Madness?

I got to see the mash-up DJ Girl Talk perform live in Iowa City last night at the IMU Ballroom. In a word, the show was insanity, packed wall to wall with people and speakers with enough bass to rattle the foundation of the building.

Personally, I found it a great experience to see Girl Talk live. Many criticize him as a "lazy" musician who doesn't know how to make his own music, so he just mashes up others' tracks. I personally dare any critic to try doing what he does (for three minutes, let alone for two hours) and then tell me that he is somehow lazy. In his two hour show, GT didn't go out of sync or apparently make a mistake once, which is quite the feat for any DJ.

Poison Control Center opened for the DJ. They were good, but were little beyond typical indie rockers from Ames. Too much screaming for their type of music, in my opinion. Still, I was impressed by them and their lead vocalist who had an uncanny knack for audience participation.

I also managed to get some videos out of this as well, and I'll post the links to them once they are posted...

much respect,

josh

PS: To see more (cooler) pics from the concert and an article that I wrote about the concert, click HERE to visit the KRUI Blog.

I overslept...

Damn, G. I hit that snooze button one too many times. My apologies for not posting for so long, but things have been hectic recently. While writing and creativity are always first and second in my life, the blog sometimes has to take a backseat to other, more pressing issues that I've got facing me. I don't intend upon ending the blog anytime soon and I'm thinking that after this little hiatus I'll be a bit more refreshed when it comes to my writing.

Just yesterday, I had the profound pleasure of taking part in an on-air interview with hip-hop journalist, activist, and Media Assassin Harry Allen. He's long been one of the most outspoken (and well-spoken) advocates of hip-hop music. You can listen to the entire interview here. I was honestly surprised by Harry's demeanor. For someone who is so courageously outspoken and who holds such firm opinions when it comes to hip hop, he was one of the most cordial and non-confrontational people I've ever met, in addition to one of the most eloquent.

It's also been a good week for film watching (or just staying out of the shitty Iowa weather in general). In my Film Analysis class we watched Brian Singer's "The Usual Suspects" as well as Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead." Drastically different movies, both awesome on their own levels for entirely separate reasons.

It was my first time seeing "Usual Suspects," and although I absolutely loved it, I would have loved it a lot more if I didn't already know the ending. I won't spoil it for you if you haven't seen it yourself, but the ending to this film is among one of the most widely talked about in the history of film. If you don't know who Keyser Soze (the bad guy) is already, don't ask anyone who has seen the movie. I've learned that most times they won't hesitate to tell you, assuming you've already seen the movie. This was what happened to me, which is kind of a shame. I was not at all shocked by the twist ending, but I can say that it was orchestrated incredibly well and I'm genuinely impressed with the directing ability of Singer.

"Evil Dead" was also a first for me. For those who don't know, this is the über-gory indie horror film that launched the careers of director/producer Sam Raimi (who directed the Spiderman series) as well as Bruce Campbell (Bubba Ho-tep, Burn Notice, some of the more recent Old Spice advertisements). While it's beyond the realm of could be considered campy, it's a genuinely great horror film. Don't watch it if you're not a fan of the gore, otherwise this film is a must for anyone who likes movies, even if only for ironic reasons.

much respect,

josh

Movies and Parades

I made a conscious decision earlier this year not to go to Key West, Florida for spring break. I had the means, motive, and opportunity to do so, and I turned it down in favor of finding work for summer. This was a decision I was certain that I would grow to regret, but I am beyond enthused to say that I have been proven wrong.

I've seen a surprising number of good movies recently. Funny how that goes, whenever I see a great movie, I seem to see three or four at a time. About a week and a half ago, I saw "Dead Man," a 1995 'post-modern' western starring Johnny Depp. Bizarre film, but darkly humorous and worth looking through a few video stores to find this rarity. I also finally got around to seeing "Requiem for a Dream," and "Slumdog Millionaire," both of which I'd been meaning to see for quite some time.

"Requiem," was a beautiful film and everything I expected, if a little bit depressing. "Slumdog" also made an impression on me and I understand why it is so acclaimed now. While I think that the film is an eastern film pushed through a westernized filter, I don't think it at all affects the quality of the film. If anything, I feel that the film is yet another achievement for an already established Danny Boyle.

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Des Moines was also an unbelievable blast. It felt nice to let go for a few hours and scream my head off for beads and candy (no, I didn't flash anyone). I even managed to get a free shirt out of it, from some pub I've never heard of in Urbandale. I've even met a few more great people at the parade, which just reinforces my belief that I made the right decision to stay in Des Moines. I love spring.

much respect,

josh

a day to listen to radiohead.

There couldn't be a grayer day possible for Iowa City today. Bleak and rainy outside, the fog is so thick that it's harder so see much further than about 50 yards or so, but that might just be my near-sightedness kicking in.

Frankly, though, I love these sorts of days. It isn't really cold (in fact there's next to no wind, so it feels like it's in the mid-50s) and I've gathered that the weather in England is not all that dissimilar to this. There's just something about it that makes me feel productive and professional inside. I have the sudden urge to dress up more than what is really necessary and get things done for the sheer sense of accomplishment. Simultaneously, however, I'm starting to get really weary of classes and spring break (which is this next week) could not be coming at a better time.

Also, for all of you facebook addicts out there, my friend Ming Tran sent me this video. I relate to it and can't help but chuckle (and be just a tad fearful inside) that communication has distilled itself all the way down to this.

much respect

josh

PS: As I finished writing this post, some frat guy (no I'm not profiling, he was wearing his letters) walks through the slightly busier than normal coffee house where I happen to be at this moment in time, and loudly moaned, "What the f*ck is it with these people? Don't they have jobs?" I'm not a truly violent person, but I have never wanted to punch someone so hard in my life, and I'm guessing, judging by the look on their faces, a number of other patrons feel the same.

incognito

Only a handful of people may know this, but I actually returned to Des Moines this weekend, with next to no planning. My dad came down to visit and we decided that it would be nice to leave Iowa City for a weekend and spend it in a city we were both familiar with. It was nice stopping by and seeing a few select friends and family members (please don't be offended if you weren't one of them, I had a very limited amount of time) while running about town doing the things I used to (and still do) love to do.

Additionally, a friend of mine told me about this blog website, Tumblr, on which I've created a second (yes, SECOND) blog. I hesitate to use that word, though. "Blog." It's a much more static, unfiltered representation of myself and my web-surfing habits. Expect more random thoughts and links from my tumblr as opposed to actual entries that you get in this blog.

Lastly, the new episode of my podcast is out now, available through ZShare as always. Give it a download if you like.

much respect,

josh

A thought I had today in my (boring) Film Analysis screening

It's a well-know fact, fringing on cliché here in Iowa City that 90% of the people who attend the University of Iowa are either from Des Moines or "a suburb of Chicago." I think, therefore, that it is worth noting when I come across someone from a place that does not fall into either category outlined above. 

In the past week and a half, I've met people from Rochester, New York; Madison, Wisconsin; and Los Angeles, California. This bring the number of people I've met (not even people that I personally know) from states other than Iowa and Illinois to just 11, a number I find slightly low. I've previously met someone else from Rochester, NY as well as people from Potosi, WI; Dearborn Heights, MI; Anchorage, AK; St. Louis, MO; Minneapolis, MN; and Omaha, NE. I've also met a girl from London, England, which is equally cool. 

I don't know why I find this so significant, but I do. I just think there's something to be said for meeting people from other places on this Earth of ours.

Songs listened to while composing this entry:

Bright Morningstar by Tiësto

Human by The Killers

much respect

josh

These kids and their damn college classes

We seem to do so much awesome stuff in my basic acting class. Whoever wrote the syllabus is a pure genius, as I've yet to be anything less than entirely engrossed in each class session we've had so far. The other day we did a sense memory exercise that involved us recalling something that we've always wanted to say to someone but have never had the courage to follow through on it. We were to pick someone at random in the class and say it to them. Some of the comments that people chose to share started off rather lightly but progressed to some heavy stuff by the end of the class. It was a stunning experience, really. Something that will really make you think deeply and give you an odd sense of empowerment. I feel better having done it.

On a separate note, my Film Analysis professor actually bragged (I emphasize that bit) to the class on Wednesday that he had not seen a single Star Wars film and saw no need to. I love the University of Iowa as much as the next hawkeye, but I'm beginning to question my film education. I was absolutely flabbergasted to find out that one can apparently become a professor of film studies without having seen any of those films. I don't even expect him to like any of them (I honestly don't think he would), but any more you almost have to make a conscious effort not to see those movies, considering their permeating ubiquity.

much respect

josh

A fallacy...

As I was falling asleep the other day, an deep(ish) thought crossed my mind. 

Think of the most recent romantic movie you've seen (especially if it's a romantic comedy). Now think of the reasons that a character might give as to why he or she cannot enter into a relationship. They vary, but one of the more popular reasons given typically goes something like "I can't because I just got out of a bad relationship."

To me, this argument (in most cases) makes very little sense. Having seen friends deal with their own relationships and having left a poor relationship or two myself, I've noticed that most people are eager to have a quick turnaround after a bad relationship. Some are eager to one-up the previous relationship, others just want their minds off of whomever they just broke up with. Either way, most people anymore (at least in my age demographic) put an emphasis on a quick turnaround, it seems.

What really upsets me here is the fact that no one (or not enough people) cite getting "out of a good relationship" as a reason for not having a quick turnaround. You've never heard it in movies, which seems to dictate the pulse of the romantic lives of young American teens and twenty-somethings. As anyone who's fallen out of a good relationship, particularly if it was against their will, it hurts a thousand times worse than falling out of a bad relationship. We quickly wash our hands and look to the future after falling out of a bad relationship, but falling out of a good one is like getting hit with a large piece of lumber. It leaves splinters, which have a nasty habit of sticking around.

much respect,

josh

PS: I have a new podcast episode available for download from ZShare. You can download it here.

Disconcerting new guy

When I go to get breakfast before my 8:30 classes on Tuesday and Thursday, I typically go to the same meal hall that employs the same people. Very recently, however, there is a new guy at the entrance table where they debit your ID card before you go eat. He doesn't have a name tag but that's not the disconcerting part. 

He is, simply put, exceptionally loud. He greats every diner with an over-zealous "GOOD MORNING," before scanning their card and telling them to "HAVE A NICE DAY." I'm sure the guy means well, but good God, he scares the living bejesus out of me on a biweekly basis. I'm afraid that the kid might take a whole 10 minutes off of my life by the end of the semester. On the other hand, his greetings do have a knack for waking me the hell up.

much respect,

josh

The new hotness.

Let it be known:

Old and Busted: Rickrolling.

The New Hawtness: Bosscocking.

You've been warned.

much respect,

josh

Posting with punctuality

Wow, I'm getting pretty bad with updating this on a regular basis. Sorry all. My typical "swing" of things has been slightly interrupted with the change of my class schedule and the adding of extracurricular activities to my plate.

Firstly, my 4-7am radio show on KRUI 89.7fm (in Iowa City) is going splendidly. My second show is tonight and the first show got a surprising amount of listeners. In the event that you are ever up from 4-7am on a Sunday, you should listen to my show (it's called the "AfterParty") at kruiradio.org/listen.

Secondly, I've got a podcast to accompany the radio show, for those who don't listen to radio stations at such ungodly hours. The first one is hosted on ZShare (http://www.zshare.net/audio/546611797fbe0d62/). Download it at your leisure and listen to it where you choose. BTW, the podcast mostly comprises techno and the like, so if you don't like it, you may not wish to waste your time. Just sayin'.

Thirdly, I can't remember a time when I didn't give any less of a damn about the SuperBowl then tomorrow's SuperBowl XLIII. As a guy who's pretty interested in sports, including the NFL, I really don't care who wins tomorrow. I would prefer the Cardinals, since they have an Iowa connection and they are the underdogs, but I'm not holding my breath. I'll probably watch for the commercials.

Lastly, I realized today how much money I've been spending since being back to Iowa City. Damn. It's a pretty penny. I think I'm going to restrict myself to minimal necessary spending for the next week or two. It sounds easy right now, but time will tell. Updates to come.

much respect,

josh

ps: I've received an unprecedented amount of encouragement and support for my new KRUI radio show. As such, "thank yous" are in order. Big thanks to Bella, Courtney, Jacob, Joshua, Alex, Tim & Jan, Erica Barnes, Nathan Gould, all of the live show listeners, and all of the podcast listeners. This has been a pain in the ass to produce over the first few weeks, but even just the encouragement from any one of you at any one time makes it all worthwhile :)

 

What will happen when...

...Apple runs out of "predatory cat" names for its operating systems?

Back to school...

Despite the slightly bitter (it's better than it was a week ago) temperature, it feels admittedly good to be back in the swing of things. I started off the semester with the first installment of a basic acting class. It seems pretty elementary (never would have guessed that from the name), but it's fun. 

We attempted to play a series of theatre games. The one that sticks out to me was a game where we were to yell out a two digit number ("38!"). The next person in the circle was to yell out the reverse of that number ("83!"). The next person after that was to take the first digit of the second number and yell a new number ("87!"). Needless to say, this confused the class. It went orderly for the first minute or so, before descending into a cacophonous castrophony of college students screaming out random numbers. It was a good start, I guess.

Mr. Obama's about to take office now (FINALLY). Huzzah.

much respect,

josh

Will.I.Am via Hologram, The Reckoning.

I was watching MTV a few days ago when this commercial aired. Now I'm no fan of Will.i.am or the Black-Eyed Peas, but I found this promo hilarious. As you may remember, I riffed on Will.i.am's holographic appearance on CNN's election night coverage. I guess the thing about this ad that struck me as so excellent was just how blatantly Will.i.am pokes fun at himself, something too few celebrities actually do anymore.

In other news, I've recently been added to the KRUI 89.7 fm roster of DJs for the spring semester of '09. For those of you who don't know, KRUI is the student-run radio station of the University of Iowa and specializes in playing some of the best alternative music in the state. Check them out and listen in. My show will be from 4-7am on Sundays. To be known as "The After Party," I'll specialize in playing the best electro/techno/club tracks for some of you night-owls out there. I know this isn't a convenient time for most, so I'll try and offer an abbreviated form of my radio set for download (much like a podcast) quite soon. A website for my show (and likely, the podcasts) is in the works.

much respect,

josh

Being a critic.

Having had the opportunity to take care of some leisure reading on vacation, I've just finished How To Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young. The book, a memoir, chronicles Young's stint as a writer for Vanity Fair while learning to adapt in America (Young is British) in the mid-90's.

While Young is far from a truly gifted writer, he's a damn funny one. The majority of the memoir focuses on Young's riffing on his own failures as a writer, all the while doing so with out dipping into self-loathing, a feat not easily accomplished. Additionally, I challenge anyone not to have an even more cynical view of the pretentious nature of celebrity society after reading this. Young pulls no punches in naming names (except for a few instances when he legally must) and revealing the true ugliness New York's social elite. To put it frankly, Young is the most unassuming smart-ass ever to write at Vanity Fair, which is what makes this book so great. I can't recommend this highly enough to anyone who is interested in journalism or filmmaking; Young's career has led him to dabble in both to incredibly funny effect.

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young = A. A funny and brutal look at celebrity culture mixed with the irreverent attitude of Young.

Additionally, I've had the opportunity to play Quantum of Solace for the Wii, thanks to our neighbors who lent us the game. While the level design is poor, the AI is far from intelligent, and the game riddled with glitches (that's putting it nicely), I can't help but be addicted.

Activision, who recently acquired the rights to make the James Bond video games from EA Games, simply didn't do the game justice in the way they needed to in order to win over the die-hard fans of both the movie series and the games. Like several Bond games before it, QoS tries to be Goldeneye in terms of gameplay style and just can't hold a candle to it (Activision even tried to mimic the menus of N64's Goldeneye. Desperate much?). As for staying true to the story of the films (both Quantum and Casino Royale), don't get me started.

Negative aspects of the game aside, Activision has made an action-packed and blisteringly exciting game. As dumb as they may be, you'll have a blast picking off the endless hordes of enemies that swarm you in each and every level. The game does a decent job of combining first- and third-person gameplay, allowing you a great deal of flexibility in combat.

QoS is far from a great game, but if you have a Wii (having the Zapper peripheral doesn't hurt either), the game is worth a rental. Beatable in around eight hours, QoS provides a mindless little break from life, even if you just blow up your friends in multiplayer.

Quantum of Solace (Wii)= C. Stupid AI, but fun if you just want to blow some stuff up. Rent or borrow, don't buy.

much respect,
josh

PS: I'm trying out a new look for the blag. I might tweak it, but I figured it cleaned up the look of things. Whaddaya think? Keep it or lose it?

Updates...

I had the fantastic opportunity to have dinner with professional wakeboarder Keith Lyman tonight, who is a friend of my father and stepmother. Keith is a really awesome down-to-earth guy who just happens to do bad-ass things for a living. If you are at all into film/video production or wakeboarding, check out his site. It's got some really cool stuff.

You might notice that I've added a link box to the side of the page. In it there's a link to my buddy Thomas's blog. Thomas and I met each other through a video production class last year. Thomas is a truly gifted (and funny) writer. Additionally there are links to XKCD (my favorite webcomic) and, of course, to Keith Lyman's site. I'll likely add links in the near future, too.

Lastly, I'm considering a change in the look of the site. I'm not sure how I will change it or even if I will change it, but it's a thought. If you have a comment or question on this, by all means leave one!

much respect,
josh

Life is rough.

(Composed on 1/6/2009)

I figured that this was the perfect windy/wavy day to take a break from fishing and take in some sunshine while fixing/updating a few things with my laptop. Speaking of laptops, it's damn hard to read a laptop screen outside on a sunny day, so this entry is having its first draft on notebook paper (Note: although this was a nice idea for writing outside, it's DAMN hard to decipher my doctoresque handwriting).

Vacation in the Florida Keys is a welcome diversion from the less-than-great aspects of the world. I've not heard a thing about the stock markets, conflicts in the Mideast, or Rod Blagojevich. If you ever get the chance to see the Keys, take it. You'll be glad. (I turned on the TV shortly after composing this to be greeted with news of down-turning stocks, a ground war in Gaza, and Roland Burris's attempt to be seated in the US Senate. So much for blissful ignorance).

A few days back, I had the privilege of having lunch at a little hole-in-the-wall place called "Keys Fisheries," on Marathon Key. It's the type of place that you would never (ever) find if someone didn't tell you of its existence. The ambiance of the place is reminiscent of a diner, except for the fact that it is outdoors and next to a marina (that makes sense right?). Also being a restaurant of the Keys, they have excellent (and fresh) seafood.

The thing I enjoyed most about the establishment, however, is the way they call out their orders. When your order is taken, they ask you an obscure question (the question du jour in the case of my father and I was "what's in your junk drawer?"). The answer is used in place of a number as a means of notifying the customer when their order is up. It's a relatively small thing, but nonetheless amusing to hear waitresses yelling out random objects ("PIECE OF SURFBOARD! BOAT KEYS! COINS!!!") at various intervals. I really wanted "condoms" as our object (how mature, right?) but my father chose "duct tape." Probably a good idea in retrospect.

much respect,
josh

Happy New Year and predictions for '09...

Happy 2009 and all that. Let's get to business, 2009 is going to be a damn good (or at least interesting) year. As such, I'm in a predicting sort of mood. Here are my thoughts...

-(minor things first) Oklahoma is going to SMASH Florida for the BCS Championship.

-(unfortunately) Amy Winehouse won't see 2010. Drugs are bad.

-Either the new "Star Trek" movie, "Watchmen," or "Harry Potter" will bomb, in terms of reviews. I would venture to say that each of these movies will make upwards of $40 million in their opening week of showing, regardless of reviews.

-Barack is going to have a good, but far from phenomenal, first year as President. (this one might be a little too obvious)

-Proposition 8 (in California) will get overturned. Regardless of where the California Supreme Court stands on the political sides of the issue, it's next to impossible to say that Prop. 8 was fairly, or even constitutionally, passed.

-(here's the longshot... maybe) The University of Iowa will undergo another major scandal (this time not involving a crime of a sexual nature) that will all but force UI President Sally Mason to resign.

-I'm gonna get paid.

Leave your predictions as comments!!

much respect,
josh