Podcast 11: Woodlake Tales

In our first of two podcasts. my buddy Joey and I take a trip down memory lane as we spin yarns of our youth, to you, the little people.


Joey wearing one of his many stupid hats.



ipod Download Link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7470959-42f

Genius Animals.

New Jersey Fairy Tale

Mr. T: Cubs Fan

I Am Silverchair

Another one from the myspace archive:

Thursday, June 07, 2007
Their beginnings were earnest, decent Nirvana clones whose lead singer wore a Tool shirt and rocked one of my summer of '95 anthems, "Tomorrow." (In the video, a pigman performs fellatio on a stack of coins and not a pocket full o' shells.) Even then, I kinda felt they would fall into obscurity as the DJ at the new station in Fresno, New Rock 104 said that they won a contest in Australia, beat out like 200 bands to have their song played on the radio—then the teen sensation that was Australian import Silverchair became an American rape job. They looked confused on subsequent videos afterwards.

Then in 1997, in the height of the young master's progress and my sexual inner-rage, the band dropped their sophomore outing, my favorite by them, "Freak Show." This album owned me that spring and summer when I was driving back and forth with sumdumbass to Porterville and spinning pizza in the air to the awe of High School girls who pretended to not like me. My favorite song was "Slave." I would listen to that song at the peak of my indifference to the Wood. Metal was my drug of choice before beer's icy hands gripped my heart and has ceased to loosen since. I'd put on my ball chain and some of my mom's eye make-up, mock-singing to "Learn to Hate" to the mirror's reflection.

"Take the time to learn to hate. And come and join the mass debate."

I would yell that when mom and dad were at work—in my room, wearing out Fisher speakers. Not getting laid. Not getting drunk. Just sneaking cigarettes and Taco Bell, banging my head to a maverick album in the Grunge era.

Silverchair came back to me in one of the most interesting times in my life, when I first hit Sac soil in the early daze of the final year of our lord, 1999. I was let down by the album "Neon Ballroom" and kinda dropped off the bandwagon after that. The only decent song is probably my favorite Chair song, a little number called "Ana's Song (Open Fire)." It was a personal song for singer Daniel Johns, who suffered from Anorexia and looked it.

"And Ana wrecks your like, like an Anorexia life…" Great pun, young modern Johns.

After that, grunge was dead to me. I started falling down the rabbit hole and listening anything that had nothing to do with my young republican counterpart, who ironically died in 2003 when supporting the war was cool. I remember downloading the lead single off their last album, "Diorama" and liking it, but hating that I liked it. The single got lost in a sea of Interpol and Bowie. Lost in a collage of Floyd and the Doors.

Now I'm thirty, and obsessing once more about a band I thought kicked ass when was young, dumb and full of something that rhymes with dumb.

It was serendipity, my brothers and sisters. Drunkenly trolling through Livejournal and finding a random video on the internet in the Buddhist lounge.



And you know how youtube shows other video previews after you have watched one—one of them was of Silverchair's song off their new album. Daniel looks like Timberlake now and rocks like Elton when he was angry. Then it occurred to me, I grew up with Silverchair.

The evolution of Silverchair was the evolution of D.A. They entered my life at five very different periods and they continued to be a band I respected, even if I didn't consider myself a fan.

I found this on some random site, "Naivety on Frogstomp, anger on Freak Show, depression on Neon Ballroom, escapism on Diorama and acceptance on Young Modern."

I am Silverchair. Silverchair is me. In my thirtieth year, I accept what the world is, just a little bit more. Call me Young Modern, Drewsus A. "The Magnum" Von Stutmania esquire, the first. On quest for the girl with far away eyes.

"I'm watching you watch over me and I've got the greatest veiw from here."

Episode 10: Crazy Crap

My buddy Chris and I do a little podcast. Next time we do this, I'll let him talk more. Sorry, the audio quality wasn't the best.



ipod Download Link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7461722-4af

The Hilter magnet Chris made me for graduation last year:

Social Crime

Yet another blog from the days of yore...this time from October 12, 2006

Hanging at the Town and Country plaza the other day, found a quite bench near some ill-frequented businesses, a good place to get some quality reading done before my work shift started. There was this kid hanging out outside, looking bored up to his gills, no doubt waiting for his mother in the beauty shop. I was watching him for awhile, he kept going in and out of the car, listening to the radio and what not. Eventually he took his lazy beagle for a walk--at least he tried....the dog was fighting him tooth and nail. I felt bad for the kid, it reminded me of similar situations I found myself in when I was his age--waiting for Mom, I wanted to put my arm around him and tell him, "This is only the beginning kid, you're gonna be waiting on girls a lot in your lifetime."

All the sudden a FedEx truck comes roaring around the bend in the park lot in front of the beauty shop--skidding on the pavement to a full stop--followed by a tapestry of obscenity.

"You mutherfucker--look where you're going cocksucker--I have no room here you fucking road hog. You're lucky you didn't hit me cocksucker, I would own you. You hear me mutherfucker, OWN YOU! Watch where the fuck you are going next time you cunt!" Then a middle-aged bastard-of-a-man comes speeding through the parking lot on a motorcycle. I looked over at junior, he heard the entire tirade.

It reminded me of that part in "Catcher in the Rye," where Holden finds the "Fuck You" written in the banister and reflects on how the person who did such a thing is human scum--robbing children of just a little bit of their innocence by defacing their world with such a harsh adult word.

I'd like to think that the dude on the bike wasn't aware there was a child around when he went on his verbal assault of the FedEx driver--I can sympathize with the fact that he was almost hit by the truck--but still conduct yourself in public you ass. The sad thing is, like Holden, I saw the innocence robbed from a child--while the real perpetrator was none-the-wiser to his social crime.

I'm always the middle man.....

Kerouacian

I thought of an old skool myspace blog post I put down on 9/9/05 after watching a NFL preseason game between the Bears and the Dolphins. It relates to the last podcast about Jim Morrison and his rebellion against society. The blog was about Dolphin halfback Ricky Williams and his marijuana "problem." I remember being pretty pissed off at the establishment at the time (big shock, I know)--but it's interesting to think that the interview I talk about in this post took place almost 4 years ago...and now that marijuana is being seriously discussed for legalization, I think that, if the interview would have taken place at this year's HOF game--it would have gone a lot differently.

* * *

Last night was the Hall of Fame game, the proverbial NFL kickoff of the nationally televised world. My Bears laid the hammer down the Fish of Miami in a rare preseason barn-burner 24-27. The team looked good, but preseason don't mean shit. Well see if I'm still singing the praises of the former Monsters of the Midway in, oh say November, a ritualistic folding of the season for many a frustrated Bear fan.

That aside, I thought the most interesting thing in the game was the Michele Tafoya interview of Ricky Williams, the lost one. For those of you that don't follow the NFL and when I say that, I mean women, Ricky Williams retired from the sport just days before the season kicked off to find himself. Basically Ricky didn't want to face a possible suspension after failing a third consecutive drug test (the evil marihuana!!). Instead of joining his teammates in Miami, Ricky decided to get in touch with himself, travel to Europe and Asia and attend the Ayurveda School of Alternative Medicine in Grass Valley, CA. In doing that, I'm guessing he smoked a lot of fuckin' weed in the process.

Anyhow, Tafoya was throwing hardball questions at him, talking down to Ricky about his addiction and probing whether or not he has his head straight now and is fully committed to the Dolphins after his antics of a throw-away year. Ricky, being soft-spoken and mild mannered as we've come to expect, fielded the question quite nicely and gave all the answers you'd expect him to with a smile on his face. Ricky was much nicer than I would have been.

In my mind, there is nothing wrong with a young man set off to explore the world around him as well as the world within, and if that involves using a lil' reefer in the process, so fucking be it. If I was a football player making hand over fist, I would have done the same thing. Take a year, just for me, go where ever, do whatever, the world my playground. What fun he must have had, that feeling of true freedom that is most Kerouacian.

The closest I came to was wandering around Amsterdam, dazed and confused, hitting up the Stedelijk and truly appreciating some of the greatest art in the world on a much deeper level. That to me was my little taste of what Kerouac and Williams lived.

...and Michele Tafoya can go suck a fuck.

Badass Terminator Poster

Episode 9: I am the Lizard King and I can do anything...

In this week's episode, I drunkenly slur about my love for the Lizard King--Jim Morrison. I talked about some other shit that I don't remember...just push play.


ipod Download Link:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7401761-e6d

Hanging out with Jim in Père Lachaise Cemetery in eastern Paris:


Sorry for the late post...Divshare was being an asshole.

Open-mindedness
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Happy Mother's Day

Episode 8: Manny Sux a Blue Dong!

Finally have a guest on today's podcast, my good friend Kent (AKA Dr. Rover) joins me from sunny Ohio as we converse about Manny Ramirez's 50 game suspension, LOST theories, and baby chickens. Good Times!



ipod D/L:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7321282-985

Kent and I doing our best Harry Carry impersonations, New Years 2007:


Kent also turned himself in for murder at the Wesleyan Campus in Middletown, CT:


Dr. Manhattan Video Game:

In Honor of Star Trek Opening Today!

Mr. Chi City at a Bulls Playoff Game

Episode 7: ...Let My Cameron Go...

In this episode, I examine the meaning of life, god and swine flu...you know, lightweight topics.



ipod D/L:
http://www.divshare.com/download/7256654-70d

Baby Cakes video I referenced: