Say what?

Video

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:18:00 -0400

He’s not creepy one bit?

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:50:00 -0400

He’s not creepy one bit?

The Inconsiderate Orca Strike Again!

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 03:39:00 -0400

The Inconsiderate Orca Strike Again!

Turkey Reacts to America After Israeli Flotilla Raid

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:11:00 -0400

Turkey Reacts to America After Israeli Flotilla Raid :

Negotiations vs. Sanctions

Etheridge Knight Knows Longing

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:16:00 -0400

While reading through the Atlantic I stumbled on Etheridge Knight’s poem As you Leave me. It still shines on with succinct rhythm, and clash that makes his longing that much more real.

As You Leave Me

Shiny record albums scattered over the living room floor, reflecting light from the lamp, sharp reflections that hurt my eyes as I watch you, squatting among the platters, the beer foam making mustaches on your lips.
And, too, the shadows on your cheeks from your long lashes fascinate me—almost as much as the dimples in your cheeks, your arms and your legs.

You hum along with Mathis—how you love Mathis! with his burnished hair and quicksilver voice that dances among the stars and whirls through canyons like windblown snow, sometimes I think that Mathis could take you from me if you could be complete without me. I glance at my watch. It is now time.

You rise, silently, and to the bedroom and the paint; on the lips red, on the eyes black, and I lean in the doorway and smoke, and see you grow old before my eyes, and smoke, why do you chatter while you dress? and smile when you grab your large leather purse? don’t you know that when you leave me I walk to the window and watch you? and light a reefer as I watch you? and I die as I watch you disappear in the dark streets to whistle and smile at the johns

The Facebook Illuminati Symbol Hidden Inside Mark Zuckerberg's Hoodie

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:57:41 -0400

The Facebook Illuminati Symbol Hidden Inside Mark Zuckerberg's Hoodie :

As if Facebook could not get more cultish…

Freedom of Internet

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 04:07:00 -0400

(Charis Tsevis)

There is no easy way to get through a media revolution of this magnitude; the task before us now is to experiment with new ways of using a medium that is social, ubiquitous and cheap, a medium that changes the landscape by distributing freedom of the press and freedom of assembly as widely as freedom of speech. (Clay Shirky)

La Blogotheque: Keeping it Raw

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:24:00 -0400

A musicians ability to perform live has to be one of the longest standing measures in judging artistic quality. The more adjusted an artist is toward improvisation is what truly makes a musician.

The French website — La Blogotheque — produces raw, and uncut music videos of eclectic artist performing in unusual environments and captures intimate magic in each performance.

Echo And The Bunnymen | Killing Moon | A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Founded by Chryde and Vincent Moon, this duo have cataloged a clean, easy, and hip website that brings a whole new meaning to music videos.

Just when you thought Ian McCulloch was no longer performing on the scene, La Blogotheque films a charming performance of “Killing Moon,” — shot in a dim lighted room with cigarette smoke acting as prop, and a staggering voice that makes the song sound contemporary even though it’s more than 25 years old.

Cannibal Flower: An Inconsiderate Twist of Art

Thu, 27 May 2010 13:42:00 -0400

There’s nothing better than finding a parking space in the loading zone across the street from the art venue on Spring St., and congregating with the Inconsiderate Orca in the parking lot in hopes of scheming a fun night at Cannibal Flower.

As expected Cannibal Flower (other than the DJ at moments) was a complete success. As we walked toward the venue across the street from the Hive Gallery, in Downtown, it was evident we were walking into the underground scene I’ve always imagined. Moments before heading onto the elevator, my homie joked about seeing Particle the night before and humored us about Steve Mullets’, Elevator Jam, and mentioned how he stays elevated throughout his performances. Pushing the button to the second floor, the elevator attendant mentioned to us what to do in case we got stuck on our way to the second floor (which was: “Yell out open, and i’ll rush to the second floor, and open the door for you”).

Cramming into the tiny elevator you could feel the tension everyone was feeling as the elevator missed the second floor, and we were suddenly a floor up. The thought of being stuck in the elevator and missing the show crossed all our minds, and as the doors flung open — we grabbed the equipment and took the stairs.

Lugging the equipment down two flights of stairs, we walked into Cannibal Flower to find a quaint gallery loft that screamed Los Angeles with abundant space, and a second floor cigarette balcony out one of the windows. After finishing a cigarette (or two), on the rooftop, we were hanging out with, Leonard Croskey aka LC, (owner of Thinkspace Gallery and curator of Cannibal Flower) having Patron shots while he figured out who was actually in the band. I managed to get a free shot in the beginning, but the bartendress soon realized that I wasn’t playing an instrument and just spectating so she began charging me for beers. I was quick to spark a deal, and made sure I was getting my Tecate’s for a $1 — one-up of the night.

As the band continued to set-up their equipment, and the DJ began to spew out samples — maybe even a little DJ Day. I continued to make my way through the gallery trying to piece out where the exhibit began and ended. Since we were right by the DJ, I was easily taken back by the canvas hanging right by the guitar amplifier which signaled a raw understanding of the use of dark shades, and a Picasso rendition use of blues.

(Pictured Here).

After making sure that screws from the roof were no longer falling out, and hitting me in the head, I made my way to the opposite side of the gallery where I spotted Thomas Lynch III’s piece, Wrong Turn. Placed comfortably next to a lamp, you could see the vibrant use of color scheme that helps create equipoise between the saturation in the shades. As I looked closer at the painting you could see one of Lynch’s iconic re-occurring characters planted in the canvas that goes by the name the “Grundel,” — humorous in nature of course.

(Wrong Turn)

Making my way back to the stage, waiting for the Inconsiderate Orca to begin, out of the corner of my eye, I finally spotted Rafael Delgado Jr’s showcase pieces —that he describes as:

Composing works with colored magazine pages, but digressing from the traditional collage technique, my technique is ‘painting with paper.’ Collage is my medium. I illustrate the composition and then paint it using magazine pages. I enjoy seeing the unexpected emerge in the process. It’s like working on a puzzle except you don’t know what it looks like (CPColectivo).

You could clearly see the detail and time put into piecing these collages together. Moreover, his artistic influence, emergent in his choice of iconicism, vibrated his Latin American eccentricity, and culture.

(Aquella Noche Pense Contigo)

(Amigo Compay)

Around 11 p.m., the crowd began to gather near the stage as the Inconsiderate Orca performed a 40 minute set featuring Traffic, Albert, Honey Sunshine, Baked Me Something Good, and a jammed out Coffee Break to end the set. With an eclectic funk sound and the ability to transcend constrictions of music, the Inconsiderate Orca were the perfect addition of Los Angeles swagger to make this Art Show a complete success.

The more that I walked around the gallery, the more you could feel and see the raw creativity unleashing itself in Los Angeles. A few months ago, while in the Bay Area I had a chance to check out Art-Murmur in Oakland which I feel has the right alkaline acidity to call organically balanced, and label as “grassroots.” Cannibal Flower along with the crowd, and most importantly the art and music, illustrated that same feeling mixed with nouveau L.A urban authenticity that for the past years has flourished in the depths and nooks of Downtown Los Angeles, and surrounding neighborhoods.

Takahashi Masakuza (Via Super Punch)

Mon, 24 May 2010 14:18:00 -0400

Takahashi Masakuza (Via Super Punch)

Facebook You Quit Me

Sun, 23 May 2010 15:43:00 -0400

Yet another post about the love and hate relationship with my Facebook account. Many years ago, or I guess what would be three now, I decided that I could do without Facebook, and for a while I did very well. From about 2007-2010 I had my original college account closed, but in that time period I managed to open one faux account under an incredulous name, and then in 2009 I opened another account with my real name.

In efforts to stay under the radar — having a smaller group of friends to share information with made the things I shared organic, and genuine. Plus, I was less embarrassed to be more opinionated, or more importantly frank about the things I cared about, and cared to share.

Around the turn of the new year I decided to reclaim my old account in efforts to stay more connected with people from the past. Since then I’ve realized that too many people reading your updates and your post, particularly because Facebook is as close as you can come to a real online identity, made me take heed that I was not comfortable sharing certain information with — everyone. From articles that I’ve read and “re-faced”, to people asking me if my “Vaguebook” update was particularly about them. I grew distant from the network.

As of now, I’ve gone three days without Facebook, and somehow I feel free from it’s grip. It’s honestly not as bad as quitting cigarettes, but there has been more than a moment or two that I’ve considered reactivating my account only because it’s that easy. In jest, I was asking a friend:

—So um, whats going on, on the Face, — “Well, I’ve been too busy too check.”

This made me conclude that nothing is ever going on — on Facebook. Especially since it went public and was no longer a college based service most of the noobs on Facebook used it as a source of venting about their personal problems. If there was ever a sense of Facebook consciousness in it’s once newborn stage, it was one based on conquering a new frontier where the possibilities were endless. Since everyone else moved out Face, that possibility began fading, and negativity was starting to pull through. Thats when it dawned on me, that Facebook was dead, and there was a huge divide between it’s original users and the others.

Original users are anybody using Facebook since 2005 with a college email (obviously), and the others are the ones linked in through Hotmail, AOL, or some archaic email service like that. Well the older users have a prime concept of what Facebook is, which is about sharing information through links, videos, blah blah. The noobs continue to use it as a form of retelling their personal lives because they apparently have no one in the outside world to un-wow with their pettiness.

If there’s a backlash about personal information, it’s because people don’t censor themselves and put it out there trusting Mark Zuckerberg a little too much. I honestly don’t want you to list 100 bands that you like because everyone knows that since the revolution of Napster, and online music it’s easier and easier to find music, and especially obscure bands that no one has heard of. Moreover, if you ask me to fan your page more than once (particularly a band page) chances are I’ve listened to your band, and realized that I’m not a fan. Also, please don’t list exactly where you live there is no need for that, if I need to contact you, I will email you, or better yet send you a wall post. Lastly, it’s happened to me many a time, don’t tag me if the picture is ridiculous I know I like to goof around, and be silly, but I don’t want every one else knowing that.

Personally quitting Facebook was a call for productivity. I started to realize that as this point I do not need that many people in my life. In fact, the people that I do need are already in my life. Gmail still manages to be the number one source of sharing information, pictures, videos, etc… I don’t hold a vendetta with Facebook, I think they are innovative, and have changed the world of today. In all things considered, Facebook just lost it’s spark, it’s newness — it’s innocence. It’s become over-saturated, and a place I’ve outgrown. Facebook thank you for all the memories, I’ll be back some day, but for now I have to keep on, keeping on like a bird that flew — untangled without you.

(Image Via Blind for the Kids)

“You’ll never catch me riding dirty!”

Sat, 22 May 2010 23:47:00 -0400

“You’ll never catch me riding dirty!”

DIP -- Scrape!

Sat, 22 May 2010 18:38:00 -0400

Oakland, CA, — not enough can be said — they bring the urban culture harder than anything I’ve ever seen. Living in Berkeley for a few years (in addition to all the mayhem that goes on in that little town) perspectively changed my vision of what urban culture is especially with the birth of Hyphy in the past 20 years. From “Going Dumb,” to “Ghost-riding that whip,” Oakland culture has left a long lasting impression on me.

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.

That sense of urban swagger has now spread to the Bicycle Culture most noted by the Original Scraper Bike Crew, and their masterful, taste, and take of the urban bicycle. These group of young artist are showcasing their work at this year’s Maker Faire Bay Area which represents for all a creative mind, and your DIY enthusiasts. Make has a great interview with Tyrone Stevenson, aka Baybe Champ from the OSBC in East Oakland, CA that delves into the mind of these artist, their urban inspiration, and what they represent socially, and independently.

Maker Faire Bay Area on NPR: "A little Kitsch but a lot of Craft"

Sat, 22 May 2010 17:44:00 -0400

(Via NPR)

(Via Thomas Lynch III)

Sat, 22 May 2010 15:17:00 -0400

(Via Thomas Lynch III)

"While one who sings with his tongue on fire, Gargles in the rat race choir, Bent out of shape from..."

Fri, 21 May 2010 21:03:00 -0400

“While one who sings with his tongue on fire,
Gargles in the rat race choir,
Bent out of shape from society’s pliers,
Cares not to come up any higher,
But rather get you down in the hole,
That he’s in.”

- Bob Dylan {It’s Alright Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)}

And for those of you that still read Highlights…

Fri, 21 May 2010 19:49:00 -0400

And for those of you that still read Highlights…

"Professional journalists – with or without formal training – will emerge as they are no longer..."

Fri, 21 May 2010 17:58:00 -0400

“Professional journalists – with or without formal training – will emerge as they are no longer worried about technology they routinely use. We’re not going to be wow’ed or scared by the latest device. We’ll just embrace it and return the focus on the content… because it’s always been about the content.”

- Robert Hernandez (Assistant Professor of Professional Practice at USC Annenberg School of Journalism)

Time Traveler!

Thu, 20 May 2010 20:27:05 -0400

Time Traveler!:

Hipsterism lurking in the shadows, a clear depiction of early Steam Punk…

When was the last time you edited Wikipedia?

Thu, 20 May 2010 17:32:00 -0400

The thought of editing Wikipedia after all the rumors about it being a faux-pau organic user - generated content service sparked my list of things to do after reading an article by digital journalist Mark S. Luckie titled, Journalism Grads: 30 Things You Should Do This Summer.

It’s difficult to singularly describe what a journalist does these days other than try to focus in on a true, non-bias opinion. The medium for portraying the truth, (of course through integrity) according to Luckie and everyone in the business, has become dynamically integrated and directed by the skills you practice on your off time. Moreover, the basics of understanding how to interview, report, and most importantly write concisely have rearranged themselves with the art of splicing, Photoshoping, branding, and social networking. Depending on your position and your place, the options of the contemporary journalist are endlessly sought through the eye of visual creativity.

In lieu of creating visual art using Photoshop, and Wikipedia — I decided to add and update the Wikipedia entry titled Art and Culture of Los Angeles. Although there was a good explanation of the contemporary art scene, I feel it lacked a little exposure to the ongoing underground art scene in Los Angeles which by nature has begun to inspire all of us in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Keep your eyes posted for LASOM on Wikipedia, who knows what’ll be edited next…