MusicFromOrion

Black Friday . . .

Rather than fill this page with drivel, I wanted to hit you with some quotes . . .

Well, there may be a little drivel at the bottom . . .

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.  ~Eric Hoffer

The only reason a great many American families don't own an elephant is that they have never been offered an elephant for a dollar down and easy weekly payments.  ~Mad Magazine

The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other.  It is not, as poverty was before, the result of natural scarcity, but of a set of priorities imposed upon the rest of the world by the rich.  Consequently, the modern poor are not pitied... but written off as trash.  The twentieth-century consumer economy has produced the first culture for which a beggar is a reminder of nothing.  ~John Berger

To perceive Christmas through its wrappings becomes more difficult with every year.  ~Elwyn Brooks White

Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need.  ~From the movie Fight Club, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk

He who buys what he does not need steals from himself.  ~Author Unknown

Once again, we come to the Holiday Season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.  ~Unknown

In the United States Christmas has become the rape of an idea.  ~Richard Bach

Who covets more, is evermore a slave.  ~Robert Herrick

The gap in our economy is between what we have and what we think we ought to have - and that is a moral problem, not an economic one.  ~Paul Heyne

Let's clear one thing up right now - - I am materialistic - maybe not as much as some, but certainly as much as many.  I have also written more about consumerism than any other topic, as I believe it has the biggest stranglehold on our society.  You see, in reality, this world worships Mammon, and this Friday, "Black Friday" is Mammon's Xmas.  All we, like sheep, Baa our way to the malls to buy what we are told to buy.  I don't need a laptop, but I want one, and if I camp out at Wal-mart, I can get a hell of a deal on one.  After all, who could turn down a $400 Pentium 4, 2 gig RAM, super whoppler doppler processor with intel inside?  And I might as well get a 35" monitor while I am here, since my 24" is nearly 9 months old, and quite dusty . . .

Critics will say I have a huge TV and I buy PS3 games.  Yes, its true.  Guilty.  And I hate myself for it.  Small pleasures?  Who would deny us these?  Well no one.  Life needs a little joy - but the PS3 has never fixed my life.  Sure its a small escape. and one I have been thankful for, but in the long run, it will never bring me long term happiness. 

I have stated before that having a few wants is ok, but the problem is, we can never stop.  I recently bought a house, and so i painted throughout, and now I need new blinds to match the paint, and then I need new pillows to accent the blinds, so now I need a new throw to accent the pillows and then I need a new couch, and before you know it the entertainment center looks out of place and then I may as well get a blu-ray and since I have a new blu ray I better replace all my old VHS . . . .

SO - - Black Friday - its a day that embodies this mindset.  A day where we can loudly, or silently, state our allegiance to an ideal.  An ideal so radical that it seems foreign.  I want more, but I don't need more - and even if just for today, I can win this battle against petty wants. 

Then the next step is, embracing the spirit of xmas . . . .

which leads me to, I don't its ever a bad thing for someone to take advantage of your kindness

But I digress . . . as I always do . . .

Let's be honest . . .

First off, let me get this off my chest.  I know you didn't miss me, or more importantly, this blog - and I am ok with that.

Secondly, I am done trying to do clever little things with this blog.  No more accumulating beer reviews, or album lists - and its not your fault - its mine .  I don't have the energy to get past 5 or 6 on most lists.  That doesn't mean I am going to be list free, but I am not going to endeavor into anything I cannot finish in 20 minutes or less.  Sign o the times, right?  Or at least that is what I am telling myself . . .

And why haven't I been blogging?  The usual - nothing to say.  Or at least nothing original. And why don't I have anything to regurge?  Well, simple - I have given up reading, and seemingly, anything that's good for me.  Sure, it starts with reading, but next thing you know it's brownies and ice cream for every meal, eating cigars whole instead of smoking them, and that just begins the downward spiral . . . . I better be careful, or a life of World of Warcraft awaits - and lets be honest - showering is a good thing, and that's a dangerous path.

Did you follow any of that?  I didn't think so

New music?  Got nothing.  I am quite sure I have thrown out Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Michael Jackson before.  I am thinking of hosting a good ol' fashion book and music burning at my place next week. 

Speaking of - Check this out - Call me crazy, but churches should make it a point to not do anything that Hitler did - save eating, drinking, and pooping.  And people wonder why I don't announce that I am a "christian" - depending on how you define it.

I get the biggest kick out of fake inspirational posters.  Like these - the printed language is not appropriate

Are you feeling better?

I wish I had the stones to live like this - but I do think we really need to consider the costs of things. And by that, I don't mean what is cheapest for me.  If I save 30 cents on coffee, but it supports companies that persecute and enslave its workers, than the cost is actually way to high.  Ya dig?  I am the problem.

This is dead on:

Hopefully I will blog at least 2 more times before the end of the year.  I am not trying to be too ambitious

Jesus vs. Velociraptor

Here is the deal:

I firmly believe in God.  I believe God created life.  Call me silly, naive, uneducated or whatever, but it doesn't matter at all to me how he did it.  He could have bypassed evolution or used it as his instrument - either way, it does not affect my faith or belief.  The important concept to me is, he is the originator of life - the how is not important.  If I could fully grasp God's methods, that doesn't say much about God.

That said, this is offered without any further comment. 

You are a complete Tool - Shoeless Joe

Tomorrow is "A DAY WITHOUT SHOES"

The impact of a pair of shoes has on a child can be life-changing. Raise awareness this April 16. Go barefoot!

The Facts:

* Fact #1: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.
* Fact #2: Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
* Fact #3: Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
* Fact #4: In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
* Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

Is this completely inconvenient?  Yes.  Does it raise awareness to a cause we cannot possibly comprehend? Yes.  But doesn't it seem like a fun thing to try - and if it sparks one conversation - its worth it.  You are probably like me, thinking "I could never pull this off at my job" - which is maybe why you should.  Are you awful if you don't try?  not at all - - - but you still should.

On another note

And last but not least - for all the music geeks out there - check out this tone matrix

Which has nothing to do with:

Tuna Noodle Casserole, Rocky Horror, and your wildest fancy . . .

You truly cannot judge a book by its cover - And the Les Miserables song is very fitting

Speaking of Les Mis - I will try to restart the 100 album list - I expected more help - but if you were relying on my leadership on this list, I have been a major disappointment.

On another note - recently, I had a discussion with friends about judgment.  This all stemmed from a recent Bengal arrest: Leon Hall was arrested for drunk driving.  I raised a point - I asked, raise your hand if you have never driven drunk?  No one raised their hands.  Their point was, he is in the spotlight, and should be held to a higher standard.  Then I said something that probably sounded smug, which was along the lines of "he who is without sin, should cast the first stone."  Then many got upset with me, because they said I judge all the time.  So I said all this to give back story . . .

I do not condone drunk driving.  I have driven under the influence more times than I would like to admit, and I am ashamed I have done so.  This is never acceptable or right.  I have also judged.  I judge every day, far too often and have condemned many people I should not have in my life.  I talk about my friends behind their backs - and am desperately trying to quit.  A human is a human is a human.  Spotlight or not, financial status or not, we all make the SAME mistakes.  I, as a flawed person, have no right to condemn someone for the exact same flaw I have.  Leon Hall should not drive drunk - its a horrible thing to do, but I should not write him off as an awful person when I myself have been guilty. 

Please do not hold myself, or anyone else, for that matter, responsible for our judgments in the past.  We are trying to get better.

How do we balance judgment with social commentary?  Only answer I have is:  Whenever I offer commentary, I will try to admit where I screw up. 

American Idol is on tonight - who gives a flying poop?

Lately my pee smells like tuna-noodle casserole.  I wish I was making that up.  I wish I was creative enough to make something like that up.  This either means that A) I am just getting more awesome (this is not likely) B) its indicative of some rare disease that I contracted in my suburb (I never want to be sick) or C) my diet has been severely derived of tuna noodle casseroles, and all casseroles in general, and my body is trying to alert me of a craving. 

Do you like beer?  Do you like hoppy beer (more likely a no given some of my constituency)?  Try this one:

So, this 90 minute IPA, needs a haiku:

Dry, not harshly so,
Sweet, certainly not Zima
Palette is refreshed

I could get into wine reviewing, but this blog is already to diverse.

Are you/were you, a Rocky Horror fan?  If so, check out REPO! the Genetic Opera  Truly awesome!  Still debating monthly screenings at my place.  Costumes would be encouraged. 

Ray Lamontagne is in Cincinnati this Saturday - if you are not at a Bachelor party or anything, it would be worth your attending.  It may be the best thing you could do.  He just makes me kinda happy.  Plus, I wish I could look as dirty/cool as he does. 

Hopefully there will be more to follow . . . including the resurgence of 100 albums . .. 

Men, this may just save your lives

Begin tracking when your woman may be PMSing with . . .

The PMS BUDDY

Also Available on the iPhone

We love you ladies!

but I want to sit at your right hand . . . and get a new haircut . . .

I struggle daily with not being self-edifying - and I fear, many do not.  And I know I am sick, because I feel better about myself thinking I am starting to get it, only to realize, in that moment, I have lost it.  Its a catch-22.

Similarly, my father always says "The thing about humility is, once you think you have got it, you have already lost it"  Brilliant

Speaking of being attention whores, check out KennyKen and his thoughts on facebook updates

I write under a pseudonym, but everyone who reads me knows who I am - seems a slight bit counter-productive.

I realize now, that if I am wanting to offer social commentary, I should try to hold myself to better standards.  (In all actuality, I have always realized this, but I need an excuse for my continued tomfoolery) 

How often can a person sneak tomfoolery into a sentence?

So, I was kicking around this idea - let me know what you think.  I would like to start doing a list, with your help, of the 100 most influential (or inspiring) albums of all time.  But this list would only work with your participation - sure, we may get into a little tomfoolery now and then, but I think it would be neat to read what albums others picked and why they chose them.  Criteria would be: 1.  It needs to be the album as a whole. 2.  You need to list why its influential/inspiring (does it remind you of a rough or great time in your life?  In your opinion, did it change the face of music forever?  Every time you hear it, do you feel invincible? Etc)  That's just about it.  I was thinking eric, kennyken, tj bravo, leah, tarp, jo, sara, etc could get in on this.  What do you think?  Maybe I will just start it and see what happens.  First come, first serve, no repeats on albums, but you can certainly comment on each one. 

Have you listened to M. Ward's "Hold Time" yet?  You should.  Elaborate, yet simple song stylings, and he teams up again with his counterpart in "She and Him", the very cute Zooey Deschanel. 

And how about William Elliot Whitmore's "Animals in the Dark" - its soulful, bluesy, earthy, rootsy, tomfoolery at its very finest. 

Somebody please tell me I no longer have to watch American Idol.  I cannot handle it any more.  I used to watch it to stay current, but I am realizing thats just a crock of sh#$%@t.  The only thing current about that show is the current obsession with "celebrity worship."

I used to like to write about Jesus, and I am realizing now that I don't do that very often.  So I wanted to clear things up - its not that I am afraid of what you think - on the contrary, I am getting bolder these days, and I hope to be more and more lovingly confrontational on here.  I am just going to offer opinions, and try to keep them as free from judgement as possible.  I realize this is impossible, but opinions are ok, judgments are not, and they are divided by a fine line.  But anywho, back to Jesus - I am still wrestling with a lot of the same issues, and I am trying to prevent my mockingbird syndrome.  Sure I am drawing a few conslusions on things of the past, but those conclusions, as they always do, lead me to similar questions. 

I cannot always remember what I have said on here, so if I repeat, I am sorry.  But I did want to say this to all the WOMEN of the world.  Are you paying attention?  Ok, here goes.  There is nothing you can say to your man that is scarier than:  "Honey, I am going to the hairdresser today, and I am thinking about doing something different with my hair."  Ladies, so often you make wonderful choices.  The outfits you wear are stunning, the way you look knocks us off our feet, but I think every man has experienced, at least once in his life, his girlfriend/wife coming home with her hair in the most awful style imagineable, or a with a color so putrid, we almost vomited instantly.  These problems are only amplified when we come to the quick realization that we need to live with this new "style" until your hair grows out.  So what happens?  We are forced to lie, and at the very least, say its "cute."  Which then creates a larger problem, we realize that our simply saying its "cute" could cause this issue to happen again in the future.  This, of course, beats the other option, which would be telling you the truth, and being in the dog house for the better part of 2 months.  If we said it was horrible, everytime we got ready to go out (assuming you still wanted to see us) would be met with your commentary, saying something to the effect of "Honey, do I look pretty? OH NO, WAIT, you hate my hair.  I look awful, that's right - you already made that ABUNDANTLY clear.  I am so sorry you need to go out with a woman who looks like she is directly out of the movie Edward Scissorhands.  You hate me" (and then you run off in a flurry of tears).  All of this, of course is untrue.  Sure if we could change your hairstyle in those moments we could, but we realize asking you to wear a bag over your head is degrading.  So we will lovingly take it, ok?  Cause as you know, we love you.  And you know what they say about women - you can't live with 'em . . . But seriously . . .

And don't get me started about your female friends.  I cannot tell you how many times a girl in the gaggle gets a haircut, and every lady is there, right on cue to say "OMG it is SOOOO cute."  Then when the girl is out of the room, the gaggle all talk about how ugly her hair is.  As men, we keep this simpler.  "Dude, you look like a heffer in that shirt - it pulls across your chest and thats not a compliment"  "Your 'just woken up' look, looks like you actually just woke up, and quite frankly, you will scare any girl within a 100 yard radius away"  Of course, we men have our own issues . . . but I couldn't possibly speak to those . . .

I feel I recant too often.  I say something, and then I try to explain its my problem too, and I am really not trying to condemn you, and I am just expressing an opinion and not a judgment yada yada - I am sorry for that . . .

Rocks my socks off . . .

There is just something about live music, isn't there?  Something cathartic, something freeing, something transcendent . . . Well, at least good live music.  Or at the very least, half-way decent.

It occurs to me, or at least at one point it has occurred to me, that music (as an art form) is only really great if its rebelling or standing opposed to something.  Whether it be "the man" or common-musical form or some chick that broke your heart, music (and all art forms really) will never really function well if it just goes along and mass produces itself.  Rock music sounded immoral, and really was immoral, and that was great - but then it started getting mass produced - so the need to continually evolve and rebel brought us punk, alternative, grunge, and sadly Michael Bolton.  Spirituals were the voice of the oppressed and enslaved, which has sometimes greatly evolved into certain blues, R and B, and hip-hop records.  And I am not even starting with the beginning of written and recorded music, and of course, music existed way before that.  My point being, I could spend the rest of my life tracing all the influences, but I just hope you loosely get what I am trying to say.  Art is great, because it gives us a voice, a reason to stand against something, a reason to speak, a medium with which to express ourselves and our feelings, and this is never done well when its copied.  This is not an original or even somewhat modern thought by the way . . . but I guess you already knew that.

So why talk about it?  There is so much crap on the radio, I can hardly handle it.  We cannot support this drivel.  And here is the scary thing - I actually think there is a somewhat universal good and bad in music.  And I don't think anyone really agrees with me on this issue.  But I think, once you begin to understand music as an art form and you begin to understand what many purposes music serves, you can begin to discern good music from schlock.  You can tell when something has been crafted that's totally unique, fully emotional, expertly played etc.  Sure, there are a million criteria, but I think some of the core truths start to stand out over time.  And although not everything will be appreciated by everyone (including me), I believe there is still some semblance of universal good and bad. 

This is why I hate you Nickelback - you have nothing to say.  Your music is not new.  Your tunes give voice to nothing. 

Why do people like it?  Cause they hear it all the time.  Just because we recognize it, does not mean its good.  Sure you will catch the tune fairly quickly, but that's because you have heard it several times before. 

I could develop this thought for hours, but, I would rather you call me an idiot and consider it undeveloped but have a little twinge down in your soul say that I may be on to something. 

And never trust someone that doesn't often listen to music, or experience any other form of art. 

This is why American Idol sucks, and why indie music is getting to be more mainstream.  But, indie music, like all musical changes, needs to check itself, before it wrecks itself - you either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain.  (I may have butchered that quote a little, but I think it holds true here).

On another note - the 75 albums every man should own.  This list is actually not so bad

I have often talked about our need to listen, which, I think rings very true.  How often do you want to tell somebody something that is weighing you down, only to be met with A) an immediate switch where they tell you your problems aren't so bad, cause here are my problems or B) a flurry of advice you really don't want or care for?  This is so deadly to friendships.  We need to listen to each other.  But I have said all this before . . .

But this can lead to another problem - all the sudden, you may realize, and begin to feel likely, nobody really understands you, because you never talk about yourself.  I have tried so hard to keep in so many of my feelings in an effort to listen (which I still suck at) but now I realize my friends hardly no me, or what plagues me.  Sure this problem can exist even in an environment in wish I would gush every day, but I think I have created a lot of this myself.  But I don't want this to be about me, just using myself as an example.  My point?  You still need to get your stuff out.  Listen first, and then ask your friend to listen.  They will mess up a lot, as you will, but we need to be the model.  Anytime this world becomes me first, we have a problem.  Take for instance poverty, or the environmental crisis, or our economy.  You are kidding yourself if you think you are not part of the problem.  I am certainly a BIG part of the problem, and sadly, I try not to be.  But I digress . . .

I have over 100 friends on facebook - this is a joke.  I would say about 95 of them aren't real friends.  Some are great acquaintances, some are less than that.  I think we are lucky in life if we find one true friend.

You know, I value loyalty more than most people I know.  This is a problem, because A) I have always sucked at being loyal, but am trying to be better and B) most people always choose themselves first, so I find I am almost always let down by people.  I am working very hard to keep my word when I give it.  I could be better.  I will be better - I give you my word

Speaking of, you know who else sucks, along with Nickelback?  (tempted to do a "your mom" joke here)
too many "christian" artists to mention (I will bury the hatchet one of these days)
Fall-out boy
Goo Goo Dolls
Color Me Badd (obvious I know)
Creed (although I did dig the song "Higher" when it first came out, I believe I need to say 10 more "Hail             Mary's)
Lee Greenwood (may have actually been behind 9/11 to re-spawn his career)
Insane Clown Posse

Actually - I had a mind blank when trying to do that list off the cuff - good thing google produced about 900,000 worst band lists to help me out.

I also found this quiz - pretty funny
ARE YOU IN THE WORST BAND IN THE WORLD?
Take this simple multiple-choice quiz and save yourself some embarrassment!

1 How long is your drummer’s solo?
a) He doesn’t get one.
b) A couple minutes is all, and it’s very funky.
c) Which of our drummers are you talking about?

2 What is the secret of your success?
a) Inspiration.
b) Perspiration.
c) Butchering old soul classics in a manner beloved by middle-aged housewives and the mentally unwell.

3 How many times has your band’s lineup changed?
a) Never happened, dude. If anyone left, it just wouldn’t be the same.
b) A few. It’s so hard to find a good accordionist.
c) 1,179.

4 The name of your band is…
a) A favorite phrase from a William S. Burroughs novel.
b) An action verb, followed by an even number.
c) Indistinguishable from that of an accounting firm.

5 What is your favorite subject matter for lyrics?
a) The pain of loving.
b) The joy of drinking.
c) Dragons. Or dungeons. But mostly dragons.

IF YOU ANSWERED…
Mostly a): Congratulations! You’re in a good band.
Mostly b): Commiserations! You’re in a not-very-good band.
Mostly c): What’s that sucking sound? Oh, it’s you. CLARK COLLIS

Oh, and Sugar Ray sucks too

You should really listen to some music that was written before 1960.  I swear there were some good tunes back then.  Of course, at some point, you will have to change your lingo.  Beethoven wrote great "pieces" and not great "songs" - but I guess that music college gave me that cross to bear - although, I will try not to use too much lingo.

Seriously, I use to really enjoy blogging and thought I had something neat to say, but these days, I feel like I am driveling more than the radio. I may be fishing for compliments though

Is driveling a word?

I guess so - or its impenatrable to typepad spellcheck?

Was athleticism always a word, or did some lame sportscaster make that up?

Even though I try not to bog you down with silly little details of my day, I do secretly like the idea of people reading my blog, but thats the old approval addiction kicking in - you like me, right?

I already made that joke before - kinda like Mitch Hedberg used to do, but less funny.

My father and I have a nickname for every single person who works on our side of the office, scary thing is, I wonder what they call me . . . I am assuming they didn't settle on something cool like Diesel, or Shawty, or Adonis . . .

I once asked this before on my facebook, but seriously, is everyone in my generation only interested in being seen when they choose to be social?  I just don't see the point in ringing up a $60 dollar bar tab, being packed in ass-hole to belly-button, where shallow conversation prevails - if it happens at all.  But where else are we going to get pumped up with crappy music?  Music is universally good or bad, I am telling you.  Just because you paid five dollars to get into the door, doesn't mean you are getting the music you paid for.  But I guess you can't bump your rump to anything thats not 120 bpm with a bass drop . . .

But seriously, God Bless the good hip-hop artists.  People with something to say that doesn't involve smacking a woman (at least on some of their songs - but they sell out for radio play too).  You know who they are.  I will give you a hint - its not chamillionaire . . .

This will do for now . . .

Mustache march

My tribute to lemmy from motörhead - insufficient, I know

Norman Gentle

American Idol has been atrocious.  No excuse for the lame talent this year.  I understand the show is now completely about story and image, when it used to be at least 10% about singing.  The show needs to die.  And although others have come before me, I am officially endorsing a revolution.  Vote for Norman Gentle, or Nick, or whatever the dude in the sparkly shirt and headband goes by.  His winning would completely undermine any thought of legitimacy the show has left. 

And the last singer last night?  I may just have a penchant against image, but what's with the hair and the gold chains and the one glove?  Yuck!

Vote for this dude

Not this embodiment of all things wrong:

And how creative is Josh Freese?  It may actually be desperate, but I love it

Until next time . . .