Action Potential

You can't really hate on LeBron for planning on leaving Cleveland...

2008-11-27T11:53:00.004-06:00

unless you're a Cleveland-area resident or a Cavs fan. I do feel a little bit bad for them because the smart money is that he'll leave for New York in a couple of years.

However, looking at this objectively, I think that most people's perspectives are out of whack when they cite reasons for LeBron staying in Cleveland or leaving. They cite a franchise's ability to win multiple championships. They cite LeBron's marketing advantages of living in NYC vs. Cleveland vs. any other NBA city. And this past week, everybody seems to be arguing back on forth on these points. But they're misguided.

Whatever team LeBron signs with in 2010 will definitely field a competitive, championship-contending team - whether that's Cleveland, New York, LA, Chicago, Detroit, etc. Whoever signs LeBron will cater to him and build an excellent team around him. He could sign with Oklahoma City, and they'll do everything in their power (trade players, open up payroll, etc.) to compete for the championship. So a franchise's ability to win championships is a moot point.

It's probably true that marketing will be, at the very least, better for LeBron if he were to sign with the Knicks. But knowing how much of a global star he is already and how much he continues to grow in that area, the difference will probably be so negligible that it really doesn't matter if he's in New York versus Cleveland. With the amount of money that he's making and will continue to make, a few million dollars is chump change. People/companies with money who want to market him will come to Lebron wherever he is. So I doubt LeBron would choose New York because of better marketing, business opportunities, etc.

So why do I think he's going to leave Cleveland for probably New York? The same reason the population of NYC continues to grow at a much more rapid pace than other (stagnant or declining) northern and midwestern cities. The City of New York itself is the star that attracts celebrities and non-celebrities alike. I know so many people who strive to live in New York, even if it's temporary and even if career-wise and investment-wise (like owning a house/condo) it's much more pragmatic to not live in New York. I live in the city of Chicago, and I love it here and have no intention of moving anywhere...but even in a great city like Chicago (which besides the winter weather, kicks LA's ass), there's a huge inferiority complex amongst many Chicagoans only when it comes to New York. That's because deep down, people know that New York's king, and the magnetism of New York makes more people want to live there than competing cities like LA, Chicago, and San Francisco.

I think LeBron just wants to live in New York City rather than any other place. I think he'd rather play at Madison Square Garden 41 times a year than any other arena. I think he wants to play in front of New York celebrities and friends. Even if the Knicks never existed and there's an expansion franchise in NYC, it would be the front runner to sign LeBron. This's why I predict he'll sign with the Knicks. He's not unlike many, many people who more than anything want to experience living in New York.

Red Wings vs. Pistons

2008-06-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

Although my feelings on sports is nowhere near as strong as they were when I was young(er), it was exciting recently with my favorite NBA and NHL teams simultaneously in the playoffs. And now with both the Red Wings' and Pistons' seasons now over due to either winning the championship or elimination, I've come to terms not just with my feelings on either team but both sports in general.

First, the Pistons. Watching this team since their 2004 championship has been absolutely painful and infuriating. Although I wholeheartedly root for the Pistons, I've come to realize that I really don't like the team on a personal level...with the exception of McDyess, Hunter, Maxiell, and Prince. And I have to admit that I still love Rasheed Wallace...but that could be the Carolina fan in me strongly affecting my feelings...because Wallace is at fault as much as the others for failing. I still truly believe that if Larry Brown were still coaching the Pistons, he could have (and would have) squeezed at least one more championship out of these guys and/or at least got them into the finals during Flip's years. I mean, check out this from Stephen A Smith's article on Flip Saunders' dismissal:

Plus, Saunders wasn't Larry Brown.

"We still love LB," one player said, requesting anonymity. "LB was something special. He knew his stuff but also knew us to a tee.

"I remember one game [Pistons guard Chauncey Billups] put up like 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He was one assist away from a triple-double, and ecstatic. Then LB walks up to him and says, 'You don't have a clue how to play point guard for me, do you?' [Billups] just bowed his head like a lost puppy.

"Then there's the time he calls us into a huddle like there's some emergency or something during the 2004 Finals against the Lakers. We're here thinking it's something drastic. And then he says, 'You know … I love you guys.' We all cracked up laughing and were relaxed the rest of the series.

"LB just knew how to touch us. Affect us. You don't teach that, man. You either have that relationship with the players or you don't. We respect Flip, but he doesn't have that. Curry does. And he will."

And that quote on Billups is something I've always felt. He puts up good stats, and 75% of the time he's a really good point guard. But every time I watch the Pistons play, he seems to make some of the most boneheaded moves, such as take dumb shots. He'll make some of these dumb shots, but when he did that with Larry Brown, he was reprimanded even if the shot went in. Under Brown's discipline, Billups was easily a top-3 point guard. Similar thing with Rip Hamilton. I read a quote from about a month ago where Hunter had to bring him back down to earth for taking too many stupid shots. The Pistons lineup is good enough that they don't really need a go-to guy, so Hamilton doesn't need to be taking (bad) shot after (bad) shot when he keeps missing...which I saw him do on many occasions. I love Rasheed Wallace, but it's clear that he doesn't have the mental makeup of taking over and dominating at will, as his immense talent would have you believe he could. He needs a coach he could respect, i.e., a coach he feels he isn't smarter than. That's what I believe is the main reason he respected Larry Brown so much and for the most part thrived (even though their UNC connection didn't hurt, obviously).

However, it's well documented that Larry Brown leaving the Pistons was at least half his fault (probably more). So the Pistons should've sucked it up and not been such brats under Saunders. Their playing down to the competition was real for anybody who really paid attention to them, and they definitely played like they were entitled to everything...hence, most players on the team always bitching and complaining after any call against them. So, unless Dumars can bring in a coach that can command the players' full respect (like LB), I say blow the team up. With the exception of Rasheed and McDyess, I don't feel a strong personal connection to any of them...because, as I said already, the team isn't that likable.

On the other hand, watching the Red Wings play was almost the complete opposite. The players (old and new) all played their hearts out, and when they did fuck up, it wasn't because of lack of effort, concentration, playing down to the competition, or just acting like assholes. Nobody bitched and complained even if they might have reason to do so. They played and were a true team, and a team/franchise fans can truly be proud of and make other fans extremely green with envy.

What the Red Wings franchise has really become since the mid-90s is the closest thing to a sports "family" as you can get in pro sports. It's somewhat easier in college sports, especially basketball...but it's a term that used way too liberally. UNC (and Duke to a certain extent) are the closest thing to family as you can get in college basketball. And the Red Wings franchise sort of reminds me of Dean Smith's Carolina program. Players are developed from within the franchise - whether they're a first round pick or a 10th round pick...and free agents come for less money than they can get elsewhere because not only do they have a chance to win, they're treated like a family by ownership. It's like, once a Red Wing, you're a Red Wing for life.

That's why the Red Wings are almost always contending for the Stanley Cup and the New York Rangers are either mediocre or just plain bad, even though their total salary matched or surpassed Detroit...pre-salary cap and salary cap eras.

Watching both the Red Wings and Pistons also got me thinking about just the sports themselves. I've always maintained that at every sports' most exciting moments, when they're played the right way with tons of drama and clean play, hockey is easily the most exciting sport. And my feeling on that is as strong as it's ever been. It's a shame that hockey is only a niche sport, even though I completely understand why that is. Despite the excitement of hockey, maybe because of sheer lack of exposure in the media, even I have to admit that I know less about teams and players even without being a diehard NBA fan. That's why I'd probably watch the NBA finals no matter who is playing, and that's why I'd watch the NCAA Tournament and championship no matter who's playing. If the Red Wings didn't play in the playoffs or Stanley Cup Finals, I'm not quite sure I would've watched it.

Thoughts on the Fab Five, Bob Knight, Dean Smith, and basketball coaching

2008-02-05T18:21:00.000-06:00

Obviously I’ve been very uninspired to write in this blog for at least the past couple of years. I’m still uninspired for the most part. However, two things that have to do with sports, specifically college basketball, from last night have inspired me to write something...

As I was killing time before the MU-KU game, I was flipping through the channels when I came across the program, Beyond the Glory. Last night’s segment was on Michigan’s Fab Five. I grew up a die-hard U of M sports fan, and there’s still a part of me that pulls for the school because I gave so much of my youth’s heart rooting for its football and basketball teams. Although I’m now a North Carolina and Missouri supporter (despite my interest in MU’s basketball program having took a huge hit after the Quin Snyder debacle and I’m still recovering to find interest in that program which is a whole 'nother story), the Fab Five remains my favorite sports team of all time (with UNC’s 2004-05 basketball team a distant second followed by the 90’s era Detroit Red Wings). Watching that program last night brought back some really great memories, and despite Chris Webber’s violations of NCAA rules, I can’t help but feel anything but love towards that team. Like I said, they still remain my favorite sports team of all time, despite the fact that my (now beloved) Tar Heels basketball program under my favorite coach ever, Dean Smith, beat them.

Which nicely segues into the second thing from last night that is inspiring me to actually write something in this blog: Bob Knight’s retirement. Like many people, I’m shocked - not so much that I wouldn’t expect this from him, but anytime there’s big news like this, it’s somewhat unexpected.

I have some mixed feelings towards Bob Knight. He’s obviously an asshole who really doesn’t care what others think about him. While I find it sort of admirable that he doesn’t care what people think of him, what’s not admirable is that he’s such an asshole. If I had a kid who was good enough to play Division I basketball, I wouldn’t want him playing for Knight. But there’s actually a part of me that likes him - and it has nothing to do with his skills as a coach. In his asshole sort of way, the man’s hilarious. The very asshole quality about him absolutely cracks me up.

Anyway, because of his retirement, of course, there’s going to be debate on where Knight stands as one of the greats in basketball coaching (and coaching in general). Of course I have my own opinion which I will share. Before I share my opinions, like 99% of the population (and I’m including most of the media), I have never coached (or played organized) basketball. So my opinions (and most of the media’s) are based on sheer observations. Unlike coaches and ex-coaches and ex-players who analyze basketball on TV, I don’t know specific details like exactly what play is being called, specific name of the defense, etc. I have to use my own observation and also what I read, too. So I have to admit that some of my opinions have also been shaped by what the media has written and said. However, without being too egotistical, I have enough confidence in my intellect that I can pick out quality and various levels of quality and excellence. For example, I can tell when watching the Michigan-Carolina championship game from 1993 that the Tar Heels were very well coached and taught and were fundamentally sound.

So based on my own observations and what I’ve read and heard, in the modern era (~70s to today), I’d have to rank Bob Knight and Dean Smith as 1A and 1B (or vice-versa) as the best pure college basketball coaches. (Even if I were to include John Wooden, I’d keep Knight and Smith as 1A and 1B, but that topic is for a different time.) Dean Smith and Bob Knight were not only successful, they were innovators in basketball, and their principles have been used and stolen by so many successful coaches today. I read a quote from John Wooden saying, “I don’t think there’s ever been a better teacher of the game of basketball than [Knight].” Well, Wooden said the exact same thing about Dean Smith. Roy Williams, who seems to credit Smith for his success even more than Larry Brown does (which is a lot), has said on numerous occasions that 95% of the things he does in coaching he’s stolen from Dean Smith while the remaining 5% were stolen from Knight. I think that’s pretty high praise given that he was really exclusively trained by Smith and has and should have no allegiance towards Knight.

Although Smith and Knight (rightfully so) get compared to each other, one thing that bothers me is when I read and hear people saying that Smith had all the All-American, future pros while Knight had a bunch of scrubs that he managed to turn into winners. That’s bullshit. If that were the case, Knight would’ve had just as much success at Texas Tech as he had at Indiana. Although Knight didn’t have as many future pros as Smith, he did have very highly touted recruits come play for him at IU. Just because they weren’t athletic enough to be All-Pros at the next level doesn’t mean they weren’t great high school players that became great college players under Knight. This leads me to another point that’s broader in scope than Knight versus Smith...

The quality of a coach (in basketball) is not and should not be exclusively linked to wins, losses, how many (future) pros he coaches, etc. Wins and losses DO help define the quality, but sheer wins and losses (and win percentages) are overrated.

Although I love college basketball, one thing I don’t like is that it seems to me that at least 75% (probably more) of the health of programs is just based on recruiting. Recruiting overshadows everything in college basketball and clouds the inferiority and superiority of pure coaching. If you have less overall talent on your team, you’re probably going to lose. If Coach K had a month to prepare with the University of Maine’s roster and Maine’s coach had a month to prepare with Duke’s roster, Coach K would lose (big) to the Maine coach. Although I love Carolina basketball and I think Roy Williams is one of the better college coaches out there, just his wins and losses do not tell me that he’s a great coach. Things that suggest that he’s a great coach include testimonials from other coaches, the fact that he’s taken what he’s learned from Smith and applied it with his own flavoring to work extremely well within the team concept, etc. But does that make him the best pure coach today? I don’t know. (With his coaching skills plus his recruiting skills and program management (and my own Carolina bias), I’d personally take him over any other coach.) But in reading things, such as testimonials, and watching other teams in the past and this year, you could make a case for Williams or K or Izzo or Howland...etc. etc. etc. I tend to read a lot into peer reviews, i.e., testimonials from other coaches because I presume they know who really is a good coach or who is just a really good schmoozer/recruiter and/or maybe a shitty coach who doesn’t contribute much and just lets the very talented players just play. So based on this (and also seeing team preparedness regardless of whether they win or lose), I’d have to say, in no particular order, that these D-I coaches are the best pure coaches: Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski, Rick Majerus, John Beilein, Ben Howland, Tom Izzo, Bo Ryan, Jim Calhoun, John Thompson, and Bruce Pearl. I’m sure I’m leaving out many...but that sort of makes my point. I truly believe that you can’t truly measure how good one is as a pure coach mostly based on wins and losses because basketball, more than most other team sports, places a higher premium on the innate talent of the players. Others (I’m sure) will disagree, but that’s how I view it. I refuse to believe that John Calipari is and has been a better coach than Knight just because he has a better record in the past few years. Just like I refuse to believe that Phil Jackson is a better coach than Larry Brown. Just like I refuse to believe Doc Rivers is a better coach than Pat Riley.

I guess what I’m also trying to get at is this: basketball “coaching” is overrated. They often get too much credit for merely being really good recruiters (or in the Pros, having a GM/owner that signs and drafts the best players). As long as they have a good collection of talent and don’t fuck shit up (like Snyder at MU), they may actually look like really good or great coaches when they’re actually not. Coaches like Dean Smith and Bob Knight are, however, truly great coaches. They’re on the “Mount Rushmore” of basketball coaching.

My Favorite Music Releases of 2007

2008-01-29T16:27:00.000-06:00

I made this list a few weeks ago.

Here are my criteria for my list: 1) I include various artists compilations unless they’re just “Best of’s” and/or label comps, and most songs have been released previously; 2) I include reissues as long as the previous or original issue was very difficult to find, out of print for a long, long time, and/or was never properly issued in mass quantities until 2007 (e.g., the Sebadoh and Townes Van Zandt reissues are not eligible); and 3) Eligible albums include those that may have been released in late 2006 (like in December) that I didn’t hear of until 2007.

I’d also like to note two more things. First, I was lucky enough to have acquired a very limited press Warhammer 48k An Ethereal Oracle CD in 2006; it was re-released (in slightly larger quantities) by Permanent Records on vinyl in 2007...had I not already had this album, it would most definitely be on my list. Second, Circle (one of my favorite bands ever) released at least 7 albums in 2007 (including reissues). One of their reissues was the long out-of-print Sunrise album. If I didn’t already own this, this would’ve probably been my #1 album of 2007.

Here are my honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam (Domino)

The Arcade Fire - Funeral (Merge)

Avarus - Rasvaaja (Secret Eye)

Sir Richard Bishop - While My Guitar Violently Bleeds (Locust)

Boris with Michio Kurihara - Rainbow (Drag City/Pedal)

Anne Briggs - The Time Has Come (Water)

Burial - Untrue (Hyperdub)

Circle - Katapult (No Quarter)

Circle (featuring Verde) - Tower (Last Visible Dog)

Karen Dalton - Cotton Eyed Joe (Megaphone)

Fursaxa - Alone in the Dark Wood (ATP Recordings)

Ghost - In Stormy Nights (Drag City)

Daniel A.I.U. Higgs - Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot (Thrill Jockey)

Michael Hurley - Ancestral Swamp (Gnomonsong Recordings)

Krypt Axeripper - Mechanical Witch (Ektro)

NVH/Chasny - Plays the Book of Revelations (Yik Yak)

Pekos/Yoro Diallo - S/T (Yaala Yaala)

The Ponys - Turn the Lights Out (Matador)

Shellac - Excellent Italian Greyhound (Touch and Go)

Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (Merge)

Sunburned Circle - The Blaze Game (Conspiracy)

The White Stripes - Icky Thump (Warner Bros.)

Wiley - Playtime is Over (Big Dada)

Here’s the Top 25 (in descending order):

25. High on Fire - Death Is This Communion (Relapse)

24. The Dead C - Future Artists (Ba Da Bing)

23. Circle - Panic (Ektro)

22. Radiohead - In Rainbows (self-released)

21. Jay-Z - American Gangster (Roc-A-Fella)

20. Six Organs of Admittance - Shelter From the Ash (Drag City)

19. Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror (Siltbreeze)

18. Meg Baird - Dear Companion (Drag City)

17. V/A - Thai Pop Spectacular 1960s-1980s (Sublime Frequencies)

16. Blues Control - S/T (Holy Mountain)

15. Panda Bear - Person Pitch (Paw Tracks)

14. Bruce Haack - The Electric Lucifer (Omni Recording Corporation)

13. Lambsbread - Stereo Mars (Ecstatic Peace)

12. Kemialliset Ystävät - Untitled (Fonal)

11. Wooden Shjips - S/T (Holy Mountain)

10. Deerhunter - Cryptograms (Kranky)

9. Von Südenfed - Tromatic Reflexxions (Domino)

8. Sir Richard Bishop - Polytheistic Fragments (Drag City)

7. V/A - Carolina Funk (Jazzman)

6. Dinosaur Jr - Beyond (Fat Possum)

5. Keith Hudson (and the Soul Syndicate) - Nuh Skin Up (Pressure Sounds)

4. M.I.A. - Kala (XL)

3. V/A - Melodii Tuvi: Throat Songs and Folk Tunes from Tuva (Dust to Digital)

2. Eroc - 1 (Brain/Universal)

1. Times New Viking - Present The Paisley Reich (Siltbreeze)

Missed out in 2007

2008-01-29T16:24:00.000-06:00

Here's a list of stuff I didn't get to check out (at least before I made my list a few weeks ago) that I've heard and/or read were good (and in some cases, listened to a small sample):

Battles - Mirrored (Warp)
Burning Star Core - Operator Dead, Post Abandoned (No Quarter)
The Cherry Blossoms - S/T (Apostasy / Black Velvet Fuckere / Breaking World / Consanguineous / Hank the Herald Angel / Yeay!)
Devin the Dude - Waiting to Inhale (Rap-A-Lot)
The Foundry Field Recordings - Fallout Stations EP (Emergency Umbrella)
Grinderman - S/T (Anti-)
Group Doueh - Guitar Music from the Western Sahara (Sublime Frequencies)
Group Inerane - Guitars from Agadez, Music of Niger (Sublime Frequencies)
Islaja - Ulual YYY (Fonal)
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver (Capitol)
Lil Wayne - Da Drought 3 (mixtape)
Magik Markers - Boss (Ecstatic Peace!)
No Age - Weirdo Rippers (Fat Cat)
Tujiko Noriko - Solo (Editions Mego)
Om - Pilgramage (Southern Lord)
Psychedelic Horseshit - Magic Flowers Droned (Siltbreeze)
Omar Souleyman - Highway to Hassake, Folk and Pop Sounds of Syria (Sublime Frequencies)
Tinariwen - Aman Iman: Water is Life (World Village)
UGK - Underground Kingz (Jive)
V/A - Art of Field Recording: Volume 1 (Dust to Digital)
White Rabbits - Fort Nightly (Say Hey)
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams (Universal)

LA Times sportswriter's favorite NBA cities

2007-06-08T09:19:00.000-05:00

I'm a dork that loves comparing and contrasting cities and towns, and so naturally, this interested me. For the record, New York's my favorite city followed by Chicago.

From the Los Angeles Times

NBA cities: a sportswriter's scorecard

Los Angeles Times Staff

Published June 6, 2007

Mike Bresnahan covers the Lakers for the Los Angeles Times and travels every year to the 27 NBA cities outside of Los Angeles. Here's his list of those cities, from worst to first. (Note: New York and New Jersey count as one entry because, he says, everybody stays in nearby NYC when the Lakers play the New Jersey Nets..)

27. Detroit: Never a good sign when you insist on staying at a hotel at the airport.

26. Indianapolis: Always seems to be minus-147 degrees.

25. Houston: Kind of boring, unless you enjoy Whataburger franchises on every corner.

24. Salt Lake City: Nice skiing, I guess.

23. Sacramento: The worst arena in the NBA definitely doesn't help matters.

22. Milwaukee: I went to school in Wisconsin and have several friends in Milwaukee, or else it might be giving Detroit a run for its money on my list.

21. Orlando: Great for families but not so much for single, thirtysomething sportswriters.

20. Memphis: Beale Street is fun for one night, but what if you have to stay two nights?

19. Cleveland: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame helps, as does the underrated downtown area.

18. Atlanta: You've got to give credit to one of only three U.S. cities to host a Summer Olympics.

17. Charlotte: It might be a little too high on this list, but I've never had a bad time there.

16. Dallas: I hate the Dallas Cowboys. Hate, hate, hate.

15. Philadelphia: Cheesesteak sandwiches at Pat's or Geno's? I never decide until I get there.

14. Toronto: Canada's answer to New York City.

13. San Antonio: The River Walk is fun, and Austin is only an hour away.

12. Boston: Whenever I leave, I feel like I could use another day to see everything I missed.

11. Denver: Downtown is surprisingly vibrant, even when there's a foot of snow on the ground.

10. Portland: See Seattle.

9. Minneapolis: Seriously underrated. I'm being totally serious.

8. Phoenix: Just don't go in June, July or August.

7. New Orleans: Bourbon Street is on the rebound, as is downtown.

6. Washington, D.C.: My favorite daytime city in the U.S. Where else can you see so many memorials and monuments?

5. San Francisco: The Golden State Warriors are in Oakland, but those in the know stay in S.F.

4. Seattle: Clean, crisp air makes it a must-smell.

3. Miami: South Beach is simply phenomenal for so many reasons, day and night.

2. New York/New Jersey: Always something to do. Always.

1. Chicago: Like New York, but without the attitude.

My top 25 music releases of 2006

2007-01-17T20:44:00.000-06:00

There are many different criteria for end-of-year lists that people make. Here are mine: 1) I include various artists compilations unless they're cheap knockoffs of singles (such as most label comps); 2) I include reissues as long as the previous or original issue was very difficult to find, out of print for a long time, or it never properly got released until 2006 (e.g., the Wowee Zowee reissue does not count even with all those never before released songs); and 3) I might include albums that were released in late 2005 (like that November or December) that I didn't hear of until 2006.

I'll start off with the Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Cast King - Saw Mill Man (Locust)
Charalambides - A Vintage Burden (Kranky)
Citay - S/T (Important)
Erase Errata - Nightlife (Kill Rock Stars)
Foundry Field Recordings - Prompts/Miscues (Emergency Umbrella): My friend Billy Schuh's band's debut, and it's very good!
Noxagt - S/T (Load)
Spank Rock - Yoyoyoyo (Big Dada)
Scott Walker - The Drift (4AD): The most challenging album I've listened to in a long time.
V/A - Big Apple Rappin' (Soul Jazz)

25) Wolf Eyes - Human Animal (Sub Pop): Noise music, by its very nature, is probably the most difficult music to do/make well (along with free jazz), but there's been one band/artist that's been consistently pioneering and leading the way. Wolf Eyes : Noise music :: Beatles : Pop music. It's not for everybody, but if you like noise, Wolf Eyes is at or near the top year after year.

24) Drumcorps - Grist (Cock Rock Disco): What do you get when you mix grind and death metal, drum & bass, and what sounds like a marching band drum corps section? You get Drumcorps! And it's just one guy!

23) Califone - Roots & Crowns (Thrill Jockey): A very underrated album, this one grows on me more and more with repeated listens, and I can easily see this is being higher on the list had I listened to this even more.

22) Part Timer - S/T (Moteer): Kind of like an Endless Summer-esque Fennesz, Part Timer's mix of acoustic, folk-pop, and glitchy, IDM is beautiful...and it may very well be the most soothing album of '06 for me. This is a late entry into my 2006 collection, and with more listens, this would undoubtedly be higher.

21) Neko Case - Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Anti): I know some are touting this as Neko Case's best album yet. Not me...although I admit she's becoming more and more refined as a songwriter. And that voice! This album further solidifies her status as a great American songwriter (not just country), and it's about time the mainstream has caught on.

20) Parts & Labor - Stay Afraid (Jagjaguwar/Brah): Brooklyn's Parts & Labor are a very exciting duo and Stay Afraid, their third full length, is one of the most exciting albums I've heard this past year. Rock on.

19) Oneida - Happy New Year (Jagjaguwar): Oneida’s one of those bands that are relentless, constantly touring and constantly putting out really good full length albums every year. Notice I said really good. In my opinion, their one great album was the epic Each One Teach One from 2002. However, just about every album is good at the very least, and their live shows are always killer.

18) Razor X Productions - Killing Sound (Rephlex): Intense, distorted, hardcore ragga/dancehall/jungle. This will make your heart beat faster and not care that you blew out your speakers...until you realize that you can't listen to this anymore because you need new speakers.

17) The Coup - Pick a Bigger Weapon (Epitaph): SF Bay Area's The Coup is easily the best left-wing political hip-hoppers since Public Enemy, and with Pick a Bigger Weapon, they continue that P-Funky goodness that separates them from other political rappers. You can listen for the left-wing lyrics or you can forget politics and just listen to shakeyoass.

16) Six Organs of Admittance - The Sun Awakens (Drag City): Since I started listening to Six Organs of Admittance in 2002, Ben Chasny (also of Comets on Fire, Current 93, and Badgerlore) continues to give me reasons why his Six Organs project has become one of my favorites of all time, ranging from John Fahey-esque acoustic guitar pickings to East-inspired experimentation to now, some electric guitar psych jams without losing the experimentations of the past. If there were any musician or artist I wish I could be, it would be the ultra-talented Mr. Chasny.

15) Warhammer 48K - An Ethereal Oracle (Papa Slag): These guys are from Columbia, Missouri, and they may be the most promising band to strike a chord with all the cool kids into metal, experimental, and psychedelic music, like they already have with Aquarius Records in San Francisco, and should (and eventually will be) with Forced Exposure and The Wire. It's only a matter of time. Corey Rusk (founder of Touch and Go) was said to be on hand to check 'em out at the Empty Bottle in case he wants to sign them. He better not sleep!

14) Josephine Foster - A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing (Locust): Josephine Foster is a name I kept hearing and reading about for the past few years, but I finally picked up two of her albums in 2006. I’m kicking myself for waiting so long! I bought 2004’s All the Leaves are Gone and 2006’s A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing. I like All the Leaves are Gone better, but this album ain’t no joke, and it’s an ambitious and rewarding album. The album consists of covers/interpretations of 19th century compositions by Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, and Franz Schubert, and she sings entirely in German! It sounds like ancient German folk music, but with a little electric guitar distortion thrown in for good measure by Brian Goodman (who is in Foster’s backing band, the Supposed).

13) Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals (ATP Recordings): I don't know anybody who would rate Bardo Pond as their favorite band or even their favorite psychedelic band, and they're not mine either. However, I absolutely love them, and they may be the most consistent psych band out there, with nary a bad album by them. They can probably put out an album every year and it would probably be on my top 20 list. Ticket Crystals is yet another very strong album from these Philly drugsters.

12) Bonnie "Prince" Billy - The Letting Go (Drag City): Mr. Will Oldham does it again. Some people dislike his music due to his voice, but he's a phenomenal songwriter, and this collection may be as good as he's ever done. Dawn McCarthy (from Faun Fables) provides backup harmony vocals. Wonderful.

11) A.R. & Machines - Die Grüne Reise-The Green Journey/Erholung (Melting Point Music Company): I know very little about Achim Reichel & Machines, except that I discovered them (through Aquarius Records) this past year with this reissue (originally released in 1970 (Die Grüne Reise-The Green Journey) and 1975 (Erholung)...and this is some of the best Krautrock I've ever heard. Especially for fans of Can, Amon Duul II, and Circle.

10) Major Stars - Syntoptikon (Twisted Village): The biggest difference in Major Stars' sound is that they have a new female singer. Other than that, they continue their psychedelic hard rock blitz. If you like Jimi Hendrix, Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, and Led Zeppelin, they'll kick your ass. Even if you don't like those bands, Major Stars will still kick your ass.

9) Cat Power - The Greatest (Matador): This is the most straightforward and most consistent Cat Power album. Less singer-songwriter and more bluesy, smoky nightclub soul, this album, overall, sounds lighter and happier (if you could call it that) than her previous work. Still, there are still some songs that are so heart-achingly sad and beautiful (especially "The Greatest") that are up there with "Colors and the Kids" and "Good Woman."

8) Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (Def Jam): Even though this is pretty much straight-up NYC hip hop, Ghostface is such a great rapper with such charisma that he can't be denied. Some are now calling Ghostface as one of the best rappers ever, and I may have to agree.

7) Clipse - Hell Hath No Fury (Re-Up Gang/Zomba): Believe the hype. Clipse will be on the "Mount Rushmore" of rap music before it's all said and done. The production of the Neptunes is impeccable and the rapping and flow from the Thornton brothers are killer. Hell Hath No Fury was delayed for a number of years, and although it was well worth the wait, I hope their next one comes out sooner than later.

6) Karen Dalton - In My Own Time (Light in the Attic): Recorded in 1971, this was reissued this past year. Thank you, Light in the Attic! Think a bluesy, folk-rock Billie Holiday...but better than that might actually sound. Think of some of the best folk-rock albums ever from the 60s and 70s, and this has to be right up there. So fucking good.

5) Shogun Kunitoki - Tasankokaiku (Fonal): Despite the Japanese name (both band and album), Shogun Kunitoki are from Finland. This instrumental quartet play some dense and, at times, fuzzy Neu-like Krautrock that doesn’t let up during the entire album. This could’ve easily been even higher on my list...

4) Girl Talk - Night Ripper (Illegal Art): Easily the most fun album of the year. This is definitely a guilty pleasure, but it’s also simultaneously just flat out good quality mash-up music. Even after countless repeated listens, this never gets old.

3) Om - Conference of the Birds (Holy Mountain): Only two tracks, each around 16-17 minutes each, and yet, this is strong enough to warrant a top 10 or 20 ranking any given year. Although only consisting of bass and drums, the psychedelic stoner metal sound that Om expels is powerful and trance-inducing. You really don’t need any drugs to fully enjoy this, although I’d imagine it would be incredible.

2) Boris - Pink (Southern Lord): If one was really, really cool, he or she would have had this on their list last year, when it was released on the Japanese label DIWPhalanx and in very limited quantities here in the States. Alas, I’m not that cool. However, I rejoiced when Southern Lord issued this domestically in 2006. And this one’s got almost 9 extra minutes of drone on one track. Take that, Japan! Anyway, this extra-powerful metal trio ain’t just metal since they’re perhaps the most flexible and unpredictable hard rockers on earth, with their sounds ranging from Sunn0))) and Earth-inspired sludge to ultra-distorted garage RAWK like Guitar Wolf to the psychedelic craziness of Acid Mothers Temple to, at times, an almost My Bloody Valentine quality in their music. I could go on and on. Hell, they could decide to put out no-distortion pop album, and I’d probably eat it up...because they're that good! I still want one of the Japanese releases (actually I want two of them because they sell for crazy amounts of money on ebay). BORIS!!!

1) This Heat - Out of Cold Storage [box set] (This Is): I don’t know. This may be a cheap choice for number one because it’s not an album or even a reissue of a single album. It’s a box set with 6 CDs: their two studio albums, one for their 12” single (“Health and Efficiency”), John Peel sessions, Repeat (their posthumous 1992 album consisting of previously unreleased outtakes), and a never-before-released live tracks from 1980 and 1981. I won’t really get into more about the band and music itself, since you can look it up and read about it from much better writers than me. In any case, depending on where you pick this up, the cost will range from $80 to $100. I bought this for $90 at Reckless, and it’s worth every penny. My favorite purchase of 2006 (besides the plasma TV).

Music releases I slept on in 2006

2007-01-08T15:52:00.001-06:00

For various reasons (e.g., dry spells in which I didn't buy shit for months, or laziness, or I didn't know until recently that they were released, or they were too hard to find, etc.), these are some releases this past year I completely missed out on. (I'm currently compiling 2006 releases that I did buy and/or listen to and will have a top 10/20/whatever in the near future.)
Circle - Miljard (Ektro)
Sun City Girls - Djinn Funnel (Nashaphone)
Woven Hand - Mosaic (Sounds Familyre)
Dat Politics - Wow Twist (Chicks on Speed)
Joanna Newsom - Ys (Drag City)
J Dilla - Donuts (Stones Throw)
Tim Hecker - Harmony in Ultraviolet (Kranky)
Oakley Hall - Gypsum Strings (Brah/Jagjaguwar)
Growing - Color Wheel (Mega Blade)
Espers - II (Drag City)
Lansing/Dreiden - The Dividing Island (Kemado)
Skaters - Rising Spheres of Crossing Angel Minds (New Age Cassettes)
Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering (Fat Cat)
SunnO))) & Boris - Altar (Southern Lord)
Steffen Basho-Junghans - In the Morning Twilight (Kning Disk)
Mission of Burma - The Obliterati (Matador)
Calexico - Garden's Ruin (Touch and Go)
Black Heart Procession - The Spell (Touch and Go)
Slavic Soul Party - Bigger (Barbes)
Howe Gelb - 'Sno Angel Like You (Thrill Jockey)
T.I. - King (Atlantic)
Current 93 - Black Ships Ate the Sky (Durtro)
Avarus - 2 (HP Cycle)
Kid 606 - Pretty Girls Make Raves (Tigerbeat 6)
Burial - S/T (Hyperdub)
The Knife - Silent Shout (Mute)
Yo La Tengo - I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Matador)
Animal Collective - Hollindagain (Paw Tracks)
Comets on Fire - Avator (Sub Pop)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - House Arrest (Paw Tracks)
Coughs - Secret Passage (Load)
Arthur Russell - Springfield (Audika)
Roots Manuva - Alternately Deep (Big Dad/Ninja Tune)
Isis - In the Absence of Truth (Ipecac)
Brightblack Morning Light - S/T (Matador)

Dwyane Wade is overrated, etc.

2006-06-20T14:47:00.000-05:00

You cannot call Dwyane Wade the next Michael Jordan

Every couple of years, it's always somebody the media and fans dub as the next Michael Jordan. From Grant Hill to Kobe to Vince to Lebron. I'm sure I'm forgetting others. Now it's Dwyane Wade. They keep harping on that ad nauseum. While I admit that Wade is becoming/has become one of the top ten players in the NBA, I'm getting sick of hearing about how he's the greatest player. First of all, there are at least two players who are closer to MJ than Wade. At the top of my head, they are Lebron and Kobe. I'd take Lebron over any player in the league if I were to choose one player to start a franchise. I don't know if I'd even put Wade in the top 5, but that's another story. As much as I can't stand Kobe Bryant, he has been and continues to be the closest thing to MJ. It just shows how everybody has the shortest memories. Before annointing Wade as MJ's heir, let's not forget how he has Shaq, even though Shaq's not the truly dominant player he was a few years ago. However, he still commands double and triple teams that free up others, including Wade...just like when Kobe played with Shaq. At least Kobe got three straight championships. Let's at least wait until Wade wins a couple of championships before calling him MJ's heir. Really, the only thing I can think of why people have the perception Wade is better than Kobe is that Shaq likes Wade but doesn't like Kobe. Does it really matter if Kobe and Shaq like or don't like each other? I'd argue that even with them not liking each other, if Kobe still had Shaq, the Lakers could in the finals right now playing the Pistons. My point is: Wade is an awesome player, but how can people annoint him as the next MJ when he's not better than Lebron or Kobe?

Why the Pistons imploded during the playoffs

As much as I love Larry Brown and how I think he's the best basketball coach in the world, it was obvious that he and the Pistons wanted to separate after the 2004-05 season. And it was a mistake on both sides. Maybe it was because suburban Detroit is a white, middle-America suburbia without the cosmopolitan flair of a New York, Philadelphia, or Los Angeles. (I don't believe for a minute he would've gone to Cleveland of all places...I think it was a ploy to get the Knicks to offer and offer big.) Maybe it was because of Brown's neverending itch to move to a new gig every few years. Whatever it was, Brown chose New York over Detroit, obviously thinking that he could work the same magic he's worked throughout his career. Obviously, New Yorkers thought the same thing. Conversely, the Pistons thought that they learned everything they needed to learn under Brown and thought they could do everything better if freed of Brown's control. Everybody thought the Pistons were right because of the regular season. I was cautiously excited, but I had my doubts. And my doubts were realized during the playoffs. I do think Flip Saunders is a decent coach, especially as an offensive mind. On the surface, it seemed like he and the Pistons were a perfect fit. But playing in the playoffs is a totally different beast than the regular season, where you might play team A one game at home at the tail end of their 5-game roadtrip or after that team played a team with a totally different system the night before and was not as prepared to play the Pistons. During the playoffs, you play the same team up to seven times. The teams start to figure out each others' tendencies and make adjustments. The Pistons, with their new-found offensive freedom, lost sight of their hard-nosed defense, and in turn, lost sight of playing team ball on offense, all of which Larry Brown harped on constantly. Even in games in which Billups scored 25 and had 10 assists (or something to that effect), I saw him play too much one-on-one and take bad shots, missing many and making some, which encouraged him some more to take those bad shots. Same thing with Rip Hamilton. (The only players that played consistently hard and smart were Tayshaun Prince, Antonio McDyess, and Lindsey Hunter.) If Larry was still coaching, he would've chewed out Billups even if he made those bad shots. Larry Brown would've taken command and made the proper adjustments to counteract whatever Mike Brown or Pat Riley threw at them. I believe if Larry Brown was still with the Pistons, they'd be playing in their third consecutive finals. It's too bad neither side could see that a year ago.

Welcome to Columbia, Mike Anderson

Missouri AD Mike Alden has been good at raising money for new and improved facilities for MU. But in many ways he's been a bad AD. The hiring of Quin Snyder was a prime example. The bumbling of Snyder's dismissal/resignation is another example. Many Missouri people do not like him, and they have good reasons. However, I have to give credit when credit is due. The hiring of Mike Anderson as the new basketball coach was a good move. It's not the splashiest move, but good nonetheless. After seeing how Rick Majerus is still not coaching anywhere, in hindsight it was probably a good thing MU didn't roll the dice to hire him. And even if Bob Huggins takes K-State to near the top of the Big 12 and into the NCAA tourney, I'm relieved that he wasn't hired by Missouri. Same thing for John Calipari.

I don't expect immediate results from Mike Anderson, at least in terms of making the Tiger basketball program back to arguably second in the Big 12 behind KU overnight. But Anderson seems to have potential to do some really good things. I don't blame Mizzou fans for being optimistic, especially after seeing how Quin Snyder dragged the school through the mud both on-court and off-court. But maybe they're being overly optimistic. Honestly, I don't think you can realistically expect MU to be a nationally-known and respected program for another 3 years, maybe 5. They have the potential, with state of the art facilities, playing in a major conference, and being relatively close to urban areas of KC and St. Louis. The 40 minutes of hell Anderson inherited from Nolan Richardson sounds exciting, but I'm not convinced it's the cure-all that some are expecting. If this system itself were that great, why aren't more programs out there mimicking it? I only know of two coaches in the past 15 years who have utilized this: Anderson and Nolan Richardson. However, I admit that it does sound exciting, and if it even comes close to mimicking Arkansas' success in the early-to-mid nineties, then that would be great. As long as Anderson does things the right way, unlike Quin, and puts out a product that is good on the court and off the court, I'd be happy with that. And also beat KU.

I want Majerus and other hoops thoughts

2006-03-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

It ain't gonna happen, but I want Rick Majerus hired as the new men's basketball coach for the University of Missouri. I also think that Mike Alden, the AD, either should be fired or forced to resign, but that ain't gonna happen either. Granted, he's done a very good job at fundraising for the athletic department; but he seems like a sleazebag who is all about the money. Here are some of the notable things done at MU under his watch (whether they were directly done by him or not) that I personally dislike: 1) Selling out Norm Stewart - Norm should've probably retired a few years before he did, but he built the basketball program; I think he's bigger than Dan Devine at Mizzou and the new arena should've been named after him...and this is coming from someone who was not even that big a fan of his; 2) the new Missouri Tigers logo that was unveiled in '99 or 2000 (Bring back the old one!); 3) the fact that the basketball jerseys say "MIZZOU" and not "MISSOURI" - that's like Syracuse having "CUSE" on their jerseys or Washington State having "WAZZU" on their jerseys - it's stupid. Put MISSOURI back on. 4) He hired Quin Snyder. Quin, although he actually does seem like a nice guy who cares about his players, was an absolutely horrible coach who cheated in his recruiting practices. I don't care if the final findings were that most, if not all, the violations were minor...they were collectively bad and they started from his first year at Mizzou. Losing is one thing...but to have the program's image stained like a Cincinnati or an SEC school is something I abhor and should not be tolerated. Alden hired Quin over Bill Self. Now, I haven't been too impressed with Bill Self's offensive system, and I think he may be a bit overrated as a coach, but compared to Quin Snyder, he's like John Wooden.

I doubt Alden will resign or be fired...so I can only hope that he gets it right with hiring the next coach. If Majerus is healthy, he is the logical choice. Look at what he did with Utah and his reputation among other coaches. He is so highly respected that Dean Smith wanted him to coach at North Carolina before the Tar Heels settled on Matt Doherty in 2000. Who cares if he can only coach for 5 years; I think by the time he's done (whether it's 5 years or 10 years) the program will be in great shape - from the program itself to the possible hiring of one of his assistant coaches...he'll leave it in much better shape, maybe even top 15-20. He's too much of a bright basketball mind that although it might be a small gamble, the potential reward is great.

If not Majerus, other names thrown around include John Calipari, Bob Huggins, John Beilein, Mike Anderson, Jamie Dixon, Billy Gillespie, Dana Altman, and Greg McDermott, to name a few. Although Beilein or Gillespie would be nice, I'm a bit lukewarm about some of these names, but that's because I really don't know anything about them, other than basic win-loss records, which can be misleading. Two people I definitely DO NOT want are Calipari and Huggins. The MU program's name, due to Quin and his staff, is already muddied and has a dirty reputation. I don't care what the defenders of Huggins and Calipari say, to hire one of them tells me that the university does not care about its image and just cares about wins and losses. The day the university hires either of them, I may stop rooting for Mizzou basketball...I'll wish the best for everything about the university, but not the basketball program under Huggins or Calipari. There are some (maybe many) MU fans who don't care - they'll take Calipari or Huggins - as long as Mizzou wins. I love my alma mater, and it pains me to say this...but many Missouri fans, at least the vocal ones on tigerboard.com are embarrassing. Every fanbase, including very knowledgeable ones like UNC, Duke, and Kentucky, has their share of irrational idiots, but there seems to be so many more on tigerboard, from just plain old dumb-asses to absolutely classless ones who'll mercilessly rip on the kids representing their school and tell them to transfer, or even worse (if rarely) hope that they (or their opponents) get injured. Perhaps it's due to the poor design of the forum, with the some of the very same topics being started over and over, even if there's the exact same thread just half a page down. I haven't posted in over 2 years due to the sheer stupidity of these many bad apples, but everytime I check the site, it's just annoying, and I'm better off just talking to my friends in person or over the phone. I know there are many dedicated and knowledgeable Missouri fans, but it's hard to find them on tigerboard.

A week and a half ago, I had 3 friends over to watch the Duke-Carolina game on the new plasma. Watching the game in HD is at least ten times better than standard definition. I don't know if it's actually worth the money, but watching college basketball in HD is awesome. Two of the guys were Mizzou grads while the other's a Carolina grad. Since I represent both schools, I sort of bridged the gap as the MU grads and the Carolina grad got to know each others' perspectives a little more. There's a thought among MU and KU fans that the border war rivalry is more intense than the Duke-Carolina rivalry because between KU and MU, there's hate, while Carolina and Duke, since they're so close to each other, they hang out and it's more of a friendly rivalry. Not true. After talking to me and especially the UNC grad, the MU grads definitely understood that the hatred between KU and MU pales in comparison to Duke-UNC. That's not to say that one's necessarily better than the other. If you're a diehard MU fan or a diehard KU fan, there's no other rivalry that compares. Same goes for UNC-Duke, Louisville-Kentucky, etc. The Carolina grad learned, I think, that no matter what he can say about Roy Williams, at least 90% of Missouri fans will always hate him. He did try his hardest to understand and explain, but that's when I had to step in and tell him, "You cannot expect and/or convince most Mizzou fans to like Roy, no matter how solid your argument is, just like you cannot convince UNC fans to accept or like anything Duke." It took me almost two years to finally accept and like Roy Williams. (To see how I became a Carolina fan, see a previous entry.) When Doherty was forced to resign, I hoped that it wouldn't be Roy and that Carolina would somehow get Larry Brown or George Karl. Even after hiring Roy, who I knew deep inside to be the best man for the job, that wasn't enough to keep me from rooting for the Heels...I just liked the players too much, like Felton, May, Noel, Manuel, etc...and because Dean Smith had become one of my heroes. Although it took me a while, I think of Roy as not only a great coach, but a really good person who truly cares about every player on the team, including the walk-on benchwarmers. This may be blasphemy to some Mizzou fans, but I'm afraid it's true. But if a fellow Mizzou fan tells me that they can't root for UNC because of Roy, all I can say is, "I understand" because I really do. At least I can't stand Bill Self, and under him, the KU program is much more easily hatable.

In any case, I truly hope that Mizzou gets it right with the new hire and that they come back with a vengeance. I know many Missouri fans are a bit delusional, thinking that the program is traditionally a top 20 program. I know that's not true...but most Mizzou fans are absolutely correct in thinking that the program is a sleeping giant and Quin Snyder was a tranquilizer. From its facilities to a very livable college town of Columbia to being in a major conference to just the high quality of the university itself, the Missouri job is a very attractive one, and with the right coach and staff, it can easily compete for the Big 12 title every year with an occasional Final Four run. So, go Mizzou in the (near) future and go Carolina.

Dean Smith = The Greatest

2006-02-28T13:12:00.000-06:00

Like the title says, Dean Smith = The Greatest.

My tops of 2005

2006-01-21T17:51:00.000-06:00

While I don't think this is a bad list by any means - in fact I think this is a pretty darn good list - this may be my weakest best of list in at least a few years. Although I weeded out many purchases I made in '05, the fact that I slept on more releases this year than previous years (see previous entry) probably makes this relatively weak compared to previous years' lists. Also, there's more lack of variety on this list than previous lists...and I take pride in trying to be as open-minded to different genres and sounds and not be tied down to any one genre/sound. Here's to '06 being bringing in more variety into my collection than '05. Here's the list:

1. M.I.A. - Arular (XL)
2. Circle - Tulikoira (Ektro)
3. Lula Cortes e Ze Ramalho - Paebiru (Shadoks)
4. Six Organs of Admittance - School of the Flower (Drag City)
5. Gang Gang Dance - God's Money (The Social Registry)
6. LCD Soundsystem - S/T (DFA/Capitol)
7. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics (Crammed Discs)
8. Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
9. Major Stars - 4 (Twisted Village)
10. Oneida - The Wedding (Jagjaguwar)
11. V/A - World Psychedelic Classics, Vol. 3: Love's a Real Thing (Luaka Bop)
12. August Born - S/T (Drag City)
13. Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat)
14. Lau Nau - Kuutarha (Locust)
15. Oneida/Plastic Crimewave Sound - Split 12” (Jagjaguwar)
16. No Neck Blues Band - Qvaris (5 Rue Christine)
17. Residual Echoes - S/T (Holy Mountain)
18. Sunn O))) - The Grimmrobe Demos (Southern Lord)
19. Lightning Bolt - Hypermagic Mountain (Load)
20. Lady Sovereign - Vertically Challenged (Chocolate Industries)

Honorable Mention:

Badgerlore - Stories for Owls (Free Porcupine)
Espers - The Weed Tree EP (Locust)
High On Fire - Blessed Black Wings (Relapse)
Konono No. 1/Dead C - Split 12" (Fat Cat)
Mahjongg - raYDONcoNG (Cold Crush)
New Pornographers - Twin Cinema (Matador)
V/A - Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq (Sublime Frequencies)

Most slept-on music of 2005

2006-01-14T19:21:00.000-06:00

Sometime before the end of the month I’ll come up with my list of top releases of 2005 (probably 20?). Every year, when I think of my list and see others’ lists, it’s quickly apparent that there are so many albums, EPs, singles, etc. that I’ve slept on, which means I completely missed it or I listened to them insufficiently or for whatever reason (money, time, etc.) just never bought, burned, or downloaded. This year’s slept-on albums are based on what others have said or written, and also based on some listening on my part (sample mp3s, hearing a song or two, etc.). So here’s my list (in alphabetical order) of 2005 releases that I’ve slept on and will not be included in my top releases list. My birthday is this Sunday, so I think you should buy me these:

Akron/Family - S/T (Young God)

Antony & the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now (Secretly Canadian)

Avarus - Ruskea Timantti (tUMULt)

Black Taj - S/T (Amish)

The Books - Lost & Safe (Tomlab)

Boris - Pink (DIW Phalanx)

The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)

The Coup - My Favorite Mutiny EP (Epitaph)

Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)

Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - The Days of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)

Earth - Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method (Southern Lord)

Edan - Beauty and the Beat (Lewis)

Excepter - Throne (Load) & Self-Destruction (Fusetron)

The Fall - Fall Heads Roll (Narnack)

Flaherty/Corsano Duo - Last Eyes (Records) & Steel Sleet (Tyyfus)

Fursaxa - Amulet (Last Visible Dog) & Lepidoptera (ATP)

Gary Higgins - Red Hash (Drag City) (I have some mp3s, but every time I go to a record store, they don’t have it, goddammit. I should just order it from Drag City)

Islaja - Palaa Aurinkoon (Fonal)

Jack Rose - Kensington Blues (VHF)

Jackie-O Motherfucker - Flags of the Sacred Harp (ATP)

Josephine Foster - Hazel Eyes, I Will Lead You (Locust)

Keith Fullerton Whitman - Multiples (Kranky)

Kemialliset Ystavat - Lumottu Karkkipurkki (Fonal)

Khanate - Capture & Release (Hydra Head)

Mountains - S/T (Apestaartje)

Om - Variations on a Theme (Holy Mountain)

OOIOO - Gold and Green (Thrill Jockey)

The Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers (Drag City)

Sir Richard Bishop – Improvika (Bo Weavil)

Sleater-Kinney - The Woods (Sub Pop)

Smog - A River Ain’t Too Much to Love (Drag City)

Sunn O))) - Black One (Southern Lord)

Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering (Fat Cat)

V/A - Cambodia Rocks Vol. 3: All Psyched Up (Khmer Rocks)

V/A - Can You Jack? Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1985-95 (Soul Jazz)

V/A - Cult Cargo: Belize City Boil Up (Numero Group)

V/A - Dirty Laundry: The Soul of Black Country (Trikont)

V/A - Love, Peace, & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (QDK)

V/A - Nao Wave (Man Recordings)

V/A - Rio Baile Funk: Favela Booty Beats (Essay)

V/A - Thai Beat A Go-Go Vol. 3 (Subliminal Sounds)

V/A - Welsh Rare Beat (Finders Keepers)

St. Louis leads nation in cases of gonorrhea

2005-11-08T16:15:00.000-06:00

It's always good to be ranked number one.

A sports entry

2005-10-20T15:45:00.000-05:00

Having watched the American and National League Championship Series, I was really hoping for a Sox-Cardinals World Series. Although there's no doubt the Houston Astros deserve to be in the WS after thoroughly outperforming (both hitting and pitching) St. Louis, I am still disappointed. However, at least this takes care of the potential conflict between me and the ladyfriend and her father, who are both diehard White Sox fans. I may have a chance to go to the first WS game this Saturday, and I won't have to root against the Sox. In fact, I'll root heavily for the Sox although I cannot say that I'm a full-fledged fan.

If I had to rank the baseball teams I root for, as a casual fan, first would be the Cardinals, followed by the Detroit Tigers, who I rooted heavily for as a child, followed by the White Sox. I like the Sox not because I live in Chicago and not because the ladyfriend and her family are fans. I like them because I hate the Cubs and their annoying yuppie North Side/North Shore fans. Cubs fans and Sox fans strongly dislike each other, and when the two teams play during the interleague series, the city divides in half. Actually, it's more like three-fourths - 3/4 of the city side with the Cubs whereas the rest root for the Sox, made up of both true Sox fans and displaced Cardinal fans. I also like the Sox because, to me, they represent the working class and minorities while the Cubs represent your rich, white, former fratboys currently living in the city but will move out to the suburbs relatively soon to create even more urban sprawl.

I know I'm generalizing and stereotyping here, but there's no way I could root for a Texas team, especially one out of Houston. As the fourth largest city in the country, I picture Houston to be one of Earth's centers for redneck, Christian conservatives. Plus, former president Bush and his wife were at the games rooting for Houston. Fuck them. Go Sox.

While I'm at it, thinking about sports, let me share with you my sports-viewing/fan history. I'll start with baseball since I'm already talking about it:

Living in Ann Arbor from '81 to '85, I became a diehard Tigers fan. I loved them so much that I'd religiously read the sports section memorizing stats about the Tigers. I can still recite most of the starting lineup for the '85 Tigers. This continued while living in Raleigh. After moving to St. Louis in '90, I did not care for the Cardinals. However, I think it was sometime in the late 90's/early 2000s that I became a full-fledged Cardinals fan. I'm not sure why this is, but I suspect it has to do with the Cardinals fielding competitive teams every year while the Tigers sucked. Also, I recognize St. Louis to be my hometown. But I'm a casual fan at best until the Cards make the playoffs. Because Chicago's a baseball city, I've been getting more and more into baseball again, especially since I'm sick of seeing Cubs shit everywhere and want the Cards (and the Sox) do well just to spite them.

NFL:
Never really been a fan. I guess I'd have to pick the St. Louis Rams as my favorite followed by the Detroit Lions. I only really watch the Super Bowl.

College Football:
I used to love college football until I started losing interest once I hit college - kinda ironic, I think. Since my dad's days as a grad student at the University of Michigan, I grew up a Michigan football fan. I guess I'm still a casual fan. I only really keep up to date with how well the Wolverines do, which is not so well this year. I don't really follow Mizzou or UNC football.

College Basketball:
Since moving to Raleigh in '86, college basketball has been the one consistent sport I followed closely or semi-closely. I grew up a Michigan fan, and I remember being pissed and embarrassed at school after Michigan lost to UNC in both the '87 and '88 NCAA tournaments. And I remember wearing my Michigan sweatshirt with pride in '89 when Michigan beat Carolina and also won the championship. Because my father was going to school for his doctorate at NC State at the time, I was also a State fan...but they were always a distant second to Michigan. Even when I was an undergrad at Mizzou, I rooted for Michigan. I actually didn't start rooting for Mizzou until around the time I got ready to leave Columbia for Chapel Hill. Once I moved to Chapel Hill for grad school, I wasn't immediately a Carolina basketball fan - I was a Mizzou fan, followed by Michigan - it was first time ever I didn't root for Michigan first. However, things started changing in the four years I lived in Chapel Hill. It was partially influenced by how I loved living there, and I started to have some Carolina pride - moreso because of the school itself and the town, not so much "Carolina basketball." It was also partially because I became disenchanted with Quin Snyder's coaching - he's a phenomenal recruiter but a shitty coach. (Can any Coach K disciple coach? So far, the answer's been a resounding NO.) It was also partially because I really started hating Coach K and Duke University. I have immense respect for what Duke has accomplished, but I hate them nonetheless. But mostly, I became a true blue Carolina fan after learning more about the program and the ways of the great Dean Smith. Not only do I feel that he and Wooden are by far the two best coaches ever, I just liked the way he approached basketball, the program within the university, and life in general. Now, although I hesitate to say that I'd root for Carolina over Mizzou, if it really came down to it, I really don't know if I would choose Carolina or Mizzou. Having said all that, my favorite team of all time is still the Fab Five of Michigan, despite what we all know about players being paid. I was so heartbroken both times they lost in the finals, and after Webber called the timeout, it was probably the worst feeling I've ever had as a sports fan. Until 2003, I swore that Carolina got lucky because of that. That game pained me so much that I missed at least one opportunity to see a replay of that game until then. But after watching the game again on ESPN Classic in '03, it was clear to me the genius of Dean Smith, and Carolina deserved to win the game.

NBA:
I'm an off-and-on fan. I really don't pay too much attention until the playoffs. I grew up loving the Pistons, and they're still my favorite team. I especially love the fact that Rasheed Wallace plays for them. And Isiah Thomas is still my favorite NBA player ever. I even like Bill Laimbeer. However, like many college basketball fans, besides the Pistons, I root for teams based on which players I like. And that's typically based on whether I liked them in college or not...they're usually former UNC, Mizzou, or even Michigan players. I still am a fan of Webber, Jalen Rose, and Juwan Howard despite the cheating.

NHL:
After moving to St. Louis, I very quickly fell in love with NHL hockey. I still maintain that there was not a more exciting sport than NHL hockey until 1995, when the New Jersey Devils made the low-scoring, clutching and grabbing, defensive, and ultra-boring hockey the popular style of play. Ironically, during that era was when my beloved Detroit Red Wings won 3 Stanley Cups, which, to me, trumps the more exciting hockey that was played before. I knew I couldn't root for the St. Louis Blues, so I quickly adopted Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings as my team...this was '90-91, when the Blues were one of the top teams and Detroit was still sort of a shitty team. Man, hockey was so exciting to watch then: extremely fast-paced, high scoring, non-stop action, EXCITING fights. I was a huge sports fan then of basketball, football, and baseball, and I thought this "new" sport I discovered in St. Louis was BY FAR the most exciting. With the rule changes this year after the lockout, I guess hockey's supposed to be fast-paced and exciting again. I'm not convinced. I don't think they really needed to change some of the rules so drastically. JUST CALL THE FUCKING PENALTIES WHEN YOU SEE THEM, YOU STUPID-ASS REFS! From '95 on, what used to be penalties - the clutching, grabbing, illegal stickwork - stopped being called and slowed down the game to the point that if you weren't already a fan, you were never going to be a fan. It's Gary Bettman's fault. In his quest to rid the game of fighting (which 90% of fans love, and which I'd argue to be necessary), other penalties were ignored. The only real change I like is that there is now a standard to how big the goalie equipment can be. No more Patrick Roys looking like the Goodyear blimp. Now, I just casually follow the Red Wings, but I've lost a lot of interest in the NHL in general.

Tennis:
My family loves tennis. I used to. I watched a lot of tennis as a kid, and I was a big fan of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. I was also a fan of women's tennis. Now, I never watch it...unless I'm with my parents and they're watching Wimbledon.

So, that's my history of being a sports fan. Besides college basketball, I'm a casual fan at best. Because of living in Chicago, I'm starting to become more of a baseball fan again. So, Go Sox. Go Cardinals (next year). Fuck the Cubs.

Two Million Tongues Festival lineup posted!

2005-09-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

Holy shit. This is gonna be awesome. At the Empty Bottle. $12 advance, $15 day of show.

Thursday November 3rd:
Tony Conrad
Hototogisu
Miminokoto
Mountains

Friday November 4th:
Jackie-O Motherfucker
Gary Higgins
Pearls & Brass
Jack Rose

Saturday November 5th:
Whitehouse
Josephine Foster
Andrew Ortman
Haptic

Sunday November 6th:
Charlie Nothing
Michael Chapman
No Neck Blues Band
Ed Askew

No gratuity

2005-09-27T13:55:00.000-05:00

I've never understood tipping. Apparently this website talks a little about how it all started, but it still doesn't really satisfy me.

Today's Chicago Tribune has a story on tipping that's interesting. Apparently, I'm not the only one confused with the whole gratuity thing:

As many as one-third of Americans are unclear on what amounts to a fair tip, according to Michael Lynn, professor of consumer and marketing behavior at Cornell University.

In the Midwest, there is a 15 percent to 20 percent tip range versus a 20 percent standard on the East Coast, according to Lynn. Restaurant patrons in the South give the lowest tips on average, according to Lynn.

The story goes on to say, "Start with an average tip of 15 percent to 20 percent and let your conscience be your guide"...which is what I've been doing, so I must be doing something right, although I accidently gave a cab driver a $10 tip on an $8 ride a month ago. So you can't call me a cheap bastard. Well, maybe you can. But I still don't like the concept of tipping.

There also another related story on when to tip and when not to tip.

Jandek on Rita

2005-09-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

Due to Hurricane Rita, Jandek will not be able to make it to Chicago after all.

Jandek on Chicago

2005-09-21T14:19:00.000-05:00

The Wire Festival at the Empty Bottle starts tonight and ends Sunday. Some of the featured bands/artists include: The Red Krayola, Earth, Gang Gang Dance, Pita, Khatnate, Diverse, Four Tet, and much more. Acid Mothers Temple was another featured band that was to headline the second night (Thursday) and also play a free show tonight at the University of Chicago. But due to visa problems, they could not make it. So in their place for the festival is none other than...(drum roll)...JANDEK. He is, from what I hear, to open tomorrow night.

Busy Sunday

2005-09-19T16:25:00.000-05:00

I started the day off rushing to Wrigleyville with the ladyfriend to try to buy scalped tickets to the Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. We ended up getting these great seats at face value, which is almost underheard of. They might have been the best seats I've ever had at a baseball game, including the ladyfriend's dad's season tickets at Comiskey. I've always thought Wrigley Field looked like a dump from the outside, which it does. However, once inside, I understood why it's such a beloved stadium - it just oozes tradition. It looks small - much smaller than Comiskey - but the capacity is just around 1,000 less because of all the seats cramped next to and on top of each other.

There were lots of Cardinals fans there, and I had to support my team by wearing my new Cardinals cap. Unfortunatley, the Cubs won 7-4. But we're still in first place, bitches.

Drinking 16 oz's of Old Style and Bud Light on a near-empty stomach in the middle of a gorgeous afternoon will get you drunk and extremely tired. So, after the game when we left to go visit the ladyfriend's dad's high rise condo in the South Loop, I felt like I was going to pass out...so I had another beer. But I managed to stay awake and hang out on the balcony, on the 15th floor, and enjoy the magnificant view of the skyline from the south.

After having dinner at the condo and then being dropped off at home, my mind and body were ready for bed. But I was a trooper, and I hopped on my new bike to go to the Empty Bottle to catch Lau Nau and other Finnish psych/folk/experimentalists. I missed Chicago's Davenport but managed to catch Kuupuu, Tomutonttu, and Islaja. They were all pretty great, especially the beautiful voice of Merja Kokkonen of Islaja. The funniest moment came when the Islaja's bass player put a battery-operated marching-in-place drumming rabbit by a mic on the floor as the percussion. The show started promptly at 9:30 - I got there by 10:00, and I sorta hoped that everybody would play a short set because I was dead tired and I had to get up early this morning for work. Islaja ended their set at 12:30, and I knew I would really really really regret it if I stayed up longer. So very unfortunately, I left and missed Lau Nau. This day at work has been excruciatingly difficult - my body and mind feel weak, and it's gonna be a chore driving up the Dan Ryan Expressway. Well, shit. Writing this entry in this stupid-ass blog killed some 30 minutes, and now I have 5 minutes before I get off work. Later, bitches.

Not even close

2005-09-14T08:23:00.000-05:00

Right now, this morning at work, I'm suffering from lack of sleep, but I'll take this exhaustion any day of the week if it means staying up late to see Circle as I did last night at the Empty Bottle. I've seen some great shows this year, but Circle takes the cake by far - it's not even close. My friend Chris said the same thing. I emailed some friends a few weeks ago about the show (and they still didn't show up!) and told them that I had a feeling that this could be one of the great shows of my life. I was slightly exaggerating, but after I let this feeling of euphoria settle down and look back on this at a later time, I think that could definitely be the case.

If they come (again) to your town or city, DO NOT MISS THEM. I would pay $50 to see them, much less the $12 I paid last night.

More tongues

2005-08-29T13:53:00.000-05:00

Oh my god. The Million Tongues Festival is coming back to the Empty Bottle!!! The Two Million Tongues Festival runs from Thursday November 3rd through Sunday November 6th. I went to three nights last August, and if it's anything like last year (Simon Finn, Six Organs of Admittance, Nisennenmondai, Fursaxa, Espers, Charalambides, etc.), it's not to be missed. The lineup has not yet been posted, but I can't fucking wait to find out...and I can't wait 'til November.

Black/White IQ debated revisited

2005-08-26T15:44:00.000-05:00

You don't necessarily have to be a psychologist, psychometrician, sociologist, etc. to fully grasp this really, really long essay from Charles Murray, author of the controversial book, The Bell Curve, even though it might help understand some of the psychometric jargon...however, it is very well-written and a good, albeit somewhat boring, read. This should add fuel to the fire to the debates regarding the discrepancies in black/white/male/female IQs and academic achievement, but just because it's uncomfortable doesn't mean that this type of discussion is bad...I think it's important. For what it's worth, having studied psychology and psychometry as an undergrad and grad student, I'm still not sure exactly what to make of both opposing views.

Read it here.

This is pretty great

2005-08-19T15:51:00.000-05:00

How a high school teacher from Skokie passed for cantankerous guitar genius John Fahey

Chicago shows, etc.

2005-08-17T15:20:00.000-05:00

I started back at work a couple of days ago, and already I'm really feeling the brunt of waking up at 5:45 AM. It's been incredibly slow this week, and I'm feeling especially tired today. (The only thing really keeping me awake here at work right now is writing in this stupid blog.) Thus, I will most likely and regrettably miss Oneida along with Kinski and Plastic Crimewave tonight at the Empty Bottle.

I know there will be many, many more shows I will be forced to miss in the (near) future. Some of them will probably include:

* Of Montreal @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Sept. 2)
* High on Fire @ the Double Door (Sun. Sept. 4)
* Merzbow @ The Empty Bottle (Wed. Sept. 7)
* Little Brother @ the Abbey Pub (Thurs. Sept. 8)
* Circle @ the Empty Bottle (Tues. Sept. 13)
* Lau Nau with other bands from Finland @ the Empty Bottle (Sun. Sept. 18) (arrrgh...starts at midnight!)
* The Wire presents "Adventures in Modern Music" - Sept. 21 to Sept. 25 at the Empty Bottle - Unfortunately I will most likely miss most of the nights; however, I will probably not miss the Earth/Gang Gang Dance/Pita show on Sat. Sept. 24th
* 13 & God & Black Dice @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Sept. 23)
* T. Raumschmiere @ the Empty Bottle (Mon. Sept. 26)
* M.I.A. @ the Metro (Wed. Sept. 28)
* Arcade Fire @ the Riviera (Wed. Sept. 28) sold out
* Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @ the Double Door (Sat. Oct. 1)
* The Dirty Three @ the Metro (Sat. Oct. 15)
* The New Pornographers @ the Metro (Thurs. Oct. 20)
* The Coup @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Oct. 21)
* Wolf Eyes @ the Empty Bottle (Fri. Oct. 21)
* The Go! Team @ the Metro (Sat. Oct. 29)
* Quintron @ the Empty Bottle (Mon. Oct. 31)
* Broadcast @ the Abbey Pub (Fri. Nov. 4)
* Konono No. 1 @ Logan Square Auditorium (Fri. Nov. 11)
* RJD2 @ the Abbey Pub (Sat. Nov. 12)

I guess another notable show would be Dungen, who are playing two shows in one night at the Bottle in early October. I "caught on" late despite all the hype thrown their way, from some friends of mine to pitchfork to just about everybody, it seems. Although I admit that Ta Det Lugnt is a well-made album, I find a bit boring. Both shows will easily sell out.

So, some of the shows listed above will be added to the following (partial) list of notable shows I missed this year:

* Parts & Labor @ the Empty Bottle
* Sir Richard Bishop @ the Empty Bottle (free show)
* The Perceptionists @ the Empty Bottle
* Roots Manuva @ the Empty Bottle
* The Books @ the Empty Bottle
* Prefuse 73/Battles/Beans @ the Empty Bottle
* Deerhoof @ Open-End & the Empty Bottle
* The Pagans @ the Empty Bottle
* The Boredoms @ Logan Square Auditorium
* The Champs @ the Empty Bottle
* Sightings @ Subterranean
* Mouse on Mars @ Sonotheque
* Need New Body @ the Open-End (out of town)
* The A-Frames @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Oh No with Diverse @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Smog @ the Empty Bottle (out of town)
* Tortoise @ the Empty Bottle
* Ruins @ The Bottom Lounge

I also missed the Intonation Festival here in Chicago due to the roadtrip. However, I don't know if I would've gone (or even enjoyed it had I gone), mostly due to how hot it's been in Chicago this summer. Besides, the only band I really wanted to see there was the Go! Team, who I'll probably see this fall at the Metro.

Anyway, the list above is only a partial list of shows I've missed in 2005. Out of the shows I did attend this year, the best were:

1. Six Organs of Admittance @ the Empty Bottle
2. Gang Gang Dance @ the Empty Bottle
3. The Animal Collective @ the Empty Bottle
4. LCD Soundsystem & M.I.A. @ the Metro
5. Gang of Four @ the Metro
6. Slint @ the Metro

As you can tell from the lists above, most of the shows I attend are at the Empty Bottle. The Bottle, mostly based on the sheer quantity and quality of shows, is my favorite venue ever. I may be going off on a limb, but I dare say that it's the best venue in terms of quantity and quality in the good ol' US of A. New York may be the best city for shows, but the venues in Manhattan and Brooklyn (specifically the Knitting Factory and North Six) are always competing for shows.

Here's my take on other Chicago venues:

* The Metro: Bigger acts ranging from teen-friendly "emo" bands to very hyped budding stars (e.g., M.I.A.) to reunited underground bands of yesteryear (e.g., Slint) to indie rock stars (Sleater-Kinney) play here. To me, this is a huge venue with a capacity of 1,110. The sound in the theatre has been very good at the shows I've been to; however, if you want to buy tickets via internet, you have to go through ticketmaster. Also, the security is a little excessive - they wear yellow shirts with SECURITY written across the back and you get patted down before entering. Still, it's the quality of bands that make the shows, and every show I've been to there has been excellent.
* Logan Square Auditorium: Located in the heart of quickly appreciating Logan Square, this is a fairly large venue (around 700 capacity) that occasionally books great shows. However, the acoustics of the auditorium sucks.
* The Hideout: Located in the "middle of nowhere," in an industrial area slightly northeast of Bucktown, the Hideout is mainly known for its weekly alt-country shows and dance parties, which can be quite fun. I was supposed to be one of the DJs for the July 4th party, but, alas, I was in St. Louis. I accidently went to the Ted Leo show there last summer thinking that there was a dance party - the dance party was after the show. Every fall, they have the Hideout Block Party. This year's one features the dB's, who have recently reunited. Last year featured Mouse on Mars and Mahjongg.
* The Double Door: Although located in the heart of Wicker Park, there aren't too many good shows that play here. I've only been there once - for the Dizzee Rascal show, which was good, by the way - but unless you're really close to the stage, it's a little difficult to see the stage, even if you're tall. The stage is kind of small and the venue itself is weirdly shaped. It's not too bad, and supposedly even the Stones have played in this 473-capacity venue...but typically, making a short trek to the Empty Bottle in Ukrainian Village is the better bet.
* The Abbey Pub is a bar/restaurant that serves as a quaint music venue during the evenings. Most underground hip hop acts (at least on the Northside) seem to play here. They'll occasionally "steal" other notable non-hip-hop acts here, too. For example, I saw Comets on Fire there a few months ago. The only realy problem with the Abbey Pub is that it's located significantly northwest of where most of the "action" is at, i.e., Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square.
* Schubas is partly restaurant and partly a bar with a separate room that's a music venue. Like the Abbey Pub, it's a quaint venue that occasionally gets worthwhile artists to perform. I went there for the first time last year for the DVD release party for the Polyphonic Spree (who I detest) because they were serving free booze. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it because I only got two drinks because they fucking ran out.
* Subterranean: Also centrally located at the Wicker Park-Bucktown border (like the Double Door), the quality of shows at this venue is hit or miss. A recently reunited Olivia Tremor Control played there the night before their free show at the Wicker Park Festival, and Merzbow will be there in the near future.
* Park West: I've never been to Park West, but I've read and heard that this 1,400-capacity part-time venue has the best sound in all of Chicago, and it's also supposed to be the most beautiful. Not too many shows (at least shows I'm interested in) play there, although I know that Slint played their last Chicago show there.
* The Vic also holds 1,400 and is also supposed to be very nice. Bigger and more nationally-established bands such as Wilco often play there. I've never been there.
* The Riviera is a huge venue topping out at around 2,500. I've never been there, but I hear it's nice. I believe the Pixies played four or five straight nights there last fall...or maybe it was at the Aragon.
* House of Blues: Located in downtown, there's almost always no reason to ever want to go there, unless I want to shell out ridiculous cash to see Common or De La Soul. I think Iron and Wine might have actually played there last fall.
* The Aragon: Big, established bands, such as Sleater-Kinney, play here, if they're not playing at places like the Metro, the Riviera, or the Vic. If the Pixies didn't play here, I think they played at the Riviera.
* The Fireside Bowl: This hipster bowling alley in Logan Square used to have a lot more shows in the past, but the owner decided to put an end to that last August. (My friend Sean and I actually DJ-ed the last night of the non-bowling night last August.) However, I guess he had a change of heart because they are starting to have shows there again. The shows are usually all-ages, which means that, overall, the crowds tend to be younger, unless you're drinking at the bar, which I did throughout Erase Errata's set last summer. The shows have the feel of high school punk shows, with the shitty sound and young hipster-punks, although usually not quite as bad...unless some emo band is playing.
* The Bottom Lounge: Although I've never been there, I picture the Bottom Lounge to be a "more upscale" "real venue" version of the Fireside, based on shows there. From looking at bands on their schedule I read off the Chicago Reader, crappy emo-y bands frequent this place often, although they've been booking bigger indie rock bands (such as Xiu Xiu and Pretty Girls Make Graves) more often as of late. They even booked a band I really wanted to see but totally forgot about - Ruins. Doh!!!
* Buddy, Camp Gay, Heaven: Camp Gay and Buddy are artist-run lofts that have recently become defunct. Camp Gay seemed to have more interesting shows, although their shows had been scarce the past year...ever since I moved to Chicago. Buddy, although they sometimes had surprising bands and artists come play (such as Calvin Johnson), seemed more interested in throwing hipster parties, which I tended to avoid due to obnoxious hipsters who seemed more interested in trying to look outrageous and cool rather than focus on the arts. However, despite the obnoxious hipster aspect of these lofts, I think they serve (or served) a great function - pushing art and spawning creativity (whether musically or visually) not unlike Nightlight in Chapel Hill. Luckily, Heaven is still there, although they rarely, if ever, have music shows. But this is Chicago, and that means that sooner rather than later, another artist-loft will pick up the slack where Camp Gay and Buddy left off.

Boo! My summer break's almost over

2005-08-11T23:08:00.000-05:00

I have a few more days before I have to go back to work...and thus, my summer of laziness is almost over. However, looking back, this summer's been quite busy.

I was out of town most of July, having first ventured down to St. Louis to visit the family before heading out on an almost two-week-long roadtrip mostly to North Carolina.

We first went to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. We got off to a late start out of Chicago and arrived at the campsite outside of Cherokee, NC when it was too dark to put up the tent. So we stayed in a motel and camped the next day.

Due to the thunderstorms and our leaky tent, we decided not to camp the next night in Asheville and stayed in a motel instead. Hey, I never said I was an outdoorsy-type of person. On our way to Asheville, it rained and stormed a lot, and much of the mountainous scenery was beautiful, if the clouds didn't block the view entirely, that is.

Brief summary of Asheville: It rained all night. During the day, we went to the Biltmore and made an offer on the estate. I love Asheville. What a beautiful city.

Then we headed down to the OC. Since it was the ladyfriend's first trip to one of my favorite areas ever, much of the time was spent showing her around mostly Chapel Hill and Carrboro, such as the University of North Carolina. I wish we had had more time there to really live it up, but we had to get going to the Atlantic Coast. Big thanks to TR for putting us up!

We went to the Outer Banks and stayed at a beachside motel in Kill Devil Hills. The room given to us faced the pool and not the ocean and smelled like piss. We asked for and got another room, this time facing the ocean, to our satisfaction.

Surprisingly, the waves in the Outer Banks were almost nonexistent. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and relaxing.

The next day we went to go see the world-famous Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. I wanted to go up to the top, but it was so fucking hot that we just took a few pictures before heading down to Atlantic Beach.

Atlantic Beach seemed more like the ocean with the salty air and the larger waves. I must've haphazardly put on the sunscreen lotion because I got some nasty sunburns on random parts of my body, including this large birthmark-looking burn in the middle of my chest, the area above my right knee, my nutsack, and various parts of my shoulder and shoulder blades. I'm just kidding about the scrotum. Really, I am.

After Atlantic Beach, we left the Old North State and headed down to Charleston, SC. I went to Charleston with my family as a kid and remember nothing about it. So this was like visiting for the first time. I've gotta tell ya, Charleston is the most beautiful city that I've been to in the United States. The ladyfriend says it's between Charleston and San Francisco, but since I've never been to San Fran, I'm gonna stick with Charleston.

I decided that after I win the lottery, I'm gonna buy one of the those beautiful vintage houses and make it my winter home. After visiting Charleston, I can see why Roy Williams owns a vacation home around there instead of somewhere in beautiful North Carolina.

After the long drive home from Charleston to Chicago, there were only a few days to do nothing in Chicago before heading up to the Michigan. I can't remember the town's name, but it's in southwestern Michigan off of Lake Michigan. Unlike Chicago's Lake Michigan water, the water in Michigan is clean, and the beach there was great. It looks as big as the ocean, and although the waves are typically smaller, there were a couple of days when the waves were as big, if not bigger than any of the waves I saw off the coast of NC. On the days when the waves weren't that big, they were still as big (or as small) as the waves that hit the Outer Banks. Anyway, I had a great time doing nothing but swimming and drinking and being a jackass...I scraped both knees being a drunk idiot the first night. I also managed to get even more sunburnt.

After another trip back home to St. Louis, I'm now just waiting and dreading Monday, my first day back at work. I think that's why I'm feeling a little depressed and having a little pity party for myself. The only thing I keep thinking right now is that I need to win the lottery. Once Mega Millions hits $70 million, I'll start playing again. When I win, I'll be sure to let y'all know.

It's gotta be the shoes

2005-06-23T11:24:00.000-05:00

I just voted in the Sneaker Tournament. But what about the Air Jordan IV??? I used to dream of having a pair of those when I was in middle school. I saw a pair for $150 or so in New York a few years ago...and I should've bought them especially since they go for much more on eBay.

367

2005-06-21T08:04:00.000-05:00

As a kid in the 80s, I used to be a huge baseball fan - specifically a Tigers fan. I actually remember when they used to be good with the likes of Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker, and Kirk Gibson. Being a huge Tigers fan, it was also ingrained in my head that .367 was Ty Cobb's career batting average - although today I see that it's actually .366.

Anyway, 367 is another very, very minor significant number today as it was 367 days ago I moved from the great college town(s) of Chapel Hill-Carrboro to the great city of Chicago. I can't believe that it's already been a year. I miss Chapel Hill a lot, but I continue to absolutely love living in Chicago. If somehow I could combine the OC with the CC, it would be near-perfect. Maybe combine the North Carolina winter and spring with the Chicago summer. Maybe pick up the whole city of Chicago and place it on top of Raleigh and Durham. Or maybe transplant WXYC to Wicker Park and give it 5000 watts. I don't know. I've always said that if I were to get sick of living in a large city like Chicago, I would look directly at a liberal college town like Chapel Hill, although there's something intriguing about California and Oregon. I can't wait until my last day of work on June 30th, when I'll be off until mid-August. I'll be hitting North Carolina in mid-July.

Alfalfa City

2005-06-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Ever since the kids have gotten out of school for the summer, I've been so fucking bored at work, with very little to do until next week when I'll be bombarded with work until the end of this month.

There's only so much I can do to kill time, especially with the firewall blocking various websites. So I've been killing most of my time being a nerd on Wikipedia, reading about various and random things from Swatch watches to New Trier High School to Bob Probert and more.

I also read about Chicago and various cities and towns across this country and the world and found out that Chicago is one of three US cities (NYC and LA being the other two) that are Alpha World-Class (Full Service) cities, at least according to the somewhat subjective criteria set by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group & Network (GaWC). I find the list interesting, but I was suprised by some of the "rankings." Like, WHERE'S ST. LOUIS?!?! The strip clubs of East St. Louis have to account for something.

Revenge of the Lucas

2005-05-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love the original Star Wars trilogy, with my favorite being Empire followed closely by the original. Even though I think that Return of the Jedi is actually a bit mediocre, I still love it - maybe because it's the first one I remember watching.

I saw Revenge of the Sith last night, and I really liked it. And I can't stop thinking about it this morning. But first, here are my brief thoughts on the first two prequels.

Episode One was horrible. Little Anakin is an annoying little fucker, and if I was Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon Jinn, I would've left his ass in Tatooine. I admit to liking Episode II, even though I can't disagree with the majority giving it two thumbs down.

I didn't know what to expect for Revenge of the Sith. My sister, who's a much bigger Star Wars nerd than I am, absolutely loved it and has seen it twice already. Two friends of mine saw it opening night and gave it a 3.5 and 4 out of 10, respectively. They are jaded when it comes to movies, however. And I suspected that my feelings might lean more towards my sister's view.

Like I said in the second paragraph, I really liked Revenge. I agree with my friend and movie critic, Jesse, in his review, "that one day, Episodes III, IV and V will be regarded as the definitive Star Wars trilogy."

Based on my sister's reaction to Revenge, I would estimate that she would give it a 9 out of 10. Upon initial viewing, I give it a 7.5 - not as good as my sister makes it seem but not nearly as horrific as my two friends say it is. I guess if there's anything I didn't like about it, it's that I feel that Anakin turning to the Dark Side was not as developed as well - it seemed a little rushed and not as convincing. However, that's just a minor thing since the movie was already over two hours long, and besides, it's not as if it's the acting and the lines of the original trilogy that make me love them. I'm debating on whether I'd like to see this again in the theater - do I really want to spend another $9.50? Probably not. But I am really looking forward to buying this on DVD.

Here is an interesting political analysis of Revenge (and the entire Star Wars series).

Also, one last thing I personally liked about Revenge was that Obi-Wan redeemed himself at the end by defeating Anakin. Before that, I was disappointed in how much of a pussy Jedi he seemed to be - getting his ass so easily kicked by Dooku twice. At the end, he restored my faith in him as a great Jedi.

I can't wait 'til July

2005-05-17T08:16:00.000-05:00

I've been looking for a new psychologist position recently because I hate my job so much. I may even be willing to take a pay cut in order to work in a better environment. I interviewed a couple of weeks ago, and the interview went really well...but I think the competition is stiff for this position. I haven't heard back from them, but I'm thinking I'm one of the backup choices, and they're waiting to hear from their top choice(s) to see if they'll take the job. The new district is in the NW suburbs, which means that even though the distance is shorter, the drive is gonna take at least twice as long both ways because of the Kennedy Expressway traffic. But I think I'd be willing to do that...for less money.

I would also like a job that has two months off during the summer, which is the case with most jobs. So if this position were offered to me, I'd start work in late August. With my present job, I get July off...which sounds good to most people. But I've been spoiled, I guess, in the past few years getting two months off. This is especially hard for me now partly because I hate my job, and also because I think I'll be out of town most of July. I plan on going home to St. Louis for a week in early July, then go back to Chicago for a couple of days before embarking on a week-and-a-half-to-two-week roadtrip to the Southeast (including Chapel Hill) with the ladyfriend. Then it's back to Chicago for a couple of days and then the ladyfriend and I are headed to Michigan for her family reunion/drunkfest.

Judging from how awesome last summer was, and judging from how the city is really starting to come alive because it's no longer consistently cold, I expect this summer in Chicago to be no different. And I'd like to spend some time just hanging out here in the city, drinking lots of alcohol, being carefree. If I got a new job, then I could spend August like that. However, right now, it doesn't look like that's going to happen. But I'm still crossing my fingers.

I smell shit

2005-05-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

Today, in Harvey, IL, the air smells like shit. Yes, this is the city where I work. I need a fucking raise.

RaYDONtoUR ReVIseD

2005-04-21T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here is a decent review of Mahjongg's new album, RaYDONcoNG 2005. Pitchfork also reviewed this (they gave it a 7.5), but I rarely read their reviews about anything...and their review of this album is pretty dumb, too. (I could go on and on about everything that's wrong with pitchfork and how it bothers me that seemingly so many people read their reviews religously, but I don't care about them enough to really spend my spare time talking about them.)

Catch 'em at a city near you.

Thu 4/21/05 Raleigh, NC Kings
Fri 4/22/05 Winston-Salem, NC The Werehouse
Sat 4/23/05 Norfolk, VA Relative Theory Records
Sun 4/24/05 Baltimore, MD Talking Head
Tue 4/26/05 Philadelphia, PA The Khyber
Wed 4/27/05 New Haven, CT The BAR Nightclub
Thu 4/28/05 New York, NY Knitting Factory
Fri 4/29/05 Providence, RI The Green Room
Sat 4/30/05 Northampton, MA Iron Horse
Sun 5/1/05 Cambridge, MA T.T The Bear's
Tue 5/3/05 Burlington, VT Club Metronome
Wed 5/4/05 Montreal, QC La Sala Rossa
Thu 5/5/05 Ottawa, ON Club SAW
Fri 5/6/05 Toronto, ON Lee's Palace
Sat 5/7/05 Detroit, MI Lager House
Thu 5/12/05 Norman, OK The Opolis
Fri 5/13/05 Houston, TX Fat Cat's
Mon 5/16/05 Phoenix, AZ Modified
Tue 5/17/05 San Diego, CA Casbah
Fri 5/20/05 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
Sat 5/21/05 Visalia, CA Howie & Sons Pizza Parlour
Sun 5/22/05 San Luis Obispo S.L.O Brewing Company
Tue 5/24/05 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Thu 5/26/05 Eugene, OR W.O.W Hall
Fri 5/27/05 Portland, OR Holocene

Eff Wal-Mart

2005-04-20T15:00:00.000-05:00

Fuck Wal-Mart.

Thankfully, there are no Wal-Marts in the city of Chicago, although there are some in the surrounding suburbs. I know Wal-Mart's been trying desperately to crack into Chicago, with a proposed site in the South Side. Thankfully, there's opposition.

New Pope

2005-04-19T12:11:00.000-05:00

In a surprising turn of events, North Carolina senior, Jackie Manuel, has been chosen as the new pope.

Champions!

2005-04-05T21:39:00.000-05:00

So I was a bit off in my predictions yesterday (see post below). But I was right about the most important thing.

Sean May showed yesterday that he has as big a heart as anyone as he carried the Heels on his back. And he says he's coming back! We can say goodbye to Raymond Felton and Rashad McCants. Maybe Marvin Williams, too. Especially without Raymond next year, they cannot possibly be the favorite in the ACC next year. Even though it's just based on one All Star game (last week's McDonald's All Star game), Duke's incoming class, especially PG Greg Paulus and forward Josh McRoberts look really good. UNC's recruits look solid, too, but the new Dookies look like they'll be very promising college players.

Regardless, if Sean May sticks to what he's been saying and stays, and especially if Marvin shocks me and stays, then the Heels will still be very solid next year and easily second in the ACC. I just have a feeling with the new recruits and only losing Ewing, it's hard not to see Duke as the favorites for next year.

But it's not next year yet, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are #1.

I wish I could've been in Chapel Hill last night.

I agree with Dookie V (about tonight)

2005-04-04T06:52:00.000-05:00

Dick Vitale and his "analyses" are jokes. However, I do agree with him that Carolina will be victorious tonight against Illinois.

Here are my predictions:

Final Score: North Carolina 84, Illinois 74.

The game will be closer than the score indicates, with Carolina making their free throws in the last minute. Rashad McCants will lead the Heels with 25 points, and Marvin Williams will also have a big game with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sean May will also have a double-double, but he won't score as many points as his average because of the double teams. But he will still be named as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Bruce Weber and Illinois will leave the game crying. So will Roy.

After the game on ESPN, Dick Vitale will proclaim that Dook will win next year's championship.

NC2A picks

2005-03-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

I found that this year's NCAA tournament was harder to predict than previous years. But I have to pat myself on the back for predicting two huge first round upsets: Bucknell over Kansas and Vermont over Syracuse. And I was actually pretty confident going into the tournament that both would happen.

First, Kansas was/is overrated. Besides Wayne Simeon, no Jayhawk has really thrived under Bill Self's system. It's very obvious that they miss Roy's system, and that Self's system held them back. Most games I saw them in this year, they've looked inconsistent and pretty much every win I saw was ugly...including against scrubs. Hell, Mizzou won against them, and almost beat them the first time...at Allen Fieldhouse. With their new recruits coming, they might be a better team next year talent-wise, but I don't think their record will be as good. I think with Self's recruiting abilities, they'll be close to top-notch in a couple of years.

I felt that Vermont over Syracuse was more of a stretch. But I just had a gut feeling that Vermont would do it. I don't feel that Syracuse is that much better than Kansas this year, and Kansas struggled against Vermont and could've lost earlier in the season...whereas Carolina played them later and killed them.

I had Wake Forest playing Carolina in the finals with Carolina winning it all. My other two final four teams are Kentucky and Illinois. So Wake losing in the second round kind of ruined my brackets. I still have a chance to win, but I have a feeling I won't. Therefore, even though I have Kentucky beating Duke in the elite eight, I'm sort of hoping for a Duke-Carolina semifinal. I'm also sort of hoping for a Carolina-Illinois final. Both would be very entertaining.

Marvin Williams has been great all year, but in the tournament the monster has awoken. He'll be the catalyst for a Carolina championship. Unless he loves college that much or unless he really wants to be Naismith player of the year next year and have his number retired in the Dean Dome, I think he'll bolt for the NBA. If Carolina wins the championship, I think he's gone for sure, like Carmelo Anthony a couple of years ago. He'll go down as arguably the best sixth man in college history.

Ahhh, Spring?

2005-03-22T20:40:00.000-06:00

It's officially spring, my favorite season of the year. But it certainly doesn't feel like spring in Chicago. I've heard from many people, including Chicagoans, that there really isn't a spring in this city because the weather's so inconsistent until May. I've been sensing the weather "wanting" to get warmer here, but right when it feels like it should be warm, it gets cold again. Oh well. As long as I'm stuck working my shitty job in Harvey (the Compton of Chicago), I guess I couldn't really take advantage of warm weather even if I wanted to just yet.

I also can't take advantage of the neverending list of potentially great shows coming here in the next month or two, especially because I'm so fucking tired by 9:00 most weeknights. I'm going to have to pick and choose which shows to go to. I've already committed to these following shows: Slint (this Friday night with some Chapel Hill friends, including Tim), the Animal Collective, M83 (who I haven't heard much of, but my friend Chris, whose music taste I admire, says he really likes), and Gang of Four.

I will also try to go to as many of these shows as I can (which is probably just a fourth) (in alphabetical order):

Adult.
Angels of Light
The Books
The Boredoms
Christina Carter
Deerhoof
Desmond Dekker (I think I already bought a ticket to the M83 show the same night.)
Dizzee Rascal
Fantomas
Iron and Wine
Mahjongg
Melt Banana
Orchestra Baobab
Out Hud
The Pagans
Parts & Labor with Pelican
Roots Manuva
Shellac
Yo La Tengo

A commercial for Galena, Illinois

2005-03-14T22:44:00.000-06:00

Last week the ladyfriend suggested taking a road trip somewhere, and so this past weekend we, along with another couple, took a two-and-a-half-hour road trip west to Galena, Ulysses S. Grant's hometown.

It was a nice change of pace from the usual citylife. I had forgotten how quiet it can be not living in a city, although I was at my parents' house in St. Charles, MO just last weekend. But Galena is Small-Town-America-in-the-middle-of-nowhere quiet. We rented a two-bedroom townhouse at the Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa and relaxed, although we all didn't get as much sleep as we probably intended.

Supposedly the town makes most of its money through tourism (1.3 million visitors a year), and I wasn't suprised after visiting myself. Galena is a beautiful and charming town and suprisingly hilly - almost mountainous. People actually go to the resort to ski. And if you live in Chicago, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, or any large city in the northern part of the Midwest, and you want to temporarily go someplace peaceful and quiet and not just flat farmland, Galena seems kind of like a hidden treasure. However, unless you're an avid golfer or just plain old, I don't recommend spending more than 4-5 days there because it can get a little boring. Nevertheless, I'd go there again for a weekend sometime in the future.

Best show ever?

2005-03-09T17:24:00.000-06:00

Probably not, but the Six Organs of Admittance show at the Empty Bottle last night was the best show I've seen in a long time, and that includes some great shows I've already seen here in Chicago and also in Chapel Hill. Chris Corsano (of Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano duo), who played percussion on the latest Six Organs album, is touring with Ben Chasney right now, and his presence helped transform the Six Organs performance into something I hadn't seen the previous three times.

Chasney started off solo and not too much different from what I remember from the previous times. But halfway into the set, after looping some acoustic guitar parts, Corsano started playing drums (including using a violin bow) while Chasney got electric. Then came the noise, and it was fucking stunning. Everytime I've seen Six Organs I'm just in awe, but last night my jaw just dropped, along with everyone else around me. During the PG Six set, I was wondering what the fuck I was doing there since I had to get up so early this morning; but after the show I was glad that I went.

PG Six was sort of boring, kind of like last time I saw him. I like his music, but it doesn't really translate that nicely live. He messed up a few times, and at times I thought I was watching the male Cat Power.

After the show before I hurried home to sleep, I bought a CDR of a Chris Corsano (side) project Vampire Belt. I haven't listened to it yet, but I heard Ben Chasney describe it as "a very metal Harry Pussy." Sold.

Tomorrow's gonna suck

2005-03-08T21:30:00.000-06:00

Pretty soon I'm going to head down to the Empty Bottle for the Six Organs of Admittance and PG Six show. I also have to wake up at 5:45 for work tomorrow morning, and I'm already sleepy right now. Yes, tomorrow's gonna suck.

Go Heels, Part II

2005-03-06T23:57:00.000-06:00

It was a good day for me in college basketball, as both Mizzou and Carolina won. How both games played out surprised me and didn't surpise me.

Missouri almost always plays KU tough, even when they seemingly have no chance of winning prior to the games. I vividly remember unranked MU (in maybe '96 or '97) defeating an unbeaten, number-one-ranked Kansas team that had Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz, Scot Pollard, and Jacque Vaughn when they really should've had no chance in hell. During the first game in Lawrence this year, Mizzou outplayed KU and was up at half, I think. KU came back at the end and won. I thought the same thing might happen today...and it almost did. But MU hung on and won. Whew.

As for Carolina-Duke, I predicted a Carolina win by a large margin (see post below). I was wrong, obviously, but what a comeback by the Tar Heels. K's gotta be kicking himself right now. As per any heated rivalry game, especially Duke-Carolina, this should be another reminder that there are rarely blowouts. Duke played tough, and I started thinking that K had Roy's number yet again before the Heels scored 11 straight points to win the game. However, I expected Felton to have a bigger game, although you can't be too hard on him because he's probably the most indispensible guy on the Carolina team. I guess I just expected him to have more points and assists. Sean May is a monster. I'm not sure how much of a star he'll be in the pros, but he'll be in the league as at least a role player for the next decade. I was at least right about him having a big game. And I think I was pretty accurate about Shavlik Randolph. He should've gone to State.

Go Heels

2005-03-05T21:47:00.000-06:00

After spending the latter half of this week in shitty Springfield, Illinois, attending a psychologist conference, I'm spending the rest of this weekend at my parents' house here in Missouri. Simply, Springfield sucks ass. For those of you familiar with the state of North Carolina, Springfield reminds me of Greensboro or Winston-Salem, except worse. Anyway, I don't have work until Tuesday, so I'll spend tomorrow watching some college basketball with my dad.

First up will be shitty Missouri versus overrated Kansas. During his first few seasons at Mizzou, I gave Quin Snyder the benefit of the doubt, but there's only so much I can take. He should've been canned after the whole NCAA infractions debacle, which was just extremely embarassing to the university. But he's proven time and again that he's arguably the worst coach in college basketball. He needs to stop trying to be a "motivator" like Coach K and go observe some practices around the country and learn how to teach some real basketball. He'd be a good assistant coach who's in charge of recruiting, like he was at Duke, but he's a shitty head coach. Anyway, I hope they beat Kansas, who play such an ugly brand of basketball I can't stand them even more than when Roy was there.

Speaking of Roy Williams, the second game of the afternoon is the one I'm looking forward to the most. Carolina versus Duke (or Dook). First, I should say that the years I spent in Chapel Hill has made me a true blue Carolina fan. I've become such a fan that if Mizzou played UNC, I would be torn up inside, instead of automatically rooting for Mizzou. This didn't happen necessarily because I lived in Chapel Hill, but it happened gradually as I read more and more about Dean Smith and how much I respect him as a coach and as a person. The program really does do things the right way, much moreso than how the media portrays Duke as the model program (even though they're not as dirty as some diehard Carolina fans may think). I just have so much respect for the Carolina program that I can't help but think that sooner or later they may overtake Mizzou as my number one team. Presently, they're tied.

I still kind of can't stand Roy, however, and it really has nothing to do with Kay U. I don't like the way he always carries himself in a "woe is me" sort of way, always seeking sympathy from the world with his melodramatic musings. (Examples include: "There's no bigger Carolina fan than me" after he turned down UNC in 2000 to "there's no bigger Kansas fan than me" that he'll say now.) I also don't think he's the saint he and the media portary him to be. I think I'd like him a lot better if he didn't try so hard to make himself look like the the most innocent person ever. But the bottom line is that he's one of the best coaches and recruiters in the country, and I'm sure he'll lead Carolina to at least one championship before his career is over, quite possibly this year. So, despite some of the negative feelings I have about the guy, I'll take him on my side. I'd defintely take him anyday over that sleazy coach down at Dook.

I cannot fucking stand Coach K and his stupid ass assistants, especially that brown-nosing pipsqueak Wojo. I respect K for his accomplishments at Duke, and I think he deserves to be recognized as one of the two best coaches in ACC history with Dean Smith. But the thing that separates K from Smith is that Coach K emphasizes winning at all costs, and his motivational skills are probably as good as any coach in history. Dean Smith, on the other hand, emphasized playing the right way, with winning as the probable outcome should his team play smart and the right way. He knew how to teach all that, and thus his players carried those skills to successful NBA careers and former assistant coaches to successful head coaching gigs. Now, look at K's former assistant coaches. Snyder has been ripping off the University of Missouri with his NBA Jam style of coaching for years, and Amaker hasn't done shit with Michigan either. They're both identical in playing some infuriatingly, stupid-ass basketball. Look for Wojo to follow in their footsteps. (I'm not quite as sure with Chris Collins since his father Doug is known as someone who truly understand the X's and O's and fundamentals of the game.)

Anyway, with Coach K's motivational skills (and Roy's history of getting outcoached in big games from Norm Stewart to Lute Olson to now Coach K), Duke definitely has a chance to steal this game in Chapel Hill, especially with Rashad McCants not expected to play. However, I think Raymond Felton will have a huge game especially with that embarassing last play in the game in Durham a few weeks ago. J.J. Redick will shoot something like 6 for 24, and Shavlik Randolph will foul out in 7 minutes with 2 points and 2 rebounds. Sean May and Marvin Williams will also have big games. My prediction: Carolina 89, Duke 70. As for the MU-KU game, I predict: KU 62, MU 52.

And if you happen to watch the game, look for my friend Tim (below on the left), who'll be wearing his UNC Mexican wrestling mask at the game.

Aquarius Records : Customer Favorites 2004

2005-03-05T21:36:00.000-06:00

On January 25th, I listed my top records of 2004 here.

I also sent the list to Aquarius Records, and they listed other people's lists, including mine. Out of the people they received lists from, they randomly chose one name for a $25 gift certificate. Unfortunately, that winner wasn't me.

"Jay, only a guy who gets out of the shower to take a piss would wear a shirt like that."

2005-02-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

Former University of Utah basketball coach and current ESPN college basketball analyst Rick Majerus was/is a great basketball coach. Dean Smith thinks so, too. But that's not why I like him. I like him because he's a fat, funny motherfucker.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from him in recent years:

During the last minute of a 20-point blowout of Tennessee by Kentucky, Marjerus said of Kentucky’s celeb superfan Ashley Judd, “I hope I see [Judd] one more time so I won’t have to go back to the hotel to watch adult movies.”
[Heard on ESPN, 1/25/2005]

After Kentucky defeated Utah for the national title in 1998, Ashley Judd gave Utes coach Rick Majerus a hug, something he will never forget...
"She hugged me as a consolation because we lost," he said the other day. "I went to bed for two years with that as my sex life."
[St. Paul Pioneer Press, 03/24/2003]

On why the Utes don't have UCLA on the schedule ...
"They won't play us, so what can I do? There's three cheerleaders out there I'd like to take home tonight. All three would tell me no. They won't go. UCLA won't play."
[Salt Lake Tribune, 1/2/1999]

About a news article that said he was a candidate for the SDSU head coaching job ...
"I can be a candidate for anything I want. I'd like to be a candidate to date Cindy Crawford. Do you see that woman right there? She and I are candidates to be married. You're a candidate to get a haircut tomorrow."
[San Diego Union-Tribune 2/12/1999]

On wearing glasses on the court...
"I started wearing glasses last season but they're only for basketball games and dirty movies."
[Charlotte Observer 3/28/1998]

If he was to have a studio role with CBS in 2003, as he had in some past years...
"No. That Quin Snyder hairdo has overpowered me."
[Bob Wolfley, Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, 4/2/2003]

To Jay Bilas, wearing a polo shirt rather than the traditional Hawaiian shirt while covering a tournament in Hawaii...
"Jay, only a guy who gets out of the shower to take a piss would wear a shirt like that."
[ESPN, 01/04/2005, Quoted on DukeBasketballReport.com]

About his exercise routine...
"I like to bike. I could beat Lance Armstrong, only because he couldn't pass me if he was behind me.
[USC Press Conference, 12/15/2004]

On winning the 1998 Playboy Magazine coach of the year ...
"I know I didn't get it because there's a bunch of Bunnies who couldn't wait to sit on my lap. . . . I didn't get it because the Bunnies think I look good."
[Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, 7/25/1998]

For more Majerus quotes, go here.

Aluminum

2005-02-09T06:42:00.000-06:00

"Aluminum"

Click on the link above and watch the video to the Mahjongg song. The video was made by former Mizzou student and (not-former) Mormon, Tyrone Davies.

In other news, it's 6:42 in the morning, and I miss being unemployed.

Welcome To The Working Week

2005-02-07T22:43:00.000-06:00

I know. It's about fucking time.

I start my new job tomorrow in Harvey, IL, which is a ghettofabulous suburb south of Chicago. It's where Eddy Curry grew up.

The biggest challenge will be waking up early in the mornings, something I haven't done in quite some time. Thus, I am going to bed now. Later, bitches.

Another Best of 2004 music list

2005-01-25T01:01:00.000-06:00

I love lists and countdowns, whether they're stupid like most of the ones on VH1 and E! or even some sports rankings, like ESPN's 25th Anniversary rankings. Most of all, I love music lists, especially the end-of-year lists.

Since my years at WXYC, I've made my own end-of-year best of's. However, at the end of every year, I realize that there's so much music I've slept on, especially seeing other DJs' lists. So the lists I've made in the past never stay to be a true reflection of what I end up considering to be the best (or my favorite) releases of that year. This year it's even more pronounced for two reasons:

(1) I left XYC and Chapel Hill in June 2004. XYC has been the most valuable source of new releases (and music in general) for me for years, and with the exception of WFMU, there's not a better radio station in the world. (For those of you not in the know, listen online to both stations!) I still try to keep up as much as I can, reading reviews and releases online (and in some cases listening online). My favorite websites include: Aquarius Records, Forced Exposure, Eclipse Records, Dusted Magazine, Fake Jazz, and Foxy Digitalis. But it's still not the same as working at XYC.

(2) Perhaps even more significant than not working at XYC is that I have no job and no money to spend on records...only on food, (sometimes) alcohol, and (now sometimes) the girlfriend. The biggest reason I want and need money is to be able to buy music again at the frequency I want. I'm dying here, folks.

So here's what I got for my list of favorite releases of 2004. (FYI, I include what I deem worthy compilations (e.g., no label samplers) and reissues that aren't obvious and were nearly impossible to find before (i.e., no Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain or any Eno reissues).) Okay, so here's my fucking list as of right now:

1. V/A - Goodbye, Babylon box set (Dust-to-Digital) (technically released in Oct. 2003, but I didn't hear about it until 2004...besides I've seen this on others' 2004 lists)
2. Animal Collective - Sung Tongs (Fat Cat)
3. V/A - Ghana Soundz: Afro-beat, Funk and Fusion in 70's Ghana Vol. 2 (Soundway)
4. Amps for Christ - The People at Large (5 Rue Christine)
5. The Homosexuals - The Homosexuals CD (Recommended) and Astral Glamour (Messthetics)
6. Six Organ of Admittance - For Octovio Paz (Holy Mountain)
7. Arthur Russell - The World of Arthur Russell (Soul Jazz)
8. Madvillain - Madvillainy (Stone's Throw)
9. V/A - Bandwidth: Celebrating 10 Years of Internet Radio on WXYC-Chapel Hill (WXYC)
10. Kemialliset Ystavat - Alkuharka (Fonal)
11. Keith Hudson - Flesh of My Skin Blood of My Blood (Basic Replay)
12. Espers - S/T (Locust)
13. Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album (Def Jam)
14. Black Dice - Miles of Smiles EP (DFA)
15. V/A - Thai Beat A Go-Go, Vol. 1 (Subliminal Sounds)
16. Jason Forrest - The Unrelenting Songs of the 1979 Post Disco Crash (Sonig)
17. Mahjongg - Machinegong EP (Cold Crush)
18. Boban Markovic Orkestar - Boban I Marko (Piranha)
19. Metal Urbain - Anarachy in Paris! (Acute)
20. Iron and Wine - Our Endless Numbered Days (Sub Pop)
21. Glenn Branca - Lesson No. 1 (Acute)
22. Konk - The Story of Konk (Soul Jazz)
23. Brian Wilson - Smile (Nonesuch)
24. Deerhoof - Milk Man (5 Rue Christine/Kill Rock Stars)
25. Lafayette Afro Rock Band - Soul Makossa (Hi & Fly)

Hon. Mention in alphabetical order:
Anything and everything from the Sublime Frequencies label
Bonnie "Prince" Billy - ...Sings Greatest Palace Music (Drag City)
Cold Sides - Perpetual Hypeness Machine EP (Freque NC)
Comets on Fire - Blue Cathedral (Sub Pop)
DNA - DNA on DNA (No More Records)
Danger Mouse - The Grey Album (self-released)
Ex-Girl - Endangered Species (Alternative Tentacles)
Fennesz - Venice (Touch)
Les Georges Leningrad - Sur les Traces de Black Eskimo (Alien8)
Noxagt - The Iron Point (Load)
Serge Gainsbourg - Aux Armes et Caetera (Sunnyside)
Snoop Dogg ft. Pharell - "Drop It Like It's Hot" single (Geffen)
Sufjan Stevens - Seven Swans (Sounds Familyre)

A side effect of not working + beer

2005-01-11T23:05:00.000-06:00

I might actually start working soon, but at the moment I'm still not. One side effect of not working is not knowing exactly what day it is, especially when I'm drinking.

I was at a bar with my friend Luke earlier tonight, and since he has to wake up early tomorrow morning to go to work, I decided to call another unemployed friend of mine to see if what he was up to, hoping he was at already at a bar because I wanted to continue drinking. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: "Yo, Ed. What's up?"

Ed: "Nothing much. What are you up to?"

Me: "Oh, not much. I'm at some bar with Luke, and he has to go home soon because of work tomorrow. I was wondering what you guys were up to since I know you guys go to Club Foot on Mondays."

Ed: "But it's Tuesday."

Me: "Oh shit...it is???"

Ed: "Yeah." (Laughs)

Me: "Oh yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, I'll talk to you later."

Ed "Later."

Happy New Year

2005-01-01T23:46:00.000-06:00

2004 was a great year for me, personally. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of 2004 in Chapel Hill. (I sort of wish I could have spent last night there where my friends DJ-ed at Hell. Nevertheless, I had a great time at the suprisingly big party my friends Jamie and Sean threw here in Chi-town.) And the latter half of the year I spent in Chicago was obviously great.

Despite the usual negative shit that's part of life and some very obvious crap that happened this year (e.g., Bush winning a second term), when I think back and reminisce, 2004 will go down as one of the best years of my life and quite possibly the best year of my adult life thus far. Life's hard but good...and that's something I haven't been able to say, ever. I don't want to jinx 2005 already by expecting things to get even better, but right now the present and future looks bright. Hopefully, I'll be working soon...even though not working has been pretty fucking awesome. I've essentially had a six-month vacation. Now it's time to earn some dough.

I haven't thought of any new year's resolutions because I'm a lazy son of a bitch, but I know I have many. Anyway, I hope everyone has a good and happy 2005, except the usual suspects like George W. Bush, the Republican party, and Kobe Bryant.

East St. Louis Rated 'Number One City In America'

2005-01-01T22:09:00.000-06:00

From The Onion:

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL — The December issue of Poverty magazine, featuring its annual "Top American Cities" poll, hit newsstands Monday, and for the second year in a row, East St. Louis topped the list. "East St. Louis dominated our poll yet again in 2004, topping such categories as unemployment, hubcap availability, and liquor-stores-per-capita," Poverty editor Felicia Banks said. "The city's educational system also rated high, boasting a student-gun ratio of 1:1." Rounding out the top five, in descending order, were Flint, MI; Newark, NJ; Compton, CA; and Gary, IN.

Merry Christmas, bitches!

2004-12-25T13:34:00.000-06:00

Dad tries to sell Christmas gifts on eBay. Awesome.

De La Christmas

2004-12-22T14:45:00.000-06:00

I finished my Christmas shopping today when I bought a few CDs at Battery Records in Roscoe Village. This store reminds me a bit of CD Alley back in Chapel Hill, except their music selection is much smaller and a little bit more expensive. Their DVD selection, however, is much better. And their owner is very friendly like Sean at CD Alley.

The other day I did a little shopping at Dusty Groove and shopping next to me were Maseo and Posdnuos of De La Soul. I think they might have had a show at the House of Blues this week.

I heard Common came into the store last year and bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff. My friend Jamie, who works there, also told me that he serviced Caetono Veloso a couple of years ago. By that I don't mean serviced sexually, you perverts.

This ain't no White Chrismas, bitch!

2004-12-21T14:33:00.000-06:00

Maria's friend threw a Christmas party at her apartment in Evanston this past Saturday. What intially started as a joke became reality as I took my DJ equipment and spun Christmas music for the good Christians at the party. After about 90 minutes of Christmas music, I got sick of it and decided to play some funk and hip hop. I don't own Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis" or Kurtis Blow's "Christmas Rappin'", but I did play songs from James Brown's Santa's Got a Brand New Bag. I also played two tracks from Rudy Ray Moore's This Ain't No White Christmas (which contains material from Dolemite's 1971 Christmas album), and I also played songs from Christmas in the Stars: Star Wars Christmas Album. The album covers are below.

Welcome to Chicago, bitch!

2004-12-21T14:08:00.000-06:00

It's the first official day of winter, and this past week has been some of the coldest days and nights I ever remember experiencing. Forget my earlier post where I stated that it's not that bad. When the wind chill is minus-20 degrees, it feels as if the skin on your face is going to fall off. No matter how cold and nasty it might get at times in North Carolina (like that really bad ice storm a couple of years ago), there ain't nothing like Chicago cold down there. However, even though I'm bitching about the weather right now, it's not like it makes me want to move. In fact, I'm getting used to it; but I admit this past week has been quite a shock. For some weird reason, though, because of where this city is located, we get the wind but not the heavy snowfall that parts of Indiana has been getting near the Illinois border.

Nas vs. Jay-Z

2004-12-13T13:45:00.000-06:00

With the new Nas double album out, which I've had for almost two weeks and have had time to digest (lots of filler; could've been a 4-star single album but I give it 3 stars; I still enjoy it, though), I'm almost ready to make that Nas vs. Jay-Z CD I've been thinking about making since the whole "Takeover" and "Ether" battle raps from a few years back.

It will go from Nasty Nas' "Half Time" single to tracks from Illmatic to Reasonable Doubt to present-day Jay-Z and Nas songs. Partly because of time constraints and (lack of) quality of some material (e.g., Nastradamus), I won't include tracks from some albums.

I'd like to make this before X-mas, which means I'd have to make it within a week since I'll be going home before X-mas. But one song I'd like to include but don't own is Jay-Z's "Super Ugly," another Nas-dis track. I have it on mp3, but unfortunately, I don't have a CD burner on my computer. But I'm about to order a Jay-Z CD that includes that song plus some other unreleased tracks. I may not get it in time, so I may have to wait until I get back from St. Louis to make this comp. If any of you have any suggestions on what to include or whatever, lemme know.

(By the way, I realize that there are some more comprehensive Nas vs. Jay-Z bootleg comps out there, but I want to make my own, even though I know it won't be as good.)

Pictures of Mahjongg in Concert

2004-12-08T16:54:00.000-06:00

Since I've sort of become an unofficial cheerleader for Mahjongg, below are links to some pics of them performing last week at the Trans Musicales Festival in France.

Here and here.

Cold

2004-12-05T14:09:00.000-06:00

Chicago is officially cold. It really isn't any colder than what I've experienced in St. Louis or even North Carolina, but people tell me that this cold just lasts a lot longer than in most places. I still love it here, though.

The new Nas double album is pretty good upon initial listening and beats the shit out of the new one from Mos Def.

Mahjongg Urbain

2004-11-30T21:47:00.000-06:00

I know I've written about the band Mahjongg many times before, because I'm friends with them and I'm roommates with one of them and simply because they're pretty fucking good. And this entry is also about them because right now those lucky bastards are off to France for the Trans Music Festival. Go Mahjongg. Represent.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

2004-11-27T16:15:00.000-06:00

It's been a weird thanksgiving weekend thus far...but mostly good. I left for St. Charles, Missouri on Thanksgiving day because I didn't want to drive during the Wednesday snow, especially with the hectic Thanksgiving traffic. After picking up a few things from my apartment, I accidently and stupidly locked my keys inside my trunk. I called the police so they could unlock my car, but they said that they don't do that anymore because of liability. So I had to call a 24-hour locksmith, and they charged me $75. I had set aside an $80 spending limit quota for this weekend, and I was determined to stick to it.

Thankfully, my friends are awesome, and they bought me drinks and pizza last night. We ended up going to Blueberry Hill at the Loop near Washington University. That's when the night turned a little weird. I bumped into many people from my high school, most of whom I haven't seen in almost ten years. My ten-year high school reunion is going to be sometime in 2005, and I had not planned (and still don't plan) on attending, even though I live closer to St. Louis now in Chicago than Chapel Hill. However, I realized last night that there are people from high school that I can actually have conversations with, and I'm not as adamant about not attending the reunion as I was. But I still don't think I want to attend.

I only drank a few beers since I didn't want to spend any money (which I didn't) and since I had to drive all the way back to St. Charles, where my parents have lived for the past five years. For those who don't know, St. Charles is unofficially considered part of the St. Louis metropolitan area, I think, but it's not officially part of St. Louis. It's straight up suburbia, and most of its residents are white trash, in my opinion. It especially sucks that I have to drive 40 minutes to get to do anything with friends in St. Louis.

So this weekend has been fun but short. I'm looking forward to going back to Chicago tomorrow so I can see my woman, but I'm also looking forward to coming back for Hanukkah in a few weeks.

Hip Hop ya don't stop

2004-11-22T14:52:00.000-06:00

My friend Tito recently started a new hip hop (and jazz and maybe other genres, too), mp3 blog, Right and Exact. Check it out, fools.

You so stupid

2004-11-09T09:18:00.000-06:00

Second-year Denver Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony has had a forgettable half-year. He's been busted for pot, was terrible in the Olympics, has been called a whiny brat by the best coach in the world, Larry Brown, and labeled as a problem man-child by the sports media.

And now this from the Rocky Mountain News:

"Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony came to the arena wearing a T-shirt with a picture of President Bush superimposed over the burning Twin Towers. Under the picture was the word, "Why?" "Kerry shouldn't have given up," Anthony said of defeated presidential candidate John Kerry. "He shoulda fought that all the way through." Anthony said he did not vote."

I don't know. That made me laugh.

Chapel Thrill

2004-11-07T19:38:00.000-06:00

Being back in Chapel Hill this past weekend felt weird in the sense that I felt as if I had never left. It felt as if I had just gotten back into town from an extended vacation. It felt good to be back, although never did I feel like I wanted to move back. But Chapel Hill and North Carolina hold a special place in my heart, and I had a good time.

Last night was WXYC's ten-year anniversary of becoming the first radio station in the world to broadcast over the internet.

The anniversary show was at the Local 506 and featured local acts eNtet, the Moaners, Spectac (pictured above), and Jett Rink (pictured below).

I wanted to take more pictures of this weekend, although I did take more pictures than I usually do. (My mid-year resolution is to use my camera more.) I don't really have too many funny pictures, but this one below of Todd and Mike is pretty funny, I think. Shocker!

If you want, you can view more pics by clicking below...although I don't think they're that interesting.

Nader Supporters Blame Electoral Defeat On

2004-11-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

(from The Onion)

WASHINGTON, DC — Supporters of presidential candidate Ralph Nader blamed his defeat Tuesday on George W. Bush and John Kerry, claiming that the two candidates "ate up" his share of the electoral votes. "This election was stolen out from under Mr. Nader by Bush and Kerry, who diverted his votes to the right and the left," Nader campaign manager Theresa Amato said. "It's an outrage. If Nader were the only candidate, he would be president right now." In his concession speech, Nader characterized Bush and Kerry as spoilers.

I need this weekend so I can heal

2004-11-04T11:27:00.000-06:00

Bush winning a second term has definitely put a cloud over everything, and the more I think about it the more bummed out and pissed off I get. So I think this upcoming weekend in Chapel Hill-Carrboro, the liberal oasis in the middle of the scary, Republican South, will be good.

Christians across the world are stupid, not just the Americans

2004-11-03T18:29:00.000-06:00

Man tries to convert lions to Jesus, gets bitten.

Unhappy Democrats Need to Wait to Get Into Canada

2004-11-03T18:27:00.000-06:00

If you're thinking about moving to Canada...

This is horrible

2004-11-03T12:50:00.000-06:00

Even though I felt in my heart for the past few months that Bush would win (despite Kerry beating him in the debates and other people's optimism that Kerry would win), it still feels like a shock to me that Bush actually won a second term.

I'm also surprised that, despite all the hype that this was the most important election of our lifetime and the high voter turnout, the proportion of young voters was small and the same as 2000. I think I saw on CNN that the proportions of all age groups were identical to 2000. Even with all the bullshit that has happened in the past four years, nothing really has changed at all when it's all said and done. I don't know if people are just stupid or if the Democratic party is run by a bunch of tools or what...probably all of the above. I just have a hard time fathoming someone like George W. Bush can not only win one term but a second one as well. But this is reality, and it's really depressing.

If there's any good news (for me at least), I live in a city that pretty much single-handedly carried Illinois on its back. About two million Cook County residents voted yesterday, and Kerry won easily 70-30. Many people have said that this country's fucked and that they should move to another country. Well, I pretty much live in another country here in Chicago, and this gives me further reason to settle up here permanently.

Fuck Bush

2004-11-02T10:53:00.000-06:00

Very Tiring Halloween Weekend

2004-11-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Yes, the title says it all. I wish I had pictures of some really funny costumes I saw this weekend...and if I get them I'll post them. Below are some pics I do have.

The first three involve my friend Paul, who had one of the best costumes I'd ever seen. He went as Edward Scissorhands and made the whole costume by himself (except the wig). He was a huge hit everywhere he went.

Below is Paul with his ladyfriend, Heff, who dressed as Kim Boggs (Winona Ryder's character from Edward Scissorhands):

Below left to right: Sean (kung fu dude), Heff, Paul, and yours truly as Slash. I'm strumming the guitar while we all sing "Patience."

This next photo is of Hadley, who is dressed as Jackie Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

Below is Tim, who was a dead ringer for Eric Forman (from That 70's Show).

And finally, in the picture below is the sexiest couple there is. It's Maria (as Madonna from "Lucky Stars") with me (as Slash).

Too Funny!

2004-10-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

A little twisted but fucking hilarious!

Halloween Weekend!

2004-10-29T13:43:00.000-05:00

So the Cards got their asses kicked by the Red Sox. I guess if there was a team that I would've preferred the Cardinals to lose to in the World Series, it would be the Red Sox (or the Tigers or the White Sox). However, not winning a single game is a little embarrassing.

This Halloween weekend should be a busy one. Todd is arriving this afternoon from North Carolina for a wedding in Evanston tomorrow. We'll hang out tonight and maybe Sunday afternoon. I have a feeling we won't be hanging out tomorrow night because I'll be costume-party-hopping throughout various locations in the city, and it'll probably be too hectic for us to meet up, especially with him up in Evanston.

And next weekend (the weekend after Halloween) I'll be flying into RDU and will be in Chapel Hill-Carrboro for the first time since June 18th, 2004.

Hip Hop superstars and politics

2004-10-27T13:05:00.000-05:00

Although I think it's great (and about time) people like P. Diddy and other celebrities used their power and influence to get their fans to be more politically active, there's a cynical side of me that sort of wants to scoff at them. (For example, there's a line in Eminem's new single, "Mosh", in which he says, "No more blood for oil." Well, Marshall, maybe you should practice what you preach and stop driving your fucking gas-guzzling SUVs.)

But with what many refer to as "the most important election in our lifetime" coming up, we need all the help we can get to get Bush out of office. I'll take P. Diddy's and Eminem's "political preachings" any day over that dumb ass sellout from my hometown, Nelly.

Shocker!

2004-10-19T17:16:00.000-05:00

I got a call this morning from Dusty Groove, and they've decided to hire someone else! I'm very much shocked by this...especially because it really seemed like they were going to offer me the job. I'm thinking that the owner, who obviously makes the final decisions, thought that I was overqualified and since I made a hell of a lot more money as a psychologist, I'd quit if or when I find a better-paying job....which is partly true. In any case, this is a shocker!

In other news, it's starting to get cold here already, and I'm trying to brace for the kind of winter I haven't experienced since living in Michigan as a kid. But I'm not sure if there is any way to prepare for it except to just wait and experience it firsthand. It's supposed to be warm later this week (in the upper 60s/lower 70s), but it's supposed to rain, too.

I'm planning on being Slash (from Guns 'N' Roses) for Halloween, and I was going to go shirtless...but I'm not sure about that now...the shirtless part, that is.

Polyrhythmic Grooves

2004-10-13T18:02:00.000-05:00

There's a good interview in Splendid E-Zine with my friends, Mahjongg. Click here to read the interview.

They're on their way to CMJ right now, and Jeff told me that they've been offered to be the house band on Last Call with Carson Daly next Tuesday I think. They've yet to accept the offer, partly because they would have to learn at least ten covers, which they kind of don't want to do. I think they should do it.

What to do...

2004-10-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

There are several jobs available that I feel I might be able to get, but the jobs would be excruciatingly boring as shit. There's also a job opening at Dusty Groove that I feel I can get, especially since I have friends who work there. That would be the most enjoyable job, but it would also pay the least. But they do provide health and dental benefits. I'm going to submit my resume to them today.

There's also a job at UIC's Asian American Resource and Culture Center as an assistant to the director that I feel I might be well-suited for. However, they don't start interviewing people until November.

Daily Show viewers more educated than O'Reilly's viewers

2004-09-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

This is not surprising at all.

Shows this past weekend

2004-09-27T16:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday September 25th:
The Hideout Block Party featured such bands/artists as Archer Prewitt, Macha, Mouse on Mars, and Mahjongg. I got there right before Mouse on Mars started...for some reason they didn't want to headline, so Mahjongg were the headliners. Mouse on Mars were awesome, and they brought down the house. A definite "A" performance. It would've been difficult for any band to follow their set, but Mahjongg did their best. They seemed to be a little rushed, especially with Mouse on Mars going over their time limit. (The show had to be over by 11:00 because they needed to clear everyone off the streets by then, and Mouse on Mars ended their set at around 10:15.) However, they pulled off a good show, with the thousands of people in the audience very pleased with the set. Afterwards, Mouse on Mars went to DJ at Rodan.

Sunday September 26th:
The last night of the Adventures on Modern Music presented by The Wire magazine at the Emtpy Bottle featured Double Leopards, Noxagt, Xiu Xiu, and Ghost. Double Leopards, who I had never listened to before, were like a more laid back and dronier but scarier Wolf Eyes. Pretty nice stuff. Noxagt came out next and were fucking awesome. During the second song, this dude in front of the stage passed out and landed on his back. His eyes were wide open the whole time and he seemed really out of it. I'm guessing heroin? Anyway, some people helped him up, and a few minutes later he passed out again, and a bouncer and a few others carried him to the pool room. Noxagt just kept playing the whole time without missing a beat while looking at what was going on with the dude. Xiu Xiu came out next (it was just the singer and this hot chick playing some percussion and keyboards). It bored the shit out of me, and I went to the pool room and talked to my friend Jessica. Ghost played last and were great. However, during the middle of their set, I almost went home due to my feet killing me and how tired I was after this long weekend. But I stayed and I'm glad I did.

The Old Slim Shady

2004-09-22T21:10:00.000-05:00

Recently on the Tavis Smiley show on PBS, he had Aretha Franklin on as his guest, and they were discussing her recent sold out shows in Los Angeles.

While watching them discuss her selling out every show, I started thinking about which present artists could pull this sort of thing off twenty or thirty years from now. There may be plenty of bands and artists that are popular today that might be able to fill up arenas thirty years later. But could rappers do this? I'm not so sure. Somehow, I can't picture Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg performing "Nothing But a G Thang" in a packed arena when they're 60. I can't picture 20,000 old people paying $50 or more to see that or Eminem or OutKast or other rappers. I don't think this has any bearing on the quality of the music, but hip hop seems so much of a youth thing, much moreso than rock or other genres of music in which "singing" is involved. Maybe I'll be wrong about this. But I just can't see it.

Misc.

2004-09-15T13:26:00.000-05:00

Jesus, that last post was a little personal that I almost decided to delete it just now. But I won't.

Anyway, when I started this blog back in February, I sort of became a voyeur of other people's blogs, including those that belong to people I don't know. Now, I rarely read blogs produced by people I don't know. Mostly, I read friends' blogs that are linked on this site. Two of those blogs, I feel, should be noted.

First belongs to my friend, Fred: Explainer, formerly known as Hat and Beard. It's probably the most intelligent weblog, and with the recent name (and template) change, Fred has expanded the scope of his blog to more than political topics. I sort of see it as the "Harper's Magazine" of weblogs.

The second one belongs to my NYC-by-way-of-Kansas-by-way-of-Missouri-by-way-of-Baltimore friend, Tom. It's called The Ultracasual Lifestyle. Tom's blog is the best combination of intelligence and wittiness about everything he sees in the world - from politics to his personal life to whatever he sees out there that's amusing to him. He's a very talented writer, and the Ultracasual Lifestyle is my favorite blog to read.

Everyone else, I read your blogs everyday even if you don't post. But some of you really should post more often -- I'm looking at you, Tim.

In other news, I haven't bought a record or CD in over a month, which is the longest drought in about four years. I've been itching to go record shopping for a while now, but I can't afford to with no income and all. The only things I'm spending money on are: rent, bills, alcohol, and food. I wish I could add music to that, and it's killing me that I can't. Some of you need to send me burned CDs. I'm looking in your direction, Todd.

One last thing. This upcoming Saturday September 18th, 2004, I'm participating in the Light the Night Walk to help raise money for funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. As of right now, I've raised $145 on my site, which is $120 more than I expected to raise (since I personally donated $25 to it - and another $100 to Maria's site - and I don't have a job!)...so I sort of didn't expect people to donate. But some people have, obviously. If you could spare some money for this good cause, that would be great. If not, I'll still think no less of you. If you want, you can DONATE RIGHT HERE.

Misunderstood

2004-09-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

I had a slight feeling in the back of my head that my last entry (the one in which I took the personality test) would get somebody to reply, "You are not an introvert," or something to that effect. And I got one of those from my friend, Todd.

The thing is, most people, including my family, don't really know or understand me that well. I'm a very private person and keep 90% of my feelings and thoughts to myself. Even two of my closest friends, Ryan and Billy, I don't think know me as well as most very close friends usually do. Some friends, including many North Carolina friends, know one side of me very well - the one in which I'm silly, stupid, drunk, and says whatever the fuck I want to say no matter how politically incorrect I am. And that is me...but only a small part of the time and only when I get to a point in which I feel comfortable around those people. Let me give you an example: I was hired by WXYC in the summer of 2001; however, it wasn't until the next summer when I started to hang out more with XYC jocks...and grad school only had a part to do with it. The fact is, I was too shy and uncomfortable around most of the people I eventually became good friends with. Even throughout the last year I spent in Chapel Hill, there were many weekends I stayed at home and watched TV even if I knew of a party or people getting together at a bar because I'm so much of an introvert. People would say to me, "I haven't seen you in weeks," precisely because of that.

I had a similar "people not really knowing me" sort of thing when I was an undergrad at Mizzou. I had sort of established a reputation as a party animal. That was alright, I guess...but the problem I ran into was that some people never took me seriously because I rarely, if ever, acted seriously in their presence. They never saw the quiet, introverted side of me that I was most of the time. They just saw the "party" side of me, usually in bars or at parties (duh).

I've been an introvert all my life. I feel that I'm good at keeping friends, but it's a lot more difficult to make friends. That's why my first couple of years (especially the first year) in Chapel Hill were the hardest and unhappiest years of my life. Another really unhappy year was the year my family moved from Raleigh to St. Louis in the summer of 1990. I spent 8th grade with zero friends and didn't have any real friends until junior year of high school. Also, when I was in kindergarten, I didn't say one word in the classroom until sometime during the second semester.

I guess the reason for this entry is because people don't know me well at all, and it's really my fault since I'm not an open person. I feel that I'm way too serious most of the time...and that's probably why I let myself loose when around friends. I wish I could be more open, but the introverted side of me won't let me. But I'm trying, as you can probably tell with this entry. In the month and a half that Maria and I have been dating, she's gotten to really know me better than most people, and I guess she's sort of an inspiration for me to try to open up a little bit more to others.

I don't mean to imply that people don't know me at all...because as stated or implied above, most friends know one (or two) side(s) of me pretty well. But one thing I hope every friend out there realizes is that I love you all, and if you don't live in Chicago, you should move up here soon. (Awww.)

Now go eat a dick. Fucker.

Personality Test

2004-09-10T10:57:00.000-05:00

This is me:

ISFP - "Artist". Interested in the fine arts. Expression primarily through action or art form. The senses are keener than in other types. 8.8% of total population.

Take Free Myers-Briggs-Jung (Short Test - 53 Questions) Personality Test

Light the Night

2004-09-08T14:38:00.000-05:00

Dear friends, foes, and lovers,

On Saturday September 18th, 2004, I will be participating in the Light The Night Walk here in the great city of Chicago to help raise money for funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

If you go to the link below (where it says "DONATE HERE!"), you'll come across my Light the Night homepage. There you can make a donation to support my participation. (You'll see that there are "suggested" donations; however, I'm sure you’re all on a tight budget, so feel free to donate as much or as little as you want.) If you choose to donate some money, all I can do is think highly of you. If you choose not to donate, all I will do is to continue to think highly of you.

DONATE HERE!

Side effect

2004-09-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

For those of you who don't know, I quit my job a couple of weeks ago before it actually began. It's a little complicated and there were many factors to this decision, but I'll spare you the details partly because I'd rather not talk about it, especially on my weblog.

Anyway, besides the obvious like running out of money, another side effect of not working is that there are days and times I get really bored and restless, especially with everyone else busy with work or school. Last night was especially horrible. After this Labor Day weekend, nobody wanted to go out last night since everyone pretty much had to wake up early this morning. I say, "Fuck that noise!" God, last night sucked. The only thing that helped was talking on the phone with the ladyfriend...and I hate talking on phones. But now it's Wednesday. I need a drink. Let's go out tonight!

Despicable

2004-09-08T13:59:00.000-05:00

Dick Cheney is absolutely despicable.

You know what, Dick? I'm glad your daughter's a lesbian. I'm glad for her for having the courage to come out of the closet with a father like you, and I'm glad for you and your wife because you are the perfect couple to end up having a gay daughter. I hope you and Georgie get fucked up the ass this November because you guys deserve it.

*By the way, I'm not a fucking Democrat, so by no means am I speaking on behalf of the Democratic party or any Democrat out there. So you fucking pieces of shit Republicans out there can go fuck yourselves. Jesus loves you.

Karaoke King

2004-09-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

For those of you who know Luke Walters, he showed me last night what I've heard from others. Luke is the greatest karaoke singer I've ever witnessed. Not only can he really belt out the tunes, his showmanship is unmatched.

I'd like to see go him head-to-head with Jesse, who previously held the title in my book. I'll bill it as "The Windy City Wonder vs. The Chapel Thrill."

New Jersey?

2004-08-29T16:30:00.000-05:00

I had no intention of seeing the movie Garden State, but my sister kept asking me via email if I had seen it yet because she loved it. Typically, her taste in movies is as good as anyone's, so when a couple of friends invited me to see it with them, I did (even though Kat told me how stupid it was a few weeks back). And this is one of the rare occasions I disagree with my sister regarding movies.

First of all, why the fuck is it called Garden State? What the movie has to do with New Jersey I don't know...it could've taken place in Springfield, Missouri or Springfield, Illinois or any Springfield in the country and it would've made no difference in the story.

There are some good parts to the movie; however, I could probably find some good parts to any movie. In the end, this has nothing to do with finding oneself due to whatever...it's a plain love story that tries to be deeper than it actually is, which isn't that deep. I have absolutely no problem with romance and love; in fact, when done right, I can be an absolute sucker for it (e.g., Lost in Translation or even When Harry Met Sally). I think Zach Braff had a good idea to start with, but the script and characters needed a major overhaul.

I'm not going to sit here and really review Garden State mostly because I'm not very good at reviewing movies and also because I'm lazy. But I will say that I completely agree with Todd.

Number 1 song when you were born

2004-08-27T11:40:00.000-05:00

The number one song on the US charts when I was born on January 15, 1977, was "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" by Leo Sayer.

What about you?

If it's not Scottish, it's crap!

2004-08-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

Through a friend of a friend, I went to Hotel Sofitel Chicago Water Tower last night for this free Chivas Regal Premium Scotch Whiskey-tasting event. There we had access to an open bar for the first hour where they served various Chivas scotch drinks and had tons of free (and fancy) appetizers for everyone.

After the first hour, this Scottish dude wearing a kilt started playing his bagpipe, which was our cue to follow him to another conference room. There, everyone had a seat with various scotches laid out in front of each one of us. The Scottish dude, who was hilarious, explained to us everything you wanted to know about whiskey, especially scotch. After the presentation and tasting, we were all given complimentary bottles of 12-year Chivas scotch whiskey. We were also told that we could go downstairs to another room, where we could drink unlimited amounts of free Chivas scotch drinks the rest of the evening.

Because of the late notice I got about this thing, only Luke and I got to go. Luke got trashed. All I know is, I love scotch, and because I know the guy who sets these things up in Chicago, I will be at all of these kinds of events. It's only 11:30 AM right now, but it's night in Scotland right now. So maybe I should crack this Chivas bottle open right now.

Dave Matthews = Frat Boy G. G. Allin?

2004-08-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

This is one of the funniest news ever...however, I do feel sorry for people on the Chicago's Little Lady architecture tour.

McCain taking major role for Bush

2004-08-19T17:20:00.000-05:00

John McCain may be the only Republican I like and respect. Honestly, I like him better than Kerry. So it's really disappointing for me to read that he's taking a major role in getting Bush re-elected. I knew McCain was loyal to the Republican party, but I didn't think he was this foolish. I don't know about you, but I have a bad feeling about what's going to happen this November.

Hip Hop and Basketball

2004-08-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

Dr. Todd Boyd, author of Young Black Rich and Famous: The Rise of the NBA, the hip-hop Invasion, and the Transformation of American Culture and Professor of Critical Studies in the USC School of Cinema-Television, has written an article on basketball and hip hop. If you like either, then you'll probably find it interesting like I did.

Check it out.

Fuck

2004-08-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

I start my job tomorrow, and I've been dreading this day the entire summer. For various reasons, I just have a very bad feeling about this job...even though I enjoyed the same position I had in North Carolina. But this one...I'm just very apprehensive about it.

I originally thought that this job was going to prevent me from going out and trying to enjoy my life on weeknights, but fuck that. Tomorrow night is the Black Dice and Animal Collective show at the Empty Bottle. Next Monday night Sean and I are DJ-ing at the Fireside. And next Thursday a few of us were talking about maybe going to a karaoke bar, where I can attempt to do my best Mick Jagger impression.

But I am starting to run a little low on cash, and I really could use the money. However, I don't think I get paid until the end of September. I guess it's time to play the lottery.

What a weekend

2004-08-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Fred flew up to Chicago to visit this past weekend, and he couldn't have come up at a better time. The weather was near perfect, and the Million Tongues Festival at the Empty Bottle was happening. I think the city left a very good impression on him, and hopefully within the next year Chicago will claim another citizen.

Going up the John Hancock Center was probably the highlight of Friday. Although the Sears Tower is the (3rd?) tallest building in the world, everyone had told me that the view from the Handcock is better. Instead of paying $9.50 to go up to the Observatory on the 94th floor, we went up to the Signature Room on the 96th floor for free, where we could buy alcohol from the bar while enjoying the view. It would've been a great place to take a date, but Fred was a good alternative.

Later, we met up with Kat at her place of work and then went to this bar to have a couple of drinks before she headed off to O'Hare for a wedding in Asheville. We had a good time, although I wish she would've been able to hang out more this weekend.

Saturday, Fred, Luke, and I spent the day at the new Millennium Park, and we were all thoroughly impressed. Later that night, a bunch of us (including my roommate Jeff and my new ladyfriend) headed off to the South Side to hit the original and best Soul Vegetarian, where even the most stringent meat-atarians are left craving for more.

Saturday's Million Tongues Festival featured Michael Yonkers, Charalambides, Matt Valentine & Erika Elder, and PG Six. We caught the last ten minutes of PG Six...it was good but not amazing. Matt Valentine and Erika Elder came out and weirded many out with their performance art...but within ten minuntes of their set they started to settle down and played some awesome avant-psych-folk music which reminded me a bit of Avarus and other Finnish psych-folk music. Charalambides came out next and completely wowed me. (I'd never seen them before, although I saw Christina Carter give a very nice, albeit short set a couple of weeks ago.) Even Maria was impressed, and she bought one of their CDs. Michael Yonkers was a huge disappointment. I really liked his album that Sub Pop released last year, but his performance was monotonous and boring. We all left early.

To make a long story short, Fred missed his flight on Sunday, and Delta can lick everyone's ass. Fuck Delta. But it did give us an opportunity to see more of the city and also attend the last night of the Million Tongues Festival. Besides the Pacific Coast Highway in California (which I've never been on), I don't know if there's a better street to drive through anywhere than Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. We drove and parked in the area where Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum, and Soldier Field are located. If you want the best view of the skyline, go there. Here's a pic:

Due to a late dinner, we got to the the Empty Bottle late, thus missing Fursaxa and only catching the last couple of songs from Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano. We did catch Six Organs of Admittance, who again wowed me. Simon Finn, in his first US performance, completely charmed everyone in the audience.

I woke up at 4:45 AM the next morning to take Fred to Midway. It was a great weekend, and I'm hoping that Chicago will claim another Chapel Hill resident in the near future.

I typically try to avoid "diary-type" entries, but one of the reasons for this entry is to send a message to all my friends/bitches/fans out there, which is COME VISIT, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS!

Fred has tons of pics up. Check it out.

So funny!

2004-08-04T15:40:00.000-05:00

The funniest Onion article ever: CIA Asks Bush to Discontinue Blog. Be sure to click to see the fuller image of "George's Blog."

Secret Wars

2004-08-02T17:14:00.000-05:00

I went to the Empty Bottle Saturday for the Oneida show. Besides Oneida, there were three other bands playing first, none of whose music I had listened to before, I don't think. The first band was Chicago's Plastic Crimewave Sound. I was especially interested in seeing them since they have some releases off Eclipse Records. Their brand of psych-punk didn't floor me, although I did enjoy their set. One thing I didn't like was that the singer's voice reminded me of Billy Corgan, at least that's how it sounded to me live. But the vocals were mostly drowned out by the instruments, thank god. Also, their Asian female guitarist has the coolest stage presence ever. She just stood there wearing shades, a hoodie, and a dress just strumming her guitar but looking very cool while doing so. During Plastic Crimewave Sound's set, there was this dude dancing like a retarded jackass, combining his dance moves with muscle stretches. He was showing off, but he looked like an idiot. Others agreed with me.

The second band was this dance-punk trio from New York called Breaker! Breaker!. They sucked. I left the room to play Tetris on my cellphone.

The third band was a band I heard only one of my friends likes while everybody else hates them. They were obnoxious on stage, and their music was pretentiously sucky. They reminded me of retarded people trying to play Captain Beefheart. And the jackass I mentioned earlier that dance-stretched to Plastic Crimewave Sound was in the band. Oh yeah, their name is No Doctors. They sucked.

Oneida came on last and played a set that pleased most, if not all, the Oneida fans in the audience. They came out and stated, "We're Oneida, and tonight we're from Chicago!" which obviously pleased the audience. One thing I didn't like about the set (and it's a huge pet peeve of mine for some rock shows) was that the vocals were too low. For 90% of the set, you could barely hear any vocals. Although I enjoyed Oneida's set, I doubt the performance would've won over many new fans who had never listened to them before, mostly because you couldn't hear any vocals. Their encore was the best part of the evening since they played my favorite song from them, "Sheets of Easter."

This week...the Million Tongues Festival. I love Chicago.

Lame motherfucker

2004-07-29T16:55:00.000-05:00

I met up with a few people at Club Foot last night to have a few drinks, hours after promising myself not to spend any more money. But I only ended up buying one beer for myself since others were willing to buy me and everyone else drinks.

While we were sitting there enjoying our drinks, this guy who looks like Luke from the Dukes of Hazzard came up to us and handed us flyers of his band.

He said, "We're playing this weekend, and you should check us out. Do you like the Clash? If you do, you'll probably like us. Do you like Joy Division? We're strongly influenced by them. Do you like Franz Ferdinand? If you do, you'll probably like us. Come check us out." Then he proceeded to namecheck other bands from the punk/post-punk era that stupid hipsters are into and also bands of today that stupid hipsters dig, like the Rapture, Radio 4, and Franz Ferdinand. Yes, he was the lamest motherfucker ever. I thought to myself, "There can't be a level of lameness more lame than what I just witnessed."

But he outdid himself fifteen minutes later when he came back and said, "Go check out our website and take a listen for yourself. If you're into cool music, I think you'll like it. If not, that's cool, too. Oh, I forgot to mention, Sire Records is going to be at our show to check us out. You guys heard of Sire, right? You know, the Talking Heads, Blondie, and others. Yeah, they're going to be there to check us out."

I wish I had a video of all that. I also wish I could remember the name of his band.

I have seen the future

2004-07-27T23:10:00.000-05:00

Wow. Tonight I saw the future in Barack Obama. In case you haven't heard, he's being called the Tiger Woods, the new golden boy, and the future of the Democratic party...and a possible future presidential nominee, even though, for the time being, he's only an Illinois state senator. I hadn't even heard of him until fairly recently when Tim mentioned him to me a couple of weeks before I moved to Chicago. And once I moved up here, there's been so much hype around him in the news, especially in the wake of Jack Ryan's troubles. Still, like most people, I didn't really understand the hype because I didn't really know him and had never seen him speak. Until tonight.

I caught Hilary and Bill Clinton's speeches last night and Al Gore's today on the DNC website. I really liked Bill Clinton's speech while Hilary's and Gore's were alright but kind of underwhelming, I thought...although I especially liked Gore's part in addressing voters for Nader in 2000...asking them, "Do you still believe that there was no difference between the candidates?"

Tonight I was excited to hear Howard Dean speak, but he was also a bit underwhelming. So was Teresa Heinz Kerry. Although I agreed with Ron Reagan and supporting stem cell research, I thought he might have oversold it a little, maybe putting a bit too much optimism into it being the miracle he envisions it becoming. But the Democrats hit a home run tonight by having Barack Obama as the keynote speaker. He started off well, but you could literally see him picking up confidence and momentum as the speech went on, and it was perhaps the best speech I've ever seen. I wish I was at the Fleet Center to witness it in person and give a well-deserved standing ovation. One of the PBS analysts said that Obama's introduction to the national public via his speech tonight was transcendent across Republicans and Democrats, blacks and whites, men and women, and others. I agree wholeheartedly.

It's quite a shame that the major networks (ABC, NBC, and CBS) didn't air tonight's convention, although I'm assuming that the cable networks did. (The Chicago ABC, NBC, and CBS affiliates only broadcasted Obama's speech.) If you missed Obama's speech and you have high speed internet, go to the DNC website and watch it. I doubt that any other speaker during the convention in the next two days will even come close to matching his speech.

No sand in vaginas

2004-07-26T14:30:00.000-05:00

Yesterday a bunch of us headed to the beach...in Indiana. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore to be more specific. Because of traffic and highway construction outside of Chicago, we got there later than planned, and by the time we got there, there was literally no place to park. At 2:30, we actually did find a place to park...however, it would've been a 30-minute walk to the beach from where we were, and Jeff had to be back in Chicago for work starting at 6:00, which meant that we wouldn't be at the beach very long since it would take us almost two hours to get back to Chi-town because of said highway construction and traffic. So the other car stayed while we headed back. So I didn't get to catch the surf at the famed beaches of Indiana. Everybody has told me, however, including someone from North Carolina, that the Indiana Dunes are really nice.

I met up with my friend, Kat, and got a few drinks and went to a party on Saturday. We talked about many things, including today's emo kids and Eddie Murphy's hit song from the 80s, which she played on the jukebox (was it "Party All the Time"?...I can't remember). But the best thing we talked about was in regard to many of the great restaurants of Chicago, most of which I've never been to. Sean, Kat, and I got excited, and soon (maybe this week?) I hope to be going to Soul Vegetarian in the South Side, this very Afro-centric soul-food vegan and vegetarian place that everybody says is the best place ever.

Shit, I hear Toby Keith singing on the TV in the living room, which means I need to head out there and mosh.