Who, and Why Would Anyone Do That... Ever?

Last night I had the great opportunity to get a further glimpse into the inspirational and maddening genius of Gogol Bordello front man, Eugene Hütz. Thanks in large part to The Alamo Drafthouse, a buddy of mine and I headed to the Ritz Downtown to check out this week's installment of "Music Mondays" (okay so I may have inadvertently lifted that title) - The Pied Piper of Hützovina.

The film is a documentary by Czech filmmaker Pavla Fleischer (cine./assistant dir. on the apparently haunting doc Blues by the Beach) and follows what started out as a project to reunite her and Hütz and to rekindle a flame that once burned between them. After actually reuniting it was painfully apparent that this was not the film that would be made. Instead, Hütz's vision took to the forefront as he guided Fleischer on a trip through the slums of East Europe/Siberia. Hütz's goal - reunite with his own heritage via Gypsy music.

Having lived in a small part of Kiev for the beginning of his life and them emigrating to the United States, it was great fun and very touching to see him head back home and try to find where he came from. Along the way he meets his hero (Sasha Kolpakov), is told by a very influential Romany Gypsy artist that his music is destructive, and attempts to connect the dots between different clans of Gypsies while experiencing their culture firsthand through music, using the time to cultivate his own understanding of the culture and how it relates to his art.

It was insightful and, like I said, inspirational. Hütz is very comfortable in front of the camera (if you'll remember his debut in Everything Is Illuminated) and he's very funny.

Hütz was even there to introduce the film to us all (Gogol was playing a show down the street at Stubbs later that night), and to hear what he had to say firsthand about the film was great. Unfortunately, Fleischer I don't think was there, but to see Eugene firsthand in his random neo-gypsy duds was perfect enough for us all.

I'd love to recommend this film to anyone who enjoys music and the idea of reconnecting with something you've only a vague notion of, to anyone who feels a slight connection to another part of the world and has always had the indescribable urge to flesh out exactly why.

The Pied Piper of Hützovina is out now on DVD. You can buy or rent it from the site.

Oh, My Stars and Garters!

I was checking my regular websites this morning when I came upon a perfect piece of info for a Monday morning (besides Music Mondays, of course). Ain't It Cool News tells us that... There's a Ricky Gervais film in the works... Written and directed by him with Matt Robinson.

This is great news. The premise will undoubtedly follow in line with Gervais' past satirical work (especially of note, that last episode of Extras... amazing).

Basic premise: It is a world where lying has never happened, everyone in the history of time has told the truth and has no concept of what a lie is... until Gervais accidentally invents it.

Going to be Gold.

Here's Gervais' new blog for the film, This Side of the Truth. Follow it.

Hitting the Fan

This week is about to get crazy. My normal work schedule is fairly laid back, nothing too stressful, which is what I really love about it. Not to toot my own horn here (gross?) but I am consistently one of the most laid back people I know. Nothing really ruffles my feathers. This is a trait I like. It does get a little drab sometimes though, which is why I love to have a few times out of the year when I put myself in stressful situations, partly to keep my senses up and partly to see how well I handle it. That time of the year has once again come and it's time to test my stress reflexes at this year's SXSW Music Fest.

There's plenty of resources to fill you in on what exactly the SXSW experience is, so I'll let you help yourself on your own time if you don't know anything about it. What I will say is this, it's going to be a lot of music crammed into four days and my ears will be subjected to some great stuff, and some very bad stuff. I will look upon it all with wide eyes as urban hipsters with skinny jeans intermingle with industry hobknobbers and famous musicians. Last year was awesome as I met Aziz Ansari, the guys from Youth Group, a couple of the comedians that used to be bit players on Conan, Har Mar Superstar, the guys from White Rabbits, Brian Posehn, and others, not to mention all the hottie band chicks everywhere (I'm looking at you The Pipettes).

This year will no doubt be as entertaining as I help cover the event going down at the FADER/Levi's party (called The Fort). If you're around, and I know you, let me know and I'll try to help you get in. Here's the recently released schedule of events... courtesy of The Tripwire.

WEDNESDAY 03.12.08
1:30 - 1:55 - The Mae Shi
2:15 - 2:40 - The Whip
3:00 - 3:25 - Jeremy Jay
3:45 - 4:10 - The Kills
4:30 - 4:55 - The Ruby Suns
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:15 - 5:40 - Chikita Violenta
6:00 - 6:25 - Does It Offend You, Yeah?
6:45 - 7:15 - Yacht
DJS: Price Klasson, Rezound and Pandemoniom Jones (Caps n' Jones)

THURSDAY 03.13.08
1:30 - 1:45 - Ben's Brother (acoustic)
2:00 - 2:25 - The Ting Tings
2:45 - 3:10 - Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong
3:30 - 3:55 - Grand Ole Party
4:15 - 4:40 - Birdmonster
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:00 - 5:25 - Saul Williams
5:45 - 7:00 - Lou Reed Tribute (feat. What Laura Says Thinks, And Feels, Paper Route, Oh No! Oh My!, Ezra Furman, Joseph Arthur, Dr. Dog, Mark Zokelek, Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket, Moby, Thurston Moore & The New Wave Bandits)
7:30 - 8:30 - N.E.R.D.
DJS: Queen Majesty, Tittsworth and Dave Nada and the Fluo Kids

FRIDAY 03.14.08 (Curated by thetripwire.com)
1:00 - 1:25 - The Knux
1:45 - 2:10 - The Fashion
2:30 - 2:55 - The Lemonheads
3:15 - 3:40 - These New Puritans
4:00 - 4:25 - Langhorne Slim
4:45 - 5:10 - Fanfarlo
RAY BAN HAPPY HOUR W/ PUNK IS DEAD BOOK SIGNING
5:30 - 5:55 - Working For A Nuclear Free City
6:15 - 6:40 - The Stills
7:00 - 7:30 - Duffy
DJS: Fourcolourzack and Pretty Titty, Ghislain Porier, Disjokke and Bjorn Torske

SATURDAY 03.15.08
1:30 - 1:55 - Dri
2:15 - 2:40 - David Banner
3:00 - 3:25 - Lykke Li
3:45 - 4:10 - Hood Headlinaz
4:30 - 4:55 - Telepathe
LEVI'S 501 HAPPY HOUR
5:15 - 5:40 - BLK JKS
6:00 - 6:25 - Santogold
6:45 - 7:15 - Spankrock
7:35 - 8:20 - 2 Live Crew
DJS: Bloody Beetroots and the Fools Gold DJs, A-Track, LA Riots, Nick Catchdubs, Jokers of the Scene & Friends


Damn that's a lot of stuff. I also just found out that I'll get a chance to interview my favorite band from '07... Alamo Race Track. I've featured them on a couple Music Mondays. They're from Amsterdam and never come to the States. I'm getting giddy. Alright, now on to preparation. Adieu.

Black Cab Sessions

Damn these guys have a good idea. I've checked their site out a few times. They've got some good artists and interesting takes on some songs you know and love. The St. Vincent take on "Dig A Pony" is gorgeous. And The Tripwire has pointed out that Austin's beloved Spoon have recently filmed a take on their sublime, "I Summon You."

I've always gotten a weird vibe from front man Britt Daniel, I've seen him around clubs in town a lot and he's always seemed like one of the creepiest people, chilling out in the shadows of bars, smoking a cigarette, dressed in black and watching crowds of people. I said hi to him once and he sort of curled his upper lip as if some odious stench were singeing his nose hairs. But you have to hand it to him this... he writes some catchy tunes. Really catchy. Almost too catchy. He's like a modern day Buddy Holly.

Anywho, here's the Black Cab Sessions: Chapter 31: Spoon

F-MINUS

About a year and a half ago I began to read the newspaper again. Well not so much read the paper as do the crossword every morning. This has resulted in a new appreciation for the comics section (where the crossword lives in the The Statesman). Among the favorites are Non Sequitur and Bizarro, but one that always catches my eye (well it is directly under the crossword) is F-MINUS. Creator Tony Carrillo is rarely off in his ability to give me a great chuckle in the morning and I'd like to share one of my recent favorites with you from a few days ago... Feb. 27th to be exact. For all the writers out there who, like me, make too much use of the comma....

[insert chuckle here]

NEWS: Irish Christians Dislike What I Have To Say

**UPDATE**
We've all had a good chat and a laugh about this. Supersimbo made more clear his position and point with his post. I'd like to say that there were never any hard feelings coming from either of us just for clarification, and some of his commenters made great points, most notably the person who states that I didn't use the term "shit" in correct context. I didn't, and oh how I laugh at my stupidity. It's all been chuckled off. I love the internet.

*original post follows*

Writing for an online music magazine is a great source of pleasure for me. It gives me the opportunity to speak my mind about something that is a big source of joy in my life. Rarely do I get very emotional about things, I am a laid back guy that is mostly okay with everything that goes on around me. Music and Film are two of the things however that really give me something to get excited about (however lame and apathetic to important global crisis that may make me sound).

I have never pretended to be an authority on anything that I write about, but I hope that my eagerness and love for what I do put into words shows through and that people at least take what I have to say on said subjects with a little bit of seriousness.

With this said,

I checked my email early this afternoon to find that something I'd written actually made its way all the way across the pond to Northern Ireland, in print no less. This is a pretty big thing for me, as nothing I've written has really garnered much attention outside a close circle of people I know.

You see, every now and then, much like with critic's blurbs about films, a quick little quote will make its way onto an advertisement for a band's upcoming album. You'll see these in magazines or on the sides of your webpages.. the little square or rectangular adverts that say, "The Skinny Jeans Band: Their new self-titled release drops on May 13th." Or something like that... then there'll be the quote, "'It's the best thing since pitted olives' - Hip Music Monthly" You must know what I'm talking about.

Well this has finally happened to me, and it has fulfilled my desires of becoming a reputable journalist. Or at least the first step to that desire.

If I had a copy of the ad in question I would show it (I've been scouring the city for a physical copy all afternoon, might have to order it off the net). It is for the artist, Ferraby Lionheart, a man I have actually featured in one or two of my Music Mondays.

Here is the original review I wrote for The Tripwire.

Pretty damn good review if I do say so myself.

The problem arises here, or rather earlier this month (February) when the ad for Ferraby Lionheart's album graced the pages of RELEVANT, a Christian Pop Culture magazine. One of it's readers had a big problem with what I had to say about the album, and with the fact that it showed up in his magazine...

Here's the fan's enthused blog post.

"amongst 'most christians' and amongst most customers i see, it is definitely NOT acceptable! So is it ok? I reckon there definitely are other ways for the Tripwire to 'put it'........don't you?"

Apparently, supersimbo and the other 15 or so commenters are up in arms over the fact that not only did I use the term "shit" in my review, but also that their beloved Christian Magazine ran the ad.

I realize a few of the people I know who read my blog are Christians, and I have no problem with that, in fact, it's part of the reason I love you. I just wanted to bring this up because I thought it amusing. Think what you want. I've just had a VERY good laugh at this whole thing.

note: I am not mentioned supersimbo's blog, or the magazine ad. It simply quotes, "The Tripwire." But it is my review they are referencing.

Music Monday: Cloudless

Figure it's about time for another Music Monday... and why not actually have it come out on a Monday? It's all the more fun that way.

Big things have been afoot (and will be in the next month) here in Austin. Last week's debate was a pretty big talking point amongst nearly everyone here in town. My roommate's little brother actually had a front row seat after winning a ticket in the student lottery (1/100 chances, not bad), and another friend spent about 20 minutes waxing poetic with Chelsea Clinton at Guero's later that night (about hair no less - they've got the same type apparently). But that's neither here nor there in relation to this edition of Music Monday. I just thought you might like a little update from your friendly blue dot in Texas.

There was a post a couple weeks ago that was nothing but an exclamation about how absolutely beautiful it has been here lately, so this week's playlist is just a good summation of the vibrations felt as the the sun roof rolls back and you're able to smell the fresh water emanating throughout my fair city. This is why we put up with 100+ heat in the summer...

Music Monday: Cloudless

1. The Mountaineers - I Gotta Sing -- From the album Messy Century. The Mountaineers are a Welsh group that has just not had any luck commercially despite releasing critically solid records. I myself picked this album up out of the "trash bin" at my college radio station. After hearing one track I decided to keep it and a month later when I made my first trek to the UK, this album accompanied me and now represents the Scottish Highlands and sunny days. This is their only full length, they've got a few EP's that have received on par reviews, but after being dropped by their label in 03/04 due to restructuring they've been on a permanent hiatus. There is rumor of new material, but I think it's just fanboys like myself hoping that they'll release something more to bide our appetites. This is a great album on the whole, and it contains one of my favorite songs of all time - UK Theatre - to be utilized in a Music Monday playlist in the near future to be sure.

2. The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side -- from The Queen Is Dead. Oh Moz, oh Marr, you'll never reunite despite however much we hope. Enough has surely been said about The Smiths. I have only become a fan within the past year or so, but that's not to say I haven't just taken ahold with a clenched jaw. Morrissey definitely has a penchant for slightly morbid, somber lyrics, but coupled with Marr's uplifting arrangements these songs sound eerily uplifting. This is an eyes-closed-face-up-basking-in-the-sun track for this Spring.

3. The Thrills - Restaurant -- from Teenager. I said I'd make use of this album months ago, yet I never did, until now. The Thrills, despite however much they may or may not try, will never cease to be a band that makes music for the summer. They didn't help matters from the beginning by coming out with a sound that was nothing but The Beach Boys. Their second release, Let's Bottle Bohemia, was a little darker and harder, but still... think of the Beach Boys with a slight attitude. Now on Teenager they've seemed to have accepted who they are, they are comfortable with that and have opened up the sound they so instinctively (and near perfectly) arrange. Utter Happiness.

4. Coconut Records - Summer Day -- from Nighttiming. Jason Schwartzman and Zooey Deschanel. Coconut Records is his solo moniker and she's helping on a few tracks. It's sweet and it's simple. She's got an amazingly soft voice that works perfectly. He sounds like he's still in Phantom Planet, but hey when he was in Phantom Planet, they weren't too bad. Pop, but not bad, perfect for a.... Summer Day.

5. Albert Hammond, Jr. - Well... All Right -- this is from an odd little B-side record I picked up somewhere, I have no idea where though. It's easy and melodic, and very apparent where a lot of that early Strokes sound came from (they've evolved a bit). I love The Strokes, therefore I love Hammond's work. His, Yours To Keep, was another great Spring/Summer album and I hear he's got another one on the way, since The Strokes seem to be on a permanent hiatus themselves (goddamn hip people).

Thus concludes Cloudless. Have a great time with this one, that what it's purpose is. Roll down your windows and breathe in that fresh air... if you've got it. I apologize if you don't have amazing weather right now... just imagine if you did though. Don't worry, Global Warming will hit soon enough and we'll all have a permanent summer to enjoy. YAY!

I Don't Know, I'm Making This Up As I Go

Um my favorite film of all time is about to get a third sequel. I am beside myself, and both of us are geeking out pretty hard.

[the pic will send you to the NEW TRAILER]

It's cool, I know you're skeptical. Watch the trailer. It looks like way too much fun.

I Gotta Sing

News Flash: It's Inexplicably Gorgeous Outside.


Go Check It Out For Yourself.
(Why Can't I Stop Capitalizing Words?)

Shit Just Got Real

The mayhem has begun, Lost season 4 is upon us. This is at the same time amazing and terrible news for I feel myself being sucked in already. The season premiere tonight was great and watching it for the first time on an HD television set was pretty fantastic.

I must apologize to friends and family, to anyone that looks forward with any sort of interest into anything that I do. The apologies will come in advance of a period of time when all of my creative efforts will undoubtedly suffer a massive debt while most of my brain is being used to focus on this new season. I apologize because it's just TV. I apologize because it's going to start getting beautiful outside. I apologize because I can't stop watching it once I've begun. This is something that I have brought upon myself through a healthy process of binge-watching past season DVDs, so I have no excuse.

My name is Kyle, and I am addicted to Lost.

image courtesy of lostcrazy.net

Music Monday: Women to Love

The first true Music Monday in a while... just barely. This week's short list is dedicated to that sliver of female talent that I would very easily dedicate my life to, if they'd have me. As a general rule, I tend to stray away from female oriented music acts. Don't ask me why, it's a complete double standard and I know it, there's just no stopping it. With that said, I don't think that females are incapable of any sort of clever songwriting or outright rocking, in fact I think quite the opposite, as this list will express. More over, these women not only have amazing voices, but dammit they're attractive to boot.

Music Monday: Women to Love

1. Heartless Bastards - All This Time -- Erika Wennerstrom. What a voice. Sultry, bluesy, thick, sexy. This woman's got a set of pipes on her, and she can play the guitar. I'd say she's the blues/rock equivalent to Feist (who'll show up later on) -- that ain't a bad thing. Another bit of awesomeness... she's in a band called Heartless Bastards. That's a serious name. I saw them open for somebody months ago, maybe back in the Spring of '07. They were good enough to forget it was who they opened for. This is off the album All This Time.

2. Mareva Galanter - C'est Bon -- off the album Ukuyéyé. I found Mareva Galanter by accident one day while searching Myspace for some new, random music, and I couldn't be happier with the find. As it turns out she was Miss France in '99. I don't know what that means with regards to whether or not she's written these songs or if she's just a good looking front. Her stuff is definitely Sugar Pop, but it's catchy as all hell. The rest of the album's got maybe four or five more songs worth of great French pop music, some of it's a bit odd in it's electro-fetish, but on the whole it's pretty hard not to fall for Galanter's sweet voice and perky attitude. I will warn you, this track has a whistled hook that is way too catchy for your own good, so if you're not ready to be whistling the same tune for the rest of the week, then I apologize in advance. She's a cutie.

3. Charlotte Gainsbourg - AF607105 -- off 5:55. I've gone into how much my artsy friends and I love Charlotte Gainsbourg. She's not conventionally beautiful, she's just sexy in that sort of French way. A soft voice, poetic personality, and having AIR in your corner definitely help out when shooting for male companionship (at least as far as this male is concerned). Not enough can be said about the collaborative work between AIR and Gainsbourg on this album, so you should probably just go out and grab it.

4. Feist - It's Cool To Love Your Family -- off the rare first album, Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down). I found this album by accident on the pretty awesome blog aggregating site, The Hype Machine. Feist is not only an amazingly attractive lady, she can strum a guitar pretty damn well. Back when Let It Die first came out, I saw her on Conan and fell in love with everything about her right away. A week later she played an in store performance at Dallas' Good Records. I met my friend Anton and Pat there, where we proceeded to have our hearts broken by Ms. Feist's, well, heart-breaking music. After she played we walked up to meet her, we all towered at least a foot over the small Canadian, but nevertheless, Anton did a bang up job embarrassing me as I barely got a word out in between my swooning. Pathetic really, but it was a swoon not wasted, for I'd say Feist is swoon-worthy. Glad she's garnered as much acclaim and success as she has.

5. Shout Out Louds - Blue Headlights -- off of Our Ill Wills. I wrote a review of this cd a while back. Shout Out Louds are a Swedish band that for one reason or another just really haven't taken off here in the States, which is a shame, because they are worthy of a big following. Sure they do play some toothachingly sweet pop music, but that's what Swedes do man, they create toothachingly sweet pop music. Look it up, it's true. The album was produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John, and what a job he did. The vocalist here is keyboardist Bebban Stenborg, a blond waif that usually sits behind the front row of guitars with one hand on the keys and one hand shaking a tambourine. When she does hop out there at center stage you're hoping she's looking in your direction as she sings with such ease a melody fit for rainbows. She also proves the Swedes aren't just known for their odd, gummi fish.

6. Midnight Movies - Strange Design -- off of their self titled, first album. Again, I have expressed my love for front woman Gena Olivier and her drum playing, and her keyboarding, and her deep vocals. I saw Midnight Movies last Friday (opened for Rogue Wave, barely) and it was pretty great. It was also amazingly awkward, because I was on a quasi-date with this girl and I couldn't help but express my love for Olivier. The girl (who will go unnamed) stood next to me as Olivier moved from front and center to the back on the drums. I proceeded to say, "Oh my god, that's my kind of woman." to which date-girl said, "what?" to which I said, "If you want to know the way into my heart, you'll have to know how to play at least three instruments, drums probably being one of them." Date-girl, who looks nothing like Olivier, turned to me, and with an almost desperate look said, "I can play the recorder."

I looked at her as the silence took hold for a good ten seconds. The recorder doesn't suffice. Plain and simple. Without a reply, I turned my attention back to the stage as Olivier and company busted into the psychedelic jam of this song, and afterwards I dropped date-girl off at her car. It remains to be seen if it'll work out between us.

That does it for Women to Love. They are women I love, hopefully they'll make at least some sort of impact on you. See you when I see you.

Unapologetically Sorry

For twoday, I'd like to snare a beef snort borey...

On A Sunny Afternoon In the South of France by Pyle Bother

“A slab of your leanest 12oz., please.”

The Butcher’s eyes took their time in registering my face, something I’d eventually get used to in the next week or so when there would actually be something of substance to stare at. Some discoloration was sure to be expected, maybe a slight deformation in the long term, but now in its early stage nothing too out of the ordinary, visually speaking. There was a touch of tenderness about the socket though, and a little swelling, a fact that had resulted in effectively putting me in my current location. As much as I despise old wives' tales the prospect of immediate soothing was all to pleasing, and once the Butcher felt satisfied with what he saw and turned to chop, I was allowed to wince to myself as I took a seat near the window. I began to figure. I figured there would be other opportunities. I figured there would be other women. I figured there would be other Tuesdays. I figured the cost of my steak. I figured I had the cash. I figured I would soon lose the meaning of the word figured, but then I figured I didn’t really care so much, as I don’t really use the word figure, or any of its variations, regularly enough to really miss it for the amount of time it will gone from my memory. I figured how many times you’d actually have to use a word before it’s meaning is lost. Then I figured 13.

“One 12oz. Sirloin, anything else?” The Butcher’s voice crackled like a chest cold through the bland meat market.
“No, sir.”
“12 Euro.”

The change in my pocket was two cents short, but I don’t think he cared. He’d read enough of my Life Story by now to know that “Two Cents Short” was only Chapter Three. Sensing the amounting pity, I unwrapped the Butcher’s handy work, slapped the beef over my left eye and headed for the door.
Standing in the warm sun, squinting my uncovered eye, I began to wonder. I wondered what benefit placing a section of dead cow on my bruising face did. I wondered how long it would take to swell shut. I wondered if maybe I should have ducked. I wondered “what now?” I wondered… I stopped wondering. I wanted to keep that word around for a while, it seemed useful, so I started to wander.

.The Bend.

Best Of's: The Belated Edition

I now realize that the whole Best Of craze is probably over, seeing as we're nearing the end of what is the second week in this foul year of our Lord 2008, but I figure, why not. Two weeks after everyone else's list means that you're not quite ready for it. So here's a hastily put together list for you to read with haste...

In No Particular Order (except for the first one, because I absolutely love Alamo Race Track now)

Albums of 2007 (I wrote reviews for some of these - see the highlights)
Alamo Race Track - Black Cat John Brown
Radiohead - In Rainbows
White Rabbits - Fort Nightly
Feist - The Reminder
Antelope - Reflector
Air - Pocket Symphony
The Beatles - Love (oh I know, but I'm a huge sucker for the Beatles)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - 5:55
Dappled Cities - Granddance
Dr. Dog - We All Belong
Ferraby Lionheart - Catch The Brass Ring
Gonzalas - Solo Piano (technically this came out in 2005, but its taken up so much of '07 for me, it gets a spot on the list)
Jennifer Gentle - The Midnight Room
Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood
Pete & The Pirates - Demos (not technically supposed to have this, but it is really stinking good)
Prints - Prints
Silverchair - Young Modern
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The Thrills - Teenager
White Denim - Let's Talk About It EP
Zykos - Keep It Light EP

Films of 2007 (if not great works of art, then films I simply got a kick out of) (also some of these might have been released in '06 but not gotten to a theater near me until '07)
No Country For Old Men - Is this a no-brainer at this point?
Paris, Je'Taime
28 Weeks Later
3:10 To Yuma
Darjeeling Limited
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Grindhouse
Hot Fuzz
I'm Not There
Juno
The Lookout
King of Kong
Ocean's Thirteen
Rescue Dawn
Shoot 'Em Up
Superbad
TMNT (gotta love ninja turtles)

and finally... Best TV of 2007 (a tentative list)
I don't watch much TV, but these shows I saw were excellent
Mad Men
Lost
How I Met Your Mother
Chuck
Californication
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Flight of the Conchords

So there you are, as comprehensive a list as I can give. If you want a more detailed description of what I personally thought of any of these, let me know. I love to wax poetic on the state of our popular art forms. Hope your 2007 was just as eventful, media-wise.

Arriving with Magnitude

The weekend, the weekend. It was a hectic one, and one that hopefully will be one of the last hectic one's for a while (must be that excess New Years buzz or something). It's amazing I have gotten anything done recently, what with all the friends in town, the parties to go to, the movies to see. Alas, though, in between watching the oddly-bearded Conan and relating every relationship I've had to a shower, I found the time to waste looking up shared birthdays. Really, I was just perusing the fair 'net the other day and stumbled upon wikipedia's birthday lists. Found some interesting stuff on there. I am proud to say that I share a birthday with the following people...

John Wayne (1907) actor
Miles Davis (1926) musician/man-god
Peter Cushing (1913) actor
Levon Helm (1940) vocal/drummer for The Band
Luca Toni (1977) striker for Bayern Munich/Italy nation team

These were the more respectable names, there were others I really could care less for - Stevie Nicks, Helena Bonham Carter, Lenny Kravitz, Hank Williams, Jr.

I also found a list of tragedies that occurred on my birthday...

The actual day of my birth in 1983, a strong 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, which triggered a tsunami that killed at least 104 people, and injured thousands... wow.

Whatever your Karmic beliefs may be, I feel that there is some sort of connection one has to an event of this nature. The day I was born an earthquake struck Japan. Sorry about that Japan, I apologize.

I just find these types of lists interesting. Check it out for yourself, head over to Wikipedia and type in your birthday, they've got lists galore for your particular day.

The Thrilling! The Suspenseful! The Thrillingly Suspenseful!!

Oh my, what fun it has been, and what a long time as well, to sit here with no Music Mondays. A lot has occurred in between postings of Musical Instruction. Christmas, New Years and even two days after new years. There are big things being planned here in my neck of the woods, and everything is really just an overall happy situation. I don't know why, but I reckon that's a good thing... ain't it?

Even the cinema is fun again. For a few months there is was really sucking, but I suppose every year from Summer to Fall there's a good span where nothing good comes out, and for cinephiles like myself and a few of my friends, this is a very depressing time. But alas, it is winter, and film is prevalent, and everything is really just an overall happy situation (broken record?). This leads me to the newest Music Monday, the first of the year.

Preface: A man who doesn't love film is a man I don't wish to be friends with. This week's installment has everything to do with film. For as I sat in my favorite theater in town watching the latest masterwork from the Coen Bros I happened again upon the trailer for There Will Be Blood. Now despite having the coolest looking title cards for any film I've seen in the past ten years, and despite boasting a lead such as Daniel Day Lewis, and despite being written and directed by a true artiste, and finally despite being adapted from an Upton Sinclair novel.. the film has the immeasurable luck of being scored by one of the most innovative musicians of the past two decades. I am of course speaking about Radiohead's resident genius, Jonny Greenwood. Now I've been a fan of Greenwood's work in Radiohead for quite some time, and when I found his first foray into film soundtracking a few years ago (scoring for the oddball doc Bodysong) I jumped on it like something that jumps on something very quickly. It was just as odd and strange as I had hoped, and provided a soundtrack for a semester of college where reality was being questioned every other day, if not every other hour. So it goes without saying that I was uber-excited to pick up this latest score. More on that in a bit...

The point here is thus - I was again amazed, and at the same time very happy. Mr. Greenwood seems to have done his homework. In my mind he has taken all the best parts of classic film score work and mutated them into one tense, thrilling masterwork. So let's get started and I'll show you the wonders of where he might have come from...


Music Monday: The Thrilling (oh yes, it is now a direct download link, so none of that pesky download page)

1. Bernard Herrmann - Overture -- From the film North By Northwest. My personal favorite Hitchcock film, showcasing why Cary Grant is one man every man wishes to be, is provided a score by THE composer for great thrillers. Herrmann's catalogue includes everything from Sci-Fi classics to Romance films to Thrillers. He was Hitchcock's go to guy (Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds), Gave Truffaut his Fahrenheit 451 tracks, supplied Jason and the Argonauts with tunes as well as Sinbad, Gulliver and Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver. Quite an amazing career and right up there with Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone. He is our jumping off point this week.

2. Antoine Duhamel - Little Marital Concert -- From the film Bed and Board. I don't want to take away from Mr. Duhamel, he is great in his work with Francois Truffaut, much the way H&H were on most films, but it must be said that when Truffaut wanted Herrmann and couldn't get him, Duhamel gave him the next best thing -- an imitation. That is not to say his compositions aren't original at all, they are. They also sound terribly close to that signature Herrmann sound. Then again though, not a bad guy to be compared to, eh? On a side note, Bed and Board is the third film in the series of Antoine Doinel films by Truffaut (starting with The 400 Blows). You must watch all of them.

3. Bernard Herrmann - The Elevator/The U.N./Information Desk -- again, from North By Northwest. If you're sensing a pattern here, you're not mistaken. Each of these Herrmann tracks feels as though they've influenced another. Not much more need be said.

4. Jonny Greenwood - Future Markets -- from the film There Will Be Blood. I have not seen the film, but this track has already given me a feeling for what I will think of it. You may say that owning a film soundtrack before you see the movie is potentially dangerous for that moment you do actually sit down to watch it, but I will beg to differ in this case, based on this track alone. Greenwood supplies here what is sure to be a taught, thrilling score to go along with the story of a Texas oil man, hellbent on crude domination. I can only imagine the images to go along with this eerie track.

5. Michael Giacchino - World's Worst Landscaping -- from Season 2 of Lost. For those that don't know Mr. Giacchino's work, you're really missing out. He's scored such great recent films as The Incredibles, Ratatouille, all of Lost and Alias. His work on Lost has really pushed the show above and beyond. His soundtracks are moody and fitting to the odd environment of a mysterious island with fantastical secrets. The work he has done withing the past two seasons especially have shown his love for Herrmann. This track showcases most of what you'll find with him, suspenseful humor. Not afraid to scare you, put you on the edge of your seat, or make you giggle.

6. Bernard Herrmann - Kidnapped/The Door/Cheers -- This last track from our inspirational source for the week is again from North By Northwest, well because I think that's one of his best works, and it shows everything he was capable of. Tension, action and romance. Look for anything and everything from this man... especially his fantasy film work (Mysterious Island, the Sinbad films, Jason and the Argonauts, and Journey to the Center of the Earth -- for a start).

7. Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood -- the title track from the film. I'm pretty sure this is what sold me to buy the album from the trailer. It is absolutely fantastic in its oddball eeriness. It is such a moody piece that I almost scare myself when listening to it at night. If you're a fan of putting on a film score and pretending like you're in a film... this is one to start with (what? you're telling me you don't?). This track proves that Mr. Greenwood is a veritable composer and that I want him to score the first film I am a part of. Or maybe just my life. Jonny, can we be friends?

This does it for The Thrilling. Hope you all find it very enjoyable. Listen to it while you're driving, performing any sort of errand. Maybe while you're in your local grocery store. I don't doubt you'll be looking over your shoulder every two seconds. That feeling might be your grocer plotting to set you up for a crime you didn't commit.

The First of the Gang to Die

I'm maybe the last person I know to have caught Juno in cinemas this year.  I'll have to blame that old pal of mine, Limited Release, for that one because now that I've seen it I'm going to go along with that popular opinion.  I thought it was really good.  Very quick, very dry, very smart.  And for a first shot at writing a feature film, Diablo Cody (damn the stripperness of that name) did a bang up job.  Granted there were some things that I really had to sit back and let go while watching.  Like some of the High School kids' dialogue.  The little catch words they used, the phrases.  It just felt like everyone was trying too hard to get it right.  Then again, I haven't been in High School for some time now, so I suppose I don't have much room to really nitpick.  Ellen Page is a cutie, though does any other guy out there feel a little uncomfortable with the fact that she's about 4 ft. tall?  Again nitpicking, because I'm over 6' tall.  I must say also, that she really outdid herself here, and I think she might finally be able to step out of the shadow that was cast so dark over her from X-Men: The Last Stand (insert sarcastic smirk here).  Also that creepy movie about her and statutory rape.  Jeez.

Which brings me to my next little topic here.  Has anyone caught the trailer for that film, Teeth?  I don't think I want to see that one at all, ever.  

Anyways, not many things hit me with enough gravitas to inspire an immediate blog post, well things come to me, but I forget them after about 5 minutes of driving the car they come to me in.  Tape recorders for the brain, we need to get to work on that.  I think I'd get a lot more finished if they weren't completely fictional. 

Enough of this nonsense.  I liked the movie.

Happy Christmas

Well I must further apologize for not setting up any new playlists, but 'tis the Holiday Season and you're not allowed to feel anything negative (despite what I've seen just about every day on the highways). I would like to do a couple things today though, before the big day and before the week really. First off, here's a Christmas track from my favorite band of all time, The Beatles. You've probably heard it before, which is a great thing, because it's wonderful. Happy, joyful, all the rest. It's called Christmas Time (Is Here Again). You should enjoy it.

The other thing I'd like to do for you is give you a chance at a few Christmas cards I've made this year. I started doing this last year for a select few friends, and they really seemed to like them, so I did it again this year. Here's the only three I remembered to scan before I sent them out, and I'd like to share them with you and perhaps, if you'd like, you can share them with someone you know for Christmas. Take your pic...

* * *

I'll be wishing you and yours a happy one as I go through my annual Xmas Eve routine of slipping into my PJ's, sprawling out on the couch with a blanket and a cup of hot chocolate, watching Die Hard (the greatest Christmas Movie of ALL TIME) until I pass out. Happy Christmas.

Kyle.

Music Monday: The Videos

This week is sort of a mess for me, as it is with others I know... damn Holidays. So, I haven't any songs for you yet this week, buuut I do have a few videos, they're much easier for me to get up here quick. So, with expedited fashion, here's

Music Monday: The Videos

White Rabbits - While We Go Dancing

White Rabbits' Fort Nightly is easily one of my favorite albums of the year. You can read a review I wrote of it here. It's devilish, it's fun, it's got a heavy dosage of drums.

Pete and The Pirates - Come On Feet

I've already expressed much interest in Pete and The Pirates. I want them to come play the States again very badly so you all can see them if you haven't already. Again, there's no news of a record deal here in the States, so video's and illegal stealing of music (or, borrowing) is the only way to get anything (assuming you don't want to pay any sort of import fee). This is a pretty catchy song.

Vampire Weekend - Mansard Roof

As much as you say you don't like to jump on the hip bandwagon, you like to find things out for yourself, you take pride in going against the grain, here is one band you'll listen to the hype for. They're like Paul Simon playing new wave, George Martin producing the bit players from a travelling group of vagabonds, or some other pairing that sounds odd at first, but then when you really think about it, probably could be pretty entertaining. They're another group of young musicians that just get what's going on at the moment. Plus that video has just enough of a Duran Duran via Cape Cod vibe to it to strike the right chords.


I'll try and be back later in the week with a few actual tracks you can download and listen to.. until then, check these artists out. Auf Wiedersehen.

Music Monday: Slice of Life

Not many ideas for an amazingly inspired playlist this week, there's just a stale plane of blankness that lay out where that ocean of creativity once filled. So this week I've simply got a little slice of life (or slyce of lyfe for my Hip-Hop readers), a reality TV-ish version of Music Mondays, something that requires little thought, but maybe something that will bring about entertainment. Hopefully though you'll find this dose a bit more intellectually stimulating than the dude from America's Funniest Home Videos interviewing questionably D-List stars after they've huffed and puffed across the dance floor. Here's a few bands and their accompanying songs that have been stuck in my head for the past couple of months. Hope you find some enjoyment.

Music Monday: Slice of Life

1 - Saturday Looks Good To Me - When I Lose My Eyes -- With a name as easy going as theirs, Saturday Looks Good To Me wouldn't seem like a band you might want to listen to right off. But the situation is quite the opposite, they are exactly the relaxed feel good music you want to hear on a Saturday. They're sort of oldies-inspired apathetic psychedelic pop/rock. I've been trying to review this album for a month now and that's the first time I've been able to pin my finger on it... Awesome. Off the album Fill Up The Room.

2 - Prints - Too Much Water -- I actually managed a review of this album, and let me just say, its great. Sort of an unexpected surprise. I found it by accident on my list of music to review, and it just fit perfectly with my person. The self-titled album is a solid listen and one you can just have on all the way through. For more info check out my review.

3 - Spoon - Rhythm & Soul -- You probably already own the album this track is off, the annoyingly titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (5 Ga's, not 4, not 6, 5)... this track is so damn good and the album is awesome. I know that's not very elegantly put nor does it probably sound very smart, but when you're dealing with something this good, succinct is better than anything. Plus I gotta give my hometown boys some love, even if they don't really need it. My guess is you'll find this album on a few Best Of lists this year.

4 - Zykos - Keep It Light -- Off the Keep It Light EP, this just recently came out and it is another great Austin band that is starting to receive bigger press on the national and international levels. Frontman Mike Booher's vocals are gravelly and emotive and this track showcases what great craftsmanship the group as a whole are capable of. Keep an eye on these guys.

5 - Dappled Cities - Fire Fire Fire -- This happy go lucky, very quirky group out of New Zealand have produced a great pop album in Granddance, from which this track comes. The first time I heard this album I was camping in upstate NY and I thought it was pretty good... then I saw them live down here on a lark and just simply fell in love. Greatness, Fun..ness, Great Fun.

Thus concludes the Slyce of Lyfe.

Music Monday: Rave-Up Edition

This past Holiday weekend brought me back to the good ol' days, of which I actually wasn't a part of no matter the frequency with which I wish I were born into. Needless to say I often pine for another time, musically speaking, and this week is going to capitalize on that. An old girlfriend of mine once told me that I was an "old soul." I wasn't sure how to take this because it was immediately preceded by a day's worth of breaking up over the phone, but I've come to take it as a compliment -- and I think its led to my tasteful pleasure in all things mod.


Music Monday: The Rave-Up

1 - The Strange Boys - Drugs Iggy Drugs -- A Strange Boys concert is an amazing thing. The aforementioned feeling of music nostalgia was brought about this past weekend from their show. The Strange Boys are a four piece from Dallas that now live in Austin. Since their move south, they've received nothing but more and more great press and I'm thoroughly excited to keep listening to them. Comprised of two brothers and two more friends, they're just a shade past the legal drinking age yet make music like they were born in the 60's. Yet another group of "old souls" to hang around.

2 - The Sonics - Have Love Will Travel -- I don't know too much about these guys, other than they fit the mold of everything I like about a good time. Kinks-inspired, and inspirational in their own right, this WA group made nothing but raunchy rock during their days together. They've inspired everyone from the above to new hipster faves The Black Lips. Off the album Here Are The Sonics !!!

3 - The Kinks - Sittin' On My Sofa -- Off the troubled Kink Kontroversy, this is mod rock at it's best. It sort of makes you want to shake your hips while a technicolour strobe spins you 'round the polka-dotted room. The Kinks, an influence of The Sonics, and The Strange Boys were pretty much the hippest thing around at this point of the 60's.

4 - The Yardbirds - Honey In Your Hips -- Good evening, now it is time for Birdmerizing, Yardmerizing, in fact, most Blueswelling... Yardbirds. The Yardbirds are one of my all-time favorites. They are what you should be listening to when you go out on the weekends, when you ride your bike, when you want to enjoy life. The history behind this band is quite amazing... Eric Clapton started with them, when he left Jeff Beck joined, then came along Jimmy Page. They made an appearance in Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up, and when everything was said and done with, Page took the group and formed The New Yardbirds... which eventually became Led Zeppelin. They're amazing and its really a tragedy that their catalogue has been butchered over time with release after re release, never giving fans any sort of comprehensive compilation. This track I got off of an mp3 CD I bought in St. Petersburg, Russia a year and a half ago. It says its off of For Your Love, but who really knows.

5 - The Strange Boys - Be Careful With That You Read -- One more from the Boys that kicked off this nostalgia. Again, if you get the chance to catch The Strange Boys live, do it. You'll love yourself for it afterwards. To the best of my knowledge, you can contact them at their MySpace in an effort to pick up an official release - if you're in Dallas you might try Good Records, in Austin, End of An Ear might have something.

This concludes our broadcast day.

Black Friday

Alright, is it not strange that "they" call the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday? What a negative connotation. Then again, I'm sure if you were to head to the mall or any other store on the day after Thanksgiving you would want to call it Black Friday as well. What a strange time we've been born into.

A few things here, since I've managed to not post since Music Monday.


Wednesday saw the embarassingly disappointing loss of the England National Football team to Croatia. With this loss the lions have managed a first nonqualification of a European Championship since 1984. That is awful. England invented the modern game as we know it, and the talent they have should have proven better. Since they don't have anything to really play for until qualification for the 2010 World Cup starts next summer, there's no rush to find a new coach to replace the much hated Steve McClaren (who was fired Thanksgiving morning). Oh the disappointment. All they needed was a draw. They were so close. Dammit.

Thursday - happy Slapsgiving. Hope everyone enjoyed a magnificent feast.

And now today -- Since the initial feast is behind us and we are now officially in the thick, of the Holiday Season, I'd like to share something with you that just makes me smile... Christmas Videos. I was perusing the net last night in between segments of VH1's Dylan Marathon (Don't Look Back and No Direction Home back to back, a lot of TV) and I found this page of Christmas Links. You can find everything from Mickey's Christmas Carol to Justice League's Xmas special. It's really awesome. Personally that Christmas Carol has always held a place in my heart, not to mention the amazing Chip and Dale episodes with Donald Duck & Pluto. It just makes me smile.

Then there's this... Sure its in the Christmas Spirit, and it sounds really nice... but Ziggy Stardust singing a duet with the man that is pretty much the Father of modern Christmas (Bing Crosby folks) is actually one of the weirdest, creepiest, most enjoyable video I've seen in a long time.

What an oddball that Bowie is. But you gotta enjoy it.

Music Monday #2

Hope all two of you who grabbed last week's playlist enjoyed it, I'm actually interested to know what you thought...

This week's playlist isn't so much for daylight as it is for your nighttime. Maybe you like to take a walk around your neighborhood once the sun has set, giving yourself a Kafka-like stroll about the vicinity, taking a chance to collect your thoughts. Or maybe you like to sit in your lamp-lit room with the stereo on while you brainstorm ideas for tomorrow. This playlist will hopefully be a welcome companion to this time of the day. It might also be helpful during the (hopefully) upcoming colder days. So without further ado...

Night Walking ...

1 - Spiritualized - Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space -- this is the title track to one of the most amazing albums ever. Spiritualized is almost like a spiritual experience, God that's so cheesy in its redundancy but it's true. As one of my top 5 favorite bands of all time, it'd be easy to go on for a long time about J Spaceman (the mastermind behind it all), so to put it succinctly, you should grab everything by him you can get your hands on.

2 - AIR - Playground Love -- I'm sorry at the obviousness of this choice, from the soundtrack they composed for Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. AIR are from France and are comprised of just two men, Jean-Benoît Dunkel and Nicolas Godin. Another band from whom you should grab everything ever made by. I saw them live my Junior year of college and have been hopelessly devoted ever since. One of the best concerts I've ever attended.

3 - Belle and Sebastian - Sleep The Clock Around -- I hate to throw the drug culture into this, but this was the first album I listened to while under the influence of the good ol' hippie grass. And while I may not indulge anymore, the album, Boy With The Arab Strap, has not lost its value as a solid album of pure pleasure. B&S may have a rep as a "college indie rock" band, but it's hard to deny such clever craftsmanship.

4 - Gonzales - Overnight -- I'll admit I don't know too much about Gonzales. The first time I'd ever heard his name was in regards to his help on Feist's album Let It Die, a pretty fine work of art. Wikipedia tells me he's done lots of work with other quirky Canadian artists (he's one himself). This album, Solo Piano, is just as its name implies - him playing the piano by himself. The result is very nice, very moody and as a whole could be a playlist on its own. I found it in the used bin at Waterloo earlier this summer and consider it one of my better finds.

5 - Midnight Movies - Tide and Sun -- Off their debut, Midnight Movies. The bells and electro noise coincide perfectly here to form 4:22 of eerie sweetness. That great Nico-esque voice you hear is frontwoman/drummer Gena Olivier. She's tall, she's sexy, she can drum... I want to marry her. I met her once at SXSW and could hardly open my mouth.

6 - SOUND Team - Color of the Love You Have -- First, let's all take a second to mourn the passing of this band. ... Okay. It took a while for it to finally settle in that we'd never again receive anything new from this Austin band. They had a short, successful life and I loved ever second of it. This is one of the last tracks they released before it all ended. I'm not sure exactly in what capacity it was released, I got it off of an Adult Swim compilation called Warm & Scratchy. I think it's another sweet, mellow track and one that is near perfect to end on.


So that's it for this week's playlist. Hope you enjoy it whether you're walking around at night, driving during the cold, or sitting in your room before you go to sleep. If there is one thing I might suggest... the first time you listen to this, wear headphones. Again, this will be available until next Monday.

Wacky Wednesday

Kind of a busy day already, as was yesterday (resulting in the end of my experiment of posting everyday) so to make up for it I'm gonna share a video. I was lucky enough to get a glimpse of this man on the Charles Bridge in Prague a year and a half ago. He is a musical scientist.

It sort of speaks for itself doesn't it. By far and away one of the greatest things I saw while I was in Europe.

Two nights of concerts on the horizon, TOOL tonight (we'll see how that goes) and Swell Season tomorrow (a show that will also see Anton coming into town. ALRIGHT.)

Music Monday #1

I feel like I'd like to start a sort of "Music Day" here on the ol' blog, and what better day to do that on than Monday, right? Basically what'll happen is every Monday (hopefully) I'll throw up a link to a playlist of about 5 or 6 songs I'd like to share with you. It'll only be available for the week it's been posted during and you can enjoy it for as long as you like if you feel so inclined to download it. Don't worry, I won't send you a virus, I'm clean.

Monday Playlist 101 is...

1. Brazos - Feeding Frenzy -- This is probably my favorite band in Austin right now, and I am waiting for something big to happen with them. Off their first EP, Feeding Frenzy.

2. Alamo Race Track - Happy Accidents -- A Dutch band I recently spent a summer becoming infatuated with. I wrote a review of their newest album Black Cat John Brown for The Tripwire. This is off their first LP, Birds At Home.

3. Antelope - Flower -- Okay, not trying to make this a plugging session but, I also reviewed this album, Reflector. Antelope is a band out of DC I've loved since I found their debut self-titled EP in the dumpster bin at my college radio station. They're repeatedly cited as one of the main influences of my band, Plaid Saturdays (more to come on that much later).

4. Ferraby Lionheart - Under the Texas Sky -- This man has made a near perfect album on his DEBUT! Find another review by me (sorry) here about Catch The Brass Ring. Way too good for a debut album.

5. Charlotte Gainsbourg - Night-Time Intermission -- Anton and I have spent some serious time talking about how much we are in love with Ms. Gainsbourg (the daughter of super-smooth Serge Gainsbourg and über-hottie Jane Birkin). She's also the co-star of Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep. This is off the album 5:55 (produced by and with music written by AIR, the coolest French band on the planet).

6. Pete and the Pirates - Not A Friend -- I saw these guys when I worked SXSW this past year. They will be the next big thing. I am actually amazed they have no deal in the UK (where they're from). If you are a religious person, I emplore you to include a record deal for P&tP in your prayers at night. This is a free track I got through their MySpace page. So good.

Alright, so that's it for today. This playlist will be there at the available link until next Monday, so get to it if you're interested in the stuff. Enjoy the week!

Recovery of the Totem of My Fictional Existence

Day 2 of full-on blogging and boy, what an emotional couple of days I've had. First the ever-present tucking in of my shirt-tails (which by the way, day 2 of is going smashingly well), and then today, the find of a long lost souvenir so dear to my heart that I have been crushed since its initial loss. The souvenir I speak of is the regulation hat issued to the three founding member of the Océanographique Exploratory Society.

There's the hat being modeled by the three founders... Capt. Thatch Harrington, Ernst Winterburry and Dr. Christopher McCandless, PhD (respectively). The Society was founded on my 23rd birthday (May 26, 2006) in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Their travels have been somewhat chronicled in the massively entertaining, yet critically destroyed blog The Liverpool Wanderers.

My alter ego, Ernst Winterburry was the species cartographer, because I enjoy drawing and writing and the like. For the two months I was abroad last year, this alter ego was a great escape and a huge source of fun, especially during those times of awkwardness when Jonathan, Pat (the two on the side of me there) and I were forced to interact with people we didn't really care about either way. Like in München (or Munich for the lay folk), when we participated in a Pub Crawl. The few people we met were pretty cool at first, but it became apparent as they got way more drunk way faster than us that they might not have been so in the end. I mean really, they were a bunch of kids going into their first year of college back in the States, spending a few weeks in Europe and using it as their toilet. So we just started screwing with them, telling them our story, how we individually met while in our Undergraduate years prepping for the eventual Society, where we would go on to study Aquatology among many other of the Maritime Sciences. Trust me, we could throw out some incredible bullshit.

Most of the people totally believed us, which was really funny. Those that were a little suspicious at first were totally won over when we busted out the red hats.

"Oh, so like The Life Aquatic?" they'd come through with, to which we would immediately put on a heir of anguish. Frowns and furrows, shaking of heads and fingers.
"No, not at all. Nothing like The Life Aquatic," we'd clearly state, as if hurt by the likening. "That movie mocks everything we stand for. Did you know they stole actual documents from our research labs in the process of preproduction?"
"Oh my," they'd gasp. "I had no idea it was such a big deal, or that something like you existed at all." (in truth, obviously, the Océanographique Exploratory Society doesn't exist) "Where is your research lab?"
"Monaco, of course." Well, it was at least a little truthful, the Oceanographic Museum co-founded by Jacques Yves Cousteau was really in Monaco (it's where we got the idea). It only solidified our story more when they read the monogram on the little red hats -- "Musée Océanographique de Monaco"

Yes it was deceitful, yes it was mean, but man was it fun. We were artists of the Maritime Sciences, and no one knew it was all a sham. But I digress...

The point of this entry is that I lost that little red hat, and this sent me into a long depressed stupor. That is until this morning when I found it under a pile of old shirts at my parents' house. Oh the joy and unending praise to the heavens. My week was made infinitely better at this find. So in celebration I thought I might share a comic I made upon my return to the states, a comic about the Océanographique Exploratory Society (t.O.E.S.). And yes, before you get too ahead of yourself, there are striking similarities to The Life Aquatic, but I want you to know that the Society was not founded under the film's pretenses, in fact I am the only member of t.O.E.S. to have actually seen the thing, and while I found it enjoyable, the basis on which t.O.E.S. was founded is more about the bonding of friends during the insanity of travel than anything having to do with a film. So at last, here's episode one of the Océanographique Exploratory Society.

[yes it gets bigger, just click it]

Even An End Has A Start

Right, well that was all good and well. Funny bits here and there, but really nothing too spectacular. Promises were made then not kept and the space between correspondence was so vast that I don't even remember the last time I personally posted something on here... though I guess it's pretty apparent since the posts are dated. The point here is thus...

I woke up today and tucked my shirt in for the first time ever of my own free will.

Sure sure, I've tucked it in before, but they've been during instances of necessity -- weddings, funerals, nice dinners, high school dances, college formals, costume parties. This all sounds pretty immature and unimportant I'm sure, but it's the God's honest truth.

This marks a decidedly different turn for me.

So why "blog" about it?

Good question, glad I asked that of myself. The whole idea of blogging sort of confuses me. Yes, I have kept a blog before on a semi-regular basis (even if it was for just 2 months), and yes this is a blog I started about a year ago (which was hardly ever updated, probably for the better), but the whole thought of serious blogging doesn’t make any real sense to me. Why would I want to know what is going on in someone’s everyday life? Why not just simply converse with them and get to know them, where knowing what goes on during the course of their day is more an idea of friendship? Well the world nowadays doesn’t work like that I guess.

I realize that this is going to sound hypocritical given what I just wrote but who really cares, right? If you’re reading this, you’re probably a blogger yourself or you know me and know that even though the one trait I despise most in people is hypocrisy, I still am one of the most hypocritical people I know (that’s how those things work by the way. I just can’t help it. The thing you hate most in people turns out to be your biggest flaw). So in an effort to fit in, I’m going to attempt at a blog a day, for a couple weeks at first, then if it catches maybe I’ll keep going (but NO promises you).

What will your blog be about?

Another good question. The way I see it, much like any story, there are only a couple types of blogs that are at the root of everything. There’s the political blog, be it satirical (like the lame attempt at an Onion-style news page The Foggiest started out as) or the real deal politically minded blog, where people vent their frustrations and views on everything from the environment to the current state of affairs in Africa or in our own backyard. There’s also the music blog, which to be honest, is probably the most popular. Everyone thinks their taste in music is better than yours. Then there’s the daily journal blogs. Dear Diary as I like to call it, where updates on the day to day and sometimes hour to hour operations of a person’s life are chronicled on the cyber pages of the blogosphere. I find these pointless. Who really cares?

(I’m sorry for the overt cynicism of the preceding paragraph. It’s just that for the past week I’ve been reading random blogs and am struggling to find the purpose in a lot of them. That’s not to say that my will have a purpose, in fact, there will be absolutely no purpose whatsoever in anything I do on The Foggiest. There’s just no point.)

So now I just need to find my niche, and as much as I’d like to be one of those people who is “niche-less” I’m sure there is some place where the things I put on The Foggiest will fit in. So we’ll leave that area TBD. Just be prepared for witless phrases of complete nonsense, a deconstruction of my neurosis, and a few pictures sprinkled here and there. Also, a large absence of proofreading.

What do you say? Good enough for the first new post in a while?