It was my turn for a little good luck, not much, but a little. It was true that i didn't have much ambition, but there ought to be a place for people without ambition, I mean a better place than the one usually reserved. How in the hell could a man enjoy being awakened at 6:30 a.m. by an alarm clock, leap out of bed, dress, force-feed, shit, piss, brush teeth and hair, and fight traffic to get to a place where essentially you made lots of money for somebody else and were asked to be grateful for the opportunity to do so? - Bukowski
Having registered lebowskination.com about a year ago, i had all the intention in the world of assembling a Lebowski fan site of epic proportions. After coming across this site, the idea itself now seems pointless.
Dudeism.com
This Lebowski excerpt is the funniest shit ever, and you know i take my Lebowski seriously! Far fucking out. Also, dudes...
I finished up one of my late night viewings of Lost in Translation last night after the gig, and found myself, as usual, wondering what the hell is whispered by Bob during the last scene. So i searched out some possibilities today, and came up with a mixed bag, then remembered the wise words that Sasha once spoke; "It's none of our goddamn business!"
Alas she was right, but in the search process i came across this translation that is pretty fuckin' funny! Here's the Japanese to English translation of the director yelling at Bob during the filming of the whiskey commercial. Ring-a-ding ding!
Available for a limited time only is the Achiever’s Edition Gift Set that packages the remastered Widescreen Collector's Edition together with The Big Lebowski Bowling Shammy Towel, 4 Collectible Coasters that include photos and quotable lines from the movie, and 8 Exclusive Photo Cards from Jeff Bridges’ personal collection.
Far out. Far fucking out! - October 18!!
I remember reading this article over at The Palace, and even shared some of the funniest ones with MV, and i just remembered to search it out online to share with all of my music snob friends. The original Spin Magazine posting is gone, but i found it on some guy's message board, word for word from the original. I'd try and sum up the concept for you, but the title and summary itself do it complete justice, so i won't try and top it. I will, however, add my one entry to the list and state my reasoning. So dig the article, and then see what i have to say afterwards and tell me if it does not make complete sense, in the style of the article of course.
Top 10 Most Accurately Rated Bands of All Time.
Blind Melon. Blind Melon had one huge hit single, which brought attention and multi-platinum sales to a great but "otherwise overlooked until No Rain dropped" album. This is par for the course, as many albums are out for lengthy periods before "the single" breaks the record. (Sweet Child of Mine, anyone?) They followed that up with a solid second album that was overlooked because everyone was still playing No Rain, unfortunately earning the band the career-breaking tag of "one hit wonder". Their singer dies during this second tour, thus limiting official album releases to 2, save for a decent posthumous compilation of unfinished shit. Non-fans see them as a one hit wonder, but agree that the one hit was a really catchy song that they still can't get out of their heads. It is also agreed that breaking a hippy-dippy pop song amidst the tidal wave of grunge was no small feat, lending a bit more cred to the band. Hardcore fans got two really solid albums, and accept the fact that they are viewed in certain circles as the proverbial one hit wonder, which seems to make everyone happy with their ratedness of "good band that got the short end of the stick by a cheesy 'label' and dead singer before they really hit their stride."
I am a huge fan of album artwork. I like to buy cds instead of download when i can to not only support the artist but to have the original album artwork and liner notes. Back in the day of vinyl the artwork was even more intricate and obviously larger as well. There's also something to be said for album covers that are just horribly bad! You appreciate the 'effort' put forth in these designs and concepts, and wonder who the hell ever thought they would fly! Controversial, sure, disgusting, perhaps, funny as hell - for sure! Take a moment to reflect on the 10 worst album covers.
Apologies to Pat for taking a bit of time to get to this, but i am now on it - with new graphic!
Save Carnivale!
I've been watching a slew of HBO shows in the wake of Carnivale's cancellation, trying to fill that void. While many others are fantastic, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc., there is only one Carnivale. It is unlike any other show that i've ever seen, possibly the best that HBO has to offer, and with it's cancellation has come a backlash and flood of diehard fan support. I highly recommend either buying, renting, borrowing or downloading season 1 and seeing what all the fuss is aboot. You will not be disappointed. We already have many converts, and our season 1 dvds and Pat's video tapes of season 2 are in constant circulation and demand. Please take a minute to visit the Save Carnivale website and sign a petition, contact HBO, post a graphic on your website and generally spread the word. Now let's shake some dust!
Complete, it is. The second Star Wars trilogy came to a close with yesterday's first viewing of Revenge of the Sith. I must say i was damn impressed! The transformation of one man into the century's most notorious villian was actually very cool and quite a bit more graphic than i expected. Sure, the dialogue is still cheesy, but that's a franchise trademark, right? There are more than enough battle scenes, gorgeous landscapes and plot resolutions to put this movie at the top of the current trilogy, second only to 'Empire' on my overall list. My only complaint, and it is a small one, is that since Lucas built a new Vader suit to be worn by Hayden, instead of using the originally huge Vader, the new Vader seems noticeably smaller in stature at the end of the 'Frankenstein' scene where he stands up off the table. He appears back to original size in the final flight deck shot standing beside the Emperor. Other than that, killer flick - check it over the 2-4 weekend!
Hey there kids. Sorry about the non-top5 again. I went to Justin's for our first viewing of our freshly-purchased Old School DVDs, and they are sweet indeed. A tad of extra footage added to the movie itself, and some great deleted scenes and bloopers. I also caught wind of a sequel in the works, which should be fab as long as most of the original cast is kept intact. Rumour has it it will be based more on Frank the Tank instead of Mitch, which will rock.
Off to see Coldplay in Toronto tomorrow night so the top5 will most likely be back next week. Also have the recording of our gig last Friday in my hands, so will be posting a few tracks up shortly. Until then, keep on rockin.
Once again, apologies for the lack of Top 5 yesterday. Getting back to reality from the long weekend bender apparently didn't include blogging! To calm all of my shocked friends and finally put minds at ease, i finally saw The Matrix (the first one!!) last night. As i suspected, and was told on countless occasions, it was really fuckin' cool! The absolute best part of it all is that i don't have to wait 4 years for the next one - i can go out and see it tonight if i like! I think i will do this from now on with all the mega movies with known sequels to be coming out. Bring on Neo!
I'm sure many of you are already aware, but the Beastie Boys new protest song, In a World Gone Mad, is available for free download on their website. In the words of Adrock, "This song is not an anti-American or pro-Saddam Hussein statement. This is a statement against an unjustified war." Whether you agree or disagree with the Boys, it's new B-Boys styles and that excites me! Dig it.
I have just returned from seeing the excellent documentary, Standing in the Shadows of Motown. I dragged Mandy along as well, and i think she dug it and picked up a little music history along the way. If you get a chance to go see this film, do so! The Funk Brothers were the backing players on almost all of Motown's hits of the day, and the opening tagline says they are responsible for playing on more #1 hits than Elvis, the Stones, Beach Boys and Beatles combined. That's some heavy shit! The surviving Funk Brothers were reassembled for the film, and did a concert featuring many guest vocalists (Ben Harper, Joan Osborne, Bootsy Collins and Chaka Khan, to name a few), of which the footage is interspersed with interview footage both archival and new. You really get behind the scenes into the Motown session and club scene, get to really know the players as both musicians and people, and the guys finally get the exposure and respect that is long overdue.
I caught a sneak preview of Old School last night, and i must say it is the funniest, laugh-out-loud movie that i've seen in theatres in a long time. From the director of Road Trip, it is, of course, retarded comedy (my favourite kind!), but damn is it funny. Luke Wilson as the straight man, Will Ferrell in his most hilarious role yet, and Vince Vaughn - what else can you say about Vince? Non stop, fast talking madness and laughs. Vince doing the iron cross on the rings in gymnastic tights with a smoke hanging from his mouth is the funniest image i've seen in years! When this movie opens next week do yourselves a comedy favour and go see it!
Happy weekend, everyone. A couple of weeks ago in a posting, a couple of people, i believe perhaps Al and Maddy (look at me too lazy to go back and check that!) mentioned to check out some Jason Mraz for some acoustic sweetness. Well, i have, and i dig! very stylin' and catchy. Unique voice as well. I must add to the mental xmas cd list that nobody will know anyway! I think to keep it simple, if any of my family wishes to purchase me a christmas gift this year, and i say only if they want to, since i think it's crap to actually expect stuff by default, hence the aversion to physically listing stuff that you want, that i will direct them to Amazon.ca, the new Canadian Amazon. Gift certificates rule, and then thousands of books, cds and dvds will be at my disposal! I'm salivating at the thought already... :) Also, not that i expect anyone to care, or even know what i'm talking about since i'm the only fan i know, but the Grey Cup is this weekend, which is always the best football game of the year, in any league, so go Esks!!
On one more music tip, for the John Mayer fans out there, he still has some great stuff posted up on his mp3.com site, most notably a phunky-phat live acoustic version of Neon (5/18/00) that clocks in at almost 9 minutes, and is a must-download! I am also listening to that track at this very moment, hence the title of this posting... sweet, sweet music.
The Band: Rage Against the Machine. The Voice: Chris Cornell. The Result: Audioslave. The Verdict: KILLER! I had been waiting for this release for some time and was more than stoked when i picked it up on my lunch break yesterday. Not being able to listen to it until last evening made the afternoon fly by, and just knowing it was in my pocket, available to me at any time i was ready, made the anticipation that much more satisfying. What can i say, it's heavy, riff-filled rock fronted by one of the best rock vocalists of the previous decade. It's a happy marriage of their two former sounds, and exactly what i expected for the most part, which is not a bad thing at all considering i love both Rage and Soundgarden. There are some nice melodic moments mixed in with the raunchy tuned-down guitars, which makes for a sweet package overall. Dig some of this if you get the opportunity. They will also be on Letterman on Monday Nov. 25 if you stay up for the late-night action. I will be a slave to this new audio for many spins to come.
I had this weird dream last night where i was acting in a John Cusack-directed film with some other unknown actors. I had a key scene where i was fishing, which i nailed with uncanny accuracy, but i also had this other scene where i had to deliver a dramatic monologue and i kept cracking up. I was berating the other two characters for living lives according to their clothes (a la The Gap commercials) and then i pointed out the window to a baseball diamond and made reference to America's game and how that was real. I thought i brought the house down but John made me do it again. Bastard! It was weird.
That, and someone found my site over the weekend by searching on "nice shoes, wanna fuck?" I didn't think i was that easy.
"Let me tell you something about bullshit. It’s everywhere. You hit me with a little, I buy it. I hit you with a little, you buy it. That doesn’t make us idiots. That’s what makes us buddies. We buy what the corps hands out, and that’s what makes us Marines. And the corps’ buyin’ all the bullshit from President Kennedy, and he’s buyin’ all the bullshit from everybody in the US of fuckin’ A, and that’s what makes us Americans."
"It’s still bullshit."
"Right, and we’re in it up to our goddamn lips, buddy."
Bob Dylan's 1966 World Tour changed the face of rock and roll forever. Always one step ahead of the game, or deliberately off the beaten path, Dylan's folk-to-rock crossover is often heralded as the greatest moment in rock history. 1996 World Tour, The Home Movies was compiled from footage shot by drummer Mickey Jones on that tour, who replaced Levon Helm, who apparently left the tour after the band was booed for the entire US leg. Visit the site for extended info and press reviews on this coolest of never-before-seen home movie releases. Once i scare up some extra bread this will have to be purchased. Christmas gift, anyone?
Footnote: I'll probably be away from the blog for a few days since my sister is getting married this weekend and all the madness and fun gets underway tomorrow after work with the rehearsal dinner, through the Saturday wedding and the Sunday brunch. Should be a blast! I want to try and get my two cents in tomorrow on tonight's hopefully kickass Survivor episode though - we shall see! Have a good one everybody.
Just watched a great documentary on the evolution of skating out of surfing and the innovative Zephyr skate and surf team - Dogtown and Z-Boys. Great old video footage and photos of the originators skating - Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams, Tony Alva, etc. It totally captures the raw adrenalin-fueled shredding of the California shores, streets, schoolyards, pools and competitions. Kickin' classic rock soundtrack, story told by the skaters themselves, directed by Stacy Peralta and narrated by Sean Penn. Dig it if you are in any way interested in the history of skating breaking from the counterculture into the mainstream and beyond, and the personal stories of the skaters themselves.
I finished the Godfather trilogy last night in fine fashion with part III. (Sorry, Pete!) Apart from Sofia Coppola's stiff acting, i rather enjoyed it, again. I say again because i saw it originally in the theatre in '90 and hadn't seen it since. I ended up picking up the whole trilogy for like 30 cents on the Columbia House "sign-up-and-get-10-movies-for-a-buck" thing, or was it a cent? Either way it was cheap! And i finally watched them all.
So to the point - the video releases have interviews with Coppola (Francis), Pacino, Keaton, etc. on the tapes before the films (not into DVD world yet) start, and they are discussing important scenes and showing film footage and everything. I understand they are "classics" and everyone is supposed to know exactly what happens all the way through all films so showing all the good stuff BEFORE you watch the film shouldn't bother anyone. But how retarded is that? I totally forgot that Pacino dies at the end of III, and they show that in the intro clips! Now luckily i realized this trend in part I, and FF'ed the intros of II & III, and went back and watched them after the film, but for some unsuspecting soul watching these "special" releases for the first time the whole movie could be blown out of the water for them! (Sorry for that reference, Fredo.)
Does anyone else see the nonsense in this? I guess now with DVDs we can jump around the disc to things like this, so my whole piece is for the remaining video crowd, so maybe it's a sign to get with the times and dump video! Man, i still have great stuff on BETA that i can't watch anymore, let alone VHS. Long live video tapes! (at least until i can afford a DVD setup. :)
So i've been watching/taping the films of Stanley Kubrick on the Bravo! channel for many Friday nights now, and last night they showed Barry Lyndon. I was staying in so i got all geared up for it since it was one that i hadn't seen before. It started off all well and good and about 15 minutes into it i decided i just wasn't in the mood for a period piece - Kubrick or not. Well my friends, your humble narrator reached into his bag of tricks (movie collection) and oh what a glorious alternative he did extract! Sorry, a little Clockwork Alex there. Well it IS my Kubrick post, right?
So long story short i launched into The Godfather part I. Fantastic film as i'm sure you all know, but now i have 6 more hours of viewing ahead as i must follow up with parts II & III of course.
Back to the Kubrick angle. For any interested souls out there the final 3 Kubrick films to be aired are The Shining, Spartacus and Eyes Wide Shut - one of my personal faves. I suppose i'll make another Kubrick post when all is said and done and maybe spark a mildly healthy debate on the subject at hand. We shall see!