El Tigre - Image of a tiger

Well, well, well, golf Icon, celebrity, possibly the so called greatest athlete ever gets busted.... Why did I find myself almost joyful when I heard this news? I will tell you why. Tiger makes millions off his super star "image" through media, endorsements, etc... yes he is a winner, a father and now a scumbag.... Does he even realize how much people are second guessing him? It makes me believe he won't go in front of a camera because Elin has been beating the crap out of him and he has a black eye or something. This whole situation is wrong on so many levels. If it was you or me crashing into shit, hitting my neighbors tree at 2:25am and ending up bloody in the street then I guarantee a breathalyzer would have been used. It took this incident and now people are digging into his past finding what ever they can to use and portray him as a villian. If your going to be in the lime light and thrive than expect when you fuck up to be torched. Charles Barkley was never a role model. Tiger is, and he reaps the benefits... It really makes me start to appreciate athletes and characters like Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. They are consintantally putting up superstar numbers bet yet prefer to stay out of the publics eye and ear for the most part. Tiger will rebound on the course soon I think, but most likely will get no ass at home for quite some time. Hope that NY hostess was worth it

Pats Short Circuit Against Indy

In a night that needed no help with hyperbole most Pats fans found themselves at a loss for words by this games final act. After watching New England control the game for 3 quarters it all came down to 1 play with just over 2 minutes in the game. It was one of the game’s greatest coaches and one of the game’s greatest players having to execute when the game mattered most. And they did, and they lost. In the post game press conference Tom Brady kept referring to this being “a game of inches” and as Kevin Faulk bobbled the ball, collected it and was hit those inches needed evaporated into thick air. Was Belichick wrong for going for it on 4^th and 2, up by 6? If you think about what most coaches would do you would have to assume that it was the wrong call. You punt the ball, pin them in their territory and put it on your defense to try to stop Peyton Manning. But what if you had one of the game’s greatest quarterback with two of the league’s best wide receivers and one of the most reliable backs in franchise history? What if you knew you could get 2 feet at any time in the game and when you needed it most you only got 1 and a half? Would your choice be considered wrong? Probably. I haven’t listened to sports radio today or read the newspaper (Every time my team loses or the Yankee’s win I avoid the media for a day or 2) so I don’t know what the masses are saying. I’m sure our colorful New England constituents have quite a bit to say on this matter. Last night on Channel 7 I watched Steve Burton conduct an interview with TE Ben Watson right after the game. He started with a question about “how do you lose this game?” and as he continued to contextually describe his question it became a rant in which Ben Watson prompted him as Burton paused to breath, “go on”. I knew the feeling he was going through. It was one where an answer wasn’t going to really answer anything and the only real relief was to ask “why” this tragedy had happened. Yet that pain from past disappointments didn’t seem to equal the utter shock experienced by this finish. It was the ultimate loss yet it happened in the middle of a season that still looks fraught with opportunity. They had beaten the Colts for 58 minutes with an array of weapons and from great play from the offensive line. They were on the road and were within an inch of pulling off an incredible win in a hostile environment. I for one would rather see my team lose a game with a chance to seal the victory on their own then put it in the hands of the other guy and hope you just hold on. If you had Michael Jordan on your team and the other team had Lebron James and there were 7 seconds left in the game, would you: A) Want to be up by 1 with your opponent and Lebron having the last chance to shoot. Or B) Have possession, be down by 1 but have MJ taking the final shot. Now if there is a difference for you in regards to MJ of King James, switch it so that the better of the two is on your team. For me it’s MJ taking that last shot because it is a better decision then trying to stop Lebron. This is what Belichick had to have been thinking (though probably without the NBA analogy). So while the Patriots may have short circuited and let this one get away, knowing this is a game of inches I’ll take my guys every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

1/4 Of My Household Income 2nd Installment

This 2nd installment (1st installment) on how to make some extra money on the side. We will cover buying and selling product. By product I mean anything that you are knowledgeable about, in my case its art, music memorabilia and other odds and ends that some people might just throw out or give away. But product can be anything from car parts to dolls (not my forte).

Lets start with art. In art the less there are of the product the better so if there is only 1 that is the best and if there are 400 that is still good, 2,000 is ok if it is a high demand artist or print but over 5,000 you are usually only buying the art because you really like it, not to make money down the road. I buy art because I like it and to make money. There are a few new artists that are affordable and their resale go up right away. Shepard Fairey (Obey Giant) is the 1st one I will mention and one of favorite artists. If you can score one of his limited prints from his web sight when they go on sale, your print will double in price immediately. They usually range from $50-$100. Make sure its a screen print and not a lithograph. Most of his limited edition screen prints sell out in under 1min so like buying tickets timing is everything. Your best resale margin is after 3-5 years so look at it as an investment. I have sold many right away because I needed the money so only hang on to them if you can.

The 2nd artist I will mention is Emek . He is not as famous as Obey but his art still sells at a good margin and I would hang it on my wall (Not all but some). Both Obey and Emek do a lot of work for musicians and that is how I have come to know them.

Anyone selling anything on the internet now has a store page , make sure to bookmark this page. Subscribe to their e-mail list. Emek will always send an e-mail before a print goes on sale and there will always be a set time. Obey on the other hand will hardly ever send out an e-mail and only give a date of the sale not a time. I check Obey's web sight once a day to see if any new items will go on sale soon. There is a program that costs $50 called UpdatePatrol that allows you to save a web page and whenever that web page makes a change it lets you know...so if Obey is selling a new print and UpdatePatrol is running it will let you know when the print is up for sale. Otherwise you sit there and refresh your page for 6 hours.

Here is a print I just got bought as I was typing ($55) and here is how much it is going for now. I will keep mine for awhile. Saving this art also makes great presents, if you are tight on cash, just bust out a print.

Another artist that sells like mad is Jack White. He is always releasing limited stuff. The most limited stuff he only release at his Nashville store so I thought to myself how would I get these...and then it came to me. Post an add on CraigsList in Nashville for someone to pick them up for me and I will pay them $20 an hour for their time (PayPal makes this easy). I now have 3 people picking me up items in Nashville and sending them to me. I completed the 1st round of the Tri-colored set and just sold it for $2,600. I paid $600 total. Not bad considering.

Overall limited art and memorabilia sells the best for me but it could be anything just do your research 1st. Things like comics and baseball cards are past their glory days so I stay away from those.

Stay tuned for the 3rd installment if you like free trips and TVs.

one more thing...

I almost forgot. YANKEES SUCK!!!!

The Digital Music Era

Hello all. Since my name is on the letterhead, I felt it's time I should actually contribute my thoughts for once to our community blog. I've thought long and hard about a topic that is somewhat relevant to the times, and when I sat down to type this, I changed my mind about a topic at the last minute, as do most bloggers, I suppose.

I, like most people of my generation, am in love with music. Whether it's past or present, rock or opera, I can't think of a better way to spend time than to have a personal soundtrack for your thoughts handy. I remember as a young kid, listening to Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger" on my first Sony, a hand held tape player with mono sound and a 4" speaker built in. I lugged it every where. Today I never leave the house without an Ipod. So much for Sony tape player walk-mans, or entertainment centers with the Hi-fidelity player (8-track) built into the craftsmanship. I remember the television I grew up with. A 27" RCA with speakers built into the side and it swiveled on a base, making the entire unit weigh near 400 lbs. Today's televisions are 3" thick at the center, and come with Ipod adapters built in to accommodate your musical needs.

Nowadays, tapes are non-existent, unless you live your weekends at yard sales and flea markets, searching for the rarest of bootlegs or live recordings. And I assume, if you find such a feat, that the recording is muffled or weathered, disappointing and leaving you feel molested. And music can be purchased by the song as well as by entire album, allowing the buyer to cherry picking their favorite songs, rather than enduring the albums of one-hit wonders. I am one of those types of buyers. I gave up on driving down to the local record store, and purchasing the almost extinct compact disc of the new album release of a favorite band.

When Napster came out, music began an aggressive change that turned the record industry into (insert favorite cliche' here). Gone are the "rare" recordings and live bootlegs. No more hard to get European recordings or half-way-across-the-globe festivals. Even U2 did a live show feed on YouTube the other night. It seems to me it's easier to find a rare track on the Internet, even if the recording is crummy, than it is to find Led Zeppelin 1 on vinyl in a popular record store, or Pink Floyd's Animals on CD. Log in to Itunes or Amazon, and the world's entire music catalog is available at your finger tips. And I love it!! I love the availability to new releases of my favorite bands while I'm at work. The ability to have a song in my head, and to log-in and purchase it a minute later is such a great feeling. I can take it home, never once dealing with tearing the plastic off the album, or driving to the record store to find it sold out. It's heart warming.

I can remember being in high school, listening to Soundgarden's "Superunknown" in my car for my entire senior year, not because I loved it, as I still do, but because it was in the tape player all the time, the others lost amid a mess of garbage and clothing. Not to mention friends with sticky hands. It's amazing how times changed. When I was in school (oh shit, I'm having one of those moments...) there were maybe 25 personal computers in the entire school. I took a typing class and we did it on the program BASIC. Now my computer at work is 240 Gig with 4 gig of RAM. I have 40 gig of music stored and that can play for over 24 days, without once repeating a song. Can you imagine lugging around that much music in records or tapes or Cd's? FUCK!

Now, because music is digital, it's not only easy to buy, it's easy to share. The kids who invented Napster, the music share community, it became a way for everyone to compare recordings and open up your senses to new music, such that you never would have heard before, thanks to the people who program radio stations. I haven't listened to the radio in ears out of choice. I just log on. And a lot of bands protest against these music sharing communities, but my man Trent Reznor says "People aren't stealing music to make money. They steal because they love music." Ain't that the truth.

I guess the point of all this is to give a little acknowledgment to what we as humans have been able to accomplish. We've come a long way since sticks and animal pelts. I think that electronic music, in the variety of options that are available for download, will have a better effect on our environment in the long run, and the feasability of avaiability makes music much more enjoyable in my opinion. I think I'll go get something new to add to my music arsenol for my way home. My life soundtrack.

Keep Rocking

-Johnny

Binging on Chuck Klosterman

If you are unfamiliar with the author Chuck Klosterman, get acquainted. I was in Seattle at the beginning of October and found myself roaming the isles of Barnes and Nobles in the basement of the Pacific Place while my mother returned a clothing item. I had heard of his most well known book "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" which is available at any college bookstore in the country but was unable to find it in the Pop Culture section here. What I did find was his book "IV" which is a collection of the articles and interviews he did while employed by Esquire and Spin magazine. I wasn't ready to invest the $14 since it wasn't really what I had been looking for but I decided to read the Brittany Spears interview at the beginning of the book while I waited. It was an amazing interview especially since it had been conducted before Brittany's disastrous Challenger-like failings shortly there after. It almost seemed to predict the person we would all come to know. A country girl who was completely sheltered from the world and is either clueless (probably) or shrewd (probably not) as they come. Needless to say I purchased it and was immersed in a world of Bono, Billy Joel, Gilbert Arenes, Val Kilmer and many other bizarrely fascinating famous people. Since I found this book to be so rewarding I went to the Boston University bookstore when I returned to Boston and bought S,D and CP. After being spun around by this collection of essay's including why he hates soccer as a professional sport and the story of him going on the road with a Guns N' Roses cover band I couldn't wait for his newest book (Eating the Dinosaur)to be released. Well that day came last Tuesday and I am only a chapter in (I have been binging on Mad Men too!) but this book provides the promise of the best collection yet. There is nothing better than getting new work from any artist that displays them honing their skill even more than their last work (progress is good in the arts). So if you are like me and like slightly crazy, consciously clever and always entertaining books about everything (and nothing at the same time) you are sure to like Chuck Klosterman.

1/4 Of My Household Income

comes from the turn and burn, buy & sell, get what you want, eBay & Craiglist super markets of the modern digital uprising. I will not give up all my secrets but if done right I could make easily 75% of what my salary is now. I choose to carry a real job because it does pay more and it is directly related to what I love to do (Design).

There are 3 main areas that work for me because my knowledge in those areas allow me to make good buying decisions. I will outline each area individually in separate entries so each can be absorbed equally.

First is the event ticket market, specifically music and comedy. Going to concerts & shows is something I have been doing for a long time now and at some point learned that if you are inline or online first when tickets go on sale you can get the best seats in the house. As everyone probably knows great seats sell often for as much as 3x what you pay, so I started buying extra tickets to the shows I wanted to go see and selling the extras to pay for my tickets to the show. After doing this for about 3 years I knew what bands sold out, what venues were the most popular and most importantly where I can sell my tickets (eBay & CL). Rap concerts never sell as good unless its Jay-Z, Snoop, Dre, all the big names do fine but they still do not sell out nearly as fast as rock shows. Seattle is one of many states (38) that ticket brokering is legal as long as you are not reselling the tickets on the venue property (Door scalping) and you must also pay your taxes.

Rather then talk about the ethics of this market I want to focus on feeding my family while enjoying life. To do that I will focus on the details to make it possible. You need the following, high speed internet, not an iPhone or DSL, you need Cable or above. I don't even use my wireless network at home because you will loose the necessary band width needed. Stay wired. I even pay the extra $10 a month to get the juice boost from Comcast. Next you need to know the pre-sale password. You will always get the best seats through fan club pre-sales or other pre-sales like it. This password, 9 times out of 10, gets sent by email after you sign up for the artist fan club, promoting companies or venues. I have a few favorite venues and promoting companies that do me right every time. And the final ingredients are, be signed up to and logged into whoever is selling the tickets. For example get a Ticket Master account and be logged into that account. Also have a credit card on file to use. When its says tickets go on sale at 10am start refreshing your screen at 9:59:50 (Make sure your clock is right). Then type like hell and navigate your way to the pay screen. Speed counts. If you follow all these things correctly you will get good seats.

Once you have good seats do your research and find the market value. I do not like to sit on tickets so I undercut market value by 5% so they sell quick. You might have to adjust that number a few times until the market finds a balance. The best place to sell your tickets is Craigslist because there are no fees involved but that off sets itself by people being unreliable. Sometimes its just easier to pay eBay and Paypal to make things go smoothly. I once met a girl on CL that showed up with a check written to half of the amount. She claimed it was her only check. She was attractive so maybe she was thinking I would give them to her for half price. HELL NO BITCH I'm married and I need the money. I wanted to go getto on that ho and scratch her eyes out (click here),but kept my composure and had her cross out and rewrite the check. "Initials please" is what I said before she handed to me. The check looked like my 2 year old went to town on it. I took a risk and the check was good so I did not have to cancel the tickets (An option if you tell the seller you lost them). I did give her $10 off just because I did not want her to drive away. Anyways lesson learned, always go over the price with the buyer on the phone and in an e-mail so its clear.

This quick overview is not the end all be all of ticket brokering but it is a good place to start. My next entry will go over buying and selling products for profit.

Boston Sports: The Monday Hangover

Well Sunday was as close to living in Mudville as it's been in Boston for quite some time. The Sox managed to blow a 2 run lead in the ninth inning with no one on and 2 strikes on the batter. When the Patriots found a way to lose to Denver I knew it was time to head home and avoid any madness that might be brewing in the city streets. The Red Sox loss was the perfect culmination for a forgettable year. The whole team without any real exception struggled mightily. Papelbon ended up being the goat of this game as he was brought in in the 8th only to surrender to inheritted runners and then give up 3 runs in the ninth. Up until this point Papelbon had not given up a run in the previous 26 playoff innings he had worked. His performance was in many ways symbolic to the attitude of this team. There was a kind of "We always beat the Angels, I never give up runs" autopilot mentality that had stunted this teams desire to rise up to the challenge. You could see it from the Angels and specifically Torii Hunter. They wanted this series and they had a chip on their shoulder. The Sox seemed beaten in every facet of the game this week. If it was basketball the Angels would have been the team getting the loose balls, steals and rebounds. On that note... Lets switch over to basketball and the Celtics. The Celtics provide not only a new life but a hunger and intensity. They are no a team who is content with winning a championship 2 years ago. They are a team with an attitude that reminds us of why we as humans like to compete. For the love, the adversity and sanity it provides for us in this crazy world. Where do we stand in Boston today? For one I am glad the Red Sox didn't prolongue this any more than was necessary. The Patriots, it is clear, will only go as far as Tom Brady can take them. Through the first five weeks he has looked like a shell of himself but if anyone is to make it back into his former self he is the guy I bet the farm on. The Celtics should be a beast this year. Garnett has looked great so far and Rasheed Wallace is going to be an excellent addition to an already deep and confident team. So the sports carousel continues to spin and it promises us nothing except another season of competition. This is why we watch and care.

Red Sox: Season on the Brink

So, here we are in Boston. Season on the brink and I feel like I am supposed to feel differently. This team has been plagued with a very vanilla and cooperate feel. It as if our fun-loving Sox have been kidnapped and replaced by the stoic business-like Yankees. It was weird watching the second to last series between those two teams. It was the Yankees who were slapping five and giving hugs and showing personality and the Sox just appeared to just be content with showing up and giving it their all. Chemistry is a hard thing to quantify but this year’s team is definitely missing it. I realized as I looked at yesterdays lineup that this is exact same lineup we lost with last year except virtually everyone has been worse this year.

Don’t be fooled by statistics with Big Papi and J.D. Drew, they had pathetic years. The worst is Drew who was able finish the year with a .279 batting average 24 homers and an obp of .392. Here is a guy we have all had to suffer with the last several years. He will take strike 3 and then hit a home run when the game is out of reach. I bet his former employers (especially the Dodgers) are enjoying another typical year from “Nancy” Drew. Papi almost got to the 100 RBI plateau (99) and hit 28 home runs but was a shell of himself. You could even see that the umpires thought he was washed up by some of the strike calls he received. Pedroia is no MVP this year (still not sure he was last year either), Youk has been injured and Jason Bay (who had a good staitistical year which will be richly rewarded) showed he is still not Manny Ramirez. If the Sox had Manny last year I think they would have been in the World Series and had a very good chance of winning it (since after all it would have been played against the National League). For all the unwanted drama that Manny brought and would have continue to bring (female fertility drugs) this year’s team lacks it any sign of life. The Red Sox feel like a drafted fantasy team. One where the players will look good on paper but didn't have that abitility to interact and gel with eachother. In the past the Red Sox were known as a team of 25 players, 25 separate cabs.

The problem with this today is sports is considered entertainment and a lot of that is so that we can justify the Brad Pitt size contracts doled out to our favorite players. I have often likened Fenway to Broadway: Old theatre-like home, high drama, and expensive tickets that are hard to get. It seems unfair that with their resources the Red Sox couldn’t put out a better team to watch. I’m not saying these players don’t care or didn’t try or didn’t perform. I simply think that they are boring and gave no one a good reason to come out to watch this team. I ask management, have you gone too far with your desire for company men? We shall find out tomorrow as the season teeters on the brink.

Who You Gonna Call?

Dan Aykroyd, thats who. In all his famed glory Aykroyd has found a new direction and I have to say its one I will embrace. Crystal Head Vodka is the new direction. The bottle represents a look into the paranormal and represents subjects that I find interesting, not to mention untainted clear elixir. Any one for a Dead Russian?

Dan the man was signing bottles at the University Village the other day and we made a go at it. The line was long (700+) but the eclectic bunch of goers adorned with Blues Brothers attire and The State Puff Marshmallow Man dolls made the hour+  wait not so bad. Dan was all business, signing bottles as fast as someone handed them to him. He was kind enough to sign anything anyone brought and take pictures as well. Not saying much but keeping the herd satisfied the line flowed rather fast. We took some pictures and were on our way. Clel, on the way out, in his little boyish voice said "By Dan" and Dan replied "By honey it was good to see you".

He also confirmed Ghost Busters 3 is on the way.

Just Made A Record With Jack White

Recently I won a trip to Nashville to hang with the master of new age marketing & music mogul; Jack White. I have been to a few meet & greets with different musical artists and most of the time its wham bam, say hi, and move on not knowing what hit you. Usually I left feeling a bit robbed of what you felt was your right (undeserved) to befriend someone based on how much you like their music and how much you think they would like you. So going into this my lesson has been learned, have fun & don't expect anything too special.

They put my wife & I up in a beautiful hotel and we made the most of our night out on the town in Nashville. I have never seen so much country music and karaoke within a 2 mile radius. Meghan laid down a great rendition of Man In The Box along with a few others.

Our tour of Third Man Records (Jack White's Record Label & Store) started at 12pm in the front room. To give a little background on the record store, it is a fairly large space when looking at it from the outside but when you walk in to the store it is a tiny little room that barley fits 10 people. So where did all the space go? The back has never been open to any public and we knew we would be some of the 1st to servery whats behind the curtain.

Like a scene out of Charley and the Chocolate Factory JW comes out of the back bull horn bumpin in one hand and clove a blazin in the other. With a brief introduction he asked us to follow him back into his home. His workers included females and males dressed in uniform reminiscent of the umpa lumpas. Our umpa hosts were very accommodating. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of this space and its too bad because words could not do it justice. Full kitchen, living room, working stop light, photo booth, offices, jukebox, stage, photo shoot area, underground tunnels, dressing room and Jack Lawrence playing the stand up bass in the closet! All of the highest quality, saturated with bright colors and finished in master woodworking. Jack invited us to have a coke from the fridge and take a look around. He explained where the influences came from in each room. There was an unreleased White Stripes record playing in the background and all in all a pretty laid back environment.

Recently TMR released a series of records called the blue series where each different recording artist had their picture taken behind the blue staging area. Jack explained that we would each be making a record with our picture on it with him. How fuckin sweet is that. Here it is...its always and after thought but I wish I would have posed cool but instead I have a big shit eating grin on my face but at least it shows we were having fun.

 

 

After taking our pictures Meghan gave Jack some fresh tomatoes from our garden. Not sure if he would give us the freak card for that Meg followed through. He was very grateful and said this is great these will definitely get eaten.

Next we toured United Record Pressing where all TMR releases are printed. They are one of the biggest plants in the world and have been doing a great job for many decades. If you want to make a record this is where you go.

On our way out we were given a bag of goodies along with our finished record. All in all a great, one of a lifetime trip, that will always be fun to look back on.

Thanks Jack

Quick Note: Gilbert Arenas

Ok, so I don't own an NBA Franchise or a business but why would you invest your future in a player with an attitude like Gilbert Arenas. He has been injured the last 2 years after having 2 other productive years yet somehow the Wizards gave him a 6 year $111 Million dollar deal. He said this year he is finally ready but blamed the team for not protecting him from himself http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4480321 . Like most of us I find it disgusting that the face of a franchise would come out and make ridiculous accusations of his current employer especially considering he hasn't even said that they made him play when injured. Check out the article and see what you think. You may want to be close to the toilet because it could cause you to be sick. Not just that, I went on to Wikipedia and this is what it said under his bio:

Arenas had only played in 8 games this season due to a knee injury, before he started practicing again in May, and returned to action on April 2, 2008 against the Milwaukee Bucks,[13] scoring 17 points in a 110–109 home loss.[14]
Ten days prior, Arenas stormed out of the locker room before a game against the Detroit Pistons.[15] He had wanted to play, but his doctor did not give him clearance.[16] Arenas made a surprise return on April 9, when he came out of the locker room with 5:30 left in the first quarter.

I mean really?! These players are unreal. It's no wonder kids identify with these guys. They behave just like them. I remember how cool I thought Barry Bonds was when he would non-chalant his fly ball catches and now I realize that if I wouldn't find that attitude cool in any other proffesional. Maybe I'm showing my age but I thing I'm just showing my class.

Movie Seen: Informant!

Got out of the gym after finishing up an hour of lousy hoops (lousy referring to my performance) and decided I needed a little pick-me-up. Since the Gym is directly above the Loews Boston Common I headed over. I had been interested in seeing the documentary September Issue about the head of Vogue Magazine (I know, not exactly a manly movie but I'm interested in successful people, especially ones accused of being horrendous to work for) but I saw Informant! with Matt Damon had opened. I went in with high hopes but was literally counting the minuets before it ended. It wasn't that there weren't funny moments or that Mstt Damon wasn't great (he was) it was just that the moments were so far and between that I didn't feel like laughing when they finally arrived. The movie seemed to just float along with no sense of direction and no urgency. The drama did not build and by the end I didn't care how it ended, I was just happy it was over (though it wasn't technically since as I left they were still telling us about where the characters are today). If you want to see a movie which is clocked at an hour and fourty five minutes but feels an hour longer than that then here's your movie. Sorry besides the excellent use of music there was little enjoyable about this. So my lousy hoops performance sat there like a rock in my stomach and my mind was left to dwell upon how I wished I had gone to see that documentary.

Cape Cod, Nunfest 2009

Well last weekend represented the last weekend of the summer and I was fortunate enough to spend it on Cape Cod. My buddy Frank and I headed down there because his friend Tim, who is the owner of The Red Nun in Chatham, was hosting the first annual "NunFest." Well that's not the official name but we spent the rest of the weekend referring to it by that name. It was a charity event that hosted music acts throughout the afternoon. Wachusett Brewing Company was on hand pouring their famous Blueberry Ale along with the rest of their flavorful beers. The performances were great and there were a couple that reall y stood out to me. There was one artist who came and performed by himself named Chris Pappas. He is the lead singer of The Everyday Visuals which is a Boston based band that is fairly well known. Frank introduced him as a James Blunt type (meant as a compliment) talent and he turned out to not disapoint. His last song was the one that sewed it up for me. He started off on another acoustic ballad but stopped about 30 seconds in. He appologized and said he doesn't normally do the next song but he wanted to do it. It was Nirvana "My Girl, My Girl Tell me where did you sleep last night." By the end he was just wailing and we all were just staring totally engrossed. Nothing better than live music to make you feel alive!

Inglourious Bastards- What are we supposed to think Quentin?

As I looked to escape my tiny North End street which was hosting St Anthony's Feast (the last feast of the season for this famous Itallian neigborhood) I thought why not check out the new Tarantino flick as named above. I called up my buddy Adam who too was trying to find away to get out of the house without it involving alcohol (who ever goes out for just one?) and he swooped me up in his sliver Toyota pick-up. As I exited onto street level I found myself in a swarm of tourist dressed in Red Sox shirts (the I love NY version of Boston pride), local teens on bikes and double parked cars. Once inside his truck we hit a U-ey and were at the Loews Boston Commons in minutes. The movie itself felt much like a Cohen Brothers movie (I mean this as a compliment. The Cohen brothers are not only some of the best filmmakers at it today but ones that also consistenly push the envelope of storytelling and character development) . It is packed with unusual characters that are allowed to develope through scenes that run longer (sucessfully I might add) than most holywood movies would allow. The black humor that pulses through this movie left me with some guilt as I find nothing funny about war, Jews, Nazi's or death. None the less I found myself laughing and cheering at moment with everyone else in the theatre. While Brad Pitt is featured as the face of this movie it is Christoph Watlz in the part of Col. Hanz Landa that is very much the lead of this movie and certainly puts in the best performance. I have to say Tarantino really is excellent at using music. There are several moments where the choice of soundtrack and cinematography had me in a trance like state, following every beat and movement without a thought in my mind. There is an especially memorable scene that features the female lead, Melanie Laurant and the young Nazi hero Daniel Bruhl that is beautifully executed. Brad Pitt is to be comended for his performance. I have noticed when he tries to step outside the persona of Brad Pitt it usually feels like he's acting. The results are no different here but his Sgt. Slaughter rendition is so over the top that he is the perfect caricature for this flick. I never felt bored during the movie I can say but it also didnt ramp up the way you might desire (on a side note I just saw The Hurt Locker and I found myself ducking and turning in my seat throughout the movie), This movie could have delivered a little more suspense but it kept me curious and that is to be valued in this day from a featured film. The other interesting part of this movie is that the audience in many ways is tricked into watching a foriegn film. While less than half the movie in my estimation is in subtitles there are certainly more words to read than most American films. In many ways this is great as I know I have found myself avoiding many foriegn films due to the lack of desire to read. It wasn't bad at all and in many ways reminded me of how little of human comunication truly is based on the use of words. Adam and I spoke about the movie as we left. He had enjoyed it quite a bit and felt that Tarantino had employed enough of his signature to leave his fans fulfilled in this latest instalment of his work. I felt much the same way. The characters were there, so was the music. The shots were excelent and dark humor as well. But I was still slightly uneasy about the subject matter (again, war, Jews, Nazi's and Death) but I applaud Tarantino for setting his movie amid this period and risking all that is to be gained and lost. I did my best to comment on this movie but give away nothing that might take away from your experience of the movie. I did not read the reviews before I went to see this (nor have I since) and am curious to see what others may answer or add to what I took away.

Hits From The Bong All Day Long

 CA pushing the limits
http://www.guerillaunion.com/smokeout/

 Also The Cronic Re Lit From The Vault. Who is the artist?
http://deathrowmusic.com/home.html
http://deathrowmusic.com/contest.html
http://deathrowmusic.com/remix_contest/contest.html

Off That

http://allhiphop.com/stories/multimedia__music/archive/2009/08/24/21908375.aspx

Are We Really Off That??

Jigga aka Jay Z aka your to fuckin old to be calling any shots any more..... Listen, I love you but who are you to be tellling us we are officially"off that"? We may be, but your pushin the game to a whole nother level. I don't want hip hop to be ties and suits, cummerbunds and boutonnieres...
Instead, Hey Jay how about just sticking to rhymes, and slaying rappers witch you were so good at during one point in your career(Jim Jones, Jaz-o, Nas, Game---all slayed..). Don't put us on another planet yet tempt us to what hip hop could be...... And should be... MR. BeemOne

RIP DJ AM

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/28/dj-am-found-dead-in-new-york/

Quick Thoughts

This video is RAD.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KxjVlaLBmk

If you live near Boston why not? Roof top?
http://features.waaf.com/contests/alice_in_chains_bbq.php

Looks Wicked (Johnny's Find)
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810064790/video/15127381

Out of Seattle and tearing it up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LMuJ56FwPw

Shows I will be at
AIC (The Moore)
KISS (The Key)
Puscifer (The Moore)
Wolfmother (The Paramount)

The Eagle Has Landed

Well as most of you know by now Michael Vick made his preseason debut last night. For information on his performance please see espn.com. What I find more interesting is the varying opinion of whether or not Michael Vick should be allowed to play and whether or not he is a role model. I can remember growing up and looking up to sports players. My friends and I used to arrive hours before the game to get autographs of our favorite players. Ironically it was not our favorite players that would take the time to sign our baseball cards, gloves and caps. There are only so many Pete O'Brien autographs with "John 3:14" scribbled underneath that you can collect before you start to think what the hell is up. Why weren't our role models around to sign autographs for their biggest fans?. Charles Barkley was the first one to really come out and say it. Nike put together a commercial featuring him and his tough guy persona proudly stating "I AM NOT A ROLE MODEL." It seemed kind of cool and rebellious at the time (it wasn't adults who were lining up to buy his shoes). Years later I agree he is no role model but I marvel at how many athletes have turned out to be worse. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term role model as "a person whose behavior in a particular role is imitated by others." In those simple terms everyone is a role model since we all play a role and have the opportunity to influence imitation in others. I look at the "steroid era" with quite a bit of sadness. It is not sadness for what the players have done but by the way they have chosen to hide what they have done. From Big Mac, to Sammy Sosa, Raphael Palmero, Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz and of course Roger Clemens. They have all lied and then lied again in an attempt to cover up the secret they held from their fans. If they would have come out and admitted it and taken responsibility we would have forgiven them and moved on. I don't mean admitted it like Alex Rodriguez though. Someone who's vein attempt to appear sincere and honest accomplished neither. Even before the admission of steroid use came off as insultingly insincere. He should have never been a role model the moment he told Seattle it was not about the money but the opportunity to win and then turned around an signed with Texas for a quarter of a billion dollars. Many cannot fault him for not passing on that amount of money but I ask in retrospect do we not see the flaws to this type of thinking. It was as symbolic as Greek Mythology or the Bible. A young man with all the gifts in the world is lured away from a home that loved him by money. It was a deal with the devil where he chose to sacrifice the chance to win and ended up playing somewhere hot where losing would be eternal. A fable he has become, one to warn your kids about every night before bed. After all of this I almost want to celebrate someone like Michael Vick. An individual who made some atrocious decisions in life and has been stripped of everything and been forced to start over from scratch. I do not know whether the punishment has fit the crime but there were very few things left to take away from Michael Vick when all was said and done. The one argument I hear from his enemies is that they could have taken away football. To this I agree, you can take away football but why? Do we not want to rehabilitate people so that they can do some good in this world and their community? What do we gain by taking away all of the money, dignity and 18 months of life from a man and then releasing him in only to push him further to the brink? When I think of this argument I think of insurgents in places like Iraq and more importantly today Afghanistan. People with little hope have very few options in life. When they have everything taken away from them we do not win. We lose because they become far more dangerous than they ever were before. What happens to Vick if we take it all away? Maybe he ends up in Virginia with the same bad news crew he was running with before. And maybe due to his poverty and his fall from grace he is caught in the same place so many others with no future to hope for end up. Back in jail or in the dirt. Here, starting today and everyday moving forward we have someone who has been to the bottom and who seems truly grateful for another chance to make it to the top. So for now this Eagle has landed, but let us hope, for everyone's sake, he once again can fly.

crack heads given a choice....... Lets see uhhh...

Seriously.... Seattle time to quit being passive and put the damn hammer down

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2009760820_diversion28m.html

Hip hop beefs

Eminem vs. Mariah Carey( below)?? Is this what hip hop beefs have come to? If so, I'm out...... No, actually this is one of the better beefs hip hop has seen in years. At least Eminem comes out with fire under his ass, comes out like he wants to make the hottest bitch in his class look like the whore he got to first. Either way the energy is there... I guess I am sick of all these recent so called rap beefs (50 cent vs. Rick Ross, Method Man vs. Joe Budden, the renewed beef of Ja Rule vs 50 cent?) They all go in the same way. Somebody has more fucking money, more guns, more goons, more bitches, more bling than the next. What every true rap fan wants is a lyrical battle. let the music do killing, the murdering. I won't use "back in the day" but lets understand where this has gone and stand up as fed up fans.... MR. BEEM



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZxPxdZugc8

Fuck n Bad ASS...& Free - Seattle

Last night was easily one of the best musical experiences that I have had. If you did not hear the sounds of golden grunge over the Seattle airways the last couple of days then you missed the fact that 99.9 & 107.7 the end were giving away tickets to see one of the sought after Seattle shows in a long time. A chance to see a private show with Alice in Chains going acoustic.

This had all the ingredients to go down in the books. We lined up outside of the EMP around 6:30 and when the name checker gave us our wrist bands (Yellow 21+, red for entry) he said your going to want to keep these on even after the show is over...interesting.

Upon entering the EMP we all cattled our way to the Sky Church. There was a line near the front and I thought it was for drinks and as I got closer I realized that was the stage, SHIT MAN! This place was tinny. Just before the show a man in a red jersey came on stage and said "take one" so we new it was being filmed. They busted out 5 great classics that the crowd of around 300+ sang along with every word.The music sounded perfect.

Brother
Got Me Wrong
Rooster
No Excuses
Down in a Hole

Security was starting to clear a path near us so we knew something was up. After the last song Jerry said "we are going to try something kinda fun, follow us". So everyone followed out of the EMP, around the Space Needle and through the carnival rides in the direction of the laser dome. The whole time walking along side the band. I took some time to go up to Jerry and say hi. I had my jersey on from playing in the fantasy foot ball league with him last year. He said "cool you were in the league last year, right on." By that point the Seahawks Blue Thunder Drum section just kicked into gear escorting us the rest of the way into the party.

Inside the laser dome it was open bar (beer & wine) and all you can eat food and the best part about it was the band was hanging out with everyone. At least 1/3 or the crowd was friend and family. I had moments to talk with each AIC member individually and also met the commish from last years FF league. Everyone was in great spirits. Meg went around and maneuvered autographs from each band mate on her entry laminate & I had Jerry sign my Jersey. As soon as the vultures saw I had a Sharpe Jerry's happy face turned placid and my Sharpe took awhile to get back to me. When Jerry handed it back he gave me the look of don't do that to me again.

Getting nice and lubed by this point we sat back and got the monster treat of getting to hear the whole new album, Black Gives Way To Blue, from beginning to end. This is one great fucking album. Songs 6, 7, 9 & 11 left marks in my brain that I will never forget & Check My Brain is already a classic. Here was the track listing. I want to thank AIC for making this night Fuck n Bad ASS.

1. All Secrets Known
2. Check My Brain
3. Last Of My Kind
4. Your Decision
5. A Looking In View
6. When The Sun Rose Again
7. Acid Bubble
8. Lesson Learned
9. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue

More Pics Here
http://www.kisw.com/An-Evening-with-Alice-in-Chains/5095729http://www2.1077theend.com/photos/gallery/1239

Jack White

On another note I won entry to a private Dead Weather show last week and they ripped one open something fierce. There was a 1/25 chance of wining an all expenses paid trip to Nashville to hang with the man himself at his record store (Third Man Records)....I was selected as that person. You will hear about it when I am done.

I will stop pissing in your breakfast as soon as my heart beat slows down.

LAUNCH

This is the first of many entries that we will discuss music, food, sports, news and whatever we feel like. I (Jesse Howard) have recruited 3 others to start this adventure and I have no idea if they will follow. Like any new entity we will start small and grow to include others to blog and interview. The others invited go by the names of John Hurson, Josh Howard & Orion Gousie. Beyond being knowledgeable and brutally honest these individuals have expressed interest in this type of venture. I hope we can keep this blog populated & interesting every day. Until next time.