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Why I Hate Android

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:07:42 -0600

Remember what the point was. M.G. reminds you.

Why do I hate Android? It’s definitely one of the questions I get asked most often these days. And most of those that don’t ask probably assume it’s because I’m an iPhone guy. People see negative take after negative take about the operating system and label me as “unreasonable” or “biased” or worse.

I should probably explain.

Believe it or not, I actually don’t hate Android. That is to say, I don’t hate the concept of Android — in fact, at one point, I loved it. What I hate is what Android has become. And more specifically, what Google has done with Android.

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rickwebb: God. I am getting so fed up with Google. This is this...

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:22:21 -0600

rickwebb:

God. I am getting so fed up with Google. This is this morning’s comparison. I experience this at least once a day now for a variety of things.

I may not be done with Google yet, but I can see the day I will be on the horizon, and I am looking forward to it.

Ozzy hears a lost Randy Rhodes Solo…

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 07:03:06 -0600

Ozzy hears a lost Randy Rhodes Solo…:

…for the first time. Thanks Jim.

Weird playlist at lunch today…

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:34:29 -0600

Cool It Now - New Edition

Teddybear - Elvis Presley

Always Something There to Remind Me - Glass Tiger

Thunder Island - Jay Ferguson

Wake Me Up (Before You Go-Go) - Wham!

Nights on Broadway - Bee-Gees

Thank the Lord for the Night Time - Neil Diamond

Video

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:20:44 -0500

Wonder if this guy wants to start a new band.

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:01:39 -0500

Wonder if this guy wants to start a new band.

" No, motherfucker Look, just because I don’t be givin’ no man a foot massage..."

Tue, 20 Sep 2011 22:30:36 -0500

“

No, motherfucker

Look, just because I don’t be givin’ no man a foot massage don’t make it right for Marsellus to throw Antwone into a glass motherfuckin’ house, fuckin’ up the way the nigger talks. Motherfucker do that shit to me, he better paralyze my ass, ‘cause I’ll kill the motherfucker, know what I’m sayin’?

I’m serious as a heart attack

Do you see any Teletubbies in here? Do you see a slender plastic tag clipped to my shirt with my name printed on it? Do you see a little Asian child with a blank expression on his face sitting outside on a mechanical helicopter that shakes when you put quarters in it? No? Well, that’s what you see at a toy store. And you must think you’re in a toy store, because you’re here shopping for an infant named Jeb.

Are you ready for the truth?

Normally, both your asses would be dead as fucking fried chicken, but you happen to pull this shit while I’m in a transitional period so I don’t wanna kill you, I wanna help you. But I can’t give you this case, it don’t belong to me. Besides, I’ve already been through too much shit this morning over this case to hand it over to your dumb ass.

No, motherfucker

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother’s keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy My brothers. And you will know My name is the Lord when I lay My vengeance upon thee.

Are you ready for the truth?

My money’s in that office, right? If she start giving me some bullshit about it ain’t there, and we got to go someplace else and get it, I’m gonna shoot you in the head then and there. Then I’m gonna shoot that bitch in the kneecaps, find out where my goddamn money is. She gonna tell me too. Hey, look at me when I’m talking to you, motherfucker. You listen: we go in there, and that nigga Winston or anybody else is in there, you the first motherfucker to get shot. You understand?

Hold on to your butts

Now that we know who you are, I know who I am. I’m not a mistake! It all makes sense! In a comic, you know how you can tell who the arch-villain’s going to be? He’s the exact opposite of the hero. And most times they’re friends, like you and me! I should’ve known way back when… You know why, David? Because of the kids. They called me Mr Glass.

”

- Samuel L. Ipsum

Duran Duran: Last Chance on the Stairway

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:12:00 -0500

Last Chance on the Stairway from Rio
1982, Produced by Colin Thurston

Rio was best known for its title cut, Save a Prayer and Hungry Like the Wolf. Six of the album’s nine songs were released as singles. This album was as much of a hit because of its videos as its songs. MTV played the shit out of the singles, especially Rio.

Last Chance on the Stairway Makes the record for me though. The play of the drums and bass is killer, still showing that disco influence. They always reminded me of Blondie. The big hook for me though is the Marimba solo. Marimbas are such a mournful instrument, they give me the same emotional feeling as a flugelhorn, a bit sad, yet hopeful. Last Chance may be my favorite Duran song, it’s a toss-up with one other on this list.

New Religion is also recommended, great lyrics when you really think about them. Plus I used to play this one in a former band.

Links:
Last Chance on the Stairway on iTunes
New Religion on iTunes

Duran Duran: Friends of Mine

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:02:00 -0500

Friends of Mine from Duran Duran
1981, Produced by Colin Thurston

Ah, the eponymous debut release. It was a work of art. Duran is known as a New Romantic band, but this is the only real New Romantic record they released. The New Romantic scene was really in London and Duran was in Birmingham, which is funny that they are widely considered the most successful of the New Romantics. They always struck me as a bit different from their London counterparts, but still all fluffy piratey shirts and artsy just the same. (Plus I think Nick Rhodes really had a man crush on David Sylvian).

The debut album and it’s many accompanied b-sides really showed the disco and punk influences that were predominant at the time. Girls on Film and Planet Earth were big on this record, but Friends of Mine is one of my personal favorites. They just played it last spring when I saw them in Chicago. Friends of Mine really shows more of John’s punk and Andy’s rock influence.

Friends of Mine just has that little guitar hook that stays in my head. The drums are so simple, but they have that syncopated high-hat that sounds so good. A sign of a good producer.

I also really recommend Late Bar, though it wasn’t really on the record, it was a b-side to Planet Earth, but it’s good. If you think maybe Duran Duran was influenced by Roxy Music, this should confirm your suspicions.

Links:
Friends of Mine on iTunes
Late Bar on iTunes

got duran?

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:42:00 -0500

You know the hits, Hungry Like the Wolf, Rio, The Reflex, Girls on Film, Planet Earth, Ordinary World…at least you should recognize these, if not by name definitely when you hear one.

I’m a huge Duran Duran fan, one of the biggest I know, though luckily not alone. I’ve traveled all over the country (hopefully the world soon) to see them live, I have hundreds of songs including live tracks, b-sides and demos. My collection consists of almost 600 tracks in my iTunes library. And I only have a fraction of what’s out there. And yes I have a poster from the height of the 80’s. Duran had many hits and great singles, but the album tracks, ah the album tracks.

Why do I like them so much? How about a couple of questions for you? What is that one song that you hear that just takes you back to a certain time and place? Why that song? What is it that we so connect with a unique string of tones, thumps and clicks? A pop hit has one or more qualities; a rhythm that makes you subconsciously move to the beat, a catchy hook that repeats over and over in your head, meaningful poetry put to a rhythm and melody. I’m not sure why it is, but many of their songs just hit me.

Their career has been a bit of a roller coaster in and out of the spotlight. Sometimes they hit at just the right time, no bigger than the first half of the eighties, the hitting again in the mid-ninties. A comeback? They’re always “coming back” in the press. The truth is that they have never quit making music since the late seventies. They have crossed 30 years. Duran has 12 studio albums (13 if you count the one of covers, I don’t). I’d like to introduce you to some other Duran Duran songs, ones other than the hits.

I’ve picked out a favorite from each album along with another track, after all, two is better than one. (You can’t pick just one, can you?) I started writing this as one whole piece, but found I cannot finish now. So Twelve parts it is!! Stay tuned for part one…

I almost wish it was still this difficult, I think this was...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 21:41:55 -0500

I almost wish it was still this difficult, I think this was magic. (via @JakeRudh)

This is just cool.

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:59:49 -0500

This is just cool.

A Little Bowie…

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 07:02:09 -0500

Woke up with Seven stuck in my head this morning. The album hours… was Bowie’s first album after Ziggy to not make the top 40. A shame, it’s a great album.

Seven | David Bowie | hours… | 1999
Produced by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE INANIMATE OBJECT?

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 21:37:23 -0500

My Kat, Orbit.

The Boys Are Back In Town

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 18:37:15 -0500

Yes they are.

Garden Levels Suck.

Sun, 08 May 2011 11:44:00 -0500

Hmmm…so my apartment flooded a couple years back and I had all my CDs out and the bottom shelf got destroyed. The discs are trashed. I basically took all the bad ones and threw them in a box and left it at that. Now that I’m moving again, I want to move as little as possible and now I’m going through some stuff.

Before the bad, I had all the CDs ripped to my computer, so I didn’t really lose that much music, but you wouldn’t believe how many good artists are in T-Z. Here’s the casualties:

John Taylor Solo (all out of print, and not available digitally)
Tears for Fears
Thompson Twins
Tin Porter (Minneapolis band, out of print, a top 10 fave)
Tremorphlo (My singer’s previous band, all out of print)
KT Tunstall
The Twin Peaks Soundtrack
U2
Velvet Revolver
The Velvet Underground
The Vines
Paul Westerberg
The White Stripes
Wham!
The Who
Yes
Rob Zombie/White Zombie

Yep kind of sucks. There were some other groups in there, but these were the majors. Somehow my Tool made it through, which is awesome, because they’re packaging is really cool.

Oh, no, they say he’s got to goGo go GodzillaOh, no, there goes TokyoGo go Godzilla Stuck in...

Sat, 07 May 2011 06:17:00 -0500

Oh, no, they say he’s got to go
Go go Godzilla
Oh, no, there goes Tokyo
Go go Godzilla

Stuck in my head this morning.

Godzilla | Blue Oyster Cult| Spectres | 1977
Produced by Blue Öyster Cult, Murray Krugman, Sandy Pearlman, David Lucas

Duran Duran: Night Two

Mon, 25 Apr 2011 21:13:00 -0500

So I have to write about Duran in Chicago. Not that I feel obligated to, but I did say I would, and I’m really trying to keep up on this blogging thing. After all, it’s good for your soul.

Brad Karl Sam and I road tripped to Chicago. Nobody else has every traveled out of town to see a show, so it was cool for them. Traveling just to see a show is something I used to do all the time, a broken habit I need to get back in to.

There was some great stuff about the second show, I’ll just post a list, then explain. Better sound, bigger stage, less rain, warmer weather, shorter people, and one really fuckin’ cool song.

So to give some more explanation, compared to the Minneapolis show, the stage was literally twice the size and the sound was awesome. My friend Jake Rudh posted a link to my first post (cheers Jake) and people were commenting…sorry Local Current just threw on some Hüsker Dü…

Anyway, Facebook comments. People were saying that the sound at the Epic depended on where you were, and if you were right up front, the sound wasn’t very mixed, it all depended on where you were in the room.

I’m calling shenanigans. When you pay $50+ (we paid $75 each) to see a international group in a club, you expect the sound to be raw but good, or at least mixed. When I see a band at First Ave., there aren’t any excuses over sound. They have good sound.

I saw a complaint about the Fine Line sound, but I have to say that must have been an off night with a bad sound guy. Everytime I’ve gone to a show at the Fine Line (or played there) the sound has been spot on. I saw The Bangles play there (major national act) and the sound was awesome. But I digress…if the Epic wants the big show, they have to learn to play with the big boys. The House of Blues sound was on. Was it perfect, no, after all it was a club. And for the stage, much more fitting of Duran Duran. They weren’t bumping into each other. But I thought it was awesome to see them on such a small stage in Minneapolis.

The crowd was happier in Chicago, it wasn’t raining and it was a good 20 degrees warmer. The House of Blues was extremely efficient at getting people into the show. We were at the end of the “Pass the Line” line, I’d estimate 200+ people. The doors opened at 7:30, and at 7:40 we were 20 feet from the stage. Not bad on entrance.

Now being behind 20+ people from the stage, I could see over everyone. They were all shorter than me. And I’m 5’9”. Chicago has some short Duran fans. (By the end of the show I was only 4 people back)

I did meet people from all over Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. Cool stuff. Every Duran show I go to, I meet people from all over. (The longest was Italy, at the Orange County show in 2003) Viva Facebook, we’re all in touch now.

The set was pretty much the same as the night before, but who can expect them to change much. They basically skipped The Reflex, playedFriends of Mine (one seriously fuckin’ cool song) in the main set. For an encore, they played The Reflex (instead of A View to a Kill) and ended with the extended goodbyes of Girls on Film.

Now I mentioned in an earlier post that the new album is still rather foreign to me, but after hearing these songs live, I really dig the new album. It gave a way better perspective of the songs.

So since this isn’t really a review of the show, just my commentary, here’s some pics. (Hey, it’s my blog)

Simon was yet again, spot on. Fuckin’ great vocals.

John has a new scarf tonight

Best shot I could get of Roger

Just love this shot.

Again, the best I could get of Nick.

Great shot of John

I woke up in my hotel this morning with a bunch of new Duran understandably running through my head....

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:48:00 -0500

I woke up in my hotel this morning with a bunch of new Duran understandably running through my head. After an amazing show last night I’m a little more psyched to listen to their new record.

I did give the new record, I’d say, five complete listens (two with the added tracks from the CD release). Not really enough to pass judgement, but I knew nothing was grabbing me. Then I saw quite a few of the songs live…

They played All You Need is Now, Being Followed, Safe, Leave a Light On, Blame the Machine and Girl Panic ! But what I was really missing, was The Man Who Stole a Leopard. Great song.

I heard these songs live two nights in a row now, and with the band’s enthusiasm behind them, they took on a whole new life. Duran Duran, like most bands, are better live.

So I have All You Need is Now, Being Followed, Safe, Leave a Light On, Blame the Machine and Girl Panic ! running regular rotation in my skull, though I’m still not crazy about Leave a Light On.

All You Need Is Now | Duran Duran | 2010
Produced by Mark Ronson and Duran Duran
*Note: The CD release has more songs than the download.

Duran Duran: Night One

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 23:42:00 -0500

So my friend Sam and I went to see Duran Duran tonight at the Epic in Minneapolis. The show was fucking great! Simon’s vocals were spot on. The sound was a bit off, overall, not well mixed. Roger’s toms were hard to hear, keyboards and guitars were also hard to hear. I’d give the sound production about a C-, but the performance by the boys was A+. My only major complaint was the 40 minute, fan made film of videos for the new record. 40 minutes long, when you were expecting to see Duran. I’d rather have an opening band.

We’re road trippin’ with Brad and Karl to see the show tomorrow night at the House of Blues in Chicago. Here’s some shots from tonight’s show. I was about three girls back. (I say girls, because I thing I was about the closest guy.) I hope to have better shots at tomorrow’s show, I was running out of battery on my phone tonight.

Johnny T.

My attempted shot of Roger

The Crowd

I was only about three back from the front.

I can’t remember what song this is.

Nick was harder to get than Roger.

Simon really does play the ocarina in The Chauffeur.

John throwing down some bass in the chorus of Girl Panic !

One more of John, I was right in front of him.