Answer: nothing.
Sorry Marvin.
-Too many records to buy, too little $$$. New Sonic Youth tomorrow will burn a hole in my wallet, however.
-Lakers, Lakers, Lakers. I've kept my love of basketball (actually, just Lakers Basketball really) hidden from nearly everyone for a really long time.
I suppose there are several reasons for this:
A. Definitely not punk.
B. Too much Nike. All that swoosh represents is the enslavement of thousands of Chinese babies.
C. Team sports go against my ruggedly individualistic nature. The American dream, right?
Anyways, in my old age (57 this November), I've been getting to the bottom of the following:
A. Not being so much of a dick.
B. Getting back to my roots.
C. "It's like Hamlet said- 'To Thine Own Self Be True.'"
"Hamlet didn't say that
"I think I remember Hamlet accurately."
"Well, I remember Mel Gibson accurately, and he didn't say that. That Polonius guy did."
So that's a lot of existentialism backing up my Los Angeles Lakers fandom. I've got no exit strategy for that point.
-Ladies & Gentlemen: The Fabulous Stains! Finally available. So, the movie may not technically be very well filmed, but the message is undeniable. They should show this to young girls everywhere. It does a very good job of telling the story of strong girls without trivializing them. Netflix it- seriously. I first learned about it through the transcendently-before-it's time Grand Royal Magazine. Which brings me to:
-Grand Royal Magazine. If there was ever any one group of people that were/are consistently ahead of every curve, it's the associates of Grand Royal. Initially, GR was the Beastie Boys vanity record label- however, it evolved into the most unbelievably trend-predating tastemaking organization in the history of pop culture. Not only did GR bring us 4 beyond-great Beastie Boys full lengths (and countless single/eps: see Aglio E Olio, Country Mike's Greatest Hits, Root Down), but they also introduced most of the world to Spike Jonze (Sabotage. Where The Wild Things Are. Girlfilms. Genius!), At The Drive-In, artist sanctioned mp3s (really. Ask this guy), and the Mullet (I'm not kidding). Grand Royal Magazine ("Long Awaited, Much Anticipated, Grossly Outdated") was their compendium of coolness. It only lasted 6 issues, but contained way too much excellence to post here. I have all the issues except for the first and fourth ones, which are nearly impossible to find- so let me know if you come across one. I re-read them all from time to time, when I feel like I need tips on Adidas Vs. Puma, building a demolition derby car, the best ways to harass Ted Nugent, Moog Synthesizers or the truly original expose on the mullet epidemic. Ultimately, the Beastie Boys' unwavering ability to see the future got them out of the record label business before the shitstorm, and now Grand Royal Magazine is a memento of a cooler time- just the sort of thing that the magazine would've written about.
-Dinosaur Jr, Freak Scene. Had to "get" the remastered version of Bug (see first item, above). It sounds 1000 times better than the original version, and just fucking shreds. I am now 100% a Dinosaur Jr. fan, whereas I was only like 50-75% before Saturday. Also, perhaps I could work this verse into my wedding vows?
Sometimes I dont thrill you
Sometimes I think Ill kill you
Just dont let me fuck up will you
cause when I need a friend its still you
Cute!
Showing posts with label Ranting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ranting. Show all posts
Monday, June 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
I Am So Bad At Blogging
[Note to self: Catalina Island Adventure photoblog coming soon. Maybe.]
Ugh, I'm still mostly asleep for some reason. It's not like I don't get enough sleep- my incessant selfishness and lack of any real responsibility probably afford me too much. Luckily, I don't let worrying about my budget for vinyl reissues at Insound keep me up at night. Usually. So here's how I've been spending my days in my general post-adolescent malaise:
-Wedding planning. Almost done (yeah right. Jinx!). Much was accomplished in Paso Robles last weekend (a phrase that has never been typed before!)- cake tasted/arranged for (it's gonna be good, and I don't even like cake. Seriously.), invitations designed (I was a totally wannabe graphic designer for a while, so I was prepared to be a dick about the invitations. Luckily for me, my fiance is more than capable of arranging excellent looking invitations without my faux-knowledgable snide comments), and my Sound System Assistant was arranged for (Thanks, Turtle Boy).
-We decided to take Monday off for a leisurely drive back south, so we stopped in Malibu for lunch/early dinner. As with most things, I was generally unimpressed by Malibu. I enjoy all of the leftover architecture from the 30's-40's-50's-60's, but other than that, I really don't see the big deal. Overrated, like the other 90% of Los Angeles. After we made a Lawyer Emergency Internet Pit Stop at the Panera in Santa Monica (I much prefer Santa Monica to Malibu, btw), we went the rest of the way home on PCH- though only out of necessity, since it weas now rush hour(s). Blech.
-I've sworn off physical record stores. I hate to say it, but it's true. I have a spreadsheet on my phone (nerd) of about 300 different records I need to buy (yeah right), and have only managed to find 1 of them in 3 trips to different places. The exception, of course, is Amoeba, but I can't drive there all the time. At least it took me 15 years of record buying to get to that point. Everyone else: keep going. I am an isolated case of extreme nerdiness and even more extreme jaded-ness.
-The one record I did get was Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking. As I may or may not have said before, I never liked Jane's until this past year or so. I think it has to do with living in Southern California- Jane's is everywhere (even the post office), and they wore me down. I remember hating this record in college. We had this neighbor that lived in an apartment behind our house, above our garage/practice space (which undoubtably sucked for him), and he was an older grad student who commuted (!) from Berkeley (!) 3 or 4 days a week. He was super wierd and tended to invade your space with unsettleing regularity. He used to just roll in through our back door, go through my cds and grab the ones he wanted to copy. He always traded me cds in return, although I rarely listened to them because he annoyed me and I am an asshole. One of the few I did listen to was Nothing's Shocking, which Jason and I hated (also the 2nd Meat Puppets album- the one that Nirvana did all the songs from on Unplugged in NY. I still don't like the Meat Puppets. Kurt Cobain really captures the vibe of the songs, while being 200% more tuneful than the original songs). Anyway, like Jeremy "Bummer" Machi says "We always become what we hate."
Ugh, I'm still mostly asleep for some reason. It's not like I don't get enough sleep- my incessant selfishness and lack of any real responsibility probably afford me too much. Luckily, I don't let worrying about my budget for vinyl reissues at Insound keep me up at night. Usually. So here's how I've been spending my days in my general post-adolescent malaise:
-Wedding planning. Almost done (yeah right. Jinx!). Much was accomplished in Paso Robles last weekend (a phrase that has never been typed before!)- cake tasted/arranged for (it's gonna be good, and I don't even like cake. Seriously.), invitations designed (I was a totally wannabe graphic designer for a while, so I was prepared to be a dick about the invitations. Luckily for me, my fiance is more than capable of arranging excellent looking invitations without my faux-knowledgable snide comments), and my Sound System Assistant was arranged for (Thanks, Turtle Boy).
-We decided to take Monday off for a leisurely drive back south, so we stopped in Malibu for lunch/early dinner. As with most things, I was generally unimpressed by Malibu. I enjoy all of the leftover architecture from the 30's-40's-50's-60's, but other than that, I really don't see the big deal. Overrated, like the other 90% of Los Angeles. After we made a Lawyer Emergency Internet Pit Stop at the Panera in Santa Monica (I much prefer Santa Monica to Malibu, btw), we went the rest of the way home on PCH- though only out of necessity, since it weas now rush hour(s). Blech.
-I've sworn off physical record stores. I hate to say it, but it's true. I have a spreadsheet on my phone (nerd) of about 300 different records I need to buy (yeah right), and have only managed to find 1 of them in 3 trips to different places. The exception, of course, is Amoeba, but I can't drive there all the time. At least it took me 15 years of record buying to get to that point. Everyone else: keep going. I am an isolated case of extreme nerdiness and even more extreme jaded-ness.
-The one record I did get was Jane's Addiction's Nothing's Shocking. As I may or may not have said before, I never liked Jane's until this past year or so. I think it has to do with living in Southern California- Jane's is everywhere (even the post office), and they wore me down. I remember hating this record in college. We had this neighbor that lived in an apartment behind our house, above our garage/practice space (which undoubtably sucked for him), and he was an older grad student who commuted (!) from Berkeley (!) 3 or 4 days a week. He was super wierd and tended to invade your space with unsettleing regularity. He used to just roll in through our back door, go through my cds and grab the ones he wanted to copy. He always traded me cds in return, although I rarely listened to them because he annoyed me and I am an asshole. One of the few I did listen to was Nothing's Shocking, which Jason and I hated (also the 2nd Meat Puppets album- the one that Nirvana did all the songs from on Unplugged in NY. I still don't like the Meat Puppets. Kurt Cobain really captures the vibe of the songs, while being 200% more tuneful than the original songs). Anyway, like Jeremy "Bummer" Machi says "We always become what we hate."
Friday, May 1, 2009
Two Blog Posts That Made My Day (Today)
Not that I was having a particularly bad day... but still.
From Idolator: Dissecting "Superstition" (the song, not the mystical belief). Very interesting to me because of the following- A: I am a recording nerd & B: It's one of my favorite songs.
From Videogum: Uniting Humanity And Squirreldom. Dare I say, my heart was warmed. I've only recently begun realizing my fascination with animals. Growing up with 900 yapping dogs, a bunch of messy horses and a nutso parrott kind of gave me a distaste and exasperatuion for most of the animal kingdom, but thanks to Lindsay at Videogum (and Box Cat, and Nyack The Otter [RIP- too sad to link], and Foxes On The Trampoline, and Lazy Cat, and Baby Hippo, and Crazy Mini-Horse... christ, do I ever digress), I basically have the youtube-viewing habits of an 11 year old girl.
From Idolator: Dissecting "Superstition" (the song, not the mystical belief). Very interesting to me because of the following- A: I am a recording nerd & B: It's one of my favorite songs.
From Videogum: Uniting Humanity And Squirreldom. Dare I say, my heart was warmed. I've only recently begun realizing my fascination with animals. Growing up with 900 yapping dogs, a bunch of messy horses and a nutso parrott kind of gave me a distaste and exasperatuion for most of the animal kingdom, but thanks to Lindsay at Videogum (and Box Cat, and Nyack The Otter [RIP- too sad to link], and Foxes On The Trampoline, and Lazy Cat, and Baby Hippo, and Crazy Mini-Horse... christ, do I ever digress), I basically have the youtube-viewing habits of an 11 year old girl.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
A Quick One:
I don't think I've ever been proud of the town I've lived in, until this morning.
Good job, kids.
Good job, kids.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Business of The Business
It's taken me a while to chill out after that last post, but I think I've reached my equilibrium once more. Here's some shit that sucks way less than that horrible movie:
-Our wedding has a blog. How technological! I'm having a hard time not being pretentious and cynical on that one (see: "The wedding event of the Century-" sorry, I was a Marketing & Hyperbole major).
Check it out: http://dawnandbrianswedding.blogspot.com/
-Choosing menu items for said wedding- even though Dawn didn't like my original Asian-fusion theme. Early California Homestyle, here we come! (The Chili theme was passed over as well- bummer.)
-Listening to the Paul's Boutique reissue non-stop. The mix is way better, plus it sounds great on wax.
-Also listening to Spiritualized's Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space almost as non-stop. It really is a masterpiece too. He's doing a Don't Look Back performance of the record in the UK and I would give my cousin Michael's kidney to go. Sorry Michael, but that's the price for tax advice.
-...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dads: The Century of Self- another really good plateful of jams.
-The time changing back. Unfortunately, this just makes laziness harder. Possible, but harder nonetheless (that's what she said).
-iPhone OS 3.0: Yeah, copy & paste, finally.
-Our wedding has a blog. How technological! I'm having a hard time not being pretentious and cynical on that one (see: "The wedding event of the Century-" sorry, I was a Marketing & Hyperbole major).
Check it out: http://dawnandbrianswedding.blogspot.com/
-Choosing menu items for said wedding- even though Dawn didn't like my original Asian-fusion theme. Early California Homestyle, here we come! (The Chili theme was passed over as well- bummer.)
-Listening to the Paul's Boutique reissue non-stop. The mix is way better, plus it sounds great on wax.
-Also listening to Spiritualized's Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space almost as non-stop. It really is a masterpiece too. He's doing a Don't Look Back performance of the record in the UK and I would give my cousin Michael's kidney to go. Sorry Michael, but that's the price for tax advice.
-...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dads: The Century of Self- another really good plateful of jams.
-The time changing back. Unfortunately, this just makes laziness harder. Possible, but harder nonetheless (that's what she said).
-iPhone OS 3.0: Yeah, copy & paste, finally.
Monday, March 9, 2009
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
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
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hate-Reading Pitchfork
I like doing surveys because I'm not really very creative. So in the spirit of staleness and predictability, I appropriated one from Pitchforkmedia.com, where they ask pretentious and overrated musicians about (mostly music-related) things. Let's do this!
>> Favorite Songs from the Past Year
Hmmm, off the top of my head:
Batcat- Mogwai
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Time To Pretend- MGMT
>> Favorite Older Songs at the Moment
Elton John- Rocket Man (I heard it on TV last night, so it's fresh in my mind.)
>> Favorite New Band
This question is bad because "new" is so fucking subjective. You're the worst, Pitchfork.
But in the spirit of playing along, MGMT is probably the newest band in my collection.
>> My Dream Collaboration
To collaborate with me? Anyone, almost.
To collaborate with each other: Josh Homme & Jack White on a Desert Sessions record, Boris and Mastodon on a noise-metal record.
>> Favorite Song Ever
How could someone choose this? Here's a selection:
Merchandise- Fugazi
A Day In The Life- The Beatles
Teenage Riot- Sonic Youth
Tangerine- Led Zeppelin
Plenty For All- Hot Snakes
>> Best Recent Concert
The last one I went to was one of the best- Mogwai in LA. As of right now, that's also the nest concert I'm going to.
>> Last Great Film I Saw
Man On Wire
>> Last Great Book I Read
I'm reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's great.
>> Favorite Piece of Musical Equipment
Mainly the versatility of my Gibson SG, but really any guitar- especially electrics plugged into a shitload of pedals and a fucking loud amp.
>> First Record You Ever Bought
You know, I don't really remember, and I was trying to figure this out the other day. The earliest one I can remember is buying the Nirvana cds of Nevermind and In Utero from my friend Lawrence for $10. He had decided he liked rap. But that was in like 6th or 7th grade, and there must have been some sooner. The first records I remember getting as a gift were: The La Bamba Sountrack, a Cars tape, and Michael Jackson's Bad.
>> Favorite Record Shop
Fucking Amoeba Hollywood of course. It's always crowded, but that's because it the world's best record store.
>> Favorite City to Play
Based on my extremely limited touring experience, I'm gonna say San Luis Obispo.
>> My Dream Merch Table
None, like Fugazi.
>> A Popular Artist I'd Like to Fall Into Obscurity
It's hard to be an "artist" when you are popular, but Diddy or Britney Spears fit, in the absolute loosest definition of the term. As for those who consider themselves "artists," I have to say Radiohead and Bruce Springsteen (sorry Andy). Oh, and Arcade Fire!
>> Obscure Artist I'd Like to Become More Popular
See above. I don't really want to live in a world where everyone listens to "obscure" shit, but I think Queens of The Stone Age should be more popular.
>> Strangest Display of Affection from a Fan
n/a, thankfully.
>> Best Purchase of the Past Year
Have to say the Subaru.
>> Best Thing I Did This Year
Engagement.
>> Favorite Venue
The Troubadour.
>> Favorite TV Show at the Moment
Too many. Arrested Development is the all-time best. Others: No Reservations, Lost, Classic Albums. Top Chef has lost much of it's appeal since Thumb-Head's win.
>> Favorite Video Game at the Moment
Temporarily gave up Zelda to focus on Wii Sports and Call of Duty: World At War. Now it's back to Zelda.
>>Favorite Radio Show
The oft-lamented Jonsey's Jukebox, and the newly reborn Harmony In My Head.
>> Favorite Songs from the Past Year
Hmmm, off the top of my head:
Batcat- Mogwai
Dig, Lazarus, Dig!- Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Time To Pretend- MGMT
>> Favorite Older Songs at the Moment
Elton John- Rocket Man (I heard it on TV last night, so it's fresh in my mind.)
>> Favorite New Band
This question is bad because "new" is so fucking subjective. You're the worst, Pitchfork.
But in the spirit of playing along, MGMT is probably the newest band in my collection.
>> My Dream Collaboration
To collaborate with me? Anyone, almost.
To collaborate with each other: Josh Homme & Jack White on a Desert Sessions record, Boris and Mastodon on a noise-metal record.
>> Favorite Song Ever
How could someone choose this? Here's a selection:
Merchandise- Fugazi
A Day In The Life- The Beatles
Teenage Riot- Sonic Youth
Tangerine- Led Zeppelin
Plenty For All- Hot Snakes
>> Best Recent Concert
The last one I went to was one of the best- Mogwai in LA. As of right now, that's also the nest concert I'm going to.
>> Last Great Film I Saw
Man On Wire
>> Last Great Book I Read
I'm reading Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. It's great.
>> Favorite Piece of Musical Equipment
Mainly the versatility of my Gibson SG, but really any guitar- especially electrics plugged into a shitload of pedals and a fucking loud amp.
>> First Record You Ever Bought
You know, I don't really remember, and I was trying to figure this out the other day. The earliest one I can remember is buying the Nirvana cds of Nevermind and In Utero from my friend Lawrence for $10. He had decided he liked rap. But that was in like 6th or 7th grade, and there must have been some sooner. The first records I remember getting as a gift were: The La Bamba Sountrack, a Cars tape, and Michael Jackson's Bad.
>> Favorite Record Shop
Fucking Amoeba Hollywood of course. It's always crowded, but that's because it the world's best record store.
>> Favorite City to Play
Based on my extremely limited touring experience, I'm gonna say San Luis Obispo.
>> My Dream Merch Table
None, like Fugazi.
>> A Popular Artist I'd Like to Fall Into Obscurity
It's hard to be an "artist" when you are popular, but Diddy or Britney Spears fit, in the absolute loosest definition of the term. As for those who consider themselves "artists," I have to say Radiohead and Bruce Springsteen (sorry Andy). Oh, and Arcade Fire!
>> Obscure Artist I'd Like to Become More Popular
See above. I don't really want to live in a world where everyone listens to "obscure" shit, but I think Queens of The Stone Age should be more popular.
>> Strangest Display of Affection from a Fan
n/a, thankfully.
>> Best Purchase of the Past Year
Have to say the Subaru.
>> Best Thing I Did This Year
Engagement.
>> Favorite Venue
The Troubadour.
>> Favorite TV Show at the Moment
Too many. Arrested Development is the all-time best. Others: No Reservations, Lost, Classic Albums. Top Chef has lost much of it's appeal since Thumb-Head's win.
>> Favorite Video Game at the Moment
Temporarily gave up Zelda to focus on Wii Sports and Call of Duty: World At War. Now it's back to Zelda.
>>Favorite Radio Show
The oft-lamented Jonsey's Jukebox, and the newly reborn Harmony In My Head.
Friday, February 27, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Do you ever do things that make you hate yourself?
Take Myspace for instance- it's THE WORST. It's like the Paso Robles of web 2.0, all tacky and trashy, full of people you don't want to see except out of morbid curiosity, made up to look modern at first glance. You don't know why you go back.
Oh, right, it's because your parents live there.
I guess that analogy kind of falls apart at the end. Sorry.
Anyway, I'm over it.
In other news: added a twitter thingy and rss subscription links (at the behest of Andy, I finally figured out how to do it) to the blog. Get ready to get sick of my constant twitterings.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Currently: Music
Recent Listening List:
Morrissey: Years of Refusal- Well, truthfully, it's probably waiting on my doorstep right now, but I know it's good and that I'll be listening to it constantly for the next year- like with any Morrissey record.
John Frusciante: The Empyrean- Jesus, this is good. I could listen to the first 2 songs forever. I even listened to the first track @45 rpm and it was great (it's an instrumental, so no high pitched vocals to contend with). Said first track makes me think of if Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac recorded "Albatross" after binging on Joy Division, Fugazi and Jimi Hendrix- so it's pretty much a fantasy track for me. On the whole it's easily his best non-that-other-horrible-band-he's-in-with-Flea.
Mogwai: EP Compilation Mix CD- This one never worked correectly in my old car cd player for some reason. Sounds great now though.
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion- Pretty good record, definitely not the best I've ever heard, as the Pitchfork rubes would have you believe. It has a nice, thick, bassy production that I dig.
The Lonely Island: Incredibad- Yeah, Lazy Sunday and Dick In A Box are old and overexposed, but I fully endorse this album. I'm On A Boat is my favorite (especially the autotuned/vocoded "muthafuckaaaaa" parts).
Morrissey: Years of Refusal- Well, truthfully, it's probably waiting on my doorstep right now, but I know it's good and that I'll be listening to it constantly for the next year- like with any Morrissey record.
John Frusciante: The Empyrean- Jesus, this is good. I could listen to the first 2 songs forever. I even listened to the first track @45 rpm and it was great (it's an instrumental, so no high pitched vocals to contend with). Said first track makes me think of if Peter Green/Fleetwood Mac recorded "Albatross" after binging on Joy Division, Fugazi and Jimi Hendrix- so it's pretty much a fantasy track for me. On the whole it's easily his best non-that-other-horrible-band-he's-in-with-Flea.
Mogwai: EP Compilation Mix CD- This one never worked correectly in my old car cd player for some reason. Sounds great now though.
Animal Collective: Merriweather Post Pavilion- Pretty good record, definitely not the best I've ever heard, as the Pitchfork rubes would have you believe. It has a nice, thick, bassy production that I dig.
The Lonely Island: Incredibad- Yeah, Lazy Sunday and Dick In A Box are old and overexposed, but I fully endorse this album. I'm On A Boat is my favorite (especially the autotuned/vocoded "muthafuckaaaaa" parts).
Friday, January 30, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Some Times It Just Takes a While To Get Things Done
Like, say, 6 or 7 years.
Case in point: my turntable. Like any self-respecting young "punker," I've had a record player and the requisite Minor Threat 7"s for years. However, I never had it set up correctly- until last night. See, I never had a stereo with the proper phono input/preamp, so playing records involved plugging the beast into my crappy bookshelf stereo and turning the volume waaaaay up, and listening to records without the proper EQ curve. I could've bought a phono preamp, but who has $50, right?
Anyway, I recently aquired the proper receiver/preamp, bought a classy new needle/cartridge, bought some new speakers (hooray gift certificates!), new speaker wire, etc. etc. etc. After a liberal application of electrical contact cleaner (the balance & volume knobs were corroded, causing distortion and general not-workiness) last night, I'm in business- finally. And it really does sound great. Apparently the reciever I got from my parent's house is very well thought of in stereo cicles (it's a Luxman R-117, if you care. But I know you don't). Fantastic. I don't plan on replacing my (hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of) cds, but when new stuff, or stuff that I don't physically own is available on vinyl, that's what I'm buying.
One thing I've got to get used to: having to stand up and walk over to the record to see the track names.
One thing I don't need to get used to: vinyl really does sound better. I hate to admit it, but it's true.
Records I've been listening to on the beast:
-Hot Snakes: Suicide Invoice (with a rad extended version of Paid In Cigarettes that I'd never heard until now!)
-Mogwai: Bat Cat EP (it's a 12" 45! Those crazy Scots!)
-At The Drive-In: One Armed Scissor single (yes, there were some cool things about my old job.)
-T.Rex: Electric Warrior (I always regretted buying the album from iTunes, and now I've made it right.)
-Big Black: Songs About Fucking (of course I have to have a Steve Albini record on vinyl. It's virtually required.)
Case in point: my turntable. Like any self-respecting young "punker," I've had a record player and the requisite Minor Threat 7"s for years. However, I never had it set up correctly- until last night. See, I never had a stereo with the proper phono input/preamp, so playing records involved plugging the beast into my crappy bookshelf stereo and turning the volume waaaaay up, and listening to records without the proper EQ curve. I could've bought a phono preamp, but who has $50, right?
Anyway, I recently aquired the proper receiver/preamp, bought a classy new needle/cartridge, bought some new speakers (hooray gift certificates!), new speaker wire, etc. etc. etc. After a liberal application of electrical contact cleaner (the balance & volume knobs were corroded, causing distortion and general not-workiness) last night, I'm in business- finally. And it really does sound great. Apparently the reciever I got from my parent's house is very well thought of in stereo cicles (it's a Luxman R-117, if you care. But I know you don't). Fantastic. I don't plan on replacing my (hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of) cds, but when new stuff, or stuff that I don't physically own is available on vinyl, that's what I'm buying.
One thing I've got to get used to: having to stand up and walk over to the record to see the track names.
One thing I don't need to get used to: vinyl really does sound better. I hate to admit it, but it's true.
Records I've been listening to on the beast:
-Hot Snakes: Suicide Invoice (with a rad extended version of Paid In Cigarettes that I'd never heard until now!)
-Mogwai: Bat Cat EP (it's a 12" 45! Those crazy Scots!)
-At The Drive-In: One Armed Scissor single (yes, there were some cool things about my old job.)
-T.Rex: Electric Warrior (I always regretted buying the album from iTunes, and now I've made it right.)
-Big Black: Songs About Fucking (of course I have to have a Steve Albini record on vinyl. It's virtually required.)
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
And I Forgot To Mention
Mad Men is the best television show ever conceived.
It's honestly all I think about.
It's honestly all I think about.
Notable Stuffery
This close to having my turntable set up again. It's been a long while- since I moved out of my Mom's house in college, to be exact. Got some new speakers this weekend, fanagled a vintage receiver from Hall Manor (thanks Ross), still waiting on my new cartridge from Amazon- should be here any day now. I've got a bunch of records that have never been played- time to put a stop to that.
Listening lately:
-(some CD compilations to listen to in the car)
Mogwai EP Compiliation: EP+2, Bat Cat, My Father My King
My Bloody Valentine: Glider + Tremolo
The Clash: Assorted Dub (the only reggae you will ever hear me listening to)
-Sigur Rós: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
-Hot Snakes: Automatic Midnight
Watching lately:
-Imagine: The Story of the Guitar (BBC Bootleg!)
-John Adams
-Taxi To The Dark Side (Fuuuuuck...)
-Bigger, Stronger, Faster
-Defiance
The Death of Indie 103.1FM:
Bummer. Jonesy's Jukebox was the best radio program ever conceived.
And finally- Blogism
See the sidebar at left for new friend-bloggage. Including, but not limited to: Megan J's Carnival Preparations and Morgan C's drawings of flesh-eating diseases/zombies. Enjoy!
Listening lately:
-(some CD compilations to listen to in the car)
Mogwai EP Compiliation: EP+2, Bat Cat, My Father My King
My Bloody Valentine: Glider + Tremolo
The Clash: Assorted Dub (the only reggae you will ever hear me listening to)
-Sigur Rós: Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust
-Hot Snakes: Automatic Midnight
Watching lately:
-Imagine: The Story of the Guitar (BBC Bootleg!)
-John Adams
-Taxi To The Dark Side (Fuuuuuck...)
-Bigger, Stronger, Faster
-Defiance
The Death of Indie 103.1FM:
Bummer. Jonesy's Jukebox was the best radio program ever conceived.
And finally- Blogism
See the sidebar at left for new friend-bloggage. Including, but not limited to: Megan J's Carnival Preparations and Morgan C's drawings of flesh-eating diseases/zombies. Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
TiVo HD is the greatest.
Even for someone who's been living the TiVo lifestyle fo sooooo long. Netflix Instant Queue! Amazing. The increased hard drive space and dual recording capability are really doing a number on my free time.
Oh yeah, Time Warner Cable=dicks. It took them a whole day to get the cable card working.
So between TiVo, Netflix, and Call of Duty: World At War, I haven't a lot of time for the internets, sorry.
Oh yeah, Time Warner Cable=dicks. It took them a whole day to get the cable card working.
So between TiVo, Netflix, and Call of Duty: World At War, I haven't a lot of time for the internets, sorry.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Probably The Final Blog Of The Year
Geez, 2008 was kind of a tough one, you guys. I mean, not really for me, just in general. Actually, 2008 was pretty alright- good even. On to the bullet points!
-Obligatory Christmas info: long vacation, too much food, great (cold) weather. Ranch catastrophes are commonplace this time of year, so we all had to take care of a dying goat- just another day in Paso. All the family was around pretty much the whole time, which is rare. With multiple people, however, comes disease- and I've spent Christmas eve until now as a congested, sore-throated mess.
-Don't buy things from Best Buy. I should've known, especially cause I read Consumerist damn near everyday. Collecting X-Mas money, gift cards and etc., Dawn and I decided to buy an LCD HDTV. I didn't want to order it because I didn't want to deal with delivery hassles (not being home, etc.) and I was sketched out by Circuit City's impending bankruptcy, so I cracked and went to Fucking Best Buy (as it shall henceforth be known). The one by my work didn't have the approprate models in stock, so I drove to Costa Mesa, where they did. After long considerations about which picture was better (Samsung vs. Sony), I went with the Sony, bought it, got it home, unboxed it, and immediatly re-boxed it. Because the screen was shattered. Awesome. Took it back less than an hour after I bought it, when the Fucking Best Buy "manager" told me this doesn't happen to tvs so they couldn't help me, becuase it was something I did. Wrong, asshole. After some, shall we say, stern words, said Fucking Best Buy "manager" dissapeared and someone brought me a new TV, whose box I promptly opened in the store to verify the lack of shattering on the tv screen. Fuckers.
-I was able to summarize my musical taste with one trip to Boo Boos. I Purchased records by 2 artists: Paul McCartney (McCartney and Ram) and Sonic Youth (Confusion Is Sex, and SYR 8 live with Merzbow). One end of the rock music spectrum to the other: oldtimey-folk-classicrock-avantgarde-postpunk-noise-improvisation. Awesome.
-New Years plans: Big Bear. I've probably spent more time in Big Bear over New Years than anywhere else othe than my Mom's house. It's my brother Tim's bday on the first, so we will do much celebrating up there. Should be good times.
-Wedding update: date is set, catering booked, invitations designed, (cup)cake(s) tasted, dress (apparently- not my department) picked out. Not too bad for only one month of being engaged.
-Obligatory Christmas info: long vacation, too much food, great (cold) weather. Ranch catastrophes are commonplace this time of year, so we all had to take care of a dying goat- just another day in Paso. All the family was around pretty much the whole time, which is rare. With multiple people, however, comes disease- and I've spent Christmas eve until now as a congested, sore-throated mess.
-Don't buy things from Best Buy. I should've known, especially cause I read Consumerist damn near everyday. Collecting X-Mas money, gift cards and etc., Dawn and I decided to buy an LCD HDTV. I didn't want to order it because I didn't want to deal with delivery hassles (not being home, etc.) and I was sketched out by Circuit City's impending bankruptcy, so I cracked and went to Fucking Best Buy (as it shall henceforth be known). The one by my work didn't have the approprate models in stock, so I drove to Costa Mesa, where they did. After long considerations about which picture was better (Samsung vs. Sony), I went with the Sony, bought it, got it home, unboxed it, and immediatly re-boxed it. Because the screen was shattered. Awesome. Took it back less than an hour after I bought it, when the Fucking Best Buy "manager" told me this doesn't happen to tvs so they couldn't help me, becuase it was something I did. Wrong, asshole. After some, shall we say, stern words, said Fucking Best Buy "manager" dissapeared and someone brought me a new TV, whose box I promptly opened in the store to verify the lack of shattering on the tv screen. Fuckers.
-I was able to summarize my musical taste with one trip to Boo Boos. I Purchased records by 2 artists: Paul McCartney (McCartney and Ram) and Sonic Youth (Confusion Is Sex, and SYR 8 live with Merzbow). One end of the rock music spectrum to the other: oldtimey-folk-classicrock-avantgarde-postpunk-noise-improvisation. Awesome.
-New Years plans: Big Bear. I've probably spent more time in Big Bear over New Years than anywhere else othe than my Mom's house. It's my brother Tim's bday on the first, so we will do much celebrating up there. Should be good times.
-Wedding update: date is set, catering booked, invitations designed, (cup)cake(s) tasted, dress (apparently- not my department) picked out. Not too bad for only one month of being engaged.
Friday, December 12, 2008
2 Recent Revelations
I was watching Dave Chappelle's Block Party (again) the other day and I realized two things:
1. Lauren Hill is certainly the best female singer in modern music. Seriously- her voice is amazing, easily ahead of Beyonce (sorry Beyonce, no time to hunt-and-peck for your accent marks), Christina Aguilera (whose voice has like, zero personality), and Alicia Keys (she comes in second place, bolstered by her friendship with Jack White). However- I can't stand her! I don't know why. I love the Fugees, but she drives me nuts for some reason- maybe because she is rather nuts herself.
2. It's a serious bummer living in a world where Dave Chappelle is still in virtual hiding. I know he has/had a lot of shit on his mind- but come say hi once in a while Dave! Even an Oprah appearance would be welcome.
1. Lauren Hill is certainly the best female singer in modern music. Seriously- her voice is amazing, easily ahead of Beyonce (sorry Beyonce, no time to hunt-and-peck for your accent marks), Christina Aguilera (whose voice has like, zero personality), and Alicia Keys (she comes in second place, bolstered by her friendship with Jack White). However- I can't stand her! I don't know why. I love the Fugees, but she drives me nuts for some reason- maybe because she is rather nuts herself.
2. It's a serious bummer living in a world where Dave Chappelle is still in virtual hiding. I know he has/had a lot of shit on his mind- but come say hi once in a while Dave! Even an Oprah appearance would be welcome.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Things That Have Happened (to me) Since The Last Time I Got Gas for $1.86
Yes, the threshold has been crossed. Gas at this particular gas station is actually below $1.86 at the time of this writing- it's 7-11, 17th St, Costa Mesa here. This is a memorable amount is because I was helping Dawn move into the old Costa Mesa apartment, and the day after driving a miserable, air conditioning-less, radio-less huge U-Haul truck from Paso to the Mesa in the middle of August (2003, pending verification), I couldn't help thinking how screwed I was getting by filling up the truck at the 7-11 down the street for $1.86/gal. Little did I know, right? Get ready for a big ass incomplete sentence, starting NOW!
Graduated college, Paso earthquake, layoff, move to So Cal, collect unemployment, blow savings, internship (Adam LaRue is the greatest), "Sweet" music industry job, overworked & underpaid in shitty Garden Grove (excellent freinds made, however), TiVo zombie initiation, getting a cat, early (forced) retirement from music tastemaking (Sierra and I broke Fall Out Boy. Really. Kinda. Yes, unfortunately all in a days work), Dawn graduates law school ass-kickingly, European Sojurn, The Lost Year (which I will not speak of other than saying unemployment, depression, temp jobs), going to the gym, getting my shit together, getting a "real" job, new laptop (!), de-vegitarianizing, expanding liquid horizions, joining/quitting a drummerless band, moving to Corona Del Mar, getting engaged.
So there we are, up to last week. Weirdness!
Graduated college, Paso earthquake, layoff, move to So Cal, collect unemployment, blow savings, internship (Adam LaRue is the greatest), "Sweet" music industry job, overworked & underpaid in shitty Garden Grove (excellent freinds made, however), TiVo zombie initiation, getting a cat, early (forced) retirement from music tastemaking (Sierra and I broke Fall Out Boy. Really. Kinda. Yes, unfortunately all in a days work), Dawn graduates law school ass-kickingly, European Sojurn, The Lost Year (which I will not speak of other than saying unemployment, depression, temp jobs), going to the gym, getting my shit together, getting a "real" job, new laptop (!), de-vegitarianizing, expanding liquid horizions, joining/quitting a drummerless band, moving to Corona Del Mar, getting engaged.
So there we are, up to last week. Weirdness!
The Current "Stuff."
Records:
-Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountian (By Strategy)
-Mogwai [as usual]: The Hawk Is Howling & My Father My King
-The Beatles: The White Album
-Melvins: The Maggot [Dude, I like it! Sorry for calling you out in the past Buzz]
-The Andrew Oldham Orchestra: The Rolling Stones Songbook [The last song on here may sound very familiar to you. Research!]
-Mastodon: Blood Mountain
-Scott Walker: Scott 2
-To buy: new (International) Noise Conspiracy, new phono preamp
Other Music Stuff:
-Geeking out over Mastodon recording a new record: check this and this.
-Have a bunch of Boris records to go through that I "got" from my brother. He loves the sludge-metal, that's for sure.
Holiday Attack:
-Other than getting engaged (geez- obvs, Brian), Thanksgiving was memorable for these reasons: A)The worst heartburn of my life. B) Drinking alcohol before 9 am for several days in a row (see "A" above). C) Playing video games with parents/adult family (it was Wii, but still. My Mom thinks creating "Mii"s is the most hillarious thing ever).
-I started Christmas shopping earlier than ever this year. Congrats to myself for good planning/budgeting.
-XMas tree this weekend?
Wedding Attack:
-1 week into planning and shit's going pretty well. After some haggling over the date (and many, many congrats to Megan and Morgan), things are going nicely. Only 10 months to go!
-The first thing I did when I got home and plugged my music hard drive in was start playlisting. I AM UNSTOPPABLE, and possibly the best DJ ever.
-Brian Eno: Taking Tiger Mountian (By Strategy)
-Mogwai [as usual]: The Hawk Is Howling & My Father My King
-The Beatles: The White Album
-Melvins: The Maggot [Dude, I like it! Sorry for calling you out in the past Buzz]
-The Andrew Oldham Orchestra: The Rolling Stones Songbook [The last song on here may sound very familiar to you. Research!]
-Mastodon: Blood Mountain
-Scott Walker: Scott 2
-To buy: new (International) Noise Conspiracy, new phono preamp
Other Music Stuff:
-Geeking out over Mastodon recording a new record: check this and this.
-Have a bunch of Boris records to go through that I "got" from my brother. He loves the sludge-metal, that's for sure.
Holiday Attack:
-Other than getting engaged (geez- obvs, Brian), Thanksgiving was memorable for these reasons: A)The worst heartburn of my life. B) Drinking alcohol before 9 am for several days in a row (see "A" above). C) Playing video games with parents/adult family (it was Wii, but still. My Mom thinks creating "Mii"s is the most hillarious thing ever).
-I started Christmas shopping earlier than ever this year. Congrats to myself for good planning/budgeting.
-XMas tree this weekend?
Wedding Attack:
-1 week into planning and shit's going pretty well. After some haggling over the date (and many, many congrats to Megan and Morgan), things are going nicely. Only 10 months to go!
-The first thing I did when I got home and plugged my music hard drive in was start playlisting. I AM UNSTOPPABLE, and possibly the best DJ ever.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The Great Dr. Pepper Debacle of 2008
Yes, its an overstatement, but I really wanted a free Dr. Pepper. Since the World's Greatest Comedy Record came out the other day, I was looking forward to signing up for my free Dr. Pepper- which leads me to my point:
IT people responsible for estimating server traffic the world over should be fired, because they are always wrong.
Now, I know that the Dr. Pepper example could be just Dr. Pepper trying to avoid sending very many people a free DP coupon. This, being the most likely case, should result in Dr. Pepper being fired.
However, think of other examples. The 2 recent ones that come to mind are the Firefox 3 launch and the iPhone Firmware v2.0 launch. According to my simplistic understanding of economics (read: 4+ years studying it in school), it would appear that turning people away from your website/store would not be beneficial to the "bottom line." Is it that hard to overestimate? You have months! At least 6 months, in Apple's case (AND THEY MAKE SERVERS) to get some extra lines flowing.
The only solution is thus: fire everyone everywhere involved in estimating server traffic on launch day.
You're welcome, bottom lines everywhere.
IT people responsible for estimating server traffic the world over should be fired, because they are always wrong.
Now, I know that the Dr. Pepper example could be just Dr. Pepper trying to avoid sending very many people a free DP coupon. This, being the most likely case, should result in Dr. Pepper being fired.
However, think of other examples. The 2 recent ones that come to mind are the Firefox 3 launch and the iPhone Firmware v2.0 launch. According to my simplistic understanding of economics (read: 4+ years studying it in school), it would appear that turning people away from your website/store would not be beneficial to the "bottom line." Is it that hard to overestimate? You have months! At least 6 months, in Apple's case (AND THEY MAKE SERVERS) to get some extra lines flowing.
The only solution is thus: fire everyone everywhere involved in estimating server traffic on launch day.
You're welcome, bottom lines everywhere.
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