2.28.2004
Knives Ouch!
I feel like an asshole but this clip of some yahoo messing around on the shopping-at-home network is hilarious. later for tom cruise, you're the last samurai, dude!
I just got around to reading david toop's wonderful piece on arthur russell in the january issue of the wire. toop, one of the only people to ever formally interview russell, serves up as poignant and human a story as you'll find in them thar pages. plus, next time someone bets that you can't forge a connection between vin diesel, james mason and rhys chatham, you can take them on.
also look out for sasha's russell piece in next week's new yorker. finally, a chance to see the sequence "is it all over my face?" next to a cartoon of a dog and cat huddled around the water cooler, guffawing about office politics.
I just got around to reading david toop's wonderful piece on arthur russell in the january issue of the wire. toop, one of the only people to ever formally interview russell, serves up as poignant and human a story as you'll find in them thar pages. plus, next time someone bets that you can't forge a connection between vin diesel, james mason and rhys chatham, you can take them on.
also look out for sasha's russell piece in next week's new yorker. finally, a chance to see the sequence "is it all over my face?" next to a cartoon of a dog and cat huddled around the water cooler, guffawing about office politics.
2.26.2004
Riot On!
ego trip's race show TV's Illest Minority Moments, finally aired this past weekend and the level of discourse on the VH1 message boards doesn't suggest they'll be asked back. then again, the board doesn't offer much hope for race in Amerikkka, which is probably more important in the end. recommended: the all-in-a-huff post by "ProudBlackMan" and the subsequent bit from "Lashid1" observing that only a white dude would call himself "ProudBlackMan." also: the post from young, presumably-pre-teen sisters Jessica, Sarah and Angela Wood--they were very discusted!
it would have been pretty hot in herre if VH1 had allowed them to keep the original title for their show: riot on the set.
it would have been pretty hot in herre if VH1 had allowed them to keep the original title for their show: riot on the set.
2.25.2004
Wax on, Wayne.
When Wayne Marshall isn't making music or studying it, he sends me emails like the one excerpted below. The latest entry in the neverending back-and-forth known as "The Politics of Theorizing How We Talk About the Politics of Jin tha MC in the Post-Eminem Era, Even Though His Record Will Probably Never Come Out." Hey, I love this stuff like a fat kid loves cake.
Seriously, Wayne has a pretty interesting take. If you couldn't tell, he's got mad knowledge of Jamaican music. Be sure to check his site, he has sound clips to substantiate all this.
<<<
yo hua,
i'm sure you've been over this one again and again at this point, but i've been kinda fascinated with jin's "learn chinese" since i finally heard it last week. what really struck me was not the play to (ridiculously stereotyped) ethnic particulars that seems the common strategy for too many non-black MCs. what really struck me, of course, was jin's rather jamaican way of saying it.
i've been tracking a few jamaican musical memes, if you will, across time and space, and one of the more common ones starts with yellowman's "zungazung" and spins off into super cat, BDP, bounty killer, biggie smalls, black star, and joe buddens, to name a few. the same recurring phrase--although perhaps rather removed from any recognition of its source--turns up in jin's rhyme, though here it simply seems like an allusion to joe buddens's allusion to biggie smalls's allusion to yellowman (and i suspect that, in this chain, only biggie knew this consciously). the combination of this obscure(d) reference to king yellow, however, with an interpolation of his "mister chin"--reggae's "black korea," if you don't know it--seems significant enough to work its way into my chapter on this particular instance of circulation. "learn chinese" is a pretty awful song, i think, but interesting as hell. why wyclef decided throwing an orientalized version of that hackneyed "egyptian" melody over the james brown sample that DasEfx should have retired, and scream "bombaclaat" over the ending, is totally bizarre and explainable perhaps only as a lazy and uncreative production job, if a possibly savvy bit of marketing.
>>>
Seriously, Wayne has a pretty interesting take. If you couldn't tell, he's got mad knowledge of Jamaican music. Be sure to check his site, he has sound clips to substantiate all this.
<<<
yo hua,
i'm sure you've been over this one again and again at this point, but i've been kinda fascinated with jin's "learn chinese" since i finally heard it last week. what really struck me was not the play to (ridiculously stereotyped) ethnic particulars that seems the common strategy for too many non-black MCs. what really struck me, of course, was jin's rather jamaican way of saying it.
i've been tracking a few jamaican musical memes, if you will, across time and space, and one of the more common ones starts with yellowman's "zungazung" and spins off into super cat, BDP, bounty killer, biggie smalls, black star, and joe buddens, to name a few. the same recurring phrase--although perhaps rather removed from any recognition of its source--turns up in jin's rhyme, though here it simply seems like an allusion to joe buddens's allusion to biggie smalls's allusion to yellowman (and i suspect that, in this chain, only biggie knew this consciously). the combination of this obscure(d) reference to king yellow, however, with an interpolation of his "mister chin"--reggae's "black korea," if you don't know it--seems significant enough to work its way into my chapter on this particular instance of circulation. "learn chinese" is a pretty awful song, i think, but interesting as hell. why wyclef decided throwing an orientalized version of that hackneyed "egyptian" melody over the james brown sample that DasEfx should have retired, and scream "bombaclaat" over the ending, is totally bizarre and explainable perhaps only as a lazy and uncreative production job, if a possibly savvy bit of marketing.
>>>
2.24.2004
mission accomplished! and deconstructed!
The conference is finally over!
Final boxscore:
Number of references to Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities: 12
Number of times the name Homi Bhabha was invoked without irony: 4
Number of times a sentence began, "According to Karl Marx...": 1
Number of times someone endeavored to pronounce the name of theorist Arjun Appadurai: 2
Number of ways, apparently, one can pronounce the name of theorist Arjun Appadurai: 3
Number of bared breasts (female): 2
Most famous person our audio/visual guy had met on the job prior to working our conference: Sandra Bullock, the previous day
Interesting things I learned:
-United States immigration policy recognizes sexual orientation as a legitimate claim for asylum
-The website for Costa Rica's tourism outreach efforts is creepy. Or rather, it plays into some pretty creepy fantasies people have about visiting natives, not having to see black people and what it means to have "no artifical ingredients."
-There is still a large Coptic community in Jerusalem.
-Zlata knew all along that she'd be famous!
-There's a new way to think about the fluidities, permutations and juxtapositions identity in the Caribbean, and we call it transvestism.
-The ranks of Latino Muslims in the United States? Growing, son.
-American parents looking to adopt love love love Chinese girls. Chinese boys not so much. Why? According to many informants, it's because they know how hard it will be for their grown-up Chinese-American guy to find dates! Honestly. You can ask her.
-Racism sucks! Here, there and everywhere.
Final boxscore:
Number of references to Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities: 12
Number of times the name Homi Bhabha was invoked without irony: 4
Number of times a sentence began, "According to Karl Marx...": 1
Number of times someone endeavored to pronounce the name of theorist Arjun Appadurai: 2
Number of ways, apparently, one can pronounce the name of theorist Arjun Appadurai: 3
Number of bared breasts (female): 2
Most famous person our audio/visual guy had met on the job prior to working our conference: Sandra Bullock, the previous day
Interesting things I learned:
-United States immigration policy recognizes sexual orientation as a legitimate claim for asylum
-The website for Costa Rica's tourism outreach efforts is creepy. Or rather, it plays into some pretty creepy fantasies people have about visiting natives, not having to see black people and what it means to have "no artifical ingredients."
-There is still a large Coptic community in Jerusalem.
-Zlata knew all along that she'd be famous!
-There's a new way to think about the fluidities, permutations and juxtapositions identity in the Caribbean, and we call it transvestism.
-The ranks of Latino Muslims in the United States? Growing, son.
-American parents looking to adopt love love love Chinese girls. Chinese boys not so much. Why? According to many informants, it's because they know how hard it will be for their grown-up Chinese-American guy to find dates! Honestly. You can ask her.
-Racism sucks! Here, there and everywhere.
2.18.2004
I wonder if heaven got a caucus
pour some out for howard dean.
ever feel like picking up the nearest garbage can and tossing it through the window of your neighborhood starbucks, or the one across the street from that one? yeah--stick it to The Man! here's an interesting story about the politics of said actions, the virtues of the green and white, why their bad rap is unjustified, etc etc. her methods leave a bit (okay, a lot) to be desired, but the argument has its moments--take that and party, granola!
ever feel like picking up the nearest garbage can and tossing it through the window of your neighborhood starbucks, or the one across the street from that one? yeah--stick it to The Man! here's an interesting story about the politics of said actions, the virtues of the green and white, why their bad rap is unjustified, etc etc. her methods leave a bit (okay, a lot) to be desired, but the argument has its moments--take that and party, granola!
Import/Export
...cause I'm diligent like howard dean...
new album (kanye west) and book (wang hui's china's new order) reviews this week in the village voice.
new album (kanye west) and book (wang hui's china's new order) reviews this week in the village voice.
2.17.2004
angels somewhere far from america
from an email to sasha about tony kushner's latest...
does this photo really need a caption? the work-in-progress is called 'only we who guard the mystery shall be unhappy' and it offers (wait for it) first lady laura bush reading the grand inquisitor scene from dostoevsky's brothers karamazov to three dead iraqi children wearing pajamas in heaven (here called 'paradise'). why? 'in paradise, all dead children wear pajamas,' the angel (not emma thompson) explains. for twenty-eight minutes, bush sits in a comfortable brown chair next to three open graves; there are three stools in front of her and an angel to her right. I believe a draft of this appeared in the nation and it hasn't gotten the kindest of reviews. kushner was on NPR this morning sniping at critics who try and soundbite-ify his work, but who can blame them/us -- IT'S A PLAY ABOUT LAURA BUSH READING DOSTOEVSKY TO DEAD IRAQIS.
seriously though, I greatly admire his point here (you'll just have to watch it, very carefully...) but it seems too doughy and front-loaded; the set-up isn't the punch-line and it takes you half of the play's thirty minutes to clearly understand that laura bush--written here as half-Peggy Hill, half-grad student--is as innocent (or guilty) as any of us. kushner's a master at reaching across time and place and pairing unlikely thoughts/things/bodies--Angels in America or Homebody/Kabul were magical precisely because of their absurd pairings--but he always complicates the ethical tethers that tie us together. here, one has to have the patience of a Tortoise fan to realize where our sympathies are being drawn and where they should go, since the play is so slow to underscore this idea that Bush/kids is an incidental pairing, not one implying direct blame.
the night ended with pissy exchanges between guest respondent lee habeeb (executive producer of the righty laura ingraham show) and the wealthy-ish, mostly left-leaning cantabridgian watchers. habeeb--ruthlessly conservative but a great admirer of kushner's--ripped this as artless invective, fixing on the opening cut of bush as dumb and subservient and overlooking kushner's wondrously playful suggestion of what it is about dostoevsky that the real, probably self-conflicted laura bush loves. the crowd, sniffing conservative poo-pooing, hissed back, not realizing that kushner was putting all of our moralities under scrutiny, not just laura's.
fun for all!
does this photo really need a caption? the work-in-progress is called 'only we who guard the mystery shall be unhappy' and it offers (wait for it) first lady laura bush reading the grand inquisitor scene from dostoevsky's brothers karamazov to three dead iraqi children wearing pajamas in heaven (here called 'paradise'). why? 'in paradise, all dead children wear pajamas,' the angel (not emma thompson) explains. for twenty-eight minutes, bush sits in a comfortable brown chair next to three open graves; there are three stools in front of her and an angel to her right. I believe a draft of this appeared in the nation and it hasn't gotten the kindest of reviews. kushner was on NPR this morning sniping at critics who try and soundbite-ify his work, but who can blame them/us -- IT'S A PLAY ABOUT LAURA BUSH READING DOSTOEVSKY TO DEAD IRAQIS.
seriously though, I greatly admire his point here (you'll just have to watch it, very carefully...) but it seems too doughy and front-loaded; the set-up isn't the punch-line and it takes you half of the play's thirty minutes to clearly understand that laura bush--written here as half-Peggy Hill, half-grad student--is as innocent (or guilty) as any of us. kushner's a master at reaching across time and place and pairing unlikely thoughts/things/bodies--Angels in America or Homebody/Kabul were magical precisely because of their absurd pairings--but he always complicates the ethical tethers that tie us together. here, one has to have the patience of a Tortoise fan to realize where our sympathies are being drawn and where they should go, since the play is so slow to underscore this idea that Bush/kids is an incidental pairing, not one implying direct blame.
the night ended with pissy exchanges between guest respondent lee habeeb (executive producer of the righty laura ingraham show) and the wealthy-ish, mostly left-leaning cantabridgian watchers. habeeb--ruthlessly conservative but a great admirer of kushner's--ripped this as artless invective, fixing on the opening cut of bush as dumb and subservient and overlooking kushner's wondrously playful suggestion of what it is about dostoevsky that the real, probably self-conflicted laura bush loves. the crowd, sniffing conservative poo-pooing, hissed back, not realizing that kushner was putting all of our moralities under scrutiny, not just laura's.
fun for all!
2.13.2004
ah, chingy
Consider the lyrics to "Chingy's Jackpot":
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
oh, oh
Who am I?
(Chingy) What's up?
(Why yo eyes so chinky?) I dunno
(Is it because you've been smoking and drinking?) Maybe so
(I've been thinking) Huh?
(Maybe you can come get me) And do what?
(Round the town, then take me home and eat me) Okay
and the answer track, "Hua's Jackpot":
(Hua) What's up?
(Why yo eyes so chinky?) Eh?
(Is it because you were born that way) Hey!
(I've been thinking) What?
(Maybe you can come get me) Huh?
(Round the town, take you for some eyelid surgery) You seem really nice but I have to go now
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
Oh, oh, oh, uh
oh, oh
Who am I?
(Chingy) What's up?
(Why yo eyes so chinky?) I dunno
(Is it because you've been smoking and drinking?) Maybe so
(I've been thinking) Huh?
(Maybe you can come get me) And do what?
(Round the town, then take me home and eat me) Okay
and the answer track, "Hua's Jackpot":
(Hua) What's up?
(Why yo eyes so chinky?) Eh?
(Is it because you were born that way) Hey!
(I've been thinking) What?
(Maybe you can come get me) Huh?
(Round the town, take you for some eyelid surgery) You seem really nice but I have to go now
2.12.2004
like eminem, I'm cleanin' out my closet (revised)
now up on the main sty: older lester bangs and bjork review essays from the wire. also, an uncle tupelo/flowers in the wildwood/country thing from the s.f. bay guardian.
I recommend borges' 'the wall and the books' to anyone looking for a satisfying 2.5 page read today. I'm working on something tangentially related to this so I'm not sure I agree with his mega-poetic reading of the olden days of chinese book-burning. but the sweep-ness of his sweep is seductive and I want to believe him anyway.
I recommend borges' 'the wall and the books' to anyone looking for a satisfying 2.5 page read today. I'm working on something tangentially related to this so I'm not sure I agree with his mega-poetic reading of the olden days of chinese book-burning. but the sweep-ness of his sweep is seductive and I want to believe him anyway.
2.11.2004
Bhythm and Rules
A day after Pazz and Jop, some real news:
Blacklash Alert! It may have taken a budget of millions to push Justin onto less-white fans, but all it takes is fear of bad publicity for it all to go awry. Can't truss him.
Tokenists Beware! Thanks to Jeff Chang for this link to an in-progress discussion on Pazz/Jop, race, Outkast and affirmative action.
Calling All Nude Ivy Leaguers! Ah, the H-Bomb. Besides being a weapon of mass destruction, "the H-Bomb" also refers to the effect one gets when one mentions the name Harvard to someone on the outside looking in. Here's a story about Bush dropping said bomb on Kim Jong-Il (it's fake) and here's a news piece about a new campus porn magazine that will be named "The H-Bomb" (it's true).
Blacklash Alert! It may have taken a budget of millions to push Justin onto less-white fans, but all it takes is fear of bad publicity for it all to go awry. Can't truss him.
Tokenists Beware! Thanks to Jeff Chang for this link to an in-progress discussion on Pazz/Jop, race, Outkast and affirmative action.
Calling All Nude Ivy Leaguers! Ah, the H-Bomb. Besides being a weapon of mass destruction, "the H-Bomb" also refers to the effect one gets when one mentions the name Harvard to someone on the outside looking in. Here's a story about Bush dropping said bomb on Kim Jong-Il (it's fake) and here's a news piece about a new campus porn magazine that will be named "The H-Bomb" (it's true).
like, all academic and shit
If anyone is going to be in the Cambridge/Boston area next week, here's a conference I'm organizing that's more/less about ethnic studies in the age of globalization.
Here's a really snide thing someone wrote about last year's conference. I'm still trying to figure out what s/he was talking about.
Here's a really snide thing someone wrote about last year's conference. I'm still trying to figure out what s/he was talking about.
2.10.2004
Know the Legend
If you take a magnifying glass to the College Dropout liners, you'll see that Kanye got a great deal of help from two friends: violinist Miri Ben-Ari and singer John Legend. I have no opinion of the former--did the hip-hop nation really need a violinist laureate?--but I'm a fan of John's stuff. So, in honor of Kanye's record dropping today, here is a clip of an alternate version of the amazing "All Falls Down" featuring John playing the Lauryn Hill role:
Sorry it's so short, I'll post a longer clip if there is enough public clamoring. Or you can buy it yourself.
Sorry it's so short, I'll post a longer clip if there is enough public clamoring. Or you can buy it yourself.
2.08.2004
"Sing it, Prince!" "Sure thing, Beyonce!"
More Grammy observations:
The Black Eyed Peas are this generation of collegiates' Fugees, only they suck.
Celine Dion is this generation's Celine Dion. Huzzah to the sound of technical difficulties.
Richard Marx, sadly, has been forgotten by any and all generations, forever and ever.
Lords of the Underground, strangely, have not been forgotten by Justin Timberlake.
Sting-meets-Sean Paul was an intergenerational conversation we didn't really need.
The Black Eyed Peas are this generation of collegiates' Fugees, only they suck.
Celine Dion is this generation's Celine Dion. Huzzah to the sound of technical difficulties.
Richard Marx, sadly, has been forgotten by any and all generations, forever and ever.
Lords of the Underground, strangely, have not been forgotten by Justin Timberlake.
Sting-meets-Sean Paul was an intergenerational conversation we didn't really need.
Prototype, indeed!
(probably) overheard somewhere out there during the opening grammy number:
"Is this a new Outkast song, mom?"
"No, it's Prince."
"Who's Prince?"
"He was big in the 1980s, before you were born. Outkast was heavily influenced by him and Parliament-Funkadelic."
"Mommy, what's a Funkadelic?"
"Is this a new Outkast song, mom?"
"No, it's Prince."
"Who's Prince?"
"He was big in the 1980s, before you were born. Outkast was heavily influenced by him and Parliament-Funkadelic."
"Mommy, what's a Funkadelic?"
Labels: ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS
2.07.2004
help!
who wanna funk with Peter Gammons? the wispy one is probably one of the coolest nerds on the planet, able to throw down with sabermetricians and ballplayers alike. Gammons is behind a new benefit comp, Hot Stove, Cool Music, and I just got home from an in-store he did in Boston. I have to respect PG and his band on principle - dude doesn't exactly exude a rocker image and his band -must- be doing this on the strength, because they surely aren't going to get a deal off Gammons' celebrity. they ran through some standards (mostly in the Bo Diddley/Chuck Berry vein) and Pete--rocking some fresh Nikes, by the way--even adopted a faux-rocker affect from time to time. After rocking out, Gammons fielded questions from the Red Sox Nation* and subtly dissed Steinbrenner, John Mayer, Spiezio's guitar skills and the Celtics. I wouldn't say he's got the best singing voice but my love for Gammons' baseball knowledge overwhelms my critical objectivity here -- pencil me in, Coach, I'm down with the G-Unit.**
This is a pretty compelling case against EBAY - I'm sure Jerry Springer is already on the case. Wait for all the photos to load. Thanks to Steinski for passing this on.
In case you're wondering, no complaints or epiphanies from this past Thursday's gig. Except this: if you're going to wander into the DJ booth cross-eyed-drunk and repeatedly request Janet Jackson ("janet...Janet...JANet...JAAAAANETT"), please don't.
Also, Mos Def over the Clash's "Magnificent Seven" is like the Clash doing "Armagideon Time" - it probably sounds a lot better in your head.
* - I asked Gammons which major leaguer had the best taste in music and he was pretty unequivocal in saying Scott Hatteberg. Gammons said Hatteburg emerges from the winter each year with five new bands to check for. Funny, I could have sworn Hatteburg was working on his swing in the off-season. Gammons doesn't seem like a rap guy so 2B/backpacker Desi Relaford didn't get his nod.
** - Worst rapper name of 2004 goes to one-time G-Unit (50's posse, not Pete's) member Bang'Em Smurf.
This is a pretty compelling case against EBAY - I'm sure Jerry Springer is already on the case. Wait for all the photos to load. Thanks to Steinski for passing this on.
In case you're wondering, no complaints or epiphanies from this past Thursday's gig. Except this: if you're going to wander into the DJ booth cross-eyed-drunk and repeatedly request Janet Jackson ("janet...Janet...JANet...JAAAAANETT"), please don't.
Also, Mos Def over the Clash's "Magnificent Seven" is like the Clash doing "Armagideon Time" - it probably sounds a lot better in your head.
* - I asked Gammons which major leaguer had the best taste in music and he was pretty unequivocal in saying Scott Hatteberg. Gammons said Hatteburg emerges from the winter each year with five new bands to check for. Funny, I could have sworn Hatteburg was working on his swing in the off-season. Gammons doesn't seem like a rap guy so 2B/backpacker Desi Relaford didn't get his nod.
** - Worst rapper name of 2004 goes to one-time G-Unit (50's posse, not Pete's) member Bang'Em Smurf.
2.05.2004
swear jarring
Sadly, this didn't make the cut for MoveOn's 'Bush in 30 Seconds' contest. And it's not because it's 11.2 seconds over the cut-off.
2.04.2004
For Those About to Learn, We Salute You
Overheard conversations from the first day of spring semester. Word to Paolo Friere!
"For the purposes of our study, Asian Americans were not considered minorities. Sorry."
"In case the professor forgets, can you please bring a copy of Blade to the first class meeting?"
At the semesterly conference for teaching fellows:
Engineering Student #1: What is this? What are 'hot moments' Have you ever had a 'hot moment' while teaching?
Engineering Student #2: Is that when students come on to us?
Engineering Student #3: No it's...(points to description in packet)...these kinds of things."
Engineering Student #2: Pffft...this has nothing to do with us.
Engineering Student #1: Yeah, unless someone in section is really into COBOL!!!
(In unison): Chortle chortle!
"We went to Aspen for intersession, we, like, skiied our ASSES off."
"For the purposes of our study, Asian Americans were not considered minorities. Sorry."
"In case the professor forgets, can you please bring a copy of Blade to the first class meeting?"
At the semesterly conference for teaching fellows:
Engineering Student #1: What is this? What are 'hot moments' Have you ever had a 'hot moment' while teaching?
Engineering Student #2: Is that when students come on to us?
Engineering Student #3: No it's...(points to description in packet)...these kinds of things."
Engineering Student #2: Pffft...this has nothing to do with us.
Engineering Student #1: Yeah, unless someone in section is really into COBOL!!!
(In unison): Chortle chortle!
"We went to Aspen for intersession, we, like, skiied our ASSES off."
Labels: ACTUAL CONVERSATIONS
2.02.2004
Jury Duty
The real question I wanted answered Sunday night: where do all of the Carolina Panthers' 'Super Bowl Champs' t-shirts go? The best I could find was this story about the University of Georgia football team. The first half is skippable and too Bulldog-centric, but the writer reveals that most of the unused championship t-shirts end up in the third world.
There was something very Benedict Anderson about walking through Cambridge Sunday night shortly before kickoff--something about the anonymous, simultaneous experiences and such. It was as though our whole little cursed region was sharing an inside joke.
Today we laughed. Even those of us who were summonsed for jury duty. No, I wasn't called--but talk about an intense case!
There was something very Benedict Anderson about walking through Cambridge Sunday night shortly before kickoff--something about the anonymous, simultaneous experiences and such. It was as though our whole little cursed region was sharing an inside joke.
Today we laughed. Even those of us who were summonsed for jury duty. No, I wasn't called--but talk about an intense case!
