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Devo Art Show

Anyone at all interested in going down to Brooklyn for an art show by/inspired by Devo? Here is the link to the gallery and here is the link to a site devoted to the art (of which you will be able to see in person!) of Mark Mothersbaugh.

Brooklyn, NY-The Super Thing: NYC goes DEVO at 3rd Ward is a DEVO inspired group show experience of art, adventure and music featuring 20 Postcard Diaries prints by Mark Mothersbaugh! The Super Thing art exhibition and music event is dedicated to the zealous, jerky synth-powered, midwestern heroes of DEVO and showcases art which shares their bold aesthetics, politics and humor. DEVO has already inspired legions with their politics, new wave getup of nuclear hazmat suits, retro-futuristic plastic pomps, and ziggurat-shaped energy dome flower pot hats and you can expect the same from their art.

Excluding a Garbage Pail Kids retrospective or an Airheads taste testing gala, this is about as pumped as I will probably get for an art show.

They're Back!!!

Pirates, or you might call them new age pirates, neo-pirates, or piraterrorists, live on. How? Why? I once heard oceans were the final frontier. They make up 70.8% of our planet’s surface and that’s one hell of a market for stealing shit. Pirates have made splashes in the news lately as attacks are on the rise, particularly along the navy-less Somalia coast. What do pirates look like these days? I know what you’re thinking, but let’s just say they have lost a little pizzazz. Are pirates as cool as they used to be?

Sunday in Brooklyn

Ladies and Gentleman, presenting the greatest couple in music history Sunday night May 4 at Pete's Candy Store. Music starts at 830pm with Boston native and groover Shoney Lamar, then, from Philly, dark and Doors-esque The Sweetheart Parade.

JSeger and Emily Easterly to follow, doing songs together, separate, and for Free.

Be there by 830 for good times.

What the hell am I doing here?

The artist currently known as Prince covered Radiohead's "Creep" at the Coachella Festival this past weekend. Watching the video, it struck me how much it sounded like a Prince song. Like a song it made sense for Prince to perform.

The more I thought about it, though, it dawned on me that "Creep" is probably one of those classic for-all-time songs now: a song that anyone can sing and get some great emotional mileage out of: A New American Standard. Like "Unchained Melody" or "Hallelujah" or "Yesterday" it's just an undeniably great song thats going to trigger a response, no matter who's performing it. I could see a middle school chorus recital opening with "Creep" as soon as 2012.

What defines a classic song? I don't know. I guess it can't be a song that's dependent on a particular style of performance, so that leaves out all of rap. It has to be a song that could be enjoyed by whoever hears it, no matter the age. It can't be a song that only makes sense when performed by one artist or group.

... I think "Satisfaction" may be the only classic Stones song. Well that and "Time Is On My Side"...

I'm wondering now what other future classics may have sprouted up in the 90s-00s unnoticed. "Hey Ya" - doubtful. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - only makes sense coming from Kurt Cobain.

All I can come up with is that R. Kelly song from Space Jam. I'm pretty sure both Mariah Carey and Oasis have at least one classic in their respective songbooks, but I'm not sure which it is yet.

So what songs from 1990-today will we be hearing our genetically-manipulated mulatto superbeing grandchildren mangling in 50 years?

Also, what song from the past 20 years is crying out the most for a genre-bending cover version?

Day Off

I took today off work, and damn, what a great idea that was! I highly recommend it to anyone reading this... Here's a couple of things I enjoyed reading last week.

Sneak peek at the new Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City, which is based on the greatest city in the world, New York. Gawker's snarky commenters made some good remarks to the post, but the one that really hits close to home, "I heard the real challenge in this version is a mini-game in which Niko has to try and find an affordable apartment in Liberty City. Talk about MURDER!!!!" Ryan, please ask Nintendo or XBox people for a free copy of this game.

Everyone know Ann Coulter is a total biz-nitch, but I did enjoy this column heading. Think she's a fan?

The Mosquito is a devise that uses electronic speaker that emits a high-pitched tone which only young people can hear. The Olds are using it to clear out unwanted teen hangouts. You may have heard of The Mosquito, but I actually performed a scientific experiment with it at work. During "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day," I had a mother and daughter sit near my computer speakers as I blasted a mp3 of the the high-pitched tone. I could barely hear it. The mother couldn't hear it at all. The daughter, about 10 years old, covered her ears and pleaded for me to stop... I eventually did.

RACY MILEY CYRUS PHOTO!

NAKED PHOTO CONTROVERSY!

NSFW! CHECK OUT THE PHOTO EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT!

CLICK HERE!

In my opinion, it's tastefully done, but she is YOUNG!

My Terry

Nick Cave on Fresh Air...awesome interview! I've never really listened to his stuff, except for the most recent one, Dig! Lazarus, Dig! (check out tracks "More News..." & "We Call Upon..."). Love his reaction and comments about his heroin use. Most often I hear people side step this question or try to detach themselves from how they felt, even play down the experience, but this is probably one of the more honest reactions to a question of that nature. Also, see the Proposition and The Assassination!!!

Branson's Back in Salty Balty

Bob Dylan, Iggy & the Stooges, Paramore, Chuck Berry (backed by the Silver Beats), the Black Keys and Wilco will join previously announced headliners Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and Stone Temple Pilots for the third annual Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Aug. 9-10.
[source]

I'd like to ask Dick Branson for a ride in his space machine.

I Still Love You Victoria Knight-McDowell

As you may know, on March 4th Airborne Inc. agreed to pay $23 million to settle a class-action law suit claiming the chalky wonder tablet doesn't actually fight off germs or disease. "Airborne is basically an overpriced, run-of-the-mill vitamin pill that's been cleverly, but deceptively, marketed," says David Schardt of the the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Alright, first of all, that statement pisses me off. I am 98% sure that because of Airborne I have killed off at least 3 major and 6-8 minor colds over the past 2 years. I don't usually get behind products with such blind love and push them to everyone I know, (this was the last one) but I did with Airborne and I'm not ashamed of it. F the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They can eat Tylenol and drink Robitussin all winter long if they want to. I prefer Airborne. Second of all, I have to mention David Schardt, the man behind that quote--I don't care what you have to say David, your last name is a poopy fart.

Anyway, it is important to know that THIS HERE is the actual site where you can download and file claim on the bread you dished out for your tubes of Airborne. $23 million is a lot of money and if they are going to be giving it out we all might as well get in line. Personally, I plan to get my settlement check, run to Pathmark, and head right to the medicine section to stock up on as much Airborne as I can. You can never have too much.

If you are worried about proof of purchases with your claim, its all good. Unless you are trying to get a refund on more than 6 packs you don't need a receipt. Unfortunately, this is kind of where I am getting screwed. As part of a special advertised deal a few months back I mailed away several bar code proofs from my Airborne packages to receive a free tube in the mail. I even included a handwritten letter (I'm not joking either) that said something along the lines of "I am an advocate for your product...keep up the good work." I have still yet to receive my free Airborne and am now half a dozen bar codes out. I suppose with all their legal troubles I was just not a concern -- its understandable.

One last thing -- as stated on the settlement page, Airborne has its final court date on June 16, 2008 in Riverside, CA. Anyone want to drive out to CA that week and protest in favor of Airborne with me?

Mathematical Music: The Golden Ratio, The Amen Break and The Entire Fucking Universe

I am not a musician; I am not "into" music. I do not understand chords or keys or scales. I like clever lyrics and a good beat. I didn't know it until today, but one of the best beats in popular music actually has a name -- The Amen Break. Maybe all you bandidos and citizens of the Rhythm Nation have heard of it, but even if you haven't, you've definitely heard it. It's here: (here).

It's from a 1960's Wilson Brothers B-Side and artists as diverse as James Brown, NWA and NIN have all used it. [source] The crazy thing is that not only does it sound good, it fits a mathematical design principle called "the Golden ratio". Here are what the audio waves of The Amen Break look like:



If you haven't guessed already, the sound waves of the fucking Amen Break fit the Golden Ratio format perfectly. How do I know? Because this guy "used homemade Golden Ratio calipers to examine the peaks. Indeed, peaks pop up at Golden Ratio intervals." (I am Alchemy(TM)'ing Golden Ratio calipers right now).

This is where it starts getting Da Vinci Code-y. Other examples of the Golden Ratio include the Parthenon, the Pyramids, your fat face, Lee Harvey Oswald's assassination, nautilus shells, your paper and plastic, the distance from your shoulder to your elbow and your shoulder to your wrist, even the fucking fingers I am using to type this with have the Golden Ratio all over them.

Does this prove there is a God? That there is no God, just math? That aliens built the pyramids and probably ran Columbia records? I don't know. I'm not a math person.

Initial Public Offering

I've been thinking recently of taking this BLOG public, aka telling more people about it. I would assume, if I had to guess, that about 20 people have read this blog before (do you think I'm off?).

Clearly if the seven "contributors" to the site started telling more people about it, I think we'd have a broader audience which could be cool, but it might lose some of it's clubhouse feel, possibly lead to some semi-abusive anonymous comments, etc.

I see good sides and bad sides to going public, but most importantly I'm interested in what you think about the idea.

Not very Jewel-like

I'm officially ready to get rid of jewel cases (and think about all those bigger, dumber cases that some music stores stock jewel cases in). I don't think I really need to explain why jewel cases are one of the worst packaging ideas, besides the fact that it has everything to do with cost and nothing to do with aesthetic (isn't business fun).

If Jewel Cases were six-pack rings washing upon shore, people would be Freaking The Fuck Out (how many pictures would be on the internet, mocked, rings cut before recycling...)! MTV/Current/YouTube should run a small blip video along the lines of a Cool Politician seriously spouting recycle, environmental, and production stats in regards to Jewel Cases, with intertwining scenes of them washing on shore, people accidentally breaking them (the hinge, the inside circle holder thing, not too mention the cracking) and stepping on pieces, factory lines, computers calculating the design and specs, etc. Not an angry political rant, but a logical, Obama-esque...just kidding about that part...but an audible progression away from Big, Dumb, Plastic, Cheap and into something new and interesting. The Music industry deserves it and so does God and Mother Earth.

This American Life

My last post took a dump on iTunes and their dirty "protected files cannot be converted into other formats" deeds. Well, today I'm going to talk about one of my greatest iTunes related pleasures... Yes, folks, I'm talking about the This American Life podcast. This American Life is a radio show on NPR. I'd listened to it several time while journeying up and down the east coast in my driving days. But I don't drive anymore, or really listen to the radio like I used to (with the exception of Opie and Anthony). So now, thanks to iTunes, I can download a free weekly podcast of This American Life for some talk radio when I'm on the go.

There's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. There's lots more to the show, but, like we said, it's sort of hard to describe. [source]

And now it's a television show on Showtime, which I don't have, and I'm reminded of that everytime I see the subway posters for This American Life on Showtime. I hoped I could find full episodes of this quirky, odd show on YouTube, but I guess Showtime is smarter than HBO.

I don't know if you've ever heard the show, but you should check it out sometime (iTunes or otherwise).

Muxtape Madness

I updated my Muxtape. Check it out if you'd like. I got a little tripped up making this mix... Muxtape only accepts mp3s, but iTunes-purchased songs are in some fascist other format that wouldn't let me convert them to mp3s. So after I gave up on those tracks, and picked at least 4 new songs (the rest were easily converted), I finally figured out how to convert the iTunes-purchased songs into mp3s... I burnt them onto a cd, then ripped them onto my harddrive, then converted them into mp3s. That takes effort. Unfortunately most of the new music I buy is bought off iTunes; something I'm beginning to see as a mixed blessing.

Duuuuuude...

I dare you to try this... go full screen. Pump up that techno!

Bangers and Mash

When I see shit like this it reminds me of why Radiohead is so badass. Thome Yorke rockin out the drums to what sounds like it could've been a Stone Roses tune in Nigel Godrich's basement. I highly recommend this clip when you got a little bit of the spirit running through your system.

I Love the World

I love this commercial. It's kind of corny, but fills me with joy in the same way John Adams does.

All except for Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs, he's a fucking prick.



This one is OK, too. Also for the Discovery Channel.

When You're Lost in the Rain

Bob Hates Andy - the comic strip

The Dangers of Being a News Reporter - daddy why?

I'm Sure We Can All Fit - cram 'em in

The Best Concert Of The Summer Is...Obama 08?

I'm going ahead and calling it now, the concert series of the summer is going to be Obama and his traveling roadshow. With Arcade Fire, Wilco, Dave Matthews, and Bright Eyes already having played shows for him in the primaries you can count on them to already be on the bill, traversing the country, exciting the kiddies everywhere. But the real Magic comes from the recent backing of Bruce Springsteen. As Bruce stated on his website on Monday "He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years...Over here on E Street, we're proud to support Obama for President." In 2004 he played 33 shows for John Kerry so I think it's safe to say you can expect a similar schedule this time around. He's also got the endorsements of Nas, Ted Leo, Common, Jay Z and REM he could call on to help. Only thing he needs now is U2 (you can't save the world without Bono, ask American Idol and Al Gore) and of course 'The Coug'. I think we're looking at a tour for the ages here folks!