Where have I been all your life.

Jesus. Why did I agree to open on Fridays? 7:30? Bad call, maaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnn.

We spent a pretty good night at the bar last night. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, despite the fact we were at the Chug. Everyone is an overstatement. Kyle will say, "last night was alright". Or, "the Chug sucks, man". Or, "I'm never going to a bar again".

I can't wait for my boss to get in so I can go get some shitty chips from the vending machine. From there, I feel, things will start to look up.

DEATH TO ALL PRICKS

I've probably titled a blog this before. I'm too lazy to check.

So, I ordered Kitchen Confidential with an Amazon gift card Anna got me for Christmas. Anthony Bourdain is somewhat of a celebrity now, which is cool. I think he's kind of bummed on all the attention he's garnered, which I enjoy. The book is the "extended edition" which means he got super popular and people wanted to hear what he had to say about his new-found celebrity. In the little introduction, he makes it pretty obvious he resents the fact that he has a show. Not only that, but a wildly popular show and is surrounded by the people he dislikes. This being the celebrity chef.

Like a lot of people my age, I saw No Reservations and decided that he was America's Biggest Badass. He drinks. A lot. I like that. He smokes Reds. He justifies and condones his smoking. I like that too. He is a great ambassador for this country because, while he looks American as shit, he is always incredibly reverent of the cultures he visits. He cusses. There is a disclaimer before the show starts that the content is questionable. I often wonder why, especially with VH1's Celebreality and an entire horde of other "questionable" programs that have no disclaimer. My guess is that they don't want kids seeing this total hardass and thinking that's how they should be. And trust me, that's how they should be. But maybe moms wouldn't be into that.

I don't know where I'm going with this, but the dude is legit.

On an unrelated note, good ol' Matt Erler of Ball State's own Daily News wrote an editorial today about everybody's favorite band.

Peep it here... http://media.www.bsudailynews.com/media/storage/paper849/news/2009/01/20/Forum/Hipster.Is.The.New.Hippie.AvantGarde.Band.Shifts.Style.To.Mainstream-3589316.shtml

I'm not going to say a lot except I no longer give a shit about Animal Collective. I've been a fan since Feels, which ain't saying much about my "since the beginning" cred, but I've undoubtedly enjoyed their albums. I've given a few listens to the new one, Merriweather Post Pavillion for the un-hip, and have decided that I don't care about them anymore. Matt Erler was not the ultimate deciding factor, but he was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak.

If you don't feel like reading the article, he criticized the band's previous albums for being too "avant-garde" and pretentious while praising the new one for "melodic vibrancy", which oddly enough has been a huge part of the what the band was about from the beginning. Whatevz.

I'm going to go listen to Latterman.

The finest day I've ever had was when I learned to cry on command

Why is Nirvana's fan base so embarrassing? Every comment on this video is about the guitar Kurt is playing. They care enough to argue what model guitar he is playing over a youtube comment board. If it's not that, it's the same RIP bullshit. Poor dude is rolling in his grave.

Wisdom teeth are cool

I just looked at this music blog that I haven't checked in a while, and I noticed that the dude posted his obligatory "Best of 2008" list. This is not surprising. I think everyone that has a blog is totally down with music and typically makes one of these toward the end of the year. So, to keep with blog tradition, here is mine, two weeks late:

1. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III

Shiiit, son. What's do be said that hasn't already been said about Weezy? He's one bad dude. He's got a lot of money. You know, a-milli? He's got a tattoo that signifies he killed someone. Wikipedia just told me that he played the Tin Man in his school's production of the Wiz. Also, vocoders are cool and I hope they stick around in the hip hop industry for the next decade.

2. Kanye West - 808s and Heartbreak

This is making me seem like I really love hip hop. Pff, shit. I do. Again, vocoder, man. T-Pain brought that shit to the forefront and everyone was like, "damn, that sounds good. And obviously that's what everyone is digging on right now. I ought to take everything that previously made me interesting and toss dat shit down the toilet." But shit, what can I say? Ol' Kanye lost his mom to plastic surgery complications in 2007. He had to express his pain. His T-Pain.

3. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals

Yoooooo, ever heard this dude? He takes, like, mad samples. Like, top 40 hip hop shit, and he mixes it with like some alternative music or something. I wikipedia'd it and there was some shit called the Butthole Surfers. I never heard of that, but you know the dude is eclectic.

4. Vampire Weekend - S/T

So, total hype band, right? Well, they back it up. Seriously, every blog across the interweb was creaming their pants over this. Well, I heard them first. Like, literally first. So, when they started blowing up, I was all, "whatevs". But man, then they were on MTV with "Oxford Comma" and I said to myself, "They've made it." Then I gave them a call, or attempted to, to tell them they owe me some money because if it weren't for me, they would have never made it so big. I got as far as their record label and the lady told me that I couldn't talk to them. I said, "eff it" and smoked a huge bowl. Listening to "A-Punk".

5. Fleet Foxes - S/T

I don't think I've ever actually listened to this band, but everyone else is flipping their shit about the album, so I had better make this list seem legit. I mean, what a gorgeous album. Definitely the most original and creative thing to come out in the last 25 years.

6. Beach House - Devotion

I like to think of Devotion as the soundtrack to the most beautiful film never made. Like, American Beauty or some shit. When the bag is floating and around and around and shit.

7. Crystal Castles - S/T

Out of all the really great bands that have been around for more than a year, it seems that debut albums top my list this year. That just goes to show that music is just getting so stagnant, y'know? Every band that came out with an album prior to 2008 should probably just quit.

8. Gaslight Anthem - '59

Yeah! Everyone is all over this band. And it's justified, you know? They sound like no other band I've ever heard. Ever. Keep an eye out for these scruffy young men. Mothers, lock up your daughters and fathers, watch yr ass.

9. Britney Spears - Circus

COMEBACK ALERT!

10. Sigur Ros - Kfjra Iirkrslllr Edk Irrssffc

I don't really understand this band. Neither what they're saying nor what they're trying to sound like or all about. But I don't really care. I heard they are classified as "post-rock", which doesn't make any sense because isn't rock still alive and well. I mean, AC/DC just came out with a new album. Not to mention Buckcherry.


Okay, now for real, I'll do like a top 5 or something. I won't say whether this is in order or anything, but these albums killed this year.

1. Polar Bear Club - Sometime Things Just Disappear
2. LaGrecia - On Parallels
3. Algernon Cadwallader - Some Kind of Cadwallader
4. Banner Pilot - Resignation Day
5. Torche - Meanderthal

Did that Hot Water b-sides collection come out this year? If so, that's on here. Ummm, I've been digging this Bridge and Tunnel album. Ummm, god. Music sucks. The WHY? album was pretty good. I liked the new Fucked Up. The Nick Cave was pretty good. Oh SHIT! MARGOT! THAT'S NUMBER ONE FOR SURE! THE NEW MARGOT!

I'm done. 2009 predictions:

BOOZE.

yadadamee?

Not since the Gonz's kickflip on a bike video have I been so psyched on something skating related.

I present... Jamal Smith.

This is not a test, even at its best.

That's all I've got, really. It's January and all I find myself wondering is, "where's the snow". A whole month and then some and not a decent snow. I hope to wake up tomorrow to a full on blizzard.

I'll go spend the rest of my money on booze at 10 am and I won't look back. I'll listen to this Bridge and Tunnel album I just got and I'll feel alright about things.

-edit- Bridge and Tunnel are not really that org at all. I based it on, like 3 tracks. It's still a pretty good album.

My goal is to own No Idea Records. I'll give myself five years to accomplish this goal.

I'm going to paint this world plaid.