Kanye's blog response to 'South Park'

"SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT'S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF "I TOLD YOU SO!!!" IT'S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU'RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE'S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I'M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I'M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I'M SURE THERE'S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS... THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S ME!"
(here)

The Black Angels - You On The Run

As featured in 'The Limits of Control'.

Boris: skateboards

Details here.

Boris: graphics

These graphics are affectionate pastiches of the Virgin Records logo (circa the mid seventies) designed by Roger Dean and of Nick Drake's classic 1970 album 'Bryter Layter' for the cover of 'Akuma no Uta'.

The original inspirations:

'The Limits of Control' soundtrack details

The soundtrack to the new Jim Jarmusch film 'The Limits of Control' will feature the following sounds:

01. Intro - Bad Rabbit*
02. Fuzzy Reactor - Boris with Michio Kurihara
03. Saeta - La Macarena
04. Sea Green Sea - Bad Rabbit
05. Feedbacker (TLOC Edit) - Boris
06. Por Compasión: Malaguenas - Manuel el Sevillano
07. Farewell - Boris
08. N.L.T. - Sunn O))) & Boris
09. El Que Se Tenga Por Grande - Carmen Linares
10. Dawn - Bad Rabbit
11. You On The Run - The Black Angels
12. Omens and Portents 1: The Driver (TLOC Edit) – Earth and Bill Frisell
13. El Que Se Tenga Por Grande - Talegón de Córdoba & Jorge Rodriguez Padilla
14. Blood Swamp (TLOC Edit) - Sunn O))) & Boris
15. Schubert 2. Adagio [String Quintet in C, D.956] (TLOC Edit) - Ensemble Villa Musica
16. Daft Punk Is Playing At My House - LCD Soundsystem
17. " " (TLOC Edit) - Boris

*Bad Rabbit is actually Jim Jarmusch's new band and they will also soon be releasing an EP thru' iTunes

"I have a file of the music that I think is appropriate atmospherically for each film, and that has inspired me even before shooting. I pick the music, so there's no music supervisor per se...When I was writing 'The Limits of Control,' I was already imagining using some things from Boris and Sunn O))), and Earth and The Black Angels. I made [director of photography] Chris Doyle CDs so he could listen to Boris; you could categorize Boris as a psychedelic/noise/metal band, but they're just so original."
- Jim Jarmusch

'Brooklyn Vegan'.

Boris - Statement

For HerrB.

Message:

Thank you.

Translation: "Welcome to our country Mr. President, I am an idiot!"

Turkish TV news anchor dons 'blackface' to report on Obama's visit.
(Thanx again to the 'hangover-helper'.)

Don't forget to send a postcard

One of my favourite destinations on the blogosphere is shutting up shop for a couple of weeks as the 'fucoid' explores the Carpathians.
Have fun, "bon-voyage" and stay safe.
PS: I suspect (hope) that your package will be awaiting you on your return.
(Just been a bit of a delay as my burner has decided to pack in!)

Always trust a policeman?

A video sheds new light on the death of Ian Tomlinson, a 47 year old newspaper seller who had been on his way home from work when he was confronted by lines of riot police near the Bank of England at the recent G.20 protest in London. The film (here) reveals that as he walks, with his hands in his pockets, he does not speak to the police or offer any resistance. A phalanx of officers, some with dogs and some in riot gear, are close behind him and try to urge him forward. A Metropolitan police officer appears to strike him with a baton, hitting him from behind on his upper thigh. Moments later, the same policeman rushes forward and, using both hands, pushes Tomlinson in the back and sends him flying to the ground, where he remonstrates with police who stand back, leaving bystanders to help him to his feet.The man who shot the footage, a fund manager from New York who was in London on business, said: "The primary reason for me coming forward is that it was clear the family were not getting any answers."

Story from 'The Guardian' here.

(Thanx to the 'hangover-helper' for pointing me in this direction.)

?

Bloggers of the world unite # 2 (well most of us anyway...)

Girlz With Gunz # 29

Yesterday's Paul Haig posts on various blogs around the world (here) showed the camaraderie that can exist in this part of cyberspace and to me was an example of why I love doing this blog.
I have been an avid follower of blogs ever since I got a computer of my own, which was only about four years ago.
My two eldest boys are computer whizz-kids and have been since the year dot but it was only when I went back to 'school' for the first time in about thirty years that I realised the necessity of a computer in this day and age and was faced with a very steep learning curve as I had to have written instructions every time that I went to burn a CD for example. (See Luddite.)
Let's just say that technology and I are not the best of friends.
At the age of 49 I still cannot drive a car.
But being as obsessed with music as I am I soon discovered blogs and the wonders that they can contain. Soon the idea came into my head that maybe I should start my own blog and everytime I went to ask my sons if they could help me set up one I was invariably given the answer... "later".
Fast forward a number of years to the tail end of last September and I thought "bugger it, let's see if I can set one up without their help" and lo and behold five minutes later here was this blog.
Of course now I had a blog and no readers but after putting the word out to friends and leaving comments on other blogs my readership started to grow.
At this point I would like to mention Bumkuncha over at the 'Pathways To Unknown Worlds' blog (here) who linked back to a couple of posts of mine and also to the writer Dennis Cooper (here) both of whom were really instrumental in seeing me attract a large number of new readers, so much so that I just passed 50,000 visitors a couple of weeks ago.
As somebody who has been on a disability pension for over fifteen years you probably have no idea how much of a new lease of life this blog has given me, and there is no alterior motive - there are no advertisements on this blog.
Every day I wake up with absolutely no idea what it is that will be put on this blog for that day. It may be something that I have come across on the web or in the news or something that someone said or invariably something that rises up from my very over crowded brain (and believe me when I say that. You truly wouldn't want to live with it, trust me)!
So as I said before it was great that yesterday there we were, people from all around the world that in most cases don't know each other, all blogging about the same subject.
And it felt really good!
Doing this blog has also introduced me to a number of people that I otherwise would have never met and in some cases our relationship has moved from the comments section and on to facebook or private e-mail.

Just when you think it's all going good...

So last weekend I decided that I would start a new blog devoted purely to music that I like. It could be any style. There was just one other criteria and that was that it is not readily available all over the web, in other words hopefully pretty unique. So imagine my disappointment (and I am not sure if that is the word to describe the way I feel) when I discovered that another blog is just ripping off my content and putting it on their blog. Now I am not going to mention the name of the blog here and give them free publicity but guys that is NOT what blogging is about. I am of course not the only one they are ripping off but I can't even be bothered entering into a dialogue with them as I have seen where that has got the other people who have tried i.e. NOWHERE! It has been pointed out that at least they do credit where they are ripping off from and for that I suppose I should be grateful. Blogging is not hard work and hopefully mine will make you laugh or think or turn you onto something that you have not come across or...but it is all (mostly) my own work (and is fully credited if not).

Which brings me on to one last thing...

"Listen; I don’t want to include you to the degree of giving you unlimited access to my life or mental space, That's not what blogging is about. It is, or should be light, casual, offhand & your obsessive, almost stalkerish comments are spoiling it for me. I don’t feel it’s necessary yet to ban you outright either, since your interest is mildly flattering, but I will if you persist in this crap. What I want is for you to chill out & stop acting like some sadsack pathetic little puppy desperately seeking my attention and approval. I don't know you and I really don't want to. What I did nearly thirty years ago in terms of music is really of very little current interest to me & when & if I decide to write about it it'll be at a time and place of my choosing. So once more, just STOP."

(Eh?)

Yes that is reference to comment that I left at a blog.
What may you ask has prompted such a response?
Well here is the comment in question:

"Anyway I came across this:
http://kiwitapes.blogspot.com/2008/03/coming-april-1st.html
Any of your label releases on it?
Also picked up a really interesting Hip-hop and NZ book at the op shop the other day. A good read, just lent it to a friend to look out (sic) and can't remember the title.
Regards/"
M

To backtrack. I found out that this blog in New Zealand had very kindly put a blurb about mine calling it "interesting" (which hopefully it is) and I added it to my bloglist and would look at it once every couple of weeks and to be honest mostly enjoyed the author's 'pro-situ/anarchist' writings/links as well as his backstory gleaned from his blog about the fact that he had run a record label in NZ back in the 70's (hence the reference above. All I know about NZ music has been got via 'Flying Nun') and the fact that he had produced magazines as well as running an Anarchist bookshop in the city he lives in.
Sound like the sort of fellow that you would enjoy a beer and a natter with in the pub?
Yes I left some comments.
I would think that there were between 8-10 in the past six months and all were related to music. An example being that when he had mentioned that he couldn't unzip files (!) I even went to the trouble of uploading a couple of individual mp3 files of a band that I knew he liked (it was on his blog) and doubted that he would have as they were the 'B' side of their latest single.
So I apologise for that "crap" but if I may point out that my interest is in the music not in you, and don't worry-your blog has been taken out of my list and I will ban myself.
There, now we both feel better.
To the rest of you, please feel free to leave comments. I think it's nice to get some feedback and I am not in the slightest bit paranoid I can assure you and finally if you want to send me some mp3's could you please make it:
SHANKAR - 'SOUL SEARCHER'
(Received thanx to Burning Dervish.)
&/OR
SHIN E - 'LIGHT YEARS'
(Both are Bill Laswell productions that I have never heard.)
You can send them in zip format as
I DO know how to extract the mp3's.
Regards/

PS: Do grab that 4 CD Kiwi Tapes set. A great intro to NZ rock especially in conjunction with the 'Flying Nun' 25th Anniversary boxed set which is available if you look for it.

REPOST - Who is that masked man?

As we have been talking about Scottish musicians who deserve a wider audience (Paul Haig here).
I thought it was apt to repost one of the most 'bonkers' albums that you will ever hear in your life, from the man who is never seen in public without the full regalia below and who is now trying to get into political life in Scotland.
As an added bonus (which scared the shit out of me when I first heard it) the album starts off with the sound of my old gym teacher from school in Scotland.
Memo to Education Depts. - Never let professional sportsmen whose career have been curtailed thru injury teach gym at schools!
(NB - This album was engineered by Adrian Sherwood and features Tackhead amongst the musicians.)

Jesse Rae

"COMPRESSION"
The proudly-Scottish singer and songwriter, renowned for his fondness for traditional battle-dress, discusses his 1995 ISDN "Compression" album with Wendy E. Ball, recorded during his time of collaboration with Adrian Sherwood:
"How the idea started was that, coming from the Borders [***Ed.: ...of Scotland, specifically St. Boswells...***] and then going away and living abroad in the States for many years, I always wanted to come back, have a family and live here again. But I was concerned that there wasn’t a music industry in Scotland and I was hoping, twelve years ago, that there was at least the start. So I thought I'd come back having timed it right. Just shows you how wrong I was!
"So I had to figure away and was thinking, "How do I still hook up with my friends who were thousands of miles away?" I’d heard a story from a friend of mine, who was an engineer in New York, that Capitol Records in LA were doing a recording with Frank Sinatra in his house and he was having guest artists coming in through the telephone line. So I thought I’d find out more about it. I was really desperate to make this album with my friends before they all dispersed all over the place.
"I hadn’t the money to go back out and live there for six months to do it and I couldn’t get a record company to pay for it so I contacted BT [***Ed.: ...a big phone company in the UK...***] and I found a really good bloke called Ray Pritchard who was into my music and stuff. He said that they were trying to launch ISDN in 1992-3. I said to him "Look, I’ll make you a deal. You install the ISDN lines here and I’ll give you my music to promote so that you can show off what it’s capable of doing." That’s really how it came about."
So when did this, this come out?
"1995. It took about a year. The whole ISDN system was just up and running and so, for instance, we did the first [link] through to Africa and rhino and all sorts of things would run over the lines and they'd be out! So there were things that were kind of difficult to get back on line quickly. You know, until some, some wee lad goes out there with a pair of wire clippers and puts it back together again, you know? So, eventually I managed to install ISDN lines in a studio which I’d used in America called ‘House of Music’ in Orange, New Jersey. That’s the home of the P-Funk - the funkadelic lot of the top black musicians that inspired Prince and all that other stuff. They were my pals there and so it was easy for them to come in and do some stuff."
Would it not need a lot of logistical organisation, you know, when it’s sort of midnight in New York?
"I had a huge phone bill to begin with. Now ISDN is a penny a minute or something and it’s really cheap, you know. At the time it was quite expensive. It was like, a pound a minute and we were on-line for eight hours sometimes! They [BT] paid for that just 'til we got to the stage where we'd got the recordings done. After that, then I had to try and finance the thing myself.
"It was interesting to say the least that, you know, I could sing Umhlaba Jikelele with someone in Africa and they were singing with me. I also organised this live television shoot with ISDN as well, so that I had a TV monitor here and I had a cameraman running out with the long cable that went about fifty metres back to the studio. They had a PA out in the streets, and I was speaking in real time, telling him the shots I wanted and telling the girls to sing, when to come in on the beat and stuff. This was amazing. There was a real friendliness about the thing and that’s what really pleased me - because then I realised the potential of that and especially sound quality ... you could hear everything so clearly."
Has it been repeated, the experience?
"There was this group Future Sound Of London. They got a lot of glory for it but we were actually first because I put the ISDN lines into On-U Sound. On-U Sound with Adrian Sherwood was doing the big dub. They did a lot of reggae and they were a purist kind of dub funk lot that had a lot of respect in the industry but weren’t, like, the big commercial end of things. Future Sound Of London after we had done it brought out a record that they had done through ISDN but not to the extent we had."
You were talking about the track Braveheart?
"Yeh, Braveheart. I did a live ISDN show in Glasgow. I really don’t think people knew what the hell I was doing to be quite honest. But I had the video screen up, we had the video, we had Doug Wimbish from Living Colour, Skip McDonald from Tackhead and the heavy duty lads playing live in London."
What about the relationship between the audience and the performer? Is that not lacking a bit?
"Well, you see, what I did was to compensate for that. I stuck a mike up in the room and I stuck a mike up in Glasgow so the, the audience could shout along and, shout things to the bass player or the drummer and they could respond to it, which is really the whole point of communication doing a live gig. If the audience were just sitting and watching a screen and listening to incoming sound, and they weren’t actually able to participate, but if they whistled and they clapped and they shouted something for Keith LeBlanc, he'd lifted his drumstick and he waved it at them and he played something.
"It allowed that contact element that maybe might not have been there unless I’d done that. But I was aware of that and I thought, "Well, they’re just going to think they’re watching a tape. How are they going to know it’s live?", I mean one bloke was heckling away there and he was adamant about it, you know. And Doug just turned round and said, "What the hell’s wrong with you man. Sit doon!" You know. Well, he’s American but he said it in those terms and the guy was just sort of dumbfounded that he could see them in the club in Glasgow and was telling them to sit down!
So no, the potential of it is amazing and I’m glad I’ve done it."

(Re-edited extracts from an interview originally transcribed in the Scottish Borders Memory Bank)

Why GITMO accountability matters

Broadcast: April 3 2009 'The Rachel Maddow Show'
Thanx to Mike Nobody.

Public Image Ltd. - Rise