Odds and Ends #15
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-I wonder how many people who list “French” on Facebook as one of their languages can actually speak French – a couple years in high school usually doesn’t count.
-Can’t wait for December 2012 to come and go so the tired end of the world jokes will end. 90% of them aren’t even a little funny.
Big Audio Dynamite live at Beautiful Days Festival: review
Big Audio Dynamite was one of my most anticipated acts at Outside Lands last year. This is a great review of one of their concerts that pretty much sums up what I’d say about my experience, if I could express it this well.
This makes me feels so inadequate:
Classic Yao Ming:
Old but still relevant:
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.” – Oscar Wilde
There Will Be Blood
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I wrote this paper last quarter for a film music class.
“If I Say I Am an Oil Man, You Will Agree” – The Abortive Self-Deification of Daniel Plainview
“If I say I am an oil man, you will agree.” At first glance, it seems like nothing more than a harmless and matter-of-fact, though strangely constructed, statement of purpose and summary of personal identity. Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis) is a fast-rising oil magnate in turn-of-the-century California with ambitious aspirations of expanding his operation to new territories. But in this key early moment in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood, Plainview subtly plots the course of the rest of the film’s gradual, exploratory descent into Daniel’s fundamental drives and urges.
One would normally say “you would agree”, using the conditional form of the verb, but as the narrative progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that this usage of the declarative form was no accident. Daniel is revealed as a manipulative, paranoid, and ruthlessly ambitious man who struggles savagely to demolish any perceived competitor. Plainview, in his ironically animalistic quest for apotheosis, reveals most evidently the true essence of his sociopathic megalomania in his relationship with his adopted son H.W. and his false half-brother Henry, who are at different points in the film the two most important people in Plainview’s life. There are two particularly crucial scenes depicting Daniel’s interactions with these companions that are aided by deliberate musical and cinematic choices, furthering the audience’s understanding of Daniel’s psychology that fuels his ruthless ambitions and ultimately, his bitter downfall.
2011 RIP
December 18 Vaclav Havel (Czech playwright, politician)
December 17 Kim Jong-Il (North Korean head of state)
December 15 Christopher Hitchens (Anglo-American intellectual)
December 4 Hubert Sumlin (American blues guitarist)
November 28 Patrice O’Neal (American comedian and actor)
November 22 Paul Motian (American jazz drummer)
November 18 Walt Hazzard (American basketball player)
November 13 Ilya Zhitomirskiy (Founder – Diaspora)
November 8 Heavy D (American rapper)
November 7 Joe Frazier (American boxer)
October 20 Muammar Gadhafi (Libyan Despot)
October 12 Dennis Ritchie (American computer scientist and inventor)
October 8 Al Davis (Owner – Oakland Raiders)
October 5 Steve Jobs (American computer entrepreneur and inventor)
September 21 Troy Davis
August 29 David “Honeyboy” Edwards (American blues musician)
August 22 Jerry Leiber (American songwriter)
August 4 Mark Duggan
July 23 Amy Winehouse (English singer-songwriter)
July 20 Lucian Freud (British painter)
July 9 Facundo Cabral (Argentine folk singer)
July 8 Betty Ford (former US First Lady 1974-1977)
July 5 Alphonso “Fonce” Mizell (American record producer)
July 5 Cy Twombly (American artist)
June 18 Clarence Clemons (American saxophonist – E Street Band)
June 11 Seth Putnam (American frontman – Anal Cunt)
June 4 Martin Rushent (American record producer – The Human League, The Stranglers, The Buzzcocks)
June 3 Jack Kevorkian (American pathologist, right-to-die activist)
May 27 Gil Scott-Heron (American poet/musician)
May 20 Randy Savage (American professional wrestler)
May 17 Harmon Killebrew (American baseball player – Minnesota Twins)
May 12 Lloyd Knibb (Jamaican drummer – The Skatalites)
May 11 Robert “Tractor” Traylor (American basketball player)
May 7 John Walker (American vocalist/guitarist – The Walker Brothers)
May 2 Osama bin Laden (Leader of Al-Qaeda)
April 25 Poly Styrene (British vocalist – X-Ray Spex)
April 20 Gerard Smith (American bassist – TV on the Radio)
April 9 Sidney Lumet (American film director)
March 26 Geraldine Ferraro (former Vice Presidential candidate)
March 23 Elizabeth Taylor (British actress)
March 15 Nate Dogg (American hip hop singer)
March 13 Owsley “Bear” Stanley
March 12 Joe Morello (American drummer – The Dave Brubeck Quartet)
March 8 Mike Starr (American bassist – Alice in Chains)
February 27 Duke Snider (American baseball player – Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers)
February 20 Troy “Escalade” Jackson (American basketball player – AND1)
February 6 Gary Moore (British guitarist – Thin Lizzy)
NBA Christmas Day
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Various thoughts about the return of the NBA. Some in the moment, others after the fact.
Celtics @ Knicks
-Carmelo Anthony is the truth. Clutch.
-Did Rondo learn how to shoot or was today just an aberration? If he’s learned to shoot, he’s going to be unstoppable.
-What a game for Brandon Bass.
-Amare – one of the most overrated players in the NBA. So lucky now to have Tyson Chandler hiding all his defensive brain farts.
-Garnett trying to grab former teammate Bill Walker at the end for calling out his momma – 35 years old and still acting like a child. Charlie Villanueva shook his head while watching this.
-Looking at the roster…the Knicks bench is AWFUL. Wow. Starters are in for a long season.
Christmas Day
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Random thoughts on the resolution of the NBA lockout:
-I had so much fun watching the body language of David Stern, Billy Hunter, Adam Silver, Peter Holt, and Derek Fisher in the press conference for the announcement. These guys clearly hate each other; there is no love lost, at all. Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter, in particular, looked irate. In a nutshell, the last 149 days consisted of the players getting bullied out of their money by a bunch of incompetent small market owners like Phoenix’s Robert Sarver and Charlotte’s Michael Jordan with the support of David Stern, the plantation owner.
-I love all this thanks-giving from Stern/Silver/Holt to the various people that were part of the process, as if they’re actually happy about something.
-On the other hand, both sides looked they wanted to choke each other out, which I guess is a sign that they actually compromised. Still, no matter how disappointed the owners/Stern/Silver are with this resolution, there’s no doubt they won this by 30 and ran the score up, too, for good measure.
-Only 16 fewer games after almost 8 lost weeks? They’re going to drive the players into the ground with these triple-headers. As nice as it is that it’s back, basketball is going to be unwatchable for at least the rest of 2011 while the players get their conditioning back and learn how to play this game again.
-Revenue sharing + tougher salary restrictions = more competitive balance? I guess we’ll see. so far, it’s looking a tough deal for LA/NY/Bos/etc.
-Never have to think about Besiktas again. (At least until the next lockout.)
-Anyone who signed in China (where their deals do not include escape clauses to return to the NBA like most of the other international deals) – you fucked up, bad (Earl Smith III, Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler). The Nuggets better make some slick deals or they’re going to be garbage this year.
-Kobe’s quest for #6 begins December 25th against Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls. I am excited.
Odds and Ends #14
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Don’t be sad, Rick Perry, ’cause two out of three ain’t bad.
Death penalty’s unlikely opponents
Cruel and unusual punishment – end it.
Neo-Nazis Protest ‘Dream Act’ in California
Scary to know there are this many of these psychos around to gather in the next town away from me.
The 22-Year-Old Who Led the Charge Against Bank of America
Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Mexico finds 2 tons of marijuana in the ocean
If this headline isn’t funny, I don’t know what is.
The Time Flying Lotus Pretended To Be A UCLA Physics Major
No, I wasn’t there…damnit.
Odds and Ends #13
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I’m always flooding people’s Facebook news feeds with all these links I post, so I’ll just unload a bunch of them here because I think they’re all too good not to share:
Oregon veteran faces eviction if he hangs US flag
I have no words for this.
New York City cop imprisons college student without ID for two days
I have no words for this, either.
Sasha Frere-Jones: Why Don’t I Like Coldplay? An Investigation
Pretty much sums things up. Most of this applies to Muse, too.
Matt Kemp touches on contract, Prince, NL MVP
“I was a little surprised. It’s unfortunate for Mr. McCourt. I have nothing but respect for him. We always had a good relationship. Let everybody know I wish him the best.”
This year, Kemp was voted by teammates as winner of the Roy Campanella Award, which goes to the Dodger who best exemplifies the spirit and leadership of the late Hall of Famer; he’s received the Hank Aaron Award, as the most outstanding offensive player in the NL; the Baseball America Player of the Year; the NL Stan Musial Award, presented by the Baseball Bloggers Alliance; won the Gold Glove Award; won the Silver Slugger Award; was named a finalist for the Players Choice outstanding player in the NL; and was named to The Sporting News NL All-Star team.
Matthew 25:29
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“For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” – Matthew 25:29
Them that’s got shall get
Them that’s not shall lose
So the Bible said and it still is news
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that’s got his own
That’s got his own
Yes, the strong gets more
While the weak ones fade
Empty pockets don’t ever make the grade
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that’s got his own
That’s got his own
Money, you’ve got lots of friends
Crowding round the door
When you’re gone, spending ends
They don’t come no more
Rich relations give
Crust of bread and such
You can help yourself
But don’t take too much
Mama may have, Papa may have
But God bless the child that’s got his own
That’s got his own
Straight Cash Homie: Remembering Randy Moss
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Randy Moss announced his retirement yesterday. Big-time player, big-time asshole. Some of the most memorable moments from his 13-year career (for me anyway):
Louis Armstrong
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This is another one of my papers from my “Jazz in American Culture: Late 19th Century through 1940s” class at school last year. It’s an okay paper but I’m putting it up anyway because I feel like it.
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Terry Lok
Professor Harrison
Ethnomusicology 50A
9 November 2009
The Imagination, Innovation, and Influence of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential musicians in the history of American music, remembered and respected for his work as a trumpet and cornet player, vocalist, bandleader, and composer. “Satchmo” was not simply a musician, however; he was an all-around entertainer who left an enormous, pervasive impact on American popular culture that can still be seen today. He had a tremendous influence on early jazz and he continued to expand the possibilities of music throughout his life, incorporating outside ideas and combining them with his own to maintain himself as an important figure even during the swing and big band era, as well as reinventing himself later in his career as a popular hitmaker without ever giving up his musical integrity. However, his public persona and seeming lack of open participation in the advancement of civil rights became, for some, a subject of controversy and remains a point of contention today.
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