So the last few days have been crazy. I have a midterm and a paper due this Monday. I pulled an all-nighter on Friday just to make sure the paper was done in time. I'll be studying for the midterm tomorrow. And, amidst all that, I need to write thank you notes to people I've talked to at the Internship Fair 9truth be told, I'm late in sending them, but better late than never).
I'll talk about some of the companies I talked to at the internship fair...later. I'm too tired right now.
In the meantime, I don't want to just leave you hanging, so I'll give you a random interest piece. About my musical tastes. But this isn't going to just be me saying what I like. No, this is going to come through raw, hard numbers. You see, iTunes keeps count of how many times you listen to a song on either iTunes or your iPod). You can actually see your play count if you check it under "Options." Usually, I have it turned off, but occassionally I give it a look.
The vast, vast majority of my songs have a play count of 10 or less. Only 67 of my 7000+ songs have a play count of over 100. And only 17 have been played over 200 times (which, if you think about it, is actually quite a lot).
But what about the very top? What are the songs I've listened to more than any others. Well, I'll tell you. Presenting:
Andrew Schnorr's 10 Most-Played Songs
#11 - Prospero's Speech - Play Count: 286 - What's this? I've already lied to you in some way? Yes, my friends, this top ten list will actually going to feature eleven songs, for reasons which will be made clearer to you later on. And coming in at number 11, we have this piece by the beautifully-voiced and wildly haired Loreena McKennitt. In case you're a thespian or English major, you may have noticed that this is actually a speech made by the character Prospero (hence, the title) in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. Considered the most famous speech ever, I found it very interesting to listen to. In fact, I memorized the speech based on this one song. In fact, I had even considered reading the play just due to this one song. Never got around to it, though. Hmmm....*Goes onto Amazon.com*
#10 - Where Will You Go? - Play Count: 293 - Truth be told, this one surprised me a little. Just a little. This is by the rock band Evanescence, which currently has the reputation for just being a pseudo-goth band with a female lead singer. However, their debut album (which is so rare that if you want to get a physical CD on Amazon, it will cost you $40) is, in my opinion, their best album, and it's quite different then their current styles. This is probably my second favorite song on the album (uh-oh...foreshadowing?) and it has something in common with my, uh, first favorite.
#9 - If I Could Reach Your Heart - Play Count: 340 - From the Cirque du Soleil show KA. I've actually talked about this one before. Rather than wrack my brain thinking up something original, let me just copy and past what I wrote before: "If I had a girlfriend, this would probably be my "romantic" song for us. Not to imply that I could sing it, mind you; I doubt I could hit those high notes. Still, if my life was a movie (something which I am constantly comparing it to), this would be part of the "first kiss" scene. (Or, alternately, if we were cats, the scene where we do one of those little cat hugs...yeah, that's the stuff!)"
#8 - Lost Souls - Play Count: 371 - This is actually an intro piece for a video game called Rome: Total War (you may remember me talking about the games Medieval equivalent). It was compsed by a guy named Jeff Van Dyke, who works on the whole series, and does a damn good job of it, too. Unfortunately, the soundtracks are incredibly hard to find, and I don't have them all. :(
#7 - Amour - Play Count: 388 - Ah, Rammstein. Be prepared for a bit of German coming up. Of those 17 songs I said had over 200 plays, Rammstein songs make up a full six of them. This is mainly because they're one of the first "new" bands I got into when I came to college. This is before I really had as large a repository of music as I have now. So, they were played quite a bit. They still are, though not nearly to the same extent. This is probably one of their softer songs (at least, the first half is, I guess). As the title implies, this song is indeed about love. It basically is about how love is like a wild animal that can't be tamed, etc. etc.
#6 - Orbis de Ingis - Play Count: 391 - This is actually the newest song on the list, having been purchased a mere three months ago (near exactly). That's quite a rise to the top. This is by the band Dead Can Dance. Dead Can Dance is a band whose style is hard to describe. I would say the most descriptive way is hauntingly beautiful. I was going to write an entire post on them called "The Joy of Melancholy" but was too lazy. Regardless, they're very good, at least the female half of them is. There's a guy who sings, but I don't care for him much. The woman, as it turns out, is Lisa Gerrard, who collaborated with Hans Zimmer on the Gladiator soundtrack. I knew I liked her. Also of note, this song is the best looper of the bunch. If you're not paying attention, it's near impossible to really know when it begins and ends.
#5 - Nebel - Play Count: 423 - Another Rammstein song. Again, a very soft one, not much like their harder rock. This song, for those not fluent in German and/or translation sites, is about the memory two lovers embracing on a beach in the mist (nebel is German for "mist") because one of them has to leave for some reason. So there you go.
#4 - Anywhere - Play Count: 442 - The second Evanescence song. This one actually hold the distinction of having had been played for the longest amount of time of any other song I own (by calculating play count by the length of the song). This is probably one of the softest songs Evanescence has ever done, and as I said earlier, I think it's one of their best. The lyrics kind of have a Romeo & Juliet feel to them. Whenever I hear them, I tend to sing along (or at least lip-sync). This could definitely compete will If I could Reach Your Heart for the whole love song thing. And yes, I do realize that the content of many of these songs makes me seem like a hopeless romantic. But that changes...
#3 - Hilf Mir - Play Count: 500 - HERE! "What the hell happened," you ask? Unlike the other two Rammstein songs, which I described as different from their normal hard rock style, this one seems quite hard. "Well," you continue, "maybe this one is about love, too." No, no it's not. "Hilf Mir" is actually "Help Me" in German, and the lyrics "Das feuer liebt mich nicht" mean "the fire loves me not." This song is actually a retelling of a medieval children's tale. That means someone's gonna die. And that someone is apparently the little girl "singing" the song, who disobeys her parents by lighting a match and as a result, burns herself to death. "What?" you cry in anger, "That's horrible, Andrew! Why is this your favorite song of this band?" Well, truth be told, it's not. I like a lot of their other songs better. "But then why did you play it the most?" you ask. Funny you should ask. During my freshman year, this was my finals music. When I had final papers to write, or final tests to study for, I listened to this song on repeat. It somehow, somehow helped me concentrate. Don't ask me; I just know it worked. So, there you are.
#2 - Gamelan - Play Count: 660 - And here we are at what I consider to be my true number one (why? You'll see in a moment). This is actually a background song from the illustrious Age of Empires video game series. And I don't know why, but it always seems to work as background music for anything and everything. It's soft enough for mellow things, perky enough for lively things, familiar enough for comforting things, and exotic enough for...uh, exotic things. A gamelan, by the way, is an Indonesian musical ensemble, which I'm pretty sure is used to make this piece (or at least, a digitized gamelan made it). I truly believe that it is nigh impossible to grow tired of this song. I'm not going to say it's my most favorite song up there. In some senses, it's not very extraordinary. But somehow, I love it. It just...works!
#1 - Intro - Play Count: 2051 - And here we are at number one, with an absolutely astounding 2000+ play count. It's unbelievable. Seriously, I don't believe it. As in, I'm pretty damn sure I didn't listen to this over 2000 times. Yes, it is a charming little intro piece (by a relatively unknown but very good - and very recommended - band called Stereo Fuse) featuring a public domain sound clip of the first advertising record used by the Edison phonograph, but still, I'm not going to listen to it that much. In fact, I'm pretty sure that the reason this play count is so high is that I was listening to it (with headphones, most likely) on repeat at night, and then went to bed before pausing the music. This would allow it to play all night without stopping, and being a mere half-minute long, it could play quite a bit. So it kinda cheated it's way to the top. But, I cannot deny that this is my most-played song, even if it's not my most-listened-to song.
And so, there you have it. My top 10 listened-to songs, and one piece that I left going all night. I hope you've enjoyed this little romp around my music collection to see exactly what I listen to on repeat. Anything surprise you? Delight you? Sadden or anger you? Let me know. I know my musical posts tend not to get as much discussion as my others, but hopefully this will be different.
Also, I'd be interested to see what your most played songs are. If you have iTunes, click Ctrl+J. Then check "play count." Then put your songs in order of play count. Let me know what turns up.
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Updates on Some Old Posts
First
Remember that awesome picture that I thought would be perfect for a back tattoo?
Well, I got it half right.
Truthfully, it makes even less sense now as to what it is supposed to be.
Second
Remember when I showed you my RA meeting notes that come out of nearly an hour of bickering?
Well, there was not much bickering during this last meeting, so my notes weren't as comprehensive, but there still were some parts slow enough to get my work done. Including some patented "Whimsical-Creep" style!
NOTE: That little stick figure that says "me" - and appears to have some extra appendages - was not, in fact, drawn by me, but by someone else who refers to himself as "me"...and can't draw.
Third
Remember how I wrote about that Finnish cello rock band, Apocalyptica, a while back?
Probably not, because none of you paid it any attention.
However! Here's a little game for 11 cookie points (and just like in Whose Line is it Anyway?, points mean absolutely nothing):
Can you name the song that is being covered here? My hints are as follows: 1. It is a fairly well known song by a fairly well-known band. That is to say, it's not obscure. 2. I've never had this song in any way, shape, or form on TLD before, so don't bother searching for any clues here.
Remember that awesome picture that I thought would be perfect for a back tattoo?
Well, I got it half right.
Truthfully, it makes even less sense now as to what it is supposed to be.Second
Remember when I showed you my RA meeting notes that come out of nearly an hour of bickering?
Well, there was not much bickering during this last meeting, so my notes weren't as comprehensive, but there still were some parts slow enough to get my work done. Including some patented "Whimsical-Creep" style!
NOTE: That little stick figure that says "me" - and appears to have some extra appendages - was not, in fact, drawn by me, but by someone else who refers to himself as "me"...and can't draw.Third
Remember how I wrote about that Finnish cello rock band, Apocalyptica, a while back?
Probably not, because none of you paid it any attention.
However! Here's a little game for 11 cookie points (and just like in Whose Line is it Anyway?, points mean absolutely nothing):
Can you name the song that is being covered here? My hints are as follows: 1. It is a fairly well known song by a fairly well-known band. That is to say, it's not obscure. 2. I've never had this song in any way, shape, or form on TLD before, so don't bother searching for any clues here.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
New Music Post: Apocalyptica
As is my way some of the time, I shall now let you in on some of the new music I've run into.
There are weird combinations in this world of ours, which seem to be so different, yet mix so well.
Peanut butter and celery.
Sigourney Weaver and giant, slimy aliens.
Cellos and rock.
...Wait, what was that last one?
Well, it's the style of the band I've just taken a fancy to. Cello Rock. I'm not joking. As for what it is...well, it is what it sounds like. It's rock music (some will call it metal music, but I'll refrain from that, because to me, metal music always implies guys screaming like they're hacking up some phlegm) that utilizes cellos in place of the traditional guitars and basses (or at least complementing them). According to the Wikipedia article, it's been around since the 1930s, but is only really coming into its own in the last ten or so years.
So, how did I found out about this odd subgenre. Funny you should ask (though the answer isn't nearly as funny). It was actually on a Wikipedia binge, with the following path.
Casino Royale (I had just seen the movie) => James Bond (character) => List of James Bond Villains => Julius No => Mad Scientist => Albert Einstein => Germany => Culture of Germany => Music of Germany => Rammstein
Now, Rammstein is a band that I listen to and enjoy, even though I barely know any German (I basically only know as much as their songs say). But what interested me on that last article was the picture at the top, which showed them playing live with another band, made up of cellists (for reference, it's the same picture as in the cello rock article). When I looked at the caption, I saw that this group of cellists was a band called Apocalyptica. The concept of this band intrigued me, so I decided to give it a second glance. And upon further inspection (this is without even listening to one of their songs, mind you), I found the following pros and cons:
Pros
-They play rock music.
-They play rock music with classical instruments.
-They are from Finland(!!).
Cons
-Apparently, they like to headbang (which I find rather silly).
That's three pros to one con! Looks good! But, will I enjoy their music? Unlike many of my other music collections, I haven't actually heard any of their songs yet, so I wasn't willing to buy their whole discography. But where can one hear whole songs for free (legally) in this day and age? Well, why not just watch their videos? Brilliant!
Here are a few choice selections (just ignore any headbanging you may see and enjoy the music).
Hope Vol. II
Quutamo
The Unforgiven
Well, long story short, I thought that they were quite good (very good, in fact). So, I went onto my usual resource to purchase the songs. But, when I looked at the band's collection, I saw that there were quite a few albums. So, I did a little more research and only got the albums that were neither covers of other bands (I prefer original songs) and weren't "Best Of" albums (I'll choose the best songs, thankyouverymuch). So I ended up getting the albums Apocalyptica, Cult (and its bonus CD), Reflections, and Worlds Collide. If you're interested, but don't want to fork over the money for all of those, then I guess you could just get the "Best Of" album.
The point is, they are a new, refreshing sound, and I'm happy to have learned of them and, subsequently, share them with you. If you like them, you may also enjoy a string quartet band called bond.
Takeaway point: You don't need a guitar to become a "guitar hero."
There are weird combinations in this world of ours, which seem to be so different, yet mix so well.
Peanut butter and celery.
Sigourney Weaver and giant, slimy aliens.
Cellos and rock.
...Wait, what was that last one?
Well, it's the style of the band I've just taken a fancy to. Cello Rock. I'm not joking. As for what it is...well, it is what it sounds like. It's rock music (some will call it metal music, but I'll refrain from that, because to me, metal music always implies guys screaming like they're hacking up some phlegm) that utilizes cellos in place of the traditional guitars and basses (or at least complementing them). According to the Wikipedia article, it's been around since the 1930s, but is only really coming into its own in the last ten or so years.
So, how did I found out about this odd subgenre. Funny you should ask (though the answer isn't nearly as funny). It was actually on a Wikipedia binge, with the following path.
Casino Royale (I had just seen the movie) => James Bond (character) => List of James Bond Villains => Julius No => Mad Scientist => Albert Einstein => Germany => Culture of Germany => Music of Germany => Rammstein
Now, Rammstein is a band that I listen to and enjoy, even though I barely know any German (I basically only know as much as their songs say). But what interested me on that last article was the picture at the top, which showed them playing live with another band, made up of cellists (for reference, it's the same picture as in the cello rock article). When I looked at the caption, I saw that this group of cellists was a band called Apocalyptica. The concept of this band intrigued me, so I decided to give it a second glance. And upon further inspection (this is without even listening to one of their songs, mind you), I found the following pros and cons:
Pros
-They play rock music.
-They play rock music with classical instruments.
-They are from Finland(!!).
Cons
-Apparently, they like to headbang (which I find rather silly).
That's three pros to one con! Looks good! But, will I enjoy their music? Unlike many of my other music collections, I haven't actually heard any of their songs yet, so I wasn't willing to buy their whole discography. But where can one hear whole songs for free (legally) in this day and age? Well, why not just watch their videos? Brilliant!
Here are a few choice selections (just ignore any headbanging you may see and enjoy the music).
Hope Vol. II
Quutamo
The Unforgiven
Well, long story short, I thought that they were quite good (very good, in fact). So, I went onto my usual resource to purchase the songs. But, when I looked at the band's collection, I saw that there were quite a few albums. So, I did a little more research and only got the albums that were neither covers of other bands (I prefer original songs) and weren't "Best Of" albums (I'll choose the best songs, thankyouverymuch). So I ended up getting the albums Apocalyptica, Cult (and its bonus CD), Reflections, and Worlds Collide. If you're interested, but don't want to fork over the money for all of those, then I guess you could just get the "Best Of" album.
The point is, they are a new, refreshing sound, and I'm happy to have learned of them and, subsequently, share them with you. If you like them, you may also enjoy a string quartet band called bond.
Takeaway point: You don't need a guitar to become a "guitar hero."
Monday, October 22, 2007
Before I Forget...
Oh! Something I forgot to mention yesterday!
Going with my whole muscial theme, I'd like to present you with what I consider the single worst rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" ever made. I even have my own interpretation of what the conductor looked like during this performance, but that doesn't translate well to an audio file.
Enjoy!
Going with my whole muscial theme, I'd like to present you with what I consider the single worst rendition of "Turkey in the Straw" ever made. I even have my own interpretation of what the conductor looked like during this performance, but that doesn't translate well to an audio file.
Enjoy!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hail to the Chiefs (A Musical Post)
I haven't talked about music in a while, have I?
So, let's talk about music.
I was actually thinking about it for a while, but a little encounter really got me hyped up on the idea. I went out to San Francisco on Friday in order to buy a new suit. Nothing fancy; just a simple-yet-professional business suit. After all, I'm in business school; I should probably have something a little more cohesive than an amalgamation of different pieces of clothes from five years ago. They've served me well, but I still needed something a little more...now.
But this story isn't about the suit! Nor is it about the fact that I went to Target afterward to buy a nice dress shirt, because the prices for shirts at the Men's Warehouse were truly, truly, truly outrageous (though I must admit, I did like the way I looked). No, the story is that I ran into a couple of dirty druggies while I was waiting for the bus at the Berkeley BART station. Now, I suppose I shouldn't make assumptions, but considering they had unwashed barbarian hair, those nose rings that go through the nose, and a mangy dog wearing a bandanna at their side, I think it's not crazy to say that they partake in illicit items from time to time. Oh, yeah, and they live in Berkeley.
But story this isn't about how dirty these druggies were! Because they were actually doing something which I really enjoyed: they played some music. And this wasn't your traditional troubadour guitar or saxophone act. No, these two had instruments which you don't see much on the street, but Goddammit, you wish you did! I am, of course, talking about the wonderful combination of the accordion and the violin. I don't know what genre of music that is (gypsy music?), but it sounded great!
Now, I was able to take a short video of them until my bus arrived. It may not be the best music in the world (they said they were just learning how to play the song in question), and the sound quality on the video may not be the best (I recorded it with a phone, for goodness' sake), and you may have to turn your speakers up, but dagnabbit, it was really enjoyable sitting there and listening!
I just wish more street musicians would make these kinds of choices. I've noticed that I've only given out tips a couple times to these performers, and all of them have involved the accordion.
And now, onto the main event!
Hopefully, I'll be talking in the next couple weeks about some of the new (for me) artists that I've grown an affinity for. this time, we'll be talking about a group that I have come to really, really enjoy. It's called Secret Chiefs 3, and if you've heard of them, you're probably a liar. They specialize in a kind of out-there, avante-garde, all-encompassing fusionistic style, but somehow it works.
Now, as I've explained before, I can base my faith in a band's quality with a single song clip. Well, for Secret Chiefs 3, I was actually able to listen to one-and-a-half. The "one" part is from a page utlizing the music with a GIF from one of the Superman movies, called "Whoever has the most points wins." (It's a pun. Get it?) The "half" part was actually made by the same guy, but it mixes the song with some movie quote. You can watch the site here. (Note that it will only properly sync up with the GIF in [*shudder*] Internet Explorer, or in Firefox's wonderful IE Tab add-on. And if you use Opera...well, God help your soul.)
Anyhoo, after hearing these small samples, I decided to acquire a large number of the bands songs. Unfortunately, they're tougher to acquire than most. My normal music source was only able to get me one of their albums. That means for the rest I'd have to - totally unbelievable - buy the CDs. So, I went onto Amazon and bought some from their "new and used" section for cheap. In the end, I only bought three of their four main albums, as I heard their first one was considerably different, and worse, than their later work. I think I made the right decision.
Well, although getting the CDs proved to be a hassle, there were some benefits to it. For example, I was able to get a greater glimpse into their style. Basically, this is actually a supergroup composed of several smaller groups under the visage of a secret society. Their CD Booklet for Book M is about 16 pages long, two of which are used for song listings and production information. The rest is a series of da Vinci Code-like cryptic stuff, both exciting and frustrating, because you don't know if was made weird just to be weird, or if there is actually some meaning behind what is there (after all, I'd put one in). Here, take a look at some excerpts:
It just goes on and on like that. In some senses, I guess it's pointless, but it's damn cool. And their CD. If there is a more perplexing CD print, I have yet to see it. Take a look (I've tried to keep it as high-res as possible for easy [well, relatively] as possible).
Truth be told, though, I'd rather see crazy stuff like this than pictures of biceps and behinds. And really, you have to give some credit to a group whose CD booklet is not just filled with vanity shots, but with something that took more than an hours work to design.
But what about the music? What do these guys actually play? Well, I'll give you some samples, which I hope you'll enjoy. I tried to choose as wide a variety as possible, as they have a pretty big variety. I actually do have a confession to make, though. There were two songs on their most recent album, Book of Horizons, which I didn't like. They were death metal songs which, for the uninitiated, is hard, hard metal in which it just sounds like the main "vocalist" is trying to hock up some lung cancer that got stuck in his throat. The songs were so obtrusive to the rest of the album that I actually deleted them from my iTunes. So, if you get that album (and I recommend you do!) don't come crying to me if you don't like those pieces.
So, let's take a look at some of their songs.
The Rose Garden of Mystery
I must say, I've always had a thing for "plucky" guitars. I'm not sure what they're really called. "Spanish Guitars", maybe? I'm talking about about the ones you don't strum all the chords at once, just a single string at the time. Or maybe that's not even a different type of guitar; maybe it's just a different play style. Don't ask me. I don't know guitars.
I do know what I like, though, and I like this. It has an old Western feel that I like (and is actually in a bit of their music, as we'll see a little later). It's not totally representative of all their music, but then, none of their music is totally representative. It's just pretty nice to listen to while looking out the window on a rainy day.
Renunciation
This is apparently one of their most famous songs, so I saw fit to include it. I think it really represents how much fusion they have in their music. I hear rock (guitar), classical (violin), Indian (sitar), and some others I can't identify). One of my classes this semester is on the politics of music, and we were actually discussing about the fusion of different styles. When I remembered songs like this, I recommended the group to my professor. He says that it's really difficult to fuse a bunch of styles at once, but I think they do pretty well.
Zulfikar II
No, that "II" is not just there for show. There actually is a prequel (and a sequel) to this piece. I haven't heard the first one (it's on their first CD), but the third one is very similar to this, only a lot faster and infusing more electronica into it (it was actually the background music for the site I said counted as my "half" listening).
What's nice about this song is that it inspires little dances. When I'm listening to it as I'm going on my merry way, I notice that my legs move a little differently. They spin and twist and almost do moonwalks. It's fun.
Horsemen of the Invisible
So, this is the song whose clip got me into the bad in the first place. It's pretty self-explanatory. It's fast-paced and energizing. What's interesting about it is that as it progresses, there is some intentional distortion going on, best heard on headphones (though Lord help you if you have it at extremely loud volumes).
The Exile
Another great "Looking-out-the-window" longingly, just like the first one. Not much I really want to say about it; it just sounds nice.
The Spin Masta, Kultur Killa
This one is...well, it's all over the map. There is, like, a complete style change every 30 seconds or something. And there is also some turntabling action, with some disc-spinning that sound like, if you'll excuse the analogy, someone throwing up in reverse. (Listen closely afterward to hear people cheering at fireworks). In truth, I didn't like this one when I first heard it, but it has since grown on me, particularly the last minute of it. So, if you don't like it at first don't worry. You will eventually.
Book Texodus
If you're wondering where this group originated, it was actually in San Francisco (small world, eh?). As such, some of the band members had previous relations with surf rock (I'm guessing surf rock is like that "Wipeout" song). I don't hear it as much as most others do, but you can most definitely hear the influence in this song.
This really sounds like an ending credits song. There is just a feeling of completion to it, that everything's going to work out. Basically, if I were galloping into the sunset, I would be playing this. And then, at the very end of the song, I'd fling off my hat.
Welcome to the Theatron Anamatronique
And we end with this lovely piece. It starts off very bouncy and lively, but don't let that fool you; it becomes quite somber, almost sounding like a piece from the soundtrack. Edward Scissorhands soundtrack. Then it becomes very powerful, and very vocal. Of the three albums I have (and of the songs I didn't delete), this is the only piece with lyrics. If you're interested, those lyrics are here. It's one of the few places outside of a church you see Latin in a song (outside of my own original song "Habemus Papam," which is about my unsuccessful campaign to be pope).
Really, I think one of the most fun ways to think about this is like a drinking song (despite the fact that I don't drink). Just imagine, for the last two minutes of the song, a bunch of burly men in lion skins sitting round a bar, tossing their steins to and fro while belting out the lyrics. It's really fun.
So that's all I'm going to give you. Part of me wishes I could give all I have, because it's that enjoyable. However, that would be highly illegal. So consider this your free sample, a spoonful meant to show you the flavor available. One of the advantages of being a so called "Internet Frontiersman" (a term I may have to define one day) is that things are made known to me that are usually not amongst the mainstream. The trade-off is that I don't know much about the mainstream anymore (as I barely watch TV, I barely ever see new movies, and I haven't listened to a normal radio in months). It's a good thing, because there's lots of treasure out there.
I highly encourage you to check out Secret Chiefs 3. They're not for everyone, and they're not for every time, but they definitely are an excellent collection to anyones music library, if for no other reason than to be discreetly told to quiet down.
So, let's talk about music.
I was actually thinking about it for a while, but a little encounter really got me hyped up on the idea. I went out to San Francisco on Friday in order to buy a new suit. Nothing fancy; just a simple-yet-professional business suit. After all, I'm in business school; I should probably have something a little more cohesive than an amalgamation of different pieces of clothes from five years ago. They've served me well, but I still needed something a little more...now.
But this story isn't about the suit! Nor is it about the fact that I went to Target afterward to buy a nice dress shirt, because the prices for shirts at the Men's Warehouse were truly, truly, truly outrageous (though I must admit, I did like the way I looked). No, the story is that I ran into a couple of dirty druggies while I was waiting for the bus at the Berkeley BART station. Now, I suppose I shouldn't make assumptions, but considering they had unwashed barbarian hair, those nose rings that go through the nose, and a mangy dog wearing a bandanna at their side, I think it's not crazy to say that they partake in illicit items from time to time. Oh, yeah, and they live in Berkeley.
But story this isn't about how dirty these druggies were! Because they were actually doing something which I really enjoyed: they played some music. And this wasn't your traditional troubadour guitar or saxophone act. No, these two had instruments which you don't see much on the street, but Goddammit, you wish you did! I am, of course, talking about the wonderful combination of the accordion and the violin. I don't know what genre of music that is (gypsy music?), but it sounded great!
Now, I was able to take a short video of them until my bus arrived. It may not be the best music in the world (they said they were just learning how to play the song in question), and the sound quality on the video may not be the best (I recorded it with a phone, for goodness' sake), and you may have to turn your speakers up, but dagnabbit, it was really enjoyable sitting there and listening!
I just wish more street musicians would make these kinds of choices. I've noticed that I've only given out tips a couple times to these performers, and all of them have involved the accordion.
And now, onto the main event!
Hopefully, I'll be talking in the next couple weeks about some of the new (for me) artists that I've grown an affinity for. this time, we'll be talking about a group that I have come to really, really enjoy. It's called Secret Chiefs 3, and if you've heard of them, you're probably a liar. They specialize in a kind of out-there, avante-garde, all-encompassing fusionistic style, but somehow it works.
Now, as I've explained before, I can base my faith in a band's quality with a single song clip. Well, for Secret Chiefs 3, I was actually able to listen to one-and-a-half. The "one" part is from a page utlizing the music with a GIF from one of the Superman movies, called "Whoever has the most points wins." (It's a pun. Get it?) The "half" part was actually made by the same guy, but it mixes the song with some movie quote. You can watch the site here. (Note that it will only properly sync up with the GIF in [*shudder*] Internet Explorer, or in Firefox's wonderful IE Tab add-on. And if you use Opera...well, God help your soul.)
Anyhoo, after hearing these small samples, I decided to acquire a large number of the bands songs. Unfortunately, they're tougher to acquire than most. My normal music source was only able to get me one of their albums. That means for the rest I'd have to - totally unbelievable - buy the CDs. So, I went onto Amazon and bought some from their "new and used" section for cheap. In the end, I only bought three of their four main albums, as I heard their first one was considerably different, and worse, than their later work. I think I made the right decision.
Well, although getting the CDs proved to be a hassle, there were some benefits to it. For example, I was able to get a greater glimpse into their style. Basically, this is actually a supergroup composed of several smaller groups under the visage of a secret society. Their CD Booklet for Book M is about 16 pages long, two of which are used for song listings and production information. The rest is a series of da Vinci Code-like cryptic stuff, both exciting and frustrating, because you don't know if was made weird just to be weird, or if there is actually some meaning behind what is there (after all, I'd put one in). Here, take a look at some excerpts:
It just goes on and on like that. In some senses, I guess it's pointless, but it's damn cool. And their CD. If there is a more perplexing CD print, I have yet to see it. Take a look (I've tried to keep it as high-res as possible for easy [well, relatively] as possible).
Truth be told, though, I'd rather see crazy stuff like this than pictures of biceps and behinds. And really, you have to give some credit to a group whose CD booklet is not just filled with vanity shots, but with something that took more than an hours work to design.But what about the music? What do these guys actually play? Well, I'll give you some samples, which I hope you'll enjoy. I tried to choose as wide a variety as possible, as they have a pretty big variety. I actually do have a confession to make, though. There were two songs on their most recent album, Book of Horizons, which I didn't like. They were death metal songs which, for the uninitiated, is hard, hard metal in which it just sounds like the main "vocalist" is trying to hock up some lung cancer that got stuck in his throat. The songs were so obtrusive to the rest of the album that I actually deleted them from my iTunes. So, if you get that album (and I recommend you do!) don't come crying to me if you don't like those pieces.
So, let's take a look at some of their songs.
The Rose Garden of Mystery
I must say, I've always had a thing for "plucky" guitars. I'm not sure what they're really called. "Spanish Guitars", maybe? I'm talking about about the ones you don't strum all the chords at once, just a single string at the time. Or maybe that's not even a different type of guitar; maybe it's just a different play style. Don't ask me. I don't know guitars.
I do know what I like, though, and I like this. It has an old Western feel that I like (and is actually in a bit of their music, as we'll see a little later). It's not totally representative of all their music, but then, none of their music is totally representative. It's just pretty nice to listen to while looking out the window on a rainy day.
Renunciation
This is apparently one of their most famous songs, so I saw fit to include it. I think it really represents how much fusion they have in their music. I hear rock (guitar), classical (violin), Indian (sitar), and some others I can't identify). One of my classes this semester is on the politics of music, and we were actually discussing about the fusion of different styles. When I remembered songs like this, I recommended the group to my professor. He says that it's really difficult to fuse a bunch of styles at once, but I think they do pretty well.
Zulfikar II
No, that "II" is not just there for show. There actually is a prequel (and a sequel) to this piece. I haven't heard the first one (it's on their first CD), but the third one is very similar to this, only a lot faster and infusing more electronica into it (it was actually the background music for the site I said counted as my "half" listening).
What's nice about this song is that it inspires little dances. When I'm listening to it as I'm going on my merry way, I notice that my legs move a little differently. They spin and twist and almost do moonwalks. It's fun.
Horsemen of the Invisible
So, this is the song whose clip got me into the bad in the first place. It's pretty self-explanatory. It's fast-paced and energizing. What's interesting about it is that as it progresses, there is some intentional distortion going on, best heard on headphones (though Lord help you if you have it at extremely loud volumes).
The Exile
Another great "Looking-out-the-window" longingly, just like the first one. Not much I really want to say about it; it just sounds nice.
The Spin Masta, Kultur Killa
This one is...well, it's all over the map. There is, like, a complete style change every 30 seconds or something. And there is also some turntabling action, with some disc-spinning that sound like, if you'll excuse the analogy, someone throwing up in reverse. (Listen closely afterward to hear people cheering at fireworks). In truth, I didn't like this one when I first heard it, but it has since grown on me, particularly the last minute of it. So, if you don't like it at first don't worry. You will eventually.
Book Texodus
If you're wondering where this group originated, it was actually in San Francisco (small world, eh?). As such, some of the band members had previous relations with surf rock (I'm guessing surf rock is like that "Wipeout" song). I don't hear it as much as most others do, but you can most definitely hear the influence in this song.
This really sounds like an ending credits song. There is just a feeling of completion to it, that everything's going to work out. Basically, if I were galloping into the sunset, I would be playing this. And then, at the very end of the song, I'd fling off my hat.
Welcome to the Theatron Anamatronique
And we end with this lovely piece. It starts off very bouncy and lively, but don't let that fool you; it becomes quite somber, almost sounding like a piece from the soundtrack. Edward Scissorhands soundtrack. Then it becomes very powerful, and very vocal. Of the three albums I have (and of the songs I didn't delete), this is the only piece with lyrics. If you're interested, those lyrics are here. It's one of the few places outside of a church you see Latin in a song (outside of my own original song "Habemus Papam," which is about my unsuccessful campaign to be pope).
Really, I think one of the most fun ways to think about this is like a drinking song (despite the fact that I don't drink). Just imagine, for the last two minutes of the song, a bunch of burly men in lion skins sitting round a bar, tossing their steins to and fro while belting out the lyrics. It's really fun.
So that's all I'm going to give you. Part of me wishes I could give all I have, because it's that enjoyable. However, that would be highly illegal. So consider this your free sample, a spoonful meant to show you the flavor available. One of the advantages of being a so called "Internet Frontiersman" (a term I may have to define one day) is that things are made known to me that are usually not amongst the mainstream. The trade-off is that I don't know much about the mainstream anymore (as I barely watch TV, I barely ever see new movies, and I haven't listened to a normal radio in months). It's a good thing, because there's lots of treasure out there.
I highly encourage you to check out Secret Chiefs 3. They're not for everyone, and they're not for every time, but they definitely are an excellent collection to anyones music library, if for no other reason than to be discreetly told to quiet down.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Mini-Blogs, Set Seven
If you want to see a HUGE announcement, scroll down!
To All People Who Say German is an Ugly Language
Having been an RA and good friend to a multitude of German (some of the nicest people you will ever meet), and being a quarter German myself, I must take offense to this unfair generalization.
(Aside: I have a new quote. Unfortunately, it only works as a response. Luckily, the comment you respond to comes up fairly often (at least, it does in Berkeley).
"You shouldn't generalize."
"Why not? Everyone's doing it."
-Andrew Schnorr)
In any event, I think that this misconception comes from the fact that the only German that people are accustomed to is the typical "Ach!" Hitler hate speech. Well, of course that's going to sound repulsive. However, when you get a normal Joe, er, Johannes talking, it sounds almost...comforting.
Example!
Recently on YouTube, Wizards of the Coast put up a "Learn to Play Magic: The Gathering" series. Thing is, though, they did it in a bunch of languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and (of course) German. They're all fairly interesting, if only to hear the random English words thrown in here and there.
So, here's my challenge to you. Turn off the lights, close the shades, and get comfortable. Then close your eyes and listen to this guy introduce some Magic cards and colors to you.
Now, wasn't that soothing? I bet you're dozing off. It's like he's reading a lullaby. Just get one one of those big body pillow, a cassette with this guy talking for a while, and you'll never suffer from insomnia again. Awww.....
Speaking of Germans...
This was aired on The Simpsons this past Sunday (September 30, 2007).
No! NO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
For those who are unaware, I thought of this idea! Like, two years ago! ME! It was my big plan to start a waffle house called Luftwaffle (singular), which eventually led to my desire to start a website called Wafflepop.com (to go along with the idea of nonsensical domain names). Seriously, I completely had this idea. Unfortunately, I have no physical proof of this. I have no notarized papers from the time explaining my idea, nor even a blog post about it. So, basically, the only proof I have is the memory of my friends and family (and they're all fading fast). And here I thought I was going to do something where people wouldn't say "Simpsons did it." Well, so much for that dream.
Old People + Technology = Awww
Since I've purchased my Nintendo stock, it's increased by 83%. The Big N is now the second largest company in Japan (trailing far behind Toyota, admittedly, but still, there's nothing wrong with second place in this kind of situation). This has been fueled by the successful sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii systems. The biggest reason behind this is because Nintendo has begun to find targets outside of its normal demographic. That is, it is targeting people who don't play video games normally. This includes groups such as women and the elderly.
So, what is it like when old people play video games? Watch and learn, my friends.
Personally, I'm rooting for the Sedgebrook Alley Cats.
Just for the Hell of It
20 Loby Points (this blog'sofficial currency), to whoever can name the source of this song. 30 points if you figure it out within the first 5 seconds (and I do know what it's from, so don't try to fool me).
Finally, the HUUUUUUUGE Announcement!!!
Okay, so I've been meaning on keeping up with the times. This blog has gone well and beyond it's original intention (anyone even remember why it was started?), and I think I need to do something about its archaic hosting.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love Blogger. It's a wonderful, easy service to use. But....I just don't like having that ".blogspot" on there. When it's there, it just takes away from my credibility. "Oh, why should we listen to this twerp?" they say, "He forces us to type in an extra nine characters into the URL bar."
Well, no more!
Thanks to Google's taking over everything, they now offer an easy way to purchase and use an external domain. So, I was able to (dun dun duuuun) purchase a new domain.
TheLobotomistsDream.blogspot.com is no more!
Behold!
TheLobotomistsDream.com!!!
That's right! I'm now official! I even have an email address for it (admin@thelobotomistsdream.com).
The most exciting part of this for you, though, is that you no longer have to worry about typing in the whole "blogspot" nonsense. So that's less work for you. It's streamlining your......
Wha?
You already have the page bookmarked? And so you never need to type in the URL anyway? So the change does nothing for you?
........Damn.
To All People Who Say German is an Ugly Language
Having been an RA and good friend to a multitude of German (some of the nicest people you will ever meet), and being a quarter German myself, I must take offense to this unfair generalization.
(Aside: I have a new quote. Unfortunately, it only works as a response. Luckily, the comment you respond to comes up fairly often (at least, it does in Berkeley).
"You shouldn't generalize."
"Why not? Everyone's doing it."
-Andrew Schnorr)
In any event, I think that this misconception comes from the fact that the only German that people are accustomed to is the typical "Ach!" Hitler hate speech. Well, of course that's going to sound repulsive. However, when you get a normal Joe, er, Johannes talking, it sounds almost...comforting.
Example!
Recently on YouTube, Wizards of the Coast put up a "Learn to Play Magic: The Gathering" series. Thing is, though, they did it in a bunch of languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and (of course) German. They're all fairly interesting, if only to hear the random English words thrown in here and there.
So, here's my challenge to you. Turn off the lights, close the shades, and get comfortable. Then close your eyes and listen to this guy introduce some Magic cards and colors to you.
Now, wasn't that soothing? I bet you're dozing off. It's like he's reading a lullaby. Just get one one of those big body pillow, a cassette with this guy talking for a while, and you'll never suffer from insomnia again. Awww.....
Speaking of Germans...
This was aired on The Simpsons this past Sunday (September 30, 2007).
No! NO!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!For those who are unaware, I thought of this idea! Like, two years ago! ME! It was my big plan to start a waffle house called Luftwaffle (singular), which eventually led to my desire to start a website called Wafflepop.com (to go along with the idea of nonsensical domain names). Seriously, I completely had this idea. Unfortunately, I have no physical proof of this. I have no notarized papers from the time explaining my idea, nor even a blog post about it. So, basically, the only proof I have is the memory of my friends and family (and they're all fading fast). And here I thought I was going to do something where people wouldn't say "Simpsons did it." Well, so much for that dream.
Old People + Technology = Awww
Since I've purchased my Nintendo stock, it's increased by 83%. The Big N is now the second largest company in Japan (trailing far behind Toyota, admittedly, but still, there's nothing wrong with second place in this kind of situation). This has been fueled by the successful sales of the Nintendo DS and Wii systems. The biggest reason behind this is because Nintendo has begun to find targets outside of its normal demographic. That is, it is targeting people who don't play video games normally. This includes groups such as women and the elderly.
So, what is it like when old people play video games? Watch and learn, my friends.
Personally, I'm rooting for the Sedgebrook Alley Cats.
Just for the Hell of It
20 Loby Points (this blog's
Finally, the HUUUUUUUGE Announcement!!!
Okay, so I've been meaning on keeping up with the times. This blog has gone well and beyond it's original intention (anyone even remember why it was started?), and I think I need to do something about its archaic hosting.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love Blogger. It's a wonderful, easy service to use. But....I just don't like having that ".blogspot" on there. When it's there, it just takes away from my credibility. "Oh, why should we listen to this twerp?" they say, "He forces us to type in an extra nine characters into the URL bar."
Well, no more!
Thanks to Google's taking over everything, they now offer an easy way to purchase and use an external domain. So, I was able to (dun dun duuuun) purchase a new domain.
TheLobotomistsDream.blogspot.com is no more!
Behold!
TheLobotomistsDream.com!!!
That's right! I'm now official! I even have an email address for it (admin@thelobotomistsdream.com).
The most exciting part of this for you, though, is that you no longer have to worry about typing in the whole "blogspot" nonsense. So that's less work for you. It's streamlining your......
Wha?
You already have the page bookmarked? And so you never need to type in the URL anyway? So the change does nothing for you?
........Damn.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Questionnaires:Soundtrack to My Life
One of my favorite types of questionnaires is the kind called "The Soundtrack to My Life". Well, it's not even a questionnaire, really. It's just a game. Basically, what you do is set your music player to shuffle and see what comes up to the different acts/events/questions/etc. This forms up the "soundtrack" to you life. How you interpret the choices is up to you.
What's interesting about my collection is that it features more actual soundtracks than most. That means that my answers often have more actual score pieces than your average John Doe.
I've done a couple of these before, but this particular one is one I got from Comrade Chavez. Basically, it told me to ask these questions and then listen to the result. So, let's get to it!
How does the world see me?:
You’re Still You – Josh Groban
So, the world sees me as...me? ...Still me. ...Yep, still me. I guess I can never escape it; I'm still me.
Still, listen to some of the lyrics: "I look up to everything you are; in my eyes you do no wrong." Looks like the world and I are on pretty good terms.
Will I have a happy life?:
Suite from Swan Lake: Alverachi (Act I) – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Hmm...I don't know, some of this piece sounds like it comes from a romance movie...but a romance movie set in the Holocaust. The other half of it sounds like it's from Star Wars. So I guess my happiness will come from rescuing Princess Leia from a concentration camp and falling in love with her.
What do my friends really think of me?:
The Ice Dance – Danny Elfman
While the song doesn't directly answer my question, it is quite beautiful, and so it probably means that my friends think that I'm a beautiful person (after all, the whole world appears to see me that way). That, or they think I'm an icy person, but a great dancer.
Do people secretly lust after me?:
If I Were a Rich Man – Fiddler on the Roof
Aha! I knew it! The ladies (and I suppose the odd fellow) doesn't lust after me, but rather what's in my back pocket (I'm talking about my wallet, you pervert!). I guess the way to a ladies heart is through the jewelry section at Sears.
...I kid, ladies, I kid.
How can I make myself happy?
Mission Impossible Theme
...............:(
What should I do with my life?:
Angels We Have Heard on High – Manheim Steamroller
What the hell does it matter! It's apparently impossible for me to be happy, so it's irrelevant for me to do anything with my life! I...wait! What's that music! In the distance! It sounds angels singing, high high above. I hear them! They're sweetly singing o'er the plains! And the mountains, the mountains are singing in reply, echoing their joyous strains! Gloria! Gloria! In excelsis Deo! That's it! That's it! I shall bring tidings of a newborn king to the world! That is what I must do with my life! Hallelujah!
Will I ever have children?:
Yoda and the Younglings – John Williams (Star Wars, Episode II)
You know, I didn't even listen to the song. The title just says it all. Some of these "answers" are creepy in their relevance. But, apparently, I will be a Yoda-like figure for my children.
"To you room, you must go! And an allowance, no longer you will receive."
It's a nice song, anyway.
What is some good advice for me?:
Blessed to Be a Witness – Ben Harper
Hmm, I think this is pretty good advice. Half this song is just the phrase "I am blessed" over and over. My guess? The advice is that I should recognize how blessed I am. As I said, good advice.
How will I be remembered?:
Killer Wants to go to College – Paul Simon
O_o This doesn't bode well...
What is my signature dancing song?:
Are You Ready? – Johnny Clegg
Actually, you can dance pretty well to this song (well, some parts of it, at least). It even tells you to dance the "Oshakati Mamba" (after crossing yourself twice).
What do I think my current theme song is?:
The Handshake – Bad Religion
Huh, this is a song condemning the modern world, in particular the business aspects of it. Fairly ironic, considering...well, you know.
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?:
Snagglepuss Theme Song
Seriously? This is what you think my song is? It would only be appropriate if I were some really short, fat guy in a suit with a monocle and top hat, and continually tipped my hat to everyone as I walked, while in my other hand I raised some sort of scepter or cane in beat with the music.
What song will play at my funeral?:
I Miss You – Blink 182
Remember what I said about some of the songs being so relevant it's scary? Perfect example (in title, at least). It's actually about missing some love one who's abandoned you, but you could tweak it to mean a dead person. In particular, that "shadow in the background of the morgue" line could literally be talking about a poltergeist of some sort.
What type of men/women do you like?:
Streamline – System of a Down
Hmm...if I were to guess, I would say this song is about not being there for your significant other. So, I suppose I like women (yes, women) who I can be there for (and, I suppose, are there for me. This is a two-way relationship, sweetheart!).
What is my day going to be like?:
Mrs. Jesus – Tori Amos
Sooo......I am going to spend the day having deep religious contemplations? Or am I literally going to meet a lady named "Mrs. Jesus"? Maybe she can keep me from becoming a killer (who subsequently wants to go to college).
And with that, this version of the soundtrack for "Andrew Schnorr: The Musical" is complete. So, what have I learned? Well, making myself happy is impossible, despite the fact that I am blessed. This is because I secretly hate my own field of study, and am never there for the ladies, who don't lust for anything but my money. This leads me to become a killer who wears a top hat and a monocle who rescues Princess Leia from Nazis and then dances with her in a poverty-stricken area. I then meet Mrs. Jesus, who turns me from my life of crime and leads me to preach the good news of Christmas. Because of this, and despite my past transgressions, everyone in the world thinks great things of me (except for my friends, who consider me to have an icy personality). In the end, people will miss me when I die.
...And somewhere along the way, I have kids. Go figure.
What's interesting about my collection is that it features more actual soundtracks than most. That means that my answers often have more actual score pieces than your average John Doe.
I've done a couple of these before, but this particular one is one I got from Comrade Chavez. Basically, it told me to ask these questions and then listen to the result. So, let's get to it!
How does the world see me?:
You’re Still You – Josh Groban
So, the world sees me as...me? ...Still me. ...Yep, still me. I guess I can never escape it; I'm still me.
Still, listen to some of the lyrics: "I look up to everything you are; in my eyes you do no wrong." Looks like the world and I are on pretty good terms.
Will I have a happy life?:
Suite from Swan Lake: Alverachi (Act I) – Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Hmm...I don't know, some of this piece sounds like it comes from a romance movie...but a romance movie set in the Holocaust. The other half of it sounds like it's from Star Wars. So I guess my happiness will come from rescuing Princess Leia from a concentration camp and falling in love with her.
What do my friends really think of me?:
The Ice Dance – Danny Elfman
While the song doesn't directly answer my question, it is quite beautiful, and so it probably means that my friends think that I'm a beautiful person (after all, the whole world appears to see me that way). That, or they think I'm an icy person, but a great dancer.
Do people secretly lust after me?:
If I Were a Rich Man – Fiddler on the Roof
Aha! I knew it! The ladies (and I suppose the odd fellow) doesn't lust after me, but rather what's in my back pocket (I'm talking about my wallet, you pervert!). I guess the way to a ladies heart is through the jewelry section at Sears.
...I kid, ladies, I kid.
How can I make myself happy?
Mission Impossible Theme
...............:(
What should I do with my life?:
Angels We Have Heard on High – Manheim Steamroller
What the hell does it matter! It's apparently impossible for me to be happy, so it's irrelevant for me to do anything with my life! I...wait! What's that music! In the distance! It sounds angels singing, high high above. I hear them! They're sweetly singing o'er the plains! And the mountains, the mountains are singing in reply, echoing their joyous strains! Gloria! Gloria! In excelsis Deo! That's it! That's it! I shall bring tidings of a newborn king to the world! That is what I must do with my life! Hallelujah!
Will I ever have children?:
Yoda and the Younglings – John Williams (Star Wars, Episode II)
You know, I didn't even listen to the song. The title just says it all. Some of these "answers" are creepy in their relevance. But, apparently, I will be a Yoda-like figure for my children.
"To you room, you must go! And an allowance, no longer you will receive."
It's a nice song, anyway.
What is some good advice for me?:
Blessed to Be a Witness – Ben Harper
Hmm, I think this is pretty good advice. Half this song is just the phrase "I am blessed" over and over. My guess? The advice is that I should recognize how blessed I am. As I said, good advice.
How will I be remembered?:
Killer Wants to go to College – Paul Simon
O_o This doesn't bode well...
What is my signature dancing song?:
Are You Ready? – Johnny Clegg
Actually, you can dance pretty well to this song (well, some parts of it, at least). It even tells you to dance the "Oshakati Mamba" (after crossing yourself twice).
What do I think my current theme song is?:
The Handshake – Bad Religion
Huh, this is a song condemning the modern world, in particular the business aspects of it. Fairly ironic, considering...well, you know.
What does everyone else think my current theme song is?:
Snagglepuss Theme Song
Seriously? This is what you think my song is? It would only be appropriate if I were some really short, fat guy in a suit with a monocle and top hat, and continually tipped my hat to everyone as I walked, while in my other hand I raised some sort of scepter or cane in beat with the music.
What song will play at my funeral?:
I Miss You – Blink 182
Remember what I said about some of the songs being so relevant it's scary? Perfect example (in title, at least). It's actually about missing some love one who's abandoned you, but you could tweak it to mean a dead person. In particular, that "shadow in the background of the morgue" line could literally be talking about a poltergeist of some sort.
What type of men/women do you like?:
Streamline – System of a Down
Hmm...if I were to guess, I would say this song is about not being there for your significant other. So, I suppose I like women (yes, women) who I can be there for (and, I suppose, are there for me. This is a two-way relationship, sweetheart!).
What is my day going to be like?:
Mrs. Jesus – Tori Amos
Sooo......I am going to spend the day having deep religious contemplations? Or am I literally going to meet a lady named "Mrs. Jesus"? Maybe she can keep me from becoming a killer (who subsequently wants to go to college).
And with that, this version of the soundtrack for "Andrew Schnorr: The Musical" is complete. So, what have I learned? Well, making myself happy is impossible, despite the fact that I am blessed. This is because I secretly hate my own field of study, and am never there for the ladies, who don't lust for anything but my money. This leads me to become a killer who wears a top hat and a monocle who rescues Princess Leia from Nazis and then dances with her in a poverty-stricken area. I then meet Mrs. Jesus, who turns me from my life of crime and leads me to preach the good news of Christmas. Because of this, and despite my past transgressions, everyone in the world thinks great things of me (except for my friends, who consider me to have an icy personality). In the end, people will miss me when I die.
...And somewhere along the way, I have kids. Go figure.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Being Social Shouldn't be so Hard...
Yesterday was a rough day. I had to put on a Tuesday Night Social, which, as it sounds, is a social put on every Tuesday Night by two RAs. It's just another program, but for some reason, they always seem to be more difficult and stressful than other programs. I attribute this to the following things:
1. There are always going to be people there. Always. Because it's so consistent, people can always go and expect there to be something. Hence, you want to please them.
2. Even though we as a hall staff are a team, there is still a sort of competitiveness when it comes to Tuesday Night Socials. Probably because we're all doing one, we want to have "the best one" and so we're all trying to one-up each other.
Mine was particularly taxing. My co-worker and I put on a social called "Party On!!!" with kebabs and party games. However, we just had a new move-in, with 300 new residents, and a portion of them will of course come, particularly since this is their first. Secondly, our budget was suddenly cut, so we could no longer get the kebabs we wanted. Instead, we had to make our own "desert kebabs" (fruit, marshmallows, etc.). I can tell you now, that upset quite a few people who were expecting what I wanted to give them: meat!
Now, we only learned of our lower budget after we had gone to several different places looking for kebabs. The owner of one place was a total jackass, and when we politely but firmly refused his $8-a-person price (totally outrageous), he said that his food was to good for us. The other shop owner was very nice, but it took us a while to come to any sort of agreement, mainly because we had a hard time understanding each other. However, we did eventually come to a price of $400. Then I get a phone call and am told our budget is now $150. I wanted to slam my head on a wall.
So then we had to go get food. Unfortunately, my co-worker kept putting it off until he eventually had to go by himself (I was on duty that particular night). What I did, though, was go and buy some party stuff. I went to a store which had paper, party stuff, and...ugh...novelties. The sad thing is, the novelties (from a squirting cigarette to fake vomit) were all familiar, as none of them had changed their packaging since I was a kid. An electronic whoopee cushion even said on the packaging "As seen on the Rosie O'Donnell Show." I guess the novelty industry has been stagnant lately (can't say I'm too sorry for it).
Anyhoo, I ended up buying a little piñata, a limbo set, and some blue and gold bead necklaces to act as "prizes" for games and such. Unfortuantely, the limbo set ended up sitting in the corner of the office, as it was painfully small (literally). Even on the easiest setting, the bar was below my waistline. So that was a no-go. But the piñata was a go-go. I filled the little burro with candy and beads, as I also did with the hollowed-out head of a Hello Kitty piñata that we found in the office.
Then, yesterday, I found out that my coworker hadn't bought marshmallows on his grocery trip. So I had to. And you know what? I was able to walk to and from the Safeway down the street (a 25 minute walk each way) and never once saw a bus going in my direction (there were plenty going the other way, though). So, I was already a bit exhausted when I had to start cutting up the fruits. And a little annoyed, too, because as I was working on getting our program ready, he was complaining about wanting coffee, and then he spent an hour - an hour - trying to make some homebrew coffee. In that time, he made a complete and total mess of the kitchen (like, there was liquid all over the counter and the floor), and when he was done, he poured in some cream that had curdled, and had to throw it away.
I showed him how to peel an orange in Mozambique (that is, you use a knife), but he preferred his messy hands method. Then he went to dinner while I continued doing work (I didn't eat a single meal on Tuesday, for the record), and then we had a meeting at 6:30.
Now, we used to have meetings at 7pm, but they tend to run about 2 hours (a fair deal longer than our 45 minute CKC meetings), and the powers that be wanted to give enough prep time to those holding the social, so they moved the meetings back a half-hour. The result? Meetings now last 2 hours and 30 minutes, mostly spent by people bickering about unimportant details. At 8:30 (when my co-worker and I were to set up everything), we had to schedule duty. I ended up leaving my building mates to make it without me, which in turn led to confusion later. But the social needed setting up and the quickly-oxidizing apples and bananas (ooples and banoonoos?) still needed to be cut. Thank God all my other coworkers helped out.
Yes, set up was hellish, and yes, I was completely worried that things were going to fall apart at every moment. But I relegated people to work at different games, and got everything together, and you know what, it turned out all right. In fact, it turned out pretty good.
I used my favored bat for the piñata, and people seemed to have a lot of fun with it. Then one of my coworkers took a swing and the bat came out of his hands, flying to the side. Everyone thought it was hilarious, except for one of my now-former boss who was attending (the previously mentioned Y'rhhf), who said, "Yeah, that's not okay." Even though I didn't like the movie, I was really reminded of the boss in Office Space. Still, I think the piñata was a brilliant idea, and I would totally do it again.
But after the piñata was done with, I finally knew things were good. Why? Four words:
"Do the Limbo Dance"
This song is one of my all-time guilty pleasures, mostly because of the person who sings it - David Hasselhoff. Yes, the overacting ham of the world, David Hasselhoff. Don't believe me? Here, watch the music video:
However, despite (or due to) the fact that its cheesier than Parcheesi, I can't help but love it. I don't know why, but it always brings my spirits up. And I don't think I'm the only one. Every single person I've shown this song to can't not like it. Then, when I explain that it's the Hoff, they're shocked.
Now, I had a group of near 100 college students from all around the world, possibly jaded, and reared up on hip hop and maybe some J- and Europop. Yet, when I put this song on for our own limbo dance, people...loved it. Seriously, I was putting it on the speakers as a joke, and people loved it. People were actually dancing to it. At that point, I knew that I was king.
(Quick aside: I have this unrealistic plan to hack into the United States sound system and play this song in the middle of the State of the Union address. My hope is that all the Congresspeople would start dancing to it [though, realistically, they'd probably all duck and cover].)
The rest of the social was smooth sailing, and I even got a few compliments for it. Then, at 11pm, it was quiet hours, and we had to clean up. By 11:30, the coworker who I planned with had gone off to bed, but I was still plugging away, cleaning the kitchen and the main office. Then I saw that some unfinished posters for a program I was holding Wednesday night (Board Game Night), and decided to finish those. I ended up working until 2am (though, to be fair, I was dancing to my iPod music (including the Limbo song) during some of that time. That made 13 straight hours of all work and no play (and no food).
But I didn't turn out too dull; just tired and relieved that it was all over. I probably would have had this entry up sooner, but I've been so busy (story of my summer life, eh?) that I had to wait until late at night to write it. So, now if you ever attend a Tuesday Night Social, you'll know the hard work that was put into it.
...Oh, you wanted to know about my cryptic message yesterday? Well, I'll explain it a bit more tomorrow.
1. There are always going to be people there. Always. Because it's so consistent, people can always go and expect there to be something. Hence, you want to please them.
2. Even though we as a hall staff are a team, there is still a sort of competitiveness when it comes to Tuesday Night Socials. Probably because we're all doing one, we want to have "the best one" and so we're all trying to one-up each other.
Mine was particularly taxing. My co-worker and I put on a social called "Party On!!!" with kebabs and party games. However, we just had a new move-in, with 300 new residents, and a portion of them will of course come, particularly since this is their first. Secondly, our budget was suddenly cut, so we could no longer get the kebabs we wanted. Instead, we had to make our own "desert kebabs" (fruit, marshmallows, etc.). I can tell you now, that upset quite a few people who were expecting what I wanted to give them: meat!
Now, we only learned of our lower budget after we had gone to several different places looking for kebabs. The owner of one place was a total jackass, and when we politely but firmly refused his $8-a-person price (totally outrageous), he said that his food was to good for us. The other shop owner was very nice, but it took us a while to come to any sort of agreement, mainly because we had a hard time understanding each other. However, we did eventually come to a price of $400. Then I get a phone call and am told our budget is now $150. I wanted to slam my head on a wall.
So then we had to go get food. Unfortunately, my co-worker kept putting it off until he eventually had to go by himself (I was on duty that particular night). What I did, though, was go and buy some party stuff. I went to a store which had paper, party stuff, and...ugh...novelties. The sad thing is, the novelties (from a squirting cigarette to fake vomit) were all familiar, as none of them had changed their packaging since I was a kid. An electronic whoopee cushion even said on the packaging "As seen on the Rosie O'Donnell Show." I guess the novelty industry has been stagnant lately (can't say I'm too sorry for it).
Anyhoo, I ended up buying a little piñata, a limbo set, and some blue and gold bead necklaces to act as "prizes" for games and such. Unfortuantely, the limbo set ended up sitting in the corner of the office, as it was painfully small (literally). Even on the easiest setting, the bar was below my waistline. So that was a no-go. But the piñata was a go-go. I filled the little burro with candy and beads, as I also did with the hollowed-out head of a Hello Kitty piñata that we found in the office.
Then, yesterday, I found out that my coworker hadn't bought marshmallows on his grocery trip. So I had to. And you know what? I was able to walk to and from the Safeway down the street (a 25 minute walk each way) and never once saw a bus going in my direction (there were plenty going the other way, though). So, I was already a bit exhausted when I had to start cutting up the fruits. And a little annoyed, too, because as I was working on getting our program ready, he was complaining about wanting coffee, and then he spent an hour - an hour - trying to make some homebrew coffee. In that time, he made a complete and total mess of the kitchen (like, there was liquid all over the counter and the floor), and when he was done, he poured in some cream that had curdled, and had to throw it away.
I showed him how to peel an orange in Mozambique (that is, you use a knife), but he preferred his messy hands method. Then he went to dinner while I continued doing work (I didn't eat a single meal on Tuesday, for the record), and then we had a meeting at 6:30.
Now, we used to have meetings at 7pm, but they tend to run about 2 hours (a fair deal longer than our 45 minute CKC meetings), and the powers that be wanted to give enough prep time to those holding the social, so they moved the meetings back a half-hour. The result? Meetings now last 2 hours and 30 minutes, mostly spent by people bickering about unimportant details. At 8:30 (when my co-worker and I were to set up everything), we had to schedule duty. I ended up leaving my building mates to make it without me, which in turn led to confusion later. But the social needed setting up and the quickly-oxidizing apples and bananas (ooples and banoonoos?) still needed to be cut. Thank God all my other coworkers helped out.
Yes, set up was hellish, and yes, I was completely worried that things were going to fall apart at every moment. But I relegated people to work at different games, and got everything together, and you know what, it turned out all right. In fact, it turned out pretty good.
I used my favored bat for the piñata, and people seemed to have a lot of fun with it. Then one of my coworkers took a swing and the bat came out of his hands, flying to the side. Everyone thought it was hilarious, except for one of my now-former boss who was attending (the previously mentioned Y'rhhf), who said, "Yeah, that's not okay." Even though I didn't like the movie, I was really reminded of the boss in Office Space. Still, I think the piñata was a brilliant idea, and I would totally do it again.
But after the piñata was done with, I finally knew things were good. Why? Four words:
"Do the Limbo Dance"
This song is one of my all-time guilty pleasures, mostly because of the person who sings it - David Hasselhoff. Yes, the overacting ham of the world, David Hasselhoff. Don't believe me? Here, watch the music video:
However, despite (or due to) the fact that its cheesier than Parcheesi, I can't help but love it. I don't know why, but it always brings my spirits up. And I don't think I'm the only one. Every single person I've shown this song to can't not like it. Then, when I explain that it's the Hoff, they're shocked.
Now, I had a group of near 100 college students from all around the world, possibly jaded, and reared up on hip hop and maybe some J- and Europop. Yet, when I put this song on for our own limbo dance, people...loved it. Seriously, I was putting it on the speakers as a joke, and people loved it. People were actually dancing to it. At that point, I knew that I was king.
(Quick aside: I have this unrealistic plan to hack into the United States sound system and play this song in the middle of the State of the Union address. My hope is that all the Congresspeople would start dancing to it [though, realistically, they'd probably all duck and cover].)
The rest of the social was smooth sailing, and I even got a few compliments for it. Then, at 11pm, it was quiet hours, and we had to clean up. By 11:30, the coworker who I planned with had gone off to bed, but I was still plugging away, cleaning the kitchen and the main office. Then I saw that some unfinished posters for a program I was holding Wednesday night (Board Game Night), and decided to finish those. I ended up working until 2am (though, to be fair, I was dancing to my iPod music (including the Limbo song) during some of that time. That made 13 straight hours of all work and no play (and no food).
But I didn't turn out too dull; just tired and relieved that it was all over. I probably would have had this entry up sooner, but I've been so busy (story of my summer life, eh?) that I had to wait until late at night to write it. So, now if you ever attend a Tuesday Night Social, you'll know the hard work that was put into it.
...Oh, you wanted to know about my cryptic message yesterday? Well, I'll explain it a bit more tomorrow.
Monday, June 25, 2007
And There's No Time Left for Losin'
Sometimes you make mistakes.
Like, a while back, I was looking at the various venues that were going to be playing at the Greek Amphitheater here in Berkeley (a ten minute walk from where I am). Most of them were either for people who were I've never heard of, or people I had no interest in seeing.
Except for one: the Goo Goo Dolls. When I saw that, I wanted to buy a ticket, but I didn't (I think I was just hesitant, or procrastinating, or something). Eventually I forgot entirely about it.
That concert was this Friday, and I missed it. One of my residents went, though, and I asked him how it was. He said it was great. Not only did the Goo Goo Dolls play, but the opener? Lifehouse. Life-freaking-house. They played for 45 minutes, while the Goo Goo Dolls played for 2 hours.
"Oh. My. God. How the hell did I miss that? That would have been so unbelievably awesome," I said. And apparently it was. During the Goo Goo Doll's arguably most famous song, Black Balloon, they flipped some switch that released hundreds of balloons into the audience.
So, let this be a lesson to you, and especially to me: if there's a concert around where you live, with a band you like, and the tickets are less than $50, don't wait. Buy them immediately. Sometimes spontaneous consumption can be healthy for you. That is one mistake I'm not making again.
Like, a while back, I was looking at the various venues that were going to be playing at the Greek Amphitheater here in Berkeley (a ten minute walk from where I am). Most of them were either for people who were I've never heard of, or people I had no interest in seeing.
Except for one: the Goo Goo Dolls. When I saw that, I wanted to buy a ticket, but I didn't (I think I was just hesitant, or procrastinating, or something). Eventually I forgot entirely about it.
That concert was this Friday, and I missed it. One of my residents went, though, and I asked him how it was. He said it was great. Not only did the Goo Goo Dolls play, but the opener? Lifehouse. Life-freaking-house. They played for 45 minutes, while the Goo Goo Dolls played for 2 hours.
"Oh. My. God. How the hell did I miss that? That would have been so unbelievably awesome," I said. And apparently it was. During the Goo Goo Doll's arguably most famous song, Black Balloon, they flipped some switch that released hundreds of balloons into the audience.
So, let this be a lesson to you, and especially to me: if there's a concert around where you live, with a band you like, and the tickets are less than $50, don't wait. Buy them immediately. Sometimes spontaneous consumption can be healthy for you. That is one mistake I'm not making again.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Mini-Blogs, Set Five
Picture This!
A few days ago, one of my residents took a picture of me when I was in the dining common. I didn't think much of it (even though I did, as always, pose). However, just yesterday, he printed out a copy and gave it to me. How nice! And I really like how the picture turned out. Take a look:
There are a couple things I noticed about this:
1. This is my first picture in my new jacket! You may have remembered me talking about this when I was showing off my new hat. In any event, it's a nice leather jacket that cost me a sum total of $20 (including shipping). Great price, and I think it looks pretty good on me.
2. It may be the color quality, or the jacket I'm wearing, but something about this picture makes it look like its being taken in 1988.
3. I look like a total glutton with that boatload of food. However, consider the fact that I hadn't eaten that day (I've only been eating one full meal a day recently), and consider the fact that with the exception of that (nasty) meatball sandwich, it's all fruit, egg whites, and a corn cob (without butter). It's pretty healthy, but none of you know that.
Speaking of Meatballs...
Have you ever realized how unappetizing meatballs sound when you describe what they are (in other words, reverse word order).
Kris: "Hey, THE_BOLSHEVIK, what are you having for dinner?"
THE_BOLSHEVIK: "I think I'm going to have some balls of meat."
Kris: "What?"
THE_BOLSHEVIK: "Yeah, I'm going to take some meat and roll it up into balls before I eat it."
Kris: "You disgust me."
Rainy Day Music
There are some albums I call "Rainy Day Albums". These are albums that you listen to when you're alone in a house and can't really go anywhere, usually because of rain. So, all you do is sit back in a chair and listen to the music with the background noise of the falling rain. Maybe you read a book, or maybe you watch the shower falling. It's up to you. I find most of these albums are light and soft, most often acoustic.
When I was in Africa, my rainy day album was Ben Harper's Welcome to the Cruel World. Kind of a downbeat title, but it was also pretty appropriate at the time. You see, it was actually a bright, sunshiney day that day. That's actually the reason I was stuck inside; I had become severly dehydrated, almost to the point of fainting. So, I had to stay inside and regain my strength. At the time, I didn't care for the experience, and so being welcomed to the "cruel world" seemed to speak to me. Ironically, the only reason I began listening was because it was the only CD in the player. But still, being stuck inside a grass house, sucking down some nasty re-hydration medicine and being unable to move, listening to the album (in particular the song "Waiting on an Angel" really put things in perspective.
Now, I think I've found my new rainy day album. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the band Vertical Horizon (you may have heard their songs "Everything You Want" or "You're a God"), but I think they're a very good band; easy to listen to, no negative lyrics - the kind of band you're not afraid of Gramma catching you listening to. Anyhoo, I've had all their albums for a while, but I hadn't really given them much of a listen until I heard more of their stuff on Pandora radio (which I've talked about before). So, I listened to this one album, called There and Back Again.
And let me just say: it's almost the perfect rainy day album. It's all accoustic (different from their other albums), and it's really easy going. What's more, the two members of the band (it was made way back in 1992, when there were only two members) do everything themselves, including all the singing. There's a really nice dichotomy between their two voices and singing styles. I won't put up the whole album (that would be illegal), but here are a couple songs showing the two different singers. The first is called "On the Sea" and the second is called "Liberty". But really, the whole album is excellent; I highly recommend it with both thumbs!
Okay, a Few More Pictures
A while back, my St. Anthony Class of 2005 video was put on the Internet. Being the egotistical bastard I am, I captured all the pictures of me that had me in them. Here they are (all eight of them; lousy yearbook staff). The funny thing is that most of the pictures were taken on a single day. However, I'm sure the people who don't know that figure I just always wear a suit and tie.
This is the perfect of an end-of-year yearbook/movie picture: "Most of you didn't hang out together, but you do know each other, right? Okay, good, you can all take a picture together!"
You know something? I have a pretty well-defined hairline. You're never going to not know where my forehead ends and hair begins. (By the way, I think I'm channeling the smile of a car salesman here.)
Ah, poor little Yomar. Whenever I could wrap my hand/arm around his neck, I did.
I...I think this was for the "Senior Cars" section of the yearbook. *Sigh* I miss my truck...
Now, I'm not one to boast, but DAMN! do I look sexy.
For some reason, I can't help but think that my relationship with Christine Hosana is perfectly summed up in this picture.
...Oh, by the way: what she said in the video about us? Not true.
>_>
<_<>_>
Ah, there's nothing like standing by the Fink and a girl bending over to the Fink's height to make you feel like a giant.
No, I wasn't asleep. As are most of my pictures, this was posed (and was taken during Calculus class [look at little Michelle Elma in the background!]).
And that's all for now. Join me tomorrow, when you'll receive a boatload of videos!
A few days ago, one of my residents took a picture of me when I was in the dining common. I didn't think much of it (even though I did, as always, pose). However, just yesterday, he printed out a copy and gave it to me. How nice! And I really like how the picture turned out. Take a look:
There are a couple things I noticed about this:1. This is my first picture in my new jacket! You may have remembered me talking about this when I was showing off my new hat. In any event, it's a nice leather jacket that cost me a sum total of $20 (including shipping). Great price, and I think it looks pretty good on me.
2. It may be the color quality, or the jacket I'm wearing, but something about this picture makes it look like its being taken in 1988.
3. I look like a total glutton with that boatload of food. However, consider the fact that I hadn't eaten that day (I've only been eating one full meal a day recently), and consider the fact that with the exception of that (nasty) meatball sandwich, it's all fruit, egg whites, and a corn cob (without butter). It's pretty healthy, but none of you know that.
Speaking of Meatballs...
Have you ever realized how unappetizing meatballs sound when you describe what they are (in other words, reverse word order).
Kris: "Hey, THE_BOLSHEVIK, what are you having for dinner?"
THE_BOLSHEVIK: "I think I'm going to have some balls of meat."
Kris: "What?"
THE_BOLSHEVIK: "Yeah, I'm going to take some meat and roll it up into balls before I eat it."
Kris: "You disgust me."
Rainy Day Music
There are some albums I call "Rainy Day Albums". These are albums that you listen to when you're alone in a house and can't really go anywhere, usually because of rain. So, all you do is sit back in a chair and listen to the music with the background noise of the falling rain. Maybe you read a book, or maybe you watch the shower falling. It's up to you. I find most of these albums are light and soft, most often acoustic.
When I was in Africa, my rainy day album was Ben Harper's Welcome to the Cruel World. Kind of a downbeat title, but it was also pretty appropriate at the time. You see, it was actually a bright, sunshiney day that day. That's actually the reason I was stuck inside; I had become severly dehydrated, almost to the point of fainting. So, I had to stay inside and regain my strength. At the time, I didn't care for the experience, and so being welcomed to the "cruel world" seemed to speak to me. Ironically, the only reason I began listening was because it was the only CD in the player. But still, being stuck inside a grass house, sucking down some nasty re-hydration medicine and being unable to move, listening to the album (in particular the song "Waiting on an Angel" really put things in perspective.
Now, I think I've found my new rainy day album. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the band Vertical Horizon (you may have heard their songs "Everything You Want" or "You're a God"), but I think they're a very good band; easy to listen to, no negative lyrics - the kind of band you're not afraid of Gramma catching you listening to. Anyhoo, I've had all their albums for a while, but I hadn't really given them much of a listen until I heard more of their stuff on Pandora radio (which I've talked about before). So, I listened to this one album, called There and Back Again.
And let me just say: it's almost the perfect rainy day album. It's all accoustic (different from their other albums), and it's really easy going. What's more, the two members of the band (it was made way back in 1992, when there were only two members) do everything themselves, including all the singing. There's a really nice dichotomy between their two voices and singing styles. I won't put up the whole album (that would be illegal), but here are a couple songs showing the two different singers. The first is called "On the Sea" and the second is called "Liberty". But really, the whole album is excellent; I highly recommend it with both thumbs!
Okay, a Few More Pictures
A while back, my St. Anthony Class of 2005 video was put on the Internet. Being the egotistical bastard I am, I captured all the pictures of me that had me in them. Here they are (all eight of them; lousy yearbook staff). The funny thing is that most of the pictures were taken on a single day. However, I'm sure the people who don't know that figure I just always wear a suit and tie.
This is the perfect of an end-of-year yearbook/movie picture: "Most of you didn't hang out together, but you do know each other, right? Okay, good, you can all take a picture together!"
You know something? I have a pretty well-defined hairline. You're never going to not know where my forehead ends and hair begins. (By the way, I think I'm channeling the smile of a car salesman here.)
Ah, poor little Yomar. Whenever I could wrap my hand/arm around his neck, I did.
I...I think this was for the "Senior Cars" section of the yearbook. *Sigh* I miss my truck...
Now, I'm not one to boast, but DAMN! do I look sexy.
For some reason, I can't help but think that my relationship with Christine Hosana is perfectly summed up in this picture.
...Oh, by the way: what she said in the video about us? Not true.
>_>
<_<>_>
Ah, there's nothing like standing by the Fink and a girl bending over to the Fink's height to make you feel like a giant.
No, I wasn't asleep. As are most of my pictures, this was posed (and was taken during Calculus class [look at little Michelle Elma in the background!]).
And that's all for now. Join me tomorrow, when you'll receive a boatload of videos!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Computers, Music, and...Music *on* Computers?
One of the things that kept me busy over last weekend (Friday in particular) was finishing up my final project for my IDS 110 class on computers and web design. In case you didn't guess, the final project is actually making a webpage. Actually, it's writing a report on something relating to the Internet and making a website about it. I worked long and hard on my website, but I think it turned out alright. My topic was online anonymity. I think...I think I may have gone a little overboard, I'm not sure. I was talking with one of my fellow classmates.
Me: "How's the project going for you?"
Him: "Not bad. I really don't want to have to write all that stuff, though."
Me: "I don't blame you. I finished writing my report. It was pretty exhausting."
Him: "Oh, you're done? How long did yours turn out to be?"
Me: "Well, I just did a primitive copy/paste into Word, but it came out to be about 12 pages."
Him: "..."
Me: "Single-spaced."
Him: "You're insane. That's bordering on thesis paper length."
Me: "Oh-hoh-hoh, it has a ways to go before it could be considered that."
Still, I may have done a wittle eency-weency bit more than they asked for. However, there was a lot of information to be found, and I have high standards for myself. Put those two together, and you have a 12 page report...single-spaced.
(P.S. If you want to look at all the other websites in my section to compare them to mine, you can find them here. Some won't be complete until Tuesday at noon, but you can get of an idea of how mine compares with the rest of the class.)
Why do I bring this up? Mainly, because I thought it was the only good segue into my next topic. Sometimes going to a lecture can be most enlightening. Anyone who's taken Professor Muller's Physics for Future Presidents can attest to this (and anyone who hasn't really, really, really should, or at least watch the webcasts!). I had a lecture like this in my IDS 110 class last week, and it was enlightening for its own reason.
We had Tim Westergreen, a web entrepreneur, come in. Even though he was a Stanford grad, there was no sense of animosity towards us. He talked to us about the trials and tribulations of starting up his online business. It's a pretty interesting talk; you should check it out here (and if you listen closely really closely, you can hear some zombie-voiced punk asking him a question near the end). Oh, wait, I didn't tell you what program he started. It's called Pandora.
Never heard of it?
Yeah, me neither.
However, I am currently hooked on it, and given that their main source of advertising is word-of-mouth via the so-called "blogosphere", I decided that I should give them a little pitch for you, being part of this sphere and all. I think you'll like it.
Basically, Pandora is an online radio service, totally legit and all that jazz. What separates it is from other online radio, however, is that it is fully customizable. It tries to play music that it will think you'll enjoy based on a series of hundreds of algorithms and their system called the "Music Genome Program".
Like the name implies the music genome program is an attempt to "map out" the DNA of music. At first, this sounds kind of hefty (and somewhat nefarious), but it's basically an attempt to simulate, as they say themselves, a friend who knows a lot of different music, and can tell you what you'll like, based on the qualities of the music you already do like. They use a bunch of different attributes. And by "a bunch", I mean A LOT. Take a gander (and that's not even the complete list). So, they use these attributes to create your own, personalized stations.
For example, say you entered in, oh, I don't know, Coldplay. In addition to playing a few Coldplay songs, it will play songs that have a similar feel to Coldplay's music, but are by a variety of artists (many of which are unknowns). While listening, you have the choice to skip to the next song, but the real nice thing is that you can give a "Thumbs Up" or a "Thumbs Down" to every song you hear. This helps to fine-tune the station to within the specified parameters based on your preferences and the set algorithms.
And what's more, it's free. Well, you can pay $36 a year if you don't want ads, but I don't mind them, so its free for me. It's also commercial free, and you can switch from one of your stations to another at the drop of a hat (or the click of a button, one of the two). So its almost better than normal radio (except, of course, that you have to be at a computer). The only problem is that it doesn't have much in the way of classical or soundtracks (ack!) but they say they're working on it.
I highly recommend using it. The founder's a really nice guy, and the service is great. Like I said, I'm using it as my new primary source for indoor music. My current favorite channel is the "Vertical Horizon" channel. It has a nice, mellow rock thang going on that I think a lot of people would like (I'm looking at you, Dad). Oh, and I recommend downloading this application so that you don't alway need a browser window open when using the program.
So, that's my piece. Happy listening!
Me: "How's the project going for you?"
Him: "Not bad. I really don't want to have to write all that stuff, though."
Me: "I don't blame you. I finished writing my report. It was pretty exhausting."
Him: "Oh, you're done? How long did yours turn out to be?"
Me: "Well, I just did a primitive copy/paste into Word, but it came out to be about 12 pages."
Him: "..."
Me: "Single-spaced."
Him: "You're insane. That's bordering on thesis paper length."
Me: "Oh-hoh-hoh, it has a ways to go before it could be considered that."
Still, I may have done a wittle eency-weency bit more than they asked for. However, there was a lot of information to be found, and I have high standards for myself. Put those two together, and you have a 12 page report...single-spaced.
(P.S. If you want to look at all the other websites in my section to compare them to mine, you can find them here. Some won't be complete until Tuesday at noon, but you can get of an idea of how mine compares with the rest of the class.)
Why do I bring this up? Mainly, because I thought it was the only good segue into my next topic. Sometimes going to a lecture can be most enlightening. Anyone who's taken Professor Muller's Physics for Future Presidents can attest to this (and anyone who hasn't really, really, really should, or at least watch the webcasts!). I had a lecture like this in my IDS 110 class last week, and it was enlightening for its own reason.
We had Tim Westergreen, a web entrepreneur, come in. Even though he was a Stanford grad, there was no sense of animosity towards us. He talked to us about the trials and tribulations of starting up his online business. It's a pretty interesting talk; you should check it out here (and if you listen closely really closely, you can hear some zombie-voiced punk asking him a question near the end). Oh, wait, I didn't tell you what program he started. It's called Pandora.
Never heard of it?
Yeah, me neither.
However, I am currently hooked on it, and given that their main source of advertising is word-of-mouth via the so-called "blogosphere", I decided that I should give them a little pitch for you, being part of this sphere and all. I think you'll like it.
Basically, Pandora is an online radio service, totally legit and all that jazz. What separates it is from other online radio, however, is that it is fully customizable. It tries to play music that it will think you'll enjoy based on a series of hundreds of algorithms and their system called the "Music Genome Program".
Like the name implies the music genome program is an attempt to "map out" the DNA of music. At first, this sounds kind of hefty (and somewhat nefarious), but it's basically an attempt to simulate, as they say themselves, a friend who knows a lot of different music, and can tell you what you'll like, based on the qualities of the music you already do like. They use a bunch of different attributes. And by "a bunch", I mean A LOT. Take a gander (and that's not even the complete list). So, they use these attributes to create your own, personalized stations.
For example, say you entered in, oh, I don't know, Coldplay. In addition to playing a few Coldplay songs, it will play songs that have a similar feel to Coldplay's music, but are by a variety of artists (many of which are unknowns). While listening, you have the choice to skip to the next song, but the real nice thing is that you can give a "Thumbs Up" or a "Thumbs Down" to every song you hear. This helps to fine-tune the station to within the specified parameters based on your preferences and the set algorithms.
And what's more, it's free. Well, you can pay $36 a year if you don't want ads, but I don't mind them, so its free for me. It's also commercial free, and you can switch from one of your stations to another at the drop of a hat (or the click of a button, one of the two). So its almost better than normal radio (except, of course, that you have to be at a computer). The only problem is that it doesn't have much in the way of classical or soundtracks (ack!) but they say they're working on it.
I highly recommend using it. The founder's a really nice guy, and the service is great. Like I said, I'm using it as my new primary source for indoor music. My current favorite channel is the "Vertical Horizon" channel. It has a nice, mellow rock thang going on that I think a lot of people would like (I'm looking at you, Dad). Oh, and I recommend downloading this application so that you don't alway need a browser window open when using the program.
So, that's my piece. Happy listening!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
I Have a Dream (Two, in Fact)!
As I've mentioned before, I have fairly vivid dreams, and when I try to explain them to people, they always think I've kept some of my anti-malaria pills from my trip to Africa. I actually attribute these dreams to my mother, as she also tends to have...well, I'd define them less as "dreams" and more as "visions."
Anyhoo, I've had a nice little stream of dreams in the past few days. I think I'll spend a little bit of time discussing them. The reason I'm doing such is because I'd like to make a request regarding the first one, and the second one...well, after witnessing the second one, I have somewhat of a demand to make.
Dream 1 (The Request)
For some reason, I have a recurring theme of being a counselor of some sort. I would attribute this to my being an RA, but I've had them for years and years, way before I even came to Cal. Usually, my charge is in some unusual place, such as an alligator-infested Disneyland, or a giant insane asylum slowly moving on tank treads through the desert. Well, in this dream, I was a counselor in some sort of 1980s Sci-Fi movie future where we ride around on hover-scooter-things. And that's basically all we did. In fact, the entirety of my counseling/crime fighting involved my chasing some crook on a hover scooter until he fell off (presumably to his death; we were in the stratosphere at the time).
But that's not important. What's important is what happened at the end of the dream. Near the end, I walk into a giant warehouse of sorts, where I see members of my family watching a video. To my surprise, it's a workout video with my pregnant sister as the host (in case you're wondering, nobody was exercising; they were just sitting on the couch eating chips). In the workout video was music playing; it seemed to be a parody of a song I recognized.
Me: "What song is that supposed to be?"
My Sister: "Oh, it's White Hot."
Me: "White Hot?"
My Sister: "Yeah, you know: 'White hot! Calling from the pavement..."
Me: "Oh, yeah, I know that song."
And then I woke up. Here's the thing: I don't know that song. According to Google, no such lyrics exist. In fact, the only song with the title "White Hot" is by Tom Cochrane, and it ain't even close. The more I thought about it though, the more nonsensical the lyrics became. Then I thought to myself, "Wait, I think the actual lyrics (at least, lyrics that make more sense) are 'Wipeout, falling to the pavement...'" Unfortunately, that didn't find anything either. Now, I don't want another 10-year dream mystery on my hands, so I'm going to reach out to the Intertubes to see if anyone know the answers to which I seek.
So, here's the best information I can give. It's a rock song, and it sounds like it could be from the 80s or 90s. And all I know from it is a single piece from the chorus. It's near impossible for me to describe the tune online (not being a composer and all), so I'm just going to try the half-hearted solution of vocalizing the tune. And yes, I realize it is a horrid half-hearted rendition. Please keep in mind that I was recording these at 1am, when I wasn't able to be loud and "rocker-like". I'm an okay singer, but for more flowing songs (a good example would be the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"). So don't judge my American Idol prospects from these pieces. The first is just my "whammy-bar" rendition of the song, while the second is an incredibly lame attempt at my (apparently made-up) vocals, though it rapidly degrades into nothing more than a series of "doot-doos".
So, if you can tell from that piddly amount of information what song I dreamt about, I would be somewhat in your debt. Why am I so sure that it's not a song from my actual imagination? Well, let's just say that the last time I thought I "dream-composed" a song, I found out a year and a half later that it was the theme song from The Patriot. So my record in that sense isn't too great.
Dream 2 (The Demand)
I usually don't wake up in fright in the middle of the night, but this time I did. It wasn't a nightmare, but rather a scary image. In my dream, I was just awakening from my sleep, and when I looked in the mirror, I say that my goatee had been crudely cut off. That gave me such a start that I immediately woke up and felt my chin.
Funny, perhaps, but it's actually a real fear of mine that someone, as some sick idea of a prank, may cut off my goatee while I sleep. And I think if they did, I would go mad. And no, I don't think that's over-reacting. I may have to lose my goatee some day, but that's completely different from having it taken away from you. My goatee took me about 8 months to get to its current length and density. I don't think the ladies would enjoy it if someone cut off their long, luxurious hair while they slept. It's a violation of a person, and cutting off my goatee would be a violation of me.
In short, my demand is this: don't cut off my goatee while I sleep. It would not be a good situation for anyone.
Um, sweet dreams!
Anyhoo, I've had a nice little stream of dreams in the past few days. I think I'll spend a little bit of time discussing them. The reason I'm doing such is because I'd like to make a request regarding the first one, and the second one...well, after witnessing the second one, I have somewhat of a demand to make.
Dream 1 (The Request)
For some reason, I have a recurring theme of being a counselor of some sort. I would attribute this to my being an RA, but I've had them for years and years, way before I even came to Cal. Usually, my charge is in some unusual place, such as an alligator-infested Disneyland, or a giant insane asylum slowly moving on tank treads through the desert. Well, in this dream, I was a counselor in some sort of 1980s Sci-Fi movie future where we ride around on hover-scooter-things. And that's basically all we did. In fact, the entirety of my counseling/crime fighting involved my chasing some crook on a hover scooter until he fell off (presumably to his death; we were in the stratosphere at the time).
But that's not important. What's important is what happened at the end of the dream. Near the end, I walk into a giant warehouse of sorts, where I see members of my family watching a video. To my surprise, it's a workout video with my pregnant sister as the host (in case you're wondering, nobody was exercising; they were just sitting on the couch eating chips). In the workout video was music playing; it seemed to be a parody of a song I recognized.
Me: "What song is that supposed to be?"
My Sister: "Oh, it's White Hot."
Me: "White Hot?"
My Sister: "Yeah, you know: 'White hot! Calling from the pavement..."
Me: "Oh, yeah, I know that song."
And then I woke up. Here's the thing: I don't know that song. According to Google, no such lyrics exist. In fact, the only song with the title "White Hot" is by Tom Cochrane, and it ain't even close. The more I thought about it though, the more nonsensical the lyrics became. Then I thought to myself, "Wait, I think the actual lyrics (at least, lyrics that make more sense) are 'Wipeout, falling to the pavement...'" Unfortunately, that didn't find anything either. Now, I don't want another 10-year dream mystery on my hands, so I'm going to reach out to the Intertubes to see if anyone know the answers to which I seek.
So, here's the best information I can give. It's a rock song, and it sounds like it could be from the 80s or 90s. And all I know from it is a single piece from the chorus. It's near impossible for me to describe the tune online (not being a composer and all), so I'm just going to try the half-hearted solution of vocalizing the tune. And yes, I realize it is a horrid half-hearted rendition. Please keep in mind that I was recording these at 1am, when I wasn't able to be loud and "rocker-like". I'm an okay singer, but for more flowing songs (a good example would be the song "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"). So don't judge my American Idol prospects from these pieces. The first is just my "whammy-bar" rendition of the song, while the second is an incredibly lame attempt at my (apparently made-up) vocals, though it rapidly degrades into nothing more than a series of "doot-doos".
So, if you can tell from that piddly amount of information what song I dreamt about, I would be somewhat in your debt. Why am I so sure that it's not a song from my actual imagination? Well, let's just say that the last time I thought I "dream-composed" a song, I found out a year and a half later that it was the theme song from The Patriot. So my record in that sense isn't too great.
Dream 2 (The Demand)
I usually don't wake up in fright in the middle of the night, but this time I did. It wasn't a nightmare, but rather a scary image. In my dream, I was just awakening from my sleep, and when I looked in the mirror, I say that my goatee had been crudely cut off. That gave me such a start that I immediately woke up and felt my chin.
Funny, perhaps, but it's actually a real fear of mine that someone, as some sick idea of a prank, may cut off my goatee while I sleep. And I think if they did, I would go mad. And no, I don't think that's over-reacting. I may have to lose my goatee some day, but that's completely different from having it taken away from you. My goatee took me about 8 months to get to its current length and density. I don't think the ladies would enjoy it if someone cut off their long, luxurious hair while they slept. It's a violation of a person, and cutting off my goatee would be a violation of me.
In short, my demand is this: don't cut off my goatee while I sleep. It would not be a good situation for anyone.
Um, sweet dreams!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Games and Music, Together at Last!
I've been on kind of a binge for the last several days, metaphorically feeding on information, be it written, visual, or auditory, about my favorite video game of all time, Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. If you have a Gamecube/Wii with a Ganecube controller, and you haven't played this game...do so. Seriously, it's gotten "universal acclaim." And if you haven't seen it, search the name on Youtube. These two clips, while being mostly audio, are in particular very compelling.
But what exactly set off my binge? It may be my favorite game, but why exactly did I think of it now, at this particular juncture? The music. You see, I recently got a used copy of another game, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which had very Persian-esque music in its title screen (go figure). However, this immediately made me think of Eternal Darkness and it's music, some of which also has a very decidely Persian flavor (as one of the stages in the actually takes place in Persia...go figure).
So, after gorging myself on videos and Wikipedia entries, I decide that I want...no, need...the Eternal Darkness soundtrack. And I remembered that one had existed at some point. Unfortunately, when I did my research, I found that the soundtrack was a promotional item sold by Nintendo Power. Yeah, that's gonna be easy to find.
Regardless, I check my usual playgrounds. Amazon? Nothing. eBay? Nope. ....Okay, I was out of ideas. So, I decided to simply google "eternal darkness soundtrack" hoping for some lucky break. And, as it turned out, I found one, seven spots down on my search. And boy, when I opened that link, I essentially thrust a pickax into a pressurized oil well of joy.
And with that preamble finished, I'd like to intoduce you all to this find, a site which is sure to be frequented by me - and perhaps some of you - quite a bit as time goes on. It's video game soundtracks! And when soundtracks are involved, you know I'm excited.
As you can see from the page itself, it's actually part of a website called "Kingdom Hearts Insider." I have no idea why a site devoted to a single game/franchise would host the complete soundtracks for nearly 6000 (dear God!) games, but there it is. It doesn't have every single game (particularly the brand new ones), but there's quite a bit, so chances are, if you're looking for something, you'll find it there.
Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. "Video Game Soundtracks? How passé!" Yeah, well, shut up! As it turns out, video game soundtracks aren't always just a bunch of beeps, boops, and other midi-makeup. Saying "doot-doot-dootdootdoot-DOOT" is all fine and good (that was the Super Mario intro, by the way), but these days, games are becoming more cinematic, and as such, they need more cinematic scores. And largely, they deliver.
Now, I've only seen this site for a couple days, but I already have a few recommendations for soundtracks to download (which happen to be the only tracks I've downloaded so far; that's a good record).
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: As I said before, this has a very Persian influence (go figure) with a few guitar solos here and there. Very good if you like the style.
Halo: Many people have described Halo as a "phenomenon in gaming." I've only played it for about 20 minutes. It was alright. But what really interested me was the music. The game is a first-person shooter in which you and aliens shoot at each other. And yet, the music is hauntingly beautiful. For example, listen to the song/Gregorian chant that plays on the title screen. The title screen! It's blissful, I tells ya!
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: You didn't think I was going to leave this off, did you? I've actually listened to this 50-minute soundtrack nonstop for the past two days. It's kind of like those Halloween CD's you buy for $4 at Party City, but it's actually scary and it's actually good! (In truth, it's more "unsettling" than out-and-out "scary.") Plus it has some great clips that I can use for other purposes.
Example!
Some of you may remember me talking about my "dream house." For those that don't let me give you a little intorduction. My dream house would be a cross between a mansion, an old Gothic Cathedral, and the Myst universe. It would be filled with fantastical puzzles and clues, but it would also be subtly unsettling, especially if you walked in it alone at night. For example, in one of my hallways, our lighting would be held up by statues that look like this:
Additionally, I would have music playing in the background, occasionally interrupted by creepy whispers. At first, I thought I got the idea from another game (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), but no! After listening to the soundtrack, I realized that my original original idea came from my favorite game. Here's the clip (it's actually just a shortened version of one of the songs, and it loops really well). Turn it up really loud to savor it. Hell, even I would get goosebumps from that, and it would be my house. Perfect!
So, go nuts with that site! It seems like an absolutely excellent resource if you love either music or games. You can thank me later.
But what exactly set off my binge? It may be my favorite game, but why exactly did I think of it now, at this particular juncture? The music. You see, I recently got a used copy of another game, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, which had very Persian-esque music in its title screen (go figure). However, this immediately made me think of Eternal Darkness and it's music, some of which also has a very decidely Persian flavor (as one of the stages in the actually takes place in Persia...go figure).
So, after gorging myself on videos and Wikipedia entries, I decide that I want...no, need...the Eternal Darkness soundtrack. And I remembered that one had existed at some point. Unfortunately, when I did my research, I found that the soundtrack was a promotional item sold by Nintendo Power. Yeah, that's gonna be easy to find.
Regardless, I check my usual playgrounds. Amazon? Nothing. eBay? Nope. ....Okay, I was out of ideas. So, I decided to simply google "eternal darkness soundtrack" hoping for some lucky break. And, as it turned out, I found one, seven spots down on my search. And boy, when I opened that link, I essentially thrust a pickax into a pressurized oil well of joy.
And with that preamble finished, I'd like to intoduce you all to this find, a site which is sure to be frequented by me - and perhaps some of you - quite a bit as time goes on. It's video game soundtracks! And when soundtracks are involved, you know I'm excited.
As you can see from the page itself, it's actually part of a website called "Kingdom Hearts Insider." I have no idea why a site devoted to a single game/franchise would host the complete soundtracks for nearly 6000 (dear God!) games, but there it is. It doesn't have every single game (particularly the brand new ones), but there's quite a bit, so chances are, if you're looking for something, you'll find it there.
Now, I know what some of you may be thinking. "Video Game Soundtracks? How passé!" Yeah, well, shut up! As it turns out, video game soundtracks aren't always just a bunch of beeps, boops, and other midi-makeup. Saying "doot-doot-dootdootdoot-DOOT" is all fine and good (that was the Super Mario intro, by the way), but these days, games are becoming more cinematic, and as such, they need more cinematic scores. And largely, they deliver.
Now, I've only seen this site for a couple days, but I already have a few recommendations for soundtracks to download (which happen to be the only tracks I've downloaded so far; that's a good record).
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: As I said before, this has a very Persian influence (go figure) with a few guitar solos here and there. Very good if you like the style.
Halo: Many people have described Halo as a "phenomenon in gaming." I've only played it for about 20 minutes. It was alright. But what really interested me was the music. The game is a first-person shooter in which you and aliens shoot at each other. And yet, the music is hauntingly beautiful. For example, listen to the song/Gregorian chant that plays on the title screen. The title screen! It's blissful, I tells ya!
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem: You didn't think I was going to leave this off, did you? I've actually listened to this 50-minute soundtrack nonstop for the past two days. It's kind of like those Halloween CD's you buy for $4 at Party City, but it's actually scary and it's actually good! (In truth, it's more "unsettling" than out-and-out "scary.") Plus it has some great clips that I can use for other purposes.
Example!
Some of you may remember me talking about my "dream house." For those that don't let me give you a little intorduction. My dream house would be a cross between a mansion, an old Gothic Cathedral, and the Myst universe. It would be filled with fantastical puzzles and clues, but it would also be subtly unsettling, especially if you walked in it alone at night. For example, in one of my hallways, our lighting would be held up by statues that look like this:
Additionally, I would have music playing in the background, occasionally interrupted by creepy whispers. At first, I thought I got the idea from another game (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), but no! After listening to the soundtrack, I realized that my original original idea came from my favorite game. Here's the clip (it's actually just a shortened version of one of the songs, and it loops really well). Turn it up really loud to savor it. Hell, even I would get goosebumps from that, and it would be my house. Perfect!
So, go nuts with that site! It seems like an absolutely excellent resource if you love either music or games. You can thank me later.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
How Funny Can a Guy Named Victor Be?
I'm not a big fan of comedians. Particularly modern comedians. Y'know, the kind who think that all jokes revolve around a mix of sex and racism. The kind who start every joke with "Wanna know something about _______ people?" The kind who make you laugh only to brush off your discomfort and possibly offense at their "joke."
That seems to be the style nowadays, so I tend to shy away from watching stand-up routines, as well as videos on YouTube and the like.
However, I've just found a comedian that I really, really enjoy.
Here's the thing, though: he's dead, so he ain't going to be doing any fresh material anytime soon. However, what I've seen of him has made me laugh out loud many times.
His name is Victor Borge, and he basically breaks all the stereotypes that have been set down in modern comedy. He's not young and "hip" - he's an elderly classical pianist, for chrissake! His routines don't focus around sex and racism and shocking people into state where they don't know whether to laugh or be offended. Rather, he uses razor-sharp wit, well-rehearsed and wholesome skits, and some damn fine piano playing. He's one of the few players of classical music I've seen who doesn't take himself seriously. Top that all off with a infectious old-man smile, and you have what I consider to be an all-around perfect entertainer.
I had a busy day, but not really one worth talking about, so I figured I'd make up for a lack of substance by sharing several videos to give you an idea of what "the Clown Prince of Denmark" is like (because I'm sure that not many people of my generation know much about him).
This first one appears to be from his (relatively) younger years, but it still has the same pizazz. It shows him playing the piano with some other player. The skill that they use to play the piece is remarkable, and funny to boot.
Next is a skit called "Inflationary Language" which, as an actor, I can tell has to take incredible mental discipline. Just trying to remember to say something to the effect of "Tea five three, anytwo?" makes my head hurt.
This one takes a little bit of explanation. I didn't get it at first. It's called "Phonetic Punctuation." Essentially, what he does is read a story, but he is also pronouncing all the punctuation with onomatopoeia. That means that there is a different sound (and gesture) for the period, dash, comma, exclamation point, question mark, quotation marks, etc. Once you know that much, the rest is fairly straightforward.
The next two are actually one video which was just cut in half by YouTube's restrictions. If every classical recital had an act beforehand, I would probably be going to Zellerbach Hall a lot more often.
So, that's a good sampling. If you're interested, there's definitely more n YouTube, and it's all worth watching. I usually don't get that excited about comedians, but Borge just struck such a note with me (bad pun intended), that I'm giddy. Goodnight, everybody!
.......
Aw, what the heck, one more!
That seems to be the style nowadays, so I tend to shy away from watching stand-up routines, as well as videos on YouTube and the like.
However, I've just found a comedian that I really, really enjoy.
Here's the thing, though: he's dead, so he ain't going to be doing any fresh material anytime soon. However, what I've seen of him has made me laugh out loud many times.
His name is Victor Borge, and he basically breaks all the stereotypes that have been set down in modern comedy. He's not young and "hip" - he's an elderly classical pianist, for chrissake! His routines don't focus around sex and racism and shocking people into state where they don't know whether to laugh or be offended. Rather, he uses razor-sharp wit, well-rehearsed and wholesome skits, and some damn fine piano playing. He's one of the few players of classical music I've seen who doesn't take himself seriously. Top that all off with a infectious old-man smile, and you have what I consider to be an all-around perfect entertainer.
I had a busy day, but not really one worth talking about, so I figured I'd make up for a lack of substance by sharing several videos to give you an idea of what "the Clown Prince of Denmark" is like (because I'm sure that not many people of my generation know much about him).
This first one appears to be from his (relatively) younger years, but it still has the same pizazz. It shows him playing the piano with some other player. The skill that they use to play the piece is remarkable, and funny to boot.
Next is a skit called "Inflationary Language" which, as an actor, I can tell has to take incredible mental discipline. Just trying to remember to say something to the effect of "Tea five three, anytwo?" makes my head hurt.
This one takes a little bit of explanation. I didn't get it at first. It's called "Phonetic Punctuation." Essentially, what he does is read a story, but he is also pronouncing all the punctuation with onomatopoeia. That means that there is a different sound (and gesture) for the period, dash, comma, exclamation point, question mark, quotation marks, etc. Once you know that much, the rest is fairly straightforward.
The next two are actually one video which was just cut in half by YouTube's restrictions. If every classical recital had an act beforehand, I would probably be going to Zellerbach Hall a lot more often.
So, that's a good sampling. If you're interested, there's definitely more n YouTube, and it's all worth watching. I usually don't get that excited about comedians, but Borge just struck such a note with me (bad pun intended), that I'm giddy. Goodnight, everybody!
.......
Aw, what the heck, one more!
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