Today is a day that people will be talking about for years to come. Today is a day that will stand out in history.
Today is a great day.
That’s right folks I speak of the event that is happening today that are making people around the world talk. The event, in case you are out of the loop, is my birthday.
Yup, today happens to be the first day I opened my eyes the year punk was born.
I happen to share my birthday with quite a few important people too. In no real order: David Lynch, Bill Maher, Skeet Ulrich, Rob Bourdon (Linkin Park), Sid Wilson (Slipknot), ?uestlove (The Roots), Tracii Guns (Guns N Roses), Greg Kriesel (The Offspring), Nicky Wire (Manic Street Preechers), and Derrick Green (Sepultura).
I will gladly accept presents from anyone. I accept Paypal as well.
You can stop shaking your head now…
Today is an important day with an important inauguration. Now I try to stray away from my political/religious views on this site at all costs, but today deserves at least some mention of the day.
Well since I am bummed out a little since the Elton John / Billy Joel concert sold out (at least my price range) I thought I would share some humor to you all.
(A customer had already ordered, picked up, and drank most of his drink. He then walked up to the counter and was very angry.)
Me: “How can I help you?”
Customer: “What the f*** is this?!” *points to his cup*
Me: “It looks like the drink I made you, and you seem to have already enjoyed it.”
Customer: “No smart-a**…this!” *pours the drink onto the counter and a key bounces out* “What the f*** is going on here?!”
Me:*alarmed* “I am SO sorry sir! When I made the drink, I know there wasn’t a key in it. Let me make you a new one.”
Customer: “Yeah! You f***in’ better make me a new f***in’ drink. This is complete bulls***! You’re lucky I don’t sue you and this coffee company!”
(I take the key and make him a new drink, and he goes and sits outside with his friends. The key wasn’t mine, so I started asking coworkers and customers. No one was claiming it. The customer walked up about 5 minutes later, bright red and embarrassed.)
Customer: “Yeah, uh…I’m going to need my car key back so I can go home….”
I admit I have been absent from doing what I do on here for a minute but I promise to be in full force shortly. I have many CDs I am in the process of reviewing as well as requests to check out bands and such. I have a lot on my plate and I intend to do a good job cleaning it up.
I have a dilemma. This Saturday tickets go on sale for:
The dilemma is do I shell out the cash to go? I know this may be the last time I may ever get to see the duo. Decisions, decisions…
Also this is coming up:
I do not want to miss this either. I need to find a bag of money.
I am heading out for the weekend here but when I get back will be putting up some good reading material for you all. Until then have a great weekend!!!
So the holidays are over, the presents were unwrapped, and even though I was happily satisfied with all the J-Day gifts I received I felt as if I lacked items for entertainment purposes.
I was a good boy, I done no wrong, in fact this was the first New Years since I was 12 I was completely sober so I think that means presents for me from me. I am just looking for some excuses to buy crap…
Now it is show and tell time. Lookie what I got/have/own…
First up is something I hesitated to buy because it was not something that I needed at all. Hell, none of the items I recently purchased were things I needed… Anyways, I am currently the proud owner of a MC Chris action figure. The thing is poorly made, can’t stand up on it’s own, does not move, and was not designed to do anything. It just lays there motionless, with no desire to entertain; but here is the kicker… it is awesome. It is so awesome that it now is one of my favorite non-animate objects that I own.
The only thing this thing could do is hurt someone if you chucked it at their head.It came packaged with styrofoam in a brown box.
Why would I dare say something so poorly made is awesome? Well it reminds me of a toy you would find from the early 1900’s at your grandparent’s house, something you would look at and scratch your head at. I really think I have a piece of treasure here and to prove it I bought it for $25 from the MC Chris website and now it is on the very same site for $75 (they are claiming to have 3 left). Why the price increase? Well it seems as if there are only 50 in existence as the 450 others were lost in the order according to a bulletin that MC Chris had posted on MySpace.
Noose Halo
Next up is a Derek Hess print I have had my eyes on for a while. Last year I interviewed the Cleveland rock artist and remember questioning his affordable prices. He wanted to make sure he sold his work at prices that people without a lot of money could afford. Well I am without a lot of money and I love his work. I was actually buying a print for my good friend for a belated J-Day gift and could not help myself in getting one for my own house.
This is my third Derek Hess print I now own and I know I have many more to acquire in the future. I have already framed it and will place it accordingly in my dwelling so that all can see. One day I hope to have an original piece in my collection…baby steps for now.
If you would like a print for yourself you might want to act fast as this offset print is limited to 300 and I scored numbers 204 and 205 for myself and said friend. Once 300 is reached it will be sold out and very difficult to find.
For my media pleasure I picked up a copy of the hilarious DVD Pineapple Express. If you have not seen the movie yet I promise you some foul mouthed stupid humor plus a little bit of action. The duo of Seth Rogen and James Franco are perfect for this derranged adventure involving two stoners.
Watching the movie last night had me rolling. I enjoyed it a lot more than originally when I saw the movie in the theaters seeing how it was ruined by two jackasses in front of me who clearly pregamed before the movie. The other benefit of DVD over going to the movies are having extra content. The deleted scenes were not too entertaining but the gag reel was hilarious.
Today I ventured to the Borders book store I used to work at a few years back. I went there looking for a vegan cupcake book. I know, what the hell was I thinking right? Well have you ever had a vegan cupcake? Exactly. Once you have you will want to know how it was made.
Let’s get back to why I went to Borders. Well that vegan cupcake book was nowhere to be found so I kept looking around and found something that I have been wanting for a while, a copy of Anthony Bourdain‘s A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines. The book captures Anthony Bourdain and his travels for food. I can not wait to find some free time to sink my eyes into it.
My wife also found a book she knew I would have interest in called Punk: The Whole Story that usually retails for about $25. It was sitting there in the budget section with the attractive price of $4.99 so I grabbed it seeing how I never pass on a good punk rock deal. Full color hardbound book full of punk rock history, a great find if you ask me.
As I finish up this bragging of a blog I keep telling myself there was one more thing that I purchased…something very recent.
Oh yeah. I bought an album on iTunes today. Dirty south punk meets crunk act Whole Wheat Bread recently released their third CD on iTunes before it hits shelves and I could not wait. The Afro Punk rockers have been favorites of mine since they first released their material in 2005. The album Hearts of Hoodlums will be released in stores on January 20th. Inauguration coincidence? Perhaps. That also happens to be the day back in 1977 that I started kicking ass and taking names or however you say that (hint, hint).
Well I guess my show and tell time is over and I should go sit back down on the magic carpet and see what the next little kid out there had…until next time.
Here’s a Whole Wheat Bread video just for the heck of it:
Whole Wheat Bread covering Rancid‘s “Roots Radicals” featuring Chris from Stretch Armstrong at Peabody’s in tropical Cleveland, Ohio
Sad day in the rock n roll / punk rock world as founding member Ron Asheton of The Stooges was found dead at his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was 60 years old. The official cause of the founding member of The Stooges has not been reported yet but initial discoveries claim it may be from a heart attack.
I had the pleasure of seeing Ron Asheton play last summer when Iggy & The Stooges took stage at the 2008 Virgin Mobile Festival. This was my second viewing of one of the more important punk rock bands and I must say the performance was memorable. Ron Asheton was amazing on guitar along side his pal Mike Watt (who took the place of bassist when the band reunited in 2003) while Iggy Pop went insane in front of the crowd. I am glad I was there to witness that performance.
The Stooges were recently nominated as an inductee into the 2009 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. It’s a shame that Ron Asheton will not be there to see if The Stooges are inducted. There is not a doubt in my mind that they will not be as their place in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Museum is well deserved.
This is a huge loss. He will be missed.
Some videos:
Ron Asheton in The New Order (not the New Order you are thinking of…):
Iggy & The Stooges Live In Cincinnati 1970:
Iggy & The Stooges “The Passenger”:
Links from major music websites reporting on Ron Asheton’s death:
. If you have not seen the movie yet I promise you some foul mouthed stupid humor plus a little bit of action. The duo of 
. The book captures Anthony Bourdain and his travels for food. I can not wait to find some free time to sink my eyes into it.
that usually retails for about $25. It was sitting there in the budget section with the attractive price of $4.99 so I grabbed it seeing how I never pass on a good punk rock deal. Full color hardbound book full of punk rock history, a great find if you ask me.
will be released in stores on January 20th. Inauguration coincidence? Perhaps. That also happens to be the day back in 1977 that I started kicking ass and taking names or however you say that (hint, hint).