The Rat

I out this one off for a while for a number of reasons. The first reason (meaning the earliest reason) being that I didn't feel like writing one of these on the weekend. The second reason then became that I had a busy weekend and I didn't have proper time to discuss it Monday, because I had (free) tickets to the Black Keys show that night. The third reason arose from a text message I received while at the Black Keys show that I'll get to in a minute. But first, Movie Night.

I decided to watch the 1978 remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers Friday night and it didn't disappoint. The film was rated PG, but contained nudity of both sexes (I guess you have to take the good with the bad) and frights galore. The box of the VHS tape I obtained from my local library stated that "...the film ends with the single most horrifying frame in movies." While that's extremely debatable, the final scene still scared the piss outta me. Why, you may ask? Well, the reason might be the dorkiest reason in history. I won't give away the context of the scene, but I recognized it as the avatar (if you don't know what that is don't ask) of a prominent member of a prominent message board. Here it is:



So at 5:30am, the movie ends with that image and the credits roll with no music (nice touch I might add). Then, outta the f'n blue, comes a preview for Poltergeist. The screen shows snow, the girl puts her hands on it, and I grab the remote with the quickness and turn the TV off. Now THAT was something I wasn't ready for. That's not the last thing I wanted to see before I fell asleep.

Saturday was spent at Now That's Class for the Hollywood Blondes show and the Happy Dog for Joe Jack Talcum (of Dead Milkmen fame). A good time was had by all. I was actually quite impressed with Talcum. I'm never going to be called the biggest Dead Milkmen fan alive, but I like their stuff. I've also always been a fan of solo acoustic stuff if it's done right, and that's what the deal was.

Sunday was mostly spent recovering from Saturday. I finally got to watch the Great American Bash 1990 though, but there's no review. I just didn't feel like taking notes & writing one, and I'm not gonna get paid if I do it or not, so F it. It was one hell of a show, though, top to bottom. It was awesome to see Big Van Vader in his North American debut absolutely destroy the Z-Man. Every title meant something then, even the United States Tag Team belts. That match, between champions the Midnight Express and the Southern Boys is regarded as one of the best matches of the 90's. It was surreal not only hearing the fans loudly chant "faggot" at the Fabulous Freebirds in their match with the Steiner Brothers, but have the camera show close-up shots of said fans! Times sure have changed. And, of course, the main event. Ric Flair defending his World Heavyweight Championship against Sting. I've wanted to see this match for 15 years (not an understatement) and it was worth the wait. Not a bad way to spend two hours on a Sunday night.

Monday was spent at work, at Jalapeno Loco with buddy Noah and a mariachi band, and at the Agora with the Black Keys and a lot of people that didn't have to pay for their tickets. Show was great, no camera policy not so much. So, no pics. I'm not much of a fan of opening act the Walkmen, but they were alright. Their singer seemed to imitate Robert Pollard, and not in a good way. Meaning, he copped his poses but not his attitude. It was at some point at the show that I got a text message concerning an incident that's on every news channel as I type this (and I'm not talking about Paris Hilton).

I spent the entire day yesterday and a good portion of the day today gathering every detail possible about the Benoit family tragedy, and, as I type this, I'm just now starting to lose the sick feeling I've had since Monday night. I didn't watch Monday's tribute show live, but I did view it on Tuesday. I most likely will never watch it again. Nor will I have the desire to see another Chris Benoit match in the near future, or maybe ever. And, as of now, I don't really feel like watching pro wrestling at all for a good while, or ever. I don't think I'll give up on it completely, but we'll see. That's really not important in the least in the long run, obviously. My viewing habits aren't going to bring his wife and son back. That's enough for now.

Until Then,
Later.

When I Said I Wanted to Read Your Blog

Spotted a few days ago and didn't post it



When I heard that the Go! Team were recording a new album, I felt a little apprehensive. I really didn't think they could ever come close to topping anything from Thunder, Lightning, Strike but it seems that they may have done just that. The video above is for the tune Grip Like a Vice, and it's F-U-N! If they decide to tour for the album, I'll try really hard not to miss em since I missed em every other time they've been around.

Speaking of that, one show I was super bummed about missing in 06 was The Smoking Popes. They played the Grog Shop in September(?) of last year, and I couldn't make it. I'd always had a soft spot for the band since hearing them on the Clueless soundtrack, believe it or not. For my money, Need You Around was THE Summer Anthem of 1995, with all due respect to Skee-Lo. I couldn't find the video of the song, but anyone reading this could do themselves a favor and pick up their album Born to Quit because it's great from front to back. Their other major full-length, Destination Failure is awesome too. And, since it's going for $.30 on amazon.com, why not grab the Clueless soundtrack while you're at it. It's a lot better than it has any right to be.

So the point of all this is that the Smoking Popes are coming back to Cleveland! On July 28th they'll be at the Beachland Ballroom, and so will I. So should you! If anyone reading this hasn't heard anything of theirs and wants to, get at me and I'll help you out.

On the same subject, another show I'm still kicking myself for missing was Jens Lekman. He was at the Beachland Ballroom last summer and I couldn't make it. He has a new track that's floating around the web, and it's typically stellar. The name is Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo. It's well worth a listen.

Movie Night is still on. I haven't decided on one yet, but I might post some stuff about the winner in the future.

Until Then,
Later.

We'll Always Have Paris

So I came to the conclusion that I haven't seen any movies in a while. I've also been reading this for the last few days:

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/series/284/

I'm usually not too crazy about these types of lists, but it's been giving me some ideas. Earlier today I went to the library to look for some to watch tonight, and I rented five bona fide classics that I had either never seen or hadn't seen in so long that I'd forgotten.

Tonight I watched Casablanca for the first time in I don't know how long. It's not on the list above, but the list itself caused me to remember that I wanted to see this one. There's a ride at MGM studios at Disney World called The Great Movie Ride and it takes you through some of the most memorable moments in cinema. Casablanca is a part of that ride, and I've been wanting to see the movie again ever since I'd been on that ride. The film was great, as I expected. However, without getting too personal or anything, there are certain aspects of Humphrey Bogart's character Rick that I see in myself and I don't know if I like that. Well made movies will effect people that way, I guess. Anyway, I rented some more, and I might have movie night tomorrow as well. I'm running a little short on cash for reasons I'll get to later.



In other news, I forgot to mention that apparently Spank Rock is doing an EP using 2 Live Crew samples. That makes perfect sense to me, since Spank Rock reminds me a lot of the Crew. I actually thought of that as I was listening to all that 2LC stuff the other day, but, once again, I forgot to mention it. That idea I had about taking notes is sounding better and better every day.

I got to see TNA iMPACT! at its regular time tonight for the first time in months (another reason for the delay of tonight's post). They announced the main event for the next Pay-Per-View to pit the World Champion and the X-Division Champion against the Tag Team Champions in a tag match with all three titles on the line. That would be World Champion Kurt Angle & X-Division Champion Jay Lethal vs. Tag Team Champions Team 3-D. Not exactly main event quality. They said, though, that if a singles champion pins one of the tag champs, the guy that got the pin gets both belts and is able to choose a partner with which to hold the titles. I like that idea, since Angle & Lethal shouldn't be Tag Team Champions. But, Lethal lost his belt tonight to Samoa Joe. So, Joe's the X-Division Champ and in the main event of the next PPV. Look for Team 3-D to lose the tag belts, too. I don't read spoilers, but I think they'll lose em to Christian Cage & AJ Styles, since both are buddies in the storylines and main event quality wrestlers. I don't like the idea of Lethal losing his title so soon, though. I understand that they don't consider him worthy of a PPV main event (I don't either), but Sabin should've kept the belt on Sunday to lose to Joe. It devalues Lethal's first title win to lose it so soon.

I made some t-shirt purchases in the last several days. A certain (MySpace) friend of mine posted a bulletin that their site was having a 20% off sale for MySpace friends only. So I took advantage of that and copped a certain 3Sixteen tee that I mentioned on here a few times (I got their last one too). At 20% off too boot. I might get some flack for being on MySpace, and I probably deserve some of it. I spent a long time bashing the F out of the site and swearing that I'd never be a member. And, I RARELY go back on my word. But, when I can get deals like that, I know I made a good decision. Also, DG put the first batch of NHTVSN tees up on the site. That's the new project from the 3Sixteen crew. I copped 2 tees today, and they're both currently sold out. I got the last one of the 1st, and the 2nd to last of the 2nd. The 2nd sold out later in the day. I might post pics, or you might just have to see me out and about to know what I'm getting at. So, needless to say, I'm a little strapped for cash. But, I'll manage.

Until Then,
Later.

That's What's Up

This shit'll run your life if you let it. Maybe more addictive than cigarettes, and at $6 a can, more expensive too.

Just got back from a fun run. I took it a little earlier than normal because my job lets me do that sort of stuff. A mix of New Edition, New Order, and EPMD was on the menu (pretty disparate choices, but that's how it turned out). Upon listening to the selections, I can't decide if Ooh Baby or My Secret is the best New Edition song ever. The Bizarre Love Triangle/True Faith one-two punch still takes the cake on the New Order front, while I'm kinda partial to Crossover when it comes to EPMD. That might be due to their direct diss to Color Me Badd, as I've always been a fan of blatant shit-talking in music and other mediums. The Vince Russo video on my MySpace page illustrates this well. However, I only like that kinda stuff if it's backed up. I myself have never been afraid to tell people what's really going on, and I'd like to think that I back up most of my stuff. I guess I can relate to that sort of thing.

Anyway, I couldn't find anything for Ooh Baby, but here's New Edition performing My Secret in a scene from the movie Krush Groove



And the video for EPMD's Crossover




I can't find a video for the extended version of Bizarre Love Triangle and I personally think the album version is garbage, but here's the video for True Faith. The tune's edited a little from the superior version, but not as badly as Bizarre Love Triangle



Enjoy.

Until Then,
Later.

UFC Thoughts, TNA Thoughts, and Other Thoughts

So I mentioned yesterday that I caught Saturday's UFC Pay-Per-View, and that I'd give some thoughts. Well, here they are. They'll be a little brief, though, since I'm not the biggest UFC fan (but I won't pass up the chance to see a PPV for free). It's not gonna be as involved as the Wrestle War 90 review, but I don't know if I'll ever do another one of those any time soon.

The best fight was the second one, and one of the guys used an Alkaline Trio song as his entrance music. That right there was one huge advantage UFC has over pro wrestling: the use of non-generic entrance music. For instance, I'd much rather hear AC/DC (which one fighter used, by the way) than some song I'd never heard before. I'm going to be checking a lot of stuff online, such as the names of the fighters and things of that nature, so keep that in mind.

The second fight had Clay Guida (the Alkaline Trio guy) take on Tyson Griffin. It was a back and forth battle that went the distance (three 5 minute rounds, for those interested). I, along with the announcers, thought Guida had it won, but the judges gave the fight to Griffin.

I couldn't believe that there were no title fights on the show, either. Maybe it had to do with the 3pm start time, but that was due to the fact that the broadcast came from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I would've thought that the UFC would think enough about the sold out crowd to give them a title shot, but it wasn't the case.

The main event pitted Rich Franklin vs. Yushin Okami. As I've stated, I'm far from an expert on this stuff but I'd like to know what the reasoning was to make this the main event over the other fights. The announcers didn't really touch on it, either. On top of all that, the fight was boring. The only boring fight of the show to boot. Okami spent the first two rounds doing next to nothing, and tried to mount a flurry in the third round. I couldn't figure that out at all, since it's not a twelve round boxing match where you can afford to conserve some energy for the end of the fight. The UFC only gives you three rounds to work with (unless it's a title fight, then it's five rounds), so there's not really a lot of time to waste. Maybe he thought the fight was scheduled for five rounds since it was a main event. I don't know. Overall, it was a decent show all around.

One other point I wanted to make about the entrances: pro wrestling could learn a lot from the UFC and wait until the guys are in the ring before they are announced. In my opinion, it makes everything seem a little more important. And, i'm not gonna go into the fights I didn't mention, so look em up online if you care to.

I mentioned that I caught TNA Slammiversary as well. This one had a lot of questions to be answered, and one of them concerned Scott Steiner and his injury that I mentioned a little while back. I was really looking forward to The Steiner Brothers taking on Team 3-D (formerly known as The Dudley Boyz) but I knew it wouldn't be able to take place. I knew that fact because I read about it on the internet, not because it was mentioned on TV, because it wasn't. Also, there was a hole to fill in the main event because of stuff that happened recently on iMPACT! I haven't written anything about the show in a while not because I haven't been watching, but because it hasn't really been that riveting.

The PPV itself, though, was actually pretty good. Here's some stuff that stuck out:

1. LAX (Homicide & Hernandez w/ Konnan) vs. Rhino & Senshi (w/ Hector Guerrero)

I thought Chris Harris was partners with Rhino? Maybe they put him in the vacant main event slot. Hernandez was throwing Senshi around like a lawn dart. The crowd is really into everything. It must be because it's Nashville and TNA had a lot of their great moments there. Rhino & Senshi pick up the win after interference from Guerrero. Good match, but LAX is more of a full time team, so it didn't make much sense to have them lose, especially this early on the card.

2. Chris Sabin (X-Division Champion) vs. "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal - Title Match

I was a fan of Lethal's from his days in Ring Of Honor, and he's doing a Randy Savage gimmick now. I'll admit he does a great impression. Kevin Nash helps on commentary and says some stuff. Jay captured the title after a good showing from both guys, and I've never been a fan of Sabin's. He looked sharp tonight, though. I kinda figured he'd lose the strap, though, since him and Alex Shelley have been tearing up the indies as a tag team. They're collectively known as the Murder City Machine Guns, and it's pretty much the coolest name in a while. TNA will probably make them a part of the tag team division soon enough.

3. Frank Wychek & Jerry Lynn (w/ Kyle Vanden Bosch) vs. James Storm & Ron Killings (w/ Miss Jackie)

This match had no business being as good as it turned out to be. Wychek is a former Tennessee Titan, and I'm guessing that Vanden Bosch was his teammate at some point. My only major gripe about this match was the fact that Killings got thrown in for no real reason. He'd been out of action for months, and his return was treated like nothing special. Wychek gave Storm a cradle piledriver (Jerry Lynn's finisher) for the win. However, it looked pretty dangerous and Storm's lucky he wasn't injured.

4. Mr. Backlund vs. Alex Shelley

Mr. Backlund is 50 something former WWWF and WWF Champion Bob Backlund. Alex Shelley I mentioned earlier. I kinda figured Shelley would take the loss here, because of the aforementioned stuff with Sabin. I was right. I have to admit, though, that Backlund looked great for his age. The announcers made mention that he's in phenomenal shape, and I believe it. There was a lot of stuff involving Kevin Nash, Chris Sabin, Jay Lethal, and Jerry Lynn afterward but it didn't make much sense.

5. VKM (B.G. James & Kip James) vs. Basham & Damaja (w/ Christy Hemme)

This match was awful. VKM used to be called The New Age Outlaws in the WWF back in the mid 90's and the other team were known as the Basham Brothers in WWE at some point. I didn't really pay any attention, though, since WWE was already shit by that time. And, the two aren't really brothers, but they play(ed) them on TV. VKM won. Next!

6. Eric Young vs. Robert Roode (w/ Ms. Brooks)

Before the match, Jim Cornette interviewed Rick Steiner. Steiner whispered the identity of his partner into Cornette's ear. The plot thickens. The Young/Roode feud hopefully came to an end tonight. Not because it hasn't been interesting (at times), but because it's dragged on longer than this post. There were two highlights this one: Eric Young pantsing Brooks a little too hard, causing her panties to come about 70% off, and a double Death Valley Driver on Roode and Brooks. Eric Young got the win after a restart of the match due to cheating. This meant that Eric Young wouldn't have to fired from TNA. Alright.

7. Team 3-D (Brother Ray & Brother Devon) (TNA World Tag Team Champions) vs. Rick Steiner & ????? - Title Match

Here we go. This is what I've been waiting for. Before the match, Brother Ray cut a promo basically accusing Scott Steiner of pussing out on the match. This is despite the fact that Scott has a throat injury that required surgery. I hope this leads to Steiner returning the favor on Brother Ray when he gets better. So Rick's partner was Animal from The Legion of Doom/Road Warriors, and I guess that's as good as it could've been. Animal made some headlines during the college football season since his son is Ohio State Buckeye James Laurinaitis. I would've much rather seen The Steiner Brothers together, but the match was still serviceable. The Nashville crowd continued to be ON FIRE throughout the match, and that helped immensely. This great crowd was probably a major factor in my opinion of the show as a whole, to be honest. 3-D retained the straps (no great surprise) but Steiner took the fall. I was kinda thinking Animal would be the one to do that, but he wasn't. Get well soon Scotty!

8. Christopher Daniels vs. Sting

This one had a lot of potential, and fulfilled some of it. I like the premise of this feud, since it brings Sting's religious tendencies to the forefront. Plus, Daniels finally has a reason to be the Fallen Angel. Sting pinned Daniels, and that was a little surprising. This feud just started, and I figured Daniels would have to get a victory in order for it to continue. We'll see.

9. Abyss vs. Tomko - No Disqualification Match

They pulled out all the stops here. Neither of these guys are my favorites, but they put in one hell of a brawl. Thumbtacks, broken glass, a fall off a scaffold, and more in this one. Abyss got the win, and the revenge on Tomko.

10. AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Kurt Angle vs. Christian Cage vs. ?????????? - King of the Mountain Match for the vacant TNA Title

Kurt Angle won the title in controversial fashion at the last PPV, so there is no champion. One more person had to be added, but before that was announced, they showed a video of Jeff Jarrett on the screen. I expected him to not only compete in this match, but also to win it, but that wasn't the case. This is due to the fact that his wife recently passed away. He explained that, among other things, in the pretaped video. That's all I'll say. Cornette announced Chris Harris as the 5th guy, which explains why he wasn't in the first match. I guessed right. The rules of this match are ridiculously convoluted, but here they are: all five are in the ring at once, but pinfalls count anywhere in the building. After someone is pinned, the winner has the chance to climb a ladder and hang the title on a hook. That's how you win. The loser has to sit in a penalty box for 2:00. However, if you're pinned, you can still pin someone else once you get out of the penalty box and try to hang the belt. I think that covers it. After about 20 minutes of nonstop, fast paced, train wreck action, Kurt Angle became the new TNA World Champion. Samoa Joe tried to shake his hand, but Angle had none of that. Maybe that'll be the next feud?

So that was the TNA Pay-Per-View. If I say so, it was their best one in a while. In other news, I made a trip to Music Saves earlier today and grabbed the new Chromeo album I mentioned a little while back, Fancy Footwork. I already had an advance copy, but I wanted to support them by buying a copy of the album. I'm gonna support em even more on July 13th in Buffalo when they perform with Flosstradamus and you should too! In closing, I wanna say that the album is primo car stereo material. My speakers haven't been woofed that hard since TV on the Radio's last one.

Until Then,
Later.

A Little Later Than Usual

Not only later in the day, but probably quite brief, considering the fact that there's so much to get to. The weekend was nice, to say the least. Friday was, in a word, surreal. The happenings of that night are not going to be shared on the internet, so if you wanna know, ask me. Saturday was cool. Got to catch the UFC Pay-Per-View at an establishment that won't be named because they don't need the free publicity. It had an early start time of 3pm, and that was good, since I had plans for the night. I think I'm going to go into some detail about the show tomorrow if I have time, but we'll see. Saturday night was spent at The Tower and Spitfire, respectively. I'd never been to either venue, so it was nice to try something new.

The Tower is one of those D.I.Y. places that can be good or bad. Good because of low cover charges and a more lax attitude overall. Bad because the crowd can run hot and cold, among other things. The Tower suggests a $5 "donation" for each show, and I had to run to the ATM before I got there since I didn't have any cash. So my ATM only gives me multiples of $20 so I had to give the person at the door a $20 bill. I thought I might catch shit for that, and I was right. They asked if I wanted change, and I said that I did. So they gave me my change, and after I got inside, I noticed that I only got $5 back. So I paid $15 for a $5 show. Now, under any other circumstance I would definitely complain, but the whole "donation" thing made me think twice. I didn't wanna cause a scene at a place I'd never been to (that's probably not raking in the dough as it is) over $10. I'm still kinda miffed at the whole thing, though. No pics of the show (The Ergs/Lemuria for those interested) but it was fun nonetheless.

The Spitfire was my kinda place: no cover at the door or on the jukebox! I figured they wouldn't play my selection since it was free but I heard it (Electric Frankenstein - Right On Target for those interested). Some ska-punk band played and they were decent, which made me remember how funny it was that The Ergs busted out Rancid's Time Bomb to close their set. It was a night of ska-punk foe sure! Kill The Hippies sounded good, considering I hadn't seen em since 2002 at the old Grog Shop with The Arrivals and Dillinger Four. It was nice to hang out in a new area (for me anyway) with some old friends. Good times.

Sunday I caught the TNA Pay-Per-View and I'll definitely have some thoughts on that one tomorrow. Much better than even I expected.

That's all for now. Tomorrow's post will most likely be more in-depth.

Until Then,
Later.

Fuck The Spurs Part IV

Looks like my Wednesday prediction was correct, as you can see by the title above. The Cavs were completely outmatched by the veteran Spurs for four straight games, but I don't think there were many that would've predicted that at the start of the series. Mind you, I didn't think the Cavs had much of a chance to take the title, but they could've won at least one or two games. I really don't wanna dwell on this debacle, but I'll make one more statement. It's one that I don't like to think about, but I'm never been one to shy away from something that might be uncomfortable.

The commentators kept harping on the fact that there hadn't been a sweep in the NBA Finals since the Spurs beat the New Jersey Nets in 2002. I don't remember much about that series at all, but I remember the sweep prior quite well. In 1995, the Houston Rockets swept the Orlando Magic 4-0. The Magic had a young Shaquille O'Neal and little else, and were completely outmatched by the veteran Rockets for four straight games. Sound familiar? Shaq then left the smaller market of Orlando for the bright lights of Los Angeles, and the rest is future Hall of Fame history. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself in the form of our good buddy LeBron James.

In other news, I decided to throw on another classic album at work today that I haven't heard in a good while. I'm talking about none other than Girl You Know It's True from Milli Vanilli. It holds up surprisingly well, and it'll most likely be in heavy rotation when all the bars that feature 80's Night will finally start doing 90's Night. It'll happen soon enough, believe me.

I also checked out the new Rub Radio mix, and it was a doozy. It was from a few days ago, but new to me. The mix featured various tracks from the Spitkicker crew (De La Soul, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Kanye West, and a lot more) Some great stuff, and a lot of tunes I hadn't heard in a minute. I'd give it a listen.

That's it for now. I'm sure I forgot a bunch of stuff I was gonna touch on (I should really take notes throughout the day so I don't forget). The weekend's looking pretty f'n good, and I hate to leave on a down note, but I just read a few minutes ago that former WWF and WCW (among other organizations) star Sensational Sherri Martel passed away earlier today. She was 49, and probably the best woman wrestler/manager/whatever that'll ever live. R.I.P.

Until Then,
Later.

GO CAVS Part III

So I just got back from my run. I decided to take it a little early today, and I'd say it was pretty productive. Earlier today, I couldn't think of what to listen to on said run, until I got a bulletin from my (MySpace) buddy Cosmo Baker. He put a free mix online and I downloaded it. So that was my workout mix for today. It's called Feeling Good and that pretty much describes the vibe. Earth, Wind, & Fire, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, and the like. I caught a lot of tunes that were sampled by various hip-hop artists, but I couldn't write them down, since I was busy running. Good stuff, though.

I mentioned yesterday about how I had 2 Live Crew in rotation at work. That wasn't the best idea. Not because of possible trouble, but because I literally felt dirty after listening to enough of it. I'm far from a prude, but yesterday might be the one and only time I listen to 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, Move Somethin', and As Nasty As They Wanna Be all at once. I also procured Banned In The USA and Sports Weekend: As Nasty As They Wanna Be Part II but I ran out of time yesterday before I had a chance to listen to those. The joke got old pretty fast, but the samples were pretty choice. Everything from The Beatles to The Kinks to Guns N Roses to Van Halen and many more. It made me miss the older days before sampling laws.

Today I took a much different approach and played nothing but New Edition. Everyone reading this with ears should try and obtain their Candy Girl and New Edition albums and put them in your car stereo. Roll those windows down, crank it up, and enjoy the summer. I've been on a real Bobby Brown / Bell Biv Devoe kick lately (don't ask me why), so I figured I'd go all the way back to New Edition. Good idea, I'd say.

I've been on a Time kick for a good little while, and while listening to their Pandemonium album (their best, and criminally out of print), wondered if they made a video for my favorite song, Jerk Out. Here it is:



And, as an added bonus (for those that care), here's an SNL performance of the same tune:



I never knew they were ever on SNL, and when I looked it up, I found a very interesting tidbit: apparently, during the other song they played on the show (Chocolate, another good one), Morris Day says to Jerome, "Where the fuck this chicken come from -- I thought I ordered ribs!" So the next time someone asks you about the people that dropped the F bomb on SNL, add Morris Day to the list.

And another thing, Arby's gets a big Gas Face for not letting me substitute Jalapeno Bites in place of Mozzarella Sticks, even though they're the same price on the menu.

That's it. As the title reads, GO CAVS! No Tim Barry tonight, but I'm sure he'd understand. If Richmond, VA had an NBA team, he probably wouldn't even play. Everybody be safe and all that.

Until Then,
Later.

Fuck The Spurs Part III

What a game last night, eh? San Antonio plays like complete crap, and Cleveland plays just worse enough to lose. I'm not gonna get into any play-by-play, but I have a bad feeling that Friday's post is going to have to be Fuck The Spurs Part IV. I decided to stay in and watch the game at home last night, and I'm glad I did. If I'm at a place serving alcohol and I'm not in a good mood, sometimes things don't turn out so well. Couple that with driving to and from said establishment, and trouble most likely would've occurred. I don't know what my plans are for Thursday, but they might be the same. I'll wait until then to figure it out, though. I was thinking of catching Tim Barry of Avail fame at The Grog Shop tomorrow, but I don't wanna miss the game. Although, with the way they've been playing, it might be best to ignore it.

I also complain about my job a lot, but I don't know of many jobs that'll let you listen to 2 Live Crew for a few hours. Speaking of that, for those interested, yesterday's workout mix featured these artists:

1. 2 Live Crew
2. Bobby Brown
3. De La Soul
4. Depeche Mode
5. Whoever sings Ravishing Rick Rude's WCW theme music from around 92-93 (it was on the WCW Slam Jam album and is absolutely spectacular. If anyone wants to hear it, ask me for it and I'll send it to you).
6. Public Enemy

A couple tunes from each artist (except for #5 of course). One of the Depeche Mode ones was Enjoy The Silence and I decided that it's gonna play at my wedding. Mainly for the chorus, and certainly not for the line Vows are spoken/To be broken. That might give off a weird vibe at a wedding. Speaking of that sort of thing, the only other song that's a lock for my wedding (and no, I'm not currently engaged to anyone) is New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle. I'm talking about the version on Substance, not the one on Brotherhood. The one I want is a longer mix, and is far superior. I recently watched an interview online with the band Hot Chip as they discussed their new DJ Kicks mix, and they mentioned that someone in the band had it played at their wedding (a portion of the Substance version appears on DJ Kicks) and he made sure it played second, since he didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea. That's basically what I'm talking about. A song with that title might give people the wrong idea.

So there's a lot of other stuff I'm gonna hit on in the future, but I haven't really had time to devote to this. I've been wanting to mention some articles of clothing that have an interest in, and maybe I'll do some of that tomorrow. But, in closing, here's a flier for what I anticipate to possibly be the most fun I'll have all summer:



I haven't been to Buffalo since 10/05, when I caught Buffalo Stampede, the last ROH event held in the city. I'm getting kinda pumped about going, and apparently the Krudmart store is really close to the venue. Once again, if anyone wants in, let me know. I'm gonna buy tix really quick, though, so get on the ball people!

Until Then,
Later.

GO CAVS Part II

So I drove almost 20 minutes yesterday to get a haircut at a new place (for me anyway) and they're closed. What kind of reputable business closes at 6pm on weekdays? But I went again today on my lunch break and I'll probably post some pics soon on the old MySpace. So look out for that.

I also tried to watch WWE Raw last night. I had heard some outlandish stories from various people "in the know" that made me wanna check it out and see if all the hype was warranted. I usually don't watch WWE anymore, mostly because I haven't really enjoyed it in who knows how long. I've been a fan of pro wrestling for as long as I can remember, though, so it's been hard to quit. I still follow TNA and various independents because they still interest me, but I'll still try to catch WWE if it sounds like it could be worthwhile. Long story short, I fall asleep 30 minutes into the show and don't wake back up until it's over. The supposed "can't miss Raw of the year" literally put me to sleep. I wake up to a text from a friend that reads "I hate WWE." I'm guessing at this point that the big surprise Vince McMahon promised wasn't quite what my friend had hoped for. I then find a computer, type in wwe.com, and see this:



So that's that. No real explanation needed there, right?

In other news, let's go Cavs! I referred to them by a more colorful name in former posts, and if they win tonight, I'll go back to referring to them by that moniker. To anyone reading this, have fun tonight, be safe, and enjoy yourselves. And to the city of Cleveland, FUCK YOU for cancelling the watch party at Gateway Plaza. Time for a fun run!

Until then,
Later.

Fuck The Spurs Part II

And fuck whoever is in charge of the (formerly cool) Cleveland Cavaliers Watch Party at the Q,

Seriously. The fact that they made people get tickets is absurd. Of course, that meant there were plenty of them on eBay going for upwards of $25! That's quite a price to pay to sit in an arena and watch television. But, I'm sure there were plenty that had no problem, and if they think that makes them better fans, more power to them. I'm pretty content with the fact that I didn't have to pay money to see San Antonio show the Cavs who's boss. They're the boss, applesauce.

And, if that wasn't enough, apparently they also cancelled the little party outside the arena for all home games. F that too. I guess they don't like having thousands of people downtown ready, willing, and able to spend their hard earned money in an area that supposedly needs all the cash it can get. I don't get it.

Other than that, weekend was good, had a lot of fun with friends (some of which I hadn't seen in far too long), and that's about it for now. I'm gonna get a (much needed) haircut now, but before that, I'll post these vids. They gave me something to laugh at as I get over last night's game. They're very similar, but both hilarious in their own way, as they convey the true feelings of The Ultimate Warrior to the entire world.



And this one:



Until then,
Later.

Fuck The Spurs

View from above



Hearing Black Box's classic Strike It Up always gets me pumped before a game



I'm kinda partial to the Dirty Bird myself



Jerkasses get in for free and still can't stay till the end



So I hope everyone had a good time watching the game last night. I know I did. I'm still kinda numb to the fact that the Cavs even made it to the Finals, and it looked like they were too. That is to say, they didn't play very well at all. But, it's a seven game marathon and not a one game sprint, so they (currently) still have plenty of time. If they lose Sunday, though, it may be a different story.

Oh, and for anyone interested, the workout mix the other day was The Rub Radio's History of Hip-Hop Vol. 10: 1988 show in it's entirety. Sometimes it's easier to listen to someone else's mix than it is to make your own. If you want a tracklisting, find it online. It's not too hard to find.

Until Then,
Later.

GO CAVS

That's it. See ya there...

Take Me To Chicago and/or Buffalo (and Fuck Verizon)

Here Goes,

http://www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com/

This is where I wanna be on those days. I didn't get to go last year, but I DID attend Intonation Fest. It was held on June 24 and 25 of last year, and competed with Pitchfork Fest. The Pitchfork Fest broke away from the Intonation name after curating it in 05. So Intonation 06 was a fucking blast, and I'm sure Pitchfork 07 will be no different. I should also mention that there will be no Intonation this year, but Chicago's already spoiled enough as it is so they probably won't even notice.

I saw these performers last year at Intonation:

Saturday, June 24

The Streets, Ghostface Killah, The Stills, Lady Sovereign, Boredoms, Roky Erickson, Jose Gonzalez, Devin the Dude, High on Fire, Chromeo, Erase Errata, 90 Day Men, Favourite Sons

Sunday, June 25

Bloc Party, Dead Prez, Robert Pollard, Jon Brion, Blue Cheer, Lupe Fiasco, Annie, Rhymefest, The Constantines, The Sword, Panthers, Bill Dolan, Tyrades

Quite the lineup, and not bad for $25. That was for both days COMBINED, not $25 for each day.

Chromeo was one of the definite highlights, and I mentioned yesterday that they're playing Buffalo on 07/13. I'd really like to hit that up, but I'd rather not go alone. Fujiya & Miyagi is playing The Grog Shop that night, but they're gonna be at Pitchfork Fest the next night, so I could feasibly see them there. And, if that wasn't enough, there's the possibility of catching Chromeo in Chicago at The Empty Bottle on 07/14 after spending the day at Pitchfork Fest. I guarantee a fun time, but I am prepared to go at least to Buffalo alone if I have to. I've been to shows alone before, and I have a much better time than one would think. So, as I said yesterday, anyone reading this should let me know if they're interested.

And, I got a text from Verizon that my bill is about $35 more than it usually is. When I checked my bill online, I saw that their billing cycle starts on the 2nd of each month, not the 1st. That would only make sense. What does that mean? It means that despite the fact that I CONSTANTLY checked my minutes via text throughout the month just to make sure I didn't go over, I apparently made a $35 phone call on 06/01. I was thinking of calling Verizon and bitching, but it probably won't do any good. Let that be a lesson: NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING. Just because it makes all the sense in the world to start your June billing on June 1st, it doesn't mean that's how it is.

So, I'm really peeved about that, so I'm gonna go try and run it off. Maybe that'll cheer me up. Maybe I'll even post the mix later. I'm not making any promises, though.

Until Then,
Later

Goings On

More pics and words to look at/read about:

Here's what my Saturday night looked like in the hands of a more capable photographer:



I don't know who took it, but good job.

In other news, I read some pretty shitty news online earlier. Apparently Scott Steiner suffered an injury to his trachea. He will most likely be out for the planned matchup with Team 3-D at the next TNA Pay-Per-View. I was really looking forward to seeing two of the better tag teams of all time (The Steiner Brothers and The Dudley Boyz/Team 3-D) tear it up, but I guess it'll have to wait. Oh well, I guess sometimes



That tee's from Mishka's Summer 07 line. The back says Louder Than Fuck and I think that's a reference to a Soundgarden shirt from a while back. I also think I used to work with a guy that told a story about getting kicked out of Cedar Point for wearing said Soundgarden shirt, but I might have that confused with something else.

Also earlier today, I heard a tune from the forthcoming Spoon album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (I'm pretty sure I added the appropriate amount of Ga's). If I knew how to throw it on here, I would, but I don't. It's a real barnburner, though, and it's getting me super pumped for the album. The song's called The Underdog, so look out for it. I saw Spoon at a free show in Pittsburgh (a.k.a. Pissburgh) at Carnegie Mellon University a few short weeks ago, and they were as tight as ever. It seems as though they're only playing festivals through the summer, though. I'm kinda bummed about that since I wanted to hear the new material performed live. The recent show had a setlist full of classics. They probably played some new tuneage, but I haven't heard the album yet, so I wouldn't know. I'm gonna try and wait for the release date to hear it, too. I heard it's going to be packaged with an exclusive EP, ala Gimme Fiction (maybe my favorite album of 05), so it's more incentive to wait.

I couldn't wait to hear this one, though, and if you read yesterday's entry you'd already know:




Yes, the sophomore offering from by good (MySpace) buddies Chromeo is getting some heavy rotation on my end. And, yesterday I saw that they posted their tour dates for the Summer. Flosstradamus (another (MySpace) buddy of mine) gets the opening gig. It really, really stinks that they're not hitting Cleveland, BUT they are invading Buffalo on 07/13 and Chicago on 07/14. I wanna go to at least one of these, so who's in? Get at me if you're down. My next post will have more about the OTHER stuff going on in Chicago that weekend.

Until Then,
Later.

June 4 Part II

Workout jam session mix por 6/04/07 (at the gym because it was raining):

Tracks 1-11: coughChromeoFancyFootworkAdvancecoughcough (Nonstop party. THE 07 Summer disc. I basically ran as fast as I could for almost the entire 40 minutes).

Track 12: LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends (The semi-comedown. The album version's nice and lengthy too at 7:37).

Track 13: New Order - True Faith (As great as this tune is, it's just not the same when it's not paired w/ the extended version of Bizarre Love Triangle. Still a classic, though).

Track 14: Rod Stewart - Young Turks (I can't even listen to this one in public without at least jogging. Throw it on the jukebox if you see me out and I'll prove it).

So that's that. The next time I feel like posting a workout mix, I will. In the meantime, I forgot to mention a streetwear sighting outside the Q the other night when I saw some kid wearing this'n (the black tee):



Lemar and Dauley is quality, no doubt about it. However, their product is a little too pricey for me. I've loosened the old change purse quite a bit over the last few years, but I still have a problem paying upwards of $50 for a t-shirt. To each their own, though.

Until Then,
Later

Picture Day

So I FINALLY figured out how to put pics on here. Here are some:

The view from $5 seats at the Jake. Speaking of which, shout out to Jake's clappy hands. And look at all those fans!


This is when the fun begins. A few thousand fans take in the Pistons getting destroyed on the big screen between Jacob's Field and the Q as I put the amateur back into amateur photography.






The CC bobblehead gets some face time. I don't know whether to take it out of the package or throw it on eBay.



Here's the 3Sixteen tee I was yammering about. I don't know if I like it better than their Geoffrey tee, but I want it anyway. I'm sure I'll see it around.



That's all for now. Time for a 6 mile fun run. Soundtrack details forthcoming.

Until then,





Peace.
(That guys not me and I never met him before in my life)

I Lied

So what,

I didn't really try as hard as I could to have a post for every day in June. Last night was far too crazy for internet time-wastery anyways. The Motherfucking Cleveland Cavaliers are YOUR 2007 Eastern Conference Champions, and I couldn't be happier. My (admittedly fairly terrible) pics of the evening will be posted as soon as I figure out how to do it. I wasn't regularly spending time on the world wide web until 2003, so I'm new to a lot of the nuances inherent with the technology. I also didn't take any photography classes in HS since the teacher was a complete and utter asshole (not naming names), so I'm new to the camera stuff too. I'll figure it out, though. Also, I might even throw a pic of my new C.C. Sabathia disco bobblehead in as well.

Until Then,
Later

June 1 Part II

Hey,

I said I'd write another one today and here it is. It's gonna be really short though because I'm tired as F. I was up until 5:30am last night, and I got about 4hrs of sleep before being woken up to help move my cousin. I got a little nap in afterwards, but I'm still exhausted. So, I'm gonna watch last night's TNA iMPACT! and go to bed. I have a big day tomorrow, with the Motherfucking Cleveland Cavaliers game to watch and other goings on. So, lights out for me.

Until Then,
Later

The Next One

Wow,

That was one hell of a game tonight. The Motherfucking Cleveland Cavaliers are one game away from the NBA Finals, and I couldn't be happier. LeBron James just made himself tonight. Bring on the Spurs.

In other news, I have been really slipping on this blog. I don't know if I got this in before 12:00am, but regardless if this is timestamped 05/31 or 06/01, I'm gonna try as hard as I can to write one of these EVERY DAY in the month of June. And, if this one is dated 06/01, there will be another post before date is done.

A lot has gone on since my last post, so let me give a little recap:

Saturday, my good buddy Noah and I made the trek to Touch Supper Club for the monthly Old-School Hip-Hop extravaganza known as I Got 5 On It. Everyone reading this with even a remote interest in old-school rap should get their asses down there next month, because I had the most fun I've had in a LONG time. I had heard about it a little while ago when I was at Touch to see the Hollywood Blondes, and I wish I'd heard of it sooner. So many hits were played that it'd be crazy to try and name them all, but here were a few jams that got the place jumpin:
Public Enemy - Can't Truss It (maybe the best PE song to run to. no joke)
A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario (the place went BANANAS with this one, and deservedly so)
Camp Lo - Luchini (always a favorite. I remember them playing this at Jay-Jays back in the day and confusing all the dumb shits)
The Soul Train line at 2:45am (you heard it right)
Apache blasting and two people doing this dance two feet away from me:



Minus the hugging and throwing of course. Also, I think I should get residuals from Manifest, because every time I wear my C.R.E.A.M. shirt out, I get more looks than the group of beautiful ladies that got picked up in a souped up Escalade after spending their Saturday night ignoring everyone. All in all, a great night was had, and Mick Boogie, Terry Urban (celebrating his 30th birthday Saturday), and the rest get nothing but respect from me. Noah and I went to see DJ Ayres of The Rub fame a few weeks back at The Mercury Lounge, and it was alright. At the end of the night, though, Ayres seemed kinda pissed at the lack of fun everyone seemed to have. He iterated to me that the Brooklyn Rub parties are where it's at, but I'd like to think that the energy at Touch last Saturday was at least close to the level of insanity at The Southpaw when The Rub throws down. I don't have any pics, though, and that won't happen again. I got a pretty good camera recently, and I intend to use it!

I saw some old friends from High School this weekend, too, and that was cool. Tuesday, I went to 80's night at the Pirate's Cove with Becky, Lisa, Ame, and their friend Eric. It would've been a lot better if there were more than a dozen people there, but it was still fun. I hadn't been there in over a year, and it's gone a little downhill if you ask me. I remember when they'd play The Smiths, The Cure, Joy Division, Pixies, etc. there. Tuesday they just played the basic 80's stuff you'd hear on any Top 40 station's "80's Night." No pics for this one either, and once again, that'll hopefully be the last time I have to say that. Rascal House Pizza was eaten that night, and it was delicious. I'm gonna try and eat more in the future.

I finally got to watch last Saturday's UFC Pay-Per-View last night. I'm not really big on UFC, but someone loaned me the tape, and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I can possibly see it taking pro wrestling's audience, but probably not for a few more years. Some of the fighters are more charismatic than the current crop of pro wrestlers, though. A definite change of pace, that's for sure.

I also finally got to see last Thursday's TNA iMPACT! last night. It was better than the average show, with a Samoa Joe/Sting main event that actually felt like a main event. When these kind of marquee matches are given away on free TV, they usually stink. The whole point of the show is to sell Pay-Per-Views, so I can understand the reasoning. Christopher Daniels cost Sting the match, so that'll set up Sting/Daniels at the next PPV. Samoa Joe goes into the main event Title Match by virtue of his win. The match he got himself into, however, is too confusing for me to explain. Sorry. The definite highlight of the show was a promo (interview) with Team 3-D (formerly known as the Dudley Boyz) and the Steiner Brothers. Instead of a recap, I'll just post this:



Good shit. That kinda stuff is why I'm a wrestling fan. I'm pretty pumped for their eventual match, but it'd be a lot better in 1997 than 2007. Oh well, at least the promos will be good. I had to tape tonight's show, since The Motherfucking Cleveland Cavaliers were of utmost importance, but I'll watch it soon.

Lastly (for now anyway) Digital Gravel FINALLY put the 3Sixteen Urkel shirt on sale. They had my size when I first saw it, but I thought about whether or not I should buy it for about an hour, and when I checked back, it was sold out. On one hand, I shouldn't sweat it since I passed up my chance and I don't really have money to spend/waste currently, but on the other hand I'm kinda ticked that I've been waiting for the tee to drop for literally MONTHS and when it's finally available, I flake on it. I have a few moew sites I check that stock 3Sixteen, so I'll be on the lookout. I'm not really sure what size to get, either, since the last time I got a tee from them (the Geoffrey one) I had to send my Medium back cuz it was too small and the graphic was too big and in danger of getting crackly (Becky knows what I'm talking about). So, I ordered a Large and it fit me like a nightgown. I still wear my Large, though, so it's not so bad.

So, that's all for now. I'm gonna try and update the shit outta this from now on, so look out for that. Maybe 2 or more a day? It could happen. Go Cavs!

Until Then,
Later