This Has Nothing To Do With Scotland, But......

...............I may have found the best music video of all time. It came out two years ago. This is my normal uptake on all-things-cool, about two years and a bit behind the rest of people keeping track of cool things (Joe, Matt). Regardless, I have now seen glory, and being so blessed feel duty bound to share for any even slower than I.

You see, I don't really watch MTV any more (they don't play videos any more so, i guess we're even) but, still the 90's in me misses those days filled with rockin videos that are so rockin' they are spelled rawkkin'. I want to be transported visually as well as aurally. Mitch (RIP) put it best when he was walking with a friend he said he heard music, Mitch said: "You're not special. That's how I receive it too..." I want to see the music.

Firstly, the song must be to my liking. After that, here is a list of criteria necessary for a video to even be considered for Best Video of My Life it is as follows:

at least one shot of a bird of prey
holograms
a ridiculously fast car, tricked out razor scooter, or motorcycle
cameo by Jean Cleaude Van Dame or Steven Segal (preferably the former)
wild west theme
lasers....and robots
a babe
badass kung fu-ness
a Lone Ranger mask
a babe riding a unicorn
hero with equally heroic mustache
a babe shooting lasers
furious karate chops and swooshing fists

Check the box if you see something in the video that is also on the list....let's see if this sweetness really rawkks.

I present "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse....hold the hell on:


yep, rawk.

No Segal or Van Dame but I still counted 12 out of 13, not bad at all. We have a winner. Best Music Video of My Life.

Huzzah! Huzzah!

I posted about my longing for Mitch not to long ago. Today, Matt, the harbinger of Mitch, sent this gloriously lovely bit of honey to me. It was recorded 2 days before he died, which is unsettling, but it has over 40 minutes of unreleased schtick. Excelsior!

As Dan pointed out this release is also extremely saddening as it is a reminder that nothing is coming after this. But let us not have that doldrum taint the bliss of this release. September 9th will now be the new Christmas. Children will have the day off of school. Government agencies will not be open to the public. Mitch will be the real "Wyld Stallions" and the world will change from that day hence. Mark the day and revel in it.

Doveman: Footloose

I will post a meatier post one day I swear. As for now if you haven't heard this remake of the Footloose soundtrack by Doveman you are desperately in need of a repentin' session and a few Hail Marys. This was made as an unauthorized album per a request from Doveman's childhood friend and was downloadable at one point, but to all of our misfortune the record label that owns the rights to the soundtrack put a cease and desist order so now it can only be streamed, but it is still worth your time. I have tried my darndest to find it via all my black market channels and have found nothing, not even cob webs.

The album has been pared down substantially from the original focusing merely on incredible keyboard talents and haunting vocals. Bangarang I say to that.

As I have addressed before, covers are often a spurious endeavour and can leave one feeling assaulted. Just as often, though, a cover is baby bear's porridge and leaves one feeling just right. I assure you Doveman's offering is the latter.

Divulgence IV

Ever since I had it's Micro Machine, this Firebird with T-Top has always been a dream car of mine.

I am swimming in the white trash deep end I know, but come on, imagine with me here: picture me ripping down main street shirt off (or if it's on, it's a tank top), near-beer in hand, "Welcome to the Jungle" or "No More Tears" blaring over the speakers, white high-tops powered by legs donning shorter then acceptable cut off jean shorts putting the pedal straight to the metal, mustache curving upwards as it conforms to the smile that is beaming on my face...GLORIOUS. A pipe dream, I know. Still, a man can dream.

See This

No spoilers here other then my endorsement. See it, see it, see it. It is worthy of a spot in the gilded halls of my top ten favorite films of all time.

Hasty! some of you may say, hasty! Nay I say to those sayers. Rare are the films that combine the right portions of the right elements to concoct a paragon optic elixir, and this one is as fine an elixir as they come.

What a great night at the movies.

Recently

Recently, I have:

• Done a load of laundry...sans soap
  
• Poured way too much cereal in a bowl making it overpopulated and impossible to eat when the milk was added
  
• Chased an absconding dog through a neighborhood
  
• Destroyed a fence as I attempted to jump over it while chasing said dog
  
• Debated the existence of free will
  
• Lost 15 pounds
  
• Seen a large black lady in not but her skivvies
  
• Won not one but TWO games of 21 on the basketball court
  
• Cut holes in 80 walls
  
• Pooped in a field. That was a bad night.
  

Oh yeah, also I have recently:

• Received an acceptance letter from Aberdeen University in Scotland
  
• Jumped for joy and clicked my heals upon receiving aforementioned letter

I received three more rejections before Aberdeen's letter arrived. I had resigned to sit in agony for a year until I attempt the forehead bruising and or application process, again.

Many sighs of relief have been had, as well as many imaginary rounds of frothy ale housed in large mugs being raised overhead and quaffed after chanting 'huzzah' with my friends that have been as tormented as I during this process.

Come visit.

New Roads

At this point even bad news is better then no news; at least we could make definitive plans. Yet, as it stands, I have heard naught but two demoralizing and echoing nos. So we wait. So we pine. So we dig to an unknown end. Taking steps in the dark hoping not to step on discarded nails. Stopping starting stopping starting repeated until the end of it. Packing and moving to Colorado for work or school or a time or eternity. There is a brief/lucrative job awaiting that will immensely alleviate any and all financial obligations. At least that brings a modicum of light to the future...that's good. Still, I feel I am returning to the equilateral mother land just to continue treading water.

If my age weren't as lofty a digit as it is I would consider a new path; if I continue to get lambasted after another year of trying that may just be what I have to do. The problem is, I don't have the slightest inkling of what that newness might be.

Vexing.

"And yet, and yet, this New Road will some day be the Old Road, too..."-- a quote I found inscribed on cobblestone in Edinburgh by Neil Monro

Sci-Finest

After one year and one month my time has come: at last Battlestar Galactica has started it's new and final season last Friday. I just peed a little with excitement, like a wee dog.

I will wait for the mocking to subside before I pontificate over the shows many virtues.








Ahem








Now then. I have said on this web log before that this show is one of the best on television, but it was merely a cursory praising. I will now attempt to convince all you folks who don't watch why you should.

I recognize that there are some inherent problems that have tainted the genera of science fiction: often it is too campy and kitsch ridden. This is a very valid reason to be skeptical. Not everyone has the ability, or desire, to suspend disbelief and swallow stories that take place in the naught of space. Although I have been known to be overly apologetic to all things spacey and lasery, I will be among the first to agree that plenty of Sci-Fi is a hackneyed mess.

This series does take place in space, there are killer robots hunting humans, there is faster then light travel, there are no right angles on papers or in the ship's design, but in spite of that meaty nerd stew, the show still is an immensely compelling human drama in a post apocalyptic setting that just happens to be set in space.

Here are some reasons to put aside any sci-fi angst against the show:

• There are no odd looking aliens, or aliens period.
• It is a realistic lived-in future.
• There are bullets in guns, not lasers.
• There are no corners cut in the special effects; nothing looks campy.
• The acting is amazing; Starbuck's affected laugh aside.
• Watching how a civilization that is down to some odd 40,000 people from a few billion cope with trying to create normalcy and keep civil liberties, democracy, and justice intact while running for their lives.
• Not one character is perfect, or are meant to be. Flaws abound.
• The story is loosely based on Mormon doctrines.
• The story.
• It's not just for the men, two of the show's strongest characters are iron willed women.
• The music.
  

Mostly, if my wife, hater of everything science fiction got caught up in it and looked forward to each episode, that should be reason enough to gander at the show.

So don't pigeonhole the show and gander.

But you don't have to take my word for it. Ba dum dum.

Take The Test

I failed.



link to actual site (though nothing different)

I killed the cyclist.

Listen To This Album

For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver

Acoustic and fine.

A taste:

Skinny Love

Flume