Monday, October 22, 2007
new blogTen years after getting this website, the original domain I wanted, simbarashe.com was finally up for grabs! I set up my personal blog over there, though I leave this blog active, since it has so many archives. I may still use it for technical music notes, we'll see.
I have to say I'm proud of this blog - it had a good run, esp between 2002 and 2005. And unlike my myspace blog, I've never deleted any posts from here (I'd periodically erase all of my myspace posts and "start over").
As far as this site, projectstation.org is concerned, I'm still going to be using the space here, especially for uploading new music and things of the like. So the functionality will change, but I likely won't be getting around to refitting it for a few months. Thanks for visiting, and look for new music soon!
Saturday, August 04, 2007
ummm hello. my name is Simbarashe (still)So I woke up this morning and logged into the one of the web portals I'm conencted with and saw that on my profile for some reason (that I have a good hunch for) it listed this PSO website as my homepage. So I scratched my head for a moment, and then decided to login to the ProjectStation.Org tools thingamajig and ... well over the past several months I've had thousands of hits. Upon filtering out data that might be connected to my page and floating around cyberspace I'm still getting hundreds of legitimate hits.
Legitimate hits? From who?
I just spent the past 30 minutes reading my old blog (in the archives column its the oldest 3 links). I wrote those blogs back when PSO didn't exist, back when I had an old free website on Tripod, back when I was working on the now legendary lost Ashbury record (the record exists, for the most part in the order I intended in the multimedia section-- it sounds like a half-demo for disastrous reasons I explained somewhere in the current blog but don't feel like finding for you right now). It's intriguing to see some of the things I was going through while making that record that never was, some of my cliff notes on the songs, and my thoughts about a girlfriend who hadn't died in a car accident yet.
Memories.
Well. Since people are coming to this site I should start writing on here more, and at least fix all the multimedia links since it looks like some of them don't work right now.. Spring (Summer) cleaning? I think so.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Every see someone take a crap and not wash their hands?Here's my scientific synopsis of why 20 something year olds never win big in Las Vegas. Pay attention, write this down and you will thank me later.
Simbarashe says:
1. We're afraid of the big bad wheel called Roulette.
When veterans go to Vegas, they expect to make money and hope to hit big. When rookies (that's anyone under 35 or anyone that has less than $1000 to gamble with for the duration of stay, regardless of how many time's they've BEEN there) go to Vegas, they expect to hope to hit big. Does that make sense? If so, you're congratulated to read on. There are three games that veterans play to get returns: ROULETTE, CRAPS, and POKER. Understand this: veterans (defined as people who know how to make money consistantly) play blackjack to have fun, and they play slots to make a little bit of money last a couple of hours.
When you go to Vegas, you look at the Roulette wheel and stay clear right? Too many numbers, too many chances for your number not to come up? Actually, Roulette is one of the easiest table games to win, you have an abundance of options to bet and ... quite frankly, why put $25 down on Blackjack for a 2-1 payout when you can dramatically increase your chances to spread on Roulette? How bout a 5-1 payout? 25-1? do you want to make $25 or $200 on a single bet? And remember this: when you play blackjack, the house gives you the cards to play. In Roulette, you pick your odds. In Craps, YOU ROLL THE DICE. This is why the most noise comes at these two games in particular at night. You don't ever hear people hitting big on blackjack, unless they put all tehir money on one bet. How stupid is that...
It just looks hard to play. But Vegas likes it that way, otherwise everyone would hit big.
2. Slots?
Here's the rule on slots: you get what you "play" for. If you're at Wheel of Fortune and you hit 100 on quarter slots, you win 100 quarters. If you hit 100 on dollar slots, you win 100 dollars. If you have balls and decide to drop $5 bills at the Wynn slots (LOL yeah right) ... well you get the idea.
Simbarashe likes the quarter slots, and here's why: You can drop $20 in, play the 75 cent hits (playign single bets on slots is useless; just give them your money) and it can easily last you a good half hour if you take your time. I always play the slots by the door because they hit more often, though note they don't hit as big as the slots in the centre of the casino. But...with the multiple, little hits I stay in teh chair, entertained and not broke. If you have $50 to drop then you should move up to the dollar slots, and if you want to dump $100 at once you move up. Here's my idea: why put $50 into a 25 cent machine if it's only going to give you 5 dollars? Play accordingly.
3. Pick a casino you like, and get a Players card.
You know what I hate? When I'm sitting next to some old geezer who's playing his dollar slots and hit goes, ch-ching 50 BUCKS cos he won the 'game within the game' on his players card and got random free credits. The Players card is not something that should entice you to gamble more, it simply is something that is equipped to give you perks impossible to get if you don't have one. Just don't lose it; so many chickenheads do.
5 - Don't play Blackjack. DO NOT PLAY BLACKJACK.
Unless you're betting at least $50 a hand. Not $25, not $15, not $20.... FIFTY. and up.
-sigh- you're not going to listen to me. You're not gogn to play Roulette. You're going to play blackjack cos you're scared. Well.. if you MUST, then here's my card 21 rules:
1. walk the floor, just don't pick any cheap hand table. You want to find a dealer who is talking and friendly, and have PEOPLE PLURAL at the table who aren't LOSING EVERY HAND. This is a BIG, BIG DEAL!
2. Watch the table for 2 or 3 hands before you jump in. Make sure your dealer isn't getting all the face cards up front. That would make you stupid for joining in.
and finally..if you find a good table and sit down,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS BOUNCE WHEN A: THE DEALER IS CHANGED (relief pitcher) or B: THE DEALER GOES TO RESHUFFLE WITH THE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE DECK. YOU CANNOT WIN WHEN THIS HAPPENS!!!!
Sorry for all the urgency. I was excited. Its my break time at work :) My Official Guide to Vegas Gambling
Here's my scientific synopsis of why 20 something year olds never win big in Las Vegas. Pay attention, write this down and you will thank me later.
Simbarashe says:
1. We're afraid of the big bad wheel called Roulette.
When veterans go to Vegas, they expect to make money and hope to hit big. When rookies (that's anyone under 35 or anyone that has less than $1000 to gamble with for the duration of stay, regardless of how many time's they've BEEN there) go to Vegas, they expect to hope to hit big. Does that make sense? If so, you're congratulated to read on. There are three games that veterans play to get returns: ROULETTE, CRAPS, and POKER. Understand this: veterans (defined as people who know how to make money consistantly) play blackjack to have fun, and they play slots to make a little bit of money last a couple of hours.
When you go to Vegas, you look at the Roulette wheel and stay clear right? Too many numbers, too many chances for your number not to come up? Actually, Roulette is one of the easiest table games to win, you have an abundance of options to bet and ... quite frankly, why put $25 down on Blackjack for a 2-1 payout when you can dramatically increase your chances to spread on Roulette? How bout a 5-1 payout? 25-1? do you want to make $25 or $200 on a single bet? And remember this: when you play blackjack, the house gives you the cards to play. In Roulette, you pick your odds. In Craps, YOU ROLL THE DICE. This is why the most noise comes at these two games in particular at night. You don't ever hear people hitting big on blackjack, unless they put all tehir money on one bet. How stupid is that...
It just looks hard to play. But Vegas likes it that way, otherwise everyone would hit big.
2. Slots?
Here's the rule on slots: you get what you "play" for. If you're at Wheel of Fortune and you hit 100 on quarter slots, you win 100 quarters. If you hit 100 on dollar slots, you win 100 dollars. If you have balls and decide to drop $5 bills at the Wynn slots (LOL yeah right) ... well you get the idea.
Simbarashe likes the quarter slots, and here's why: You can drop $20 in, play the 75 cent hits (playign single bets on slots is useless; just give them your money) and it can easily last you a good half hour if you take your time. I always play the slots by the door because they hit more often, though note they don't hit as big as the slots in the centre of the casino. But...with the multiple, little hits I stay in teh chair, entertained and not broke. If you have $50 to drop then you should move up to the dollar slots, and if you want to dump $100 at once you move up. Here's my idea: why put $50 into a 25 cent machine if it's only going to give you 5 dollars? Play accordingly.
3. Pick a casino you like, and get a Players card.
You know what I hate? When I'm sitting next to some old geezer who's playing his dollar slots and hit goes, ch-ching 50 BUCKS cos he won the 'game within the game' on his players card and got random free credits. The Players card is not something that should entice you to gamble more, it simply is something that is equipped to give you perks impossible to get if you don't have one. Just don't lose it; so many chickenheads do.
5 - Don't play Blackjack. DO NOT PLAY BLACKJACK.
Unless you're betting at least $50 a hand. Not $25, not $15, not $20.... FIFTY. and up.
-sigh- you're not going to listen to me. You're not gogn to play Roulette. You're going to play blackjack cos you're scared. Well.. if you MUST, then here's my card 21 rules:
1. walk the floor, just don't pick any cheap hand table. You want to find a dealer who is talking and friendly, and have PEOPLE PLURAL at the table who aren't LOSING EVERY HAND. This is a BIG, BIG DEAL!
2. Watch the table for 2 or 3 hands before you jump in. Make sure your dealer isn't getting all the face cards up front. That would make you stupid for joining in.
and finally..if you find a good table and sit down,
ALWAYS, ALWAYS BOUNCE WHEN A: THE DEALER IS CHANGED (relief pitcher) or B: THE DEALER GOES TO RESHUFFLE WITH THE DOUBLE AND TRIPLE DECK. YOU CANNOT WIN WHEN THIS HAPPENS!!!!
Sorry for all the urgency. I was excited. Its my break time at work :) The Art of Clubbin' Part One
Simbarashe, your resident philosopher here.
It's day six in Los Angeles (actually 4:30am on day 7 but I'm still awake so it doesn't count). Went out with the brothers and a few of their friends tonight to a club out in North Hollywood. To paraphraze (if you're too lazy to read lengthy blogs) I'm amazed how people continue to take toddler steps in a game called common sense.
1. I don't understand how people think they're getting away with covering up for a WACK party. Understand, the NoHo club was just fine, but we almost ended up at a WACK party.
Listen ladies, Simbarashe says, if we call you and you haven't stepped inside the house yet for WHATEVER reason, the party is probably WACK. If you're a girl, and you're going by yourself to a party, only to see a guy you halfway like and can only muster one friend [who is with us] to try and get the group to show up, it's probably WACK. And if, you enter the house and we call and you can't give us any details on what the hell is going on, the party is probably WACK.
Please note
that I consider a party LEGIT when A) I know 15 of you are going in one group, B) Fliers are littering my mailbox, C) the party is being thrown by someone who has a reputation. Ladies, if someone calls you for details, you should be able to supply at least one of the three.
Listen fellas, Simbarashe says, if we call you and you say the party is gonna be huge, but you got no fliers or names of 5 hot girls who are going to be there, the party is probably WACK. If you are going by yourself to a party, don't know anyone there, and have a makeshift date but she's at the moment rollin with Simbarashe's crew, understand that Simbarashe is not a stupid cat and will assume that there aren't any other women present, herego, the party is probably WACK. If you turn down a club invitation to chill with a bunch of folks who are not of legal drinking age, YOU are probably WACK.
Please note
that sausage fests (I've always wanted to say that) are 90he time created because YOU aren't abiding by the proper party ettiquette. It's time you figure it out.
2. I don't understand what big dudes at clubs think they're getting away with when they try and shove skinny people like myself aside without acknowledgement.
Listen fellas, Simbarashe says, Don't you realise that you have the aerodynamic smoothness of a brick rolling down a hill? Don't you realise that standing next to a person of Simbarashe's dancing prowess will do NOTHING to help your chances with some 6 point girls who were having fun until you bulldozed a bowling lane through their crowd? If you were smart, you'd do the following:
Stand next to me or behind me. Cheer me on, because the girls certainly are. Wait a minute, then tap me on the shoulder to give me props. I will acknowledge you and return the props. When the second song ends, casually move over to the girl of your choice and simply say, 'that's my best friend right there; we go way back'. Really. If I can't here what's going on, I can't correct the situation. Plus, I recognize good game when I see it. I'm not a cockblocker. I'm married. The cellular company will refer to this as a soft handoff.
3. I don't understand what 4s through 6s think they're getting away with when they get on the stage to pose.dance.flaunt.
Listen ladies, Simbarashe says, **SLAP!!!** what the hell is wrong with you!? That stage is reserved ... wait a minute, RESERVED for 7s, 8s, and 9s (with the understanding that all 10s are currently in Miami and Vegas working it in real clubs). Seriously, all was well until... oh she could've been the girl next door with her even less than attactive friend..and they had the odasity to get up on that stage. But first...
Let's pause a minute.
So, they got up on stage. If they would've just danced, had fun and whatnot this blog probably wouldn't exist. But they didn't just dance. They had to pose.dance.flaunt. .... The main girl in particular, did less dancing than her less attractive friend. And this is why I noticed her. For 30 minutes she stood front and center, swayed the hips back from side to side, while her attention was firmly set on the crowd beyond her. She had this whole 'you want me, I'm sexy' vibe just spilling out of her halter top. The boys eventually rushed one side of the stage, where a 9.5 in a black stripper fit did her thing with dollar bills sticking out of her skirt. So who entertained the area of Miss 6? Just me. It was the only place I had room to dance, scout's honour....
4. I don't understand what girls think they're getting away with when they stiff arm me.
Simbarashe says no, I don't want to touch you, I'm sorry I'm taller, and ... no, I don't think you're fit cause if you were you wouldn't have an attitude. You'd be with your man. You'd have a man. Or you'd be having fun, cause you'd have game enough to recognise that I'm not trying to talk to you. Take your pick.
5. Finally, I don't understand why girls think its ok to just start touching my hair when I roll through with the brothers.
Yes we're rock stars. Yes it's different hair. No we don't wear wigs. Yes I'm Simbarashe. Yes those pictures on Myspace don't do me justice. No I won't be going to your friend's club tomorrow night. The only reason I have an attitude about this (well two reasons) .. ..1 I've never known a woman to be cool with some random guy stepping up and just start stroking or pulling on her hair cos he thought is was pretty. ..2 If you stroke my hair the wrong way I might black out and have a seizure, which honestly would make Simbarashe so totally UNCOOL.
So you think about that. We'll talk tomorrow.
Cheers.
Anda (April 09 2006)
Tonight I decided to go through my weekly sweep of AOL messages on my cell phone (since I don't use AOL anymore but for some curious reason continue to pay for the service), when I was informed with the following message.
this afternoon Anda passed away this am 4/3 due to a car accident. Anda was on her way back from LA with her bf. Two drunk drivers (currently under investigation) merged over and Anda's bf hit a tree on the side. Anda's bf was in minor injury, and Anda was being transported to a hospital in Modesto by helicopter, and died due to loss of blood.
I think Patricia and I were in the middle of a ho-hum episode of Grey's Anatomy when I got the message. Tonight it's 4/9, and there was a subsequent email alerting me that there was a funeral scheduled 4/8. And I'm leaving for LA tomorrow on 4/10. Digest this for a minute.
I met Anda back in the fall of 2003 while out with my dancing crew mates, after a few weeks of some distant admiration. I broke the ice by swooping in to save her from some overly-aggressive yuppie by pretending to be her girlfriend. A little conversation after the episode and we found that the distant admiration was a mutual one.
We dated more or less for about three months, and I ended the relationship, largely because I had just got out of a long [read: LONG] term relationship with another girlfriend and wasn't quite certain if this was the right thing I should've been doing right then. Anda took it like a champ, but she was hurt, and the last living memory I have of her was her sitting on my downtown front porch for 45 minutes before deciding to leave. I didn't know if she was crying (she was tough emotionally, which was a quality I liked), but I always felt like an asshole for doing it the way I did. My logic suggested that you had to be an asshole when breaking up with someone as to not let a something linger on and on.
We didn't talk so much after that, but she always read my online blogs, emailed me from time to time when I wrote something poinant, and I did the same for her. She found a man, Rick, who had a couple of kids and lived a completely different lifestyle than the type we were used to, and they got together and eventually moved in. At some point she gave me the impression that she was finally a happy individual and I decided that I didn't need to be in her life to this capacity anymore. Then I dated someone else, got married and that was that.
She emailed me on 21 March to tell me that her primary email address didn't work any more, and that if I wanted to email her to use her secondary one (which contained a username I didn't really like). So I emailed her at work instead, asked her how she was doing, and she responded back, and we had a short and pleasant dialogue. It was always to be expected.
Anda was always going to be an important person to me for a few reasons, but mainly because she was really the only person I was ever close to whom I knew I could never fully accept if our circumstances were different. I am by nature a superficial living species but she was a beautiful girl, but I judged her (in a way that I figured God would judge people---SO hypocritical of me) when I shouldn't have, always regretted it but had to live with it. And she forgave me, even though I never told her how I felt and what about. So this would be an example of love transcending petty human issues.
I will go to the cemetary before I move, and say hello, how's it hangin', goodbye, the lot, and hopefully her grave is marked so that I can find her. Perhaps I'll be able to find a bit of myself as well.
To the rest of us who live on,
Cheers The Art of Clubbin' Part Two
Simbarashe, your resident philosopher here. I'm still amazed how people continue to take toddler steps in a game called common sense.
1. If you want to go to the one of the best clubs in town, you better come prepared. So we were in Hollywood at this club where the Oakland Raiders (and some of the LA Clippers) were partying that same night. Yours truly stood in line with a few boys who shall remain unnamed. Anyway let's rewind for a minute: I had said prior that I wanted to go to a posh establishment, and make everyone dress accordingly because [their] level of places to go on a weekend are a bit lacking and I decided that a bit of education was in order. Now that you're up to speed.. So I'm at the mall with someone while they were on the phone with someone else regarding our plans for that night. While I put down on a fabulous white blazer (on CLEARANCE!) I heard the following statement buzz out from the other end of the cell phone:
"Give me a break, I don't have any slacks...."
Let me explain something to all the guys out there (girls, echo this to the guys out there), EVERY man, be he straight or gay, pretty or ugly, skinny or fat, should have the at least ONE of the following in his wardrobe:
1. a pair of 'dry clean only' slacks
2. a pair of black leather shoes (not loafers)
3. a pair of brown leather shoes
4. a leather belt
5. a suit (OR) a blazer that goes with the slacks at ..1
You can't consider yourself a man on any level until you're stocked with these items. So we get to the house, and one person in particular has the following items, but doesn't feel they're nice enough to get into to club. Amnesty point: as long as you have the items, Simbarashe cannot fault you. We decided to take our chances anyway.
2. If you get in line at one of the best clubs in town and you're not dressed as such, expect to wait a minute. There were 5 of us, and 4 of us qualified. It's no sweat -- I know the rules, I can chill out for a hot one.
3. If you bitch in front of the head bouncer that you aren't going to get in, chances are, you problaby won't. Ok so this is probably my new "no forgiveness" pet peeve:
We're at the front of the line waiting to get in, while pro football players continuously walk past security, and the doormen are hand picking girls out of line to get inside the club. I've been to some of the best clubs in this country, but even if I hadn't, I've seen a few movies. This is how it works, right? So how come, two members in my group start off with the following banter:
Person A: We should just go to that [other] club up the street.
Person B: Simbarashe, I don't think we're getting in..
Person A: I'm afraid I might be turning into a liability
Simbarashe: (whisper) shut the hell up, you're killing the game....
Person A: I think the game just killed me.
Person B: This is stupid, we've been waiting here for 20 minutes. Damn, now its gonna rain..
Ever want to shoot somebody in the knee cap for continued ignorance? Look, if you're a guy, then deal with it. This is what they make us do at nice places. If you walk into an A and you're dressed like a B, you have to wait. Yes, I am well aware that had I showed up by myself, I probably would be inside already. But that's the point of us going out: I'm trying to help YOU.
4. If you say you have game, then walk up to that girl over there and dance with her. The following excuses indicate that your game is still in its infant stages:
1. I need a couple more drinks
2. I don't like this song
3. I need one more drink
4. Those girls aren't hot
5. My buzz hasn't kicked in
6. Those girls are too hot
7. I'm not a dancer, I'm a watcher
8. I just need one more drink...
5. There is a right way and a wrong way to get a girl to dance with you. You know, what really baffled me about all this was that it was the first time in a long time that I went somewhere where girls actually wanted to dance with guys! It's reaaaaaal hard for an average Joe to show up to a spot and mess something like this up. So it's only fitting that my boys were among the bright few who managed to mess this up.
*full disclosure* two of them opted not to take any chances the whole night so they're excluded from this episode.
THE RIGHT WAY Find a group instead of say, 2 girls dancing with each other. Find the right spot and then jump in the middle of them and do the craziest dance you know.
I've seen guys who sincerely can't dance pull this off, and I qualify this as the best club ice breaker. ::Simbarashe Seal of Approval::
THE WRONG WAY Find a girl you want to dance with, and then slowly slip in behind her to proceed with 'the grind'. Play it off like it was a complete coincidence that you landed there.
I'm not a girl, and I don't pretend to know how girls think. But I've seen 1001 faces that indicate to me that when you do this, it makes them feel like they are being molested by their perverted uncle that the family refuses to invite to reunions. Plus, by doing this, it might shut her mojo off for the rest of the night. Especially never do this when there is a group of women, where the others will swiftly dive in and save her. If any of the other women in the house peep this happening, your night is over.
THE RIGHT WAY If girls start taking pictures of each other on the dance floor, interrupt the ceremonies and demand that a couple of the girls pose with you for their camera.
When you see a group of lovely young women abruptly stop dancing, and they proceed to take a gillion photographs in the middle of the floor, know that these pictures are going up on Myspace. Young women like to litter their Myspace profiles with party pictures of each other because it makes them look super popular to all the guest views and people who aspire to be their friends. Give them a reason to think that not only should they be taking pictures of you, but also posting their pictures WITH you on Myspace. They don't know who the hell you are, and the beauty of it is that they don't have to. ... ps, this REALLY, REALLY works.
THE WRONG WAY If girls start taking pictures of each other on the dance floor, interrupt the ceremonies and suggest that they dance, because they're taking up too much space on the dancefloor.
There's really nothing you can do to make them stop, and suggesting that they stop photographing and continue dancing tends to annoy them. Side note to this: If you have a dance partner who continues to look at herself in the mirror while she dances, let her. She's a chickenhead, but understand that you're not on the dancefloor to judge people...
THE RIGHT WAY If you consider yourself at least a halfway decent dancer, and you want to make a splash on the entire club, find the hottest dancer [note, I said DANCER not girl sitting there sipping her sex on the beach] and dance right in front of her. Don't dance with her though, and when she notices you, turn your back and pretend she's not even there.
Hot girl dancers in my experience don't like to be shown up. They also recognise that a good male dancer has some sense about himself and is likewise not afraid to engage. She will A: grab you by the arm and make this "hey, i'm over HERE" look, so you have to dance with her (and you know you want to), or B: she will alert her friends that a hot dancer is in the house. And I promise you that if the hot dancer crowd all look in one direction, everyone else will want to see what's up, too. I call this one the bulk sales. If you're not the greatest dancer in the world but you try this and it works on you (because it will), take heed the folling tips:
1. If you dance with a hot girl NO GROPING ALLOWED unless she moves into you first.P>
2. Dance to entertain her, not to impress her. Guys say they understand this one but really they have no clue. Girls like guys who are fun and spontaneous. If all you do is grind, it's no biggie to her. Most guys feel (but don't smell) the same from behind. She wants to see you. She also wants every girl in the house to know that she is dancing with the top dog, and they aren't. Keep in front of her, not behind her. Unless she wants you behind her. And entertain. If you get stuck, the following moves usually work well
Pretend to wax her shoes. Classic, and never fails
Take her by the hands, spin her around one time and put up judging fingers. 8 is a safe number. No curiously and say, "...eeeh that was good?" She'll feel challanged and really try and show you up
Bust any step (good, great, goofy, stupid) and afterwards lean back and fold your arms B-Boy style, waiting for her to respond
If you run out of moves, do the cabbage patch, the running man, hammer time, or the sprinkler system. If you use one of these moves, put a Carlton Banks smile on. Let them know that you know the move is wack, but you don't care. Because you're that man.
If a circle develops, go out of your way to make it bigger. Let people know they need to give her space to bust a move
Now I can't give you all the goods, but this is a decent place to start.
Finally, if you don't consider yourself a decent dancer, just know that nobody dances better with alcohol. They just think they do. Stand in line like you belong there, order your drink at the bar like you belong there. Dance like you belong there. When you turn 21, there's no excuse for acting like a chump in front of the female species. Just do it.
I'll give you more goods next week.
I went on a journey to find the complete Copenhagen show of Radiohead since technology is so ridiculous these days. I didn't get all the songs but I have over half the set (16 of 21 songs) here.There are no less than SIX brand new songs. Below the Copenhagen videos are the MTV $2 bill show at the Shepherds Bush Empire when Hail to the Theif came out, and the quality is fantastic. And .. if you keep on fishing down to the botton, you'll find Radiohead's super rare and best live version of Creep they ever did at Glastonbury. If you appreciate this, then I've done my job
Enjoy :)
Copenhagen 5/7/2006
(these videos ARE IN THE ORDER OF WHICH THEY WERE PERFORMED :)
Everything In Its Right Place
National Anthem
15 Step
Exit Music
Bangers N Mash
Nude
Black Star
Arpeggi
Spooks
Bodysnatchers
House of Cards
Let Down
Planet Telex
..>
Karma Police
4 Minute Warning
The Tourist(!!!)
And since I'm in a good mood...
The Shepherds Bush Empire Show as seen on MTV2 (these are SUPERB quality)
2 2=5 (live at Shephed's Bush Empire 2003, the best live version that exists I think)
There There
Paranoid Android
Idioteque
Like Spinning Plates
Annnnd...........
Airbag (circa 1997, excellent quality)
Finally,
CREEP LIVE AT GLASTONBURY! YOU CANT BUY ThIS KIND OF JOY!
My letter to young men:
If you are one who hopes to upgrade his clubbing experience, consider a few things:
1. Get connected.
This is probably the most important place to start, and easier than you might think. There are all sorts of online portals (including Myspace) that have lists of ongoing events in your city or area. Do your homework. Not only should you find out what is going on (and when), you should also pay attention to the little details. What's the level of talent at the event you want to attend? Is it your scene (or rather), can you assimilate to this scene? If the club is spinning hip hop on Wednesdays, throws Persian nights on Thursdays, and top 40 on Fridays, you may want to start with Friday (that is, unless you're Persian or love hip hop). Don't just look for the pretty women in past clubs; showing up at any given place on any given night could be hit and miss. And if it's not a hit and miss type of establishment, you might want to start at a lesser place until you've upped your game.
2. The best clubs in town have entry rules. Know what they are.
There are some unwritten rules you need to know about:
1. The Equal or Greater Ratio Rule - When you get to the door you need to have an equal or greater number of women in your camp. They have to be dressed to kill. (Again, do your homework) if your girl(s) are 6s and 7s and the other women in line are 9s and 10s you may or may not be considered adhering to the rules; this is at the discretion of the doorman. If you are by yourself she doesn't necessarily need to be that hot, this mainly applies to groups.
2. The Lone Exception - If you arrive at a club by yourself, you need to be early and dressed to impress. Elite clubs generally will not accept "stragglers" in line after 10pm, plus think of it like this: if you think clubs don't get started until after 11, showing up around 9:30 might mean that you'll have to wait in line over a half hour anyway.
3. Being on a guestlist does not garauntee entry. I'll explain this in further detail below.
3. Bouncers Remember More Than You Think.
If you show up late and by yourself you need to essentially be the best dressed man in line to give yourself an advantage. If you slack on your dress, you should stick to places that allow you to slack. If you can't afford an upgrade in wardrobe, wait on going there. If you leave a less than stellar impression on a bouncer on a given night, you can't just expect to go back next week to give it another shot. Get it right the first time. Here's a loophole: if you show up to a club and you know you're not getting in, there's absolutely nothing wrong with going to the bouncer and saying, "hello, I was passing by, do you [the club] do this every week?" Most bouncers will give you the requisite data. The have to; if clubs don't make money they don't have a job! Pay attention to your bouncer, get his name, say thank you, shake his hand and come back next time. Don't chat with the bouncer though; they're busy and you don't want to appear desperate. When you arrive back next week, remember the bouncer's name, say a quick hello and jump in line. This is a highly effective strategy that's been battle tested.
4. Know the Guestlist ettiquette.
A great advantage when frequenting popular clubs are guestlists. Every club has them. Get on them. Be advised, however, that top end clubs have provisions about guestlists.
1 clubs might have multiple guestlists on any given night. some are given preferrential treatment over others.
2 some guestlists are closed down after a certain time. be sure to find the person with the clipboard before you get in line to let them know you are present.
3 being on a guestlist does not mean automatic entry. i hope you've been paying attention so far.
4 RSVP early. if you're a last minute sort of person they may treat you as such.
5. Know the "In Line" ettiquette.
You (or you and your boys) should stand in line with patience, not oogling, complaining or causing trouble. If you have a friend who doesn't know how to behave in public (this applies to women friends as well), do not go out with them. Bouncers notice everything, and just because they don't say anything to you doesn't mean they don't care.
6. Table & Bottle Service = AUTOMATIC ENTRY.
Trust me, it's NOT always worth it. But sometimes it is. Pick your battles very carefully, unless you have large amounts of dispensable cash to throw around. A good strategy might be to find out what the VIP service costs, and figure out how much of that total you're willing to spend. It would then be up to you to group a number of friends that will allow you to pay a partial sum to make up the whole.
Cover = $20
VIP = $240
You are willing to pay = $30
This means that you need a group of 8 people to secure the VIP. Everyone in the group doesn't have to pay an equal share, but the terms should be agreed upon beforehand. Ettiquette says: if it's your idea, you should be prepared to pay more than your friends if need be.
If the price of VIP is astronomically out of your range, you might be at the wrong place.
7. Valet Service = POSSIBLE Entry.
The best way to figure out if bouncers give preferencial treatment to valet customers is to observe, or ask in a discreet way. A bouncer will never tell you the truth if 20 people are listening in. Know that even if a bouncer says yes, it may only be THAT bouncer, so if you roll up and there's someone else manning the door, you're not automatic.
8. Never ask to bribe a bouncer. Just bribe him.
Cash should be neatly folded into a small sqaure and tucked discreetly under your thumb. Savvy bouncers will always look at your hand before he shakes it, and if he see you approaching with a tucked thumb, he'll know you mean business. Shake his hand, say hello and ask him how the night is going. You don't need to do anything else. Men who bribe bouncers to gain entry to clubs are basically a bouncer's VIP. Never, under any circumstances, ask a bouncer how much he'll "take" for you to gain entry. This is tacky. Besides, if you frequent a club enough times and you feel he might recognize you, then he will.
9. Having a button up shirt, khakis and leather shoes does not equal being dressed to potential.
You remember this.
10. Tip bartenders monetarily, tip all other staff with an engaged compliment.
When the club runners get wind that you might be their type of guy, they'll start dropping you information they won't give to other guys. Things like:
1 after parties
2 the "proper" guestlist to be on
3 other events in the area that isn't necessarily public information
4 shorter waits in line
Especially, since men are prone to eating and drinking the same things on a consistent basis, if you don't switch up your orders bartenders will know what to pour you before you're able to fight your way through a crowd to wait a while before shouting out what you want. This is also helpful to bartenders, so if you make it a habit to show up and order early (don't forget the niceties) they'll hook you up. Maybe not on price, but certainly on convenience.
Monday, January 23, 2006
old new music, but not reallyBeen listening to a lot of Bob Dylan and Wilco lately. It's been fun.
Sandia will be at the Metro in Oakland on 1/27, then possibly out to Santa Cruz for a show at the University after that.