Year End Music Tally

Most of 2009 was a big pile of suck. However, nothing on this list is anything less than awesome. Hell, I even ventured out of the house to see a couple of these bands. This is the music I deemed it necessary to actually pay money for this past year. Dig it:

1. Company of Thieves - Ordinary Riches (Bonus Track Version) m4a
2. Acid Mothers Temple & The Cosmic Inferno - IAO Chant From The Cosmic Inferno CD
3. Flower Travellin' Band - Satori CD
4. Jessica Bailiff - Feels Like Home CD
5. The Lovetones - Meditations CD
6. Pacific UV - Pacific UV CD
7. Bardo Pond - On The Ellipse CD
8. Dean & Britta - Back Numbers CD
9. Puffy AmiYumi - Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: Music From The Series CD (Birthday present for Maiya)
10. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - We Are The Radio CDEP
11. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Armed Forces 2xCD
12. Spectrum Meets Captain Memphis - Indian Giver CD
13. The Jam - All Mod Cons: Deluxe Edition CD+DVD
14. The Who - The Who Sell Out CD
15. Mogwai - Mogwai Young Team CD
16. Mogwai - The Hawk Is Howling CD+DVD
17. Iron Maiden - Piece Of Mind CD
18. The Lovetones - Be What You Want CD
19. Bardo Pond - Peri CD
20. The Jam - Snap! 2xCD
21. Drop City - A Revolution Of Purely Private Expectations CD
22. Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew CD
23. The Lovetones - Dimensions CD Bought at the gig
24. The Prisoners - In From The Cold CD
25. Bardo Pond - Ticket Crystals CD
26. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Give It Back! CD
27. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Zero: Songs From The Album Bravery, Repetition, And Noise CDEP
28. Labradford - Fixed::Context CD
29. Drop City - Living In The Machine CD5
30. Cornershop - Handcream For A Generation CD
31. The Dandy Warhols - ...Earth To The Dandy Warhols... CD Promo
32. Luna - The Days Of Our Nights CD
33. Spectrum - War Sucks CDEP
34. Drop City - The New Situation CD Autographed!
35. Drop City - Chiaroscuro EP CDEP
36. Colorsound - Auspicious Beginnings CD
37. Colorsound - A Higher Station CD
38. The Morning After Girls - The General Public m4a
39. The Morning After Girls - Alone m4a
40. ExDetectives - Closing Bell mp3
41. Drop City - Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow m4a
42. Cornershop - When I Was Born For The 7th Time CD
43. The Byrds - Mr. Tambourine Man CD (remastered reissue)
    
44. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - My Bloody Underground CD
45. Bardo Pond - Dilate CD
46. Tom Waits - Blood Money CD
47. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 CD
48. John Coltrane - A Love Supreme CD
49. The Cramps - Psychedelic Jungle + Gravest Hits CD
50. The Who - The Who Sell Out: Deluxe Edition 2xCD
51. Drop City - Magic Transister Radio CD
52. The Lovetones - Stars EP CDEP
53. The Morning After Girls - The General Public 7" Bought at the gig
54. The Asteroid #4 - An Amazing Dream CD Bought at the gig
55. The Morning After Girls - Evolve. (Reissue) m4a
56. The Morning After Girls - Shadows Evolve single mp3 (only the b-sides)
57. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - B.R.M.C. CD
58. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Howl CD
59. Crass - The Feeding Of The 5000 CD
60. Bardo Pond - Game Five And A Half mp3
61. Bardo Pond - Cypher Documents I mp3
62. The Morning After Girls - Hi-Skies CD1 CDEP
63. The Morning After Girls - Hi-Skies CD2 CDEP
64. The Morning After Girls - Run For Our Lives CDEP
65. The Daytime Frequency - Sun Opus Is Upon Us CD Matt Sigley
66. Dead Man's Bones - Dead Man's Bones mp3 Ryan Gosling
67. The Asteroid #4 - B-Sides & Singles 1997 - 2007 mp3
68. The Saints - (I'm) Stranded mp3
69. The Lovetones - Axiom CD
70. Big Star - Keep An Eye On The Sky 4xCD won in a contest!
71. Big Star - Feel (Alternate Mix) / Mod Lang (Unissued Single Mix) 7" won in a contest!
72. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos / You And Your Sister 7" won in a contest!
73. Chris Bell - I Am The Cosmos 2xCD won in a contest!
74. The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost mp3
75. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust mp3
76. Graham Day And The Gaolers - Soundtrack To The Daily Grind mp3
77. Graham Day And The Gaolers - Beggin You / Sitar Spangled Banner mp3
78. Wooden Shjips - Vol. 1 mp3
79. Bardo Pond - Adrop mp3
80. ?Alos - Ricamatrici CD Bought at the gig
81. AcidMothersGuruGuru - Underdogg Express CD Bought at the gig
82. Spacemen 3 / Wooden Shjips - Big City (Demo) / I Believe It 7" Red Vinyl
83. Kawabata Makoto - Inui mp3
84. Cul De Sac & Damo Suzuki - Abhayamudra mp3
85. The Quarter After - Changes Near mp3
86. The Quarter After - The Quarter After mp3
87. Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators - King Tubby Meets the Aggrovators At Dub Station mp3
88. Michael Nyman - The Draughtsman's Contract: Music From The Motion Picture mp3
89. Michael Nyman - Decay Music mp3
90. International Jetsetters - Heart Is Black mp3 (Elli's Christmas Present)
91. David Bowie - Space Oddity (40th Anniversary EP) mp3
92. Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire - Punk Rock At The British Legion Hall mp3
93. Wild Billy Childish And The Blackhands - Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Hitler? mp3
94. Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire - He's Making A Tape mp3
95. Wild Billy Childish & The Musicians Of The British Empire - Thatcher's Children mp3
96. The Quarter After - Too Much To Think About / Here It Comes 7" Turquoise Vinyl
97. Tones On Tail - Everything! 2xCD (Elli's Christmas Present)
98. Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions - Through The Devil Softly mp3
99. The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Life & Death mp3
100. The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs mp3
     
     
101. The Prisoners - Taste Of Pink! (currently on order)
     

(incidentally, it is listed in order of purchase... so it's not, strictly speaking a Top Whatever list... although, it must be good if I shelled out cash-money for it "in these trying financial times" or however the line goes...)

And LO! a child is born!

On the 40th minute of the 7th hour of the 24th day of the 12th month of 2009th year of our Astronomy Domine, Connor Lewis Reid, son of Douglas, son of David was brought forth into this world to herald the arrival of the Connormas!
Or some such thing.
I had a full mythology worked up in my head, but it leaked out the back.
In any case, big ups to our Doug and Abbey (who, quite frankly, did the heavy lifting here).
Connor Lewis, weighing in at 7lbs 10oz 19in

(same birthday as Lemmy, too!)

updated to change Abby to Abbey - in my defense, I DID tell her I'd most likely never get it right...

The Sirago 17 - Bedspins EP 1 - coming 10 Jan 2010

To usher in the 20th Anniversary of Rotting America, and to celebrate the 15th Anniversary of our 1 and only trip to a correct and proper studio, on January 10th 2010 I'll begin reissuing everything I can make sound good from my rack of 4-track tapes by posting The Sirago 17's BEDSPINS EP1 on RottingAmerica.com. Using new-fangled digital technology, I've made this stuff sound as good as I think I'll be able to. I dare-say it sound almost good.

And, it's free. Can't go wrong with that.

"Free" is the new "Awesome."

Books read in 2009

A year-end list in November?
Pah.
Why not? It's not likely to change much in the next 34 1/2 days...

(books)

1. Jeeves in the Offing by P.G. Wodehouse
2. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
3. Stone Me: The Wit and Wisdom of Keith Richards by Mark Blake
4. Staring at Sound: The True Story of Oklahoma's Fabulous Flaming Lips by Jim Derogatis
5. The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death: A Novel by Charlie Huston
6. Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker

(comics)

1. Marvels by Kurt Busiek
2. Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore
3. The Nightmare Factory by Thomas Ligotti
4. Hellboy Volume 3: The Chained Coffin and Others by Mike Mignola
5. Hellboy Volume 2: Wake the Devil by Mike Mignola

Currently reading:

1. The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
   (very likely will be done before the end of the year)
2. Mario Bava : All the Colors of the Dark by Tim Lucas
   (reading in bits and pieces when I can)

Started, then stopped:

1. The Dreams in the Witch House: And Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft
   (unfortunately, the mood for this sort of thing left me - must wait for it to come back)

YouTube - The Sirago 17 "Time Becomes Sarcastic"

Just uploaded Chris Hiatt's video of The Sirago 17's Time Becomes Sarcastic from CDR1
(available for download here: http://www.rottingamerica.com/rot/html/discography/releases/rot013.html)

Rotting America: The Magazine!

Rotting America: The Magazine!:
"True story: Playboy magazine was founded by one man with a budget of $4,000. In over half of a century, it has become a multi-million dollar industry fulfilling all of Hugh M. Hefner's boyhood dreams.
Another True Story: Two knuckleheads from Fresno have access to a free photocopier and Rotting America magazine is born. After three issues it ceases to exist. Crushing the boyhood dreams of two guys named Chris.
But we did get a write-up in Tower Record's Pulse Magazine!"

Finally, to the delight of probably no one, (most of) issue one of the landmark (in our minds) magazine ROTTING AMERICA! is back up on the web. Party like it's 1990 all over again!!

Dig it.
(or not)

Mark Kermode on the difference between an Anarchist and an Anarcho-Syndicalist

Made me chuckle.
From the Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo Film Reviews podcast (9/25/09)

The Anarchists are "smash everything!" and the Anarcho-Syndicalists are "Smash everything - but let's be organized and make a list"

Apple != Genius

Hey Apple, iTunes keeps using the word Genius...I don't think it means what you think it means.
Genius Mixes
e.g. (1) - JPop Mix: based on Puffy AmiYumi, The Church, The Lovetones, and others (with The Darkside shown) - and when I hit play on this mix, the first thing that plays is The Dilettantes.
e.g. (2) - Folk Mix: based on Current 93, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, and others (with Einstürzende Neubauten shown)

Hmmm....

The Sirago 17 - Brainwaves

ROT017 - The Sirago 17 - Brainwaves

Digital soundscapes for practical speaker destruction. Strip mining areas already perfected by Aphex Twin, E.A.R., Whitehouse, and maybe even Eno. Great to play at people.

Twittering Away The Vacation

(couldn't be bothered to re-order...start at bottom and work up)

#
If I had a hat, I'd be at the ideal place to hang it.8:49 PM Jul 18th from txt

#
Currently lost in (possibly) Silverlake. WHERE THE HELL IS THE 5 N ONRAMP??? I just got off...3:59 PM Jul 18th from txt

#
And... Exit, stage left. If you enjoyed Twittering Away The Vacation it will be archived on my blog eventually.9:35 PM Jul 17th from txt

#
Last ride of the day. Waiting. End of vacation proper. Tomorrow = travel day. Then = sleep. And more sleep.8:19 PM Jul 17th from txt

#
Day Whatever: Sea World part 2 of 2. Because 8 hrs is apparently not enough. Women at Atlantis. Boys in shade.6:03 PM Jul 17th from txt

#
At my first movie with the 4 yr old. Harry Potter. Will it be my last? Stay tuned...12:14 PM Jul 17th from txt

#
They have bat rays!10:05 PM Jul 16th from txt

#
$6 Budweiser? That tastes reallyreally good? I've officially lost my damn mind. Womenfolk at Shamu. Menfolk heavy-lidded.9:43 PM Jul 16th from txt

#
Day...somethingsomething... Sea World. Sight blurry. World spinning... This could be it... Oh... Dolphins!3:06 PM Jul 16th from txt

#
Who first invented children? That guy needs to get socked right in his throat.9:45 AM Jul 16th from txt

#
Day is done. Time to dose the kids and give thanks to Jim Bacchus.6:57 PM Jul 15th from txt

#
Jaysis... Legoland = done. Now Sea-Life. Sleep...soon come.5:15 PM Jul 15th from txt

#
There was just an apparent Caddyshack-like incident involving a waterslide... closed for sanitary reasons.3:28 PM Jul 15th from twittai

#
Just saw REPUBLICANS FOR VOLDEMORT shirt whilr waiting to board a pirate ship to do soggy battle. Avast ye! And YAAAR and so forth...2:36 PM Jul 15th from txt

#
Yoikes! Tally ho! The game is afoot! Zounds!12:15 PM Jul 15th from txt

#
DAY 3: Legoland. Better not suck, as this was my bright idea...9:36 AM Jul 15th from txt

#
The perpetual motion machine was created a little over a year ago. It's name is Xander.9:00 PM Jul 14th from txt

#
Imperial Beach. More sun. Sand in the nethers. At least I wasn't harpooned. The 4 yr old may have a future in boogie boarding.5:52 PM Jul 14th from txt

#
Saw my 1st RON PAUL bumper sticker. On a bright red sportscar, no less.6:07 PM Jul 13th from txt

#
Being outside reminds me how much I hate being outside.5:35 PM Jul 13th from txt

#
The Bug House: nightmare fuel for at least a week...maybe a week and a half.11:22 AM Jul 13th from txt

#
Burmese pythons are a touch large. Thus begins SD Zoo day.10:11 AM Jul 13th from txt

#
Why am I awake? Oh...kids. Listening to @CarlSagansGhost. Good for the nerves.6:39 AM Jul 13th from txt

#
Met in Chula Vista by a jack rabbit, gecko, and an old black lab. And the boy discovered dog food.6:11 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Made it safely through scenic Mission Viejo.4:17 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
So-Cal traffic: Nature's way of saying "stop and smell the smog"2:25 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Hello to my friends in LA Co.2:10 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Hello Magic Mountain. You've put on weight...1:53 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Reststop outside Lebec is a dump, but DOES have bacon dispensary! (push button, receive bacon)1:24 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Almost to the grapevine12:35 PM Jul 12th from txt

#
Rest stop on CA-99 south past Tulare does not have bacon dispensary in bathroom. Damn.11:12 AM Jul 12th from twittai

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast: "Podcast #4 (Give your partner the pleasure of a Hammond Organ every night!) (19'36')

* MPEG 1.0 layer 3
* 320kbit, 5629 frames
* 44100Hz Stereo
* size: 45.0 MB
* July 3, 2009
* XML Feed
* Direct Link



The Sirago 17 - Bedspins (Remastered Version) Side 1 - Rough mix of remastered version:

1. Bedspins (Mustang Version-Remix)
2. Sedative
3. Away
4. How Long?
all songs by C. Reid except 4 by The Furies / arr C. Reid

Originally released on cassette on 29 April 1995
Copied to CD-R in 1999
Remaster begun 5 April 2009

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

I put Gazer (A Fragment) up, too...what the hell...


Comments are welcome, incidentally...(not like anyone reads this crap...)

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

Re-jiggered the main remasters page. It will eventually link to each album individually.
Added "Sedative" to the Bedspins page.
More soon.

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast: "Podcast #3 (When your lassie sees our new podcast, she'll be beside herself with excrement!) (10'25')

* MPEG 1.0 layer 3
* 128kbit, 2994 frames
* 44100Hz Stereo
* size: 9.7 MB
* June 3, 2009
* XML Feed
* Direct Link


The Hound Dog Blues Revue - Children Of The Grave
And, boy, do they. And some other stuff. And there's flubs and hijinx. - C. Reid"

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

The Sirago 17 "20th Anniversary" Remaster Project

On 5 April 2009, work began on what I'm calling the "20th Anniversary" remaster project (since I have no chance of finishing it until then....damn kids...). Running the trusty Tascam Portastudio 424 into an Alesis MultiMix8 Firewire mixing board into the computer running Cubase LE 4, the idea is to digitally archive all the 4-track tapes before a) they're unplayable anymore, and/or b) the boy accidentally throws them away/drools on them/loses them - toddlers tend to do these things.

Year End Movie Tally

Here they are, in the lazy man's alphabetical order (ie: movies that begin with The will be under T....see? lazy.)

1. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) RIP Heath. Goodnight, funnyman.
2. 28 Weeks Later (2007) Night of the Living Begbie
3. 30 Days Of Night (2007)
4. A Christmas Story (1983)
5. A Grand Day Out with Wallace and Gromit (1989)
6. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
7. A Skin Too Few: The Days Of Nick Drake (2000)
8. A Warning To The Curious (1972) M.R. James
9. Aladdin (1992)
10. All Together Now (2008)
11. Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who (2007)
12. Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who: Six Quick Ones (2007)
13. April Fool's Day (1986)
14. Around The World In 80 Days (2004)
15. Art School Confidential (2006)
16. Badlands (1973)
17. Batman: The Movie (1966)
18. Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
19. Beasts: Baby (1976)
20. Beasts: During Barty's Party (1976)
21. Bedazzled (1967)
22. Beyond Re-Animator (2003)
23. Beyond The Door (1974) U.S. Theatrical Version
24. Big Nothing (2006)
25. Black Snake Moan (2007)
26. Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988)
27. Blade Runner (1982/2007) The Final Cut
28. Blade Runner (1982) U.S. Theatrical Version
29. Blade Runner (1982) Ultra-Rare Pre-Release Workprint
30. Blazing Saddles (1974)
31. Boy, Did I Get A Wrong Number! (1966) Elke Sommer!
32. But I'm A Cheerleader (1999)
33. Candy (2006)
34. Chicken Little (2005)
35. Cloverfield (2007) w/ Commentary
36. Cloverfield (2007) Theater
37. Confetti (2006)
38. Control (2008)
39. Cool Hand Luke (1967) RIP, Mr. Newman. Goodnight, Sweet Prince...
40. Corvette Summer (1978)
41. Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007)
42. Danny The Dog (2005) European Version
43. Darkness (2002) Unrated Version
44. Dead Of Night: A Woman Sobbing (1972)
45. Death Rides A Horse (1969) John Phillip Law
46. Dirty Ho (1979) English Dubbed Version
47. Dog Soldiers (2002)
48. Doomsday (2008) Unrated Version
49. Dorabella (1977)
50. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Bomb (1964)
51. Eddie Izzard - Circle (2002)
52. Eddie Izzard - Glorius Live (2004)
53. El Ataque De Los Muertos Sin Ojos / Return Of The Evil Dead (1973) Spanish Version
54. El Orfanato / The Orphanage (2007)
55. El Topo (1970) English Dubbed Version
56. Enter The Dragon (1973)
57. Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale (2007)
58. Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer (2007)
59. Four Times That Night (1969) Mario Bava
60. Frankenstein (1931) w/ Commentary
61. Game Of Death (1979)
62. Game Of Death II (1981)
63. Gamera The Brave (2006)
64. Gamera Vs. Monster X (1967) English Dubbed Version
65. George Carlin At Carnegie Hall (1983) RIP George. Goodnight, funnyman.
66. George Carlin In Concert: Playin' with Your Head (1986)
67. George Carlin On Campus (1984)
68. George Carlin: It's Bad For Ya (2008)
69. George Carlin: You Are All Diseased (1999)
70. Ghostwatch (1992)
71. Gli Invasori (1961) Mario Bava
72. Godzilla's Revenge (1971) w/ Commentary
73. Godzilla's Revenge (1971) English Dubbed Version
74. Gone Baby Gone (2007)
75. Hancock (2008) Work fun day - Theater
76. Hellboy (2004) Director's Cut with Commentary
    
77. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) Theater
78. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) DVD
79. Hellboy: In Service Of The Demon (2008)
    
80. Help! (1965)
81. Horton Hears A Who! (1970)
82. Horton Hears A Who! (2008)
83. House Of 1000 Corpses (2002)
84. House Of Exorcism (1975) w/ Commentary
85. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
86. I Am Legend (2007)
87. I Vampiri (1956) Mario Bava
88. Idlewild (2006)
89. Imagine: John Lennon (1988)
90. Industrial Symphony No. 1: The Dream Of The Broken Hearted (1990) David Lynch / Angelo Badalamenti
91. Iron Man (2008)
92. Jackass Number Two (2006) I don't know why...
93. Joy Division (2007)
94. Juno (2007)
95. Kid With The Golden Arms (1979) English Dubbed Version
96. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
97. La Noche Del Terror Ciego / Tombs Of The Blind Dead (1971) Spanish Version
98. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2006)
99. Life Of Brian (1979)
100. Life Of Python (1999)
101. M.A.R.K-13: Hardware (1990) Uncut
102. Mad Monster Party (1967)
103. Meet The Robinsons (2007)
104. Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1974) w/ Commentary (Cleese, Idle, Palin)
105. Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1974)
106. Monty Python Live At Aspen (1998)
107. Monty Python Live At The Hollywood Bowl (1982)
108. Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus (1971-1972)
109. Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974)
110. Monty Python's The Meaning Of Life (1983)
111. Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007)
112. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)
113. Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007)
114. Muscle Beach Party (1964)
115. My Little Eye (2002)
116. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - The Abattoir Blues Tour (2007)
117. Night At The Museum (2006)
118. Night Of The Demon (1957) M.R. James
119. No Country For Old Men (2007)
120. Office Space (1999)
121. Over The Edge (1979)
122. Perfect Creature (2006)
123. Pulse (2006)
124. Ray Davies: The World Through My Window (2003)
125. Recount (2008)
126. Repo Man (1984)
127. Ricky Gervais: Out Of England (2008)
128. Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired (2008)
129. Roy Colt & Winchester Jack (1970) Mario Bava
130. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1954)
131. Stalag 17 (1953)
132. Stanley Kubrick's Boxes (2008)
133. Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977/2004)
134. Storefront Hitchcock (1998)
135. Street Gangs: A Secret History (2001)
136. Stuart Sutcliffe: The Lost Beatle (2005)
137. Sunshine (2007)
138. Superbad (2007) Unrated Extended Version
139. Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny (2006)
140. The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1989)
141. The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)
142. The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)
143. The Beatles Anthology (2003)
144. The Beatles First US Visit (1994)
145. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
146. The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) w/ Commentary
147. The Call Of Cthulhu (2005)
148. The Cannonbal Run (1981)
149. The Comic Strip Presents... Bad News Tour (1983)
150. The Dark Knight (2008) IMAX Version
151. The Dark Knight (2008) DVD
152. The Devils (1971)
153. The Dog Problem (2006)
154. The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
155. The Forbidden Kingdom (2008) Jet Li AND Jackie Chan
156. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
157. The Gods Must Be Crazy II (1988)
158. The Golden Compass (2007)
159. The Great Escape (1963)
160. The Haunting (1963)
161. The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (1981) Original BBC Series
162. The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1963)
163. The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943) Gad, sir!
164. The Mindscape Of Alan Moore (2008) I won this!
165. The Movie Hero (2003)
166. The Night James Brown Saved Boston (2008)
167. The Signalman (1976)
168. The Simpsons Movie (2007)
169. The Stalls Of Barchester (1971) M.R. James
170. The Stone Tape (1972)
171. The Sword In The Stone (1963)
172. The Treasure Of Abbot Thomas (1974) M.R. James
173. The Water Horse (2007)
174. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)
175. There Will Be Blood (2007)
176. This Filthy World (2006) John Waters!
177. Tom Waits - The Black Rider (1990) German Documentary
178. Underdog (2007)
179. Videodrome (1983) Happy 25th birthday
180. Von Richthofen And Brown (1971) John Phillip Law
181. War, Inc. (2008)
182. What's New, Pussycat? (1965)
183. Whistle And I'll Come To You (1968) M.R. James
184. Yellow Submarine (1968)
185. Your Past Is Showing (1957) Peter Sellers
186. Zodiac (2007)
187. Zombie: Dawn Of The Dead (1978) European Version
     
188. Вий / The Viy (1967)
189. メカゴジラの逆襲 / Terror Of Mechagodzilla (1975) Japanese Version
190. やくざの墓場くちなしの花 / Yakuza Graveyard (1976)
191. ルパン三世:風魔一族の陰謀 / Rupan III: The Fuma Conspiracy (1987) English Dubbed Version
192. 功夫 / Kung Fu Hustle (2004) Uncut
193. 唐山大兄 / The Big Boss (1971) Cantonese Version
194. 大佬愛美麗 / Enter The Phoenix (2004)
195. 射鵰英雄傳之東成西就 / The Eagle Shooting Heroes: Dong Cheng Xi Jiu (1993)
196. 旺角黑夜 / One Nite In Mongkok (2004)
197. 東邪西毒 / Ashes Of Time (1994)
198. 猛龍過江 / The Way Of The Dragon (1972) Cantonese Version
199. 精武門 / Fist Of Fury (1972) Cantonese Version
200. 縱橫四海 / Once A Thief (1991)
201. 降霊 / Séance (2000)
     

Down by close to 60 from last year.

Barack Obama: President-Elect of the United States

FiveThirtyEight.com: Electoral Projections Done Right: Barack Obama President-Elect of the United States

Congratulations Mr. Obama.
This is the first time I've actually wanted to vote FOR someone. I'm glad to see that my vote for you didn't jinx it.
No pressure or anything, but, don't screw this up.

Paul Newman, actor who personified cool, dies - San Jose Mercury News

Paul Newman, actor who personified cool, dies - San Jose Mercury News

God damn it.

Welcome to Sucksville: The Mostly Useless Rotting America Podcast (Now with 33% More Less!!)

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast

Podcast #2 (Shaft enlargement at a fraction of the price) (29'10")

• MPEG 1.0 layer 3
• 128kbit, 67163 frames
• 44100Hz Stereo
• size: 26.9 MB
• August 20, 2008
• XML Feed
• Direct Link

Z-Phantom 4 - Laying Down The Law
... - D. Davis

Inhale - 10.11.90
I recorded the guitar and bass for this around 1993 or so. It was the second or third song I ever "wrote" and was originally intended for the band that Jeff Bellew, Dan Woodward, and I started ("Mean Mr. Mustard" or "The Dave Remus Love Removal Machine") which eventually morphed into Nevergreen (sans Woodward). The lyrics are adapted from a short story I wrote that was a bit darker and certainly more "metal". For instance, aside from namechecking several metal bands and quoting AC/DC lyrics, the original story refers to eternal hellfire rather than "colors". See, told you. While working on the second Inhale CD, I gave the lyrics and music to co-worker Beth Reiland. I envisioned her reciting the words over the music, but she came back with an actual melody and turned this into the first and only Inhale folk song. And now a couple of words about the title: wake up. - V. Hernandez

The Sirago 17 - I Don't Know
A never quite finished instrumental recorded in August of 1994. Open tuned acoustic guitar. I particularly like what's going on with the bass at a few points. This was obviously before I started "learning" how to play, since I'm doing something other than your standard blues scales. I think there's even a seventh in there. Or is that a ninth...? I wish I had finished the lyrics, as I think there's a nice little tune here. - C. Reid

I Am Not The Janitor - Fly
Recorded live at one of our final practices. It's a cover of a Z-Phantom 4 track...which is Dan...so, does that count as a cover if it's his own material? - C. Reid

Swordfish II - Follow (anti-G Remix)
Regarding Follow Remix, I went looking for the original tracks to pick out some of the nuances, but it looks as though it was yet another victim of Western Digital quality control. Have I mentioned that they are motherfuckers? Well, it bears repeating... What I remember was that Doug did most of it and then gave it to me and I added the main sample- an edited version of the Royal Tenenbaums post suicide attempt scene. I had to run the sample through a few filters in an effort to get rid of the two Rolling Stones songs that play underneath the scene which only sort of worked. I also moved some of Doug's samples around slightly and tweaked levels. I like it and I remember taking it to work and playing it for Doug and he liked it too, so there you go. - V. Hernandez

Blind Dog - My Blues
Blind Dog is the lead bottle player in the Hound Dog Blues Revue. This rare archival solo recording was made in October 93 during his brief electric period. I think the guitar was tuned with the A string dropped to G and the E string dropped down to C, but I could be mistaken. It was 15 years ago, after-all. - C. Reid

Jerry Reed

YouTube - East Bound and Down

There goes another one.
Good night, Guitar Man.

Welcome to Sucksville: The Mostly Useless Rotting America Podcast (Now with 33% More Less!!)

Rotting Audio Sound Recordings - The Podcast

Podcast #1 (in which Doris gets her oats) (31'13")

• MPEG 1.0 layer 3
• 128kbit, 71871 frames
• 44100Hz Stereo
• size: 28.6 MB
• August 20, 2008
• XML Feed
• Direct Link

The Sirago 17 - Bedspins (M3 Demo)
Recorded during the peak of my Brad Laner 4-Track Distortion phase. I really have no idea how some of these sounds were created, as they're not on the individual tracks. I think there was even a 4th verse buried at the end somewhere. I really don't remember. This was later re-recorded more conventionally and included on the Tooth And Nail Records ArtCore Compilation and, in a slightly remixed form, on the No-Fi Records DroneOn Compilation. - C. Reid

Twin Cam Akiko - Look Alive
I don't remember much about this at all. As a matter of fact, this is one of my songs that I didn't have until this here podcast. I vaguely remember Chris and/or Vance asking me to write something for the website, but that's about it. I also remember that the entire thing was done on Fruity Loops - and it was recorded at my old apartment in Clovis, Ca. It's about a robot wanting to be a real person. A SF Pinocchio story. I am incredibly interested in A. I., simulacra, and the fiction of Philip K. Dick, and it seems likely that this song was inspired by things such as these. - D. Davis

I Am Not The Janitor - The Sun Doesn't Seem So Far
Written after reading an interview with Wayne Coyne, of Flaming Lips fame, a huge influence on my own music. He said that he was not mad, nor on drugs, yet. I like the inclusion of the word "yet." Robert Anton Wilson once said that the word "yet" is an important word because it leaves open the possibility of something to happen; it turns a negative into a positive. "I have not found the Chupacabra," becomes "I have not found the Chupacabra, yet!" - D. Davis

Inhale - A Strangely Shining Light
I'm proud of this one. I like the guitar tone, the riffs, and the little ad-libs that lead into the "chorus". The guitar that ends the song was recorded a few days after the main part of the song was completed. After realizing that the song needed that tag on the end, I quickly made up the guitar part, ran through it a couple times, and recorded it then and there. It shows- it's a little bit shaky. The voice is a reading of the short story "Sredni Vashtar" that is shortened, processed, and rearranged to fit somewhat on the drum beats. There was a version of this song that included bass as played by Dan Davis, however, it was lost due to hard drive failure. God bless you Western Digital, you fuckers. - V. Hernandez

The Sirago 17 - Dreams
I decided once that I wanted to record a rainstorm. Years later, I went to use it and discovered I had, in the interim, recorded a guitar solo on another track. I really don't remember, but it's a very soothing number. - C. Reid

Inhale - Crawl, Claw, And Scrape
This track was created by taking my portable recorder and letting the microphone hang near my feet as I walked to a nearby field and proceeded to dig in the ground with a small shovel. Oh what a sight that must have been- good thing I did it under cover of night. At 1:00 in the morning. Nope, nothing odd about that at all... The text near the end is part of something I wrote while living in a lousy apartment in between two batshit crazy neighbors: "I live next door to nothing / I hate my neighbors / sometimes I can feel the crawling / and clawing / and scraping / and the bugs starting to take over." Good times, good times. - V. Hernandez

Fight Song - Rotting America
My brother and I on a Bacardi evening....paying tribute ...plus it makes a really great song title! - J. Kilby

Damn it! (slight return)

First Bernie Mac, now Black Moses?
What the Hell??

Damn it.

Bernie Mac. You made me laugh even when I had no idea what the hell was coming out of your mouth.
Sumumumbitch.

The Comedy Feed » Comedian Bernie Mac Dies At 50

Tagged! Seven songs and seven blogs

It appears that I have been tagged.
This will require thinking. And taking those thoughts and translating them to words. Harumph...

OK, the seven (added as thought of)

1. All Together Now (The Beatles)
   I recently showed our Maiya the Yellow Submarine DVD and she fell in love with it. I thought it might be a bit much for her, what with the whole psychedelic thing, but no, she completely digs it. Anyway, listening to her sing this at the top of her lungs is genuine joy.
   
2. Tommy Gun Angel (Bardo Pond)
   Currently the most frequently plaid song on the Ipod (plaid? try played - ed.). I rediscovered this a few months back when I digitized my Lapsed LP on my then-new USB turntable. I'm not sure I actually ever listened to this all the way through when I first bought it back when...
   
3. Wrote A Song For Everyone (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
   As I was digitizing this album, I had a vision of listening to this song with my dad whilst sharing an herbal jazz cigarette. And that makes no sense whatsoever. But it has that kind of feeling to it. I was also envisioning those hippy beads that people would hang in doorways. Which makes less sense. So, there's that.
   
4. No, I Don't Remember Guildford (Robyn Hitchcock)
   Another rediscovered gem. This edged out the equally worthy N.Y. Doll only by viture of having a higher play count on the Ipod.
   
5. Golden Slumbers (The Beatles)
   The "Smiles awake you when you rise" bit makes my goosebumps get goosebumps.
   
6. I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) (Stevie Wonder)
   Sappy? Sure. So what?
   
7. New Mind (Swans)
   The one that started it all for me.

2 months ago, Pleasure Avalanche or Mutiny In Heaven by The Birthday Party would be battling for position here...last month it would've been something off of the last 3 Nick Cave albums...tomorrow, I could probably come up with a completely different list.

And since the only person I know who blogs is the one who tagged me, I'll hope that 7 random people stumble upon this and go forth and do it themselves.

“List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now, shaping your spring. Post these instructions in your blog along with your 7 songs. Then tag 7 other people to see what they’re listening to.”

Xander

Alexander "Xander" Franklin Reid
13 June 2008
(Friday the 13th!)

Shares a birthday with:
Malcolm McDowell
The Olsen Twins
Rochelle Davis (The Crow)
Steve-O
Rivers Cuomo
Laura Kightlinger
Stellan Skarsgård
Ban Ki-Moon
Ralph McQuarrie
Ben Johnson
Basil Rathbone
William Butler Yeats
James Clerk Maxwell (Scottish physicist)
Gerald Gardner (British occultist)
Paul Lynde
Whitley Strieber
Ally Sheedy
1983 - Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the solar system.

Dear Customer

More Bullshit

Thank you for your e-mail. Effective immediately the VOOM HD line-up can no longer be viewed by our customers. DISH Network continues to be the leader in providing the best movies, sports and entertainment in High Definition. In order to provide you with top quality entertainment, DISH Network continually evaluates and at times, makes changes to our channel line-up. We plan to use this opportunity to introduce exciting new HD channels offering a breadth and depth of programming that better complements our already robust HD offerings.
DISH Network understands it may feel like DISH is removing your favorite programming, but check out the comparable HD programming that is available!
VOOM Channel
Alternative Programming
Channel #
Monsters HD
Chiller (Only available in SD)
199
Rave HD
MHD
9469
Rush HD
Universal HD, HD Net
9427, 9422
Specific HD Movies
HD Net Movies, Universal HD, and Premiums in HD
9423, 9427


Also check out the following exciting new channels that will be available in the DISH HD Package!
· ABC Family HD (DISH Network Ch. 180)
· Biography HD (Ch. 119)
· Bravo HD (Ch. 129)
· Cartoon HD (Ch. 176)
· Cinemax 5 Star (Ch. 381)
· Cinemax HD West (Ch. 380)
· Comcast Sports Network Bay Area HD (Ch. 419)*
· Comcast Sports Network New England HD (Ch. 435)*
· CNBC HD (Ch. 208)
· CNN HD (Ch. 200)
· Disney HD East (Ch. 172)
· ESPNews HD (Ch. 142)
· Hallmark Movie Channel HD (Ch. 187)
· MGM HD (Ch. 385)
· Sci Fi HD (Ch. 122)
· Smithsonian HD (Ch. 374)
· Tennis Channel HD (Ch. 400)
· Toon Disney HD (Ch. 174)
· Travel Channel HD (Ch. 215)
· USA HD (Ch. 105)
· Weather Channel HD (Ch. 214)
· World Fishing Network HD (Ch. 396)

*Launch Wednesday, May 14

Watch for even more high definition channels over the upcoming weeks as DISH Network grows to over 100 national HD channels by end of year. For additional information please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.dishnetwork.com/HDupdate"www.DishNetwork.com/HDupdate. Thank you for being a DISH Network customer.

Your business is greatly appreciated and we thank you for allowing us to be of assistance to you. If you have any further questions or concerns, please refer to www.dishnetwork.com or reply to this email.

Sincerely,

DISH Network E-Care

I like the part where they recommend a standard definition channel to replace Monsters HD. Thanks guys.
Also: "DISH Network understands it may feel like DISH is removing your favorite programming" - It not only FEELS like you are, you actually HAVE removed them.
Even better is the fact that EchoStar owns VOOM's satellite.
This is why we can't have nice things.

Dish Network drops VOOM HD

Bullshit.

Dear Dish Network,
Why have you removed the VOOM Channels from the HD lineup? Those channels were one of the primary reasons we upgraded to your HD package. While they had their problems - mainly a seemingly small selection of programming at any given time - they were the channels I watched most. Many of your other "HD" channels merely stretched standard 4x3 programming to fill the 16x9 frame, or just crop the tops and bottoms of 4x3 shows. Now I see there are more sports channels (including Tennis and Golf channels?) - which I'm not interested in - and a Weather Channel HD...but Monsters HD, Kung Fu HD, and Rave are not popular? And The Fishing Network? Really? Please re-instate the VOOM channels.

Douglas Adams (56if)

Used to listen to Hitchhikers Guide on Valley Public Radio either before or after the Star Wars radio show back whenever that was...81? Then, of course, I got the books. Then the TV show. Then more books. Then the movie - OK, I haven't actually seen the whole movie yet, but Zooey Deschanel's in it, so it can't be all bad.
So, happy birthday Mr Adams.

And now, a couple of quotes:
A learning experience is one of those things that say, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.'

I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they go by.

There is a theory which states that if anybody ever discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

In the beginning the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move.

It is a well-known fact that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it... anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.

And a few more here: Douglas Adams - Wikiquote

Maiya's solid gold fave raves

...this week, anyway...

The Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man


The Raymond Scott Quintette "Powerhouse"


The Dilettantes "Ready To Go"
(or, as she calls it "The Wuh-uh-oh Song")


The Specials "A Message To You Rudy"


Beat Takeshi in "Pac-Man"


Human Tetris
(courtesy of Japan Probe http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=2594)

Happy Birthday, Uncle Lou

The Velvet Underground: Heroin Live Bataclan 1972

Keep on keepin' on...

Dear Mr. Reid:

Thank you for writing regarding the Bush Administration's request for legislation that would provide immunity for telecommunications companies that are alleged to have provided assistance to the National Security Agency after September 11, 2001. I appreciate your thoughts on this topic, and welcome the opportunity to respond.

On February 12, 2008, the Senate passed legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). I voted against that legislation.

During the Senate's debate, I introduced an amendment on the Senate floor that would limit the grant of immunity. Under my amendment, cases against the telecommunications companies would go to the FISA Court for judicial review. The companies would only receive immunity if the FISA Court found that the alleged assistance was not provided, that assistance met legal requirements, or that a company had a good faith, reasonable belief that assistance was legal.

I believe this approach strikes the correct balance: it maintains court review and a judicial determination of whether companies provided assistance that they should have known violated the law.

I also offered an amendment to restore FISA's exclusivity, to ensure that no surveillance program can proceed outside the law in the way that the Terrorist Surveillance Program did for more than five years. Unfortunately, neither amendment was adopted.

The House and Senate are now trying to reach agreement on a bill that all parties can support. I strongly hope that the negotiations will provide an alternative to full telecom immunity and include strong language on the exclusivity of FISA, as I believe it is important to have judicial review of this very important issue.

Again, thank you for writing. I hope that you will continue to write on matters of importance to you. Best regards.

Sincerely yours,
Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Dear Ms. Feinstein...

I read today that you were one of the 69 who voted Yea on the bill that would allow the telecoms to receive amnesty for helping the warrantless wiretapping of U.S. Citizens. I was going to compose an angry letter, but then I thought: "Why bother?" It's not like you people in congress really care at all about what we mere citizens think anyway, right? As long as you get re-elected, that's all that matters.
"Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." (attributed to Benjamin Franklin)


Related Link

The only way to be sure

Year-End movie watching tally

Does this thing still work?
Hope so.
Not that it matters much...
Here's a list of the movies I've watched this year.
No commentary, just the list. For no apparent reason, other than I decided to keep a list this year. Maybe next year there will be enlightening commentary about each movie. More than likely not, though.

2007 - Movies:

1. 300 (2007)
2. 5 Dolls For An August Moon (1970)
3. A Bug's Life (1998)
4. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
5. A Christmas Story (1983)
6. A Hard Day's Night (1964)
7. A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
8. Accepted (2006)
9. Alice In Wonderland (1951)
10. All The King's Men (2006)
11. Amazing Journey – The Story Of The Who (2007)
12. American Hardcore (2006)
13. Asylum (1972)
14. Babel (2006)
15. Bandidas (2006) I do loves me some Salma Hayek
16. Barnyard (2006)
17. Baron Blood (1972) w/Commentary
18. Bay Of Blood (1971) w/Commentary
19. Bill Cosby: Himself (1982)
20. Blacula (1972)
21. Blood Diamond (2006)
22. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)
23. Bridge To Terabithia (2007)
24. Bruce Lee: The Legend (1984)
25. Bullet In The Head (1990)
26. Cars (2006)
27. Casino Royale (2006)
28. Chaos! The Ex-Pistols' Secret History: The Dave Goodman Story (2006)
29. Charlotte's Web (2006)
30. Children Of Men (2006)
31. Cirque Du Soleil: Flow: A Tribute To The Artists Of “O” (2007)
32. Clay Pigeons (1998)
33. Colour Me Kubrick: A True...ish Story (2005)
34. Curious George (2006)
35. Danger: Diabolik (1968)
36. Deadlier Than The Male (1967)
37. Dear Wendy (2005)
38. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
39. Dig! (2004)
40. Director: Alan Clarke (1991)
41. Disney's True Life Adventures: Beaver Valley (1950) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
42. Disney's True Life Adventures: The Water Birds (1952) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
43. Dogtown And Z-Boys (2002)
44. Duck, You Sucker (1972)
45. Dynamic:01 – The Best Of DavidLynch.com (2006)
46. E.T. (1982) Theatrical Version
47. Eastern Promises (2007) In the theatre
48. Edmond (2005)
49. Elephant (1988)
50. Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale (2007)
51. Fando Y Lis (1968)
52. Fearless: Director's Cut (2006)
53. Finding Nemo (2003)
54. Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
55. Flash Gordon (1980)
56. Flushed Away (2006)
57. Fog City Mavericks (2007)
58. For A Few Dollars More (1965)
59. Four Brothers (2005)
60. Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster (Japanese Version) (1964)
61. Ghidrah The Three-Headed Monster (1965) w/Commentary
62. Ghidrah The Three-Headed Monster (1965) English Dubbed Version
63. Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004) w/Commentary
64. Godzilla Raids Again (English Version) (1959) w/Commentary
65. Godzilla Raids Again (Japanese Version) (1955)
66. Godzilla Versus The Thing (1964)
67. Godzilla Vs King Ghidora (1991)
68. Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla II (1993)
69. Godzilla Vs Space Godzilla (1994)
70. Godzilla's Revenge (1969)
71. Grind House (2007) In the theatre
72. Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King (1993)
73. Halloween (2007) Bootleg
74. Happy Feet (2006)
75. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (2007)
76. Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron (2007)
77. Hellboy Animated: Sword Of Storms (2006) w/Commentary
78. Henry Rollins: Uncut From Israel (2007)
79. Hercules In The Center Of The Earth (1961) Mario Bava
80. Hot Fuzz (2007)
81. House On Haunted Hill (1959)
82. How To Eat Your Watermelon In White Company (And Enjoy It) (2005)
83. I Love Your Work (2003)
84. Idiocracy (2006)
85. If.... (1969)
86. If.... (1969) w/Commentary
87. Infernal Affairs (2002)
88. Inland Empire (2006)
89. Invasion Of The Astro-Monster (1965)
90. Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
91. Invincible (2006)
92. It's All About Love (2003)
93. It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
94. James Brown live at the Olympia Paris (1971)
95. Jesus Camp (2006) Wow. Just....wow.
96. Jet Li's Fearless (2006) (So-Called Uncut Version)
97. Ju-On: The Curse (2000) V-Cinema Version
98. Karate Bear Fighter (1977)
99. Karate Bullfighter (1975)
100. Karate For Life (1977)
101. Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) English Dubbed Version
102. Kill, Baby...Kill! (1966) Mario Bava
103. Knives Of The Avenger (1965)
104. Knocked Up (Extended & Unrated) (2007)
105. La Cravate (1957)
106. Lady In The Water (2006)
107. Last Man On Earth (1964)
108. Layer Cake (2004)
109. Lean On Me (1989)
110. Legendary Weapons Of China (1982)
111. Let's Rock Again! (2004) Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros
112. Lisa And The Devil (1973) w/Commentary
113. Looney Tunes: Golden Collection Volume 3
114. Lords Of Dogtown (2005)
115. Lords Of Dogtown: Unrated Extended Cut (2005)
116. Lupin The 3rd: Crisis In Tokyo (1998)
117. Lupin The 3rd: Dead Or Alive (1996)
118. Lupin The 3rd: Dragon Of Doom (1994)
119. Lupin The 3rd: Farewell To Nostradamus (1995)
120. Lupin The 3rd: Island Of Assassins (1997)
121. Lupin The 3rd: Missed By A Dollar (2000)
122. Lupin The 3rd: Secret of Twilight Gemini (edited version) (1997) Edited version mistakenly came with boxset
123. Lupin The 3rd: Secret of Twilight Gemini (unedited version) (1997)
124. Lupin The 3rd: The Columbus Files (1999)
125. Lupin The 3rd: The Pursuit Of Harimao's Treasure (1995)
126. Lupin The 3rd: Voyage To Danger (1993)
127. Madagascar (2005)
128. Made (2001)
129. Made In Britain (1982)
130. Man Of The Year (2006)
131. Marathon Man (1976)
132. Mario Bava: Maestro Of The Macabre (2000)
133. Meatballs (1979)
134. Meatballs II (1984)
135. Mission: Impossible III (2006)
136. Monster House (2006)
137. Monster Zero (1970) w/Commentary
138. Monsters, Inc (2001)
139. Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1974) w/Commentary
140. Mothra Vs. Godzilla (1964)
141. Mousehunt (1997)
142. MPD-Psycho (2000)
143. Mr. Vampire (1985)
144. Munich (2005)
145. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
146. My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
147. Mysteries of the Deep (1959) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
148. Naruto The Movie: Ninja Clash In The Land Of Snow (2004)
149. New York Doll (2005)
150. Night Of The Seagulls (1975) English Dubbed Version
151. O Lucky Malcolm! (2006)
152. O Lucky Man! (1973)
153. Ocean's Eleven (2001)
154. Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
155. Ocean's Twelve (2004)
156. Once Upon A Time In The West (1969)
157. One Missed Call (2004)
158. One Missed Call 2 (2005)
159. Over The Hedge (2006)
160. Pan's Labrynth (2006) In the theatre
161. Pan's Labrynth (2006) w/Commentary
162. Pan's Labrynth (2006)
163. Payback: Straight Up: The Director's Cut 1999/2006
164. Peter Pan (1953)
165. Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
166. Planes, Trains And Automobiles (1987)
167. Planet Of The Vampires (1965) Mario Bava
168. Police Story (1985)
169. Police Story 2 (1988)
170. Polyester (1981)
171. Rabid Dogs 1974/2000 w/Commentary
172. Ratatouille (2007)
173. Real Genius (1985)
174. Return Of The Jedi (1983) 2004 Remix
175. Robin Hood (1973)
176. Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death ... & Insects! (2007)
177. Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) UK Version
178. Roll Bounce (2005)
179. Scorsese On Scorsese (2004) From Departed DVD
180. Scratch (2001)
181. Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973)
182. Scum (1977) BBC Version
183. Scum (1979) Theatrical Version
184. Seal Island (1948) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 2
185. Seven Samurai (1954)
186. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
187. Shock (1977)
188. Star Wars (1977) 2004 Remix
189. Stick It (2006)
190. Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
191. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut 1978/1980/2006
192. Superman Returns (2006)
193. Surf's Up (2007)
194. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
195. Tales Of The Rat Fink (2006)
196. Tears Of The Black Tiger (2000) 85 min Harvey Scissor-Hands cut
197. That Thing You Do (1996)
198. The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006)
199. The Beatles First US Visit (1994)
200. The Big Sleep (1946)
201. The Big White (2005)
202. The Blind Dead (1971) English Dubbed Version
203. The Crisler Story (1957) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
204. The Curse Of The Golden Flower (2006)
205. The Departed (2006)
206. The Descent (2005) w/Commentary
207. The Devil And Daniel Johnston (2005)
208. The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 2004 Remix
209. The Family Stone (2006) Elli's new fave holiday movie
210. The Firm (1988)
211. The Fountain (2006)
212. The Ghost Galleon (1974) English Dubbed Version
213. The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963) w/Commentary
214. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966)
215. The Great Yokai War (2005)
216. The Holiday (2006)
217. The Holy Mountain (1973)
218. The Holy Mountain (1973) w/Commentary
219. The Illusionist (2006)
220. The Jungle Book (1967)
221. The Keeper (2004)
222. The Last King Of Scotland (2006)
223. The Lower Depths (1957)
224. The Lower Depths (1936)
225. The Machinist (2004) w/Commentary
226. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
227. The Mask Of Satan (Black Sunday) (1960) Mario Bava
228. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
229. The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)
230. The Prestige (2006)
231. The Protector (2005) Harvey Scissor-Hands cut of Tom Yum Goong
232. The Return (2006)
233. The Return Of The Evil Dead (1973) English Dubbed Version
234. The Ringer (2005)
235. The Three Faces Of Fear (Black Sabbath) (1963) w/Commentary
236. The Water Margin (1972)
237. The Wicker Man (1973) Theatrical Version
238. This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)
239. Thumbsucker (2005)
240. Tideland (2005)
241. Tom-Yum-Goong (2005)
242. Troy (2004)
243. Twin Peaks – Season 1 (1990)
244. Twin Peaks – Season 2 1990-1991
245. Twin Peaks (Pilot) (1990)
246. Ultraman Moebius And Ultraman Brothers (2006)
247. Ultraman Tiga & Ultraman Dyna (1998)
248. Ultraman: Series 1 Volume 1 (1966)
249. Ultraman: Series 1 Volume 2 1966-1967
250. Walkout (2006)
251. We Jam Econo: The Story Of The Minutemen (2005)
252. Wedding Crashers (2006)
253. Werewolf Shadow (1970)
254. Wonderland (2003)
255. Wonders Of The Water World (1961) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
256. World Trade Center (2006)
257. Yellowbeard (1983)
258. You, Me And Dupree (2006)

Books read in February

Lao-Tzu - Tao Te Ching - Paraphrased by Stephen Mitchell and praised by James Frey...that can't be good
--completed 3/1/2007

Takuan Soho - The Unfettered Mind - Translated by William Scott Wilson
--completed 3/5/2007

Haruki Murakami - Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack And The Japanese Psyche - Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel
--still in progress

Movies watched in February

Jesus Camp (2006) - Wow. Just....wow.
Idiocracy (2006)
The Ringer (2005)
Legendary Weapons Of China (1982)
The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006)
Monster House (2006)
Lupin The 3rd: Farewell To Nostradamus (1995)
Robin Hood (1973) - The Disney one
A Hard Day's Night (1964)
Curious George (2006)
Lupin The 3rd: Island Of Assassins (1997)
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1978/1980/2006)
Tom-Yum-Goong (2005)
Roll Bounce (2005)
Yellowbeard (1983)
Lupin The 3rd: Crisis In Tokyo (1998)
The Machinist (2004) - w/Commentary
Bandidas (2006) - I do loves me some Salma Hayek
The Lower Depths (1957)
Alice In Wonderland (1951) - The Disney one
Four Brothers (2005)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978)
Flushed Away (2006)
Dynamic:01 – The Best Of DavidLynch.com (2006)
The Prestige (2006)
Babel (2006)
World Trade Center (2006)
The Descent (2005) - w/Commentary
Jet Li's Fearless (So-Called Uncut Version) (2006) - The Director's Cut is currently on order
The Departed (2006)
Infernal Affairs (2002)

Congratulations Mr. Scorsese!

It's about goddamn time.

Movies watched in January

The Family Stone (2005) - Elli's new fave holiday movie
Disney's True Life Adventures: The Water Birds (1952) - Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
Lupin The 3rd: Voyage To Danger (1993)
Madagascar (2005)
Lupin The 3rd: Dragon Of Doom (1994)
Superman Returns (2006)
Disney's True Life Adventures: Beaver Valley (1950) - Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
Lupin The 3rd: Secret of Twilight Gemini (edited version) (1997) - Edited version mistakenly came with boxset
Clay Pigeons (1998)
Lupin The 3rd: Dead Or Alive (1996)
My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
The Keeper (2004)
Mysteries of the Deep (1959) Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
Wonders Of The Water World (1961) - Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
The Crisler Story (1957) - Part of Walt Disney's Legacy Collection Vol 1
Lupin The 3rd: The Pursuit Of Harimao's Treasure (1995)
Wonderland (2003)
Ginger Snaps: Unleashed (2004) w/Commentary
The Great Yokai War (2005)
Lady In The Water (2006)
The Illusionist (2006)
Pan's Labrynth (2006) - In the theatre
Made (2001)
Lupin The 3rd: Missed By A Dollar (2000)
All The Kings Men (2006)

Books read in January

Thomas Ligotti - Teatro Grottesco
Charlie Huston - No Dominion
David Lynch - Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity
Bruce Campbell - Make Love The Bruce Campbell Way – director's cut (Signed by the man himself)
Charlie Huston - Moon Knight: The Bottom

First mix of the New Year

1. The Misfits - We Are 138 (1:38)
2. Pérez Prado - Marylin Monroe Mambo (2:18)
3. Fat Albert Orchestra & Chorus - Fat Albert (Hey, Hey, Hey) (2:01)
4. Cheap Trick - He's A Whore (2:36)
5. Lyres - She Pays The Rent (2:12)
6. Marty Robbins - A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation) (2:28)
7. Bob Marley - Who Colt The Game (3:28)
8. Hüsker Dü - Divide And Conquer (3:41)
9. The Beatles - Revolution (3:21)
10. Other Side - Walking Down The Road (2:17)
11. Gitane Demone - Lullaby for a Troubled Man (4:10)
12. American Analog Set - Know By Heart (2:47)
13. Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part III (10:42)
14. Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man (Alternate Take) (4:07)
15. The Clash - Bankrobber/Robber Dub (6:14)
16. The Upsetters featuring Dillinger - Dub Organiser (3:15)
17. My Bloody Valentine - Don't Ask Why (3:56)
18. The Sisters Of Mercy - Nine While Nine (4:03)
19. Parliaments - (I Wanna) Testify (2:58)
20. Lawndale - Wingtips (1:58)
21. Youth Brigade - What Will The Revolution Change (4:59)
22. Capitol Punishment - Poke Me With A Fork, I'm Done (1:18)

It's another new year

And it's another few months of screwing up the date on checks.
I wonder if THIS year will be the one when the second coming happens...

Tower Records to be liquidated

Tower Records to be liquidated

Tower has sucked for at least a decade - perhaps longer - and I haven't set foot in one for a couple of years, but still, this is kinda sad. Tower Records was where I used to go to get all the cool and weird music I listened to in high school. The Imports/Indie section was the Friday night haunt. But then, they went all Wherehouse with the neon and the only carrying the latest hits and the not letting the employees get stoned at the register and the taking music off the stereo when a customer complained and, well, the actually giving a shit when a customer complained...That's not Tower at all.
And now they've been liquidated.
Good night, funny man.

What the hell does this mean?

I had a dream last night, wherein I was at a restaurant with Jerry Seinfeld and Andy Dick. We were eating grapes. Andy was acting strange - as he does. Alfred Hitchcock was giving us a very stern look from across the aisle.
WTF?

Bruce Campbell or Foghat Tickets

Bruce "Don't Call Me Ash" Campbell found himself in Fresno last night. He signed the paperback release of his book "Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way - the Director's Cut" and answered a bunch of inane and, in some cases, insulting questions from the crowd:
Will you father my children? (Why, you shooting blanks?)
My friend is $137 in the hole. Can you loan him some money? (Tell your friend to shove it!)
But he still sat there for hours and hours and hours signing books and DVD covers, and other assorted crap and giving the glad hand to a bunch of mouth breathing chuckleheads with all the patience of a saint.

While we waited and waited and waited, a woman approached and asked Vance what we were waiting in line for.
"Foghat tickets."
She bought it for a second.
"Oh, Foghat....wait, what?!?"
"Heh...no, it's an author doing a signing. Bruce Campbell..."
"Bruce Campbell?"
She shrugged and went about her business.
We larfed.

Finally, around 10:30pm, we made it to the front of the line.
When it was my turn, Bruce interviewed me:
BC: So, what's up? What's up in Fresno?
Me: Uh....you being in Fresno!
BC: But enough about me! What about you? What do you do?
Me: Uh....I, uh....work at a job I don't really like...
BC: What do you do?
Me: Uh....I, uh....analyze sales tax data.......uh......
BC: I can see why you don't like it. What do you want to do?
Me: Uh....I, uh.....want to be a librarian....uh....
BC: Well, get to it!!
Me: I will! Thanks for coming to Fresno...


--

Whilst there, I also picked up the new Charlie Huston book, "A Dangeroud Man" - the final book in the Henry Thompson trilogy, and the latest Haruki Murakami hardcover, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - a collection of short stories.

Jason Newsted and me - Birthday Buddies

Jason Newsted - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Well, Hell! Me and Jason Newsted share a birthday. Ain't that just a kick in the head?

Another Mix CD

Oh, the cleverness of me.

1. Van Morrison - And It Stoned Me
2. Current 93 - Idumæa (vocals by Marc Almond)
3. Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues
4. The Ramones - The KKK Took My Baby Away
5. Fugazi - Waiting Room
6. The Monkees - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
7. Donovan - Hurdy Gurdy Man
8. The Postal Service - Suddenly Everything Has Changed
9. Dinosaur Jr - In A Jar
10. Alphastone - Cool Earth Sensation
11. Spacemen 3 - Transparent Radiation
12. Flying Saucer Attack - Suncatcher
13. Rolling Stones - We Love You
14. Mazzy Star - Halah
15. Spiritualized - Shine A Light
16. Funkadelic - Can You Get To That
17. Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music
18. Otis Redding - Amen
19. T.Rex - Ballrooms Of Mars
20. Wire - Outdoor Miner
21. The Sonics - Santa Clause

Every time I pre-order a damned book...

Thomas Ligotti and Teatro Grottesco

There were some problems with the printing of some of the initial pages; consequently they are being reprinted, which means we expect to have the book in about 3 to 4 weeks time. We apologise for the delay with this publication which is out of our hands.

The last Thomas Ligotti book I pre-ordered - "My Work Is Not Yet Done" - was delayed. Previous to that, the Takashi Miike biography "Agitator - The Cinema of Takashi Miike" was delayed - I ended up having to cancel it from Amazon because they kept delaying it, and ordered it from Last Gasp. "Mario Bava – All the Colors of the Dark" by Tim Lucas was pre-ordered for my 30th birthday. I'm no longer 30. Not even close. I think Mr Lucas is aiming for the end of this year finally, but we shall see....we shall see.

I wonder if my man Charlie Huston's new book, A Dangerous Man, is on schedule...maybe I should pre-order it and fuck that all up, eh?

Laughing Syd Laughs No More

The Madcap has left the building.

January 6, 1946 – July 7, 2006

Syd Barrett - Wikipedia entry

Name dropped by Charlie Huston

So, Charlie Huston is current fave author*. (See previous blog entry)
I e-mailed him and told him so.
He seemed to dig that.
He also seemed to dig the picture of our Maiya and her early sign language skills.
Go buy his books. Read them. Love them.
He's also doing a run of Moon Knight for Marvel. (I really hope it's coming out as Trade, because I just can't do the montly comic thing anymore...I get into too much trouble)

www.pulpnoir.com » Blog Archive » Subject of the Jam - The Official Charlie Huston Website: "What’s That Smell?"

I don’t know what the guys at RottingAmerica.com are up to, but I think we should all be afraid. Especially of this young lady. Good to see the youth of America have at least one bright spot lighting the road ahead.

*He nudges out Thomas Ligotti only barely, and by virtue of readability and availability - because let's face it, Mr Ligotti's stuff is very stylized and is just sometimes too much work. It's very rewarding, but still... and next to nothing is in print at any one time...

Charlie Huston

My little brother bought me Charlie Huston's books for my birthday. I just finished the first, Caught Stealing. Am about to start #2, Six Bad Things. Buy them, read them, love them. Then go here:
www.pulpnoir.com - The Official Charlie Huston Website

Latest Mix CD

Frodo Eats People

01 - Bad Livers - The Adventures Of Pee Pee The Sailor (1:56)
02 - The Lovedolls (with Redd Kross) - Sunshine Day (2:31)
03 - Redd Kross - Deuce (3:09)
04 - Meat Puppets - Look At The Rain (4:16)
05 - Dinosaur Jr - Yeah We Know (5:20)
06 - Beatles - Besame Mucho (2:37)
07 - Johnny Cash - Sam Hall (2:36)
08 - Kraftwerk - The Model (3:37)
09 - Red Cross - Puss 'N Boots (2:30)
10 - The Icarus Line - Losing Touch With My Mind (5:40)
11 - The Clash - Clash City Rockers (3:45)
12 - The Skatalites - Guns Of Navarone (2:26)
13 - Redd Kross - Lovedoll Superstar (2:39)
14 - Public Enemy - Bring The Noise (3:41)
15 - Luna - Bonnie And Clyde (6:09)
16 - The Rolling Stones - Factory Girl (2:07)
17 - XTC - Dear God (3:32)
18 - Blue Öyster Cult - (Don't Fear) The Reaper (5:01)
19 - Redd Kross - Love Is You (2:27)
20 - Dinosaur Jr - The Post (3:31)
21 - Nick Drake - Leaving Me Behind (3:23)
22 - Hedwig And The Angry Inch - Midnight Radio (5:35)

Separation of Powers - The U.S. Constitution Online

Constitutional Topic: Separation of Powers

The Separation of Powers devised by the framers of the Constitution was designed to do one primary thing: to prevent the majority from ruling with an iron fist. Based on their experience, the framers shied away from giving any branch of the new government too much power. The separation of powers provides a system of shared power known as Checks and Balances.

God Bless Terry Gilliam And All Who Sail With Him

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Battle-scarred Gilliam looks to future:

"'It's hard for me to worry about the studios losing money. I'm not very sympathetic to their money problems, because they certainly haven't been sympathetic to mine.

'When you look at one of their accounting sheets you realise you're never going to see a penny, so if someone wants to rip them off that's fine with me.

'If you're going to pirate, though, make sure the quality's good. Have some respect for what you're pirating!'"

Notes on the Founding Fathers and the Separation of Church and State

From Theology.edu

"Many well-meaning Christians argue that the United States was founded by Christian men on Christian principles. Although well-intentioned, such sentiment is unfounded. The men who lead the United States in its revolution against England, who wrote the Declaration of Independence and put together the Constitution were not Christians by any stretch of the imagination."
... ...
"The United States is not, by any stretch of the imagination a Christian nation today, nor has it ever been, nor was it ever intended to be. The Religious right (or left) would do well to stop looking for the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth."

Future Jedi Master

Or, I guess it should be Jedi Mistress? But then, that sounds kinda naughty.
Anyway, thanks Uncle Doug!

Goodbye Mudbone

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III
1 December 1940 - 10 December 2005

Something just to say I've posted something

Lou Reed quotes:
"One chord is fine. Two chords are pushing it. Three chords and you're into jazz."

on Metal Machine Music:
"Anyone that gets to side four is dumber than I am."
(what would he say about someone who has said album framed...or someone who wanted to score a Quadrophonic copy?)

on his vocal stylings:
"Why aren't I on the cover of Hip Hop? I haven't sung a note in my life. I've been rapping since '65. 'Life is Unfair.' I think I know that. [to a sideman] Did you know life is unfair?"

bottom 2 from WikiQuote

And who knew Lou Reed studies Tai Chi?

Happy Anniversary to us

7 years (legal) 18 years (total)
Ain't that a gawddamn kick?

A baby is born

My sister in law had another kid today. A girl. Named Spalding Grey...no wait, Wilder Napalm...no that's not it.
think...
think...
Wÿlder Grëy, that's it.
Apparently 2 hour labor, and natural childbirth (there was some talk of C-Section).
6 pounds 9 ounces 19 inches
Went straight for the boob.
And this makes our Maiya exactly 6 months older than their Wylder.
So that'll be easier to calculate ages and such.
Congratulations Mark and Heidi (and Aidan now has a sister to torment....I mean to love and cherish)

And she shares a birthday with:
Shaggy 2 Dope from the Insane Clown Posse
Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks
Lori Petty
Isaac Mizrahi
Thomas Dolby
e.e. cummings
Joey Travolta
BJ McKay himself Greg Evigan
Cliff Richard
Udo Kier
Harry Anderson from TV's Night Court
Ralph Lauren
and La Monte Young (how cool is that?) amongst others

Letter from Representative Devin Nunes (R-CA)

This is in response to me signing some petition or other to get Tom Delay (R-TX) thrown into the clink.
Related links:

• The Delay Rankings at the Public Campaign Action Fund website (Mr Nunes scored a 7.94 and is currently tied for 10th!)


• DeLay’s Dirty (Baker’s) Dozen at ThinkProgress.org


• Daily Delay blog


• Wikipedia entry for Tom Delay


• Official Devin Nunes website

I see Mr Nunes is being a good Republican and following the party line - Delay did nothing wrong, Ronnie Earle is just playing politics...ad nauseum.
Mr Nunes neglected to mention in the letter that he got 10 large from Delay in campaign financing, and has contributed to his legal defense.
All in a days work, I reckon.
I just don't like politicians.

Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit movie poster banned on the Isle of Portland in Dorset

Read about it here

Locals instead refer to rabbits as "underground mutton"

Apocalypse Mouse

It's never a good sign when the first things you see in the morning are a bunch of decimated mice in the yard. Especially when you realize that there used to be live mice roaming around the yard. I guess it's a good thing we didn't chase off those stray cats that were haunting the joint...

Maiya's first Ye Olde Rennaisance Faire

Cherubic Faerie

Renn Faerie

Bookshelf decorations

Recently acquired from Frisco's Chinatown - particularly, the Sun Sing Center


The army of the Shaolin Popeyes, as led by the Monkey King

Beauty amidst debasement

Los éxitos más grandes

"I Like Fish"
1. T-Rex - 20th Century Boy (3:37)
2. The Stooges - Dirt (7:03)
3. Radiohead - Just (3:54)
4. Love And Rockets - The Dog-End Of A Day Gone By (7:38)
5. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone (3:09)
6. Grandaddy - I'm On Standby (3:12)
7. M83 - Unrecorded (4:11)
8. The Sex Pistols - EMI Unlimited Edition (3:15)
9. X - White Girl (3:27)
10. Bandits - Puppet (Luna & Angel) (3:26)
11. Bonzo Dog Band - Hunting Tigers Out In "Indiah" (3:03)
12. Black Belt Jones Radio Commercial (0:53)
13. Public Enemy - Burn Hollywood Burn (2:47)
14. REM - (All I've Got To Do Is) Dream (2:40)
15. Love Psychedelico - Dry Town (3:54)
16. Dinosaur Jr. - Start Choppin' (5:40)
17. Velvet Underground - Special Disc Jockey Record (2:33)
18. David Bowie - Velvet Goldmine (3:12)
19. Carissa's Wierd - You Should Be Hated Here (2:37)
20. American Analog Set - On My Way (4:32)
21. Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was The Night (3:21)

"Reginald + Cecil In: A Day Without Powdered Toast"
1. Grandaddy - Now It's On (4:08)
2. X - We're Desperate (Single Version) (2:01)
3. The Stooges - Not Right (2:51)
4. Bonzo Dog Band - I'm the Urban Spaceman (2:22)
5. American Analog Set - Dr. Pepper (0:38)
6. Black Sabbath - Children Of The Grave (5:17)
7. Television - Venus (3:54)
8. Black Flag - Jealous Again (2:21)
9. Cypress Hill - I Ain't Goin' Out Like That (4:27)
10. Explosions In The Sky - A Song For Our Fathers (5:42)
11. Kahimi Karie - I Am A Kitten (2:58)
12. AC/DC - TNT (3:34)
13. Krzysztof Komeda - Lullaby (‘Rosemary’s Baby’ Theme) (2:20)
14. Misfits - Horror Business (2:46)
15. Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds - Do You Love Me? (4:37)
16. Pluramon - Time For A Lie (4:49)
17. Grandaddy - The Go In The Go-For-It (3:40)
18. Peter Sellers - She Loves You (Chinless Wonder) (1:29)
19. Velvet Underground - Ride Into The Sun (3:11)
20. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees (4:50)
21. Alphastone - Retroglide (4:06)
22. Hüsker Dü - Turn On The News (4:27)
23. Eric Cartman - Swiss Colony Beef Log (2:14)

Our Maiya: First time in her Kung Fu jacket

Don't make me bust out my Kung Fu grip!

DDDHouse.com

I ordered the Hong Kong 2 disc special edition of Kung Fu Hustle from DDDHouse.com recently, and this is what they sent me:


front

back

I thought the bow was very nice touch. They were even considerate enough to take the 2 discs out of the case and put them in a DVD envelope so they didn't fall out and get damaged during shipping.
I think I'll be ordering from them again....if I ever get to order something again, that is...

Latest listenings

Mixes make the trip go quicker.

"Up and Down a Very large Hill"
01 - Puffy AmiYumi - Hi!Hi! Puffy AmiYumi Show Theme (2:52)
02 - Tommy Roe - Sweat Pea (2:04)
03 - Iggy & The Stooges - Search And Destroy (3:26)
04 - Unida - Puppet Man (Coffee Song) (2:30)
05 - Queens Of The Stone Age - Feel Good Hit Of The Summer (2:43)
06 - Monster Magnet - Cyclops Revolution (5:40)
07 - The Ramones - Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio! (3:47)
08 - Iron Maiden - The Trooper (Promo Version) (4:10)
09 - Ozzy Osbourne - Over The Mountain (4:27)
10 - Einstürzende Neubauten - NNNAAAMMM (10:58)
11 - Puffy AmiYumi - Love So Pure (3:48)
12 - The Muffs - Big Mouth (1:50)
13 - Louis Prima - I Wanna Be Like You (The Jungle Book) (3:59)
14 - The Kinks - A Well Respected Man (2:38)
15 - James Brown - Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine (5:05)
16 - Bill Cosby - I Luv Myself Better Than I Luv Myself (5:52)
17 - The Residents - Dumbo the Clown (2:02)
18 - The Avalanches - Frontier Psychiatrist (4:47)
19 - Rolling Stones - Child Of The Moon (stereo) (3:02)
20 - Puffy AmiYumi - Teen Titans Theme (3:09)

"Rumor Round the Campfire"
01 - Alexandro Jodorowsky and John Barham - Burial Of The First Toy (2:16)
02 - Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space (Live)(3:24)
03 - Cocteau Twins - Throughout The Dark Months Of April & May (3:02)
04 - The Dead Texan - A Chronicle Of Early Failures Pt One (5:14)
05 - Iron And Wine - Naked As We Came (2:27)
06 - Alison Krauss & Union Station - I'm Gone (3:19)
07 - Swans - Love Will Tear Us Apart [J Version] (3:35)
08 - The Rolling Stones - Love In Vain (Live)(6:24)
09 - The Residents - In San Francisco (2:00)
10 - Midlake - Kingfish Pies (4:14)
11 - Bill Cosby - Yes, Yes, Yes (3:17)
12 - Buck Owens - Waitin' In Your Welfare Line (2:13)
13 - Junior Murvin - Philistines On The Land (3:45)
14 - Jesus And Mary Chain - Some Candy Talking (3:14)
15 - Jack White - Never Far Away (3:34)
16 - Damien Rice - Cold Water (Live)(4:19)
17 - Swans - God Damn The Sun (4:16)
18 - Sam Cooke - Touch The Hem Of His Garment (1:59)
19 - Chrome - 3rd from the Sun (Live) (5:08)
20 - M83 - Gone (6:00)
21 - The Residents - The Festival of Death (6:02)

"Another Journey By SUV"
01 - The Stooges - T.V. Eye (Takes 7 & 8) (5:57)
02 - Louis Prima - Jump, Jive, An' Wail (3:25)
03 - Kool & The Gang - Jungle Boogie (3:01)
04 - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - The Equestrian Statue (2:39)
05 - Judas Priest - Breaking the Law (2:32)
06 - Skeeter Davis - I Can't Help You (I'm Falling Too) (2:40)
07 - Misfits - Hybrid Moments (1:38)
08 - The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Live) (4:32)
09 - James & Bobby Purify - I'm Your Puppet (2:56)
10 - Marty Robbins - Big Iron (3:55)
11 - Loop - Pulse (4:40)
12 - Spiritualized - Stop Your Crying (Acoustic)(4:11)
13 - Iron & Wine - Ab's Song (2:04)
14 - Knight Riders - I (3:19)
15 - Lipps, Inc. - Funkytown (4:00)
16 - The Muffs - Everywhere I Go (3:18)
17 - Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (4:35)
18 - Misfits - Teenagers From Mars (2:46)
19 - Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - Jollity Farm (2:24)
20 - Damien Rice - I Remember (5:28)
21 - Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (3:55)
22 - M83 - Moonchild (4:33)

thursday questionnaire/meme i stole from someone's blog

Last Road Trip
Up the hill to Wilsonia (Kings Canyon)

Last Bad Advice
Have another swig (from myself)

Last Movie I Saw in a Theater
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Last TV Show Watched
Kingdom Hospital (ep 3)

Last TV Show I Enjoyed Watching
see above

Last Book I Tried to Read
Dark Water by Koji Suzuki - still reading

Last Thing I Left Home Without
Self respect

Last Take Out Meal
Tacos from El Gallo

Last Celebration
Maiya's 4-month birthday thingie

Last Item Loaned Out and Haven’t Gotten Back
I swear I had a copy of The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte but since I can't find it anywhere, I must have loaned it out and not gotten it back.

Last New Words Added to Vocabulary
El Mismo - Thanks BC

Last New Word of a Foreign Language Learned
see above

Last T-Shirt Acquired
I think it was a Flaming Lips shirt from a couple years ago...

Last Package Received
Video Watchdog issue 121

Last Web Site Visited
A Joshua Tree In Every Pot

Last Injury
I have a cut on my shin from stray tree branches

Last Run In with the Law
A speeding ticket from whenever that was...earlier this year? Last year? Am I supposed to know these things?

Last Place I’d Want to Live
South of the Mason/Dixon line.

Last Physical Fight
Elementary school, I should think. Although my former neighbor (the swine) and I almost had a tussle back around 1999/2000 or so.

Last Magazine Read
Video Watchdog issue 121

Last Thing I Broke
The seal on a bottle of Captain Morgan

Last Thing I Fixed
My sobriety

Last Thing That Made Me Laugh
Those amusing T-shirts the get linked to from Fark.com

Last Thing That Made Me Go Huh?
Those amusing T-shirts the get linked to from Fark.com

Last Thought
Why don't we have any beer?

Ah, youth...

...to bad it's wasted on the young.

Once, when we were so very young...

...and possibly a bit silly.

Bazooka Butt

Our dear can shoot a spray of poop at least 3 feet. And she can fire 5 shots in 1/4 second! I find that quite impressive. Especially for how small she is.


Bazooka Butt

Johnny Depp Arranges Shooting of Dr. Thompson's Ashes

Yahoo! News

Yay!!

"Organizers of a memorial for Hunter S. Thompson plan to erect a 150-foot structure — courtesy of actor Johnny Depp — to shoot the gonzo journalist's ashes onto his ranch near here"

Gadget promises to translate baby babbling

Another reason to love Japanese inventors:

The cryptic cries, grins and gurgles of babies that leave parents dumbfounded could soon be deciphered, if the wonders of modern technology are to be trusted.
More here >>>

Maiya's current fave raves

Thus far, I've concluded Maiya likes the following albums:
Brian Eno: Discreet Music
Nick Drake: Time Of No Reply
Spiritualized: Lazer Guided Melodies
Cocteau Twins: Victorialand
(OK, I don't know if she actually likes this one or not, but this is what was playing when she was birthed so I'm including it)

She also grooved along with Stereolab's "Metronomic Underground" and Monster Magnet's "Tab...25" without complaining, so I'll conclude that those are A-OK, too.


I wish I had a caption that befitted this gem of a snapshot...

New Tony Jaa hijinx!

From the crazy kids that brought you Ong Bak:
Tony Jaa and Prachya Pinkaew:

Tom-Yum-Goong

Only a couple of teaser trailers up now, but still...

We have a baby

Maiya is here!!!!!!!

Bass Wolf - R.I.P.

from guitarwolf.net

We regret to inform you that Hideaki Sekiguchi, a.k.a. Billy has passed away by heart attack in the morning of March 31st., at the age of 38.


Bass Wolf - R.I.P.

Vigil and funeral information is as follows:
Vigil: 18:00p.m.～(non-relatives 19:00p.m.～) on Tuesday, April 5
Funeral: 10:00a.m.～11:00a.m., The Hearse to Leave at 11:00a.m. on
Wednesday, April 6
Place: Rinkaisaijo http://www.rinkaisaijo.or.jp
1-3-1, Tokai, Ohta-Ku, Tokyo
Phone: 81-3-5755-2833
*Since there is NO parking lot, we kindly ask you not to drive to the place.

We announce that all shows will be cancelled.
We hope to have your understanding.

March 31, 2005 Guitar Wolf, SBT Music

There is a photo set from a gig in Frisco just this past March on Flickr.

False Alarm #1

We went to the hospital last night at 11pm. We got back at 8am. False alarm number 1 out of the way.
Elli pulled something in her back which was causing spasms, which spread to the front, which we mistook for contractions. Or, they might've been those fake contractions.
Or something.
All I know, is Elli got to sample vicodin, demerol and morphine and I got NOTHING.
And yet, my brain is mush.
Where's my flask.....?

Children

"Children are Nature's riff-raff: noisy, smelly and likely to steal the dessert off your tray. They have an undeniable low cunning whatever the state of their so-called intelligence and they seem to delight in traipsing over my lawn any time...where's my pie?"

-TotalFarker The Other

found somewhere in here: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1405488

A touch of Weirdness in Grass Nut Country

Took a trip up to scenic Firebaugh so Elli could be a guest speaker at an early childhood class at West Hills College. I sat out in the lobby and read. Next thing I know, there's a girl from the class who seems to be crying and talking quietly with the teacher. I tried to ignore this and go about my business reading. But the crying is a little more panicky and the breathing more erratic. Then some of the other girls from the class came out. Turns out the girl was having the beginnings of a seizure. And apparently wasn't keen on calling 911. Bad news, man.

Soon, there are more girls milling about out in the lobby than there are in the class, so Elli decides to use this as a potty break. So, as she passes by me, I nod in the direction of the now mildly seizing girl on the floor. She jumps into First Aid mode, but there's nothing to do, as another teacher had taken over and had said "By God, we ARE calling 911" and gotten things in motion. So, Elli continues on to the Ladies' Room when she sees another girl sitting in a chair next to the door with a pain expression on her face. Turns out she was around 6 weeks pregnant and thought she was in the process of having a miscarriage. So, 911 got another call.

By this time I had gathered up my book and my water and started moving slowly towards the door.

In the end, the class went on as scheduled, the seizure ran it's course and she got taken home by a friend to get her medicine - which she apparently hadn't taken that day - and the pregnant girl got to ride in the ambulance.

And Elli even got paid.

It should be noted that Firebaugh has a seemingly great guy on the EMS staff who could quite possibly be a yokozuna

The Swingline

"And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire..."