House of Dioxin

Sinatra month has come to a close on TCM (altho we still have several saved movies to watch). Next month's big feature also sounds like it will be quite good. They're focusing on Asian Images in Film. I'm esp. looking forward to the early silents they're showing this coming Tuesday. Also pleased to see they'll be showing Enter the Dragon. Much less impressed that the only Jackie Chan they're showing is Rush Hour 2. I know the series is looking at Hollywood's visions of Asia but it would've been nice if they'd expanded their focus enough to wrap up with, say, Eat, Drink, Man, Woman instead of Mr. Baseball.

Posted by at 11:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just found out about a few brand new musical biscuits, either out now or coming soon. I have copies in hand (and waiting for reviews) of the new releases by the Pinker Tones and Orchestra Baobab. Also, big thanks to Ms. Pants for cluing me in on the fact that there's a new Transglobal Underground disc. And, last but not least, the Orb. Yes, the MF-ing Orb is back w/ a new CD.

good times...

Posted by at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First off, I wanted to link to this press release from Mr. Scruff, Ninja Tuna... snerk... I'll be interested to see what kind of stuff he's planning to roll out over the next few years.
I don't spend enough time in Starbucks to fully appreciate this list of annoying people found at Starbucks but the last time I was there I was right behind one of those complex order types. And this sentence from the list bears repeating: "when you order coffee, it shouldn’t sound like you’re giving the pass code to a missile defense system.”
Finally, I wanted to say something about the whole Dunkin' Donuts/Rachael Ray scarf kerfuffle. Barry called them craven poltroons and that's about right. I don't know enough cuss words to fully express my opinion. Fortunately, I found this clip which does the job nicely.

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Attention, design geeks. Do check out this nifty little piece from Vegas Tripping on changes in Vegas casino logos. I don't share their animosity towards the top hat & cane on the old Monte Carlo logo. But they definitely nailed the hot mess that is the new NY, NY logo. One thing I noticed just now looking at the article is that, in the earlier version of the Mirage script logo (the one with the palm trees), the loop of the "g" encircles the "g" in Las Vegas but in the most recent version of the logo, the loop now captures the "e" and the "g" and I wonder how many hours they spent deciding on that. I also think it's interesting that there's so little in common among the casinos with mostly unchanging logos: Flamingo, Circus Circus, and Bellagio.

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XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 25 may 08)

Bollywood Steel Guitar :: various
Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru :: various
Gal :: Gal Costa
the Best of Lydia Mendoza :: Lydia Mendoza
Global Noize :: DJ Logic & Jason Miles
Nigeria Disco Funk Special :: various
1 Real :: DJ Dolores
Sonido Amazonico! :: Chicha Libre
Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days :: various
Tijuana Sound Machine :: Bostich + Fussible

this week's video feature: Bostich + Fussible

Posted by at 9:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another entry in the my-city-was-gone file: Florent is closing its doors. I was never part of the hipoisie and none of the times I went did I ever see anyone famous. But damned if I've ever heard of another restaurant where you could get blood sausage or steak frites at 3am. And it was good. The times I was there it was always the middle-to-end of a long night and we were all feeling pretty festive. But I could still tell the food was good. That was my introduction to bistro food, in fact. So, yeah, that was 15 years ago and a lot has changed here there and everywhere. Still, it's too bad they're closing. And esp. too bad that they didn't make it to Bastille Day, when they always used to have a big ole block party.

Posted by at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been meaning to mention this for a couple of days. If you're at all interested in Las Vegas you need to go check out the amazing Vegas history site that the LV Sun has up. Photos, video, timelines, audio... Just about the coolest thing I've seen online lately.

Posted by at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sinatra month on TCM continues. Last night they got to the Rat Pack movies. Didn't record Ocean's 11 cos I've seen it many times already but we'd left the DVR paused on the station so I was able to watch almost the whole thing, even tho I think it had ended in real time by the time I got back from Dain's. I was struck this time by what an insufferable bastard Peter Lawford is to Cesar Romero. It's no wonder Romero delights in taking him and the rest of the crew down at the end. And I'm always entertained by the fact that Ocean and co. are ex 82nd Airborne.
Tonight I watched Sergeants 3 which was the immediate follow-up to Ocean's 11. Sinatra, Martin and Lawford are the titular sergeants. Joey Bishop's also on board as a "company man" sergeant that the big 3 don't much like. They all get sent on a mission to hostile Indian territory. Did I mention it's a western? And Sammy shows up as a freed slave with a mule who starts following them around after they get him out of trouble by starting an enormous saloon brawl. It's not much of a part for Sam and it makes me appreciate the audacity of Blazing Saddles a bit more. The only other Ocean's 11 cast member back for this one is Henry Silva as a crazy violent warrior. The renegades are all supposed to be ghost dancers. I'm sure they have about as much cultural veracity as the Kali death cultists in ...Temple of Dumb. Actually, this movie's got a lot of Indiana Jones in it. Right down to a scene where Sinatra gets dragged behind a runaway buckboard and has to pull himself along the ground under the carriage to get back inside. I wonder if Speilberg had seen Sergeants 3 or was that just a typical scene in pulpy action movies.
To sum up: an enjoyable, if formulaic western, livened up with some Rat Pack comedy bits. The elements aren't as well pulled together as in the Indiana Jones movies but it's still an okay flick.

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XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 18 may 08)

1 Real :: DJ Dolores
Nigeria Disco Funk Special :: various
Futurismo :: Kassin + 2
Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru :: various
Sonido Amazonico! :: Chicha Libre
Tijuana Sound Machine :: Bostich & Fussible
Gypsy Woman :: Joe Bataan
Herencia Judia :: Benjamin Lapidus
Global Noize :: DJ Logic & Jason Miles
Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days :: various

this week's video feature: DJ Logic & Jason Miles

Posted by at 8:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight's beer pick: Bell's Oberon. What in the name of Grom is going on here? First I'm drinking Belgian ales and now a wheat beer... But, yeah, it's damn good. I note on the Bell's website that altho it's a summer seasonal most everywhere, it is available all year in Florida and Alabama.
In other brew-related news, here's a funny list of the 10 best beer names, I've seen bottles of the Santa's Butt at Sam's. And the Unibroue is actually available at most of the better beeratoriums around town (they must have a really good distribution deal). I've heard of a few of the other ones but the only one I've tried is Old Engine Oil which was really good and I wish they sold it around here so I could have another without having to drive all the way back to Louisville.

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Food highlight of the last few days: chicken barbecue sandwich at Nosh. Not the usual chicken barbecue, which tends (in my experience) to be shredded or pulled chicken in sauce, a lot of sauce, usually spicy. But this was like a chopped pork sandwich except with chicken. Very very chopped. Not a whole lot of smoke but some. Nicely seasoned. Really good. It's not on the regular menu but I'll definitely be ordering it again any time I see it.
Also on the menu this weekend: a trip out to Mez w/ friends. To me, it's like a less idiosyncratic version of Tonali. The space is gorgeous, there's lots of drink options, the kitchen got the food out to us promptly. Service was a bit unpolished but friendly. We shared the empanadas as a starter. I had the tamales and a side of green rice. The rice was actually my favorite, almost as good as the Rick Bayless version Sarah and I have made a few times. The tamales were filled with chicken and pork. The pork was supposed to be cochinita pibil but it tasted more like just roast pork. The chicken just got lost. The sauces were really good. Others at the table had the fish tacos (reported to be not as good as Tonali) and the ribeye (good; huge). As a dining experience I think it has some definite edges on Tonali. But just in terms of the food (and it may be unfair to make a final decision after just one visit to Mez) I prefer Tonali at this point. I think their food's got more personality and more flavor. But it's a close call.

Posted by at 9:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A few programming notes:
I'm pleased to discover that local TV has started showing Durham Bulls games. They even showed a couple of the between innings events, including the birthday parade and fat suit sumo.
I'll be guest-hosting Divaville Lounge, Sunday from 2-4pm. Tune in!
As part of the "Birth of the Cool" film series at the Nasher Museum at Duke, they'll be showing the 1982 documentary Fela Kuti: Music is the Weapon. w00t! Thursday, June 5th at 7pm. Freefreefree.

Posted by at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 11 may 08)

Nigeria Disco Funk Special :: various
Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru :: various
Sonido Amazonico! :: Chicha Libre
1 Real :: DJ Dolores
Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days :: various
Gypsy Woman :: Joe Bataan
Tijuana Sound Machine :: Bostich & Fussible
Her Name is Rio :: 3 Na Massa
eXtraOrdinary Rendition :: Rupa & the April Fishes
Camping Shaabi :: Think of One

this week's video feature: DJ Dolores

Posted by at 9:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Insanely cool thing: oldschool Good Humor truck on the streets on Manhattan. I'm actually old enough to remember these a little bit altho only a few as they were on their way out, being replaced by the taller stepvan types.
A bit of fun: Things Younger Than McCain
I'm watching the Sinatra movie the Tender Trap right now and I must say, I never noticed before just how completely deranged Debbie Reynolds' character is in this movie. Sure I know it's just an example of the twisted sexual politics of its time. But still... On the other hand, it's got great hats, excessive drinking, Celeste Holm, and Frank.

Posted by at 9:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

RIP Robert Rauschenberg.
Check out the excellent NY Times obit. Also, here's a page full of links to Rauschenberg online.
As I've said before on this blog, Rauschenberg is absolutely my favorite artist and I've seen more museum retrospectives and gallery shows of his work than I can remember.
Sad day.

Posted by at 9:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Went up to NYC for Mom's Day this weekend. So I was mostly hanging out at the house. Did stop at the Shake Shack for lunch on my way in on Saturday. As excellent as I remembered it. Also had a very New York food day on my way out yesterday, with a slice of randomly selected pizza. Which was, while not great, a reminder that you can walk into almost any pizza place not called Ray's in NYC and get a damn good slice. Also discovered that there's a Papaya King at JFK. It was okay. Way back when I lived there I was more of a Gray's fan. One thing I was reminded of: if you're not familiar w/ the subways it's maybe not the best idea to listen to iPod while riding. The A train I was on switched over to some other track somewhere along the way from JFK to Manhattan. Not that it mattered because I was heading uptown to the Shake Shack anyway. One thing I learned: there's now a Qdoba at the corner of 8th Ave. and 21st St. That really hit me, probably as much as any of the many much bigger changes. Altho that wasn't my neighborhood I had a bunch of friends who did live around there. To me it'll always be a bar-hopping, couch-surfing, late-night restaurant kinda place. And definitely not a healthy chain Tex-Mex kinda place. Plus ça change...

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This is amazing. Home movies from Vegas in 1973.

Includes shots of a lot of the casino signs we saw at the Boneyard in Feb, including Stardust, Coin Castle and Algiers. Also proof that not everything's been torn down -- Caesars, Riviera, Circus Circus, Four Queens. And the Mint (which I think shows up in Fear and Loathing...) and the Landmark (which gets blowed up real good in Mars Attacks). So cool.
(found via Five Hundy by Midnight, the Vegas podcast site)

Posted by at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

more cat pictures

Posted by at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, NC survived our stint in the national spotlight. Obama won big here. Now the funhouse mirrors and laser-like focus of the media will move on to... somewhere. Kentucky? Oregon? Whatever weird metric the Clinton campaign comes up with the justify prolonging things? Really, I think everyone should mail Clinton and her campaign strategists copies of "the Myth of Sisyphus." It might help.
In local elections, just about every single candidate I voted for lost. That's showbiz...
Sarah was a poll worker for the primary (details of her adventures here, here, here and here). I'm considering signing up for the general election. Altho I wouldn't be able to work the same precinct as Sarah and would get sent somewhere else in Durm. And it does sound like a long-ass day requiring a lot of patience when dealing with the clueless. But I'm all for enabling democracy even if, as Kent Brockman said many years ago, it simply doesn't work.

Posted by at 11:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

XDU wrrld music top 10 (week ending 04 may 08)

Nigeria Disco Funk Special :: various
Gypsy Woman :: Joe Bataan
eXtraOrdinary Rendition :: Rupa & the April Fishes
Her Name is Rio :: 3 Na Massa
OG: Original Gangster :: Willie Colon
Herencia Judia:: Benjamin Lapidus
Umalali: the Garifuna Women's Project :: various
Avatar :: Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Mighty Striker Shoots at the Hits :: various
Camping Shaabi :: Think of One

this week's video feature: Rupa & the April Fishes

Posted by at 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most of this weekend's garden work was making small dents in big projects so not much interesting to report. And I'm trying to stay as "news" free as possible until after Tuesday. Esp. now that I've voted already, I find that my tolerance for stupid media stupidity has approached zero. And, trust me, no one wants to hear about cleaning out the gutters. I did finally finish watching Akira (which I'd started earlier in the week). Correcting one of those embarrassing gaps in my movie-viewing history. Amazing movie, of course. I do regret a bit not seeing it until now since its impact is somewhat muted by the fact that the best anime directors have pushed the genre on to new heights in the years since Akira.

Posted by at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Went and did my early voting this afternoon. It took me about 45 minutes. I heard from a friend who was there earlier in the day that it had taken her about a half hour. One of the poll workers said it had been like that (line out to the streets, waits between 30 min. and 1 hour) all day. Also that they'd had about 1100 people vote yesterday. So, yeah, very cool. There were several local candidates there schmoozing the crowd. As others have pointed out, with only 3 polling places for all of Durham's early voting, it's pretty easy for the local candidates to decide where to go. Or even to just show up at each location for a while.
Then tonight we had a traveling edition of Mariachi Club™. First up was Los Galleros de Mexico at Brightleaf Square. The acoustics were pretty brutal but they still put on a good show. And really, it was just a nice night to sit or stand around and chat and listen to some mariachi music outdoors. But several of us were quite hungry so we moved on to Lopez for the regular gig by Mariachi Amanecer Tapatio. Who were en fuego. Several patrons even busted out their dance moves. (food note: I decided to try something other than my usual tacos; the pollo alla crema is highly recommended)

good times, indeed

Posted by at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So, the Meat Beat Manifesto show on Monday was absolutely A-Maz-Ing. A lot of similarities to the DJ Spooky show. Except MBM have three people (Ben Stokes handled the video, Jack Dangers did the music, and Mark Pistel was doing the live mix, syncing sound & visuals, etc). And a live drummer. I was sold on the first number when Stokes dropped a clip from Prince of Space into "Children of Earth." The video was pretty much a survey of movie paranoia over the last few decades. But there were a few leftfield surprises, including In Like Flint, Don, and a great clip of Charles Mingus on stage trying to get someone to "turn the fucking mic on." They played for about two hours. Stuff from the new CD, 99%, Original Fire, Storm the Studio -- a lot of stuff I recognized w/o knowing where it was from. They even dropped some Tino. Musically, two of my fave moments were the number built around the phone ring from ...Flint and the one that sampled "G.I." by 23 Skidoo.

Below the cut, the list of movies that MBM used as part of their show, or as many of them as I can remember

They Live
the President's Analyst
Apocalypse Now
Taxi Driver
A Clockwork Orange
Scanners
Network
Deliverance
Dr. Stangelove
Village of the Damned
Wattstax
Sleeper
2001

Posted by at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)