Watchmen Was So Unbelieveably Horrible

I've never wanted to walk out a movie at so many different points- including within the first 5 minutes. I don't even want to talk about it, really.

So here are some movies I'd have rather spent my time/money on:
-Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector
-An American Carol
-Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever
-Charlies Angels 2: Full Throttle
-Paul Blart: Mall Cop
-Street Fighter: The Legend Of Chun-Li
-Speed/Speed 2 (Double Feature!)
-The DaVinci Code
-Star Wars Episodes 1 through 3
-Dave Matthews Band Live Bootleg Series
-Any Cameron Diaz/Drew Barrymore/Julia Roberts romantic comedy
-Testicles Being Crushed In A Vice: An Exhausitve 13-part Documentary

Musicality

Recent musical tidbits/happenings:
Seriously, Jane's Addiction is all over the goddamn place these days- more than usual. The (internet) radio, TV shows, Pitchfork (twice), even the Irvine post office. Their ubiquity is astounding. What a perfect time to have a reunion.

Recent Listenings:
Fugazi: Red Medicine- Why I don't listen to this more is ASTOUNDING. It may be their best record. When I was younger I think I wrote it off for not being either aggressive enough or song-oriented enough, but, after listening to in the car for the past week, I'm amazed at how good it (still) is. Great recording, and especially great guitar sounds (even for Fugazi). Makes me want a Rickenbacker even more.
Fugazi- Steady Diet of Nothing: Always, always good.
Sonic Youth: The Destroyed Room (rarities/b-sides)- Cool weird stuff and the 20+ minute version of The Diamond Sea is iconic.
Sonic Youth: SYR 8 ANDRE SIDER AF SONIC YOUTH- About an hour of live noise improv, featuring, among others, The Mighty Merzbow. Cool textural stuff if you can stand it (you can't).
Boris with Merzbow: Rock Dream- This is my (metal) rock dream. Beyond perfection, noise+rock+sludge+metal.

I am ridiculous:
I made a spreadsheet of the guitar pedals/effects I plan to buy. It's waaaaay too long.

Hmm, Weird/Good, Weird/Bad.

Item 1:
In reference to the previous post regarding my dissapointment with the demise of Indie 103.1 fm Los Angeles: the new, web-only version of the station is better in every way except two: no Steve Jones, and you can't listen to it in your car (actually, Dawn's car- my radio doesn't work anyway). Listen here if you desire.
Awesome surprises- yesterday they played Slint. Fucking Slint! Unbelieveable. And not just any Slint song- Good Morning, Captain is nearly 8 minutes long. Normal Version. Crappy Live Version.
Today- Wire's Ex-Lion Tamer, and not even on Rollins' show. Normal Awesome Version. Not Really Awesome At All Rollins Cover Version. (See how I brought those together?)
Two of my favorite bands/songs ever, but I suppose I shouldn't be that suprised- either of those tracks is probably being played hundreds of times a day somewhere on the internet.
[Subitem A: All the internets were like "lolz, indie sucked, listen to KUCI ftw, icanhascheezburger brb!!!111" KUCI is the UC Irvine college radio staion (No doy, Jack Donaghee). It is just as bad and possibly worse than I remember college radio being. The d.j.s might actually be retarded. Can you be mentally handicapped at the UC level? All they really have to do is comb Pitchfork for playlist ideas or play horrrrrrrrible "World Music." Dear internets: you were so wrong. KUCI=Epic Fail, lolz!!!!111]

Item 2:
I watched some live Nine Inch Nails movie/dvd thing on the HD music video channel the other day and it was APPALLINGLY HORRIBLE, sound-wise at least. Hardly any drums, no synths or guitars in the mix at all, only bass and lead vocals. I'm chalking it up to someone at the TV station fucking it up, because I can't believe there'd be anyway a band would release that shit on DVD- it would be humiliating.

Item 3:
Dear Coachella Festival: Fuck you. I've successfully avoided going to your festival for the last 10 years or so. But those days my be nearly over. Look at this shit! Amazing.
Bands I wanna see: Fri- A Place To Bury Strangers, Conor Oberst, Franz Ferdinand, Girl Talk (meh, maybe), Leonard Cohen, Morrissey, Paul McCartney (!), Patton/Rahzel.
Sat- Amy Winehouse (assuming she's still alive), Glasvegas, Henry Rollins, Liars, Mastodon, Tinariwen, Turbonegro, TVOTR.
Sun- Fucked Up, My Bloody Valentine, No Age, Paul Weller, The Night Marchers, X, Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
(I did not plan to bold those just because they are all M's. They're just the ones I'd like to see the most (again). Weird!)
Christ though, $269 for 3 days, plus the need to find somewhere to stay. They have fucking layaway though.

Ron Asheton

I love The Stooges. I'm very glad I got to experience them live. Thanks Ron.

(That's me between the left elbow and headstock on either picture.)

This Week's Tunes

Man, weather is wierd. Less than a month ago it was around 100 degrees- and as of yesterday it was about 40 and pissing rain. On of my favorite things about where I live is standing on the beach looking at snow covered mountains.
So this got me in the winter mood- and with the holidays fast approaching, I dusted off some old friendlies to warm me up, music-wise.

-Mogwai: Mr. Beast
-Jimi Hendrix: Band of Gypsies
-Any Beatles record
-Mastodon: Blood Mountain & Leviathan
-Interpol: Turn On The Bright Lights
-Ataxia: Automatic Writing
-John Frusciante: DC EP
-And yes, I fucking like Christmas music, so I have a playlist of that going on iTunes. Deal with it.

Ways to Describe The Aural Experience of Seeing My Bloody Valentine Live

-Having your brain fucked by a jet engine
-Standing under the space shuttle for 15 minutes during takeoff
-Riding a missle, Dr. Strangelove style, home from a rave
-Being drug about via 747/chest harness
-Being trapped in a reverse sensory-deprivation chamber
-Only bad things happen at volumes this loud. Like the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium collapsing.
-Eardrum holocaust
-Near-panic loud

Check out this article for a good representation. It really was a strange, unbelieveable experience. And I don't say that hippy shit often.

Yeah, I'm a Scenester, Fuck Off.

And I'm reeeeeealllly excited about seeing My Bloody Valentine next week:
20 minute long free-noise closer?
Body massaging stage volume?
"Only 30" of Kevin Shields' "hundreds" of guitar pedals?
$460,000 spent on sound equipment?
In Santa Monica?
For a best-case-scenario quality reunion performance?

Fuck, yes please.

Cool Shit Vs. Bummer Shit

Cool Shit:
Mind-fucking Mogwai gig the other night
Raconteurs on Monday @ The Greek
Magazine subscriptions
Matador Records being the only good record label. (And Dischord too, duh.)
The Traveling Wilburys
Impending fall (seasonally)
Samuel Smith's
Shred Sticks
Getting my favorite jeans back from being mended
Gabe from Videogum (Example: "I believe that my limited experience as Governor of Zings more than qualifies me to be the Vice President of Zings.")
Finally (almost) completing my pedalboard
The Ben Kingsley/Minor Threat video (look it up, I haven't the energy)
This Picture: 

 

And this picture (Thurston gets around):

Bummer Shit
Ultimate Fighting's popularity (and the dumb-ass Affliction shirts that go along with it)
Bands that dress like 1800's train conductors (I'm looking at you Dr. Dog & Fleet Foxes)
Not getting off my ass and onto one of the old shredsticks
Needing a new ride
WaMu going to shit
Trying to install Norton at work
Dawn being in Tahoe (on business! wtf?) without me
The new adidas store not being open yet
Not having a good phono preamp (Shit! The Batcat 12" is on the way! Roky Erickson is in those little grooves!)

Things That Will Fuck Up, Could Fuck Up and Are Fucking Up Other Things, Not Limited To Myself or Society In General.

Item 1: Republicans
Please Democratic Party, resist the urge to fuck this one up. You have it so easy. I wouldn't put it past you though, and I'm gonna be stressed out at least until November.
[On a related note- guess what I want for my birthday? Hint: it's on November 4th- which could potentially make it my best or worst birthday ever. And that's coming from someone who was born the day Regan was elected.]
Item 2: Style (debatable) Over Substance
The dude from Thursday wrote an interesting article about political activism in music. It's on the Headbanger's Ball website (haaaaaaaaaa!), and it's not the best written article on the subect I've ever read, but it's still pretty good. I often (read: constantly) wonder the same thing. I have also resigned myself to the fact that if the Bush Administration can't bring FUGAZI back together for a protest show or two (or hundred), nothing will.
Item 3: Mogwai Vs. My Ears
I'm worried, because I lost my earplugs. I accidentally threw them out when we moved- they were in an Altoids box (to keep them minty fresh, naturally), that I thought was empty (they're very light, naturally). We're (Dawn, Chase, & myself) going to see our favorite Scottish Post-Rock Mostly-Instrumental Genius Titans tonight and I fear my ears are doomed. Work tomorrow may just be a days of ringing ears and "What?" Sacrifices, kids, sacrifices.

Basic Boring Update

-Moving May 1st: Moving in is fun, moving out sucks. Come visit me- four blocks from the beach! Gas stove, but no a/c (bummer).
-Ate waaaay too much last weekend, and played waaaay too much Smash Bros. (thanks Chase).
-Tax Time
-St. Patrick's day is horrrrrible. "Celtic punk" bands are horrrrrible.
-Toooooooo maaaaaaaany repeateeeeeeeed letteeeeeeeeersssssssss.
-Music stuff:
New Raconteurs today. GO BUY IT.
New Nick Cave in a week or two.
90's cover band (possibly) on the horizon.
Song Ideas (on the basis of possible audience appreciation):
Foo Fighters: Monkeywrench
Toadies: Possum Kingdom
Breeders: Cannonball
Radiohead: Creep
some Beck song that's not too hard to recreate live
Blind Melon: No Rain
Cranberries: Zombie
Semisonic: Closing Time
Fastball: The Way
some Smashing Pumpkins song
Everclear: Santa Monica
Folk Implosion: Natural One
Mazzy Star: Fade Into You
My Bloody Valentine (i wish)
Oasis
Pixies