28 June 2005

Major Threat

Look at the two pictures on this page.

Can you see the problem? I can.
I'm not the only one (thanks for pointing this out, Will).

You know, there are ways to reach an audience without pandering to shamelessly ripping off someone else's art.

I'm looking at you, Nike.

I know I'm the last one to harp on this subject, since a large majority of my humor is lifted.

But, I'm not profiting from said unoriginality...plus, I've proven to show some creative ideas a time or two. At least, I hope so, since technically, my job is in creative services.

I put it to you, herr reader: Take one step forward if you're capable of producing original thought.

Not so fast, Hollywood.

-------------
Addendum: Nike Pulls Major Threat Ad, Issues Apology

Below is the apology in full:

June 27, 2005

To: Minor Threat, Dischord Records and fans of both

Re: Major Threat East Coast Tour Poster

Nike Skateboarding sincerely apologizes for the creation of a tour poster inspired by Minor Threat's album cover. Despite rumors being circulated, Wieden & Kennedy and Odopod had nothing to do with the creation of this tour poster and should not be held accountable. To set the record straight, Nike Skateboarding's "Major Threat" Tour poster was designed, executed and promoted by skateboarders, for skateboarders. All of Nike employees responsible for the creation of the tour flyer are fans of both Minor Threat and Dischord Records and have nothing but respect for both.

Minor Threat's music and iconographic album cover have been an inspiration to countless skateboarders since the album came out in 1984. And for members of the Nike Skateboarding staff, this is no different. Because of the album's strong imagery and because our East Coast tour ends in Washington, DC, we felt that it was a perfect fit. This was a poor judgment call and should not have been executed without consulting Minor Threat and Dischord Records.


We apologize for any problems this may have caused, and want to make very clear that we have no relationship with the members of Minor Threat, Dischord Records and they have not endorsed our products.


Every effort has been made to remove and dispose of all flyers (both print and digital). Again, Nike Skateboarding sincerely apologizes to Minor Threat and Dischord Records.

Sincerely,
Nike Skateboarding

Unfortunately, Nike still gets what they and every corp wants in the end: attention and press. Ultimately, they'll come out a winner in all this.

A sad state, indeed.

26 June 2005

A New Favourite Band for You

Guess what I'm offering.

4 free downloads of your new favourite band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Check these guys out. Very David Byrne meets James...same as it ever was.

Amazing stuff...and, if you don't like it, what are you still doing here?

Enjoy.
(right click - "save target as")
>> Tidal Wave
>> Lost and Found
>> Details of the War
>> Home on Ice

Engineers of Beauty

This new band called the Engineers from across the pond sound pretty incredible.

All I've heard are 30 second clips from their website....but I'm impressed so far.

My Vote for President

Why can't we get this guy to run in 2008?

Seems that I'm not the only one who thinks so.

Read on...that's the man I want leading my country.

23 June 2005

Life A.E. - After "Ed"

"(TBS) can kiss my Stuckeyvillian ass!"
-slighty altered quote by Ed after the Festival of Ducks(episode 6)

I guess because the evil empire of TBS will soon be taking my favorite midday show off the air on June 30, I need to get this off my chest. BTW...it's being replaced by Becker. Becker?!?!

Bear in mind, I've seen every episode of this masterpiece set in Stuckeyville, and I'm fully aware of all that happens in the complete 4 seasons.

Think of this more as a open question to anyone that can answer it for me.

Let me begin by stating that I hate Dennis Martino. So, how on God's green earth could Carol Phyllis Vessey hook up with him? Is it just me? What could she possibly see in him?

So, I guess the way to Carol's heart is this:

1. Be dismissive to her.
2. Break her down verbally, summing up her life in one continuous thought.
3. Treat her like dirt.
Effect: She kisses you.

Forget about aligning the stars, throwing waffles at her bedroom window, even the knight in shining armor thing...that just scares the crap out of her....

Whew....sorry about that...a little frustrating, this show is.

So, come June 30th, I fully expect a riot to unsheath itself on the TBS HQ. The casting aside of this great show will not go without a fight. The only way that I could be happy with this is seeing NBC resurrect Stuckeyville and restore it in all its glory back on the primetime peacock.
Or...give Warren Parker Cheswick the spin-off he has earned and deserves.

Vaya con Dios, Edguardo.

The floor is yours, dear reader. Shave my poodle.

21 June 2005

"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

Why couldn't I have enjoyed the luxury of a college dropout speaking at my commencement?

The Stanford brass get it...that's the true inspiration: Being innovative, even if it's sans a college degree.

Here you will find Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford University. Maybe if he spoke at your commencement, you wouldn't nearly sleep through the walk.

Designing Man

I've resigned myself to the fact that, in life, there comes a time when HGTV becomes phenomenally entertaining.

Entertaining to the point where you're always watching it.

For me, that time has come.

Can I explain it? Not really...Kirsten's obsession with the channel doesn't help, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that I get sucked into the shows myself.

It looks like my machismo has finally checked out.
Now, where did I put that feather boa?

13 June 2005

Musica de Midtown en Revue

As seen on Kirsten's blog, we made the trek to see Music Midtown XII. (For more on the venue, you can read band reviews and blogs from the fest (access required) at ajc.com.) Since I already had previous business to attend to earlier in the day (just a checkup), we missed out on Red Letter Agent, who were apparently quite good. Oh well. Needless to say, the rest of the weekend turned out pretty good. Below you will find the bands that we caught along this smorgasboard of music:

Friday
Lou Reed
8:45 pm - 9:45 pm - Ford/Best Buy Stage
Everyone was wondering if he would play any Velvet...one song in after we arrived, the familiar open to "White Light/White Heat" sealed the deal. Further, Lou rocked so hard for the Friday night crowd that he blew his amp 20 minutes into the show. After a brief stopdown, he broke out a vintage kit, saying that he was going to take it easy from then on: "I can't replace this one", he quipped.
Easy there, gramps.
Good show, made great by seeing Lou Weed for the first time.

Interpol
8:45 pm - 9:45 pm - Miller Lite/99x Stage
What can I say? Their onstage persona is exactly as I thought it would be: dark, mysterious, no-nonsense brooding rock. The boys never really got into the set, breaking a little early.
I can say that I blame them...the crowd was impatiently awaiting the Stripes, so I wouldn't expect them to welcome Interpol with open arms.
A good, tight set IMHO, taken away from by the waning mood.

The White Stripes
(in their only US concert for the entire year)
10:30 pm - 12:00 am - Miller Lite/99x Stage
Two words: F%*&ing incredible. Out of all the performances of the weekend, this one finishes third by the slimmest of margins.
Jack and Meg are definitely meant to be seen live. The power of their dual romp through the recent catalogues cannot be justly served on vinyl, let alone the CD. It is meant to be shouted from the rooftops, and their beautiful setup and gorgeous red, black and white theme fades quickly to the genius of their dynamic: The (new) Blues.
As our good friend, -B explained about the Stripes:
"All I'll say is that Jack & Meg have mastered this thing called rhythm and blues. Man it's good."
Indeed. I hope all of you can one day see them live. It's an experience.

Saturday
Bloc Party
4:15 pm - 5:15 pm - Miller Lite/99x Stage
I'm slightly biased. This is one of my favorite new bands. Their new album, Silent Alarm, is wonderful. So, how did they sound live?
Starting out the day at a festival stage usually means you're fighting an uphill battle. Not many people know you, so you're getting the stone-faced, arms-crossed look from the fans, basically saying, "Prove to me that you're worthy of my attention".
Message received from quite a few fans in front of us: These blokes from the UK passed the test.
My verdict: Another band that's better live. Amazing. The drummer was spectacular. Having a backbone like that really allows the other members to explore and create, making for a magnifique performance. A close third for the weekend.

MetalSome Monday
Various Times (Friday - Sunday)
(A heavy-metal karaoke band in Atlanta. They were awesome! I recommend visiting their website) - KO
Kirsten says it all. Unbelievable idea for a great moneymaking scheme. Why can't I think of these things?

Robert Randolph and the Family Band
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm - Ford/Best Buy Stage
(if you've never heard of them, I pity you. An amazing show.) - KO
I had seen these guys on Conan a few months back, doing their version of Hendrix's "Voodoo Child". I was blown away. That was on television.
This was easily the second-best show I saw, and I knew it would be unreal. No dissappointment at all...in fact, it exceeded my expectations.
If you're lucky enough to see them, don't miss it...regardless of your musical tastes and preferences.
This is a band of musicians, to which playing "musical chairs" with all the different instruments is a key attraction.
I'm done....for fear of my life. This is a very dangerous band...don't let the "family" stigma fool you. Consider yourselves warned.

John Fogerty
8:00 pm - 9:15 pm - Ford/Best Buy Stage
(sounding just fine without CCR, thank you very much)
How old is Johnny now? 60? Still a rock staple...the catalogue is mind-boggling.
Don't even get me started on the whole CCR crapfest that's been ongoing for over 30 years. It's an injustice, to say the least.
What this man has done for rock n' roll....it should be taught in schools and revered in Contemporary American History.
And, he still kicks ass.

The Killers
8:45 pm - 10:00 pm - Miller Lite/99x Stage
Great band. Great prescence. Hey, does it matter what I say? The 12-year-old girls that rule the world we live in love these guys. They're set for life. At this point, KO and I are about done with the rain. We're re-grouping, but struggling mightily.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
10:00 pm - 12:00 am - Ford/Best Buy Stage
Great band. Pretty good set. I couldn't really get into it. I remember in between the raindrops being stunned by the large turnout for Petty. Do that many people like him? KO, myself, and the older folks...but the young people? Really? Shocked, I say....shocked.

The Pixies (reuinited and touring after 12 years)
10:30 pm - 11:30 pm - Miller Lite/99x Stage
They ended their set 30 minutes early, so we almost missed them. Glad we didn't, as they sounded as great as I had hoped.
Only got to hear about 3 songs, including the classic, "Where Is My Mind?" Great, great, great...did I mention that I liked it?
All in all, a fitting end to a rain-soaked day. Man, please don't rain tomorrow...

Sunday

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm - Ford/Best Buy Stage
Kickin' ass and playing all her classics. Hard to fathom that she's been around over 30 years...a great, ass-kicking show.

Def Leppard
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm - Ford/Best Buy Stage
Here's your number one show..undisputed. What did Def Leppard have that R. Randolph didn't? Try about twice as many people, inifinitely better scenery (1 clue: many girls on shoulders, doing what girls sitting on shoulders do), amazing crowd surfing, and some great music to boot, including a cover of Badfinger's "No Matter What".
Midtown was thoroughy rocked after they left the stage.
Well done, boys.
(Oh, and it made KO very, very, very happy. 'Nuff said.)

DEVO
7:15 pm - 8:30 pm - Miller Lite/99x Stage
(That's right. I said DEVO. As in "Are
we not men? We Are DEVO! The first show of their 2005 tour. They're in their 50s now, and look like they're having a blast!)-KO
Oh, DEVO. The moment was here. A band that I have worshiped from about 10 years...begins its first tour in over 20 years...in Atlanta. Yellow jumpsuits. Synthesizers. Red "Energy Dome" hats. Heavenly. Amazing. Funny. Smart. Goofy. A showstopper. The weekend was capped off by picking up a DEVO tour shirt that you can see similar to this shirt here, only in black.
Ties for second with Robert Randolph...and I couldn't think of a better way to end the fest.

KO and I had a blast this weekend.
Thanks, Music Midtown...and a word of advice...keep the fest in June.

Rawk on.

09 June 2005

Me Read Pretty One Day

For your reading enjoyment....a New Yorker piece by one of America's funniest authors, David Sedaris.

Enjoy!

07 June 2005

Colby Collage

Some pictures of the newest first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals, Colby Rasmus:

Baseball America's take on Mr. Rasmus:

(28th pick overall)
St. Louis Cardinals
Colby Rasmus, CF, Russell County HS, Phenix City, Ala.
"Rasmus’ tools grade out average or above across the board. He covers 60 yards in 6.7 seconds and has a plus arm, throwing fastballs up to 91 mph off the mound. Besides his tools, scouts love his maturity and savvy for the game. Some compare Rasmus to Steve Finley, while others believe he evokes Shawn Green; it depends on whether the scout believes Rasmus can stay in center field. He has a short, simple lefthanded swing that he repeats, and the barrel of the bat stays in the hitting zone a long time. While he could use a better load to his swing, he at times produces good leverage, leading scouts to believe he'll hit for at least average power."


1999 Phenix City AL Little League WS Team

Keepin' It in the (Pujols) Family

The new Pujols....literally.
Wil Pujols
Say hello to Albert's cousin, Wilfredo, taken by the Cards with the 200th pick.

The resemblance is uncanny.

It's like looking in a mirror...if you were Albert Pujols.

Can the Cards catch lightning in a bottle twice? It doesn't hurt to find out.

Here's a look at the other picks through day 1 of the draft:

Cards' 2005 Draft Picks through 200
28. Colby Rasmus/CF/Russell Co. HS
30. Tyler Greene/SS/Georgia Tech
43. Mark McCormick/RHP/Baylor U
46. Tyler Herron/Wellington Comm. HS
70. Joshua Wilson/RHP/Whitehouse HS
78. Nicholas Webber/RHP/CMSU
110. Daryl Jones/CF/Spring HS
140. Bryan Anderson/C/Simi Valley HS
170. Mitchell Boggs/RHP/U Georgia
200. Wilfredo Pujols/RF/Fort Osage HS

06 June 2005

Fight The Power!

The following is excerpted from MSNBC.com:

"The principal at a Georgia high school cancelled the journalism class and halted production of the school paper. As a recourse the students started a blog."

Interesting stuff on this blog, including an "email trail" dealing primarily with the principal, journalism instructor, and eventually, the school district.

It seems that in the midst of all this controversy, these students still have a voice.

A voice that goes stronger with each post made by someone like me, championing their cause.

Good luck to them all.

05 June 2005

I Beat "The Pounder"

Days off. There's nothing like 'em.

Today, Kirsten and I got to play the happy couple as we had a day off together. This is an exciting event indeed, as it only happens about 4-5 times a year.

Because of this rare occurence, we always feel the need to capitalize on the situation by getting out of town and striking while the iron is hot. Today that meant heading 45 minutes west to the home of the Auburn Tigers for shopping, a big burger, and a slice of heaven in a cup.

After hitting the Tiger Town Shopping Plaza in Auburn, Kirsten and I headed up to Cheeburger, Cheeburger, where I ate "The Pounder" (basically a burger with a pound of beef), while KO enjoyed the more-subdued Half Pounder ("The Serious")

Afterwards, we walked down the square to sip the world's best fresh-squeezed lemonade at legendary Toomer's Drugs on Toomer's Corner. We only hope you three readers out there get the opportunity to sample this euphoric treat.

It was a great capper to a fun day, and with that, I'll be expecting that check from the city of Auburn for plugging their quaint, wonderful hamlet.

War Eagle!

04 June 2005

Musica Tag Residue

Earlier, we shared the fodder left from a fun music meme from Kirsten.

Our friend, -B, has compiled his scribbling and answered the call on his musical memories here.

Also, here are Brian's offerings for mass consumption:

The Last CD I bought:
"Blueberry Boat" by The Fiery Furnaces
This brother and sister pair are friggin awesome. You can tell they spent way too much time listening to The Who as children. It almost sounds like snippets from a musical at times. These guys will hook you and you'll never be the same. (That is how it happened for me)

CD Playing Right Now:
"The Throes" by The Two Gallants
It is like Neil Young meets Dylan meets Neil Diamond, but recorded like Bright Eyes. These two 21 year olds from San Fran are sweet. This album will not disappoint.

5 songs on heavy rotation:
(No time for writeups here: these arent my favs of all-time, but more of the songs I am listening to right now and when they come on I hit "back" on the dial to hear them again)

"Last Goodbye" Jeff Buckley
"Crow Jane" The Two Gallants
"Single Again" The Fiery Furnaces
"The Engine Driver" The Decemberists
"The Beast and the Dragon Adored" Spoon


The power of music. Gotta love it.

Shave My Poodle!

"Oh Carol, I know about your attraction to me... let's just stop torturing ourselves, and let's start doin' it already!"
- Ed Stevens (to Carol, in gymnasium)

I love Ed.

The show is one of my all-time favorites, and for the last 4 months, thanks to TBS, I've been watching every episode Monday through Friday at noon ET.

I know I've seen every episode already. I don't care. I get sucked in every day just the same.

With that, if you too share an occasional $10 bet to order a Shirley Temple in front of your date, check out Stuckeyville.com (link on the right as well) for all things Edward Jeremy Stevens.

In the meantime, shake the dust off that sweet bowling shirt and have that 10 spot at the ready, you magnificient bastard.

03 June 2005

Poom! To It...

Bored?

How's about a little Poom?

Hell's Yeah! Sign me up!

A word of advice...Follow the shadow.

Tag Team en Musica

The last CD I bought was:
Absolution by Muse
-It's basically Bends-era Radiohead with a bit more of a melodic feel.I wish I had a better story for "discovering" the band, but the truth is I was perusing the music section @ Target and caught their video for "Hysteria" on the monitors and figured they were worth a shot for $7.99. They did not disappoint.

Song (CD) playing now:
"Banquet" by Bloc Party (Silent Alarm)
-This is a new band from the UK that are slowly taking over the States with their U2/Police punk-pop-rock sound (Though, in all honesty, trying to pigeon-hole these guys is a lesson in futility...one that proves fruitless in the end). Probably one of the tightest backbones in a band that I've heard in a long while. Their songwriting and arrangement remains very impressive and their influence seems to be as diverse as the band members themselves. A fan doth been born overnight.
Five songs I listen to a lot or that mean a lot to me:"To Be Young" by Ryan Adams (Heartbreaker)-Much like Kirsten, I wrote an essay about how much this song reminds me of home and listening to music with my best friends. This was during my "discovery" period where I was really working to expand my musical tentacles to all different genres, and this song always captured the spirit of that adventure.

Five songs that I listen to a lot or mean a lot to me:
"Across The Sea" by Weezer (Pinkerton)
-My favorite song on my favorite album of my (second) favorite band. A song written by a rock star after reading an anonmynous love letter from a fan living in Japan. A song that says, With all the attention, praise, and fandom surrounding them, Even rock stars get lonely.

"Alone Again Or" by Love (Forever Changes)
- This is a favorite song of mine from the moment I heard it in the movie "Bottle Rocket". I decided to include it in the list because it speaks to the power of sharing this art form at its most basic. Director Wes Anderson put this song in his movie, and thus unintentionally began a chain reaction that led me to buying Love's Greatest Hits album. After hearing some of their other songs, I became a fan of this short-lived obscure group from the late '60's. The power of music and its ability to touch upon perfect strangers is no more evident than in this exercise. Through music, the readers of these writings are connecting and sharing their experiences with one another.That is the power of a song.

"Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole (The Unforgettable Nat King Cole)
- This song just recently made the list. I sang this song at my brother's wedding for his dance with my mother and his wife Nicole's dance with her father. It's aspecial moment that I'll remember always, not only for the look on my mom's face, but, in a way, it was my introduction and acceptance into Nicole's family circle as well. Moments like those don't erode so easily. It's amazing what music can do to people.

"In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel (So)
- When most people hear this song, they think of Lloyd Dobler, arms outstretched clutching his electronic "love letter" and serenading Diane from the driveway below.When I think of it, I picture Kirsten and I, sweeping across the dance floor at our reception, gazing into one another's eyes. What a wonderful feeling to share.

Honorable Mentions:
"Let Down" by Radiohead (OK Computer)
"Sunken Treasure" by Wilco (Being There)
"Rusty Cage" by Johnny Cash (American II: Unchained)
"I Predict A Riot" by Kaiser Chiefs (Employment)
"Idiot Wind" by Bob Dylan (Blood On The Tracks)
"Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen (Born To Run)
"Bohemian Rapsody" by Queen (A Night at the Opera)
"Razor Love" by Neil Young (Silver & Gold)
"Route" by Son Volt (Trace)
"What's So Funny 'Bout (Peace, Love, and Understanding)"
by Elvis Costello (Armed Forces)

Three people I will Tag:
-B. My compadre in all things music.
Amanda. The coolest TV anchor not named Kirsten that I know.
Brian. Another music savant that introduced me to some great artists. Just to see his list.

01 June 2005

A Confederacy of Blockheads

"Rumsfeld, You Blockhead!"

This base closing shit is really getting out of hand.

Curse you Rummy, and your consolidating power trip.

Pint Protection

Worried that your friends or significant other are gonna finish off your pint?

From those crazy kids at Ben & Jerry, a new product that's locking in more than just freshness...it's locking in peace of mind, with a pinch of paranoia.

link via Clicked