I can't recall having to do a single one in all my post-secondary years, which was some years ago, but it seems to be commonplace now. Between the continuing ed I've been doing and in speaking with people enrolled in graduate studies, I think you should expect it,
Nice - I graduated from York U. When you said 'Go Lions', I thought you meant the CFL, hence the UBC conclusion.
Anyway, congrats again on getting in.
thanks guy.
i ALSO thought it was still the Yeoman, but apparently that's such an antiquated term that they had to replace it with something more ..... anthropomorphic.
- That Darkside Psychic record is still really working for me.
- Two songs that use ÔÇ£legÔÇØ as synecdoche for ÔÇ£sexÔÇØ: Special EdÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I Got It MadeÔÇØ and Van HalenÔÇÖs ÔÇ£UnchainedÔÇØ
- I pulled out the eponymous 4 By Four record the other day by, and while itÔÇÖs almost entirely New Edition-knockoff dogshit, thereÔÇÖs one cut on there called ÔÇ£DonÔÇÖt Put The Blame On MeÔÇØ thatÔÇÖs really catchy, but recorded with some weird, faraway gated effect that renders it surprisingly dark and magnetic. Only the lp version, thoughÔÇöthe single is mixed differently or something. This strikes me as a record that batmon probably knows about.
- Not too long ago I heard an old recording of an ad from departed UK department store Our Price, touting a sale on the first Suicide record, the Red Star jernt. On the one hand thatÔÇÖs kinda fucked-up, on the other hand itÔÇÖs also good for some perspective.
- I think the only time Ive ever heard the word jernt on a record is somewhere on Danny Woodss Aries where hes talking about being in a bobbycue jernt--uh, I mean steakhouse
- Robert PalmerÔÇÖs got some cuts, man. IÔÇÖm mostly noncommittal on both the Nagel-made-flesh of his peak period and the hoy-hoy shit he did with Little Feat nÔÇÖ ÔÇÿnem early on, but it seems like all those records in between each have one really moody and superb little something: ÔÇ£Love You More,ÔÇØ a better-than-the-original ÔÇ£I Dream Of Wires,ÔÇØ etc.
- Joni Mitchell 1971-76 is to The Great Gatsby as four quarters is to a dollar bill.
- Relatively low-level record I was nonetheless disproportionately geeked to find in the field: Chris WhitleyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Big Sky CountryÔÇØ on 45. ShitÔÇÖs from like Holland or someplaceÔÇöhow did it end up out here?
- Why Shuffle Mode is almost never the move: Josephine JohnnyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Throwback ThongÔÇØ segueing into Tracey UllmanÔÇÖs ÔÇ£They DonÔÇÖt Know.ÔÇØ Oof.
- The last minute of The CommodoresÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Sail OnÔÇØ is always like a hundred times better than I remember
- IÔÇÖd bite my grandmother to hear a fully-armed Earth Wind & Fire--Phenix Horns, Stepney charts, the whole shit--do Todd Rundgren/England Dan & John Ford ColeyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Love Is The Answer.ÔÇØ
- ParliamentÔÇÖs ÔÇ£All Your Goodies Are GoneÔÇØ is really still just the most incredible shit.
- IÔÇÖm hearing Judee Sill in grocery stores now?
- I read the phrase ÔÇ£felt needsÔÇØ in the paper the other day, and was reminded of how when I was a kid I thought that had something to do with impoverished schoolteachers. You know, with their flannel boards and whatnot.
- The label design for those Gherkin Jerks records is fucking hilarious: ÔÇ£Okay, weÔÇÖve got a pickle wearing shoes and Mickey Mouse gloves, reclining with a real shitty look on his face. Done?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt know, manÔÇöI get the gherkin part, but he still doesnÔÇÖt look all that much like a jerk to me.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Okay, IÔÇÖve got it: weÔÇÖll put a beret on him. What do you think now?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Man, now I fucking hate that guy.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Boom.ÔÇØ
- A dear friend of mine from high school with whom I used to drink quite a bit has recently left his wife and kids and taken up zen and meditation and so on, in the process largely renouncing his ÔÇ£old self.ÔÇØ This was the dude that showed me how to open a beer bottle on a car door, and now all he wants to know is where the yoga at (and can he bring his mat?). Fucking awful.
- The WhoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ v. The KinksÔÇÖ ÔÇ£All Day And All Of The NightÔÇØ: who you got? ÔÇ£All DayÔÇØ has the raw power, but ÔÇ£CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ has shakers and shit, for extra boogie. Tough call.
- I was thinking the other day about some interview I saw with Don Letts where he hilariously recounted Bob MarleyÔÇÖs reaction when he first saw Don in the bondage trousers that were the style of the time: ÔÇØSeh, Don LettsÔÇöwhat is yu goinÔÇÖ mountineerinÔÇÖ?ÔÇØ
- Related: ÔÇ£Get in your stance / IÔÇÖll shoot the holster off your cowboy pantsÔÇØ
- Best similie IÔÇÖve heard all week: ÔÇ£Like a hunchback in heavenÔÇØ (Suzanne Vega, ÔÇ£In LiverpoolÔÇØ)
- Most withering shit IÔÇÖve read all week: ÔÇØLars Von Trier gets incredible performances out of his female leads, but so do a lot of bad lovers.ÔÇØ
- Color of the week: Underwood Devil Red
- This yearÔÇÖs Cowbell Hall Of Fame: Jacks Ashford and/or Brokensha for their work on the original Detroit mix of ÔÇ£Inner City Blues.ÔÇØ Almost revelatory.
- I donÔÇÖt know which is worse in my neighborhood: the intractable entitlement of those with cars or the endless and stultifying strategizing of those without cars (cÔÇÖest moi). Each is like its own ugly little toxin that seeps into our interactions even when none of us is going anywhere.
- On the other hand, in my neighborhood you can occasionally hear stuff like a Cajmere record playing over the loudspeaker at a public pool, and that counts for something.
- Speaking of which, I know itÔÇÖs just a dumb jacking record, but man, Hugo MoyaÔÇÖs ÔÇ£MoveÔÇØ can be tough to quit.
- Not a jacking record, but also tough to quit: 45 KingÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Just A Touch.ÔÇØ
- A moment of heartbreak that none of those parenting books prepare you for: When one of your children tells you they ÔÇ£donÔÇÖt really likeÔÇØ SohoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Hot Music.ÔÇØ
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
HarveyCanal"a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
james said:
- A moment of heartbreak that none of those parenting books prepare you for: When one of your children tells you they ÔÇ£donÔÇÖt really likeÔÇØ SohoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Hot Music."
This happened to me. Never woulda expected it from someone so young and close to my heart. Then again, that whole style of spinny jazz dance that the song spurned does need to find a dark burrow to remain in forever.
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
Way more jazz, like just for jazz sake and not for potential flips into beats aka the dreaded BRAEKS.
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
When I was a young teen I used to feel somehow that there was a group of people, that I didn't know, who listened to better music and had better parties and generally lived a cooler life than me.
Then I found soulstrut and realized most of those people were dicks anyways, so whatever.
Ha. Joking.
But seriously, I always felt that there was just better, cooler, more innovative music out there. Somewhere. Back then it was mostly about new music. The cutting edge of genres/styles/etc. There's still a sense of this now, but the internet, along with just general old-man-ness, has made trying to keep up with the cutting edge more tedious. Too many blogs and scenes and artists to stay abreast of it all. I hardly spend any time on the internet now. Gone are the days of 4 or 5 hour sessions of reading about bands and downloading music to check out and reading reviews and streaming live performances and blah blah blah...
Now the feeling of great music that I haven't heard yet is much more focused towards the past. My approach to digging has changed from trying to find famous breaks/samples, to just finding good music I haven't heard yet. It's a lot more rewarding to be honest. There's a great feeling when you find a heatrock in the field. But it's few and far between and I'd just rather come home stoked from every dig. I sound like a new age hippie diggeur lol
- Related: ÔÇ£Get in your stance / IÔÇÖll shoot the holster off your cowboy pantsÔÇØ
Easily one of Cool J's best verses. He tears it the fuck up on that joint. "Major MCs become minor B-flats/So retire the mic, get ya chains and ya bats"
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
Pretty much the same as it was once I started going on the intertubes, at least in a general sense. If you mean what musical phases did I go through pre-Internet, well, I remember bumping the shit out of my dad's American Graffiti soundtrack tape. There was also a lamentable skate punk phase where I liked any band that got any sort of mention whatsoever in Thrasher magazine.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
james said:
- That Darkside Psychic record is still really working for me.
- Two songs that use ÔÇ£legÔÇØ as synecdoche for ÔÇ£sexÔÇØ: Special EdÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I Got It MadeÔÇØ and Van HalenÔÇÖs ÔÇ£UnchainedÔÇØ
- I pulled out the eponymous 4 By Four record the other day by, and while itÔÇÖs almost entirely New Edition-knockoff dogshit, thereÔÇÖs one cut on there called ÔÇ£DonÔÇÖt Put The Blame On MeÔÇØ thatÔÇÖs really catchy, but recorded with some weird, faraway gated effect that renders it surprisingly dark and magnetic. Only the lp version, thoughÔÇöthe single is mixed differently or something. This strikes me as a record that batmon probably knows about.
- Not too long ago I heard an old recording of an ad from departed UK department store Our Price, touting a sale on the first Suicide record, the Red Star jernt. On the one hand thatÔÇÖs kinda fucked-up, on the other hand itÔÇÖs also good for some perspective.
- I think the only time Ive ever heard the word jernt on a record is somewhere on Danny Woodss Aries where hes talking about being in a bobbycue jernt--uh, I mean steakhouse
- Robert PalmerÔÇÖs got some cuts, man. IÔÇÖm mostly noncommittal on both the Nagel-made-flesh of his peak period and the hoy-hoy shit he did with Little Feat nÔÇÖ ÔÇÿnem early on, but it seems like all those records in between each have one really moody and superb little something: ÔÇ£Love You More,ÔÇØ a better-than-the-original ÔÇ£I Dream Of Wires,ÔÇØ etc.
- Joni Mitchell 1971-76 is to The Great Gatsby as four quarters is to a dollar bill.
- Relatively low-level record I was nonetheless disproportionately geeked to find in the field: Chris WhitleyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Big Sky CountryÔÇØ on 45. ShitÔÇÖs from like Holland or someplaceÔÇöhow did it end up out here?
- Why Shuffle Mode is almost never the move: Josephine JohnnyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Throwback ThongÔÇØ segueing into Tracey UllmanÔÇÖs ÔÇ£They DonÔÇÖt Know.ÔÇØ Oof.
- The last minute of The CommodoresÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Sail OnÔÇØ is always like a hundred times better than I remember
- IÔÇÖd bite my grandmother to hear a fully-armed Earth Wind & Fire--Phenix Horns, Stepney charts, the whole shit--do Todd Rundgren/England Dan & John Ford ColeyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Love Is The Answer.ÔÇØ
- ParliamentÔÇÖs ÔÇ£All Your Goodies Are GoneÔÇØ is really still just the most incredible shit.
- IÔÇÖm hearing Judee Sill in grocery stores now?
- I read the phrase ÔÇ£felt needsÔÇØ in the paper the other day, and was reminded of how when I was a kid I thought that had something to do with impoverished schoolteachers. You know, with their flannel boards and whatnot.
- The label design for those Gherkin Jerks records is fucking hilarious: ÔÇ£Okay, weÔÇÖve got a pickle wearing shoes and Mickey Mouse gloves, reclining with a real shitty look on his face. Done?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt know, manÔÇöI get the gherkin part, but he still doesnÔÇÖt look all that much like a jerk to me.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Okay, IÔÇÖve got it: weÔÇÖll put a beret on him. What do you think now?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Man, now I fucking hate that guy.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Boom.ÔÇØ
- A dear friend of mine from high school with whom I used to drink quite a bit has recently left his wife and kids and taken up zen and meditation and so on, in the process largely renouncing his ÔÇ£old self.ÔÇØ This was the dude that showed me how to open a beer bottle on a car door, and now all he wants to know is where the yoga at (and can he bring his mat?). Fucking awful.
- The WhoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ v. The KinksÔÇÖ ÔÇ£All Day And All Of The NightÔÇØ: who you got? ÔÇ£All DayÔÇØ has the raw power, but ÔÇ£CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ has shakers and shit, for extra boogie. Tough call.
- I was thinking the other day about some interview I saw with Don Letts where he hilariously recounted Bob MarleyÔÇÖs reaction when he first saw Don in the bondage trousers that were the style of the time: ÔÇØSeh, Don LettsÔÇöwhat is yu goinÔÇÖ mountineerinÔÇÖ?ÔÇØ
- Related: ÔÇ£Get in your stance / IÔÇÖll shoot the holster off your cowboy pantsÔÇØ
- Best similie IÔÇÖve heard all week: ÔÇ£Like a hunchback in heavenÔÇØ (Suzanne Vega, ÔÇ£In LiverpoolÔÇØ)
- Most withering shit IÔÇÖve read all week: ÔÇØLars Von Trier gets incredible performances out of his female leads, but so do a lot of bad lovers.ÔÇØ
- Color of the week: Underwood Devil Red
- This yearÔÇÖs Cowbell Hall Of Fame: Jacks Ashford and/or Brokensha for their work on the original Detroit mix of ÔÇ£Inner City Blues.ÔÇØ Almost revelatory.
- I donÔÇÖt know which is worse in my neighborhood: the intractable entitlement of those with cars or the endless and stultifying strategizing of those without cars (cÔÇÖest moi). Each is like its own ugly little toxin that seeps into our interactions even when none of us is going anywhere.
- On the other hand, in my neighborhood you can occasionally hear stuff like a Cajmere record playing over the loudspeaker at a public pool, and that counts for something.
- Speaking of which, I know itÔÇÖs just a dumb jacking record, but man, Hugo MoyaÔÇÖs ÔÇ£MoveÔÇØ can be tough to quit.
- Not a jacking record, but also tough to quit: 45 KingÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Just A Touch.ÔÇØ
- A moment of heartbreak that none of those parenting books prepare you for: When one of your children tells you they ÔÇ£donÔÇÖt really likeÔÇØ SohoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Hot Music.ÔÇØ
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
Hey James,
With all of the years we've been on Soul Strut, you still utterly impress the shit out of me. For what it's worth, I just had to tell you that.
Coincidentally enough, the (now-ex-) wife of one of my good friends--alluded to in my post above--is a big fan of both 80s music and Michael Franks, and in the course of talking with her a while back, it seemed fair to put her up on that Pages record with the dude from Mr. Mister, which I got put up on through a post (or two) of yours. She loved it it, caught a copy at her local spot, and put some of her friends onto it, and now everybody's got a copy but me. Oof.
Anyway, she thanks you, whether or not she realizes it.
Peace,
Big James, formerly from Kakalak
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
james said:
Thanks for the kind words, Stacks.
Coincidentally enough, the (now-ex-) wife of one of my good friends--alluded to in my post above--is a big fan of both 80s music and Michael Franks, and in the course of talking with her a while back, it seemed fair to put her up on that Pages record with the dude from Mr. Mister, which I got put up on through a post (or two) of yours. She loved it it, caught a copy at her local spot, and put some of her friends onto it, and now everybody's got a copy but me. Oof.
Anyway, she thanks you, whether or not she realizes it.
Peace,
Big James, formerly from Kakalak
Hey James,
You're welcome, mane, just recognizing greatness when I read it. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten Pages some shine (by the way, they released 3 LPs worth having, actually). It's a shame so few people know about such great music. That's what Soul Strut is supposed to be about, appreciating and sharing good, out-of-the-way music. By the way, what part of (North) Kakalak are you from? I'm from Fayettenam, home of the crazies!
I actually grew up in South Kakalak, home of the crazy white people (shout out to Bob Jones, Susan Smith, the NAACP boycott, Maurice's segregationist BBQ, that lady who let her kids die in her hot car while she was playing video poker, ad infinitum/nauseam).
Oh, and also Peabo Bryson.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
james said:
I actually grew up in South Kakalak, home of the crazy white people (shout out to Bob Jones, Susan Smith, the NAACP boycott, Maurice's segregationist BBQ, that lady who let her kids die in her hot car while she was playing video poker, ad infinitum/nauseam).
Oh, and also Peabo Bryson.
Hey James,
We have had our share of wackjobs north of the border:
-Jeffrey McDonald
-Velma Barfield
-Blanche Taylor Moore
-those crazy Aryan Fort Bragg soldiers who murdered a Black couple
-the soldier that randomly shot and killed people at Luigi's Restaurant in the 'ville
-the swinger woman who had her teen boy toy kill her soldier husband
-Timothy Hennis, the Fort Bragg soldier who killed the dog breeder/merchant in the 'ville
-Jesse Helms
On the positive side:
-John Coltrane
-George Clinton
-Chuck Brown
-Roberta Flack
-Thelonious Monk
-Ben E. King
-James Taylor
-those crazy Aryan Fort Bragg soldiers who murdered a Black couple
-the soldier that randomly shot and killed people at Luigi's Restaurant in the 'ville
-the swinger woman who had her teen boy toy kill her soldier husband
-the Fort Bragg soldier who killed the dog breeder/merchant in the 'ville
One of my friends in college was from Fayettenam, and I went with him to his parents' house for Thanksgiving one year. He gave me a quick driving tour of 'Nam, which mostly consisted of pointing out places where a soldier went crazy and shot some people. That one Hardee's seemed like a very bad place to be.
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
DJ_Enki said:
Big_Stacks said:
-those crazy Aryan Fort Bragg soldiers who murdered a Black couple
-the soldier that randomly shot and killed people at Luigi's Restaurant in the 'ville
-the swinger woman who had her teen boy toy kill her soldier husband
-the Fort Bragg soldier who killed the dog breeder/merchant in the 'ville
One of my friends in college was from Fayettenam, and I went with him to his parents' house for Thanksgiving one year. He gave me a quick driving tour of 'Nam, which mostly consisted of pointing out places where a soldier went crazy and shot some people. That one Hardee's seemed like a very bad place to be.
Hey Enki,
I had to knuckle up at the Hardee's on Yadkin Road a number of times. The 'ville was crazy!!!
There was also a lamentable skate punk phase where I liked any band that got any sort of mention whatsoever in Thrasher magazine.
Holmes, teenaged me used to make recipes that I saw in Thrasher. Shit with like sardines and flour tortillas and shit. The humanity.
And yeah, "Rampage" is a beast. I love E intentionally(?) making fun of his own mush-mouth style with the way he delivers that "E Double's in the house!" line leading into his verse. That part is hilarious to me.
I remember, though, back in the day getting very heated at the video's egregiously trying to mask the fact that it was using a double for LL. I was yelling at the tv like it was wrestling or something. "Fake! Fake! That's not him! Faaaaaaake!"
I am disappointed in my latest snowboard. First new stick in years, but it feels like it's from 1996. Not sure I'm going to ride it again.
Off sugar once more. It's great. When I do have a real sugar Coke on a Saturday now, it hits me like I'm that guy from the 1800s who couldn't breathe in today's world. Mind-blowing. Can't finish it. You ever hear about that guy? The imaginary 1800s guy that wakes up in the Modern Age? All the stars are gone and he can't breathe. He and I react the same to a Coca Chola.
I fear I need shoulder surgery. Three dislocations in the past year, none from anything too heavy. My body is falling apart faster than I can maintain it, I guess. Getting old is called "low T" now, maybe I should start taking roids.
I will sign a new lease for my apartment.
Taking suggestions on how to spend ~175 dollar amazon gift card balance. Already got a new jump rope and a couple pairs of cheap sunglasses.
"A couple pairs." I cannot get with anyone who says "a couple pair." Those motherfuckers can take an historic dose of poizunz immediately.
Anyone fixed an iPod or iPhone screen? Worth it? My friend says he has the strange little tools.
Springtime is very hard for me. Always has been. Too much stock-taking, too many new beginnings. I have been taking a trip to the dumpster each time I leave my place. Too much shit in there.
Andy Daly is my dude right now. His podcast and teevee show are both fantastic.
I've never been to Cackalack. Seattle had an art deco ferry languishing at a dock for a few years. It was called the Kalakala, an old ferry from the 40s or some shit that ended up as a fishing processor in Alaskalack for a while then a weird dude towed it back down here and tried to save it but he was the kind of dude who would tow an old boat from Alaska and think that people would be as hyped as he was in restoring it into a nightclub or some shit and yeah it just kinda sat there collecting late moorage fees and then going bankrupt and then towed to Tacoma and then I think the dude set it on fire or something.
ÔÇ£SKARFING,ÔÇØ wunnit? With Chef Boy-Am-I-Hungry? That was my shit. Often literally.
Anyways:
- Oh, come on--no one fucking calls it that: when I get back to L.A. Town (Joni Mitchell in Blue Hotel Room) b/w running around Chicago Town (Gichy Dan in Cowboys & Gangsters
- Indianapolis metro area, your traffic situation is shit, but you do have the motherfucking Babyface Highway, and that counts for something.
- My fatherÔÇÖs got the ill stories. Between tales of his work at McDonnell Douglas and an ill-timed weekend in NYC when he was in college, I knew about shit like Apollo 1 and Kitty Genovese by the time I was like six. DadÔÇÖs a sweet guy, but he kept it rawlson-on-the-rilla-raw, for sure.
- Thomas Pynchon is dude, I guess, but man, Inherent Vice sure is a shitty book.
- ÔÇ£In The Light Of The MiracleÔÇØ b/w ÔÇ£In Time Of PlagueÔÇØ
- like hallelujah b/w instead of thank you
- There are whole days when I think that if I had a 45 with Booker T & The M.G.sÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Green OnionsÔÇØ on one side and El ChicanoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Viva TiradoÔÇØ on the other, I could get rid of all my other records.
- Good way to spend most of a morning: When I was fifteen, listening to an unlabeled cassette dub of the first Ramones record and trying to figure out the titles so I could write them on the j-card.
- Less-good way to spend most of a morning: Earlier this year, A/B-ing the Euro pressing and the domestic pressing of The AssociatesÔÇÖ Sulk. Great record, but top-to-bottom twice in a row is a bit much.
- The Soft PackÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Answer To YourselfÔÇØ is a record of surprising depth.
- I feel like LilÔÇÖ Louis is still underrated.
- One of the best band names ever: Chicago oddball Vyto BÔÇÖs early band, Grand Fuck.
- Worst verb IÔÇÖve heard lately: ÔÇ£worldingÔÇØ
- VisionÔÇÖs Old Ghosts series still looks ahead of its time.
- In South Carolina, I used to go to this liquor store that only sold one magazine, and that magazine was Omni magazine. ThatÔÇÖs whatÔÇÖs up.
- The other day I overheard some pissed-off dude talking about how he was gonna ÔÇ£vamp onÔÇØ someone. Who the fuck still says that? ChicagoÔÇÖs the best, man. Nothing ever really goes away here.
- Best/worst stage banter: Suicide, live in Germany in nineteen-seventy-whatever, introÔÇÖing ÔÇ£HarlemÔÇØ: ÔÇØWe got a place in New York CityÔǪitÔÇÖs the ghettoÔǪitÔÇÖs where everybody is downÔǪitÔÇÖs all the black people, you know--angry boos from the crowd]--I know you hate ÔÇÿem all, manÔǪand you suck for that, you knowÔǪÔÇØ
- I realized the other day that IÔÇÖm old enough to remember ÔÇ£slashersÔÇØ as a publicized social ill--like, people not getting killed or stabbed, just, like, run up on and slashed by someone with a knife.
- I was also thinking the other day about this dude who ran up on Dave, Rob, Meaty, and me one time after Dannys, this doughy young guy in cheap-suit business-type attire, pasty and sweaty and skid to the gills. Meaty was gonna show us some sale crates he had in his trunk, but this dude thinks were headed for bigger things, and latches onto out group as were walking down the block, yammering at us with these rapid-fire coked-out stories about some mythical friend of his, stories that all involve girls, Bruce Willis, and the number thirteen: One was about his man macking in a waterbed with Bruce Willis and thirteen girls ata time; another was how his man was a total fucking Bruce Willis-type player, with the girls and the thirteen-foot ceilings and; most ominous was the one about his man pulling a Bruce Willis on a thirteen-year-old. We managed to ditch him eventually, but cot-damn.
- IÔÇÖm confident that I will not hear anything more beautiful today than Lou ReedÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Magician.ÔÇØ
- Two administrative acts IÔÇÖm not proud of: 1) I used the phrase ÔÇ£triple-stage darknessÔÇØ in one of my college admission essays. 2) On the application for some fast-food job I didnÔÇÖt really want, I listed my current occupation as ÔÇ£Secret Thunderbird Drinker.ÔÇØ
- Jefferson AirplaneÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Somebody To LoveÔÇØ is still, after all this time, pretty fucking savage.
- WhatÔÇÖs up with all these modern-day 80s-referencing synth-based bands that have degrees and thesauruses and vintage gear from here to Christmas and everything, yet still cannot attain the emotional resonance of the intro to Van HalenÔÇÖs ÔÇ£JumpÔÇØ?
- One of these days IÔÇÖm going to talk about Ralph Bakshi.
- A day spent with Billy JoelÔÇÖs ÔÇ£The Longest TimeÔÇØ stuck in your head is perhaps the longest time of them all.
- IÔÇÖll tell you what, though, for imitation Steely Dan, itÔÇÖs tough to beat BillyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£The Stranger.ÔÇØ In fact, if youÔÇÖre having a slow enough day, itÔÇÖs mildly interesting to think about Bily JoelÔÇÖs and Donald FagenÔÇÖs respective careers as shadow versions each other. One wonders, had Billy had instead followed his more misanthropic, proggier side and Donald instead followed his more hammy, Tin Pan Alley side, if they might be in opposite spots today.
- There are days when I want to hear the ÔÇ£Sweet PeaÔÇØ drums under everything.
- Yo, I heard your mom has a fake leg made out of old Jeep scraps and goes around telling people sheÔÇÖs ÔÇ£part Cherokee.ÔÇØ
- The drama in this is off the meter, for no reason at all. I canÔÇÖt think of the last time a car-dealer commercial had me so shook. Five stars.
- Speaking of drama: I was going through a box the other day and found an old book-with-record set from when I was a young youth; were heads really ready for white Uhura and black Sulu?
Comments
I'm kinda sorta in the neighbourhood, if you have a car and can get off campus, I can tell you about a couple of good places to eat in the vicinity.
hadn't even considered the prospect. *shudder*
:cry:
Anyway, congrats again on getting in.
thanks guy.
i ALSO thought it was still the Yeoman, but apparently that's such an antiquated term that they had to replace it with something more ..... anthropomorphic.
- Two songs that use ÔÇ£legÔÇØ as synecdoche for ÔÇ£sexÔÇØ: Special EdÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I Got It MadeÔÇØ and Van HalenÔÇÖs ÔÇ£UnchainedÔÇØ
- I pulled out the eponymous 4 By Four record the other day by, and while itÔÇÖs almost entirely New Edition-knockoff dogshit, thereÔÇÖs one cut on there called ÔÇ£DonÔÇÖt Put The Blame On MeÔÇØ thatÔÇÖs really catchy, but recorded with some weird, faraway gated effect that renders it surprisingly dark and magnetic. Only the lp version, thoughÔÇöthe single is mixed differently or something. This strikes me as a record that batmon probably knows about.
- Not too long ago I heard an old recording of an ad from departed UK department store Our Price, touting a sale on the first Suicide record, the Red Star jernt. On the one hand thatÔÇÖs kinda fucked-up, on the other hand itÔÇÖs also good for some perspective.
- I think the only time Ive ever heard the word jernt on a record is somewhere on Danny Woodss Aries where hes talking about being in a bobbycue jernt--uh, I mean steakhouse
- Robert PalmerÔÇÖs got some cuts, man. IÔÇÖm mostly noncommittal on both the Nagel-made-flesh of his peak period and the hoy-hoy shit he did with Little Feat nÔÇÖ ÔÇÿnem early on, but it seems like all those records in between each have one really moody and superb little something: ÔÇ£Love You More,ÔÇØ a better-than-the-original ÔÇ£I Dream Of Wires,ÔÇØ etc.
- Joni Mitchell 1971-76 is to The Great Gatsby as four quarters is to a dollar bill.
- Relatively low-level record I was nonetheless disproportionately geeked to find in the field: Chris WhitleyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Big Sky CountryÔÇØ on 45. ShitÔÇÖs from like Holland or someplaceÔÇöhow did it end up out here?
- Why Shuffle Mode is almost never the move: Josephine JohnnyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Throwback ThongÔÇØ segueing into Tracey UllmanÔÇÖs ÔÇ£They DonÔÇÖt Know.ÔÇØ Oof.
- The last minute of The CommodoresÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Sail OnÔÇØ is always like a hundred times better than I remember
- IÔÇÖd bite my grandmother to hear a fully-armed Earth Wind & Fire--Phenix Horns, Stepney charts, the whole shit--do Todd Rundgren/England Dan & John Ford ColeyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Love Is The Answer.ÔÇØ
- ParliamentÔÇÖs ÔÇ£All Your Goodies Are GoneÔÇØ is really still just the most incredible shit.
- IÔÇÖm hearing Judee Sill in grocery stores now?
- I read the phrase ÔÇ£felt needsÔÇØ in the paper the other day, and was reminded of how when I was a kid I thought that had something to do with impoverished schoolteachers. You know, with their flannel boards and whatnot.
- The label design for those Gherkin Jerks records is fucking hilarious:
ÔÇ£Okay, weÔÇÖve got a pickle wearing shoes and Mickey Mouse gloves, reclining with a real shitty look on his face. Done?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£I donÔÇÖt know, manÔÇöI get the gherkin part, but he still doesnÔÇÖt look all that much like a jerk to me.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Okay, IÔÇÖve got it: weÔÇÖll put a beret on him. What do you think now?ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Man, now I fucking hate that guy.ÔÇØ
ÔÇ£Boom.ÔÇØ
- A dear friend of mine from high school with whom I used to drink quite a bit has recently left his wife and kids and taken up zen and meditation and so on, in the process largely renouncing his ÔÇ£old self.ÔÇØ This was the dude that showed me how to open a beer bottle on a car door, and now all he wants to know is where the yoga at (and can he bring his mat?). Fucking awful.
- The WhoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£I CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ v. The KinksÔÇÖ ÔÇ£All Day And All Of The NightÔÇØ: who you got? ÔÇ£All DayÔÇØ has the raw power, but ÔÇ£CanÔÇÖt ExplainÔÇØ has shakers and shit, for extra boogie. Tough call.
- I was thinking the other day about some interview I saw with Don Letts where he hilariously recounted Bob MarleyÔÇÖs reaction when he first saw Don in the bondage trousers that were the style of the time: ÔÇØSeh, Don LettsÔÇöwhat is yu goinÔÇÖ mountineerinÔÇÖ?ÔÇØ
- Related: ÔÇ£Get in your stance / IÔÇÖll shoot the holster off your cowboy pantsÔÇØ
- Best similie IÔÇÖve heard all week: ÔÇ£Like a hunchback in heavenÔÇØ (Suzanne Vega, ÔÇ£In LiverpoolÔÇØ)
- Most withering shit IÔÇÖve read all week: ÔÇØLars Von Trier gets incredible performances out of his female leads, but so do a lot of bad lovers.ÔÇØ
- Color of the week: Underwood Devil Red
- This yearÔÇÖs Cowbell Hall Of Fame: Jacks Ashford and/or Brokensha for their work on the original Detroit mix of ÔÇ£Inner City Blues.ÔÇØ Almost revelatory.
- I donÔÇÖt know which is worse in my neighborhood: the intractable entitlement of those with cars or the endless and stultifying strategizing of those without cars (cÔÇÖest moi). Each is like its own ugly little toxin that seeps into our interactions even when none of us is going anywhere.
- On the other hand, in my neighborhood you can occasionally hear stuff like a Cajmere record playing over the loudspeaker at a public pool, and that counts for something.
- Speaking of which, I know itÔÇÖs just a dumb jacking record, but man, Hugo MoyaÔÇÖs ÔÇ£MoveÔÇØ can be tough to quit.
- Not a jacking record, but also tough to quit: 45 KingÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Just A Touch.ÔÇØ
- A moment of heartbreak that none of those parenting books prepare you for: When one of your children tells you they ÔÇ£donÔÇÖt really likeÔÇØ SohoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Hot Music.ÔÇØ
- What was your musical taste like before the internet?
This happened to me. Never woulda expected it from someone so young and close to my heart. Then again, that whole style of spinny jazz dance that the song spurned does need to find a dark burrow to remain in forever.
Way more jazz, like just for jazz sake and not for potential flips into beats aka the dreaded BRAEKS.
When I was a young teen I used to feel somehow that there was a group of people, that I didn't know, who listened to better music and had better parties and generally lived a cooler life than me.
Then I found soulstrut and realized most of those people were dicks anyways, so whatever.
Ha. Joking.
But seriously, I always felt that there was just better, cooler, more innovative music out there. Somewhere. Back then it was mostly about new music. The cutting edge of genres/styles/etc. There's still a sense of this now, but the internet, along with just general old-man-ness, has made trying to keep up with the cutting edge more tedious. Too many blogs and scenes and artists to stay abreast of it all. I hardly spend any time on the internet now. Gone are the days of 4 or 5 hour sessions of reading about bands and downloading music to check out and reading reviews and streaming live performances and blah blah blah...
Now the feeling of great music that I haven't heard yet is much more focused towards the past. My approach to digging has changed from trying to find famous breaks/samples, to just finding good music I haven't heard yet. It's a lot more rewarding to be honest. There's a great feeling when you find a heatrock in the field. But it's few and far between and I'd just rather come home stoked from every dig. I sound like a new age hippie diggeur lol
Easily one of Cool J's best verses. He tears it the fuck up on that joint. "Major MCs become minor B-flats/So retire the mic, get ya chains and ya bats"
Pretty much the same as it was once I started going on the intertubes, at least in a general sense. If you mean what musical phases did I go through pre-Internet, well, I remember bumping the shit out of my dad's American Graffiti soundtrack tape. There was also a lamentable skate punk phase where I liked any band that got any sort of mention whatsoever in Thrasher magazine.
Hey James,
With all of the years we've been on Soul Strut, you still utterly impress the shit out of me. For what it's worth, I just had to tell you that.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Coincidentally enough, the (now-ex-) wife of one of my good friends--alluded to in my post above--is a big fan of both 80s music and Michael Franks, and in the course of talking with her a while back, it seemed fair to put her up on that Pages record with the dude from Mr. Mister, which I got put up on through a post (or two) of yours. She loved it it, caught a copy at her local spot, and put some of her friends onto it, and now everybody's got a copy but me. Oof.
Anyway, she thanks you, whether or not she realizes it.
Peace,
Big James, formerly from Kakalak
Hey James,
You're welcome, mane, just recognizing greatness when I read it. I'm glad to hear that you've gotten Pages some shine (by the way, they released 3 LPs worth having, actually). It's a shame so few people know about such great music. That's what Soul Strut is supposed to be about, appreciating and sharing good, out-of-the-way music. By the way, what part of (North) Kakalak are you from? I'm from Fayettenam, home of the crazies!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Oh, and also Peabo Bryson.
Hey James,
We have had our share of wackjobs north of the border:
-Jeffrey McDonald
-Velma Barfield
-Blanche Taylor Moore
-those crazy Aryan Fort Bragg soldiers who murdered a Black couple
-the soldier that randomly shot and killed people at Luigi's Restaurant in the 'ville
-the swinger woman who had her teen boy toy kill her soldier husband
-Timothy Hennis, the Fort Bragg soldier who killed the dog breeder/merchant in the 'ville
-Jesse Helms
On the positive side:
-John Coltrane
-George Clinton
-Chuck Brown
-Roberta Flack
-Thelonious Monk
-Ben E. King
-James Taylor
Peace,
Big Stacks ftom Kakalak
One of my friends in college was from Fayettenam, and I went with him to his parents' house for Thanksgiving one year. He gave me a quick driving tour of 'Nam, which mostly consisted of pointing out places where a soldier went crazy and shot some people. That one Hardee's seemed like a very bad place to be.
Hey Enki,
I had to knuckle up at the Hardee's on Yadkin Road a number of times. The 'ville was crazy!!!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
And yeah, "Rampage" is a beast. I love E intentionally(?) making fun of his own mush-mouth style with the way he delivers that "E Double's in the house!" line leading into his verse. That part is hilarious to me.
I remember, though, back in the day getting very heated at the video's egregiously trying to mask the fact that it was using a double for LL. I was yelling at the tv like it was wrestling or something. "Fake! Fake! That's not him! Faaaaaaake!"
Off sugar once more. It's great. When I do have a real sugar Coke on a Saturday now, it hits me like I'm that guy from the 1800s who couldn't breathe in today's world. Mind-blowing. Can't finish it. You ever hear about that guy? The imaginary 1800s guy that wakes up in the Modern Age? All the stars are gone and he can't breathe. He and I react the same to a Coca Chola.
I fear I need shoulder surgery. Three dislocations in the past year, none from anything too heavy. My body is falling apart faster than I can maintain it, I guess. Getting old is called "low T" now, maybe I should start taking roids.
I will sign a new lease for my apartment.
Taking suggestions on how to spend ~175 dollar amazon gift card balance. Already got a new jump rope and a couple pairs of cheap sunglasses.
"A couple pairs." I cannot get with anyone who says "a couple pair." Those motherfuckers can take an historic dose of poizunz immediately.
Anyone fixed an iPod or iPhone screen? Worth it? My friend says he has the strange little tools.
Springtime is very hard for me. Always has been. Too much stock-taking, too many new beginnings. I have been taking a trip to the dumpster each time I leave my place. Too much shit in there.
Andy Daly is my dude right now. His podcast and teevee show are both fantastic.
I've never been to Cackalack. Seattle had an art deco ferry languishing at a dock for a few years. It was called the Kalakala, an old ferry from the 40s or some shit that ended up as a fishing processor in Alaskalack for a while then a weird dude towed it back down here and tried to save it but he was the kind of dude who would tow an old boat from Alaska and think that people would be as hyped as he was in restoring it into a nightclub or some shit and yeah it just kinda sat there collecting late moorage fees and then going bankrupt and then towed to Tacoma and then I think the dude set it on fire or something.
I wish more people blogged.
SCARFING MATERIAL!
I was positive that's what good skaters ate. Cornflakes and coffee or whatever.
Anyways:
- Oh, come on--no one fucking calls it that: when I get back to L.A. Town (Joni Mitchell in Blue Hotel Room) b/w running around Chicago Town (Gichy Dan in Cowboys & Gangsters
- Indianapolis metro area, your traffic situation is shit, but you do have the motherfucking Babyface Highway, and that counts for something.
- My fatherÔÇÖs got the ill stories. Between tales of his work at McDonnell Douglas and an ill-timed weekend in NYC when he was in college, I knew about shit like Apollo 1 and Kitty Genovese by the time I was like six. DadÔÇÖs a sweet guy, but he kept it rawlson-on-the-rilla-raw, for sure.
- Thomas Pynchon is dude, I guess, but man, Inherent Vice sure is a shitty book.
- ÔÇ£In The Light Of The MiracleÔÇØ b/w ÔÇ£In Time Of PlagueÔÇØ
- like hallelujah b/w instead of thank you
- There are whole days when I think that if I had a 45 with Booker T & The M.G.sÔÇÖ ÔÇ£Green OnionsÔÇØ on one side and El ChicanoÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Viva TiradoÔÇØ on the other, I could get rid of all my other records.
- Good way to spend most of a morning: When I was fifteen, listening to an unlabeled cassette dub of the first Ramones record and trying to figure out the titles so I could write them on the j-card.
- Less-good way to spend most of a morning: Earlier this year, A/B-ing the Euro pressing and the domestic pressing of The AssociatesÔÇÖ Sulk. Great record, but top-to-bottom twice in a row is a bit much.
- The Soft PackÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Answer To YourselfÔÇØ is a record of surprising depth.
- I feel like LilÔÇÖ Louis is still underrated.
- One of the best band names ever: Chicago oddball Vyto BÔÇÖs early band, Grand Fuck.
- Worst verb IÔÇÖve heard lately: ÔÇ£worldingÔÇØ
- VisionÔÇÖs Old Ghosts series still looks ahead of its time.
- In South Carolina, I used to go to this liquor store that only sold one magazine, and that magazine was Omni magazine. ThatÔÇÖs whatÔÇÖs up.
- The other day I overheard some pissed-off dude talking about how he was gonna ÔÇ£vamp onÔÇØ someone. Who the fuck still says that? ChicagoÔÇÖs the best, man. Nothing ever really goes away here.
- Best/worst stage banter: Suicide, live in Germany in nineteen-seventy-whatever, introÔÇÖing ÔÇ£HarlemÔÇØ: ÔÇØWe got a place in New York CityÔǪitÔÇÖs the ghettoÔǪitÔÇÖs where everybody is downÔǪitÔÇÖs all the black people, you know--angry boos from the crowd]--I know you hate ÔÇÿem all, manÔǪand you suck for that, you knowÔǪÔÇØ
- I realized the other day that IÔÇÖm old enough to remember ÔÇ£slashersÔÇØ as a publicized social ill--like, people not getting killed or stabbed, just, like, run up on and slashed by someone with a knife.
- I was also thinking the other day about this dude who ran up on Dave, Rob, Meaty, and me one time after Dannys, this doughy young guy in cheap-suit business-type attire, pasty and sweaty and skid to the gills. Meaty was gonna show us some sale crates he had in his trunk, but this dude thinks were headed for bigger things, and latches onto out group as were walking down the block, yammering at us with these rapid-fire coked-out stories about some mythical friend of his, stories that all involve girls, Bruce Willis, and the number thirteen: One was about his man macking in a waterbed with Bruce Willis and thirteen girls ata time; another was how his man was a total fucking Bruce Willis-type player, with the girls and the thirteen-foot ceilings and; most ominous was the one about his man pulling a Bruce Willis on a thirteen-year-old. We managed to ditch him eventually, but cot-damn.
- IÔÇÖm confident that I will not hear anything more beautiful today than Lou ReedÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Magician.ÔÇØ
- Two administrative acts IÔÇÖm not proud of: 1) I used the phrase ÔÇ£triple-stage darknessÔÇØ in one of my college admission essays. 2) On the application for some fast-food job I didnÔÇÖt really want, I listed my current occupation as ÔÇ£Secret Thunderbird Drinker.ÔÇØ
- Jefferson AirplaneÔÇÖs ÔÇ£Somebody To LoveÔÇØ is still, after all this time, pretty fucking savage.
- WhatÔÇÖs up with all these modern-day 80s-referencing synth-based bands that have degrees and thesauruses and vintage gear from here to Christmas and everything, yet still cannot attain the emotional resonance of the intro to Van HalenÔÇÖs ÔÇ£JumpÔÇØ?
- One of these days IÔÇÖm going to talk about Ralph Bakshi.
- A day spent with Billy JoelÔÇÖs ÔÇ£The Longest TimeÔÇØ stuck in your head is perhaps the longest time of them all.
- IÔÇÖll tell you what, though, for imitation Steely Dan, itÔÇÖs tough to beat BillyÔÇÖs ÔÇ£The Stranger.ÔÇØ In fact, if youÔÇÖre having a slow enough day, itÔÇÖs mildly interesting to think about Bily JoelÔÇÖs and Donald FagenÔÇÖs respective careers as shadow versions each other. One wonders, had Billy had instead followed his more misanthropic, proggier side and Donald instead followed his more hammy, Tin Pan Alley side, if they might be in opposite spots today.
- There are days when I want to hear the ÔÇ£Sweet PeaÔÇØ drums under everything.
- Yo, I heard your mom has a fake leg made out of old Jeep scraps and goes around telling people sheÔÇÖs ÔÇ£part Cherokee.ÔÇØ
- The drama in this is off the meter, for no reason at all. I canÔÇÖt think of the last time a car-dealer commercial had me so shook. Five stars.
- Speaking of drama: I was going through a box the other day and found an old book-with-record set from when I was a young youth; were heads really ready for white Uhura and black Sulu?