Symphony for the Devil

things to love

2008-11-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

1.) CHUNKLET: FINALLY, A MAGAZINE FOR ME.

you can buy all their back issues online and I think I will.

2.) funny

3.) love this song

super effective

2008-10-26T20:17:00.001-07:00

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

this guy's videos are so great.

2008-10-23T01:10:00.000-07:00

mimeograph

2008-10-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm in school now it is very busy stop I will endeavour to return to internet journalism with longer posts on less substantial memes stop school is awesome stop i am well stop

this is what the breakroom at my work is like

2008-09-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

outtakes

2008-09-26T12:45:00.001-07:00

the end of it all.

2008-09-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

I think maybe our comic is over. for now, so I'm reposting what I wrote.

like, pop songs through the filter of post conscious grindcore deathgaze gospel

2008-09-15T23:51:00.000-07:00

I've been huge on Salem ever since they first made ripples in the blogosphere a year or so ago, anxiously awaiting a full length, or some ep's, or anything. They now have an ep called "yes I smoke crack", which I couldn't love more, even if it was still available to purchase. They made a video for my most favourite song by them, called Dirt.

SALEM - DIRT .

soooooooooooooo good.

2008-09-14T19:14:00.001-07:00

2008-09-09T00:53:00.000-07:00

I have a new and sincere love for Austin' Harlem, and their song

via gvb

You're the reason we have inflation/ fuck the Itrip, I'm about to shit my pants

2008-09-05T03:58:00.001-07:00

10 out of 10

2008-09-03T00:45:00.000-07:00

mcsweeney's hits it out of the park once, then again this week.

Also, gvb has a kickass new atlas sound song, and even though no one seems to give them love, arizona really are wonderful.

.

Canned Hamm's End of an Era farewell one show tour

2008-08-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

Robert Dayton (aka Little Hamm) is moving to Toronto, to bigger and better things, putting Canned Hamm on temporary hiatus. Their last show was at Rayme's Basement in White Rock.

Also; photos from the previous show @ Rayme's, roughly two years ago

....

My new favourite game

2008-08-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Hey! You got your art student in my video game! Hey you got your video game all over my art student, hey wait, this is so much better than either of those things on their own.

in fact this whole site is kinda interesting.

I really want to play braid.

.

Disposable IV

2008-08-22T04:04:00.001-07:00

Best disposable ever, so far.

..

Snorflax

2008-08-20T00:26:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of time thinking about pretty.

2008-08-19T23:37:00.001-07:00

Too much ,probably.

I haven't had date or a girlfriend or sex now in 3 years. At this point, this far in, it's obviously a choice I've made, and I know that I have a whole vault of insecurities regarding girls, and maybe sometimes it's just easier to avoid the whole mess entirely, rather than confront that particular wall of issues

The thing that fucks me (intellectually), is that other people are not alone, and really, none of us deserve the women in our lives. There are girls I know that I am attracted too, who are smart and funny and beautiful (and beautiful matters to me), but they are miles out of my league. And they're miles out of everyones league, even though they probably aren't, it always seems like I'm going to like them so much more than they are going to like me. Like, who on earth has the limitless reservoir of awesome it would take to keep her, or her, or her interested. If this girl woke up one day and decided she would conquer the world that afternoon, THERE IS NOTHING ANY OF US COULD DO TO STOP HER.

I think about economics a lot when I think about girls.

I find that I am only attracted to girls who are out of my league, or rather that I feel every girl who is attractive (read: thin and cool) is out my league. I'm always amazed and even more depressed when I meet some of their boyfriends, because I always feel that a) I would be a better partner than they would) and b) if they have been chosen and I have not, and they are boring or dumb or both, then I must be way worse.

There's a lot of girls out there, there's only one of me, it shouldn't be this hard. Clearly I'm doing something wrong, and I'm probably doing it on purpose.

Perpetual loneliness makes you think a lot about economics, and it would seem that I'm not the only one who thinks that way.

I remember I met a girl at a rehearsal for a show I did a long, long time ago, and I made some self loathing remark, and she looked me in the eye and told me straight out that I had said the wrong thing, that heart on the sleeve is the wrong way to live. She said that some people subconsciously feel the need to instantly confess their sins when flirting, either out of guilt or pathos or fear or whatever, but that it was a sure way to freak someone out. She was totally right, I was (unconsciously) trying to flirt with her, and mentioning problems up front to me feels like due diligence, but it's really completely crazy and wrong.

I made profile for myself on a dating site last night, and looking at the maudlin, challenging, and no wave no fun "about me" section, I realized that I have lived my entire romantic life like a melvin's concert,
where they play 10 minutes of skullshattering feedback at the start of every show, to clear out the weak of heart. I've made dating me like the opening of saving private ryan, but haven't given the girls any reason to storm the beaches. The thing is that I'm becoming (or have become) desperately lonely, and the longer I go without love/approval, the harder I make it for a girl to date me. yay! I've doomed myself to misery again! woohoo! sadness equals truth! yeehaa! Radiohead time!

thanks to Facehunter for the pictures of girls

88 miles per hour @ 1.21gigawatts

2008-08-15T00:46:00.001-07:00

Kat hosted an excellent welcome to summer party and now summers almost over.
I'm starting school in two weeks.
For three years.
After eight years in the world.
I'm a bit freaked out.
It feels like this summer is evaporating quickly, and I feel like again I haven't done the things I wanted to do. Part of that may be the work thing: I took a second job, and have had no weekends and little energy to go out. I missed almost all the concerts I want to go see (no age, les savy fav, boris, crystal castles and the sasquatch festival), there is still radiohead and beck coming up, although I'm not sure I can get the time off work for either of those.

I'm feeling a little lost.

Barack Obama said sometimes you have to be the change you need, or something like that. He seems smart. I've been more depressed in the last week than I have been all year, and I've been thinking about those words. a lot.

I'll be 26 in a few months. I start school. Kat is leaving, Tyler is getting ready to go school abroad, All the svelte boys are awol or mia. my bands never happened. I feel like the small life I cling so fervently to is running through my fingers, scattering away in the winds, and I'm worried that without these people and this life I will have nothing. None of these changes feels like the change I need or want, and I thought after San Francisco I wouldn't be so afraid of being that change that I need.

I'm starting school. that's a huge positive change, I think I just don't feel it yet because it is still abstract. and the ennui I feel lately is probably missing kat/jealousy, and really being lonely for making out. efforts redoubled. onward christian soldiers. sigh.

God give me the strength the change the things I can, accept the things I cannot, and a time traveling cybernetic velociraptor and spacesuit so I can ride around in style while I reshape your stupid world to my vision.

this is taking too long, here's some canon fodder

2008-08-13T02:02:00.000-07:00

killer:

the Dark Knight was one of the best movies I've seen this year, easily the best superhero movie ever, but I wasn't blown away the way I expected to be. Now, in fairness, I expected to be 100%, kicked in the face mind shattered completely blown away, and to be left wanting doesn't mean I didn't love every minute, but I felt it didn't quite connect in the end. The obvious issue is that they simply had too much story, too many good ideas, and too much ground to cover in two hours (a lotr-style 4 hour dvd cut would be welcome). The Harvey Dent recovery/transformation definitely felt rushed, and the final showdown between batman and joker didn't really satisfy after such an intense buildup.
There were also some issues towards the end with the efficiency of the plot; The boats were somewhat unnecessary, the magic cell phone machine was totally unnecessary, and Harvey had really no reason to take the comissioner's family hostage. Taking Falcone's family hostage in the same way would have made TONS more sense for the character, and also then the point they try to articulate with the boats (that people can choose to be good) is discussed with just Harvey. I found that scene lacked tension for me because it felt contrived that Harvey would do any of what they had written for him. If he had murdered Falcone's family instead, that would have been more believably motivated, and made it easier to sympathize with Harvey's character at that point. Ultimately though, after Two Face makes the decisions he does, the joker's victory, and the whole theme of the movie would be that much clearer, the poetry and greek tragedy of it all would be more apparent.
Also, at the end Joker could also just have called the police and told them where he (and the hostages) were hiding, which would explain why all his goons are just standing waiting for the cops to show up when currently the only way they find him is with an impossible, never before mentioned magic technology.
And speaking of technology, that's where my main issue with the movie comes in: Batman. He kind of sucked. His suit was bulky, the voice was ridiculous, and his gadgets where massive; he had an 18 inch cable gun thing attached to his hip for half the movie. If they are going to give us bat gadgets that are impossible (like the cable gun or the magic cell phone thing) couldn't they just imagine them smaller? Batman (even with the new armour) would be the least stealthy, least elegant, most shootable guy in any room with the costume they gave him, but most importantly, it's lack of movement made him the least interesting physical presence in the movie. The suit just doesn't convey emotion properly, no matter who is inside, and the ridiculous voice doesn't help. They didn't have to do it that way though, there have been two better Batman's, that showed the way:

Mask of the Phantasm is a masterpiece of plotting and action. It has the best Bruce Wayne (woot kevin conroy!), best Batman look, best batman voice, best fighting by far, and is the closest movie to the best of the comics, albeit a highly sanitized version. A close second is a fan film made by hollywood proffessionals called Dead End. It's not perfect at all, but the costume is so good! It moves like Batman, it looks like Batman (especially the Alex Ross Batman) and it's also the only live action batman suit the could ever be used with even a little bit of stealth. It's not perfect, it looks a bit cheesy, but with some minor changes and proper lighting it can look totally perfect. I also like this costume better because it reminds us that batman is just a man, which is why he's the most interesting superhero, not because he is bulletproof or can shoot eye beams. He's just a motherfucker in a grey shirt and a mask.

I also saw step brothers and loved it, and pineapple express and was dissappointed.

I did that shit with my mind, brother

2008-06-10T17:46:00.000-07:00

Holy shit mozzatruckas, I am a certified amazing psychic wunderkind*
Today I am driving home in my car that now has 4 doors that open, with my bike in the back and it's finally a summer night after a long and cold juneuary stretch. I started thinking about cruising in beater cars and the soundtrack that makes that perfect, makes you feel invinvible next to the well paid lexus next to you, and the suburban-thugged-out social climber driving it. I started hearing Matthew Good Band, patron saint of gas station attendants, stock boys and mechanics who realize they're too smart to be where they are, but enthralled by the working class sense of satisfaction and contempt for the successful and the greedy. I started hearing load me up, one of their string of better singles from back when they were popular and I started wishing I could afford a cd player in my car and had that cd, and I decide I will listen to the crap radio instead(99.3) and holy shit wouldn't it be awesome if they were playing some MGB. And then HOLY SHIT THEY ARE JUST STARTING TO PLAY LOAD ME UP. I DON"T CARE WTF YOU GUYS SAY, I DID THAT WITH MY GODDAMN MIND. Then they played Bodysnatchers by radiohead and it was perfect for a warm summer night screaming down the highway. Then they played come together by the beatles and I was almost ready to un-write off the radio, until I realized it was the aerosmith version, so I changed the station and radio became a wasteland again, amongst which CBC at night remains the only oasis.
BUT FOR REAL. I fucking did that with force of will. that or something in my brain receives radio waves.

* does anyone know how to type umulats?

Nude by Radiohead, on abandoned computer equipment.

2008-06-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Big Ideas (don't get any) from James Houston on Vimeo.

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look guys, you're three years late to this party

2008-06-09T01:13:00.001-07:00

but this is still a pretty awesome single. someone is going to use it for a commercial. fuck the people who say that's ok for today's band . fuck the radio for everything it doesn't do anymore. fuck business supplanting art in all mediums.

100th issue photo spectacular!

2008-05-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

100 posts! 440 pictures so far! 12 readers! success!

Here's pretty much all the pics from Amanda's Naughty Nautical themed Birthday:

Themed parties are wonderful.

Also, Gary is popular with the ladies.

my oh my.

I think this is the take home shot of the night, even though it could sort of be a stock photo.

to the girl at the end who I told I could save this last picture in photoshop: I was wrong. I tried, but I was wrong. you looked hot.

Rambo Camping

2008-05-26T11:15:00.000-07:00

The thing about hanging out with English People is that sometimes you get so confused by their accents that you forget that you are present, and involved, and you aren't watching them on tv. Everyone at camping was awesome, and I understood most of what they said.

the thing about camping is that you really don't have to. Camping, as near as I can see it, works best when you go have adventure in the woods, then get trashed to all hell and pass out in a tent. This is incredibly fun, but unsustainable; it only works if there's a light at the end of the tunnel. One day and one night of camping are super fun, two days and two nights are cruel and inhumane, mostly because there's just no reason to go for two days. You get way gross, you get tired, I get waaaaaaaaaaaaaay cranky after a shitty sleep and need x amount of alone time for decompression. and Bugs. and gross food in the morning. The first day is a great time with your friends in an extremely low stress environment, the second day feels like the reality of living in a p.o.w camp setting in. On the other hand, I missed the fucking waterslides, as they were on the Monday and I was already back at work.

(All of this is true except if you are on a journey to get someplace, like surfing or freedom or a music festival or something. Then camping is great because it's just the price of being alive and in motion.)

ONE DAY OF CAMPING IN HOPE, WHERE THEY FILMED RAMBO 1, WHICH IS FURTHER THAN I THOUGHT IT WAS AND FURTHER THAN IT HAD TO BE.

this is what the horizon looks like in new zealand.

A camper van seems like a great thing to have, and this is probably the last year you anyone can afford to have one. fanstastic for quests.

there's more photos up for this than their needs to be, but I'm getting in the habit of just putting up everything so people can grab stuff if they want it.

Art! or Artsy! or something. pictures of just things are hard.

a man is always happy to have a watermelon. look how happy Rob is.

Kat does into the wild.

this is the original, just to be clear.

this is how I would frame it for portfolio work. this to me is interesting. it's pure coincidence that her breasts are dead center.

You fuck my wife? you fuck my wife? fuck you, you fuck my wife!

I almost cut my toe off with that a few minutes later. machetes are a bad idea for almost everyone. it's amazing gaz didn't cut his fingers off.

I have no idea what Kat was doing, and thanks to a little photoshop, no one else will either.

Nope. No idea.

$14 steak. vaguely pink sandals. choppa.

their campsite had a private beach. it was beautiful.

summer is wonderful pt. 2

2008-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

"Hey Chris, you want some sungalasses?"
"No thanks, I like looking pensive."

Nicole, don't take this the wrong way but sometimes when guys look at you they want you to be the air they breathe. You're hair makes you like listening to shoegaze while driving down the PCH in the sunshine.

This is our new roomate Megan. she's the quietist and best fridge buddy ever.

So we went to the beach a while ago, sort of a first day of summer kind of thing and had a great time, then burgers and hanging out at our house. I didn't mention it to anyone at the time, but right before we left my cat Gloria died of a heart attack and I was really pretty upset, so feeling the sun and feeling at peace where important to me right about then. it made me feel better. pictures turned out fine, nothing amazing. they're mostly here for people to grab shots of themselves.

gorilla vs bear

2008-05-24T05:17:00.000-07:00

has been my favourite music blog for a while now, even if lately I feel like I've been falling out of love with rock music.

this is a track by a band called girls, who don't even have a seven inch out yet but are already more acclaimed than most bands will ever be. Hype is like cyanide, your brain needs just a taste to function, but drop too much and it will kill you. this is is awesome and you can't buy it anywhere yet or even download it, believe me, I've been trying.

it's called morning light

Summer is Wonderful

2008-05-21T03:52:00.000-07:00

more than anything ever, I want a pure comedy doll

2008-05-21T03:42:00.001-07:00

you're my bitch dog.

2008-05-17T02:27:00.000-07:00

I heard from Gary today, it reminded me that I've been meaning to put this up for a while.

wowee zowee

2008-05-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

finally a good picture of me

2008-05-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

from friday, when i got home late and was drunk:

THE BEST TIME TO DO THIS IS LATE AND DRUNK

I went to a thing tonight at the sweatshop where vice magazine gave us all free beers and they were stubbies and I had five, and that is what fucking MEN do because I am A MAN, ne; TEH MAN.

but I also danced like a fool to cheer Kat up and held Nicole's purse for much of the night, which is not at all what men do but more what duckie does for his molly ringwalds.

ok, brass tacks:

-drinking is much awesomer when free.
when a girl is a good dancer she doesn't want to dance with crazy dancers, they want to dance with men who dance slightly. Even though I am mad good (just ask my sisters or watch me bust the snuggler out all over your dance floors.) I feel ashamed of not being more sexy when I dance, because I think that ultimately that's what a lot of dancing is about, displaying sexual confidence and physical flirting. I find dancing tons of fun, but I know I don't do it right, I don't make connections, I just dance with myself really, a oh oh. from now on, slower, less performing for my friends.
-I love my new phone so much. I love ringtones. Kat's is the milkshake song, Greg's is New buildings by parts and labour, Rayme's is a recording I found of a sheep exploding. s'great. I see this picture when tyler phones me:

and this when Kat calls me and the milkshake song plays.

from saturday:

WE!
WENT!
GO KARTING!

and to the elbow room for breakfast and to a garage sale and it could only have been better if i fell asleep in my carseat afterwards or got to feel up some cheerleaders.

also i am pretty pleased with the image quality of my phone. it's not quite camera good, but it's almost camera good. they're getting there.

and to a guispeaking of pictures, here's collected disposables and my favourite picture of me from lately:

re: my last post

2008-05-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

boo hoo waa waa feelings feelings boo hoo livejournal run on sentences crybaby

ac/dc is the shit.

the drunkblog for drunky drunks

2008-05-04T01:39:00.000-07:00

HELLO

I 've been away, I've been working towards a future for myself lately by finally looking to post secondary education ( or in my case, post nothjng education). I applied to the idea program at capilino, which seems to combine two things i love (creativity, pencils) with two things I love more (consultancy fees, sandwiches) and after spending a week not going to my daily grind, working on something i actually enjoyed, I find myself very much wishing I;d had the self respect to apply earlier. There has been a very active part of me that has been self sabotaging and diminishing my self and my sense of self worth since a long time ago, and it's always said I'm not worth anything and failure is in my blood and misery is my only true self. But like, fuck that. I finally stopped listening to myself and made a postive change in my life, and now i stand ready to maybe go to this one thing for a couple of years and have a career and a life and be finally proud of something i do, or if I don't get in, to go somewhere else and learn web design or something similar, because the one thing i think i proved to myself with this portfolio (the one i had to do to apply for design school) I learned that i can do something i am proud of. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, because I ran short of time, but looking at the whole thing, bound and submitted, I felt like I'd climbed everest. i've had talks over hte years with a lot of friends over the years about feeling like i do, and i've always said htat i won't be happy till i have things to be proud of, things to be happy for. well, I have san fransisco, I have this, i have hte soon to be available comic book form of this blog, and I have a million more ideas about how to be aweseome and awesome things to do, and knowing now that i will do them

what does this have to do with my return to words? two things; firstly, i haven''t written because i've been working hard for hte last few months on my thing, and two, because my homepage was reset to the schools page, so i would always be reminded to work on it instead of watching adorable or awesome youtube vidoes. the home page is back to blogger, the intent to commit more readable and worthwile thoughts to page is back, and things worth writing about, things that excite me, are back in my life.

I bought grand theft auto 4 today.

also here's back in black because i am back in the fucking black.

Short term

2008-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

the more i post videos here, the less likely people are too come back. but what evs, writing is hard, yo.

This is silly

2008-04-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

Just stumbled upon one of my favourite videos from a few years ago. Thought it was worth putting up.

VITALIC - MY FRIEND DARIO
Uploaded by EbaCtobeS

omfg

2008-04-16T02:12:00.000-07:00

Waves: softer than concrete, since forever

2008-04-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Skateboarding and surfing are the two things I daydream about these days (girls are yesterdays paper) (Not true at all, actually I often daydream of hot girls surfing and skateboarding), this is semi strange because I've never tried either one. Surfing because you need to go somewhere to try it (wanted to go in san francisco, but cold and SHARKS) and skateboarding because concrete is harder than bones and I start out oh so far from the ground.

music is by m83, from the fully flared dvd, directed by Spike Jonze

this exists....so....

2008-04-13T01:37:00.000-07:00

also, I finally got all the pictures up from Spongejob yr mum, but since I started the post last week it's two posts down. Also, wow, blogger image hosting adds a TON on compression and noise.

wunderbar

2008-04-10T02:11:00.000-07:00

spungejob yr mom

2008-04-09T02:14:00.000-07:00

The story, in too many pictures, of greg and rayme's first and hopefully not last spongejob yr mum show

2008-04-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

walt whitman

2008-04-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

I can't afford to leave my house right now

2008-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

but thankfully my newer larger room is a veritable mansion compared to my old one. I am now looking for a couch/loveseat that is less than or exactly 53 inches wide.

pictures from Greg and Rayme's show up soon!

waffles and ice cream

2008-03-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

ha.

2008-03-24T03:04:00.001-07:00

free of context

2008-03-23T04:32:00.001-07:00

this calls for robocop to get shot.

2008-03-23T02:34:00.000-07:00

have faith until 2:56

Because I don't take my camera that many places.

2008-03-17T01:11:00.000-07:00

Some days I post things just because I feel I should post like, something. This is one of those days.

this was started to be a place to share our pictures, but so far it is just my pictures. So I'm emailing the username and password to anyone who wants it, so you can put up your pictures, or you can post or whatever.

Today's pictures are of yesterdays's puppets, except for the Grant and Brad finger puppets, because they are all the way downstairs.

Bon Iver- The Wolves (Act I and II) MP3

Perfect music for being snowed in at night, or for warming up at a cafe on a rainy day. It's a bit late in the season to be finding it, but it's ok for the beach in the evening as well.

Fuck, what an idiot!

2008-03-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

v2

It's weird that he hasn't often had to defend himself in this fashion. It's weird that no one seems to speaks to him about reality. He is the biggest asshole in history. not the worst person, but biggest asshole by far.

I keep falling asleep at my keyboard and I couldn't be happier

2008-03-12T17:08:00.000-07:00

Bedhead-The Present MP3

Slowcore pioneers, fantastic songs, best nap band ever.

Woods-Be Still MP3 (via The Catbird seat)

Lo-fi , gentle, great for naps.

Jimmy Eat World-Goodbye Sky Harbour MP3

18 minutes long, great for naps. This is also a great example of American Hardcore v2.0:

V1.0 -In the early to mid eighties , some kids feel alienated from the mainstream and feel the need to express themselves, but just don't feel the fashion and the psuedo-glam nihilism of punk, so they start hardcore to get their incredibly earnest feelings out, and it's awesome and the most valid and important music of it's time.
V2.0 -In the mid to late nineties: some kids feel alienated and abandoned by the mainstream and feel the need to express themselves but just don't feel the aggression and the inch-deep politics of hardcore, so they start emocore to get their incredibly earnest feelings out, and it's pretty awesome and completely valid, and not very important, but it made you feel things pretty hard a lot of the time, and a lot of it was pretty and it's great for making out too.

This track is good reminder of why people LOVED these bands, and I love falling asleep to them.

Chore-General Warning

I used to listen to that song and just get sooooooooooooo depressed then fall asleep when I was like, 17. Sometimes I miss that about my youth, when I could just feel one feeling at a time and everything felt so pure and honest. Adults lie to themselves and kids hate them for it.

Of course, back then I was kid with no job, no rent, no girlfriend, no school (that year), no pressure, and no idea how the real world worked, and plenty of time for naps, so it was easy for me to be self righteous.

Beirut- Scenic World MP3

Thankfully now there is art and music that mixes the aesthetic and the authenticity of the old with a slightly wider emotional pallet, still totally great for naps at the keyboard, making great music and still making us feel human. This is my favourite Beirut song, and current favourite song to fall asleep too, off the Lon Gisland EP

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

SASQUATCH

2008-03-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

The lineup for the 2008 Sasquatch music festival was announced last Monday and GOD does it look awesome. Like, ice-cream-sunday-clouds-parting-waking-up-next-to-zooey-deschanel level awesome. This is going to be SO awesome. Sometimes you look at festival line ups, and you sort of want to go for two of three bands but most of the it is made up of bands you wouldn't mind seeing but wouldn't see by themselves. I would give our collective left hands to see half these bands on their own, let alone in one day, let alone at a venue as beautifully amazing as the gorge.

Here's the lineup, with bands I'd love to see in any context in bold, with exclamations for empshasis.

The Line Up

R.E.M.!!!!!!!!!!!/ The Cure / The Flaming Lips U.F.O. Show!!!!!!!! / Death Cab For Cutie / Modest Mouse!!!(I would have been WAY more excited for them before their last two albums) / M.I.A. / Flight Of The Conchords!!! / Rodrigo Y Gabriela / Michael Franti & Spearhead / The Breeders / Built To Spill!!!!!!!! / The Hives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! / The Kooks / Tegan & Sara / Ghostland Observatory / Ozomatli / The New Pornographers / Blue Scholars / The National / Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks / Cold War Kids / Beirut!!!!! / Rogue Wave / Okkervil River!!/ Fleet Foxes / Kinski / Mates of State / Sera Cahoone / Crudo (featuring Mike Patton & Dan The Automator) / Battles!!!!!!!!!! / Destroyer!!!! / Dyme Def / The Blakes / Pela / Jamie Lidell / The Cops / Dengue Fever / Siberian / Say Hi / White Rabbits / David Bazan! / The Little Ones / "Awesome" / Dead Confederate / The Heavenly States / 65daysofstatic / Grand Archives / Vince Mira with the Roy Kay Trio / Joshua Morrison / Throw Me The Statue / J. Tillman / The Shaky Hands / Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down / Matt Costa / The Cave Singers
Carbon Neutral

and there's a comedy tent!!

WTF! that's so much bold! This is the first festival lineup I've ever seen where I'll actually probably have to miss some bands I really want to see other bands I want to see even more. How the hell did they get this lineup? This is going to be the most amazing festival ever. the only question is; will it be better if I don't drink at all? Or if I am super drunk, seeing all my favourite bands with great friends. Here's pictures from the campsite we were at for last years sasquatch, enjoying the magic of wine bongs, because I can't find the pictures I took inside.

*UPDATE* In the time it took me to upload last years pictures (literally six days of trying, way to go google) the basic schedule was released and I am just going the saturday and the monday, but I only really miss rogue wave and dave bazan, and I've seen them both before. WOOOOOOOOOOOO!

And then god saideth "Holy shit I am tired" and on the seventh day created the wine bong and took down a whole box of chiraz in 15 minutes, and fell asleep in the living room, happy and full of chicken wings.

Chelsea as always, gets nsfw at the drop of a anything.

"hahaha"

"hahahahah drinking hahah woops hahaha"

Then Ashley was all like don't worry, I have a felt pen that is the exact same colour as your shorts, which was amazing.

"hahahahahhaha that's completely ineffective hahahah"

"we are geniuses!"

"Tyler, are you alright?you took that really fast."

"hahahahah yeah hahahh no, no not at all hahahahah"

"hahaha Je suit morte"

" look, I'm Chelsea, howdy howdy howdy"

At that point they had so much sex that they could have sex right in front of us and we wouldn't even notice. I took this picture, and I didn't even notice until just now.

"IT IS STILL HILARIOUS!" "YES IT TOTALLY IS!" (for real, it was still totally funny)

I'm always pretty happy to see Sarah. cause she sells me really good heroin.

1.

2.

3.
One of these things is not like the other. (hint: it is the can of pop.)

This is the tent-ma-hal. It was also heavily featured in our San Francisco Pilgrimage.

This is Paul drawing a penis and boobs on the hot dog buns.

This is me looking unpleasant because it is too sunny, and I have forgotten that I have sunglasses on my head.

I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass

2008-02-23T22:29:00.000-08:00

is what I tell myself every single day when I wake up.

Kerry said something to me that cut like a knife (in a good way). We were talking about how I need to get huge like Henry Rollins so I am not afraid of people (currently I am terrified of all people, or at least of being judged by them.) and he said that huge muscles don't help you achieve social standing with ladies and become alpha over all other males with huge muscles, you do it just with confidence and I should get confidence by doing something with my life. TOUCHE my good man. I am confused now. I think the first thing I need is a new zip up hoodie. Here are good things. This is the kind of thing I want to make. To the project cave!

a great new show on superdeluxe called thunderpoint, note the subtle use of Jon Benjamin.

400 babies!

this is cute

having nothing to say, wanting to say it beautifully.

2008-02-19T03:23:00.000-08:00

I am engaged at all times at the primordial stages of creation in a variety of mediums, and I think it's mostly because I want to impress girls like the AMAZING girl in this Menomena fan video. Calling it a fan video sounds dismissive to some, but in my eyes it makes all these videos all the more worthwhile that someone made them because they just had to make something.

Girls of the world take note; girls in parks and baseball shirts = crush. Seriously, it's like kryptonite for my rational mind, or more accurately it's like more like devil's breath, just a few drops and I'd do anything you told me too, up to and including making out with you hardcore and having coffee while reading the newspaper.

The emotional texture the music video strives for is also found in these mid 20th century 120mm found images.

Segueing from old photography to new, Micheal Muller is quite good at what he does, and has the first flash based photo site I don't totally hate. I have made a list of just 4 more things I need to make my camera do what I want it too do. I need a full frame body (a 5d or whatev's is next) only two one-thousand dollar lenses, one more flash and plenty of that seamless paper. I'd need about 5 grand to do it right, so I was thinking I should sell my guitar, but then I'd still be $4,900 short. Anybody need anybody whacked?

ok so I LOVE this minipop song and it's super great indie video, but I just watched the new "pro" version of the video (and re-recorded song) and now they are a bunch of D-bags.

todays blog post was brought to you by the letters bored and insomnia, and the number 1. it is pretty uninteresting upon review.

Tattoo Craft/ FUCK YEAH MONTEL! (for Kerry)

2008-02-15T14:38:00.000-08:00

Stamptoos are of my own invention, and are made from vinyl siding glued to molded wire frames, used to stamp a tattoo onto different parts of your body. I am going to make them because I want a tattoo but hate pain and needles and am highly indecisive, and also tattoos are stupid. here's the first ones I will make.

I am re using to many jokes. None of you realize how much time I spend writing. MINUTES. every. single. week.

and for Kerry, the Montel video I took down. I appreciate him taking the fight to the man. If you work for Fox news, you are a horrible fucking person. THis is more awesome than I thought Montel had, valid points throughout.

who wants some sexiness?

2008-02-15T02:29:00.000-08:00

In light of Valentines Day just passing and an ice cream sandwich being the closest I came to make-outs today, here are some things that are actually make my heart pitter patter. And by heart I maybe am halfway referring to my reproductive organs.

First of all, a new girl to crush on and a song that would get you to at least second base.
Lykke Li "Little Bit"

Horrible looking Youtube, Fantastic Looking QT

Girls are so pretty it makes me crazy sometimes. Particularly good looking and transparently sexual, sometimes naked girls can be found the website of awesomely terrific photographer Purienne (fashion tv level nudity)I'm not really comfortable with sex as a concept, and this is not the place to talk about it, but I have to say, this is the closest I've ever seen the line blurred between art/editorial photos, and out and out cheesecake. On either level, I appreciate it very much.

One thing I can talk about openly and appreciate on all levels is Leslie Feist. God damn, this girl is about the most marry-able girl to come along in almost forever. Picnics with this girl are the kind of thing I would go to war for (real war, with nazi's and charlie and killing and dying.)
See her here in the video for I feel it all. Plus how sexy is this? Beguiling as fuck.

Horrible looking Youtube or Fantastic looking QT

sigh. girls confuse me so. other things:

In tech/fashion news, beautiful girls made to look cool with pattern casting led brooches. Tons of possibilities, can't believe no one thought of it sooner.

this beirut video was up yesterday in a scratch post I deleted, but it's here again becuase it's great and actual good dancers are the most sexy thing to me in the world

Happy Valentines Day!!

2008-02-15T01:24:00.000-08:00

Malcolm Middleton- "We're all going to die"

Truth does't make a noise.

2008-02-12T01:21:00.000-08:00

Look, I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about. I am faking and bullshitting and trying to sound like I'm this intellectual creature analyzing humanity but I'm really 100% feelings and completely terrified of everything. I don't really do my research on anything at all and I don't ever seem to find any answers I can trust. In theory I am an automath; almost everything I know in life I learned myself, and all that means is that I can't trust anything I know about anything. It's starting to get to me, it's starting to feel like living in a whiteout. I need to read more books. I have absolutely no understanding of basic human interaction. here's a picture of me one night after we went out, and I felt particularly lost.

I have decided that I 100% love the take aways shows, because they great and loving and are made by people who feel they are special and happy and in the light, and sometimes it makes me angry that I feel like I am not special and can't be happy and don't deserve the light. I suspect I am awesome and deserve the light, I just need to remind myself sometimes.

can't sleep/ a song in the colour tempurature of street lights

2008-02-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

I can't sleep. It's been like this all week.

Polaroid isn't making any more film.

This song is "Sweat" by a group called Salem, it sounds like I feel right now, like you are on a deserted street at night and have nowhere to go. via GVB

thank God for Denmark/Sweden/Swiss pop bands, you know?

the la blogotheque take away shows are always things I always mean to watch but never sit through, except for this animal collective one.

#82.1 - ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Taste
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Animal Collective, right now, is a band that is currently one of the best at what they do (reductionism in music and sound as art), and probably as good now as they will ever be. I like their approach.

#62.3 - Menomena - Wet and Rusting
Uploaded by lablogotheque

this one is pretty cool too, lot's of these shows are amazing, but I find something about the format makes me uncomfortable.

#71 - Deartment of Eagles - Part 1
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Maybe it's just the hyper saturated film, or maybe it's the way it puts you so close to the music and leaves the artists so naked, maybe it's just hard to hear plaintive sad bastard songs straight from the sad bastards mouth, maybe it's just not always that interesting. I have trouble listening to a lot of these songs the whole way through. Or maybe it's that they try to set it up like it is so honest and natural and then they tell the artists to act like we aren't there, and they just happen to be walking around Paris singing and playing, and not being followed by 2 sound guys and a videographer . It's arguably a great thing, to re-contextualize performance space like they do, but something about it leaves me uneasy.

#54.3 - SPARROW HOUSE - Unknown song
Uploaded by lablogotheque

Or maybe these are really great and I'm just being no fun, cause these are really cool. And it's really great to see what the low budget digital revolution has done to production values. I need to learn to appreciate the things in life that are good, and just want me to be happy.

that Sweat song makes me happy. Going to bed will make me happy. Infinity blowjobs and ferarri would be ok too.

Silent Sigh

2008-02-11T02:46:00.000-08:00

In and out of moods this week, went home to dinner with my folks, now consumed by thoughts of doubt regarding whether or not they raised me or I raised myself. The more I think about it all the things I like about myself I developed on my own, at the library, in the wasteland of teenage isolation. I am pressed to recall a particular moment of guidance or wisdom that brings out the warm fuzzies, and sometimes am even angry at some of the basic skill they failed to impart on me. However, I suppose that any self discovery I have done was done with the tools and the freedom they gave me, and while they did ignore certain aspects of my development they did drive me all over hells half acre to rehearsals, singing lessons, auditions, martial arts and gymnastics lessons and comic shops, allowing me to do and try things that a lot of kids never do. My Dad volunteered to co-coach the soccer team and t ball team when I was itty bitty, even though I sucked at both and have always thrown like a girl. So it's not like they didn't try. It's really bizarre that your parents are people. I'm still really not used to the idea and have no way to relate to them as anything but a concept.

One of the things I love the most about my Dad is they way he has made me love my Grandad J.B( his) without ever meeting him. Grandad J.B died when I was 1 (and I suppose technically we met but I was a baby), but whenever my Dad would tell me one of his stories or corny Jokes he would talk about Grandad in such reverent and loving tones that I totally get warm fuzzies now thinking about him and what it would have been like if he had been around. Ultimately I think I'll probably speak the same way about my parents, no matter how frustarated I can be with them nowadays.

What does this video have to do with anything?

Nothing at all, and the sound is played out even if the song is alright, and it doesn't work if you can't see that they all look like John Hodgemans, but with all those things combined it's pretty alright.

My parents read to me a TON when I was a baby. It definitely worked.

Girls are Pretty Forever.

2008-02-01T02:14:00.001-08:00

Bob powers is god.

He is a writer and comedian living in New York, for the last few years he maintained a blog called "Girls Are Pretty", in which he goes on a daily personal regression assignment and leaves us with a short piece between one sentence and 5 pages long. Each story is self contained and is either ingeniously funny or heartbreaking and moving, but most often both. He is probably my favorite writer. They compiled girls are pretty into a book, called happy cruelty day, my sister got it for me for christmas but it wasn't in stock in chapters yet so she made me a box and decorated in like the book. It was my favourite present ever.

Happy cruelty day was good, but it missed a lot of my favourite GAP stories and put in a lot of sadder, less dark ones (it's still a ridiculously dark book though) . Anyway, I think GAP is over now, which is fine. It was often the best part of my day for a couple of years but the last year and a half he's been off his game. It's still been good, just not amazing, but now that he's not doing new posts he's put up the complete archive. If ever you are feeling lost or bored or depressed, grab almost anything from 2003 -2005 and feel human again.

He writes like I wish I could speak. I think of language the way I think of language because of his writing, and think of the beauty of girls like I do because of him. Apparently he is writing a novel, I am super jazzed for it.

half lion/half shark/half t-shirt

2008-01-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Dan Deacon with Jimmy Roche. It. Was. Great. a complete Joy overload , it took all of 30 seconds to hit 9 cupcakes on the three cupcake scale. I wasn't drunk at all, there was a cool girl tyler knows there. It was great but maybe not transcedant. Dan Deacon is amazing but he does not violate the Newtons laws of energy conservation, hence the amount of joy you get from his music is directly proportionate to the amount of energy you put in. Jimmy Roche does something called the ultimate reality, which is every great Arnold Schwarcheneger movie into one, awesomely narrated by drums and a guy with an afro. Dan Deacon made us do what amounts to group trust excersices and we spent the whole night on the stage, he was on the floor. There was a dance off, a living tunnel, sing alongs and lot's of dancing.

more things of great awesomeness.

rotoscoped?

2008-01-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure. Probably. It looks fantastic either way.

Tonight is Dan Deacon, I'm ubered.

This is my favourite song of 2007, found a few hundred hours late.

update* holy shit that's It's Jason Schwartzman! and it was featured in the o.c! ok whatever I still love it.*

new years part 2.

2008-01-18T01:40:00.000-08:00

Kat rented us a wicked condo in Downtown Victoria. I expected highrises. Victoria is itty bitty, it turns out. Victoria feels like Vancouver's tag along little brother, and you have to let him play city with us otherwise he'll cry. It's also full of hippies, but I had fun anyways, and pretended it was dawn of the dead(slow zombie version). Everyone is nice. There's lot's of cool stores. I was intoxicated the entire trip. It was great. There's only one 24 hour place in all of downtown, a pool hall/coffee bar/reading bar, it is perfect in most ways, and I advise you to check it out if you are bored there. (ps you will be kind of bored there)

I got there on the second day, we started drinking and decided to do a photoshoot in the bathtub like we were the kings and queens of wasted spontaneity.

I totally love this these two pictures.

it was entirely as gay as it looks.

hear no evil, munch no evil, do not talk to evil on the phone.

Film!

the end.

things that are neat

2008-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

I really want one of these, hella bad. they will be on sale soon.

this is cool, it's people holding vinyl sleeves over their faces , it makes me miss ze's show and his little projects

this girl, and this girl, and this baby

NEW BLOOD ON THE WALL !!!!!!!!!!

ONE OF THE ONLY TWO HIVES SONGS THAT IS GREAT OFF THEIR NEW AVERAGE ALBUM!!!!

I can't get over this dress. I need a girlfriend. All I can imagine is hugging her and the way soft fabric slides around girls backs, and how totally awesome that is.

THE OTHER AWESOME HIVES SONG FROM THEIR NEW ALBUM!!!!!

I might buy one of these!
Beck plays one, I don't know how they sound, but they look wicked cool, and I've grown to hate my guitar.

gorilla vs. bear loves these guys and I love most of what they love, and I think you will love white denim too

fuck high hats, the idiots and the fatties have found our skinny jeans, "indie" (now some of the gayest shit I have ever seen) has saturated the masses and must now be destroyed

wow, when did moby stop sucking and get black? moby is the best example ever of white musicians stealing black styles and selling them to commercials, because moby is not an analogue to that process, moby literally is that process. at the same time this is awesome.

seeing the light

2008-01-15T03:13:00.000-08:00

yesterday was the second sunday I have had off in 4 years, and it was glorious. I went to breakfast with the people, went home for hamburgers with my family, downtown to do modeling shots with aidan, then to sunday service with people. today was even better ,maybe even the best day ever as far as everything just falling into place the way I wanted it too. maybe not the most fun day ever, but the best I have felt about myself in a long time. And too top it all off, I have found my calling.

editors note: people seem to be confused by this post. Allow me to clarify, I want to be a professional photographer of pretty girls for fashion magazines and things of that sort. Sarah is not my calling. She is awfully pretty though.

my favourire show ever.

2008-01-12T01:50:00.001-08:00

it's the best show ever, but don't watch this if you think you will ever have any interest in watching the first four seasons. Keep in mind there are about 25 major characters that are not mentioned at all in this summary.

nobody to kiss.

2008-01-10T03:01:00.000-08:00

On new years , I was supposed to be in Victoria with my bike gang, but illness left me unable to travel and too unpleasant for smooching. I was able to attend this mostly because I slept through 90% of the preceding day. And Court taught me how to make delicious steak, which was delicious with asparagus.

This is story of my new years, in pictures. It was at Gary's, who lives here again, which is fantastic. I didn't see rock band, but that was a big part of the night, and I played blokus with Fiona and Scott and Court after everyone went home ,and that was great. It's the german-est game ever.

I was like, a half second too late on this one. grrr.

At this point I was too drunk, and stopped using the viewfinder.

I had a pretty bad case of the Christmas lonely's this year. I don't usually feel that bad about being single, but sometimes it gets to me. This year that happened. I feel it the hardest when I listen to the new Feist album, which sounds like the way a girls head feels resting on your shoulder when you dance slowly. It sounds like sunday afternoon waffles in a tank top and panties. That might sound a bit desperate , but screw you guys, I have the christmas lonely's there's no cure in sight.

i know what funny is

2008-01-10T00:36:00.000-08:00

earlier I was going to make a joke about severed baby hands and I changed it to charred baby skulls at the last minute and it fell completely flat. therefore;

-you should always follow your instincts

and

-a bag full of severed baby hands = pure comedy gold

heroin chic

2008-01-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

sometimes I wonder why some popular music acts are popular. Nirvana is one of them. Nirvana was a pretty good band, but there are a lot of better rock bands from the era. Watching this clip helps to explain the cult of personality that has arisen around Kurt Cobain. Music like this requires a certain mood not just to be appreciated but even to tolerate. Seeing this, I think I understand how he became the spokesjunkie of a generation to the disaffected youth that seemed to omnipresent in the early 90's. In fact, I don't just understand, I fall for it. It's sexy. The complete don't-give-a-fuck-ness of the band's attitude is infectious and liberating, it somehow seems to force you to agree with their worldview instantly and enjoy the rocking. it's effortless cool, and that's why they were hugely popular and others weren't.

what are you talking about, these are completely money.

2008-01-09T03:23:00.000-08:00

in other news, I am still in a band with myself, and I am still in Greg's band.

We saw Juno the other day, it was great. I have things to say regarding open-mindedness and art, but it's late and I am trying to get more sleep.

wait this isn't like WHAD at all, this is as much like whad as charred baby skulls are like legal tender...the new japanther single makes my penis feel like a teenagers penis again...
that's a horrible title for a great e.p I plan to make someday...-I bought the new radiohead album today, it was delicious..."drop out" by times new viking is the best song I've heard for the first time in the last five minutes since the last one...people are less cool than they think, except me cause of all the pushups I do ...apples are delicious...usually...

comedy is not sexy/ I am a sad nerd

2008-01-09T02:46:00.000-08:00

I used to get blowjobs like, ALL THE TIME and now I really sincerely care that spiderman 3 was such a shitty movie. wtf.

turn the sound off on this one. it just looks pretty cool, compositionally . play it with some six organs of admittence overtop and it becomes extra special.

rolling stone was only good for one thing

2008-01-09T02:29:00.000-08:00

and that was WHAD and if write anymore here it will be more like that....

this guy is brilliant.

he's a fucking genuis.

we bought a ps3, so far all it's making me do is hate linux and miss movie theatres.

ps3's media streaming options are the tits though.

too drunk to use the viewfinder

2008-01-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

This was Courtenay's birthday. I didn't really start taking pictures until I was pretty smashed, I think it shows. I was shooting from the hip pretty much all night. Court did a pretty good Kate Moss impression though, and Aidan shot stars out of her eyes.

POSITIVITY!!

2008-01-07T14:33:00.000-08:00

is what I am ALL ABOUT. THANKS PEOPLE WHO READ THIS BLOG, all 4 of you will be receiving personalized thank you cards in the real mail. THAT WAS NOT SARCASTIC I LOVE YOU. here are all the loose pictures I haven't posted since moving out. there aren't many.

2007-12-24T00:45:00.001-08:00

it seems like all of a sudden I have nothing to say. does anyone read this?

super cool, but nothing the wire didn't already teach us.

2007-12-08T02:34:00.000-08:00

funny nothing

2007-12-08T02:24:00.000-08:00

good lord what have I done?

2007-12-05T03:11:00.000-08:00

The three cupcake theory.

2007-12-03T19:45:00.000-08:00

In life and art, I subscribe to the three cupcake theory of awesomeness. There are different ways to say it but core philosophy is simple: The point of all things love and be loved and the easiest way to ensure you are loved is to overwhelm people with joy every now and then. Or in short form; Just be a little bit better than people can handle sometimes.
Picture if you will; a person. Throw this person a cupcake, because everyone loves cupcakes, and they have a cupcake and are happy. Throw them another cupcake and now they are thinking wow, two cupcakes is the only thing that is better than one cupcake and i have two cupcakes now. And then you throw a third cupcake and you blow their mind. They already have two cupcakes, one in each hand, and they super happy to have so many cupcakes, and then you throw the third and there is that moment, that spit second of elation as the third cupcake is flying towards them and time seems to slow down as their brain just can't temporarily handle it all, the happiness and the love and the trajectory but it doesn't matter because it could be 3 cupcakes or 3 million, just so long as it's one more than they have hands to catch with then they will be overwhelmed with joy and love you forever and that memory for even longer.

I have been exposed to several examples over the past week. Obviously no one really goes around throwing too many cupcakes at people, but sometimes they make music or movies that are just for a few seconds everynow and then, sometimes just for the blink of an eye, are more amazing than anyone can fathom.

My roomate has been learning guitar for the last few weeks, and was intructed to start with back in black by ac/dc. This kicked off a whole week of watching ac/dc clips and concluding that they are one of the fucking best bands that ever was and ever will be. The amount of energy that band outputs every single show is amazing. Like, flooring. Seeing them at a stadium now is apparently still pretty great, but all the video indicates what is now a super tight rock legend was at one time the most explosive good times bar band ever. Watching clips like this I can't imagine what it would have been like to see them in a club in Australia in time when this type of song wasn't a cliche. The band itself is cupcake one, angus young and bon scott's swagger is cupcake two, and the pagpipe solo, the bagpipe itself is cupcake three, the thing that is just so awesome that you just give up.

Also three cupcake awesome and also one of the best bands out there is les savy fav, who we saw on saturday. Tyler had only heard a few of their songs before hand and had been saying all day how he didn't really want to go, as we'd been playing lego star wars and drinking all day and that had been at least two cupcake and why are we adventuring through the snow to see whatever whatever bands. The openers didn't change his mind at all, and a posse of douches seemed poised to ruin the show with the sheer small minded frat agression/sense of self entitlement/sheer dickbag-osity. Apparently they kind of ruined girl talk too. We were debating whether or not to fight them. Anyway, point of the story is three notes in tyler had his third cupcake in the air. Tim Harrington, the lead singer, is comedy genius who just happens to be one of the best post punk frontmen ever. He came out dressed in a chilean poncho with a fake plastic nose and a winter hat with side flaps, and a huge furry mitten on one hand and the microphone hidden inside a broken kettle. He is also a bald fat guy, atypical of almost all bands that want to be sexy.
The first note of the first song just sets off an a-bomb in the crowd, everyone is instantly engaged and has two cupcakes. The second song is we'll make a lover out of you and the dance/moshpit exlodes and the third cupcake is well in the air. Joy has now been achieved, and i proceed to get the shit beat out of me in the pit. I'm getting old so i can only stay for about the first third, then off to get water and rest, then back in for the last third. Throughout the show more cupcakes keep upping the joy level, Tim wades through the crowd, girls rub up against you, they play super well, and his stage banter is basically him writing loose poetry and short stories as they come to him, and they are weird and funny and about buying fireworks in madison with all her summer money, and shooting them out her bedroom window, or whales and satellites and them requesting songs. They played the sweat descends. it was awesome. In fact I figured it was pretty much the most cupcakes you can have thrown at you in a show, until he says "after this we're going to pretend like we done then come back and play three more songs." and then there's a sing along, and then they say this one is a special request and they play "rodeo", which is my absolute favourite song of theirs but also the first single they ever released, and not a common live song. The night day as a whole has about 9 cupcakes in the air at that point and I'm exhausted. Les savy fav are maybe the third most solid rock band I've ever seen. not quite third best show ever, but fuck they're amazing.

also three cupcakes, lego star wars return of the jedi speeder level, because it's cute, then it's fun, then it's just way to fast to control at all and it's joyous.

also so many cupcakes is the movie "no country for old men". Easily the best movie I've seen all year. every scene is like a third cupcake. woody harrleson is at least two cupcakes on his own, and the cohesive thematic elements and javier bardem being just scary as fuck are just three cupcakes the whole way through. The last scene too, with TLJ bringing it all together (thematically speaking), just left me floored.

Courtenay and I just watched black snake moan and it was three cupcakes. Being a good movie: one cupcake, the music: two cupcakes, every single shot of cristina ricci looking just so ultra hot is more than anyone can handle. It is joy. sam jackson yelling the line, "tell me you love me motherfucka!" followed by smashing a beer bottle next to his brothers head then marking him with his blood and righteous anger is also a cupcake all to itself. and justin timberlake was in it. it's great.

give them joy, then give them more joy than they can understand. it's about being transcendent, or like I was saying to Brad, it's better to blow one mind than amuse a million.

only 2 cupcakes, but also pretty great

low art

2007-11-27T03:46:00.000-08:00

despite the fact that they aren't on television anymore ever, and most people don't have the patience to sit through any kind of slow build on the internet, music videos are still resolutely awesome every now and then, and the best ones are often made by amateurs and first timers. This one is my favourite song off the new Radiohead album, mashed up to clips from the film Microcosmos.

This is right up there with my all time favourite amatuer video, for the song "the Funeral" by Band of Horses

The new Radiohead album is awesome. Not that I didn't like parts of their recent experimental work, but it seemed to me like they were writing deliberately inefficient songs. When listening to Kid A or Amnesiac, I didn't feel anything as hard or as deep as when I listened to their previous albums. They seemed to need entire songs to evoke the same disquieted self-reflective emotional state as "Lucky" induced in it's first line, and frankly it seemed like that was the only emotion they were interested in exploring across their last three albums . There are parts of Kid A, and songs on Amnesiac and Hail that I do really love, but I find I rarely listen to them because they just don't "work" on me fast enough. Or rather, that the energy it takes to listen to them greatly outstrips the extent to which I feel enriched or changed because of them. The new album, I am happy to say, is somewhat of a return to efficiency. They are still far from conventional, but they are no longer afraid to write songs that make you feel something directly and instantly.

Also, I think it's worth that noting that what they seem to make you want to do is have sex. There are at least 3 songs on this album that are, I think, designed to be slow jamz. The first time I head Reckoner I couldn't help but picture grainy footage of pasty indie kids with just a touch too much red wine in them awkwardly making out then stumbling towards the bed, tearing off each others scarf's and black rim glasses as they do. Seriously, the second half of in Rainbows is totally for fucking to, and maybe for being depressed as you do. That being said, I love doing it to My Bloody Valentine, and no one else seems to, so clearly I don't understand sexy.

Here's a difficult listen but a remarkably efficient song: New Buildings by Parts and Labour

an even harder listen by Xiu Xiu thanks to the initially abominable but then strangely hypnotic vocals. Both of these songs are highly efficient to me, they say what they want to say and make you feel the way they want you to feel within a few seconds.

and then play Parts and Labour again because it's just such an awesome song.

and then play this because it is the easiest most efficient song to listen to ever. It makes me so pumped for life, even if life that day is just making a sandwich and watching a movie, doesn't matter, with this song I am so happy to be doing it.

It doesn't matter how you find it

2007-11-26T02:22:00.000-08:00

so long as you appreciate it once you do.

New bands are constant, music journalism is a joke, all that matters is that you like what you like. Trying to find new music lately it seems that so many sites and blogs are so concerned with being of the moment, of being the newest and the freshest and being over everything before it begins anywhere else that no one seems to actually care about the music they write about.

Sometimes I find bands after they have broken up, or a year or four after they were hip. They are no less worthwhile, just no longer of the moment. It begs the question, are the Rolling Stones or Elliott Smith or Radiohead any less exciting or worthwhile as discovered by a 16 year old today as they were when they were the new, when you found them and they meant the world to you. Certainly the music is still great, but does it mean as much without context?

Here, no context, no reason to play this other than I just found them and this is what's interesting to me right now.

I'm not always there when you call, but I'm always on time

2007-11-23T01:45:00.000-08:00

oh wait I'm not that either. here's pictures from halloween. I was a last minute cowboy

This girl gave us whiskey and dr. pepper outside and instantly vanished into myth and myst and self made legend.

Jennie and Alexis were dead cheerleaders, which is so confusing for your penis. halloween is such a mixed blessing.

I don't totally know why, but Kerry practically had the furniture trying to fuck him that night. Knives and knives and knives but my kingdom for a spoon kinda night.

Some how there where 4 count em 4 paper bag princesses that night. Each claimed it just came to them, and the odds of that , of all of them deciding to do that independently are cosmic. The universe is subverted. For a moment I was an mighty oak tree, and you were dew upon the lillies in the field, and then I was a fractal and you were orange juice, and then things were normal again.

Kat was the best and had fun anyway.

Look it's Jackie! She was in one of my one afternoon rock collectives, and then i didn't see her for a year.

not sure how some people didn't pass out, she had a sheep costume.

also not sure why no one else was freaked out that these guy sat there taping for pretty much the whole night and never danced or smiled at all.

Nicole was a very sexy ringmaster.

this guy was astro boy. his costume was booty shorts and gel, and being really healthy. everyone was either aroused or jealous or both.

daft punk guys were pretty much the heroes of the night.

boat hat was also pretty popular

Such crushability. This girl actually talked to me, asking me for this site's address. time to get a domain and some business cards.

and i guess to make this site look cool or so something or stuff. I should probably do that first.

second chances start today.

2007-11-22T03:15:00.000-08:00

I almost died today. I didn't. I'll start taking things seriously now.

sick sick sick

2007-11-21T11:37:00.000-08:00

I was sick starting on saturday, missed some work, was nonsensical to kat, felt like hell. monday I was feeling kinda better and I watched that march of the penguin movie, then i noted that my tonsils were still really really inflamed, and then i went to get a drink of water and i started spitting up blood. I did this for about 15 minutes, then went to the hospital. I got an iv and antibiotics and fluids and stuff and am fine now, but it was a really weird feeling to be feeling mostly ok, then spitting up a fairly alarming amount of blood. I was looking at it as it was happening and was not panicked, just curious as to how I did not feel in any way I should be bleeding like that, that I felt mostly not bad by that point and this wasn't coming from me at all. It was also really weird to be telling the admitting nurse why you are there. It's weird to me that you can say,
"my throat won't stop bleeding"
"anything else? other symptoms?"
"also a fever."
"and"
"that, it. It's mostly just the bleeding really."
and then in the waiting room it started again and I had no sink and it was really gross. The whole weekend was awful and the worst I've felt in years and I don't recommend being sick to anyone ever.

ripping it up like it's 1994, and we are at youth group.

2007-11-13T15:27:00.000-08:00

Being unaware of the surprise birthday plan, I made my own birthday party. Throwing a truly surprising surprise party is hard, people always arouse suspicion with their heightened level of excitement, and the act of transporting the surprisee to the party location invariably is littered with clues, or simply contrived enough to tip your hand. In fact, there's really only one way to do it without telegraphing your plans, and it's still not a perfect solution.
Really, if you really really want to surprise someone, you have to go to their house to watch tv or a movie late ish on the afternoon of the party, and while you are there you have to spike their drink with Dimethyltryptamine or a ton of cough syrup, let them trip wildly then drift off to sleep. Then you dress their unconscious body in their party finest (be sure to put lot's of makeupon them, for boys or for girls) and lay them in comfortably lined casket, like the kind people die in. The dimethyltryptamine and the casket may be hard to source but are available if you look hard enough , and that's totally part of the fun. So anyway, load the casket into your stations wagon (you will also need a station wagon or a van for this) and then wheel it and them into the living room at who evers house the party is at and gather everyone around it. Set a small homebrew time released aerator in the coffin to breathe wake up juice onto your friend, then start playing some music and wait for them to stir and throw back the lid of the coffin. Everyone will be shout surprise and you should probably have a banner made as well, or some balloons or something. When they wake up and shake off the sleepy clouds they will be so happy they aren't dead that they will be sort of dazed anyway, that when they realize that everyone has gathered to celebrate their birthday they will not be able to regulate their emotions and will let themselves be overwhelmed with happiness. Ideally this is all done at least 4 months and one year after the actual birthday you are celebrating, so they really don't see it coming.
Plus after cake everyone can ride the coffin down the stairs like a bobsled team. Cool Runnings!

The next best option is just to gather everyone somewhere, park them all down the steet and hide their shoes away from the vestibule, and then have me drive them there, because I am cool as as cucumber, and frankly, I'm very likely to forget as we drive that their is a surprise party waiting at the other end. Or just don't tell me at all. yeah, that's probably easier than the dimethyltryptamine, just don't tell the driver about the party. That's how the CIA would do it.

ok, so my party here was supposed to be board games and pizza and a low key night, and it was. I was amazed at how many people came, we watched friends forever and ate candy and then we played a few games.

Greg and Rayme and Josh had all seen Melt Banana the
night before and all bought Melt Banana shirts, seen here.

Rayme was quite taken with Friends Forever. The way
people react to Friends Forever tells you a lot about that
person. Not necessarily good or bad or useful information,
but a lot of information nonetheless. I can't believe spell
check lets nonetheless pass as a word.

Gord came! He brought Settlers of Catan! He's an a guy
we need to hang out with more before he goes to Uvic.

I challenged Josh to the African stone game, but I kind of
forgot how it worked so he kicked my ass.

You can't see it, but he has a Melt Banana t shirt on
underneath. I didn't go to Melt Banana because it's just
too far out there for me.

Oh yeah, I'm fat and have a beard now. Happy birthday
me, farewell to boyish charm.

Kat took this picture of Kerry, it's kind of adorable. I was
worried that's too gay to say, but Rodrigo gave me a oil
massage and some chamomille and I felt better, then we
talked about how much we love vaginas.

Rita also loves vagina, but just hers.

I'm sure Nicole loves hers too, but I don't think we'd
ever hear her say anything so unmannered. Cool as a
cucumber,that girl.

Thanks to everyone who came, we'll play Catan more now that we understand the mechanics.

what a wonderful world

2007-10-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

My incredible friends threw a surprise birthday dinner for me on friday and looked wicked hot in the process. Rita made a cake that was deliscious but the pictures of it and her turned out really blurry. Tyler was also there with his new girl, named Heather. She goes to a school I am interested in going to, having a career and a future and all. I was super happy and full of food.

being older so far didn't mean much to me until I realized that this is the last year I will be a part of the much sought after 18-25 year old male demographic, and most advertising and movies will no longer be targeted directly at me.

Dear Martin and Gary.

2007-10-18T05:16:00.000-07:00

Since you are both off the book I have to talk to you this way. Hi. How are you guys? what are your current email addresses?

if you guys are secretly in bc this sunday, this is where you should be.

old photos

2007-10-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

For Aidan, For God, For Country

2007-10-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

she was surprisingly willing to wear sunglasses and a cape. Our little cat Chester (r.i.p.)(who was a runt) was small enough to wear a wool dolls sweater my sister had, with a happy smile on the back. We put it on her as a joke one day but she totally loved it, as soon as you put it on she walked around all proud as a princess, took naps in it, climbed trees. it was adorable.

2007-10-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

last week I was sick and this week I'm in the middle of working 8 days in a row, so I haven't been calling people much lately.

pictures of bowling

2007-09-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

I'm still getting a hang of this blogger photo trick. It's cool, which is better than the old way of manually linking to my picasa albums, but you can only do 4 pictures at once, which is still a major pain. Flickr is shitty too, as far as the upload tool is concerned. I would happily pay more to to able to easily upload and link to images, but nothing seems to be that effective so far.

holy shit

2007-09-23T02:50:00.000-07:00

Gorilla vs. Bear has a video and 2 songs by a band called the monks, which was amazingly ahead of it's time and also comprised of all guys in the army. I think this was a CIA plot to freak out East Germany, introducing art rock to them and hoping it lead to an intesified social malaise and the fall of communism. seriously, this is from 1966. In germany. holy shit.

either a lace ascot or a house $!#*@$!

2007-09-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

ok, I usually try and dress on the plain side, but after tonight I think I need to start rocking some sort of accessories. Perhaps a scarf, or more belts than I need to wear, or some ink or something. either way it's just time to look less more adorned.

I remember a few years ago auditioning for a production of west side story and everyone thought I came dressed for the part, but no,I wasn't. Maybe just some patterns, maybe that's all I need.

ooh! pointy toed man shoes! I'll need to lose weight and get more art faggy, but I think I could pull it off.

the end is the end is the beggining

2007-09-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

click play to use either of these as a soundtrack for this last post on san francisco.

To finish what was begun before:

So tuesday night after we stopped taking pictures we drove back into town and were looking for a night on the town on the wrong side of the tracks. We went back to the phonebooth and had drinks. I had one to many which meant I had 3. We wandered around looking for clubs but found we were in the most definitely wrong part of town that night, and what had been vibrant on sunday now felt sleepy. We wandered and had pizza and I couldn't stop talking. We didn't find any clubs or bars really, and I developed a very good impression of Marky Mark Whalberg that consists entirely of me lifting my shirt and showing my unpretty stomach to girls and singing everybody dance now by c+c music factory. at the time I thought it was hilarious, but then when we couldn't find the car and walked nearly 15 blocks in the wrong direction we all got pretty angry. That was the closest we came to strangling each other, and the whole thing felt like kind of a wash. It made me wish I had a laptop. Again, you could count on talking to people to find out where the cool stuff is, but in my eyes it's easier to just research things online, like for example, what street to be on to find a good club. oh well.

Wednesday morning we awoke with more purpose. This was our last day and we had some things that still needed doing. Thing one was to go to the beach and chill in the morning, just lay in the sun and contemplate the california of it all. to be zen. that was all I really wanted from the day, but we also wanted to go to the sfmoma (san francisco museum of modern art), do a bit of shopping, and to a gallery the fecal face guys were presenting a show at. The gallery was apperantly home to one of the cities better hipster fucksplosions on wednesday night, so the initial plan had been to go and make that our blowout, but as that would make getting an early start to get home on thursday harder that plan was abandoned. We started the day in the city instead, with a giant mexican food breakfast, then we walked to the sfmoma to culture up.

The sfmoma is closed every wednesday it seems, another casualty of our lack of information. Getting a laptop is now a primary concern of mine. Macbook. base model. for sure. This was the lobby, and so we went to the giftstore for a long time, as our day was now wide open.

we decided to just wander around the downtown, and to mostly split up, since we all wanted some time alone.

Tyler and Greg got free etch a sketches as we discussed out plan.

holy god we all wanted to fuck her. It's rude to take pictures of people on the street without asking, but she was just riding by on her bike and I couldn't help it.

These guys rode past laughing like beautiful people laugh in print ads where they are being overwhelmed by fun. I need, I need, I NEED to get a girlfriend. This kind of thing kind of sweetness is what I live for.

I took very few "tourist" photos on this trip, and the ones I did take were half-assed.which I regret in retrospect.

So I bought a coat at h+m. and a sweater vest and a cardigan.

And then we went to the beach and tyler wore my new coat and looked quite like a sailor.

And as we got closer I felt better about everything. The beach is like chemo therapy for the cancer of the mind and I plan to go more often now.

soundtrack change

So totally happy right now.

my heart soars. you can't see it but it's soaring.

it was like all my favourite songs that have that just after the adventure and victory and coming home kinda feel. I think that typer of feeling in a song is best exemplified by the song one headlight by the wallflowers or white surf style 5 by supercar.

I rolled up my pants to splash around in the pacific. This afternoon was my moment, my triumph. I don't want to spoil it with too many words, so all I'll say is that as I stepped into the water everything became everything and life was perfect.

joy. unrestrained joy.

I forgot to bring beach clothes from the camp site. So I was running around in a cashmere sweater and nice jeans. I fell in the ocean.

and then it got even more fun.

And in the morning the sun rose and we left new men. a turning point of sorts. Greg goes back to school to be a teacher, Tyler goes back for one more year to digital animation, and I go back to whatever I want, my options are the same as before but I've never felt free like this. I am free from myself now, when I'm happy now I'm sincere, and the possibilities seem endless now. 13 months in six minutes. I love life.

Love, Grant.

i heart her so bad.

2007-09-16T03:57:00.000-07:00

If like me, you already had an otherworldly crush on St. Vincent, this really won't help.

this way by these guys is good too.

I left my lungs in San Francisco

2007-09-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

We got a really late start on Tuesday. After waking up in the nice cabin after a good talk and some good sleep we had move to a tent site. The tent site we got was right next to a cow pasture, and occasionally smelled like it. We set up the tent-mahal.

Tyler thought he'd be less likely to pass out while blowing this up if he just started lying down.

Greg didn't bring an air mattress, so he had to sleep on an inflatable pool floatie.

it was a really nice morning.

this is on the campsite. this is the most "camping" I could ever imagine doing.

then drove into the city around lunch time. I drove in, but since Greg was here now, I didn't have to drive back. We set out for amoeba records, which is supposed to be the biggest and best independent record store in pretty much the world, in the heart of Haight Astbury.

Tyler had his cigarettes, Greg had his inscrutable calm and the car keys, and I had this thing

full of jack and coke. We wandered up Haight st. ,passing more living cliches than I ever thought I'd see in one place. Lot's of street kids. Street kids in street trendy areas always seems moronic to me, but I'm sure most of them escaped from small towns inland and this is living the dream by their standards. We went to a store called Kid Robot, which I think boing boing talks about all the time. They sell awesome toys and japanese shit, and if you always had like, 40 dollars extra to blow on slightly awesome but awesomely pointless stuff, it's a great place to go. Then we went to Amoeba.

Amoeba is maybe technically the largest record store I have been in, but if so then Everyday Music in Seattle is definitely a close close second. Amoeba is a big warehouse, all sort of whitewashed and unfinished, with aisle after aisle of stuff. It's loud, it's busy, and while they have a lot and it's well organized, they don't have everything. I was really jazzed to see they had a Japanese indie-rock section, but they had no supercar stuff, and I don't know enough about Japanese indie-rock to justify risking $12.99 on a totally unknown band. The prices weren't that good either. Things were generally more expensive than at Everyday, especially used stuff. On top of that, the staff sucked. The clerks seemed just as douchy as they are at Zulu records, but here they were also a little menacing. All in all, even with all it's issues, I walked out with $200 worth of stuff, cause there were three new cds I wanted to get anyway, and a ton of comedy dvd's I couldn't find back here or at everyday. So score one for Amoeba, great comedy dvd section. Score all other points to Everyday Music.

Tyler and I finished first, so we waited outside for Greg, I sort of unwittingly pounded what was left of my pan galactic gargle blaster, and we met these street kids.

They gave Tyler an idea for a video game. He's going to make millions. Thanks underclass!

After that we had awesome mexican food (official food of the trip) and I was super drunk, so I just wandered after the guys and took random pictures.

The designer toy market is booming. I get it, I want a bunch of these, I just can't justify 40-80 bucks a pop for crap that has almost no cultural significance to me. Like, if they make a walking dead action figure, or maybe a cartoony version of jack black in the school angus young costume, or his heat vision and jack outfit, I'd get that. This panda guy looks awesome. but all he is to me is awesome looking.

that being said, this guy means nothing either, but looks so cool I'd happily pay hundreds. ok, hundred. ish.

how is it that so many used book store owners get away with being such dickbags? Like, ok. Your store is poorly organized, massively overpriced, you have no guarantee that you will have the book I am looking for, and you treat everyone who comes in like either a theif or an idiot. I'd like to say this was the first time I've come across a store like this, but it's really not, there seem to be a few in every major city you visit. I supposed they can make enough selling the occasional rare books at crazy markup, but for average stuff of well known books every part of the shopping experience is more pleasant at the big chain book stores. Everyone always complains about chapters and barnes and nobles, but I don't get it. Sure, monopolies are bad, sure, the staff don't know everything about everything, but they are friendly, bright, spacious places to shop, and they make book buying and reading more palatable and just more fun to the general public. In my mind that is worth forcing assholes like this out of business.

This was by far the gayest thing we saw the whole trip.

the houses all looked cool.

Then we drove through the rich part of town to china beach and it was religious.

the peace I had lacked for so long seemed to flood back in as we walked down the long stairway to the beach.

halfway between buddy holly and bob dylan, and super useful for shooting on sunny days, I thought these glasses were awesome. however, I apparently looked like an idiot.

san francisco

2007-09-08T13:14:00.000-07:00

We arrived in San Francisco Sunday afternoon. We had meant to be there Saturday evening, but we took out time getting there.

We drove over the bridge, because you have to. I felt victorious. We had arrived in one piece.

At the same time, It's just a bridge. other than the sentimental value, the only thing special about it is the colour.

So we had left 2 days earlier on a whim, which is excellent. However, it meant that when we arrived that afternoon we were going in completely blind. We had no maps, no knowledge of the city, no contacts, and no place to stay. I had assumed we would just sleep in the car, as that would be the cheapest way to survive, however by that time the car was starting to smell, and the reality of living in it with another person for 4 days was probably far more problematic than we imagined. So we assumed that hostels would be a far better, only slightly more expensive way to live.

We started driving aimlessly, looking for parking, or just whatever. I wanted to find an internet cafe to look up places to stay, tyler wanted to find amoeba records and ask the clerks what to do. This because he has a romanticized idea of how useful record store clerks and is inherently social, and I have a extremely low expectations of humanity and charity in general, and I am inherently anti social and don't like meeting new people. I like knowing new people, but i find meeting them weird. So we end up just driving around with no map looking for stuff, and this proves to be EXTREMELY stressful. SF hates cars. a LOT. Their streets are cramped and about half are one way, you can't turn left anywhere, there are several 5 and 3 way intersections, bus only lanes develop with no warning, there are cars everywhere, people everywhere, and literally no parking anywhere. This would all be hard enough in a regular car in a city I knew, but being lost, and driving an suv with very poor rear visibility it all amounted to an overwhelming stress level. This was the first part of the trip that was genuinely unpleasant. The flat tire the day before had almost meant losing a day and a half to waiting, but that was all part of the adventure and the new tire and the oc song made that all happier still. This was different, this was me getting freaked out and being difficult, and it sucked.
We managed to find parking and an internet cafe staffed by super sexy Korean girls. We ask them where to stay and several locals pipe in with suggestions, everyone is super friendly. Tyler sends a message to the guys at fecalface.com asking if anyone wants to house us. fecal face is an awesome site and has provided tyler with most of his knowledge of the city.
So we head towards the hostels, yell at each other over driving, and let him out on a very cracky block to check us in while i make a spiral search pattern looking for parking and discovering that to drive in this city you have to be Aggressive with a capital A. I am freaked the fuck out by now, and my mental state is made far worse by the news that there are no hostels available, period. Tyler called them all, no vacancy. So we drive more and discuss options, and to calm down we go to an awesome little diner and get great burgers and are given free crab cakes, continuing the get something free everywhere theme of the trip. We stay there for like two hours and I calm down, and we discuss the possibility of going to LA, and also get confirmation that Greg is going to fly down to meet us, and will arrive tomorrow. Tyler really wants to go to disneyland and get drunk, I really want to go to mbar and go surfing. surfing was a major goal this trip. A two year old kid who with gold chains and khakis, who looks like he should own a two year old dry cleaner has been running around the restaurant and starts throwing up everywhere. We drink coffee and feel better and decide to stay in sf, since just getting to L.A and back will eat almost all of our remaining days, and plus L.A is widely considered to be a terrible place. We are looking for sunday night hipster action so we went to Valencia st, and wander around. We pass an indie rock show that sounds good, but move along with the intent to come back. We find a crowd of people and ingratiate ourselves. They tell us that a good place to go if you want to meet the people instead of seeing the tourist facade, we should go to a hole in the wall called the phone booth. We go and it has the best bartender ever, so friendly. He makes my double screwdriver by filling it with 85% vodka and just dripping orange juice into the top. It's great. We meet some people and have awesome talks about movies and c+c machines, and bakeries and the growing meth epidemic and how much we hate anime. It's really fun and relaxed. Then we go back to the indie rock club but the show is over. We start talking to the people outside and they invite us to go have burgers with them and one of the bands.
"They" are three girls. Natalie, Anna, and ultraattractiveyogainstructor whose name I forget. Natalie and U.A.Y.I.W.N.I.F live an hour inland in the desert, with husbands and kids. Both are incredibly attractive. Natalie is super funny and has 4 kids and is 24, ages 6-2 weeks. She is taking everyone out to dinner and is awesome. UAYIWNIF is a little older, also super hot, The band is called Skybox, and the other girl works at the local radio station, is a little hyperactive and has rolly shoes. We eat awesome burgers with avaocado and the band is then a little less starving and full of nice guys (at least, on my side of the table). We talk about stuff and life and music and I have a good time. ADVENTURE! We decide not to go crash at Anna's house with the band cause we're both afraid of aids, but we don't say that. Natalie and UAYIWNIF (who might be named Beth, but either way has become far more attractive the more she talks. Girls like them give me hope in life, they hit all the right notes and make having a wife seem like the best idea ever) drop us off at our car, and we wish that we had a hotel room to invite them too, but they had to take their kids to preschool the next day. but holy shit, MILFS.

We decided to sleep at the airport that night ina glamorous overnight parking lot, to more easily pick up greg the next day.

After a good sleep with an unpleasant wake up, covered in sweat and lying in the sun, I found these sunglasses that I thought looked awesome. I wish I'd been drunk always so I could have an excuse to keep wearing them. Waiting at the airport didn't work out, so we drive back into the city to wait.

You must admit, it piques the curiosity.

We picked up Greg with no real issues, then drove around for a bit and eventually found the Treasure Island naval base. This is the view from the gates.

It was a good thing that Greg came down when he did. By that point, three days in with the stress of driving and parking in the city, Tyler and I were getting close to strangling each other. With a new person to balance things, tensions faded.

We went north to Petaluma to find a campsite. We had a burger king eating contest and then we stayed in a cabin at the KOA. it was some much needed downtime.

I'm coming over to plow you right now.

2007-08-19T04:37:00.000-07:00

impressionist thought flow on saturday nights proceedings.

I am alone now and drunk or sleep deprived and it is 4:38 am, the time of day when no one is anything but honest with themselves. I am WIRED AS FUCK with a bizarre cocktail of hormonal rage, intellectual frustration and betrayal at the hands of social norms, which speak one way on paper but cut another in real life. and I'm drunk. I did three things today:

I went to Megahn's birthday party after getting 5 minutes advanced warning that it was a game themed party, you are supposed to go as your favourite game themed thing. I whipped up some highly attractive Manny Calavera masks for Tyler and myself and we arrived to find many attractive girls and ordinary looking people who had all worked harder on their costumes than we had. We talked to a few people, and it was a good party, but we quickly realized that there wasn't much chance of us being a match with any girl there. This is to say, except Megan herself, who looked great and I find really attractive, and we were totally hugfucking. I don't think I need to explain hugfucking, but if you don't instantly understand hugfucking, it's when you hug somebody you are not currently fucking like you want to fuck them, and fuck them sincerely. It's an simultaneously an invitation and command. So anyways maybe I was imagining it, but Megan and I hugfucked the shit out of each other, then we left. I don't think she reads this.

We went to a secret rock show in the middle of the UBC endowment lands. These guys had advertised online, and set up a glowstick path a few hundred meters in with a generator and a bunch of christmas lights. It was pretty much exactly the same as me and greg wanted to do for our cross canada tour, except it took them like 2 hours to set up. For real, 2 hours. It would have been cool but I had other stuff to do that night and had to drive, so i couldn't drink and make friends. I know you don't nnnneeeeeeeeedddddd to drink to make friends, but c'mon, with total strangers you have no reason to approach, it really helps. During this time I met a nice girl that was friends with Tyler, met two girls who reminded me how much I hate meeting people and the whole event was on one hand cool, but ultimately a depressing and
frusterating, because I was getting bored, and I was thinking the whole time about the mechanics of attraction and flirtation. I thought about a lot of things and got mad about a lot of things but I am too tired to write anymore so I will go to bed. now is not the time for this to be written.

it's five days later. After that we went to Kats where she was having a toga party. We arrived just after two am and everyone involved but us was either angry, crying, getting in touch with today's youth by means of sleeping with them, and life once again felt like like it never hits the chorus.

pictures up tomorrow

On being shot in the throat.

2007-08-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Interesting things from the week:

George Orwell on being shot in the throat by a sniper. Completely fascinating.

This song by Liars is awesome. Liars have been a band that has always been on the original and worthwhile side of the art rock divide, but have previously been so deliberately obtuse and simply difficult to listen to that I've never really been able to get into them as band I actually listen to in real life. Hearing this makes me think that after training for years in the realms of pure abstraction, they are ready to produce original and dynamic rock music, which is way harder than art rock. It is apparently one of the hardest things to do on the planet, or we'd have more than 4 bands at any one moment doing it.

This is Dan Deacon at the Pitchfork festival. He's not making rock music but he is still amazing. He really nails the addition by subtraction and then addition again idea.

I've also been working on my song all week, and I think I might finally be close to finishing it. It's the same one I've been working on for roughly 8 months now, and this will be about the seventh version of it, but I'm hoping it turns out ok. Everyone has always said to me that I should just write some dumb song to start, just to get one finished, and I see there point, because I've been working on this band thing for almost 3 years now, and I've yet to have anything at all to show for it. Greg is writing his own music now, and I work on mine alone, and that seems to be working well, except I can't seem to move on until I get this one out of my system. anyway, it's a pretty direct rip off of a that dog song, a bedhead song, and a built to spill song that are all pretty direct rip offs of each other. once I get it finished I will post it, and then start writing more faster. then an e.p. , then some shows and an album. Then I can sleep.