post 242. the episode that made me keep the faith.

post 241. jeff gets brolic. (it's about time.)

post 240. ah, 1982.

post 239. dadaist monologues from spam emails.

my inbox, as it is for so many people, is filling with junk email, but several have been coming to me with these strange dadaist monologues...here's one i got today:

piggyback the inferno and sponge cake. reveler?

pressurized red detain the and?! road as realist inordinately, off-white helmet perspire, prophet at cane a freak out coal mutilate electrolysis,

unauthorized shutdown beyond, of as frustrating, the turn. it validate patriotic heroically payee a the Holy Ghost an

accordion, departmental billy goat. a fleet misspent unfortunate pipeline simile,

nuclear of convivial... ardent, pot fiend Civil War

pepperoni it pursue to maturity enclave

deduce. emergency as flatulence, day. and tobacco and rapid transit dissemination. merriment. inexcusable. was as unprintable a the and underwrote. the loyally, VCR a buff

click honest chicken feed dryly the this desist, discussion chubby agitator pitiless

triumph fag of sovereignty that wager sucker forwarding address greatness simultaneously

lay as master of ceremonies computer, the semantics, cigarette paramount an

post 238. sweet.

we helped the cinema raise over a thousand bucks tonight. feels good. but they wouldn't let us climb on the top of the marquee for a picture, though.

post 237. they are all lost.

post 236. i will be playing the part of danny charley.

post 235. peeping tom.

from ipecac.com:

Mar. 14, 2006

It is truly hard to beleive it is almost here!!!! PEEPING TOM The notorious project that Mike Patton has been working on for over 6 years! The mysterious leaked demos! Which label will it be on? Who are the guests? What will it sound like? Is Mike singing? Where did the Warriors season go wrong? Will they tour? A lot of these questions will be answered soon!!!!!! IPECAC RECORDINGS is proud to announce that PEEPING TOM "self titled" full length debut release will be unveiled on May 30th! Mike Patton will be joined by an impressive lineup of guests. Here is what you get for your hard earned cash: 1) Five Seconds (featuring Odd Nosdam) 2) Mojo (featuring Rahzel and Dan the Automator) 3) Don't Even Trip (featuring Amon Tobin) 4) Getaway (featuring Kool Keith) 5) Your Neighborhood Spaceman (featuring Jel and Odd Nosdam) 6) Kill The DJ (featuring Massive Attack) 7) Caipirinha (featuring Bebel Gilberto) 8) Celebrity Death Match (featuring Kid Koala) 9) How U Feelin? (featuring Doseone) 10) Sucker (featuring Norah Jones) 11) We're Not Alone (featuring Dub Trio) Does this record really exist?

post 234. season 2, monday june 12th.

thank you, o sweet sweet jesus.

post 233. writing from last night's trip to starry nights.

The harbor and its small hamlet of minor houses was under the watchful eye of the three deadliest pirates on the high seas: The Dread Pirate Roberts, Captain Spade, and Martin Lefthook. They were, however, unawares of each other: Roberts’ ship was safely tucked behind a jetty, Spade’s ship was anchored just around the bend of a nearby satellite island, and Lefthook’s crew was actually in the port. Having just “commandeered” a merchant ship, they had stopped here to begin outfitting the ship to their more singular needs, and hadn’t even changed the flag. * Roberts was confident. Dressed in his signature black, he strode the length of the deck, pensively in thought. His crew waited, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice; they were used to his slicing orders out of the air, pieces from a larger scheme floating in front of him. * He was, of course, the smartest and wiliest of all pirates, and had a feeling: something wasn’t right. He adjusted his black leather gloves and motioned to his Quartermaster, who, as if reading his mind, was already bringing him his telescope. He looked at the small houses dotted along the harbor. The merchant ship. The line of trees, swaying lightly in the setting sun. * “Something isn’t right here,” he said, handing back the telescope. The crew, as if this were an order, all nodded in unison. * Captain Spade was a giant man, the strongest of all the pirates. His crew contained the broadest, surliest, and most dangerous of every nationality he had ever visited, all brimming with dangerous-looking swords and weapons. They all fought with each other over a position to take on the deck while Spade paced the deck, chopping at the railing with his sword while looking at the harbor. He was himself armed like three ordinary men, his face and half-naked body scarred and browned from a life of ripping open ships and wayward sailors with his bare hands while cruising the Mediterranean. He had once killed an orangutan, the legend said. Spade and his men only bent themselves to kill and reap the spoils. To burn and take. To rape, pillage. They were an entire powder keg, ready to explode and envelop their victim in flames. * “We will wait,” he said. “We will wait until the town sleeps.” He chopped at the railing again, looking at the line of trees, waving him over to them. “Then we will destroy it and move inland to take what waits to be ours.” * His crew grunted, like an evil and wicked prayer. * Captain Lefthook and his men were mostly below decks of their new ship. Lefthook was brash and courageous, dressed to the height of French fashion, his crew a small, diamond-hard unit, used to the heavy casualties that came with his fearless direction. This last operation had yielded a ship, this ship, but they lost ten men in a daring exploit, Lefthook at the center while pistols fired and swords swooped around him. * They were busy deciding how best to convert their new ship. Cannons here. This deck will have an armory. Booty will be held here, we’ll change this…Lefthook was interrupted by his most trusted sailor, a wily, wiry, suspicious man named Oil. Armed with an uncanny ability to find answers and information, Oil was despised amongst the rest of the crew, since he had betrayed many of them in battle to save himself. * “Captain,” he said, his voice thrilled to give news that would lead to action. “I have surveyed the area, and I believe you should come on deck.” * Lefthook looked to Oil, then started for the steps. * “Captain, I suggest you put on one of the Mariner’s uniforms.” * Lefthook turned. “There is no man I should be afraid of, Oil.” The crewmembers raised their eyebrows and adjusted; an opportunity, finally, to dispose of Oil? * “Captain,” Oil said, his head bowed in a melodramatic display of submission. “I am more than aware of your supremacy. However, we are not the only pirates here. And since we are still under the guise of a merchant vessel, we should take advantage of the opportunity for disguise.” * Oil led Lefthook’s gaze to the small island. “…And there, sir. Amongst the trees on the Eastern…” * “I see it. It’s Spade, all right.” Lefthook handed the telescope to Oil. “Roberts and Spade.” * “Could they be here to destroy us, captain?” Asked the Sailing Master. * “There’s no way they could know we took this ship,” Lefthook answered. He turned from the waters and looked to the harbor. The small houses. The line of trees, hiding something. “Why would Roberts and Spade come…here?” He took a step across the deck. “Perkins. Assemble the men. We’re going to take Spade’s ship tonight. Oil.” * “Yes, sir.” * “I want to know what’s here. What would bring them both here.” * Oil nodded, his smile more like a jarring scar.

post 232. season 2, up to 3:00 pm.

damn. i mean, damn. that look on jack's face after he drugs the other ctu guy while carting nina to the airport? that was awesome. pure-d awesome. i dumped all the remaining memories of v for vendetta just so i could remember that look. and george? poor george. i had a tear -- real, live tear -- when he said goodbye to his kid.

post 231. v for vendetta.

saw this tonight with adam. ehh. whatever. lately, i've had this desire to see every movie directed by wes anderson. liked hugo weaving ('s voice), dug natalie portman. i'll forget the rest of this movie next time i turn on the telly, though.

post 230. brick.

a character named "gary trueman?" a dream? pie and coffee? the very fact that it toys with the noir? this movie has so much twin peaks in it i'm counting the minutes until it comes out.

post 229. march of the pigs in rochester, 3_9_06.

post 228. saul williams, list of demands.

post 227. they won.

saw c.s.a: the confederate states of america last night with mary ellen; the movie is a mockumentary on how america was shaped after the south won the civil war. there were moments that were especially itchy, and those moments for me were mainly the "commercials" that aired between the mockumentary's segments. in all honesty, they were making me very, very uncomfortable -- i don't want to give away anything as to the content, you can be offended on your own -- and had me beginning to believe that the filmmakers were simply making these fake commercials because they could, under the pretense of making this film, get away with the horrible racial slurs. then comes the end of the film -- the very end -- and it just made me mad. a very interesting movie -- thank god for the north -- but if you're getting offended and think that some sort of south parkian prank is being pulled, i implore you to stay until the end.

post 226.

post 225. the sword, age of winters.

my first day back at the archive in a few weeks. i'm putting out cds. i check out the coalition booth, read a little about this band, put on the headphones, and boom. i have a new favorite band. i also managed to shang-hai a copy of the new eagles of death metal album, but it might be a while 'til i get to it...this album right here is just too damn good. black sabbath, fu manchu, metal metal metal.

from allmusic.com:

Coming to grips with the Sword's unlikely genesis in the alternative music Mecca of Austin, TX, leads one to wonder whether heavy metal has finally become hip again. Depending on your generation, nothing will seem as simultaneously preposterous (Gen-X'ers who came of age during pop-metal's heyday and don't recognize it as an unrepresentative anomaly) or obvious (everyone else) when discussing a genre that's spent the bulk of its 35-year history on the absolute fringe of rock culture. If that isn't "alternative," well, what is? In any case, glorifying heavy metal's prototypical qualities is exactly what the Sword is all about, and their 2006 debut, Age of Winters, sees them joining California's High on Fire, Sweden's Witchcraft, and Australia's Wolfmother (to name but a few) at the forefront of what's gradually become known in the mid-'00s as the "heritage" or "retro-metal" movement. No, not stoner rock -- that's sooo ten years earlier! The only thing the Sword and their ilk have in common with most '90s stoner rockers is recognizing that all heavy metal empires are sprung from the Black Sabbath cornerstone, and the token signs can be readily heard in these songs' ominous doom chords (just listen to opener "Celestial Crown" and "Lament for the Aurochs"), pummeling, down-picked staccato riff-runs ("Barael's Blade," "Ebethron"), lyrics about fantasy and legend ("Freya," "The Horned Goddess," etc.), and, finally, those borderline-inadequate, zombie vocals first made acceptable by Ozzy himself. The Sword's singer, JD Cronise, is certainly guilty of the latter, but then that only helps to focus one's attention upon the album's main attraction: its megalithic guitar work. For the record, the Sword spins the evolutionary clock as far forward as '80s thrash, on occasion, resulting in colossal, galloping onslaughts such as "Winter's Wolves" (complete with howling wolves, naturally) and "Iron Swan" (prefaced by delicate melodies of a medieval feel). Yes, you'll probably have to be a certified, stainless steel metalhead to really appreciate the skyscraping riff constructions of "March of the Lor" (an instrumental in eight movements!), but the vast majority of what's on-hand proves remarkably well-balanced and almost suspiciously immediate to the ears. As such, Age of Winters provides neophyte (errr -- alternative?) listeners with as good an entryway as any into the "retro-metal" universe, while also managing to sound refreshing even to calloused heavy metal ears -- this is no small achievement.

post 224. my celly pix from nine inch nails, with helpful arrows to help the reader discern what, exactly, i took pictures of.

you know what's bothersome? idjits who boo opening acts. now, i'm sure that when i die someone's going to show me some video of me booing an opening act, but, well, the mooney suzuki sucked. what a pain, for some people, to be exposed to new music! the dunderheads behind us booing saul williams must not have realized that this is an artist who mr. reznor supports, and has put him on stage so that nin fans can get a taste of something that isn't a carbon copy or peer in the whole "anrgy rock" genre. jo and i sat in section 113 -- where the above picture was taken from -- but soon received a text from beki saying there were seats by her over in section 124. so i waited for a song to sacrifice by which to make the pilgrimmage around the arena...and boom -- "the line begins to blur." not that i don't like that song, but had i moved during "march of the pigs," well, then, i just couldn't call myself a nine inch nails fan, much less look at myself in the morning.

the set list:
new flesh/pinion (for those that know how it goes, realize that whenever i am cast in shows, i play "pinion" in my head to get me jazzed to go out on stage.)
love is not enough (dude. seriously becoming one of my favorite songs.)
you know what you are (didn't have the power that the record gives it. hey, sorry, that's just my opinion.)
terrible lie
line begins to blur (ok. this is is. beki just texted and said there are some open seats. move! move! no, fuck your shoe, you shoulda tied it better! go go go!)
march of the pigs (this song makes me believe that i was put on this earth for one reason: to act like a silly little school girl whenever that beautiful, beautiful drum part gets a-spanking.)
piggy (a thumb piano? joanna -- whose character in geva comedy improv's fiasco used this same instrument -- was very pleased.)
frail/wretched (you know what? it's very simple. this song kicks some serious ass.)
closer (interesting take on the guitar parts. that aaron north is one rocking mother fucker. when he leaped into the crowd jo and beki were excited; when he threw his shattered instrument into the crowd later in the show, i wanted to jump into it as well and go swimming for something that would have sat on my coffee table for years.)
burn (when mr. reznor said, "this is a song from natural born killers," it was like remembering a childhood crush. the adoration, the giddies, all those kids during the self-destruct tour, dressed like "the crow.")
gave up (bestest. song. ever.)
eraser (i hate making it sound like i came to the show with a grocery list of demands, but this song seems half-empty without "a warm place." but still one of my faves.)
i think it's also important to mention somewhere, and here's good, that mr. reznor has such a good grasp of song placement and space -- how much fun would two hours of hard-on head-smashing be? the show, with its swayings of emotion, is a piece of work in itself. it also helps one who hasn't done much head-banging in a while recouperate for a spell.
right where it belongs (paired with the imagery movied on the stage-wide screen, this song has developed in me new admiration. all those ballroom dancers? perfect.)
beside you in time (see: "right where it belongs.")
the day the world went away
wish
only
every day is exactly the same (i liked this live. a lot.)
suck (i think it's time to be honest. i never really liked this song. i don't know why. i just don't.)
hurt
hand that feeds (i just want to say: straight-on, no frills, great bass line, fuzzy and sweaty, tight tight tight.)
head like a hole

everyone, it seemed, was trying to take pictures with their cell phones. what crappy pictures, but nice enough to evoke the memories, right? trent said a bunch of thank yous, but then had a nice monologue about being thankful that he had run into a friend he hadn't seen since the last time he was in rochester, and how after all this time, it was great for him to look out at an arena full of people who were still into his band. cheers from the crowd. i took the picture above while trent played "hurt."

i soon realized that beki's seats were in the section of "tickets given away to fancy people;" the kids from wber were sitting in front of us (i haven't been to a show with shaun dulen in a long time) and kevin leas was behind us. the show was really great; although jo and i had a nice talk afterwards about how i don't have as much anger to connect with nin's songs like i used to (i was excited to hear the new songs but felt like the old stuff was more like visiting old friends; joanna made an interesting connection between relationships with bands and relationships with significant others), it's great to be able to look at a stage and say, "right now, trent reznor is right there. he's no where else in the world." $30 for a new nin shirt, $15 for one of saul williams' books, $20 for two rounds of beer, a sore neck from some headbanging, a few pbr's with beki, her cousins, and jim at lux afterwards. a great night.

post 223. from the new york times.

if this is true (and it is from the new york times), this is the most amazing thing i've ever heard. it's blowing my frickin' mind.

HOW BLONDS EVOLVE, by Roger Dobson and Abul Taher.

According to the study, North European women evolved blond hair and blue eyes at the end of the Ice Age to make them stand out from their rivals at a time of fierce competition for scarce males.

The study argues that blond hair originated in the region because of food shortages 10,000 to 11,000 years ago. Until then, humans had the dark brown hair and dark eyes that still dominate in the rest of the world. Almost the only sustenance in Northern Europe came from roaming herds of mammoths, reindeer, bison and horses. Finding them required long, arduous hunting trips in which numerous males died, leading to a high ratio of surviving women to men.

Lighter hair colors, which started as rare mutations, became popular for breeding, and numbers increased dramatically, according to the research, published under the aegis of the University of St. Andrews. ... However, the future of the blond is uncertain.

A study by the World Health Organization found that natural blonds are likely to be extinct within 200 years because there are too few people carrying the blond gene. According to the W.H.O. study, the last natural blond is likely to be born in Finland during 2202.

post 222. more pictures from the wine tour of last week.

lori and i, moments before meeting doobie the donkey.

ali and i clink our glasses in a fine bout of hoity-toity-ness.

ah, who can say no to putting your face in one of these things?

post 221. nin thursday.

2 tickets, section 113, row j, seats 12-13, blue cross arena. that is, if my buddy doesn't come through with those choice seats he was saying he might be able to get his hands on. but better safe than sorry. trent's been sick the past few days, so i hope he's feeling better.

post 220. joanna at macgregor's after our daily perks gig.

post 219. a submission to found magazine.

we -- geva comedy improv -- found this on the floor of daily perks coffee house last night before our city council improv show. i submitted it this morning to found magazine. at first, it looks like a list of suggestions one might get just for an improv show, but we found it before our first audience member had arrived, so its origin is unknown.

post 218. beastie boys with my classes.

aj and lindsay -- from my mwf 10:45 class -- drop the beat in a game designed to help rhyming. it's based on the unfortunate truth that the beastie boys have developed an all-too-overused rhyme scheme in their songs.

post 217. just like you imagined. (one week until nine inch nails in rochester.)