Disclaimer: Similiar to my list of top ten drummers, this not a list of the best bassists of all-time, or the best bassists around right now, or anything like that. I am not qualified enough to judge the abilities of every bassist in the history of the world against each other and determine the best. Nor is this a list of the bassists from my favorite bands (though there is a noticeable overlap; half of them are/were a member of one of my top five favorite bands). This is a list of the people I'd pay just to watch them play bass (without the rest of their respective bands) and get some pointers. They are presented in no particular order.
Kelly Ogden, The Dollyrots - One of my more recent favorites, I love her upbeat personality, and the way she has fun with it.
Maya Ford, The Donnas - She's also a pretty good artist, as seen by this Donnas T-shirt.
Mike Dirnt, Green Day - My favorite on this list. Author of one of my favorite Green Day songs, J.A.R. (Jason Andrew Relva).
Scott Shriner, Weezer - A great pick up after Mikey Welsh left Weezer in 2001.
Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers - Slap-style technique, very cool.
Gene Simmons, Kiss - A tip of the cap to Gene for admitting why he markets the hell out of Kiss. He didn't want his kids to grow up poor like he did. His reality show is pretty good, I enjoy watching it.
Mark Hoppus, blink-182 - I prefer his singing to that of guitarist Tom DeLonge.
Greg K, The Offspring - Dexter and Noodles get all the love, but don't underestimate what Greg brings to the table for this band.
Matt Sharp, Weezer - Did a fantastic job when he was in Weezer.
Emma Anzai, Sick Puppies - The most hardcore (IMO) on this list. Just look at the way she rocks it in their video for "You're Going Down".
Showing posts with label Weezer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weezer. Show all posts
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Weezer at 2010 Basilica Block Party - Concert Review
On Friday, July 9th, I crossed off one of the top priority items from my bucket list by attending the 2010 Basilica Block Party in the Twin Cities and seeing Weezer perform on stage.
The set kicked off with "Hash Pipe", a great choice for it's catchy guitar hook. Dun-dun-DUH-naa, dun-dun-DUH-naa... You knew you in for a hell of a show with that opening riff. After that, Weezer's true colors revealed themselves with the next song, "Troublemaker". Rivers Cuomo was singing lead WITHOUT a guitar, so he started started climbing the stage set onto speakers.
I felt a little ashamed watching his antics. I've always considered Weezer to be "geek rock", for the way my fellow geeks have embraced these guys as one of our own. The look, the attire, the meticulous attention to detail, their music evolution throughout their seven-album catalog. But that night, Rivers seemed more like a dork (heck, they all did with guitarist Brian Bell in a polo shirt, Rivers in his red jacket over the top of a polo shirt, bassist Scott Shriner in a brown kilt, and drummer/guitarist Patrick Wilson in a faded gray T-shirt and plaid green and blue shorts) with how he was flailing his arms around while "dancing" and belting out the lyrics. As the song came to an end, he tried to take one of the production crews' cameras and hoist it up on his shoulder, with mic still in hand and singing the last few lines. Someone should have given that kid a guitar...
The rest of the night continued in mostly the same manner as they played a nice variety of songs from the Blue Album to Raditude. After being troublemakers, Weezer charged through Undone (The Sweater Song) and Surf Wax America, to a "medley" of Trippin' Down the Freeway and Keep Fishin'. I use quotes there because they only did a few lines from Keep Fishin'. I wish they would have played more of that song. It's one of my top five favorite Weezer songs (if you want to know why, check out the music video).
After that medley, they played Perfect Situation, and then Dope Nose, with Scott taking on the lead vocals for Rivers. Over the last several years, from about Make Believe onward, Weezer has shifted away from being a Rivers-ocracy towards involving the rest of the band more in the performance and authoring process. That's a good thing. Scott, Brian, Patrick and are all very talented musicians in their own rights, and they bring a nice contrast to both Rivers' musical and lyrical style. I would have liked to seen more of this, maybe next time.
Next on the setlist was one of Weezer's crown jewels: Say It Ain't So. For most of the night, and ESPECIALLY during this song, I sang along at the top of my voice. This was also one of the first songs where Rivers was playing guitar while he sang (a VERY NICE white Gibson SG). After they finished this song, the rest of the band took a bit of a break while Rivers switched to an acoustic guitar and started out with a solo performance of Island in the Sun. This was a cool and collected performance, but as soon as Rivers completed the second chorus and went into the bridge, the rest of the band joined back in and turned it back up to 11. An excellent job kicking the show back into high gear, almost like a second wind.
After some Can't Stop Partying action, there was some more intra-band collaboration when Brian and Rivers shared the duties of lead vocals on El Scorcho. They played My Name Is Jonas, then made the turn at third and started bring it home by going to their bread and butter of their more recent hits, Beverly Hills and Pork and Beans, the lead singles off Make Believe and the Red Album, respectively.
They finished their set with a two-song medley. I didn't recognize the first half, so I made a note of the lyric "control yourself, take only what you need" to look it up online later. I found out it was MGMT's Kids. I'd never heard of it before, but after listening to their original version, I think Weezer did a better job with it than they did. The second part of that medley stabbed me in the back. Lady Gaga's Pokerface. Ugh, now I was REALLY embarrassed. I don't care for most pop stars from the last ten years, and even less of those who dress in ridiculous costumes like she does. But again, Weezer made an improvement over her version of that song.
The show was over after this final song. Or was it? No, of course not. Weezer came back on stage a couple minutes later to perform (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, the lead single off their most recent album, Raditude. Finally, THE Weezer song, Buddy Holly. And that was it, more than an hour and a half later. A very solid, balanced setlist from their 18 years together.
A few things to nitpick on after it was over. They only played one song from Pinkerton. I would have loved another one from that album, like Falling for You or maybe Why Bother?. As I mentioned before, they should have also played Keep Fishin' in its entirety. A little more Patrick Wilson; he seemed a little too quiet for the goofball he can be (check out the Photograph music video; there's a guy who really enjoys life). And I can never get enough Weezer. I wish they could have played a few more songs, at least enough to fill up another 20-30 minutes.
Overall, I give the concert a 9.5 out of 10. There was very little filler between songs, and they touched upon many of the top-tier tunes. I had been worried that I would have never seen my favorite band perform live after the bus accident last winter that almost took Rivers from us. I don't have to worry anymore; I'm as good as he and the rest of was on stage that evening.
The set kicked off with "Hash Pipe", a great choice for it's catchy guitar hook. Dun-dun-DUH-naa, dun-dun-DUH-naa... You knew you in for a hell of a show with that opening riff. After that, Weezer's true colors revealed themselves with the next song, "Troublemaker". Rivers Cuomo was singing lead WITHOUT a guitar, so he started started climbing the stage set onto speakers.
I felt a little ashamed watching his antics. I've always considered Weezer to be "geek rock", for the way my fellow geeks have embraced these guys as one of our own. The look, the attire, the meticulous attention to detail, their music evolution throughout their seven-album catalog. But that night, Rivers seemed more like a dork (heck, they all did with guitarist Brian Bell in a polo shirt, Rivers in his red jacket over the top of a polo shirt, bassist Scott Shriner in a brown kilt, and drummer/guitarist Patrick Wilson in a faded gray T-shirt and plaid green and blue shorts) with how he was flailing his arms around while "dancing" and belting out the lyrics. As the song came to an end, he tried to take one of the production crews' cameras and hoist it up on his shoulder, with mic still in hand and singing the last few lines. Someone should have given that kid a guitar...
The rest of the night continued in mostly the same manner as they played a nice variety of songs from the Blue Album to Raditude. After being troublemakers, Weezer charged through Undone (The Sweater Song) and Surf Wax America, to a "medley" of Trippin' Down the Freeway and Keep Fishin'. I use quotes there because they only did a few lines from Keep Fishin'. I wish they would have played more of that song. It's one of my top five favorite Weezer songs (if you want to know why, check out the music video).
After that medley, they played Perfect Situation, and then Dope Nose, with Scott taking on the lead vocals for Rivers. Over the last several years, from about Make Believe onward, Weezer has shifted away from being a Rivers-ocracy towards involving the rest of the band more in the performance and authoring process. That's a good thing. Scott, Brian, Patrick and are all very talented musicians in their own rights, and they bring a nice contrast to both Rivers' musical and lyrical style. I would have liked to seen more of this, maybe next time.
Next on the setlist was one of Weezer's crown jewels: Say It Ain't So. For most of the night, and ESPECIALLY during this song, I sang along at the top of my voice. This was also one of the first songs where Rivers was playing guitar while he sang (a VERY NICE white Gibson SG). After they finished this song, the rest of the band took a bit of a break while Rivers switched to an acoustic guitar and started out with a solo performance of Island in the Sun. This was a cool and collected performance, but as soon as Rivers completed the second chorus and went into the bridge, the rest of the band joined back in and turned it back up to 11. An excellent job kicking the show back into high gear, almost like a second wind.
After some Can't Stop Partying action, there was some more intra-band collaboration when Brian and Rivers shared the duties of lead vocals on El Scorcho. They played My Name Is Jonas, then made the turn at third and started bring it home by going to their bread and butter of their more recent hits, Beverly Hills and Pork and Beans, the lead singles off Make Believe and the Red Album, respectively.
They finished their set with a two-song medley. I didn't recognize the first half, so I made a note of the lyric "control yourself, take only what you need" to look it up online later. I found out it was MGMT's Kids. I'd never heard of it before, but after listening to their original version, I think Weezer did a better job with it than they did. The second part of that medley stabbed me in the back. Lady Gaga's Pokerface. Ugh, now I was REALLY embarrassed. I don't care for most pop stars from the last ten years, and even less of those who dress in ridiculous costumes like she does. But again, Weezer made an improvement over her version of that song.
The show was over after this final song. Or was it? No, of course not. Weezer came back on stage a couple minutes later to perform (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To, the lead single off their most recent album, Raditude. Finally, THE Weezer song, Buddy Holly. And that was it, more than an hour and a half later. A very solid, balanced setlist from their 18 years together.
A few things to nitpick on after it was over. They only played one song from Pinkerton. I would have loved another one from that album, like Falling for You or maybe Why Bother?. As I mentioned before, they should have also played Keep Fishin' in its entirety. A little more Patrick Wilson; he seemed a little too quiet for the goofball he can be (check out the Photograph music video; there's a guy who really enjoys life). And I can never get enough Weezer. I wish they could have played a few more songs, at least enough to fill up another 20-30 minutes.
Overall, I give the concert a 9.5 out of 10. There was very little filler between songs, and they touched upon many of the top-tier tunes. I had been worried that I would have never seen my favorite band perform live after the bus accident last winter that almost took Rivers from us. I don't have to worry anymore; I'm as good as he and the rest of was on stage that evening.
Monday, July 5, 2010
You guys could learn a thing or two...
Even though Weezer is and will forever be my favorite band, and I fell head over heels in love with The Donnas last Labor Day, I really think Green Day is the team to beat now.
If Green Day continues the musical and commercial success they've had over the last 12 months, the bands in my top two could fall out of their respective rankings. How can Weezer and The Donnas solidify their spots? Easy, just borrow from Green Day's playbook.
For example, Rivers Cuomo and the rest of Weezer should go back to Songs From the Black Hole. This album was planned as the follow up to the Blue Album, but the idea eventually fell apart and the end result was Pinkerton (which itself was a good album, but not the immediate commercial success that the Blue Album was, and more or less caused Cuomo to disappear from the scene for a few years). With the success of the American Idiot musical on Broadway, maybe it's time for Weezer to go back to that fountain. They can make it work, Rivers is just a musical genius, and I'm sure he and a broadway director would hammer out a damn good show.
As for The Donnas, they should also release their own Rock Band title. I love playing Green Day: Rock Band, even more than Rock Band 2. I realize that The Donnas: Rock Band is probably more of an EA decision than anyone else's, but I've thought most of this out. Three of the four venues would be Hugh Center Court at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, CA, site of their first performance when they were still in the eighth grade; the auditorium hosting the battle of the bands in the Take It Off music video; and Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, site of Desert Moon 2, the holy grail of live Donnas performances. As for the song list, I think there'd be significant overlap with this sampler platter playlist and the DM2 setlist. I don't think you'd have full albums like GDRB, but definitely 4-5 songs from every single album they've released (might be a little tricky, though, since The Donnas have been on 3 separate record labels in their 17-year history).
I really can't make it any simpler than that. You have your orders, so get to work. :D
If Green Day continues the musical and commercial success they've had over the last 12 months, the bands in my top two could fall out of their respective rankings. How can Weezer and The Donnas solidify their spots? Easy, just borrow from Green Day's playbook.
For example, Rivers Cuomo and the rest of Weezer should go back to Songs From the Black Hole. This album was planned as the follow up to the Blue Album, but the idea eventually fell apart and the end result was Pinkerton (which itself was a good album, but not the immediate commercial success that the Blue Album was, and more or less caused Cuomo to disappear from the scene for a few years). With the success of the American Idiot musical on Broadway, maybe it's time for Weezer to go back to that fountain. They can make it work, Rivers is just a musical genius, and I'm sure he and a broadway director would hammer out a damn good show.
As for The Donnas, they should also release their own Rock Band title. I love playing Green Day: Rock Band, even more than Rock Band 2. I realize that The Donnas: Rock Band is probably more of an EA decision than anyone else's, but I've thought most of this out. Three of the four venues would be Hugh Center Court at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, CA, site of their first performance when they were still in the eighth grade; the auditorium hosting the battle of the bands in the Take It Off music video; and Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace, site of Desert Moon 2, the holy grail of live Donnas performances. As for the song list, I think there'd be significant overlap with this sampler platter playlist and the DM2 setlist. I don't think you'd have full albums like GDRB, but definitely 4-5 songs from every single album they've released (might be a little tricky, though, since The Donnas have been on 3 separate record labels in their 17-year history).
I really can't make it any simpler than that. You have your orders, so get to work. :D
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Take your time
There are two ways to choose when become a fan of something.
First, you can become a fan of something right away, getting in on the ground floor. And sometimes, it's really great, because you can "grow" with the target of your fandom, change in-sync with them, and the influence it/they have over you will last your entire life.
It doesn't always work out that nicely and neatly. You're human, so change can potentially frighten you. And when your idol changes for the worse, you're disappointed. You don't like that change, you complain "it's not like it was before". Eventually, you're not a fan anymore, because they don't stand for what they originally did.
Worse yet, if you remain a fan, accepting the change of your heroes, you could become overpossessive. I knew a guy in college who was (and probably still is, to my knowledge) a big Barenaked Ladies fan. Even before they broke through in America with "One Week". And he was ultra-critical of those more recent fans who only liked BNL because of "One Week". He was kind of a hateful douchebag about it. So angry. You'd think a true fan would be glad when their heroes make it to the top and get more fans. You know, to validate the time and money they've invested in following their pursuits and have someone to share it with.
Or secondly, you can wait before you hop on the bandwagon. Wait until someone has been out there for a while before you decide if you want to be a fan or not.
I recommend this approach. It's way less stressful. When you look back at something that's been out there for a while, you can be more objective about the things that entity has done. Sure, you can say "Oh, they changed". But that change happened YEARS ago. It's done, it's over. Looking at something in retrospect, you don't have that emotional attachment, so you can judge things with a clearer mindset.
For example, my two favorite bands are Weezer and The Donnas. In both cases, I didn't become a fan of them until they'd already been around for nearly 10 years (or more). Sure, I did have one of their albums each for a few years before I became their fan, but I was only a fan of the album (or even just a few of the songs). Then one day, something just clicked, I started digging through their catalogues, and fell in love.
If you want to understand how I got to this point, you can read my "Levels of Music" post, but to quasi-summarize: Weezer released the Blue Album in '94; I got it as a freshman in college. They released their Video Capture Device DVD containing all their videos and some behind-the-scenes stuff in '04, and I absolutely loved it. I then proceeded buy their other three albums (at the time) and their three albums since then shortly after their release dates. The Donnas released "Spend the Night" (their major-label debut, but fifth album overall) in October '02, I bought it in October '05. I got Rock Band 2 last summer, featuring their song "New Kid in School". The last weekend of August, after a brutal week at work and still waiting for my replacement drum pads to come back from EA, I surfed the Internet and became entranced by those beautiful sirens. Since then, I bought 6 of their albums, watched countless videos of them online, and read anything I could find about them.
In both instances, I can look back at all their albums and see the evolutions in their respective styles and sounds. Each album from both bands represents not only a different sound, but a different maturity level and emotional state. I could get into a big long thing about what I think each album stands for, but that'd take too long. What I can say is, "I can appreciate each one in their own special way. Just because X doesn't sound like Y, and neither sounds like Z, doesn't mean I can't like them all."
So, if you're considering becoming a fan of something, take your time. This isn't a limited time offer. You don't have to act now. Wait. Days, weeks, months, years; doesn't matter. The targets of your affection will be there for you, if and when you become a fan.
First, you can become a fan of something right away, getting in on the ground floor. And sometimes, it's really great, because you can "grow" with the target of your fandom, change in-sync with them, and the influence it/they have over you will last your entire life.
It doesn't always work out that nicely and neatly. You're human, so change can potentially frighten you. And when your idol changes for the worse, you're disappointed. You don't like that change, you complain "it's not like it was before". Eventually, you're not a fan anymore, because they don't stand for what they originally did.
Worse yet, if you remain a fan, accepting the change of your heroes, you could become overpossessive. I knew a guy in college who was (and probably still is, to my knowledge) a big Barenaked Ladies fan. Even before they broke through in America with "One Week". And he was ultra-critical of those more recent fans who only liked BNL because of "One Week". He was kind of a hateful douchebag about it. So angry. You'd think a true fan would be glad when their heroes make it to the top and get more fans. You know, to validate the time and money they've invested in following their pursuits and have someone to share it with.
Or secondly, you can wait before you hop on the bandwagon. Wait until someone has been out there for a while before you decide if you want to be a fan or not.
I recommend this approach. It's way less stressful. When you look back at something that's been out there for a while, you can be more objective about the things that entity has done. Sure, you can say "Oh, they changed". But that change happened YEARS ago. It's done, it's over. Looking at something in retrospect, you don't have that emotional attachment, so you can judge things with a clearer mindset.
For example, my two favorite bands are Weezer and The Donnas. In both cases, I didn't become a fan of them until they'd already been around for nearly 10 years (or more). Sure, I did have one of their albums each for a few years before I became their fan, but I was only a fan of the album (or even just a few of the songs). Then one day, something just clicked, I started digging through their catalogues, and fell in love.
If you want to understand how I got to this point, you can read my "Levels of Music" post, but to quasi-summarize: Weezer released the Blue Album in '94; I got it as a freshman in college. They released their Video Capture Device DVD containing all their videos and some behind-the-scenes stuff in '04, and I absolutely loved it. I then proceeded buy their other three albums (at the time) and their three albums since then shortly after their release dates. The Donnas released "Spend the Night" (their major-label debut, but fifth album overall) in October '02, I bought it in October '05. I got Rock Band 2 last summer, featuring their song "New Kid in School". The last weekend of August, after a brutal week at work and still waiting for my replacement drum pads to come back from EA, I surfed the Internet and became entranced by those beautiful sirens. Since then, I bought 6 of their albums, watched countless videos of them online, and read anything I could find about them.
In both instances, I can look back at all their albums and see the evolutions in their respective styles and sounds. Each album from both bands represents not only a different sound, but a different maturity level and emotional state. I could get into a big long thing about what I think each album stands for, but that'd take too long. What I can say is, "I can appreciate each one in their own special way. Just because X doesn't sound like Y, and neither sounds like Z, doesn't mean I can't like them all."
So, if you're considering becoming a fan of something, take your time. This isn't a limited time offer. You don't have to act now. Wait. Days, weeks, months, years; doesn't matter. The targets of your affection will be there for you, if and when you become a fan.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Top 10 Drummers
Disclaimer: This not a list of the best drummers of all-time, or the best drummers around right now, or anything like that. I am not qualified enough to judge the abilities of every drummer in the history of the world against each other and determine the best. Nor is this a list of the drummers from my favorite bands (though there is a noticeable overlap; 4 of these people are a member of one of my three favorite bands). This is a list of the people I'd pay just to watch them play drums, up close and personal (within 10 feet, and over their shoulders), without the rest of their respective bands. They are presented in no particular order.
Torry Castellano, The Donnas - My dream girl for the last five months. Get well soon, sweetie, I wanna see you play in MSP this year!!
Patrick Wilson, Weezer
Tré Cool, Green Day
Brad Arnold, 3 Doors Down
Longineu Parsons, Yellowcard - That guy is fast, holy lord!! Just listen to some Yellowcard and you'll be blown away.
Rivers Cuomo, Weezer - I know he's not the drummer for Weezer, but he's just as talented. He can play as well as anyone on this list.
Brad Wilk, Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave
Greg Eklund, Everclear - I will always see Everclear as the '94-'03 Art Alexakis-Craig Montoya-Greg Eklund trio
Dave Grohl, Nirvana/Foo Fighters - The BEST drummer on this list, by a good margin (IMO)
Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Torry Castellano, The Donnas - My dream girl for the last five months. Get well soon, sweetie, I wanna see you play in MSP this year!!
Patrick Wilson, Weezer
Tré Cool, Green Day
Brad Arnold, 3 Doors Down
Longineu Parsons, Yellowcard - That guy is fast, holy lord!! Just listen to some Yellowcard and you'll be blown away.
Rivers Cuomo, Weezer - I know he's not the drummer for Weezer, but he's just as talented. He can play as well as anyone on this list.
Brad Wilk, Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave
Greg Eklund, Everclear - I will always see Everclear as the '94-'03 Art Alexakis-Craig Montoya-Greg Eklund trio
Dave Grohl, Nirvana/Foo Fighters - The BEST drummer on this list, by a good margin (IMO)
Chad Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Saturday, October 24, 2009
If you've ever checked out my music collection, you may be thinking "Wow, this guy is all over the map. He has a little bit of everything." Probably more like "Who the hell listens to X AND Y AND Z? How can he like all those? They just don't belong with each other." Something along those lines.
How did we get here? I'm glad you asked. I'd be happy to walk you through it.
I have almost no loyalty to bands. In my mind, you're only as good as your last album. The slate gets wiped clean when the new release hits stores. Then I do my research. Listen to the songs. Compare prices. Maybe read some reviews (though I don't know why, I'd like to decide for myself and don't care what anyone else may think). After you're presented your case, I pass my judgement.
It's a roughly exponential scale, where the rating of an artist is equal to the log of the amount of time and money I'd be willing to spend on that artist in my lifetime to the base of some unknown number x (it's somewhere around 10, but it doesn't really matter because it's not an absolute value; just an example to get my point across). If you're not as mathematically inclined as I am, this will make more sense as I explain the ratings.
Level 0: I'm either indifferent to an artist (because I've never heard of you) or I don't like (possibly even hate) them. I'm not buying your music. Maybe later. Maybe NEVER. Just not now. And if I hate you, I'm going to avoid you like the plague. You'll get nothing and like it.
Level 1: Congratulations. You've got a good song. That's about it. I'll add it to the list, and either purchase it individually online, or wait until a compilation album/soundtrack comes around with it on there. I may even LOVE the song, but I'm still not buying your album.
Level 2: Nice work. There are at least a couple of good songs on your album, so I'll buy it. I'm only going to listen to those songs though. I may have tried to listen to the album, but found myself pressing the Next button most of the time. But hey, you got $10 ± 4 from me. Can you really complain about that?
You can reach Level 2 if you have multiple Level 1 songs on an album, but it's no guarantee. If I don't care for you, I'll avoid buying your album and only pick off the good songs. For example, I wasn't willing to buy TLC's greatest hits album, but I liked "Waterfalls" and "No Scrubs". What did I do? Just buy those two songs on iTunes. We're done here, you can go now. Go on, get!
Level 3: You reached level 2, I decided to give your album a chance, and I admit, it's solid. Most of songs are pretty good. I like it. I could start warming up to you. Don't forget we reset the scores after the next record comes out. You may have won Game 1, but it's a five/seven/nine-game series. It's not over yet; you've still got work to do.
Examples of Level 3's: "Throwing Copper" by Live, "Modified" by Save Ferris, and Show and Tell" by Silvertide.
Most soundtracks and compilation albums will fall somewhere between Levels 2 and 3, depending on how many good songs are on it, as a percentage of total songs on the album.
Level 4: Sweet. You have multiple albums meeting the requirements for Level 2. At this point, I'm starting to like your band. I may or may not state that publicly; it could be embarassing to me. You may have 2-0 or a 3-1 lead in this series, but you haven't WON anything yet. You could fall apart at the end, and all I'll be talking about is how you blew it. You still need to keep the momentum going, or I'll kick you back down to Level 3. Perhaps even Level 2 or Level 1.
Examples of Level 4's: Audioslave, Sheryl Crow, Eminem, Linkin Park, Reel Big Fish, Yellowcard. You get the point. Check out the complete list of songs in my collection and you can figure it out.
Level 5: Multiple albums meeting the Level 3 conditions. I officially like you. Heck, I may even LOVE you. At this point, I'm looking to buy additional merchandise from your group. Maybe some shirts, posters, DVD's, etc. You're looking at a triple-digit income from my spending habits. It takes a lot of hard work, and some luck, to get here. You should feel good about yourself. Even if you release a not-so-good album, you'll probably stay here.
Examples of Level 5's: Barenaked Ladies, Everclear, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, John Mayer, The Offspring, Staind.
There's a number of bands stratling the line between 4 and 5. They include blink-182, Nickelback, Saliva, Sum 41. But all is not lost if you're stuck in this limbo. If I'm starting to consider you for promotion, I'm looking to buy concert tickets if/when you come to town. But you DO have to come, and when you do, the price has to be right. For example, Saliva played in Fargo in Sept. 2007, and tickets were $10. It was an amazing show, and I ended up buying two of their albums that night after it all was over.
Level 6: The pinnacle. Top of the mountain. This is unconditional love. I'll buy your new album without question. I don't even have to listen to any of the songs on it. I'm planning to buy individual songs that you've collaborated with other artists on. You're THAT good. I've also descended in obsession with you. Spending hundreds of hours online, looking for any information I can find on you. Videos, interviews, live performances, whatever I can get my hands on. 'Cuz I want to know everything. I sound creepy saying that, but I'm not sure how else I can explain how much I like your band.
Let's get one thing clear, though. YOU WILL NEVER GET HERE!! It's just not a realistic goal. That's like me trying to get to the major leagues of baseball; it ain't happenin'. Just look at Green Day, 5 albums with a pair of singles. Barenaked Ladies, 6 albums and a single. John Mayer, 5 albums, two of which are live double albums. These guys are very good, but they haven't quite made it yet. Will they? Will YOU? Anything's possible, but honestly... I don't see it. I just don't.
As of this date, only two groups have gotten this far in 15 years. Weezer and The Donnas. That's it. Weezer got there with the release of their Video Capture Device DVD in 2004. The Donnas only recently got here, after I realized that my "obsession" that began in late August was just me rapidly becoming a fan of them.
One last comment about Level 6. Brett, Brian, Torry, Rivers, Maya, Allison, Scott, Patrick (and if you're listening, Amy, Josh, and Karl). It's possible that you could get booted from Level 6. You may be league champions, you may have had a lavish victory parade, you may have that shiny trophy up in a highly-secured glass case in the entryway to your stadium. But guess what? You're going to have to defend that trophy next season. Good luck. You may be the favorites, but there's gonna be some people gunnin' for you. Just a fair warning.
That's how it works. How I approach the appreication and the acquisition of music. I know it really isn't one of those things you can quantify and rationalize. But I did, 'cuz that's how I roll. Where you really expecting any different of me?
How did we get here? I'm glad you asked. I'd be happy to walk you through it.
I have almost no loyalty to bands. In my mind, you're only as good as your last album. The slate gets wiped clean when the new release hits stores. Then I do my research. Listen to the songs. Compare prices. Maybe read some reviews (though I don't know why, I'd like to decide for myself and don't care what anyone else may think). After you're presented your case, I pass my judgement.
It's a roughly exponential scale, where the rating of an artist is equal to the log of the amount of time and money I'd be willing to spend on that artist in my lifetime to the base of some unknown number x (it's somewhere around 10, but it doesn't really matter because it's not an absolute value; just an example to get my point across). If you're not as mathematically inclined as I am, this will make more sense as I explain the ratings.
Level 0: I'm either indifferent to an artist (because I've never heard of you) or I don't like (possibly even hate) them. I'm not buying your music. Maybe later. Maybe NEVER. Just not now. And if I hate you, I'm going to avoid you like the plague. You'll get nothing and like it.
Level 1: Congratulations. You've got a good song. That's about it. I'll add it to the list, and either purchase it individually online, or wait until a compilation album/soundtrack comes around with it on there. I may even LOVE the song, but I'm still not buying your album.
Level 2: Nice work. There are at least a couple of good songs on your album, so I'll buy it. I'm only going to listen to those songs though. I may have tried to listen to the album, but found myself pressing the Next button most of the time. But hey, you got $10 ± 4 from me. Can you really complain about that?
You can reach Level 2 if you have multiple Level 1 songs on an album, but it's no guarantee. If I don't care for you, I'll avoid buying your album and only pick off the good songs. For example, I wasn't willing to buy TLC's greatest hits album, but I liked "Waterfalls" and "No Scrubs". What did I do? Just buy those two songs on iTunes. We're done here, you can go now. Go on, get!
Level 3: You reached level 2, I decided to give your album a chance, and I admit, it's solid. Most of songs are pretty good. I like it. I could start warming up to you. Don't forget we reset the scores after the next record comes out. You may have won Game 1, but it's a five/seven/nine-game series. It's not over yet; you've still got work to do.
Examples of Level 3's: "Throwing Copper" by Live, "Modified" by Save Ferris, and Show and Tell" by Silvertide.
Most soundtracks and compilation albums will fall somewhere between Levels 2 and 3, depending on how many good songs are on it, as a percentage of total songs on the album.
Level 4: Sweet. You have multiple albums meeting the requirements for Level 2. At this point, I'm starting to like your band. I may or may not state that publicly; it could be embarassing to me. You may have 2-0 or a 3-1 lead in this series, but you haven't WON anything yet. You could fall apart at the end, and all I'll be talking about is how you blew it. You still need to keep the momentum going, or I'll kick you back down to Level 3. Perhaps even Level 2 or Level 1.
Examples of Level 4's: Audioslave, Sheryl Crow, Eminem, Linkin Park, Reel Big Fish, Yellowcard. You get the point. Check out the complete list of songs in my collection and you can figure it out.
Level 5: Multiple albums meeting the Level 3 conditions. I officially like you. Heck, I may even LOVE you. At this point, I'm looking to buy additional merchandise from your group. Maybe some shirts, posters, DVD's, etc. You're looking at a triple-digit income from my spending habits. It takes a lot of hard work, and some luck, to get here. You should feel good about yourself. Even if you release a not-so-good album, you'll probably stay here.
Examples of Level 5's: Barenaked Ladies, Everclear, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, John Mayer, The Offspring, Staind.
There's a number of bands stratling the line between 4 and 5. They include blink-182, Nickelback, Saliva, Sum 41. But all is not lost if you're stuck in this limbo. If I'm starting to consider you for promotion, I'm looking to buy concert tickets if/when you come to town. But you DO have to come, and when you do, the price has to be right. For example, Saliva played in Fargo in Sept. 2007, and tickets were $10. It was an amazing show, and I ended up buying two of their albums that night after it all was over.
Level 6: The pinnacle. Top of the mountain. This is unconditional love. I'll buy your new album without question. I don't even have to listen to any of the songs on it. I'm planning to buy individual songs that you've collaborated with other artists on. You're THAT good. I've also descended in obsession with you. Spending hundreds of hours online, looking for any information I can find on you. Videos, interviews, live performances, whatever I can get my hands on. 'Cuz I want to know everything. I sound creepy saying that, but I'm not sure how else I can explain how much I like your band.
Let's get one thing clear, though. YOU WILL NEVER GET HERE!! It's just not a realistic goal. That's like me trying to get to the major leagues of baseball; it ain't happenin'. Just look at Green Day, 5 albums with a pair of singles. Barenaked Ladies, 6 albums and a single. John Mayer, 5 albums, two of which are live double albums. These guys are very good, but they haven't quite made it yet. Will they? Will YOU? Anything's possible, but honestly... I don't see it. I just don't.
As of this date, only two groups have gotten this far in 15 years. Weezer and The Donnas. That's it. Weezer got there with the release of their Video Capture Device DVD in 2004. The Donnas only recently got here, after I realized that my "obsession" that began in late August was just me rapidly becoming a fan of them.
One last comment about Level 6. Brett, Brian, Torry, Rivers, Maya, Allison, Scott, Patrick (and if you're listening, Amy, Josh, and Karl). It's possible that you could get booted from Level 6. You may be league champions, you may have had a lavish victory parade, you may have that shiny trophy up in a highly-secured glass case in the entryway to your stadium. But guess what? You're going to have to defend that trophy next season. Good luck. You may be the favorites, but there's gonna be some people gunnin' for you. Just a fair warning.
That's how it works. How I approach the appreication and the acquisition of music. I know it really isn't one of those things you can quantify and rationalize. But I did, 'cuz that's how I roll. Where you really expecting any different of me?
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Another mystery solved
As a fan of Weezer, I keep hearing about all these Modern Rock/Indie Rock radio stations that have been going under or changing formats over the last 2-3 years.
I just realized why. The people who would have normally tuned into those stations (like myself), own iPods or listen to satellite radio. Since I bought an FM transmitter for my iPod, I haven't listened to a terrestial radio station in my car for more than two years. I had a radio in my office last summer/fall, until the owner of said radio took it back into his possession.
Sometimes, I even amaze myself with my powers of deductive reasoning.
I just realized why. The people who would have normally tuned into those stations (like myself), own iPods or listen to satellite radio. Since I bought an FM transmitter for my iPod, I haven't listened to a terrestial radio station in my car for more than two years. I had a radio in my office last summer/fall, until the owner of said radio took it back into his possession.
Sometimes, I even amaze myself with my powers of deductive reasoning.
Sunday, May 8, 2005
Dear Santa
These are the toys I want:
- The new Weezer CD, Make Believe.
- A 17" LCD montior.
- A Mac mini, 1.25 GHz, 512 MB, 40 GB HD, Wireless capable.
- A KVM switch, with PS/2 inputs and USB outputs.
- Some baseball cards (see my web site for my wantlists).
- A better laptop. But that can wait for now.
- An HP laser printer. This can also wait.
- A camera phone.
- Answers to all my Linux questions.
- Books to make me smart. Specifically, stuff on Linux, Apache/MySQL/PHP, C#. Maybe the new Harry Potter book too.
- A peon. Someone to do my coding for me.
- A new Twins hat. Fitted. Size 7 1/4. Away (the one with the "m" on it).
Saturday, January 1, 2005
Cleanin' out my closet
I had these sitting in my draft box for a few weeks. I thought I should post them and get them out of the way.
I plan to update my blog on a weekly basis. And I'm working on some web site stuff too. Stay tuned...
Why does Superman fly the way he does? You know, horizontal with his arms out in front of him. Why not in a sitting position? Or the Heisman Trophy? What about the backstroke? If I was him, I'd fly in all kinds of crazy positions. And don't give me this aerodynamic crap. He's faster than a speeding bullet. Drag force don't got nothin' on the Man of Steel.
House M.D.: Good show, but on at the same time as Scrubs.
=w= Just that. Pretty self-explanitory.
So, AOL is offering virus protection software to their "members". And spam-blocking. I believe those of us in the IT industry call it the UNINSTALL feature.
Great Mario Kart items:
Feather (SMK): Wicked air, massive shortcuts, avoids items, fun to jump outside the course boundaries and get rescued by Likatu.
Poison Mushroom (SMK): Shrink yourself down to size, then get another to get back to normal-size.
Ghost (SMK, MK64): Thieving, especially in two-player mode and using those items against your victim.
Gold Mushroom (MK64): Boost as many times as possible; time duration not limited by a number of uses.
Triple Green Shells (MK64): Great shield. Protect yourself from the debris on the road, or clean it up yourself.
Triple Red Shells (MK64): Better than greens. Can juggle target if fired with the right timing.
Lightning (SMK, MK64): Flatten the little guys! Lets you catch up in a hurry.
Notice a pattern? Nothing from the Gamecube version, Mario Kart Double Dash (MKDD). The best items were in the SNES and N64 versions, Super Mario Kart (SMK) and Mario Kart 64 (MK64).
I plan to update my blog on a weekly basis. And I'm working on some web site stuff too. Stay tuned...
Why does Superman fly the way he does? You know, horizontal with his arms out in front of him. Why not in a sitting position? Or the Heisman Trophy? What about the backstroke? If I was him, I'd fly in all kinds of crazy positions. And don't give me this aerodynamic crap. He's faster than a speeding bullet. Drag force don't got nothin' on the Man of Steel.
House M.D.: Good show, but on at the same time as Scrubs.
=w= Just that. Pretty self-explanitory.
So, AOL is offering virus protection software to their "members". And spam-blocking. I believe those of us in the IT industry call it the UNINSTALL feature.
Great Mario Kart items:
Feather (SMK): Wicked air, massive shortcuts, avoids items, fun to jump outside the course boundaries and get rescued by Likatu.
Poison Mushroom (SMK): Shrink yourself down to size, then get another to get back to normal-size.
Ghost (SMK, MK64): Thieving, especially in two-player mode and using those items against your victim.
Gold Mushroom (MK64): Boost as many times as possible; time duration not limited by a number of uses.
Triple Green Shells (MK64): Great shield. Protect yourself from the debris on the road, or clean it up yourself.
Triple Red Shells (MK64): Better than greens. Can juggle target if fired with the right timing.
Lightning (SMK, MK64): Flatten the little guys! Lets you catch up in a hurry.
Notice a pattern? Nothing from the Gamecube version, Mario Kart Double Dash (MKDD). The best items were in the SNES and N64 versions, Super Mario Kart (SMK) and Mario Kart 64 (MK64).
Thursday, April 29, 2004
You know, being the President, CEO, Project Manager, Senior Programmer, and only employee of your own software company is tough. I got so many ideas, but just a single man to hack out the code to make them work. If only I had some capital to hire people smarter than me. I will have my minions someday.
I want to consume a large quantity of food coloring for the sole purpose of turning my bodily waste an unusual color. I'm sure you don't need, or want, any details. I have to figure out how much I have to drink to see the effects, and whether or not that much straight food coloring is healthy for me.
I need to move to a country without "reality" television shows. I hate them so much. And they keep getting worse. Among the new ones, are the "Reverse American Idol" (I don't know what it's really called, but I don't give a F***!!) and "The Baby Game" (ditto). The former is just like regular "American Idol", but this time they're looking for the next William Hung!! The latter forces 5 married couples to compete for the chance to adopt a teenage mother's infant child. All of it, so very wrong.
Some kid at the University of Massachusetts tore into Pat Tillman, the NFLer turned soldier who recently died in combat in Afghanistan. What an asshole. One, speak well of the dead, especially when he died to protect your right to talk shit about him. Two, what have you done for America lately? Tillman sacrificed more than anyone could have asked for, turning down millions of dollars, playing in the NFL, and putting his life on the line. All for what he thought was right. You insult him, you insult the millions of Americans who's died for this great nation. Excellent quote from University president Jack Wilson about the kid's op-ed piece: "disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature."
The kid later removed his head from the inside of his body cavity and apologized. He's still a dumbass punk who needs a swift kick in the rear.
I had an OS test on Tuesday. I thought I was ready for it. I was so wrong. I felt I was prepared for the test, but I forgot that this was a Dr. Juell test. You can never be prepared for those. I tried to BS my way through it, hoping to at least get 50 points and keep a C in the class. After I turned it in, he offered me a chance to retake the entire test open book. It would cost me 10 points. I spent a few minutes debating it. Wondering if there were any other strings attached. I retook the test. And I felt much better the second time around. I got them both back today. 78 the first time. 86 the second time. Guess I didn't do as bad as I thought.
I rather enjoy the discussion part of Juell's OS class. My class talks about the problems plaguing modern operating systems (mainly Microsoft) and how the things we learn in lecture apply to solving those problems. It's the lectures themselves that aren't so fun. They're kinda boring, mainly since he talks, and we don't. It's a good thing we discuss first, so we can eat up the first half hour or so. :)
OK, those remaining Weezer lyrics. From "Maladroit"...
-- "For the times that you wanna go and/Bust rhymes real slow/I'll appear/slap you on the face and/Enjoy the show" - Dope Nose
-- "Dead on my head/Wasting time on my own/Sleep rescue me/Take me back to my home" - Dope Nose
-- Keep Fishin' (another gem from the pen of Rivers Cuomo) - quite possibly my favorite Weezer song of all, thanks to the awesome video featuring the Muppets
OK, I was only able to deliver 15. Maybe someday, I'll finish the list.
It's bedtime for beautiful people like me. I got a presentation to half-ass in the morning. Later.
I want to consume a large quantity of food coloring for the sole purpose of turning my bodily waste an unusual color. I'm sure you don't need, or want, any details. I have to figure out how much I have to drink to see the effects, and whether or not that much straight food coloring is healthy for me.
I need to move to a country without "reality" television shows. I hate them so much. And they keep getting worse. Among the new ones, are the "Reverse American Idol" (I don't know what it's really called, but I don't give a F***!!) and "The Baby Game" (ditto). The former is just like regular "American Idol", but this time they're looking for the next William Hung!!
Some kid at the University of Massachusetts tore into Pat Tillman, the NFLer turned soldier who recently died in combat in Afghanistan. What an asshole. One, speak well of the dead, especially when he died to protect your right to talk shit about him. Two, what have you done for America lately? Tillman sacrificed more than anyone could have asked for, turning down millions of dollars, playing in the NFL, and putting his life on the line. All for what he thought was right. You insult him, you insult the millions of Americans who's died for this great nation. Excellent quote from University president Jack Wilson about the kid's op-ed piece: "disgusting, arrogant and intellectually immature."
The kid later removed his head from the inside of his body cavity and apologized. He's still a dumbass punk who needs a swift kick in the rear.
I had an OS test on Tuesday. I thought I was ready for it. I was so wrong. I felt I was prepared for the test, but I forgot that this was a Dr. Juell test. You can never be prepared for those. I tried to BS my way through it, hoping to at least get 50 points and keep a C in the class. After I turned it in, he offered me a chance to retake the entire test open book. It would cost me 10 points. I spent a few minutes debating it. Wondering if there were any other strings attached. I retook the test. And I felt much better the second time around. I got them both back today. 78 the first time. 86 the second time. Guess I didn't do as bad as I thought.
I rather enjoy the discussion part of Juell's OS class. My class talks about the problems plaguing modern operating systems (mainly Microsoft) and how the things we learn in lecture apply to solving those problems. It's the lectures themselves that aren't so fun. They're kinda boring, mainly since he talks, and we don't. It's a good thing we discuss first, so we can eat up the first half hour or so. :)
OK, those remaining Weezer lyrics. From "Maladroit"...
-- "For the times that you wanna go and/Bust rhymes real slow/I'll appear/slap you on the face and/Enjoy the show" - Dope Nose
-- "Dead on my head/Wasting time on my own/Sleep rescue me/Take me back to my home" - Dope Nose
-- Keep Fishin' (another gem from the pen of Rivers Cuomo) - quite possibly my favorite Weezer song of all, thanks to the awesome video featuring the Muppets
OK, I was only able to deliver 15. Maybe someday, I'll finish the list.
It's bedtime for beautiful people like me. I got a presentation to half-ass in the morning. Later.
Sunday, April 25, 2004
So, appearantly, KFC is a big fat lie. The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant was in UTAH!! As Carrie would say, "I know, tell me about it!"
Ed. Note: I have since been told that my source on this fact was incorrect. I checked it out on Wikipedia, and confirmed that the first KFC was not opened in Utah. Full Details - PFritz21, 8/21/05 5:12 PM.
I got a small Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen the other day. It cost me $3.17 (including tax). To be honest, I paid $1.49 for the Blizzard, and an extra $1.50 for the ass raping.
I hate people who treat animals like people. Like dressing up their dogs in cute little outfits. Or doggy yoga. Or bottled water for dogs. You people should be shot.
There's this new trend in Britian. You take your Bluetooth wireless device to find people to have anonymous sex with. Isn't technology great?
Were you as excited about Iron Chef America as I was? And then as disappointed as I was when you actually saw it? They took everything that was great about the original Japanese show and amputated it. It's an empty shell of its former greatness. So very wrong. A complete rant on this some time next week...
Great Weezer lyrics from the Green Album:
-- "If you want it/you can have it/But you've got to learn to reach out there and grab it" - Photograph
-- "And though my heart will break/There's more that I could take/I could never get enough" - Photograph
-- Island in the Sun (the whole song is great)
Uh oh. 3 + 6 + 3 = 12. I promised 20. I think I'm going to fall short by about 5 or 6. Oops.
In the words of Adam Sandler, "ALRIGHT ALREADY!!"
Ed. Note: I have since been told that my source on this fact was incorrect. I checked it out on Wikipedia, and confirmed that the first KFC was not opened in Utah. Full Details - PFritz21, 8/21/05 5:12 PM.
I got a small Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen the other day. It cost me $3.17 (including tax). To be honest, I paid $1.49 for the Blizzard, and an extra $1.50 for the ass raping.
I hate people who treat animals like people. Like dressing up their dogs in cute little outfits. Or doggy yoga. Or bottled water for dogs. You people should be shot.
There's this new trend in Britian. You take your Bluetooth wireless device to find people to have anonymous sex with. Isn't technology great?
Were you as excited about Iron Chef America as I was? And then as disappointed as I was when you actually saw it? They took everything that was great about the original Japanese show and amputated it. It's an empty shell of its former greatness. So very wrong. A complete rant on this some time next week...
Great Weezer lyrics from the Green Album:
-- "If you want it/you can have it/But you've got to learn to reach out there and grab it" - Photograph
-- "And though my heart will break/There's more that I could take/I could never get enough" - Photograph
-- Island in the Sun (the whole song is great)
Uh oh. 3 + 6 + 3 = 12. I promised 20. I think I'm going to fall short by about 5 or 6. Oops.
In the words of Adam Sandler, "ALRIGHT ALREADY!!"
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Although I'm not a big fan of basketball, and I detest the NBA, I would like to see the Minnesota Timberwolves go all the way. KG is an amazing player. He definitely deserves the MVP. And with Latrell Spreewell, Sam Cassell, and Michael Olowokandi joining Wally Szczerbiak as the supporting cast, they have the skill to not only get out of the first round of the playoffs, but to go all the way to the Finals. And win.
I watched "The Breakfast Club" the other night. Is this what passed for a great movie 20 years ago? I wasn't impressed. The romantic ties between Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy seemed tacked on at the end (although the latter was a little more believable). The conversation between Mr. Vernon the Principal and Carl the Janitor could have been extended more. I guess the movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either.
Ever see that Nike commercial where Lance Armstrong is a boxer and Andre Agassi is playing for the Boston Red Sox? I want to know how they did that!! It looked so realistic. Randy Johnson bowling that strike. Marion Jones hitting her vault. And they should make a sequel to that commercial. My suggestions: an MLB star and an NBA star as an NFL quarterback and wide receiver, a hockey player on the golf course (most hockey players ARE good golfers), Tiger Woods trying a few different sports. I'm just throwing out ideas here.
OK, those Weezer lyrics from Pinkerton:
-- "I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me" - El Scorcho
-- "How stupid is it?/I can't talk about it/I gotta sing about it/and make a record of my heart" - El Scorcho
-- "For all I know you want me too/and maybe you just don't know what to do/or maybe you're scared to say/'I'm falling for you'" - El Scorcho
-- "I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon." - El Scorcho (notice a pattern yet?)
-- "If everyone's a little queer/can't she be a little straight?" - Pink Triangle
-- "Screw this crap, I've had it!" - The Good Life
That's 9 so far by my count. The Green Album is on deck.
I watched "The Breakfast Club" the other night. Is this what passed for a great movie 20 years ago? I wasn't impressed. The romantic ties between Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald and Emilio Estevez and Ally Sheedy seemed tacked on at the end (although the latter was a little more believable). The conversation between Mr. Vernon the Principal and Carl the Janitor could have been extended more. I guess the movie wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good either.
Ever see that Nike commercial where Lance Armstrong is a boxer and Andre Agassi is playing for the Boston Red Sox? I want to know how they did that!! It looked so realistic. Randy Johnson bowling that strike. Marion Jones hitting her vault. And they should make a sequel to that commercial. My suggestions: an MLB star and an NBA star as an NFL quarterback and wide receiver, a hockey player on the golf course (most hockey players ARE good golfers), Tiger Woods trying a few different sports. I'm just throwing out ideas here.
OK, those Weezer lyrics from Pinkerton:
-- "I think I'd be good for you and you'd be good for me" - El Scorcho
-- "How stupid is it?/I can't talk about it/I gotta sing about it/and make a record of my heart" - El Scorcho
-- "For all I know you want me too/and maybe you just don't know what to do/or maybe you're scared to say/'I'm falling for you'" - El Scorcho
-- "I'll bring home the turkey if you bring home the bacon." - El Scorcho (notice a pattern yet?)
-- "If everyone's a little queer/can't she be a little straight?" - Pink Triangle
-- "Screw this crap, I've had it!" - The Good Life
That's 9 so far by my count. The Green Album is on deck.
Sunday, April 18, 2004
OK, I'm back. Finally. I tried to do this blog thing because I thought it would be fun, after less than 3 weeks, it's become a burden of work. Just like my web site. I want to work on it, but I'm not patient enough to sit down and type for a half hour every night. *SHRUG*
I've got so much to say, but I always forget. I should write these things down...
I saw "Miracle" last night. Wow. Sure, I knew the ending, but it really hit me emotionally. Even before the start of the game against the Russians, I was getting choked up; wanting, hoping the US to win. It was a great movie. About as good as you could get, but it probably didn't even carry 1/1000th of the emotion of the actual situation.
It rained today. YAY!! I don't have to wash my car.
The Twins are back in first. It's where they belong. Still 150 to go...
Oops, I just noticed my 4/10 post only has 9 movies listed, instead of the 10 I promised. "Kill Bill" takes up that last spot.
OK, those Weezer lyrics. Let's start with the Blue Album. Here they are... (all lyrics by Rivers Cuomo)
-- "If you want to destroy my sweater/Hold this thread as I walk away" - Undone (The Sweater Song)
-- "Dear Daddy/I write you in spite of years of silence./You've cleaned up, found Jesus,/things are good or so I hear./This bottle of Steven's/awakens ancient feelings./Like father, stepfather, the son is drowning in the flood." - Say It Ain't So
-- "Oh no! What do I do?/Don't look now but I lost my shoe" - Buddy Holly
That's 3. 17 to go. Expect Pinkerton lyrics in the next post.
I'm not asking for much in life right now. Just a job after I graduate, someone to love, and a few thousand dollars to buy some neat toys. Um, that's not much, right?
Scotty, beam me out.
I've got so much to say, but I always forget. I should write these things down...
I saw "Miracle" last night. Wow. Sure, I knew the ending, but it really hit me emotionally. Even before the start of the game against the Russians, I was getting choked up; wanting, hoping the US to win. It was a great movie. About as good as you could get, but it probably didn't even carry 1/1000th of the emotion of the actual situation.
It rained today. YAY!! I don't have to wash my car.
The Twins are back in first. It's where they belong. Still 150 to go...
Oops, I just noticed my 4/10 post only has 9 movies listed, instead of the 10 I promised. "Kill Bill" takes up that last spot.
OK, those Weezer lyrics. Let's start with the Blue Album. Here they are... (all lyrics by Rivers Cuomo)
-- "If you want to destroy my sweater/Hold this thread as I walk away" - Undone (The Sweater Song)
-- "Dear Daddy/I write you in spite of years of silence./You've cleaned up, found Jesus,/things are good or so I hear./This bottle of Steven's/awakens ancient feelings./Like father, stepfather, the son is drowning in the flood." - Say It Ain't So
-- "Oh no! What do I do?/Don't look now but I lost my shoe" - Buddy Holly
That's 3. 17 to go. Expect Pinkerton lyrics in the next post.
I'm not asking for much in life right now. Just a job after I graduate, someone to love, and a few thousand dollars to buy some neat toys. Um, that's not much, right?
Scotty, beam me out.
Monday, April 12, 2004
Congratulations to the 2004 Masters Champion, Phil Mickelson. Way to go, Lefty!!
P2P file-sharing networks are wrong. Computer viruses are wrong. But computer viruses that attack the web sites of companies that make P2P file-sharing software: NOT WRONG.
The Tigers leading the AL Central? WTF? Well, they should win at least 50 games this year. :)
A friend of mine got engaged this weekend. Another one bites the dust.
Fun music videos: almost anything by Weezer, D12's "My Band", The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue", The Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama", Nickelback's "Figured You Out", Jason Mraz's "You and I Both", and John Mayer's "Clarity".
Speaking of Weezer: a list of my top 20 favorite lyrics coming later this week (if I can ever narrow it down to 20).
I love soda. That intoxicating, brown, sweet, carbonated, caffeinated liquid. Just stick it in my vein!!
Oh, look, it's "Gary & Mike". They should bring that to DVD...
I'm outta here.
P2P file-sharing networks are wrong. Computer viruses are wrong. But computer viruses that attack the web sites of companies that make P2P file-sharing software: NOT WRONG.
The Tigers leading the AL Central? WTF? Well, they should win at least 50 games this year. :)
A friend of mine got engaged this weekend. Another one bites the dust.
Fun music videos: almost anything by Weezer, D12's "My Band", The Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love", Yellowcard's "Ocean Avenue", The Black Eyed Peas' "Hey Mama", Nickelback's "Figured You Out", Jason Mraz's "You and I Both", and John Mayer's "Clarity".
Speaking of Weezer: a list of my top 20 favorite lyrics coming later this week (if I can ever narrow it down to 20).
I love soda. That intoxicating, brown, sweet, carbonated, caffeinated liquid. Just stick it in my vein!!
Oh, look, it's "Gary & Mike". They should bring that to DVD...
I'm outta here.
Monday, April 5, 2004
It's Opening Day. The real Opening Day. And geez. The Twins had to come back from being down by 4 to win. In extra innings. Against Cleveland. Joe Mauer led off the bottom of the ninth with the game tied at 4. And he didn't end it with a shot into the seats. Pierzynski would have. OK, so I'm still bitter about that trade. Joe < A.J. He's a good kid, but he's still a kid. He can't even drink yet. Hell, I'm more than 2 years older than him.
But I shouldn't complain. Minnesota did win. Hunter didn't choke in a pressure situation (about damn time too). He tied the game in the eighth with a single that scored Mientkiewicz. Mauer made the tag at the plate to get Lawton out on Vizquel's double in the top of the 11th. And Shannon Stewart sent the fans hope happy with a three-run homer with 2 down in the bottom half of the inning. Only 161 more to go...
The vending machine that I like to frequent before class and during work no longer has Pepsi's with the iTunes caps. They switched back to the 1 in 6 chance to win a "Buy One, Get One Free." I'm so angry, although I've run out of songs I want to download. It's the principle, man!!
OK, about that review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device". The easiest thing to do would be to mention what I DID NOT like about it.
1. Navigating the Scene Selection menu. Each time you move the cursor up and down, the song playing in the background changes. And you have to wait for the song to load. ?? Here would have been the better option: one song for navigating the main menu on the left side. When you move the cursor to the sub-menu on the right, THEN change the song.
2. I guess this is more of a "1A." If the menu navigation was as I proposed, then it wouldn't be so bad. What am I talking about? Turning on the commentary. It takes over a minute to do so. It's the fifth option down on the main Scene Selection menu. So, you have to press down on the remote, wait for a different song to load and start playing before you can move the cursor again. And after you turn the commentary on, the cursor returns to the top of the menu (Music Videos). So, if you wanted to turn the commentary for a live performance on the third page of the "Documentary, B-Roll, and Live Stuff" submenu, you're going to want to beat your head against the wall before the whole thing is done.
3. Commentary problems:
3a. Where's Rivers? He's the frontman. I'm sure he has a lot to say about his band. It's his band (although I don't want to take away from Pat, Brian, Scott, Matt, and Mikey). He should have been there.
3b. Did anyone know who was talking when during the commentary? I sure didn't. I don't know if it was Pat or Scott or Karl (the band's video documentarian) half the time. The only time you KNEW who was talking and when someone said something like "there I am" when they were on screen.
3c. A minor, but very noticeable thing. During the commentary, the normal audio plays back at about half-volume. Not bad. But in the case of the "El Scorcho [Director's Cut]" video, the song suddenly (well, it seemed sudden) became off-synch with the video by a couple of seconds. Oops.
4. Not really a problem with DVD. Or maybe it is. Karl Koch threw some footage together for the "Slob" video. I don't like that song. It sounds so final. I hear that, and I'm all "Geez, these guys sound like they're break up, just forget the whole music thing, and get real jobs." It's so depressing in that angry kind of way. You know, they way you get when something good is over and you never wanted it to stop.
5. Not enough footage from televised performances. The only one they had was their August 4th, 1995 appearance on the Late Show with David Lettermann. What about any appearances stemming from the release of the Green Album and their return to stardom? Side note: I never saw their May 19th, 2001 performance of "Island in the Sun" on SNL. Comedy Central doesn't include that when they show that episode. That song totally renewed my interest in the band. Side note: I wish Comedy Central would show SNL again instead of Mad TV. Expect for any John Madden sketch, Mad TV sucks. I watch so much less Comedy Central now. I'd rather see a truncated, hour-long episode of SNL that I've seen 20 times than any complete episode of Mad TV.
Other than the above qualms, it's great. I can't stop watching the music videos. I even captured the audio from some of them and convert them into MP3's so I could listen to them on my computer. It's a cheap, acceptable alternative to buying the CD's for now. The live footage and such was kinda interesting. I would have like to have seen some more TV performances. And I love El Scorcho, Dope Nose, Pink Triangle, and Photograph, all of which I heard for the first time ever. The best part: owning a legal copy of one of the two best music videos of all time ("Keep Fishin'", the other being the Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love").
Wow, long post. That's a wrap people.
But I shouldn't complain. Minnesota did win. Hunter didn't choke in a pressure situation (about damn time too). He tied the game in the eighth with a single that scored Mientkiewicz. Mauer made the tag at the plate to get Lawton out on Vizquel's double in the top of the 11th. And Shannon Stewart sent the fans hope happy with a three-run homer with 2 down in the bottom half of the inning. Only 161 more to go...
The vending machine that I like to frequent before class and during work no longer has Pepsi's with the iTunes caps. They switched back to the 1 in 6 chance to win a "Buy One, Get One Free." I'm so angry, although I've run out of songs I want to download. It's the principle, man!!
OK, about that review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device". The easiest thing to do would be to mention what I DID NOT like about it.
1. Navigating the Scene Selection menu. Each time you move the cursor up and down, the song playing in the background changes. And you have to wait for the song to load. ?? Here would have been the better option: one song for navigating the main menu on the left side. When you move the cursor to the sub-menu on the right, THEN change the song.
2. I guess this is more of a "1A." If the menu navigation was as I proposed, then it wouldn't be so bad. What am I talking about? Turning on the commentary. It takes over a minute to do so. It's the fifth option down on the main Scene Selection menu. So, you have to press down on the remote, wait for a different song to load and start playing before you can move the cursor again. And after you turn the commentary on, the cursor returns to the top of the menu (Music Videos). So, if you wanted to turn the commentary for a live performance on the third page of the "Documentary, B-Roll, and Live Stuff" submenu, you're going to want to beat your head against the wall before the whole thing is done.
3. Commentary problems:
3a. Where's Rivers? He's the frontman. I'm sure he has a lot to say about his band. It's his band (although I don't want to take away from Pat, Brian, Scott, Matt, and Mikey). He should have been there.
3b. Did anyone know who was talking when during the commentary? I sure didn't. I don't know if it was Pat or Scott or Karl (the band's video documentarian) half the time. The only time you KNEW who was talking and when someone said something like "there I am" when they were on screen.
3c. A minor, but very noticeable thing. During the commentary, the normal audio plays back at about half-volume. Not bad. But in the case of the "El Scorcho [Director's Cut]" video, the song suddenly (well, it seemed sudden) became off-synch with the video by a couple of seconds. Oops.
4. Not really a problem with DVD. Or maybe it is. Karl Koch threw some footage together for the "Slob" video. I don't like that song. It sounds so final. I hear that, and I'm all "Geez, these guys sound like they're break up, just forget the whole music thing, and get real jobs." It's so depressing in that angry kind of way. You know, they way you get when something good is over and you never wanted it to stop.
5. Not enough footage from televised performances. The only one they had was their August 4th, 1995 appearance on the Late Show with David Lettermann. What about any appearances stemming from the release of the Green Album and their return to stardom? Side note: I never saw their May 19th, 2001 performance of "Island in the Sun" on SNL. Comedy Central doesn't include that when they show that episode. That song totally renewed my interest in the band. Side note: I wish Comedy Central would show SNL again instead of Mad TV. Expect for any John Madden sketch, Mad TV sucks. I watch so much less Comedy Central now. I'd rather see a truncated, hour-long episode of SNL that I've seen 20 times than any complete episode of Mad TV.
Other than the above qualms, it's great. I can't stop watching the music videos. I even captured the audio from some of them and convert them into MP3's so I could listen to them on my computer. It's a cheap, acceptable alternative to buying the CD's for now. The live footage and such was kinda interesting. I would have like to have seen some more TV performances. And I love El Scorcho, Dope Nose, Pink Triangle, and Photograph, all of which I heard for the first time ever. The best part: owning a legal copy of one of the two best music videos of all time ("Keep Fishin'", the other being the Darkness's "I Believe in a Thing Called Love").
Wow, long post. That's a wrap people.
I'm waiting for Gary & Mike to come on Comedy Central. Until then, I wrote this.
There is definitely a trade-off between trying to keep your music collection legit and increasing its size. Money. If I had more, I'd buy a bunch of CD's. But I don't. And I'd kinda like to save it for more expensive computer toys. Free iTunes from the 20 oz. Pepsi bottles helped for a while, but I can't find anything else to download. I've been using them in situations where I only want a single song off of an album. I kinda hit the bottom of the barrel at the 30-song mark. Of course, I could download tons of illegal songs, but I don't want to mess with the RIAA or my school. So, until then, I have to stick with the 450 I got.
Who does farm chores while wearing a suit? I mean, really? You ever catch a glimpse of "Green Acres" while channel surfing? I did. Wow. What were the writers thinking? Or smoking?
So, about that iTunes vs. Winamp thing. Here it is...
Pros of iTunes:
---------------
**Play count keeps track of how many times each song has been played
**Playlists show more info
**You know when the last time a song was played
**iTunes Music Store - the only place to buy and download songs off the Internet (all others are vastly inferior)
**Smart playlists (although not so much a factor now cuz I don't have more than 15 songs by any one band
Pros of Winamp:
---------------
**Skins - particularly support for 2.0 skins (Winamp 3 sucked because it didn't support/properly display my TwinsAmp skin)
**Better keyboard shortcuts - my favorite is Ctrl-V (Stop after current)
**Minimizes to the system tray
**Less of a memory hog (about 1/4 the size of iTunes)
**Separate stop and pause buttons
Sorry that doesn't look very pretty. But I'm not allowed to create a table to put that stuff in...
Well, Gary and Mike is about to start in a couple of minutes. And I've run out of things to say.
Next time: a complete review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device"!!
There is definitely a trade-off between trying to keep your music collection legit and increasing its size. Money. If I had more, I'd buy a bunch of CD's. But I don't. And I'd kinda like to save it for more expensive computer toys. Free iTunes from the 20 oz. Pepsi bottles helped for a while, but I can't find anything else to download. I've been using them in situations where I only want a single song off of an album. I kinda hit the bottom of the barrel at the 30-song mark. Of course, I could download tons of illegal songs, but I don't want to mess with the RIAA or my school. So, until then, I have to stick with the 450 I got.
Who does farm chores while wearing a suit? I mean, really? You ever catch a glimpse of "Green Acres" while channel surfing? I did. Wow. What were the writers thinking? Or smoking?
So, about that iTunes vs. Winamp thing. Here it is...
Pros of iTunes:
---------------
**Play count keeps track of how many times each song has been played
**Playlists show more info
**You know when the last time a song was played
**iTunes Music Store - the only place to buy and download songs off the Internet (all others are vastly inferior)
**Smart playlists (although not so much a factor now cuz I don't have more than 15 songs by any one band
Pros of Winamp:
---------------
**Skins - particularly support for 2.0 skins (Winamp 3 sucked because it didn't support/properly display my TwinsAmp skin)
**Better keyboard shortcuts - my favorite is Ctrl-V (Stop after current)
**Minimizes to the system tray
**Less of a memory hog (about 1/4 the size of iTunes)
**Separate stop and pause buttons
Sorry that doesn't look very pretty. But I'm not allowed to create a table to put that stuff in...
Well, Gary and Mike is about to start in a couple of minutes. And I've run out of things to say.
Next time: a complete review of Weezer's DVD, "Video Capture Device"!!
Sunday, April 4, 2004
I bought a new toothbrush today. An Oral-B Plus Advantage. Using it has been the most enjoyable experience I've had in the field of oral hygiene. It's got these bristles on the outside of the head that massage your gums as you brush. It was a strange, yet pleasent feeling. I'm also starting to floss, and use mouthwash occasionally, even though my tongue feels like it's on fire afterwards.
I cleaned my keyboard today. This is the first time I've given it a proper cleaning. Taking apart all the way and using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean it out thoroughly. It took about 2 hours. It's probably the last time I'll take my keyboard apart. The screws are starting to get a little stripped, and the plastic screw threads from the holes are starting to break.
As soon as I balance my checkbook and determine how I want to budget for some new toys (Mac, Linux, iPod, laptop, wireless network equipment, digital camera, etc), I must buy Weezer CDs. Pinkerton, the Green Album, and Maladroit, plus the Keep Fishin' single (it has the radio edit featured in the music video). I can't stop listening to them. I've practically lost interest in listening to the rest of my music. Rivers writes such great lyrics, the guitars fit the songs well, Pat does a nice job on drums, and the emotion is intense. Yeah, I think they're my new all-time favorite band. Not that I really had one to begin with...
I got a bunch of C++ to write tomorrow. I've been slacking in my self-paced C++ class lately. I've been more focused on my project. I've got about 8 programs to write for 2 assignments (one of which was due nearly a month ago). And all the stuff we're supposed to learn from these programs, I've already learned on my own from working on my project.
I should call my friends Carrie and Sandy. I think I will.
Next issue: Apple's iTunes vs. Nullsoft's Winamp!!
I cleaned my keyboard today. This is the first time I've given it a proper cleaning. Taking apart all the way and using rubbing alcohol and Q-tips to clean it out thoroughly. It took about 2 hours. It's probably the last time I'll take my keyboard apart. The screws are starting to get a little stripped, and the plastic screw threads from the holes are starting to break.
As soon as I balance my checkbook and determine how I want to budget for some new toys (Mac, Linux, iPod, laptop, wireless network equipment, digital camera, etc), I must buy Weezer CDs. Pinkerton, the Green Album, and Maladroit, plus the Keep Fishin' single (it has the radio edit featured in the music video). I can't stop listening to them. I've practically lost interest in listening to the rest of my music. Rivers writes such great lyrics, the guitars fit the songs well, Pat does a nice job on drums, and the emotion is intense. Yeah, I think they're my new all-time favorite band. Not that I really had one to begin with...
I got a bunch of C++ to write tomorrow. I've been slacking in my self-paced C++ class lately. I've been more focused on my project. I've got about 8 programs to write for 2 assignments (one of which was due nearly a month ago). And all the stuff we're supposed to learn from these programs, I've already learned on my own from working on my project.
I should call my friends Carrie and Sandy. I think I will.
Next issue: Apple's iTunes vs. Nullsoft's Winamp!!
Friday, April 2, 2004
Welcome all my friends, to the show that never ends
What to write...
April Fool's Day was a moderate success. Changing the hosts files on the XP machines confused a few people. And the fun isn't over yet. I did manage to tape up some mice before I left work today.
I got a lot done preparing the next prototype for my capstone project. It's looking pretty good, but I'm sick of working on it. I learned alot about creating graphics, window layouts, and Java. Time for one of my other group members to pick up the slack.
I can't stop listening to Weezer!! Ever since I got their DVD last week (for only $5 at Best Buy), I've got Weezer on the brain. I'm either singing one of their songs while I walk to class, or checking out their web site, or watching the DVD, or playing their songs. I must go out and buy the rest of their CD's (I only have the original blue album).
I don't know what I'm going to do about my new date/time functions. The functions in C++ are worthless. They do me no good. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it's exhuasting trying to figure out what to code.
The City of Fargo offered me an interview part-time job doing desktop support. My interview is on Monday. It's only 20 hrs/wk, and just $9/hr, but it's better than not having a job when I graduate this May. Plus, there's a chance I could move into a network engineering position in October. I'd like to wait for other offers, but they aren't exactly pouring in.
I kinda like this blogging thing. It's helping me clear my mind...
But I think that is enough for tonight.
April Fool's Day was a moderate success. Changing the hosts files on the XP machines confused a few people. And the fun isn't over yet. I did manage to tape up some mice before I left work today.
I got a lot done preparing the next prototype for my capstone project. It's looking pretty good, but I'm sick of working on it. I learned alot about creating graphics, window layouts, and Java. Time for one of my other group members to pick up the slack.
I can't stop listening to Weezer!! Ever since I got their DVD last week (for only $5 at Best Buy), I've got Weezer on the brain. I'm either singing one of their songs while I walk to class, or checking out their web site, or watching the DVD, or playing their songs. I must go out and buy the rest of their CD's (I only have the original blue album).
I don't know what I'm going to do about my new date/time functions. The functions in C++ are worthless. They do me no good. I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it's exhuasting trying to figure out what to code.
The City of Fargo offered me an interview part-time job doing desktop support. My interview is on Monday. It's only 20 hrs/wk, and just $9/hr, but it's better than not having a job when I graduate this May. Plus, there's a chance I could move into a network engineering position in October. I'd like to wait for other offers, but they aren't exactly pouring in.
I kinda like this blogging thing. It's helping me clear my mind...
But I think that is enough for tonight.
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