children are all pussies. I recommend you punch the next toddler you see right in the face. Boom, bitch!
Moving on, we have this woman who lives in a tiny house. I want one of those. It'd be like living in my car, but better!
Lets break this up with a music video. Here we have Cold War Kids' performance on Jimmy Kimmel. Sure its no prog-metal noise, but hey I guess I'm getting soft in my old age. Go ahead and hang me out up to dry.
Next we have my personal hero, Didier Drogba, the soccer player who single-handedly almost ended a civil war. Is there anything he can't do? Men want to be him and women want to be with him.
Oh yeah almost forgot, the Simpsons Movie comes out tommorrow. I'm sure I'll see it. And I'm sure it won't anywhere near as good as any of the episodes previously listed here. Although spiderpig still makes me laugh. The biting satire just hasn't been there for the past ten years or so. But if you doubt the Simpsons, here's some pretty good arguments that they are better than everything, ever. Seriously, try to imagine life with Homer et al. Try to try at least.
Well that's about it. I'll be in New York City by way of Atlantic City in the next few days. Perhaps I will riot after seeing Rage Against the Machine and Wu Tang. So long for now fatties!
I was going to write this last night when I got back from the show, but I was not very sober and proceeded to pass out on my floor playing with my dog. So today I'm hungover, can't hear shit, and may or may not remember everything I wanted to mention. Oh well.
So this is a metal/hardcore "festival" of sorts and in my opinion better than ozzfest, which is more about popular hard rock bands that can draw a crowd. That and Ozzy Osbourne, who is past his prime. i just can't get over the fact that the prince of darkness runs around stage shooting the crowd with a super soaker...Thope and I (also charles) witnessed this first hand. Anyway...
I was quite excited to see this show because I missed last summer's due to the whole being in Europe thing. As always, there was an "interesting" mix of people. Old school metalheads with their mullets, misguided youth, freaks, dude bros, emo kids, tough guys, and normal people (which is the category I hope I fall into). When you mix people of this type, bad things can happen, but I didn't see anything major go down. However, that was partly because I stayed by the bar, which had a slightly elevated view of the stage right behind the sound technicians and floor area. Got into Myth around 1:25pm and shows probably got going around 2pm. Ended around 10:45pm or something like that. Long day of drinking.
2Cents These guys started everything off...with a drum solo! Not as sexy as guitar solos I guess, but a good drummer can do a lot for a band. I'm no expert, but I was impressed. The drummer is also the singer and he kept me laughing with his various statements/observations between songs. He ripped into Good Charlotte and Fallout Boy, while praising Pantera, Minor Threat, and a few others from their youth. I was with them 100%. He also informed the crowd about a their being out of drugs and their willingness to take (or buy if it was good stuff) weed, lsd, and I think coke. They want to keep it "metal" and therefore refused any ecstasy. Beggars can't be choosers, guys. They covered the King of the Hill theme song and Slayer's Raining Blood...both were great in their own way. Overall, their brand of metal isn't really what I'm into nowadays, but I still enjoyed them.
Goatwhore The next band to take the stage was this black metal band from New Orleans. I like some black metal, but overall find the genre humorous at times. They just try too hard to have a certain look and feel...I blame it on the Scandanavians, who totally love this stuff. Goatwhore may be the best US band in the genre, but that list isn't huge...admittedly, I don't know of many. The band got a good reception as more people were finally getting in (total b.s. that some people were waiting in line through the first few bands...i got there early, so had no problems). I however thought their set got kinda old...there were a few songs in there that I enjoyed, but was ready for the next band before they were finished. Here's a video from their newest album.
HeavyHeavyLowLow This band is one of two reasons I bought my ticket. One of my favorite bands. It's really hard to describe their sound, so I won't try. Listen to some of their tracks to get an idea. Most of the douchebags at the show were booing them and yelling shit, which seriously pissed me off. They had some amp(?) and guitar problems, so there was a little bit of a break...this really got the haters going. The singer just stood there acting like he was masterbating and telling the crowd to fuck off cause he could do that for 15 more minutes and still get all their money...I was cracking up. I'm pretty sure this band has been getting booed a bunch on this tour because of all the dumbasses who don't get their shit. I mean, I didn't really like Goatwhore but I didn't sit there booing and yelling at them to get off the stage. The best was some teenage fat fuck in sandals and nike socks yelling that it was past their bedtime. If I was the violent type, he'd be the type of person that I'd want to mess up. Robbie, the singer, didn't really interact with the crowd much except to tell them to shut up and asking under his breath "where the weed at?"...he appeared to be really f'd up. Danny, one of the guitarists, was wearing some ridiculous running shorts and dancing around barefoot...he's got some moves. Actually talked to him at the merch booth for a bit, he was a nice guy and seemed happy that I was there to see their band. I however was pretty drunk at this point and wasn't really able to carry on much of a conversation. Great set. Wish it was longer...seemed like they cut it short. Here's some shitty video of them live.
The Acacia Strain I'd only heard one song from this band before the show. I was blown away by their energy. This was the point where things seemed to really get moving...people were really into them. The singer was very engaging and funny. He had the crowd going back in time giving the "thumbs-up" as opposed to the devil horns...which are kinda dumb in my opinion. I liked their music a lot, so I decided to pick up their two full lengths at the merch table. The singer was chilling out there at this point...I didn't talk to him personally, but witnessed him talking to a couple kids next to me. He seemed very sincere and interested in what they were saying, actually initiating the conversation. Didn't seem to have the ego that some do in this business. Cool guy who deserves my money. Here's the video for "angry mob justice" from their newest album.
The Devil Wears Prada I had heard a lot about this band, but never really checked them out. I guess I just wrote them off as another Christian, metalcore band...which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've just heard it all before. Well, they were better than I envisioned. I really liked their set, although the clean singing can get annoying (a little whiny). Not that I don't like clean singing...but it works better for some bands than others. This band reminds me of older Underoath (another Christian metalcore band who suck now but used to be amazing). Some people have problems with these Christian bands, but all that matters to me is the music. Most of them aren't very preachy, so that's good enough for me. Great set. And I bought their first full length...another band that deserves my cash. Here's a video for "Dogs can grow beards all over".
The Number Twelve Looks Like You This is the other reason I bought my ticket. Another one of my favorite bands. Much like HHLL, their sound is hard to describe. So many influences...they're all over the place. You really need to listen to an entire album to appreciate their sound. The crowd seemed really indifferent about what was going on upstage while they played. I was expecting the type of reception that HHLL got. Lots of energy and the two lead singers played off each other really well. The dude next to me asked what band has a woman lead singer right before they started playing...i was like, um, that's a dude. He did have a womanly shirt on, I guess...and long hair. I bought a scary t-shirt of theirs and old people were staring at me when I went to Old Country Buffet this afternoon. Here's the video for "like a cat".
Amon Amarth This is a metal band from Sweden. They're all about vikings. The crowd loved them, but they're not really my style. The singer and his accent were entertaining. I especially loved when he was like "come on, chicago was loud...but this is the home of the VIKINGS!". That got the crowd cheering louder...then I think they played their song "The Pursuit of Vikings". Eh.
Darkest Hour I actually went out to the merch booths after Amon Amarth. Ended up missing most of this set. Saw 1.5 songs. They were fine, but my batteries were getting low. I like this band and have some albums, but don't listen to them as much anymore. Here's a video for "Convalescence".
Job For a Cowboy There's a lot of hype for this band, but I can't figure out why. Maybe I haven't listened to enough, but they don't interest me much. I got bored during their set, partly because I had yet to receive my 2nd wind. Kinda zoned out. Whatevs.
Chimaira This is a band that I have tried to like. Had an older album, and I just never really got into it. I've seen them interviewed and candidly on camera, and they just seem like good people. I like good people, so I won't write them off. When they came out, Beefcake (from GWAR) came out with them. Insane! Apparently the bass player had to leave the tour b/c of a death in the family, so they had various band members on tour helping out with the bass duties. Beefcake, Andy Williams (Every Time I Die), Paul Romanko (Shadows Fall), and some dude who was a roadie for Shadows Fall helped out. This band woke me out of my slumber. I really enjoyed their set and my opinion of their music has definitely changed for the better. Crowd loved them too. They've got some songs that are really great when you're angry. "Pure Hatred" and "Power Trip" come to mind. Here's a video for a new track "Resurrection".
Every Time I Die Great band. They're not really "metal"...more of a post-hardcore rock band. Whatever that means...i hate labels like that. I saw them like four years ago with about 100 people. Loved them then, love them now. The singer is hilarious, and he seems quite intelligent. I think he used to teach high school english. His lyrics are actually really interesting, especially on the older albums. I've seen some interviews and they seems like a bunch of cool people. They called a guy from the crowd on stage to chug a beer during a song that contained an apparent "beer drinking riff"; they had a beer for him and everything. He put it down in like 5-10 seconds. Their guitarist Big Andy is frickin huge...they're from Buffalo and I think he should try out for tight end with the Bills. I actually prefer this bands older material to the newer, but they both have their merits. Here's "The New Black".
Shadows Fall This band is blowing up, and rightly so. They're a great thrash metal band. I've kinda grown out of them, but they're still good at what they do. Brian Fair is a great singer and his dreadlocks are fucking ridiculous...they literally reach the floor. And he loves swinging them around. I've heard their guitarist referred to as Jonny rock n' roll and that's a cool nick name. His name is jonathan donais (and he's a super talented guitarist)...my band director in high school was mr. donais. I didn't like him very much; straight up douche. I hope they're not related. Great high energy set. Crowd loved it.
GWAR I used to listen to GWAR back in the days of cassette tapes. I don't really listen to them at all anymore, but I enjoy what they do. The live show is like no other. One kinda forgets they're actually playing songs during their show because of all the ridiculous props and shit going on up on stage. They've got the 5 band members dressed up in their ridiculous gear, "slaves" running around handling the props, and all kinds of fluids being shot onto the crowd. The lead singer's costume is the best, complete with giant cock and 2 sets of testicles. Oh, and the penis shoots yellow liquid. Awesome. The props included the Virginia Tech shooter (they chopped off his head and shot him), a paralyzed SOTU/GWAR fan (they dismembered and skinned him), some musician (according to wikipedia, it's supposed to be Sid Vicious representing drug addicted, decadent rock stars; they fed him crack, pulled off his forearms), Jewcifer (Satan, whom they battle until the final prop shows up...), and Gor Gor (a T-Rex who kills Jewcifer only to be slayed by Oderus Urungus). Throughout this entire show the slaves were also shooting red and green liquid from these cannon like things. Very entertaining. Here's an old video of theirs for "saddam a go go".
Here's another treat for you all, because this post doesn't have nearly enough video...
I'm hoping somebody puts up some response to the best beer listoff sooner rather than later, but in the meantime productively laugh at some famous people.
First we have Beyonce falling down some stairs at some concert in Orlando. After which she requested that no one put it up on Youtube. Memo to Beyonce: Shut up. Although I'd wager some Sony BMG copyright claims could get it taken down.
And in in the likely scenario where that gets removed, here's Ben Affleck with his epic "Here comes the science" commercial.
Alright that was lame. Someone please post something to push this down.
This is a pretty obvious list to do (and easy to put together). I'm surprised nobody thought of it earlier. Alcoholic that I am, it's pretty certain that my picks will be the best.
Schaefer Beer Now this is kind of obscure, but cases of it are available at the Beer Mill (my local beer store, which is like 3 blocks from my apartment). Plus, it's the one beer to have when your having more than one. Best. Jingle. Ever. And I always have more than one. Just ask this 70s-tastic commercial featuring the one and only Moog synthesizer.
Leinenkugels Or as it is affectionately known, Leinie's. A Wisconsin brewed beer, the less obvious choice than Miller. In fact, this beer is pretty much the only positive thing I remember about the 7 months I lived in Wisconsin. Of course, the excessive amount of Leinie's I drank while there may have had an effect on both the number of positive experiences and my memory of them. I'm not sure how many different types of Leinenkugels there are, but this one is probably my favorite. Yes, it's just because of the name.
Yuengling Those of you who have never lived in the Delaware Valley probably have never heard of this, but you are missing out. So cheap and good, the pride of Pottsville, Pa. In fact you can walk into any bar in the Philadelphia area and simply order "a lager" and every bartender will know what you are talking about. For the uninitiated (I'm looking in Mr. "Can i have swiss cheese on a cheesesteak" TMoney's direction) it's pronounced yingling. Which makes for hilarious commercials involving asians.
Bass Ale Yeah I couldn't really think of anything else. I was tempted to go with something completely off the wall, like scotch, but that would destroy the integrity of the deathmatch listoff, whatever that means. So I went with another ale (my favorite kind of beer). Also I always seem get Bass when its on tap at the bar, so there you go. Fucking Limeys.
I was watching the Youtube democratic debate for about 20 minutes this evening. Seriously, it was terrible. The people asking the questions are fucking morans. For example, one query is "What are the five things the candidates would do to repair the damage done to the country by the Bush administration?" That's a legitimate question that could shed some light on what the candidates think. TOO BAD IT WAS ASKED BY A STUFFED CAT. ROTFLOL.
It was the stupidest thing I have ever seen, and this is coming from someone who has defended the merit of Snakes on a Plane and XXX: State of the Union. I weep for our children's future. Anyone seen the movie Idiocracy? No? Well, it's going to become real. At one point in that movie, all the crops are dying because the idiots of the future are watering them with powerade. When the main guy suggests using water, he is rebuked because that doesn't "have what plants crave" or something along those lines. I was pretty drunk when I saw it. My point is people are getting dumber.
Anyway, here's another example, from someone called The Phenomenauts. They call themselves a space and science band (?) then recite some impressive statistics and even have their synchronized sign off. Surely they should be taken seriously.
Jesus Christ.
The only really memorable part of the debate (that I saw) was when Kucinich said he supports reparations for slavery. Well, that and Obama talking about trying to catch a cab in NYC.
And now appropos of nothing, here's Kucinich with his hot young redheaded wife. He's got my vote.
edit: Apparently the Goatse image was flashed during one of the questions last night, at which point Hillary and Obama noticably flinched. If you don't know what goatse is, well, you probably don't want to know. The fact that it was on a Presidential debate probably means the end times are here. Either that or the YouTube debates were a phenomenally stupid idea. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's stupid.
There are some things in this world that really piss me off and religious zealots are right at the top of the list. Too often people turn a blind eye to the real world and let "faith" take care of things. This drives me nuts. People need to take control of their lives. If there was a God, he would deserve a swift kick in the nuts for all that is wrong in this world (or a punch in the ovaries, in case he was actually a she. Sweet Blasphemy!). I especially love the song and dance about how all the bad in the world is due to Satan's influence. Spare me. That's about as plausible as the boogeyman.
The truth is that the concept of God was invented by people who had no idea what the hell was going on and needed some sort of explanation. Unfortunately they didn't have the benefit of science that we do now...and it's too bad because thousands of years of believing in something that doesn't exist has made people very stubborn.
Why the diatribe on religion? Well, I read this today. These sextuplets were big news a little over a month ago. What disappointed me is that during the pregnancy the parents were told that the chances of the six babies surviving would be very, very slim. They could have reduced the number of fetuses to allow the babies a normal chance of survival. Well, they refused because of their "faith" in God and that whatever happened would be his plan. Now I'm not about to try to force my opinions about abortion on people, but look where their decisions have led. Isn't refusing care for your unborn children, which leads to their death, the same thing as abortion? Apparently God's will was a deep sadness that will last their entire lifetime.
I'm sorry, but what kind of God does this to people? I hope their last child survives, because this is tragic. I would never wish it upon anyone. But seriously, when are people going to open their eyes? Evangelicals are taking over various facets of our country and it's not for the better. They claim to be "God's people" and to do good, but this is absolutely false. All they want to do is force their beliefs on others so that we can all live in a joyless, Christian society. Yippee! I once was a Christian and this is not what I learned from the bible. This type of hypocrisy is partly what drove me away from the church...that and I actually started thinking about things, something the majority of our nation could stand to do more of.
And don't get me started on the Pope's recent approval of a document reasserting the Catholic church's stance that theirs is the only true church and path to salvation, the God Hates Fags people, or the millionaire televangelists.
The God hates shrimp people are cool, though. God also hates zombies.
I apologize if I offended you. You're free to believe what you want, just stop trying to ruin my world.
I was driving back from a stalker/reporter duty yesterday afternoon. Attempting to track down a story by driving by the house of this local kid who fell down a mineshaft in Mexico. Very sad. I knocked on a couple of his neighbors' doors and asked them questions. They didn't know anything and one told me to get "off his lawn." Later I found his MySpace page, which according to my editor is a reliable source.
Thats just indicative of the dangers of Mexican mineshafts. Be forewarned.
Anyway, I was cruising back to to the office when something flew in my driver side window, bounced off the rear windshield and hit me in the back of the head. I look down and there is a fucking bird. Dead. My first thought was "OMG I am surrounded by death." First this kid in Mexico, then a goddamn bird. I better watch my back.
Just like this pigeon, who made the mistake of thinking a nearby pelican was its avian friend. It's just a bird eat bird world I guess.
All you sports fans out there, I gotta recommend former Deadspin weekend editor The Mighty MJD's daily column over at the FanHouse, dubbed The Debriefing. The dude is consistently hilarious. Be it his rip on ESPN's Who's now competition called "Who's Erstwhile" or simply referring to an NFL wideout as "240 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal" the guy brings it.
Anybody else watch Flight of the Conchords? It's kind of weird and the humor is pretty dry, but boy those Kiwis are hilarious. Do yourself a favor and go watch some of their videos. GINGER BALLS!
On a more hilariously sobering note, we have this tale of neocons on a cruise. Oh yeah, the muslims are coming you dumb motherfuckers, wait I better shut up, cause if I speak my mind I should be executed. It disturbs me that my roommate is one of these people. I can't wait til he gets home and tells me the latest from Colin "Shrutebag" Cowherd about how black people hate dogs. Grah. Also, along the same lines, there's this video about Generation Chickenhawk. Damn that one chick it pretty hot, too bad she's a fascist.
And finally, I don't know if you have heard, but the last Harry Potter book comes out tonight. I haven't actually read any of the books, but if I did I would definitely put on of these hilarious fake covers on it to hide my shame. Because only real men read "Memoirs of a Shark Fucker"
Well thats it for me. I'm going to go drown my troubles in a bottle of Jim Beam and watch Children of Men on repeat. FUN
I am trying to remember bands I listened to in the 80s and all I can come up with is Weird Al Yankovic. I mean dare to be stupid was pretty epic, but I'm going to have to leave him off this list. What can I say, I was too busy building dams in the stream behind my house in the 80s to develop an unhealthy obsession with Whitesnake. Also, I'm pretty sure these selections will prove without a shadow of a doubt that dr.gpeice rocks harder than I do. OR DOES HE?
Presidents of the United States of America I think the fact that I loved this band as a 14-year-old, before I knew the joys of herbal refreshment, shows I was ahead of my time. Apparently they came upon the name "The Presidents of the United States of America" while playing music high on marijuana. Of the names made up on the spot that night, "The Presidents" got the biggest rise out of the eleven stoners who happened to be listening. Hilarious, just like their music. Lump? Kitty? I also would like to move to the country and eat a lot of peaches.
Pearl Jam I still only like their first two albums. Yellow Ledbetter is a pretty good song, but just give me "Ten" and "Vs" and I'll be happy. You can take Yield/No Code and shove them up your ass. Fuck you Eddie Vedder, your drunken on-stage slurring won't save you now. Wait, what was I talking about? Oh right, Vitology blows -- JOSH!
Stone Temple Pilots "Core" was the first CD I ever bought. I carried it with me always until it was stolen by a crackhead in San Francisco (Shake harder boy!). On an unrelated note, I'm half the man I used to be.
Local H Oh yeah, here's the good stuff you high-fiving motherfuckers. Frankly, the song Eddie Vedder off their sophomore effort "As Good as Dead" is better than anything the real Eddie Vedder has done in the past 10 years. Plus the CD looked like a giant quarter. I was always impressed that there were only two people in this band. I remember waiting for their next disc "Pack up the cats" but it never came out cause Universal sucks. And if I am ever back in Chicago for Halloween I am totally going to see their performance at the Double Door. Maybe they will cover Weird Al? It's no Britney Spears but still. Well that was disturbing.
Social Distortion Ok this was more in teh high school years, but whatever. I was really into the album that came out in '96 -- "White light, White heat, White trash" and in fact I still play it to this day (Crackhead missed that one). Anyway, "White(3x)" got some heavy rotation and I was like, hmmmm, I wonder if Mike Ness et al have any other CDs? And they did! But I still just mostly listened to that one album.
Damn I really did like grunge back in the day. And no this is not turning into a music blog. I'll be back Friday afternoon with some filler.
Their new album "Era Vulgaris" is pretty good stuff. At least the jewel case works well for doing lines off of. Inappropriate.
A few basic nuggets from the band via wikipedia: Josh Homme describes the disc as "dark, hard, and electrical, sort of like a construction worker … it's like dirt, clearly seen." Era Vulgaris is latin for Common Era, but Homme says "it sounds like 'the Vulgar Era', which I like, because that sounds like something that I would like to be part of… I mean I think we're in it, and I'm stoked." A vulgar construction worker, got it. (I have no idea what that means)
The album is not as immediately accessible as Songs for the Deaf, but the riffs have a certain catchiness that become apparent through dedicated listening. Personally I enjoy the how the groovy feel of "Make it wit chu" segues into the Nirvana-like opening measures of "3's and 7's" via giant booming synthetic brass sounds.
I definitely agree with the Rolling Stone review, when it says in regards to a particular riff on the album -- "you realize it's here for one main reason, just like every other sonic flourish on Era Vulgaris: Josh Homme loves how it sounds."
Bottom line, after giving "Era Vulgaris" some heavy rotation, I gotta say the results are mixed. I don't think they are the same band without bassist Nick Olivieri. Not that that is a necessarily bad thing. On this album they brought in some heavy hitters, Trent Reznor, Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, some guy from ZZTop and former vocalist Mark Lanegan.
But on the album itself only Casablancas and Lanegan appear. After some internet detective work I have determined that Reznor was on the "title track" of the album, which was not included on the CD. Apparently it was leaked way back in April. I am so behind the times.
OK I just spent the past 45 minutes looking for that download and I finally got it. I guess I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. Here it is the easy way, someone put it on Youtube.
I gotta admit, as annoying as that was looking for the download, it's kind of badass to not put the title track on an album, and the song is so money it doesn't even know it. Oh Trent Reznor, you are so edgy.
Apparently Era Vulgaris (the track, not the album) was sent out to 50 people who entered a contest on the QOTSA fansite thefade.net. The package also included this note.
Hello friend -
Thank you for accepting this gift. Included you will find the will to dance & the song ERA VULGARIS. It was pulled from the new album (of the same name) so that it could be to you and become an example of how we think "from now on" should be. As in - We do for you, you do for us.
So to start this relationship off, we have done for you. Now we ask this in return. Share this with friends you think we (you & us) would enjoy. Upload it and spray it like time released graffitti on the websites of places it does not belong.
– 'Dr Insider & QOTSA'
Kind of a "fuck you" to their record label(Universal) when the band pulls the title track (under the influence of Mr NIN I'm sure) off their album and send it out to the most hardcore of fans. It's just unfortunate that the song isn't more widely available. I blame the RIAA.
And in answer to their request, you can download the Era Vulgaris single here.
Reading up on these bands and watching music videos on youtube has helped me to realize how hilarious the 80's were. Hair metal needs to make a comeback...actually, no, it should stay dead.
Alice in Chains My favorite band of all time. They were so much more than the "grunge" label they were given. I still don't know what I like more; their earlier, darker material or their softer, acoustic side. They made music to suit any mood. I still remember my mom flipping out about the lyrics to the song "junkhead". What's my drug of choice/Well what have you got... R.I.P. Layne Staley.
Sepultura I started listening around the time of Chaos A.D., which I consider one of the best metal albums of the 90's, but I also got into their older death metal stuff too. I lost interest when Max Cavalera left the band to form Soulfly. Just like Audioslave was nothing compared to Rage and Soundgarden, Soulfly and new Sepultura pale in comparison to old Sepultura.
Biohazard I was quite impressed that their lead singer Evan Seinfeld is married to Tera Patrick. He played the character Jaz Hoyt in Oz and apparently had a nude scene that Tera saw...she didn't know who he was but found out and they started dating. Now he stars in "movies" with her. He goes by Spyder Jonez in these Oscar-worthy performances. Not really the type of girl to take home to mom, but I'm still jealous. What does this have to do with the band? Absolutely nothing.
Skid Row Probably my favorite band for a few years in elementary school. Their first two albums were really good, I even remember calling a radio station to dedicate "I Remember You" to a girl in 3rd or 4th grade. I then had to call her to tell her to listen to the station. How romantic. Maybe I should try that now...dedicating songs to random girls seeing who goes for it; either that or getting a nude scene on tv so some pornstar decides she can't live without me and my hog (tera patrick style).
Pantera I loved Pantera in junior high. Phil Anselmo's side project Down is currently a band I still enjoy a lot and I think they're coming out with a new album soon. Thope and I went to Ozzfest back in our undergraduate years when Down headlined the 2nd stage and I gotta say that Mr. Anselmo was all kinds of f'd up. In my opinion, Pantera truly emerged with the release of Cowboys From Hell and pretty much died after Far Beyond Driven. R.I.P Dimebag.
Honorable Mention: Gwar, Suicidal Tendencies, Aphex Twin, NWA, Faith No More, Nine Inch Nails, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, Tool
Sticking with the theme of gaming systems, here's a little viddy for a new Wii accessory. Looks, uhh, interesting. I'll stick with my crazy spin action on Wii Bowling.
Speaking of bowling, this guy should be on the And-1 Bowling Edition.
To conclude with some complete randomness, for those who haven't seen Transformers, you're missing some sweet Osprey action. Although I have no idea why they were cruising in helicopter mode.
So I got NCAA Football 08 for my PS3 today. Somehow I was able to pull myself away from it to make a post. The best part so far? Starting my dynasty with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, in particular rapey mcrape. I was going to write a diatribe on college/professional athletes and their propensity to get their sexual assault on, but I figured that was too much.
I considered deleting the involved players from my team, but unfortunately my need to obtain a ridiculous recruiting class requires me to keep the players involved on my team (they are high ranking defenders, after all). I have returned a couple interceptions for touchdowns with "the ambassador" and my house has been echoing with cheers of "the rapist does it again". I think something is wrong with me. At least he'll be in jail soon and hopefully plenty of others will be returning the favor.
In complete desperation of cleansing myself of the conversation I had with my roommate last night, we have this post. To sum up the situation, roomie is a hardcore christian conservative. He belongs to a country club. His younger brother works as an intern at the White House. Basically a good German and all around nice guy.
Last night he was regaling me with tales of Rush Limbaugh's hilarious mocking of those losers who believe in global warming. Sometime after that I found myself saying something like "Well you know, Al Gore is kind of out there, but that doesn't mean global warming doesn't exist." Jesus tap-dancing Christ thats lame. At least later I shocked him with the news that I would prefer Gore as president.
Anyway, I still feel like a complete shit for how I handled the whole situation -- why should I censor myself to spare his feelings? It's not helping anyone. So as some sort of godless communist recompense I'm running down a list of subversive bands that are popular despite their damning of the man. The Offspring OK we're starting off kind of weak. I don't think Why don't you get a job is going to inspire anyone to revolution. But they enjoy a special place in my heart just because of their performance at Woodstock 99. They brought out effigies of the backstreet boys and beat the hell out of them. Later the crowd went complete apeshit and the sky was filled with plastic bottles. The Kids Aren't All Right was an amazing ... HOLY CRAP I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS IN THAT CROWD
Marilyn Manson "Capitalism has made it this way, Old-fashioned fascism will take it away" -The Beautiful People Thats more like it. There's not much more to say. I know he's not everyone's cup of tea. But you gotta respect a man who combined the names of the most famous sex object with the most famous murderer. I'm going to resist posting any images or videos, cause they are weally scawy. edit: Nevermind, here's Charlie
The Arcade Fire "Ain't much chance for survival if the neon bible is right." Gotta represent for the indies. One look at their song titles tells you all you need to know [Antichrist Television Blues] Not to mention that that song's first two verses are a allegory for 9/11 before going into how his little girl is getting warped by society. Neon Bible is the best album I've purchased in the past year and half. Although Cold War Kids are creeping up on the outside.
Here's a video of Arcade Fire playing the album's title track in an elevator. Note the use of ripping.
Tool "Some say the end is near. Some say we'll see armageddon soon. I certainly hope we will. I sure could use a vacation from this bullshit three ring circus sideshow of freaks here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA. The only way to fix it is to flush it all away. Any fucking time. Any fucking day. Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay. Fret for your figure and Fret for your latte and Fret for your hairpiece and Fret for your lawsuit and Fret for your prozac and Fret for your pilot and Fret for your contract and Fret for your car." -Ænema Well that's certainly uplifting. Here it is in video form. Nope, not weird at all. Maynard hates drugs.
Nine Inch Nails The most subversive of all. Government, god, societal mores, american culture, nothing escapes the ire of Trent Reznor. I particularly enjoy the most recent effort, Year Zero, which has been mentioned before in this space.
To recap: It's a concept album set in an fascist future. It's got everything covered, power-hungry godheads, helpless plebes, good soldiers, the whole sordid scene from start to finish. This is not to ignore his earlier work, which was plenty subversive in itself. NIN had a song called "Heresy" for christsake. But the maturity and focus of incendiary lyrics on Year Zero really is something to behold.
I think this video for the first single "Survivalism" gets my point across. I was hoping for a video for Capital G, but alas only fanvids are available.
Ahh I feel much better. Sorry I didn't mention rage.
You may have heard about the so-called "Obama girl" whose video I got a Crush ... On Obama skyrocketed to the top of the viral video heap, with more than two million views and counting. Be forewarned though, if you click that link you will lose braincells. Probably about a whippets' worth.
Anyway, she's back with a new video. This time Obama Girl faces off against Guiliani Girl, who says she wants Rudy to be "Guili-on-me" See for yourself.
Far be it from me to make sweeping generalizations about what the introduction of these videos could bring to American politics. uhhh ... Zeitgeist is fucked? What can I say, it's beyond me.
I mean, I like Obama and all -- I sure hope he beats out Hillary, but go ahead and call me a Paultard, cause I'm seriously considering changing my party affiliation from independent to republican just so I can vote for Ron Paul in the primary.
Ron Paul: Significantly less crazy than Mike Gravel.
