i was really too young when "thriller" came out to get how groundbreaking the video was or what a cultural force this one album had become. i really didn't get how big michael jackson was until the early 90's when he released the "dangerous" album. i remember fox, which at that time was still struggling to become the fourth network, debuted the "black or white" video with macaulay culkin. i remember thinking, "how big is this dude that they moved back their regular programming for his video?" and they did it again for "remember the time." but it wasn't long after that, that the rumors and allegations and lawsuits started. and he quickly turned into a punchline. not a real human. he wasn't human to us. he was a fantasy figure existing in our realm of reality, something artificial, something innocent, but broken. the 80's were michael jackson, bill cosby and coke for me. i don't partake of any of those things anymore, but i'm still sad to see them go. i'm sad to see them go because we all knew those things. i'm not sure what we all know anymore.
lester bangs said this about elvis when he died: "but i can guarantee you one thing; we will never agree on anything as we agreed on elvis. so i won't bother saying goodbye to his corpse. i will say goodbye to you."
i don't know how, but that perfectly fits what i feel.
excellent article from time: the death of peter pan.
evidently the simpsons will be the death of television. bring it on.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
plans
grizzly bear covered by band of horses.
the words forming in your mouth: whoa shit. or cank sure. it's 50/50.
or tartar sauce. it's less than 50/50. it's 40/40. i don't think that's right.
the words forming in your mouth: whoa shit. or cank sure. it's 50/50.
or tartar sauce. it's less than 50/50. it's 40/40. i don't think that's right.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
the kids
lou reed's berlin is an audio representation of a nightmare. the listening experience is brutal. it is desolate, it is desirable, it is completely devoid of human comfort. lou goes out of his way to beat you over the head with misery. the kids screaming at the end of "the kids" is intolerable. the little boy screaming "mommy!" makes your eyes glaze over and stare ahead and eventually lie behind your eyelids for security. it makes your heart beat slower and your breathing grows longer.
it's 4a.m. and lou is singing "and this is the room where she took the razor and cut her wrists that strange and fateful night, and I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling, and I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling."
i'm almost thankful i broke that cd that night.
it's 4a.m. and lou is singing "and this is the room where she took the razor and cut her wrists that strange and fateful night, and I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling, and I said, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, what a feeling."
i'm almost thankful i broke that cd that night.
say goodbye to hollywood
in the words of william joel: "so many faces in and out of my life, some will last, some will just be now and then, life is a series of hellos and goodbyes, i'm afraid it's time for goodbye again." william joel, telling us that life isn't permanent, that the people we know are not permanent and that it should be appreciated before it's gone. william joel everyone.
with this recent depression still in our minds, i have to ask, will we actually change our behavior from just a few years ago? will we realize how irrational, unsustainable our behaviors had become? we'll see.
the government is giving money to tesla to build a new car. i hope they don't mean these guys.
elizabeth warren is a professor at harvard, but more importantly she's the chairman of the congressional oversight panel of TARP. and while i'm not sure how well she's doing overseeing TARP, i do enjoy listening to her when she speaks. she is clear, she is honest and i believe she has good intentions. here is her suggestion for moving forward.
i've read several reviews of the new sunset rubdown album and i can't wait to hear it.
with this recent depression still in our minds, i have to ask, will we actually change our behavior from just a few years ago? will we realize how irrational, unsustainable our behaviors had become? we'll see.
the government is giving money to tesla to build a new car. i hope they don't mean these guys.
elizabeth warren is a professor at harvard, but more importantly she's the chairman of the congressional oversight panel of TARP. and while i'm not sure how well she's doing overseeing TARP, i do enjoy listening to her when she speaks. she is clear, she is honest and i believe she has good intentions. here is her suggestion for moving forward.
i've read several reviews of the new sunset rubdown album and i can't wait to hear it.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
famous last words
by the way, a week from today, the new wilco album comes out. i know i've bashed it pretty good, but i'll be there front and center tuesday afternoon putting down my cash for a copy. i will probably also buy a chick-fil-a sandwich because there's one right next to best buy on richmond.
worse comes to worst
the piano man. the album starts out with what sounds like someone blowing on a jug and it ends with a song about masturbation and dying in a swimming pool. that's why this album is a classic. william joel put it all together for this album. and although he's characterized as a singer/songwriter from the 70's/80's, he was always different to me. guys like james taylor, jim croce or jackson browne were writers of sweet/pretty tunes, which william joel did too. but william joel wrote with a snarl of attitude, he was like a little punk, that kid in school who was 5'6 but would fight you no matter what. that's william joel.
ed mcmahon is dead. he was 86. he was found in a closet tied with by his hands and genitals. i'm kidding. that only happens in thailand. there was a joke on snl weekend update with dennis miller years ago that said there was a break in the kennedy assassination because they had an audio tape that captured the three shots during the motorcade and then someone yelling "YES!" like ed mcmahon used to do on the tonight show. that joke always hung around with me.
derivatives are still around. in some circles, their image is changing from months ago. is that correct? or that is already memory lag from the fall?
ben bernanke could be out of a job come jan. 31. it's highly unlikely, but look for some image control as we get closer to that date.
this website/blog is pretty cool. it takes us day by day concurrently with the present day through 1930. so if you click it today, you can read about june 23, 1930. pretty sweet.
"worse comes to worst, i'll get along, i don't know how, but sometimes i can be strong." the words of william martin joel.
ed mcmahon is dead. he was 86. he was found in a closet tied with by his hands and genitals. i'm kidding. that only happens in thailand. there was a joke on snl weekend update with dennis miller years ago that said there was a break in the kennedy assassination because they had an audio tape that captured the three shots during the motorcade and then someone yelling "YES!" like ed mcmahon used to do on the tonight show. that joke always hung around with me.
derivatives are still around. in some circles, their image is changing from months ago. is that correct? or that is already memory lag from the fall?
ben bernanke could be out of a job come jan. 31. it's highly unlikely, but look for some image control as we get closer to that date.
this website/blog is pretty cool. it takes us day by day concurrently with the present day through 1930. so if you click it today, you can read about june 23, 1930. pretty sweet.
"worse comes to worst, i'll get along, i don't know how, but sometimes i can be strong." the words of william martin joel.
Monday, June 22, 2009
go to extremes
i think instead of using random song titles for each blog entry, i will now only use the song stylings of mr. william joel. cause every time i see "anthony's song (movin' out)," i get a smile on my face. and that's what william joel does best, he makes people smile and enjoy life. i was riding my bike the other day and "uptown girl" came on. i probably looked like the queerest dude in the neighborhood on my bike because i was riding with no hands and dancing while i was riding. it was a great moment that perfectly symbolized the shot used as credits roll at the end of a movie. it was that momentous.
i've complained publicly and privately about the quality of wilco's (jeff tweedy's) lyrics going downhill. here is a song though that is still lyrically exciting.
michael lewis was on charlie rose the other night. check it out here.
lots of big names give the best advice they ever got. my best advice: life is only as good as your last sandwich.
here's an interview with sonic youth on pitchfork. never been a big fan of their's, but i respect their creativity and longevity.
the two girls in front of me are talking how gross it is to have dead skin on your lips. they're going through how to get rid of it. one suggestion is putting lip balm on your lips when you go to bed. another is a thicker version of vasoline called aquafore (?). they're still going on about this. i went from downtown in the tunnel, where it's happening, to sitting here listening to this shit. i got to get back downtown.
now she's talking in armenian. wow. this is so brutal. i'm putting my headphones on.
i've complained publicly and privately about the quality of wilco's (jeff tweedy's) lyrics going downhill. here is a song though that is still lyrically exciting.
michael lewis was on charlie rose the other night. check it out here.
lots of big names give the best advice they ever got. my best advice: life is only as good as your last sandwich.
here's an interview with sonic youth on pitchfork. never been a big fan of their's, but i respect their creativity and longevity.
the two girls in front of me are talking how gross it is to have dead skin on your lips. they're going through how to get rid of it. one suggestion is putting lip balm on your lips when you go to bed. another is a thicker version of vasoline called aquafore (?). they're still going on about this. i went from downtown in the tunnel, where it's happening, to sitting here listening to this shit. i got to get back downtown.
now she's talking in armenian. wow. this is so brutal. i'm putting my headphones on.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
anthony's song (movin' out)
we signed the lease. we're moving.
i have no idea how we'll put this off, but we will.
i have no idea how we'll put this off, but we will.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
the ballad of el goodo
sammy sosa's name is apparently on the 2003 steroid list. this list is compiled of players who tested positive before baseball implemented its new, strict anti-performance enhancing drugs policy. first off, no shit sammy sosa's name is on there. that dude went from a scrawny kid from the d.r. to this behemoth in like a year. he went from hitting 10 home runs to hitting 60 in like two years. so that's no big surprise. what bothers me is the double standards in sports. if a guy gets caught using steroids in baseball, his career is over. just like that. no coming back. i mean jason giambi might be the lone exception. in football, guys take steroids and get suspended like shawn merrimen and almost win defensive player of the year awards. they don't get run out of the game. i don't understand that. also, what about this guy? donte stallworth is driving drunk and kills someone. he gets 30 days and he'll be back playing this year or the next. does that make sense to you? you take steroids, you're out forever. you kill someone, well, we'll let you back in after you serve time in your house. what the f?
what is going on iran? these people are pissed. i like their spirit. i like how the internet, meaning twitter and facebook, two simple web applications are being used to drive home their story and send images around the world. no dictator can stop that.
obama introduced sweeping financial reforms today. check it out here.
big star released number one record and radio city again. i'm not sure why. i don't think there's extra stuff on it and i don't think they've been remastered. but great stuff anyway.
randy, i still listen to burgers. i actually listen to it while i take a bath. i relax in some hot water and listen to burgers vols. 1 and 2. thanks again.
i had a stuffed snapper today that was heroic in taste and flavor. wow. i also had oatmeal. it was less tasty. but good for me.
what is going on iran? these people are pissed. i like their spirit. i like how the internet, meaning twitter and facebook, two simple web applications are being used to drive home their story and send images around the world. no dictator can stop that.
obama introduced sweeping financial reforms today. check it out here.
big star released number one record and radio city again. i'm not sure why. i don't think there's extra stuff on it and i don't think they've been remastered. but great stuff anyway.
randy, i still listen to burgers. i actually listen to it while i take a bath. i relax in some hot water and listen to burgers vols. 1 and 2. thanks again.
i had a stuffed snapper today that was heroic in taste and flavor. wow. i also had oatmeal. it was less tasty. but good for me.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
iowa city adieu
this engagement is nice. it's in downtown and i've been eating lunch in the tunnel. the tunnel is great. although it has no bathrooms. seriously. not one.
Friday, June 12, 2009
oh yeah
a friend of mine sent this to me who works at fox sports. she said this aired yesterday during an angels game.
free ride
"free ride." can you believe it? i missed "free ride." one of the partners here has gotten wind that i'm a rock and roll encyclopedia and he's taken to asking me to name the group for each song that he names. and i missed free ride. anybody know it? it's the edgar winter group. yeah, i know. what the hell? i've gotten most of his questions, but he's found my soft spot which is late 60's, early 70's soul, groups like the spinners, the ohio players and billy preston. i'm not as familiar with that as i should be. free ride. damn.
there's all kind of stuff going on out there (iran elections, switch from analog to digital, and other stuff that i don't care about on a friday.
by the way, looks like we're moving again. i know, it never gets old, does it?
"If I am the one
Blood on the sofa
Blood in the sink
Blood in the trunk
High at the wheel of a bull black nova
And I’m sorry as a setting sun
This can’t be undone
This can’t be outrun"
what is going on with those lyrics? freakin' me out man. by the way, i had a sandwich today and i had the realization that a sandwich without mayonaisse is just a sandwich. mayonaisse actually makes the sandwich. it really does. cheese is optional. lettuce optional. i think these rules apply to a hamburger as well, but that has not been tested yet. further results may differ.
there's all kind of stuff going on out there (iran elections, switch from analog to digital, and other stuff that i don't care about on a friday.
by the way, looks like we're moving again. i know, it never gets old, does it?
"If I am the one
Blood on the sofa
Blood in the sink
Blood in the trunk
High at the wheel of a bull black nova
And I’m sorry as a setting sun
This can’t be undone
This can’t be outrun"
what is going on with those lyrics? freakin' me out man. by the way, i had a sandwich today and i had the realization that a sandwich without mayonaisse is just a sandwich. mayonaisse actually makes the sandwich. it really does. cheese is optional. lettuce optional. i think these rules apply to a hamburger as well, but that has not been tested yet. further results may differ.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
hoodoo voodoo
garn- st. germain depository institutions act.
depository institutions deregulation and monetary control act.
obviously these are just small wiki pages, but i haven't found more than that yet.
depository institutions deregulation and monetary control act.
obviously these are just small wiki pages, but i haven't found more than that yet.
3 rounds and a sound
2nd post of the day.
i haven't posted from mish lately, but he's got a plan to save the fed's image. he has this because the fed is investing in actually improving their image. i think bernanke should shave his beard and start wearing stone-washed jordache.
here's more on fractional reserve lending and how it, and the fiat economy, are undermining our banking/financial institutions.
also, the real worry i have, besides massive infectious disease and deepening socio-economic divisions, is the great debt threat. it's coming if something isn't done and the worst thing is, to do something about it, is going to hurt. all of us.
i haven't posted from mish lately, but he's got a plan to save the fed's image. he has this because the fed is investing in actually improving their image. i think bernanke should shave his beard and start wearing stone-washed jordache.
here's more on fractional reserve lending and how it, and the fiat economy, are undermining our banking/financial institutions.
also, the real worry i have, besides massive infectious disease and deepening socio-economic divisions, is the great debt threat. it's coming if something isn't done and the worst thing is, to do something about it, is going to hurt. all of us.
they done wrong/we done wrong
another day, another swing in the move/won't move movement. after searching endlessly, we have one more place to see tonight. after tonight, if this place isn't the one, it's starting to feel like we're going to suck it up, pay the new rent rate and work feverishly to find jobs out of state before the end of our lease is up. that seems to be the new game plan. although the game plan is constantly evolving. the game plan like ten minutes ago was to move to arizona and raise komodo dragons. but that game plan is already gone. see, they move quick.
i had a quick epiphany last night. my wife was supposed to cook some chicken for us for lunch, but due to her mom calling and unleashing more of her middle-aged drama, she didn't get a chance to do it. but i brought it up how the chicken would go bad if she didn't cook it because it had already thawed out and was just sitting in the fridge. so she trudged downstairs, upset, and went to cook it. now this is about 10:15p.m. when this happened. now usually, i as the husband who never forgets and always has the nightly outline laid out and signed off on, would have continued to lay in bed and read for my CPA test. but this time, it flashed in front of my eyes. she's going down there to do this for me. she didn't forget because she was lazy or watching television. she forgot because she's always dealing with her mom's crap and she became upset about her mom and therefore forgot. don't punish her. the punishment of an irresponsible, immature mother is enough. so i grabbed a book (a heartbreaking work of staggering genius by david eggers) and i went downstairs with her and read to her while she cooked. she loves when i read to her. it's these little breakthroughs that i hope to continue to have that keep my marriage a successful, happy one. it not always easy hearing about her family and how they're always purposefully butchering their lives, but it's not her fault.
sweet leaf tea is the best.
here is a quick scene from the office where jim dresses as dwight in the cold open and dwight repays the favor in the close. check it out. it's actually very funny when seen onscreen:
Jim: [Dressed as Dwight] It's kind of blurry. [puts on his glasses] That's better. [exhales] Question. What kind of bear is best?
Dwight: That's a ridiculous question.
Jim: False. Black bear.
Dwight: Well that's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought---
Jim: Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
Dwight: Bears do not--- What is going on--- What are you doing?!
Dwight: [walks in dressed as Jim] Pam.
Pam: Hey, Dwight. You look really nice today.
Dwight: [scoffs] Pssssh. I look like an idiot. Hey Karen.
Karen: Hey, Dwight, lookin' sharp.
Dwight: Yeah, that's cause I'm... you're boyfriend, Jim Halpert. Hey, Karen, wanna get t-together later and have sexual intercourse cause you're my girlfriend?
Jim: Do you?
Karen: No.
Jim: OK.
Karen: I'm good. Thanks.
Jim: [Dwight imitates the "Jim face"] Look at that.
Dwight: I'm Jim Halpert. [more horrible "Jim faces"]
Jim: Spot on.
Dwight: Ah-luh-luh, a little comment. Muh.
i had a quick epiphany last night. my wife was supposed to cook some chicken for us for lunch, but due to her mom calling and unleashing more of her middle-aged drama, she didn't get a chance to do it. but i brought it up how the chicken would go bad if she didn't cook it because it had already thawed out and was just sitting in the fridge. so she trudged downstairs, upset, and went to cook it. now this is about 10:15p.m. when this happened. now usually, i as the husband who never forgets and always has the nightly outline laid out and signed off on, would have continued to lay in bed and read for my CPA test. but this time, it flashed in front of my eyes. she's going down there to do this for me. she didn't forget because she was lazy or watching television. she forgot because she's always dealing with her mom's crap and she became upset about her mom and therefore forgot. don't punish her. the punishment of an irresponsible, immature mother is enough. so i grabbed a book (a heartbreaking work of staggering genius by david eggers) and i went downstairs with her and read to her while she cooked. she loves when i read to her. it's these little breakthroughs that i hope to continue to have that keep my marriage a successful, happy one. it not always easy hearing about her family and how they're always purposefully butchering their lives, but it's not her fault.
sweet leaf tea is the best.
here is a quick scene from the office where jim dresses as dwight in the cold open and dwight repays the favor in the close. check it out. it's actually very funny when seen onscreen:
Jim: [Dressed as Dwight] It's kind of blurry. [puts on his glasses] That's better. [exhales] Question. What kind of bear is best?
Dwight: That's a ridiculous question.
Jim: False. Black bear.
Dwight: Well that's debatable. There are basically two schools of thought---
Jim: Fact. Bears eat beets. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
Dwight: Bears do not--- What is going on--- What are you doing?!
Dwight: [walks in dressed as Jim] Pam.
Pam: Hey, Dwight. You look really nice today.
Dwight: [scoffs] Pssssh. I look like an idiot. Hey Karen.
Karen: Hey, Dwight, lookin' sharp.
Dwight: Yeah, that's cause I'm... you're boyfriend, Jim Halpert. Hey, Karen, wanna get t-together later and have sexual intercourse cause you're my girlfriend?
Jim: Do you?
Karen: No.
Jim: OK.
Karen: I'm good. Thanks.
Jim: [Dwight imitates the "Jim face"] Look at that.
Dwight: I'm Jim Halpert. [more horrible "Jim faces"]
Jim: Spot on.
Dwight: Ah-luh-luh, a little comment. Muh.
Monday, June 8, 2009
foux da fa fa
having lunch with a friend is great. get out of the office, have some laughs. very good monday thus far.
we're going to look at two different properties today and tomorrow. i haven't mentioned this before, but it looks like we might be moving. we'll still be here in houston, but our lease is up and our landlord is being a little bit crazy in her approach to negotiating. so we've taken it upon ourselves to begin searching for a new place. i think we might have found one that we're going to see tonight. moving will be a major bitch, but by moving we'll be sticking it to the landlord and her "chance to make some money" will turn into her financial black hole.
foux da fa fa.
as jon stewart helped to point out when he pantsed jim cramer a few months back, financial television is a mess. bloomberg television is actually pretty good, but the beast in question is CNBC, which had the market cornered for financial/business news and still leads the market by quite a bit. i have no numbers, but i can tell from the coverage on blogs/websites. this guy has 16 suggestions on how to fix it and most of them are pretty good.
the federal government's money is being spent too slow apparently, which i didn't think was possible. but obama says speed it up. he wants to create 600,000 jobs by the end of this summer. when compared to the 10% of the workforce out of work, that's really nothing, but it's a start.
top 10 housing markets for the next 10 years. i've looked at fort collins. looked at it, i haven't visited it. but i can see it from my house.
so did the government get it right by not buying bad assets before with TARP money?
if you have a macy's card, apparently that's one of the worst credit cards to have in the world. the world! but also if you have a macy's card, you're probably in love with yourself or hate yourself. this is all true. so here's some really bad credit cards to have.
we're going to look at two different properties today and tomorrow. i haven't mentioned this before, but it looks like we might be moving. we'll still be here in houston, but our lease is up and our landlord is being a little bit crazy in her approach to negotiating. so we've taken it upon ourselves to begin searching for a new place. i think we might have found one that we're going to see tonight. moving will be a major bitch, but by moving we'll be sticking it to the landlord and her "chance to make some money" will turn into her financial black hole.
foux da fa fa.
as jon stewart helped to point out when he pantsed jim cramer a few months back, financial television is a mess. bloomberg television is actually pretty good, but the beast in question is CNBC, which had the market cornered for financial/business news and still leads the market by quite a bit. i have no numbers, but i can tell from the coverage on blogs/websites. this guy has 16 suggestions on how to fix it and most of them are pretty good.
the federal government's money is being spent too slow apparently, which i didn't think was possible. but obama says speed it up. he wants to create 600,000 jobs by the end of this summer. when compared to the 10% of the workforce out of work, that's really nothing, but it's a start.
top 10 housing markets for the next 10 years. i've looked at fort collins. looked at it, i haven't visited it. but i can see it from my house.
so did the government get it right by not buying bad assets before with TARP money?
if you have a macy's card, apparently that's one of the worst credit cards to have in the world. the world! but also if you have a macy's card, you're probably in love with yourself or hate yourself. this is all true. so here's some really bad credit cards to have.
Friday, June 5, 2009
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