That 1 Guy

So my whole family loves music, and my dad is often the one who introduces the rest of us to new and interesting stuff. One such example is That 1 Guy. I heard his newest album "The Moon is Disgusting," with my dad the other day, and I just spent a few minutes watching YouTube videos of him. I've always had an interest in the one-man-band, and this guy is sort of the 21st century version. His style is sort of a grab-bag of everything from electronica and dance to funk and folk. He plays a one-string bass comprised of a long, segmented pipe that has several electronic triggers on it, in addition to various pedals that he uses to trigger other sounds (see the picture above). It's hard to really explain well, so just watch the videos below; it's really fascinating, innovative stuff. And he's hilarious. I've included the video for his song "Buttmachine," which is a poppy, dance-inspired song with very funny lyrics about butts. Below that is a live performance of the title track from the new album, which wanders a bit, but it demonstrates his music well. Hope you enjoy.

Good. Lord.

Well, the countdown to the Olympics is nearly over, and Beijing finally seems to have gotten a handle on their little smog problem. Or not. WithLeather.com (the most trusted name in sports blogging - and they just wrote about the Royals!) has a picture from yesterday which really makes me believe that they've got things under control. Seeing these pictures, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to try to run a marathon or a sprint (or just briefly jog to flee from the Chinese tanks and gunfire); the first thing that comes to mind is that it would probably be like that part in The Abyss when Ed Harris first starts breathing that pink water. Only instead of pink water, it'd be like breathing molten lead mixed with cancer.

It Has Arrived

For those of you who don't know, I finally bit the bullet and got a new drum set. I'm surprised I held out as long as I did, but I must say that I'm sad to see the pink drums get replaced. They were very good to me. I've included a few pictures of the set, and if you are so inclined, a list of components at the end (yes, I'm a nerd). The pictures don't really do the finish justice, and it's difficult to get a good angle to really show the entire set from within the confines of the basement (and there's no way I'm going to tear the whole thing down and relocating it just to take a few pictures that nobody but me will care about). Oh, and you can totally see Smokey the Bear the to left of the picture below. He's wearing a cowboy hat, of course.Drums: 14x5 Pearl Free Floater snare drum (brass shell), 10x6 Pacific Maple snare drum
8x7, 10x8, 12x9, 14x12, 16x16, 22x18 Pearl MCX Masters Maple Shells
Cymbals: 7" Sabian Signature Max Splash
8" Zildjian A Custom Splash
10" Sabian AAX Splash
12" Zildjian Oriental Trash Splash
13" A Zildjian Mastersound Hi Hats
14" Zildjian Schimitar Hi Hats (ancient)
14" Zildjian Trashformer
15" Zjildjian K Custom Hybrid Crash
16" Zildjian K Dark Medium Thin Crash
16" Sabian AAX Crash
17" Zildjian K China
20" Zildjian A Custom Ride

Thumbs Up

The Good Reverend Jesse Jackson. In case you missed it, he said that he wanted to cut Barack Obama's nuts off. For real. Watch it here, read about the apology here, if you like. But way more importantly, I really encourage you to read this editorial my dad came across from The Root, entitled "When the Man is One of Us." It's a very interesting commentary from the Black perspective on how rapidly things are changing and what it would really mean for America to have its first African American President. I really recommend it. Also, I was hoping to find a youtube clip of Darrell Hammond as Jesse Jackson, but all I could find was this. It's entertaining, but he only does Jackson for a few seconds 1:45 in.

Photo from Ridiculopathy.com.

Summer Olympics = Huge Disaster?

So, I'm already super psyched for the Olympics. But, as the title of this post should tell you, it's time for alarmist prognostication. I sure hope this isn't the case, but there really are way too many ways in which the Olympics Games in Beijing could go horribly wrong. Our friends at Slate (which I really don't know anything at all about them, but WithLeather.com hates them, so I probably do to - it's really quite taxing coming up with opinions on my own) have compiled a list of possible disasters that's worth a read. Having been to Beijing, I can vouch for several of them, namely the air pollution (which immediately burns your lungs from the second you step off the plane) and the food (which immediately burns your insides from the second you eat it). I read a while back about how the US was putting a great deal of effort into transporting clean beef, chicken and pork there to prepare for our athletes, but come to find out, outside food isn't being allowed. I hope the food there doesn't do to the athletes what it did to me or - insert awkward bathroom joke here. Of course, the interweb has allowed people with a little creativity and/or Photoshop (mostly the latter) to create images of doom and gloom. Some are pretty funny - like this one. Or this one. Or even less subtle, this one. But reading all of this about the Chinese government diverting water to Beijing and shutting down construction projects, not to mention kicking half of the cars off the streets to reduce pollution, I can't help but think about how much it would suck be subject to the whims of a government like that. And how much effort they're putting into all of this just to look like they're not a third world country anymore, which they aren't - although I did see a little girl poop in the street and then run to her waiting mother when I was there. Hopefully, none of these potential disaster will occur, and the games will go off without a hitch. My advice to American athletes: Go for the gold and don't eat or drink anything. Or breathe.

Italian Spiderman

In case you haven't heard of it, do yourself a favor and check out "Italian Spiderman." Click the link above to see them all, but the first installment is below for your viewing pleasure. Be warned, it can be a bit offensive (but in a harmless way), and the episodes are pretty hit-or-miss, but it's definitely worth a shot. Also, PopSci.com has a pretty sweet gallery of new-ish images of the surface of Mars - there are, of course, better places to see more of these pictures, but here they're all in one place with charming synopses. Oh, and don't forget, AskaNinja.com is still cranking out high-quality humor.

God Bless America

In a year filled with complicated issues, partisan political bickering, and rampant anti-Americanism both at home and abroad, there's no better time than the Fourth of July to remember the ideals upon which our great nation was founded. We must remember those who came before us and the sacrifices they made to ensure our way of life, and also those who fight for it in our own times. This was going to be a rant about politics and remembering where we came from as a nation, but instead, I'd rather focus on the positive. For all of the problems and disagreement we have in this country, I believe that the American Spirit lives on, and with it the hope of a better tomorrow. Happy Fourth of July, and God bless America.