new songs I've been digging (part 2) - MP3s added

originally posted December 14th, 2005

I'm not gonna lie, let's start rocking out here. These songs kick major ass, and you need to listen to them now. Most of these songs are less than a year or two old, but we have one oldie but goodie from Australia for all to enjoy, mate!

new songs and singles I've been digging, PART 1 (from September 2005)



Foo Fighters - DOA (MP3)

Muse - Hysteria (MP3)



the Killers - Under the Gun

Weezer - Perfect Situation

My review of a Weezer show I attended in October 2005 at George Mason's Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA.


Franz Ferdinand - Darts of Pleasure (live from Austin City Limits Music Festival)

This tune is an awesome live rendition of a great Franz song. Highly recommended.

Green Day - She's a Rebel

Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) (MP3)

Ryan Adams - Trains


Seafood - Heat Walks Against Me (thanks to merz from Mars Needs Guitars for this one)




AC/DC - Hard as a Rock (MP3)

It is painfully obvious that AC/DC just decided to predominantly write songs about their schlongs, since, in the spirit of Spinal Tap, they claim to have armadillos in their trousers.

"Hard as a Rock" is the song that fellow, younger Aussie band Jet blatantly rips off with their tune, "Cold Hard Bitch." I'm of the thinking that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery (all rock and roll essentially is), so that's ok by me.

much more to come, including more MP3s

Ask Andrew W.K. ...

by The Monitors

I've been a fan of Andrew W.K. for a few years now, and one thing that's inspired me about him is his ability to boil life down to a few guitar solos, keyboard arpeggios, and party lyrics. So, I thought I'd put his divine insight to the test to answer some common, and not-so-common, questions that have plagued mankind since the dawn of human history.

Q: "Why is the sky blue?"
Awk: "Cos we're gonna have a FUN NIGHT! FUN NIGHT! FUN NIGHT! FUN NIGHT! Gonna get off! Gonna get off! Gonna get off! Gonna get off!"
[From "Fun Night" off of I Get Wet]



Q: "Where is the Adriatic Sea?"
Awk: "I can't explain it anymore / I'm not too young to know for sure. You get me, I get you, we get us."
[From "Really in Love" off of The Wolf]

Q: "Can you actually recharge non-rechargeable batteries or what?"
Awk: "You're not my mom and dad / And even they watch their backs; Cause they know what I hate; Any rules that I can't break."
[From "Your Rules" off of The Wolf]

Q: "How can I get from 19th & Q to the Target?"

Awk: "You won't know and we won't fucking go / We just keep on living. We always get what we want; We still get what we want 'cos we're never gonna stop (no we won't stop)."

[From "Fun Night" off of I Get Wet]

Q: "My sister Tesla is dating a guy who is 15 years older than him. Is this weird or should I stop being so protective?"
Awk: "The girl's too young / She don't need any better. It's all coming back / I can feel it. She is beautiful / She is beautiful / She is beautiful / She is beautiful. The girl is beautiful."
[From "She is Beautiful" off of I Get Wet]

Q: "Is pepperoni or sausage better on pizza?"
Awk: "This is why we are alive / We all live like we are going to die. We are here, We are high / And this is why we love to live our lives"
[From "Victory Strikes Again" off of The Wolf]

Q: "Would the benefits of narcotics legalization outweigh the detriment?"
Awk: "I Get Wet when the party is dying. I Get Wet without even trying. I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet / I Get Wet whenever you trying / I Get Wet when I know that you're dying / I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet I Get Wet."
[From "I Get Wet" off of I Get Wet]

Q: "What's your problem, jackass?"
Awk: "We do what we like and we like what we do. So let's get a party going (let's get a party going) / Now it's time to party and we'll party hard (party hard) / Let's get a party going (let's get a party going) / When it's time to party we will always party hard / Party hard (party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard...) ."
[From "Party Hard" off of I Get Wet]

The Monitors Post Archive

"This kid looks GOOD!!"
- local news anchorman Ron Burgundy on The Monitors' dashing good looks

"Are you talking about that drunk guy that was walking around Adam's Morgan last night with aviator sunglasses on? Um, yeah, I guess I would have sex with him..."
- random drunk, somewhat slutty DC girl answering a reporter's question regarding The Monitors

"Yes... absolutely. Sometimes I do worry that The Monitors will perish before the age of 27, but that's honestly the main reason I love going out of my way to hang out with the guy whenever he's touring a region or town near me!"
- anonymous friend

"I'm The Monitors... I'm the stylish one of the group..."
- The Monitors

"that Monitors guy is so HOT right now!"
- Jacobin Mugatu from Zoolander

a bad day for Caesar

ask Andrew W.K.

A Litigious Proposal

a crash course in indie music

a controversial post - a rumination on my access to porn

Kid You'll Move Mountains

Songs That Filled Me With Abject Rage

Well, that was a mindfuck: A story of a viewing of the film "Donnie Darko"

Dewey in repose

I Want to Own an Aviary - by Count Langenhoffen

UPDATE: Movies I'm Looking Forward To

by F.J. Delgado

originally posted September, 17 2005

Munich

This Steven Spielberg picture is based on the real-life terrorist killings of Israeli atheletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. An unfortunately appropriately-themed film given current events, this project has already amassed massive buzz and hype as a Best Picture contender. Given the director, and a usually strong Eric Bana in the lead role (despite his involvement in atrocities such as The Hulk, he was the highlight in the unfairly panned Troy), hopefully this movie will not disappoint.

The Departed

This promising film boasts a sick cast and director. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Jack Nicholson, and Martin Sheen are directed by Martin Scorsese in a story about an Irish gang member and a police cadet who respectively infiltrate the other side as moles. A remake of the Hong Kong original Infernal Affairs, which was fairly well-done, one can see why Scorsese might have been excited to re-interpret a movie that came out only a few years ago. Scorsese is responsible for some of my favorite films - Goodfellas, The Last Waltz, and Gangs of New York - and classics such as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver, among others.

DiCaprio, Damon, and Wahlberg have also appeared in some of my favorite movies; these guys are talented and, for the most part, they turn up in more good films than your average successful actor. The Departed is allegedly going to be violent and suspenseful, with Damon mentioning that a sequel would be hard to do given the bloodshed in it. This is one of those projects where it would be quite difficult to not at least entertain and feature high-quality filmmaking and production. This is a lot like when I first heard about a comedy starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson back in 2002 - I remember looking forward to Old School as comedic gold well before it was released theatrically. Different genres, but same principle at work.

Boondock II: All Saints Day

The sequel to Boondock Saints. One of my favorite movies, the original is simply badass. With several memorable scenes (the escape from the Russians post bar fight, taking out the Russian syndicate, the "firefight" sequence), a cool story, lots of violence and swearing, and a funny performace in his only on-screen role to date from David de la Rocco, it's a nice addition to the violent gangster genre that, while Saints is not in the same league, Pulp Fiction and Goodfellas tower over. Willem Dafoe is great as a high-strung FBI agent.

I get a kick out of the Irish Catholic vigilantes go on a morally paradoxical killing spree angle, given my own affinity for Catholicism. I'm also a fan of the fact both brothers have the Blessed Mother tattoed on their necks, but I might be the only person you'll ever hear say that. I hold Mary in the highest regard; the reasons for that I'll save for another post.

Either way, considering the original didn't get a full release because of the Columbine shootings AND the fact director Troy Duffy got blacklisted by Mirimax before it's release - it was only shown in 5 theaters across the country - it's impressive that the film was so enthusiastically received and was re-released on DVD solely on strong word-of-mouth. All for a film that basically went straight to video.

Duffy again is writing/directing the sequel, and, although there's no Dafoe, the two main characters are back, with the addition of what looks like a blonde Irish hottie. Sounds good to me!

Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny

The first time I watched a Tenacious D episode was several years ago during college, and I could tell right away that I was seeing something outrageous and funny. At the same time, knowing I have a quirky sense of humor, and knowing that the series was out of left field even for HBO, I didn't think it would catch on. I was sort of right, but mostly wrong on that. The Tenacious D series did in fact die out, but luckily Jack Black is as resourceful and stubborn as his band name suggests. Never ashamed to call themselves the greatest band in the world, the D managed to record an album. The first time I heard their ballad "Fuck Her Gently" was on the internet, I rejoiced inside for I knew JB and KG had overcome the odds and triumphed; the D was a force, and it was here to stay.

Ben Stiller and John C. Reilly show up in the Pick of Destiny, along with Tim Robbins. On a sidenote, I have a love/hate relationship with Robbins (about 90% hate). I have always liked him because he played Andy Dufresne, a well-acted role in my all-time favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. He's a good actor (despite his appearance in one of the worst movies ever: Mission to Mars), but I absolutely hate his political viewpoints on just about everything. I think he's a Communist ass, but at least he had a funny cameo in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, so hopefully he'll follow up with another one here. You also have to like the cheesy yet grandiose pun of a title. One of the few red flags associated with this movie is the unproven director attached to it, Liam Lynch. Either way, expect some funny songs, some wierd adventures, and some lofty claims from the D.

check out some Tenacious D videos, including "Fuck Her Gently", here

The Passion of the Clerks

Kevin Smith is a good writer-director, even though his work has been a little uneven and inconsistent over the years. Watching Clerks and Mallrats for the first time were memorable movie experiences. This sequel has a lot to live up to, as the first film came out of nowhere with virtually no budget to be an indie classic. Dante and Randal are classic characters despite obvious shortcomings in the script, most of the humor is scathing and crude (in the best way), and you can find some classic conversational dialogue between the novel characters. Jay and Silent Bob launched their recurring characters here, even though I'm still wondering why Jeff Anderson's career didn't pick up considering his performance as Randal was the funniest - he's been relegated to almost exclusively Smith projects. Maybe his style was perfectly suited for this type of movie only, or maybe he caught lightning in a bottle and was never a good comedic actor, who knows. Rosario Dawson just signed on to the project, and even though I'm not too big a fan of hers, she's still a hottie. Check out Kevin Smith's own website for the best updates on this flick.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Matt Damon will be back to reprise his role as Jason Bourne in the third of this series. The first two were quality espionage thrillers, and there's no reason to think this one will disappoint as long as the same people are involved. I've already mentioned that Damon is a favorite actor of mine (his turn as Will Hunting standing as my favorite character of his), and the Bourne series illustrates some of his range as an actor - it doesn't require too much in the area of thespianism to play Bourne, but he's still a good in a straightforward action role, and it's a departure from most of his more involving characters (excluding, of course, his wonderfully ridiculous cameo in Euro Trip).

Ed Moulton offers up his Major League Baseball preview

by F.J. Delgado

Ed is a long-time pal of mine from our college days. His blog, which features a somewhat "unique" writing style, is one of the funniest sites you could possibly read whilst bored off your ass at work, or chillin' at home looking to cheer yourself up.

He currently resides in Las Vegas, NV. Moulton is a smartass proposition gambler, and he makes no bones that one of his personal heroes and immediate influences is the legendary Amarillo Slim. The kid is definitely a hustler with an edge in the intelligence department, a resource I have fallen victim to on more than one occasion.

A good sense of humor and an ability to tolerate the frequent misspellings (as well as a LOT of foul language) are required, but there is a reason Mr. Moulton is considering writing for a living instead of going to graduate school. Also, be on the lookout for random comments and haikus courtesy of yours truly.

His 2006 Major League Baseball preview is stellar, and despite the fact some of the projected records - for example his "objective" prediction that the Atlanta Braves will finish 36-126, while his hometown Phillies will dominate the NL East to the tune of a perfect 162-0 record - might just be his caustic sense of humor shining through, the dude still knows his baseball.

Ed Moulton's Journal