Ugh

In the New Year

I'm not even going to get started on how fucked up recent events in the Gaza strip have gotten, and how we (the U.S.A.) are supplying moral, financial, and military support to the effort. 

Instead I'm just going to link you to this well-written article from the Electronic Intifada and this interview with Ilan Pappé and Noam Chomsky.

Best of Oh Ate

In case you missed it, Harper's does a year in review thing every year. Always a good read. Gotta love those damned snarky mofos.

People keep asking me if I made a Best of 2008 list, and I keep asking them, Best of What? I am rarely timely with things. Usually I don't know what was really going on until like two years later, like everyone else I suppose.

Instead of putting together an actual list of each media group I encounter in my day-to-day life, I just decided to tell you what I thought was the best of each, so that later on I can look back at what embarrassing choices I made. Whatever, I have put like zero thought into this list.

Best Novel of 2008

Awesome by Jack Pendarvis

Best Film of 2008

Baghead by the Duplass Bros.

Best Album of 2008

Alight of Night by Crystal Stilts

Best Comic of 2008

Boy's Club by Matt Furie

Best Candidate of 2008

Barack Obama by David Axelrod

Pyrite Radio

Happy 2009!

C&C #40: Ugh (YSI)

1. Paul McCartney // Ram On

2. The Walkmen // In the New Year

3. Fugazi // Ex-Spectator

4. Neil Young // Computer Age

5. Amos and Sara // Arab O Habab of Arabia

6. The Monks // Complications

7. Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers // One Track Mind

8. Scratch Acid // Owner's Lament

9. James Gang // Funk #49

10. Blind Willie Johnson // When the War Was On

11. Sudeten Creche // Dance!

12. Mathieu Boogaerts // All I Wannado

13. The Homosexuals // Slow Guns

14. Blondie // Atomic

15. Total Abuse // Easter Thoughts

16. Husky Rescue // Summertime Cowboy

17. Zom Zoms // Zomming in a Coal Mine

18. The Replacements // Bastards of Young

Christogram

Pyrite Radio

Due to the holidays and such, I had no time to write a blog, again.

However, I did have time to put together this mixx of mostly untraditional Christmas musics which I hope you enjoy. Happy times.

C&C #39: Christogram (YSI)

1. 65 Days of Static // I'm Dreaming of a White Noise Christmas

2. Beat Happening // Christmas

3. The Clash // Straight to Hell

4. Yeah Yeah Yeahs // All I Want For Christmas

5. Otis Redding // Merry Christmas Baby

6. Stan Freberg // Green Christmas

7. Esquivel // White Christmas

8. Slade // Merry Xmas Everybody

9. Mr. Onion // Wind Song

10. The Just Measurers // Dinner Party

11. Charlie Brown Christmas // Christmas Time is Here

12. Exhumed // No Presents For Christmas

13. Christmas // Stupid Kids

14. Girls Aloud // I Wish It Could be Christmas Everyday

15. Peggy Lee // The Christmas Spell

16. The Monkees // Riu Chiu

17. Pin Section // Francine's List

18. I'm So Look You // Last Christmas

Bridezilla

BLU Boy

Maybe you've seen one of BLU's videos by now. They're all over the internets these days. He does these like big ass ambiguous pop murals in various hip cities around the world, and videos the production of some, but he also does more simple animations. Anyway, I am a fan. 

Pyrite Radio

Anybody forget how awesome KISS was? Ace Frehley's solo album was the shit.



C&C #38: Bridezilla (YSI)

1. Arthur Russell // Place I Know

2. TV On The Radio // Staring at the Sun

3. Stephen Malkmu & the Jerks // Cold Son

4. Wavves // Beach Demon

5. Times New Viking // Call and Respond

6. Led Zepplin // Immigrant Song

7. No Age // Brain Burner

8. The Flamin' Groovies // Headin' For the Texas Border

9. Ry Cooder // UFO Has Landed in the Ghetto

10. Arthur Russell // Hiding Your Present From You

11. KISS // Rip It Out

12. Denim // Supermodels

13. Tobin Sprout // Last Man Well Known to Kingpin

14. Neon Boys // Don't Die 

15. John Fogerty // Almost Saturday Night

16. Lou Reed // Crazy Feeling

17. Crawling Chaos // Emocarpet

18. Arthur Russell // Being It

P.S. Arthur Russell ruled, too:

Discoid

Pyrite Radio

Woah, I have like zero time to blawg these days, which sux because of course I have a ton of shit I could tell you about, as always. But I'm putting together a new issue of the zine and trying to find a publishable novel. It's tuff: life.

Anyway, put yr dansing shoes on, my bitches.

C&C #37: Discoid (YSI)

1. Glass Candy // Introduction
2. Phil Collins // I'm Not Moving (Idjut Boys Edit
3. Of Montreal // Id Engager
4. The Presets // Kitty in the Middle
5. Dinosaur // Kiss Me Again
6. N.W.A. // Something 2 Dance 2
7. Gang Gang Dance // House Jam
8. Sparks // Tryouts for the Human Race
9. Fitzcarraldo Variations // Gamma Model
10. Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto // 3AM
11. Sally Shapiro // Jackie Junior (Junior Boys Remix)
12. The Rakes // Retreat
13. Yo La Tengo // Last Days of Disco

Stonewall

Pyrite Radio

I seriously have nothing good to say today. I have been working a lot on other stuff. But hey, if you're bored, look to yr right where you'll find C&C#2, our zine. Check it out on Issuu.

This mix is pretty rock and roll. Mas o menos.

C&C #36: Stonewall (YSI) 

1. Harry Nilsson // Jump Into the Fire

2. The Undertones // True Confessions

3. The Bats // Made Up In Blue

4. Quando Quango // Low Rider

5. Dead Boys // All This and More

6. Frank Chickens // We Are Ninja

7. The Dead C // Canine

8. Todd Rundgren // Hello It's Me

9. The Rolling Stones // Happy

10. Yellow Magic Orchestra // La Femme Chinoise

11. The White Stripes // Little Cream Soda

12. Jackie Brenston // Rocket '88'

13. Richard Hell & the Voidoids // Blank Generation

14. Sonic Youth // Stones

15. The Undertones // Teenage Kicks

16. The Modern Lovers // Roadrunner (Alternate Version)

Anorak

Fuck Elvis

This month Rolling Stone decided they didn't have anything good to talk about. Out of all of the amazing new music being produced in the world today, there wasn't anything important to introduce to the millions of people who for some reason still read their crappy rag. So they did a 100 best singer/songwriter issue with various over-discussed and overrated stars of the past. Among them Bob Dylan, John Lennon, and, of course, Elvis Presley.

In an article written by Robert Plant, of all people, more undeserving praise is lavished upon the King. Speaking of him in that way that makes him sound like some sort of otherworldly angel. I just got really disgusted reading it in a waiting room, and thought it would be a good time to introduce some people to the idea that Elvis Presley was one of the biggest scam-artists the world never saw coming or going.

This track by Stan Freberg is probably the best possible interpretation of what I hear when I hear an Elvis Presley song. It came out in 1956, amazingly, the same year as the release of "Heart Break Hotel."

Listen, I know what you may be thinking, "This guy just doesn't appreciate Elvis," or, "He's just trying to be 'controversial,'" or whatever. But really, the reason I don't like Elvis is that he so blatantly ripped off the black artists who created rock and roll. People like Jackie Brenston, Big Joe Turner, and Big Mama Thronton, and even earlier folks like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Roy Brown.

People are/were always claiming that Elvis invented rock and roll. For instance, in a recent story on VOAnews.com, someone in Memphis had this to say: 

Sun Studios tour guide Jane White, 25, had not even been born yet when Elvis died, but she knows his role in creating the music she and her friends love. "My generation looks at it as the guy who started it all, pretty much… There would not be any American music at all if it were not for Rhythm and Blues and Country music."

Before Elvis came along, rock and roll was relegated to what they called "the race charts," perhaps for lack of a better word, or perhaps because they were just racists (I'm gonna go with the latter). That's why Elvis had so much appeal so fast. Because, you know, it's okay to listen to that kind of music long as it's a white guy singing. And then there was the hip-shaking and all of that sex-symbol nonsense, which was obviously totally fabricated. Seriously, who snarls their lip naturally? - give me a break. Rumor has it, Presley went so far as to use a toilet paper roll to enhance his sexual presence - I'm sure it's probably true.

In Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino famously suggests that there are only two types of people in the world: Elvis people and Beatles people. First of all, this is of course extremely culturally arrogant, because the Beatles ripped off R&B and Ike Turner and the rest just as much as Elvis - so really, what's the difference? But at least the Beatles gave them props for it in interviews and such, whereas Elvis took credit as being "the King of Rock and Roll," without protest. He could've said something like, "Listen, I don't deserve that title. Little Richard is the 'Queen of Rock and Roll.' I'm just a white dude singing some of their songs." Instead, he became an egotistical, drug-addled maniac, which eventually led to his demise. 

Anyway, as Chuck D said, Motha fuck him and John Wayne. Happy Turkey Day - this was the King's favorite holiday, I'm sure. 

Pyrite Radio

This is for all the twee kids out there, especially those who don't know they are.

C&C #35: Anorak (YSI)

1. Tiger Trap // Eight Wheels

2. Orange Juice // Blokes on 45

3. Half Man Half Biscuit // I Hate Nerys Hughes

4. The Chefs // Records and Tea

5. Heavenly // Three Star Compartment

6. Shop Assistants // It's Up to You

7. Tully Craft // Dracula Screams of Tiger Style (Part II)

8. Another Sunny Day // Anorak City

9. Jean On Jean // Tonight

10. The Go-Betweens // Lee Remick

11. Aztec Camera // Oblivious

12. Josef K // Sorry for Laughing

13. The Tartans // Cats of Camerford

14. The Springfields // Sunflower

15. The Field Mice // By Degrees

16. Comet Gain // Ripped Up Suit

17. Primal Scream // Velocity Girl

18. Rocketship // I Love You Like the Way that I Used to Do

19. Voxtrot // The Start Of Something

PWND

Metafest 2008

So I went to this meta festival last week. I don't know that it was all that meta exactly. At least, a lot of it wasn't. They did something with Twitter, apparently. But I don't do the twitter thing so I guess I'm out of the loop.

This video, however, was different.

I present to you: "Charlie Rose by Samuel Beckett" by Andrew Filippone Jr.

That's right, the moment we've all been waiting for - everyone, including the man himself - Charlie Rose interviewing himself, in an existentialist dialogue vaguely concerning the nature of the internet. Amazing.

Despite my enthusiastic vote, the film did not win the festival. But I also loved the one that won. So it's okay, I guess.

You can see all of the finalists at Metacafe.com. 

Microcinema International, the company that co-sponsored the event, is always doing small   screenings all over the country. They also sell DVDs and such. All sorts of crazy shit you're not even going to find at that really cool video store you go to that has a director's wall. Anyway, it's pretty unlikely.

They remind me a little of GreenCine, which is also San Francisco-based, but Microcinema is even more entrenched into all-that-is-indie film.

Pyrite Radio

This has totally turned into, like, a video blog lately. Whatever.

C&C #34: PWND (YSI)

1. PWRFL POWER // 5 Tomato Song

2. Gerry & the Holograms // Increased Resistance

3. Deerhunter // Game of Diamonds

4. Modest Mouse // Beach Side Property

5. Eno & the Winkies // Baby's On Fire

6. Parts & Labor // Stay Afraid

7. Mika Miko // Forensic Scientist

8. Human Highway // The Sound

9. Deerhoof // Chandelier Searchlight

10. DNA // Blonde Red Head

11. Starfucker // Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second

12. Pussy Galore // You Look Like a Jew

13. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers // Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (Demo)

14. Catatonic Youth // Freedom Vanilla

15. Crystal Stilts // Prismatic Room

16. Genetic Control // 1984

17. Thank You // Empty Legs

18. Métal Urbain // Colt 45 (Demo)