Here's a bizarre video (directed by Eric Wareheim of Tim & Eric) for "Parisian Goldfish" by Flying Lotus.
(Flying Lotus is Steven Ellison [great nephew of Alice Coltrane]. He made beats for Adult Swim before releasing his debut album, 1983, on the Plug Research label in 2006.)
This video below below contains some explicit cartoon scenes, flashing lights and is FOR OVER 18s ONLY.
Directed by Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric) in association with Warp Records and Warp Films. Music by Flying Lotus. Co Directed/ Animation by Devin Flynn. Co Directed/ Edited by Eric Fensler. More info at dancefloordale.com
25 September 2008
23 September 2008
just because you fear it / doesn't mean it's there
With the first presidential debate, which will center around foreign policy and national security issues, just three nights away, I thought I would share the following opinion piece written by Fareed Zakaria (the piece was published in last week's issue of Newsweek). It's difficult to imagine that John McCain and the GOP would use their primary scare tactic and most successful campaign "issue" -- terrorism -- at this point in our country's history (as if the prospect of another Great Depression isn't terrifying enough), but, then again, this is the same Republican party that has used the tragic events of 9/11 as a political prop and launched a "War on Terror," which constitutes a "War on Civil Liberties."
Zakaria offers an eloquent voice of reason to a subject that is usually doused with gasoline and lit afire by words of fear, death and colonialism.
The World Isn’t So Dark
Ever since WWII, America has tended to make its strategic missteps by exaggerating dangers.
Fareed Zakaria
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Sep 22, 2008
On the campaign trail, the debate over foreign policy has been muted of late. That might be because more-important topics like lipstick and hockey moms have taken center stage. But the contrasts between the presidential candidates also seem to have softened. Their differences over Iraq policy have shrunk as the place has stabilized somewhat and the Iraqi government looks for a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal. Both candidates oppose Iran's nuclear ambitions and Russia's incursion into Georgia. Both support a vigorous fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Yet there's clearly a fundamental difference in the way the two candidates see the world. The split might best be captured by asking a simple question: what kind of a world do we live in? Neither candidate has been asked this, and I doubt either would answer as frankly as I am suggesting, but here's my guess—drawn from their writings and speeches—about what each might say.
We live in a very dangerous world, John McCain would respond. In his eyes, Islamic extremism is the transcendent challenge of the age. Jihadist warriors—funded and supported by states that adhere to their views—pose the central threat to the United States. In the rise of China, Russia and India, McCain sees turbulence. Russia and China, being autocracies, represent a special danger. Moscow's attack on Georgia was, for McCain, the "first serious crisis since the end of the cold war." The role for America, in such an environment, is to aggressively use its power—hard power—to fight evil, spread freedom and defeat the enemy. Otherwise we will lose the struggle for the 21st century.
Obama's sense of the world is more optimistic. The dangers are real but not so all-encompassing. Obama speaks less of Islamic extremism in general and more of Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups specifically. He points out that compared with the cold war—when thousands of Soviet nuclear missiles were pointed at American cities—the threats we face today are reduced. He argues that most people in the Islamic world want development and a better life, not jihad. America's promise remains alive even in these countries.
America's role, for Obama, is to restore its military strength, fight Al Qaeda and its ilk, and deter rogue regimes like Iran. But it is also to stay calm, because in overreacting to dangers, we often cause new problems and crises. To lump together all Islamist groups is to exaggerate and misunderstand the threat. The Iraq War, for Obama, is a prime example of an alarmist overreaction, one that had the United States launch an unprovoked invasion of a country and rack up huge costs. If America can keep its cool and provide the help that countries really seek—in development, modernization and democracy-building—then we will gain in both security and legitimacy.
There is some truth to both visions of the world, but in my view the reality is much closer to Obama's—more so than most American politicians seem willing to admit. We live in remarkably peaceful times. A University of Maryland study shows that deaths from wars of all kinds have been dropping dramatically for 20 years and are lower now than at any point in the last half century. A study from Simon Fraser University finds that casualties from terrorism have been steadily declining since 9/11. It is increasingly clear—look at their voting from Indonesia to Iraq to Pakistan—that very few Muslims anywhere support Islamic fundamentalists. More countries than ever before now embrace capitalism and democracy.
It's also worth noting that ever since World War II, the United States has tended to make its strategic missteps by exaggerating dangers. During the 1950s, conservatives argued that Dwight Eisenhower was guilty of appeasement because he was willing to contain rather than roll back communism. The paranoia about communism helped fuel McCarthyism at home and support for dubious regimes abroad. John Kennedy chose to outflank Nixon on the right by arguing that there was a dangerous missile gap between the Soviets and the United States (when in fact the United States had almost 20,000 missiles and the Soviets had fewer than 2,000). The 1970s witnessed a frenzied argument that the Soviet Union was surpassing the United States militarily and was about to "Finlandize" Europe. The reality, of course, was that when neoconservatives were arguing that the U.S.S.R. was about to conquer the world, it was on the verge of total collapse.
Since end of the cold war, similar alarms have been sounded several times. In the 1990s, the Cox Commission argued that China was building a military to rival ours, citing numbers that soon proved to be bogus. Then there's Saddam Hussein, who was described as a powerful and imminent threat to the United States. In fact, the greatest problem that we have faced in Iraq is its weakness, its utter dysfunction as a state and a nation. Rhetoric about transcendent threats and mortal dangers grips the imagination of the American people. But it also twists U.S. foreign policy in ways that can prove to be extremely costly to the country and the world.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/158764
Zakaria offers an eloquent voice of reason to a subject that is usually doused with gasoline and lit afire by words of fear, death and colonialism.
The World Isn’t So Dark
Ever since WWII, America has tended to make its strategic missteps by exaggerating dangers.
Fareed Zakaria
NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Sep 22, 2008
On the campaign trail, the debate over foreign policy has been muted of late. That might be because more-important topics like lipstick and hockey moms have taken center stage. But the contrasts between the presidential candidates also seem to have softened. Their differences over Iraq policy have shrunk as the place has stabilized somewhat and the Iraqi government looks for a timetable for a U.S. withdrawal. Both candidates oppose Iran's nuclear ambitions and Russia's incursion into Georgia. Both support a vigorous fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Yet there's clearly a fundamental difference in the way the two candidates see the world. The split might best be captured by asking a simple question: what kind of a world do we live in? Neither candidate has been asked this, and I doubt either would answer as frankly as I am suggesting, but here's my guess—drawn from their writings and speeches—about what each might say.
We live in a very dangerous world, John McCain would respond. In his eyes, Islamic extremism is the transcendent challenge of the age. Jihadist warriors—funded and supported by states that adhere to their views—pose the central threat to the United States. In the rise of China, Russia and India, McCain sees turbulence. Russia and China, being autocracies, represent a special danger. Moscow's attack on Georgia was, for McCain, the "first serious crisis since the end of the cold war." The role for America, in such an environment, is to aggressively use its power—hard power—to fight evil, spread freedom and defeat the enemy. Otherwise we will lose the struggle for the 21st century.
Obama's sense of the world is more optimistic. The dangers are real but not so all-encompassing. Obama speaks less of Islamic extremism in general and more of Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups specifically. He points out that compared with the cold war—when thousands of Soviet nuclear missiles were pointed at American cities—the threats we face today are reduced. He argues that most people in the Islamic world want development and a better life, not jihad. America's promise remains alive even in these countries.
America's role, for Obama, is to restore its military strength, fight Al Qaeda and its ilk, and deter rogue regimes like Iran. But it is also to stay calm, because in overreacting to dangers, we often cause new problems and crises. To lump together all Islamist groups is to exaggerate and misunderstand the threat. The Iraq War, for Obama, is a prime example of an alarmist overreaction, one that had the United States launch an unprovoked invasion of a country and rack up huge costs. If America can keep its cool and provide the help that countries really seek—in development, modernization and democracy-building—then we will gain in both security and legitimacy.
There is some truth to both visions of the world, but in my view the reality is much closer to Obama's—more so than most American politicians seem willing to admit. We live in remarkably peaceful times. A University of Maryland study shows that deaths from wars of all kinds have been dropping dramatically for 20 years and are lower now than at any point in the last half century. A study from Simon Fraser University finds that casualties from terrorism have been steadily declining since 9/11. It is increasingly clear—look at their voting from Indonesia to Iraq to Pakistan—that very few Muslims anywhere support Islamic fundamentalists. More countries than ever before now embrace capitalism and democracy.
It's also worth noting that ever since World War II, the United States has tended to make its strategic missteps by exaggerating dangers. During the 1950s, conservatives argued that Dwight Eisenhower was guilty of appeasement because he was willing to contain rather than roll back communism. The paranoia about communism helped fuel McCarthyism at home and support for dubious regimes abroad. John Kennedy chose to outflank Nixon on the right by arguing that there was a dangerous missile gap between the Soviets and the United States (when in fact the United States had almost 20,000 missiles and the Soviets had fewer than 2,000). The 1970s witnessed a frenzied argument that the Soviet Union was surpassing the United States militarily and was about to "Finlandize" Europe. The reality, of course, was that when neoconservatives were arguing that the U.S.S.R. was about to conquer the world, it was on the verge of total collapse.
Since end of the cold war, similar alarms have been sounded several times. In the 1990s, the Cox Commission argued that China was building a military to rival ours, citing numbers that soon proved to be bogus. Then there's Saddam Hussein, who was described as a powerful and imminent threat to the United States. In fact, the greatest problem that we have faced in Iraq is its weakness, its utter dysfunction as a state and a nation. Rhetoric about transcendent threats and mortal dangers grips the imagination of the American people. But it also twists U.S. foreign policy in ways that can prove to be extremely costly to the country and the world.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/158764
15 September 2008
pink floyd's richard wright loses battle with cancer
From the Associated Press:
Pink Floyd Member Richard Wright Dies Age 65
By MEERA SELVA
LONDON (AP) — Richard Wright, a founding member of the rock group Pink Floyd, died Monday. He was 65.
Pink Floyd's spokesman Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He says the band member's family did not want to give more details about his death.
Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965.
The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," was a hit.
In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group's dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and sang.
The band released a series of commercially and critically successful albums including 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon," which has sold more than 40 million copies. Wright wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" for that album, and later worked on the group's epic compositions such as "Atom Heart Mother," "Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."
But tensions grew between Waters, Wright and fellow band member David Gilmour. The tensions came to a head during the making of "The Wall" when Waters insisted Wright be fired. As a result, Wright was relegated to the status of session musician on the tour of "The Wall," and did not perform on Pink Floyd's 1983 album "The Final Cut."
Wright formed a new band Zee with Dave Harris, from the band Fashion, and released one album, "Identity," with Atlantic Records.
Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing the albums "The Division Bell" and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums "Wet Dream" (1978) and "Broken China" (1996).
In July 2005, Wright, Waters, Mason and Gilmour reunited to perform at the "Live 8" charity concert in London — the first time in 25 years they had been onstage together.
Wright also worked on Gilmour's solo projects, most recently playing on the 2006 album "On An Island" and the accompanying world tour.
Pink Floyd Member Richard Wright Dies Age 65
By MEERA SELVA
LONDON (AP) — Richard Wright, a founding member of the rock group Pink Floyd, died Monday. He was 65.
Pink Floyd's spokesman Doug Wright, who is not related to the artist, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He says the band member's family did not want to give more details about his death.
Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965.
The group's jazz-infused rock and drug-laced multimedia "happenings" made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and their 1967 album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," was a hit.
In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group's dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and sang.
The band released a series of commercially and critically successful albums including 1973's "Dark Side of the Moon," which has sold more than 40 million copies. Wright wrote "The Great Gig In The Sky" and "Us And Them" for that album, and later worked on the group's epic compositions such as "Atom Heart Mother," "Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond."
But tensions grew between Waters, Wright and fellow band member David Gilmour. The tensions came to a head during the making of "The Wall" when Waters insisted Wright be fired. As a result, Wright was relegated to the status of session musician on the tour of "The Wall," and did not perform on Pink Floyd's 1983 album "The Final Cut."
Wright formed a new band Zee with Dave Harris, from the band Fashion, and released one album, "Identity," with Atlantic Records.
Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985 and Wright began recording with Mason and Gilmour again, releasing the albums "The Division Bell" and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" as Pink Floyd. Wright also released the solo albums "Wet Dream" (1978) and "Broken China" (1996).
In July 2005, Wright, Waters, Mason and Gilmour reunited to perform at the "Live 8" charity concert in London — the first time in 25 years they had been onstage together.
Wright also worked on Gilmour's solo projects, most recently playing on the 2006 album "On An Island" and the accompanying world tour.
13 September 2008
free and legal live radiohead download
Hey kids, looking for two hours of live Radiohead? Then check out NPR's latest All Songs Considered Live Concerts podcast. Once you subscribe to the podcast, Radiohead's 28 August 2008 show at the Santa Barbara Bowl in California is just a click away.
xx
xx
11 September 2008
hurricane palin
Since John McCain introduced Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential candidate, the Obama campaign has been spinning its wheels, desperately trying to shift out of defense and resume its plan of attack, which was successful pre-hurricane Palin.
The Palin surge can be attributed largely to the shortsighted, ADD-affected, and, quite frankly, stupid American people. Too many Americans are willing to roll the dice and elect now, ask questions later. Too many Americans refuse to read past the headlines. Too many of my fellow citizens are swooned by campaign images and slogans.
Case in point: McCain claims he will put "country first," but was he and his cronies putting country first when they chose Palin? Palin: a person McCain had met only once prior to the VP announcement on 29 August 2008. Palin: a person who has been governor of Alaska for a mere 21 months and served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population 7100). Palin: a vice-presidential candidate who, in her first interview as McCain's running mate, wouldn't rule out an armed conflict with Russia.
Is there a single McCain supporter who can look me in the eye and say Palin has the resume to sit just one heartbeat away from the presidency?
The McCain camp deserves credit, however. Not only are they using Hillary Clinton's absence to exploit Palin's sex and thereby playing the gender card, they have also tapped America's idiotic fascination with image and celebrity. Since her nomination, Palin's exposure to the voters and media has been limited to one interview and a series of carefully orchestrated -- and repetitive -- campaign speeches. (But despite the McCain campaign's best efforts to reconcile the obvious distance -- both political and personal -- between McCain and Palin, their joint appearances remain tainted with awkward exchanges and forced smiles, as though McCain were the estranged father and Palin the scorned yet determined daughter.)
If Americans weren't so easily sold on the used car promises of political candidates and the media's coverage of election year "issues" such as pigs and lipstick, perhaps more of us would realize the significance of this year's presidential election and become more engaged in the political process. How many potential voters are aware of Palin's stance on abortion? (She's a staunch pro-lifer and does not support a woman's right to choose even in cases of rape and incest.) How many Americans know Palin's view on sex education? (She supports abstinence-only sex ed, despite her unwed 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy. If abstinence-only doesn't work in her own home, how can it work in the halls of public schools across this country?) And do Americans really believe the Iraq war is a "task from God"?
Will Barack Obama change the face of politics if elected? Probably not. But change has to begin somewhere. And I have faith that the citizens of this great country will awake to this fact, break the cycle of cynicism and cast their vote for Barack on 4 November 2008.
xx
The Palin surge can be attributed largely to the shortsighted, ADD-affected, and, quite frankly, stupid American people. Too many Americans are willing to roll the dice and elect now, ask questions later. Too many Americans refuse to read past the headlines. Too many of my fellow citizens are swooned by campaign images and slogans.
Case in point: McCain claims he will put "country first," but was he and his cronies putting country first when they chose Palin? Palin: a person McCain had met only once prior to the VP announcement on 29 August 2008. Palin: a person who has been governor of Alaska for a mere 21 months and served two terms as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska (population 7100). Palin: a vice-presidential candidate who, in her first interview as McCain's running mate, wouldn't rule out an armed conflict with Russia.
Is there a single McCain supporter who can look me in the eye and say Palin has the resume to sit just one heartbeat away from the presidency?
The McCain camp deserves credit, however. Not only are they using Hillary Clinton's absence to exploit Palin's sex and thereby playing the gender card, they have also tapped America's idiotic fascination with image and celebrity. Since her nomination, Palin's exposure to the voters and media has been limited to one interview and a series of carefully orchestrated -- and repetitive -- campaign speeches. (But despite the McCain campaign's best efforts to reconcile the obvious distance -- both political and personal -- between McCain and Palin, their joint appearances remain tainted with awkward exchanges and forced smiles, as though McCain were the estranged father and Palin the scorned yet determined daughter.)
If Americans weren't so easily sold on the used car promises of political candidates and the media's coverage of election year "issues" such as pigs and lipstick, perhaps more of us would realize the significance of this year's presidential election and become more engaged in the political process. How many potential voters are aware of Palin's stance on abortion? (She's a staunch pro-lifer and does not support a woman's right to choose even in cases of rape and incest.) How many Americans know Palin's view on sex education? (She supports abstinence-only sex ed, despite her unwed 17-year-old daughter's pregnancy. If abstinence-only doesn't work in her own home, how can it work in the halls of public schools across this country?) And do Americans really believe the Iraq war is a "task from God"?
Will Barack Obama change the face of politics if elected? Probably not. But change has to begin somewhere. And I have faith that the citizens of this great country will awake to this fact, break the cycle of cynicism and cast their vote for Barack on 4 November 2008.
xx
03 September 2008
'elephant 6 holiday surprise tour' will visit bloomington
From PitchforkMedia.com:
Elephant 6 Crew to Embark on "Holiday Surprise Tour"
Music Tapes frontguy/Neutral Milk Hotel member Julian Koster describes the upcoming "Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour" as something like "a big orchestra, variety show, silly happy thing." How very fitting.
The tight-knit, loosely-defined Georgia-based psych-rocking collective will assemble its ranks (well, quite a few of 'em, anyway) for an October jaunt celebrating the music of Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, the Music Tapes, Elf Power, the Gerbils, Scott Spillane, Nana Grizol, Nesey Gallons, and more. Joining Koster on the trek are Will Cullen Hart of Olivia Tremor Control, Scott Spillane of the Gerbils, Laura Carter of Elf Power, Eric Harris of OTC and Circulatory System, Nesey Gallons, and whoever else they can fit in the van.
Plus, Koster will be bringing along such Music Tapes "members" as the 7 ft. Tall Metronome and Static the Television. The trek comes on the heels of Merge's October 7 release of the Music Tapes' The Singing Saw at Christmastime. (It's the second Music Tapes album this year; Merge released Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes on August 19.)
Alas, there's no mention of the participation of Jeff Mangum on this tour. But, hey, there's nothing that says he's not coming, either!
But the reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel bard does appear in Major Organ and the Adding Machine, the decade-in-the-making short film directed by Joey Foreman and Eric Harris we first mentioned last winter. And he's wearing a full-on lobster costume, too! Orange Twin is set to release a CD/DVD combo of Major Organ in the fall of 2009, with the audio portion comprised of an expanded edition-- with seven bonus cuts-- of the 2000 LP that features Jeff Mangum, Kevin Barnes, Will Cullen Hart, Julian Koster, Andrew Reiger, and Dixie Blood Moustache. The flick will premiere during the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour, and is currently being submitted to film festivals.
In addition to all the E6 family fun, the Music Tapes will perform at Merge Records' CMJ showcase at New York City's Mercury Lounge on October 25.
"Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour":
10-09 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
10-11 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
10-12 Boston, MA - The Church
10-14 Portland, ME - Space Gallery
10-15 New Haven, CT - The Space
10-16 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
10-17 Rochester, NY- The Bug Jar
10-18 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
10-19 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
10-20 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Pike Room
10-21 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10-22 Bloomington, IN - Cinemat
10-23 Lexington, KY - University of Kentucky
Elephant 6 Crew to Embark on "Holiday Surprise Tour"
Music Tapes frontguy/Neutral Milk Hotel member Julian Koster describes the upcoming "Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour" as something like "a big orchestra, variety show, silly happy thing." How very fitting.
The tight-knit, loosely-defined Georgia-based psych-rocking collective will assemble its ranks (well, quite a few of 'em, anyway) for an October jaunt celebrating the music of Olivia Tremor Control, Circulatory System, the Music Tapes, Elf Power, the Gerbils, Scott Spillane, Nana Grizol, Nesey Gallons, and more. Joining Koster on the trek are Will Cullen Hart of Olivia Tremor Control, Scott Spillane of the Gerbils, Laura Carter of Elf Power, Eric Harris of OTC and Circulatory System, Nesey Gallons, and whoever else they can fit in the van.
Plus, Koster will be bringing along such Music Tapes "members" as the 7 ft. Tall Metronome and Static the Television. The trek comes on the heels of Merge's October 7 release of the Music Tapes' The Singing Saw at Christmastime. (It's the second Music Tapes album this year; Merge released Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes on August 19.)
Alas, there's no mention of the participation of Jeff Mangum on this tour. But, hey, there's nothing that says he's not coming, either!
But the reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel bard does appear in Major Organ and the Adding Machine, the decade-in-the-making short film directed by Joey Foreman and Eric Harris we first mentioned last winter. And he's wearing a full-on lobster costume, too! Orange Twin is set to release a CD/DVD combo of Major Organ in the fall of 2009, with the audio portion comprised of an expanded edition-- with seven bonus cuts-- of the 2000 LP that features Jeff Mangum, Kevin Barnes, Will Cullen Hart, Julian Koster, Andrew Reiger, and Dixie Blood Moustache. The flick will premiere during the Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour, and is currently being submitted to film festivals.
In addition to all the E6 family fun, the Music Tapes will perform at Merge Records' CMJ showcase at New York City's Mercury Lounge on October 25.
"Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise Tour":
10-09 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
10-11 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
10-12 Boston, MA - The Church
10-14 Portland, ME - Space Gallery
10-15 New Haven, CT - The Space
10-16 Purchase, NY - SUNY Purchase
10-17 Rochester, NY- The Bug Jar
10-18 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillobox
10-19 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
10-20 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot Pike Room
10-21 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge
10-22 Bloomington, IN - Cinemat
10-23 Lexington, KY - University of Kentucky
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