Catching Up With
June 26th, 2005Probably no secret that I’ve been in a mood lately. Blame it on a slow reaction to turning 30. I tend to react pretty slowly to emotional things. So let’s catch up with what I’ve been up to.
Land of the Dead
I’m a big fan of the zombie genre. In fact, they’re my favorite horror movies. However, horror movies are a little like westerns in that a good horror (or western) movie isn’t necessarily a good movie in general. You know when a horror movie is actually a good movie when either a) it’s not described as a horror movie or b) when people who don’t like horror movies like this movie – like "The Ring".
Land of the Dead isn’t a bad movie. It’s also not a great movie. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who doesn’t like horror or zombie movies. I would recommend the remake of "Dawn of the Dead" or "28 Days Later" to anyone. I would recommend this movie to people who like gross horror movies and need something to do before 6pm on a weekend – especially when it’s as hot out as it is right now.
Revenge of the Sith
I saw it, and it wasn’t as bad as the two previous prequels. But that still doesn’t make it good. It doesn’t even make it close to good. But it’s watchable, and it’s over, which is all I really wanted. George Lucas should be tried by an international court for what he’s done to Star Wars with the prequels.
In addition to the bad acting, bad dialogue, and overdone CGI sequences, there’s the whole premise of the sequels. In the original films, Darth Vader is a bad motherfucker. Now, he’s just a petulant child who felt he didn’t get the mad props he deserved. Typical.
Louis XIV @ Metro
This was a free show, so my expectations were pretty low. But these guys were great – a combination of early Rolling Stones with some AC/DC guitar licks. The best part though, is that while some seriously derivative bands might show some sense of self-awareness about their lack of originality – these guys were having none of that. Pointing at the crowd? They invented that. The kick in the air while playing the guitar hook? Yeah, they created that too. They kicked ass, and were so serious about it that for a moment you didn’t realize how ridiculous this could have been.
Best part of the evening? Rounds of drinks to a DJ spinning 80s and 90s alternative music at SmartBar.
Q101 Block Party
I actually remember remarkably little of this evening. I know this: Hot Hot Heat opened, and they sucked. Interpol went on next, and they were as good as they always are. Queens of the Stone Age went on last, but I recall nothing of it because we were drinking for free at that point. Sometime later, I recall jumping a fence, drinking a margarita, and eating an enchilada.
Stars @ Metro
This was more upbeat than I expected it to be. Most of the music I listen to is either fairly dark and depressing, or entirely instrumental. This was neither. Sybaris opened, and they made up for the lack of darkness of the main act. But I was in the company of good friends, so it was a great evening out. Later, we all would up at a bar playing old alternative music – perfect.
Meat Beat Manifesto @ Metro
I have to admit: I thought this show was going to be a bit more "live" than it really was. Basically, it was 3 guys on laptops and electronics, one guy on live drums, and two big screens of projected video. But what they lacked in physical performance they made up for with a long show. I didn’t get out of the Metro until nearly 1am. In a live context, it’s a bit difficult to tell where one song ended and another began – but it’s no matter. I was with a great friend and we had great conversation with MBM as the backdrop.
Dotshop is the new Boomkat
I love Boomkat.com, but I don’t love the exchange rate between the UK and the US. But I’m in luck: Dotshop.se has a very similar selection, plenty of audio samples, and a slightly favorable exchange rate. Let the importing begin!
Piano Lessons
I’m still taking piano lessons, although I haven’t had one in a few weeks. But for the first time ever, I know which keys are which. Next up, scales, inversions and chords.
Illustrator Tutorials
I’ve always been a little intimidated by Illustrator. Until now, I’ve mostly used it for pretty basic operations – and then imported objects into Photoshop or Fireworks to get real work done. But no more – I’m working my way through a book of tutorials to finally become an Illustrator master.