This week’s Stuff I Think and Shouldn’t Say is brought to you by:
Brooklyn Industries The MOST Kick-ass Clothing EVER!
Sunkist Orange Soda…I drink it by the gallon.
And…
Brendan Campbell’s Batman Begins Review!
Coolest Link of the Week
I had this link forwarded to me earlier this week and it made me smile. Anyone who knows me realizes that Rent literally saved my life in college. I decided that if a show could touch me like that, that I would dedicate my life to making this world a better place whatever way I can.
So, having seen a trailer for the movie with most of the original Broadway cast, save for Rosario Dawson (yawn) and a different woman playing Joanne, I am happy to show it to all of you.
Enjoy the RENT Movie Trailer.
Gave me chills, it did.
I walked into my apartment last night, after several days of working, and had no idea what to write. My family came down earlier this week to see my apartment for the first time, I had a stomach bug, and I failed my menu test at work twice.
Honestly, I didn’t fail, but I didn’t exactly ace the f’n thing. Let’s be fair here, I have never in my life had that much information thrown at me in a week, and the fact that any of it is sticking says a great deal about how knowledgeable the trainers are, and how much food we have eaten in a week.
So, I am in a funk.
“But anyway, yes! Blog column! Very much so. I’m of the school that likes their column to be about the topic at hand and not about superfluous stuff unless it can be tied in somehow or has some other reason to be there. If I do include stuff that has nothing to do with anything, I try to keep it short and sweet. The reason why I feel strongly about this is: look at any magazine or newspaper, or even very respectable websites. The writers there rarely interject their lives into the story. And the ones who have done it and done it well (Hunter S. Thompson) still never came off as “bloggish.“
To top all that bullshit off, I am evidently “blog-tastic,” and “no one knows or gives a shit about my life.” In fact, I am probably guilty of “stealing other people’s ideas or formats.” So, that being said, I guess I should take my Mensa card and tear it up, as “anyone with a moderate understanding of the English language can write for a website.”
“I have seen a LOT of people just diving in and copying the styles of people above, not realizing that nobody really gives a f*ck about them because nobody knows who they are“
I would like to say that having someone I respect call me a “hack” was no big deal, however, I am a pretty shitty liar. In fact, I am a REALLY shitty liar. I sat on my thumbs all week, as I didn’t know if I should address something publicly.
You know what? Fuck it.
I have written screenplays, books, short stories, poems, songs and more, and none of it has done shit. In fact, I came to NYC to change my life. You don’t make money sitting at home in some god-forsaken town without a clue as to what to do. I hated my life, so I changed it.
I won’t question my abilities. Not for a second. It doesn’t matter, as long as people enjoy what I have to say, and I can sleep at night. Yes, I really do think Ashley Simpson is a joke. U2 does suck, and I honestly believe in my heart that Coldplay has sold out.
I like living in a city where the free concerts we have feature world-renowned acts, and not the town brass ensemble. I love mass transportation. I love Gyros, Kebabs, Hot Dog Carts, Falafels, Bad Pizza, and all the Chinese and Thai food you could shake a stick at.
I moved to NYC to start my standup career and to be closer to my writing partner.
I came to NYC to be with Tracy.
I wanted to make something of my life, which I knew I couldn’t do just on some internet site. I love writing for InsidePulse, don’t get me wrong, but some people should have kept their opinions to themselves. This is the internet, and the same rules that apply in real-life apply here. If you aren’t going to say something nice, don’t say it.
“Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke!”
I don’t care if 10 or 10,000 people read this column. I never cared if it was anymore more than just me. That would have been fine for me, but probably not for Matty or Wids. That’s okay. I could say I did something cool, and it wouldn’t have been the coolest thing I have ever done, but one of the most rewarding.
Besides, opinions are like assholes…
…Finish that sentence yourself. I have news to do.
Ssquared’s Album of Da Week!
Adam Richman Patience and Science
Pop-punk/Rock melodies recorded in his parents’ basement? Not necessarily the formula for success, right?
If that is what you think, you would be dead wrong. This is a really solid album, and it needs to be heard. It’s fun, painless music for the summer, so check it out.
SITASS NEWS: Nothing To Cry About Here!
Remember kids: Ssquared doesn’t report because he has to; if he didn’t, his “column” would be a full-on blog!.
Radiohead Readies New Album
June 9, 2005
The notoriously restrained Thom Yorke spilled some of the beans on details of Radiohead’s new album, the follow-up to 2003’s Hail to the Thief, due in 2006. According to NME.com, Yorke says the new album is in the vein of 2000’s Kid A. Songs slated to appear on the new, as-yet-untitled album include “Reckoner,” “Glass Flowers,” “Arpeggi,” and “House of Cards.” Radiohead recently turned down an offer to appear on the bill at this years’ Live 8 festival in London.
(credit: Spin.com)
Fuck yeah.
That’s all I am going to offer.
Fuck yeah.
Liz In Acousticville
Liz Phair will spend the summer touring stripped-down, acoustic versions of material from her last four albums and previewing some new material as well.
The indie-rock mamma took a unexpected turn last year with an album that was more pop than rock and a persona that was more sex kitten than rocker grrrl.
Phair took the raised eyebrows in stride and is expected to release a new album in September.
She’ll road-test some of the new tunes in a club tour that launches July 26, three days after her Lollapalooza appearance, at Boston’s Paradise.
La Liz will go from there to gigs in Philadelphia; New York City; Alexandria, Va.; West Hollywood, Calif.; Seattle; Portland, Ore.; and San Francisco.
The tour includes two-night stands in the Big Apple, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
(credit: Pollstar.com)
Awww, how sweet? Liz Phair is coming to NYC. Just another reason why this city rules. No offense to Boston or anywhere else, but if you have to drive 4-plus hours to get to a decent show, you should move.
Yup. I am making digs all the way through this column, as thinly-veiled as they will be.
If I am a hack that writes blogs, steals other people’s style, I am going to have fun doing it.
Case in point:
Look at me. Since I have received emails from people I have never met, I am important. Hell, I can be downright rude. Tee-hee.
Back to Liz Phair. This MILF still has “it,” even though we are 10 years removed from her best work, I still enjoy looking at her.
Next topic:
Pigs Fly
(AP – London) Organizers of the London “Live 8” concert said Sunday that the British rock band Pink Floyd would perform with its classic lineup at the July 2 event for the first time in more than two decades.
Bass player Roger Waters, guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, and keyboard player Richard Wright have not performed on stage together since 1981.
The group, which achieved major success with their 1973 album Dark Side Of The Moon, will join musical acts including Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCartney and Coldplay at the anti-poverty concert in Hyde Park on July 2.
“Like most people I want to do everything I can to persuade the G-8 leaders to make huge commitments to the relief of poverty and increased aid to the third world,” Gilmour said.
“It’s crazy that America gives such a paltry percentage of its GNP to the starving nations.”
Waters, the group’s founder, split with the rest of the band after a falling-out in the 1980s.
“Any squabbles Roger and the band have had in the past are so petty in this context, and if re-forming for this concert will help focus attention then it’s going to be worthwhile,” Gilmour said.
(credit: Pollstar.com)
One of the greatest rock bands of all-time is getting together for a single concert, and they are going to f*ck this whole thing up.
For decades, Pink Floyd is the one band that you “should have seen in their prime.” If you didn’t, you regretted it. You blamed your parents for not having you sooner. This is an opportunity to raise shitloads of money based on that premise.
Guys, was seeing the Un-Ledded Tour or the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac the same the last two years as it was before?
Fuck no.
So, as cool an idea as this is, if it happens, it erasing Pink Floyd from the list of bands that never have to play live again, as their reputation precedes them. Release a charity single or a poster, anything, but PLEASE don’t play.
Even if it rocks, it will take some of the luster off of one remaining band; like opening all of your Christmas presents a week in advance. Difference here is that I don’t get to take Pink Floyd home with me.
I highly doubt this performance will happen, and if it does and is pathetic, I will have told you so. If it is awesome, I will gladly eat a little crow. I would like to be wrong here, but I am not.
Floyd sold all those copies of Dark Side of the Moon based on the legend of the band, and part of that is the fact that they haven’t ALL been together on stage in years. They hate each other, remember?
So, I guess that is going to die like the mystery of who Deepthroat was.
SNOW PATROL ASK FANS TO BE PATIENT
SNOW PATROL are making headway with their ‘bolder’ new album, but have warned fans that they might have a wait on their hands.
The band are planning to head into the studio with long-term producer Garrett Lee in the coming months to make the follow-up to 2003’s ‘Final Straw’, but singer Gary Lightbody told NME.COM that they were conscious that the record was taking a while.
He said: “It’s very early stages, which you know, for anybody that might like Snow Patrol, it’s been a while since ‘Final Straw‘, that was 2003 if you bought it the first time it was released. We realise that time was ticking on, but we have been on tour solidly for two years, so it’s not all our fault, but we could maybe have got it a bit further on, but we can’t force it either.”
The band have been using their American tour to break in new bass player Paul Wilson and debut new songs. “There’s one song, ‘Chasing Cars’, which everybody seems to be saying positive things about,” said Lightbody of the reaction. “It’s slightly more upbeat or something. I don’t know exactly what the difference is, but maybe we’re not being afraid to make a bolder statement, before we were maybe a little bit shy. This time we’re making a bloody racket!”
(credit: NME.com)
Final Straw was one of my top ten albums of 2004, so I will be eagerly anticipating this release.
I just can’t believe that it has been two years?
Jesus, I am starting to feel very, very old.
In “The Most Ridiculous Thing I Have Heard This Week” News
This could all be old, but I am not too sure that I care. It’s still funny.
Tourette’s Guy
So, it’s going to be disputed as to whether or not this guy actually has Tourette’s, but watching a grown man swear like that makes me laugh.
My favorite:
“Shit. You couldn’t do shit without your balls!“
Guess you’ll just have to check it out to see what I am talking about, eh?
Who Do You Love?
I’m a day late and a dollar short with this week’s column, but these people got their shit out on time:
Aaron Cameron is Mr. Bootleg, and has been the Music Writer of the Year for several years running for good reason. He’s a good writer, has fans up the ass, and has always been good to me.
Gloomchen basically called me a hack, in case you were wondering who I was referring to earlier. I was disappointed, but not surprised. Look, I will plug her stuff, but what she said and how she plugged me were f*cked up.
The newest Under the Influence, by Michael Chadwick, is another thought provoking piece. Any columnist who brings up Mazzy Star is going to get plugged. Guaran-damn-tee it!
Lastly, Tom D’Errico never lets metal slip through the cracks. Another fantastic Auditory Assault reminds me just how little Heavy Metal I listen to. Well, if it will make Tom happy, I love Meshuggah!
Alright, I am off to see Batman Begins!
Until next Thursday, keep it real!
Ssquared
