The Dark Side

I am writing to you on a non-Gatsian computer for the first time. I have purchased my first Mac and all I know is that it is pretty, I have yet to unlock the secrets that make everyone drool. I am hoping that I will have time this weekend to become one of the annoying people that speak nothing but the virtues of Jobs.

Until I become a Mac wizard, I am watching some Bill Hicks stand up. Some of this stuff is coming back to me, because I watched this when I was a kid. I am really appreciating this stuff a lot more than when I was 12. There is a new documentary that just came out this weekend about the now legendary comedian. If you have Netflix, you can check him out like I am right now. Enjoy the funny.

Going to Mecca

This weekend, I am traveling more than 2 hours to Madison, WI for a comedy show. I am dragging my wife 140 miles to see a comedian that she is sick of hearing about, since I keep talking about his podcast. Marc Maron will be doing the “Big Work” at a comedy club and I will be seeing my first stand up show in some time. The WTF podcast (in which Mr. Maron is the host) has been occupying my driving and workout time for the last 5 months or so and it will be good to see the guy in action.

For those of you not familiar with the comedian or the show, here is a primer. As a comedian, Marc has been doing stand-up for over 20 years and his style is raw and personal. He has had many gigs over the years including hosting Morning Sedition on Air America and a role in Almost Famous. The WTF Podcast is a show that releases two episodes a week and it has morphed into a one on one interview program that focuses on comedians for the most part. The interviews are unbelievably open and honest because of Maron’s style and lack of personal barriers.

The great thing about the show is not all of the insight that I have gained into the comedy world, but the fact that it has brought me back to my days as a teenager when comedy ruled my life. I used to watch Marc as a host on Short Attention Span Theater (a clip show that featured stand-up comedians on Comedy Central or Ha!, I forget which one). I loved watching standup and I have seen some great performers over the years including Sarah Silverman, Robert Schimmel and Mitch Hedberg. Maron and his show have made me want to seek out some of these comedians that I am unfamiliar with or rediscover some great ones.

Going to the show in Madison will make me one of the crazy folks that he talks about. People that drive from hundreds of miles away and bring some gift or baked goods to appease this audio God whose followers worship on every Monday and Thursday. I do not think I am to that level of a WTFer even though most of my casual conversations with my family include, “I was listening to the podcast and…” I look forward to being a teenager again for an evening, even if it means I have to go to Wisconsin to do it.

Disturbing

This is a video taken during the tsunami in Sendai, Japan.If this does not make you donate to the relief effort, nothing will.

The Cold

the southwest on a much more frequent basis these days. I do realize that Spring is around the corner, but the thought of warm temperatures year round have really started to flirt with my frostbitten mind. I believe that this conversation calls for some mood music. 

I have been in my current place longer than I have lived anywhere, since I moved out of my parent’s house. Illinois does not offer much scenery, especially compared to the sun bleached mountains of Arizona or Nevada. Although I would be more partial to Austin, going south and west sounds like a mighty fine plan.  More like a longer term plan, but it is still a plan.

You Are Still Here?

I haven't been. Need to change that.

Feed on this for now.

Why? or Why Not?

U2 is one of the bands that everyone loves to hate. Most people do have a favorite album from this Irish mega-band (mine happens to be Zooropa), but most people do not like the new albums. I agree with that and that is why I am very conflicted about this news.

Danger Mouse is producing the new album which at first did not sound great. Although Danger Mouse has been involved with some great projects in the last few years, he does not seem to be a good fit with U2. DM is very beats-oriented and he could help return them to their Pop and Zooropa days. However, Mr. Mouse is very trendy right now and so are the guests on this album including Will.I.Am (did I just really type his name?).

I am pretty negative right now and it makes me think I should get the latest album from the Old 97's since it is inspired by the Clash. I like the Clash and the Old 97's.

Running

A friend of mine named Ryon Lane is running the New York City Marathon which is pretty cool. He is also looking for donations because he is running for a great cause. All of this sounds pretty normal, once you read his story, you will see that it is very unique. 

Ryon is a stand up guy and I hope that others will be able to see that spine injuries are not a sentence to a limited lifestyle. If you can, please help a guy out that should not be able to do what he is attempting.

Pull The Thread

I needed a new look, so you now get to see my dark and mysterious side. On to more important things.

Nintendo's most overlooked pink hero (sorry, not you Birdo) is back and it has gamers of all types drooling. People are excited about a Wii game and one of the big reasons is because of the groundbreaking graphics. Yes, the least powerful console on the market today is boasting one of the most uniquely designed games in the last few years.

Kirby's Epic Yarn is designed to look like it is made with bits of string, yarn, zippers and other similar design elements. This type of thinking is what set the Wii apart from the XBOX 360 and the PS3 when it first came out. Now that the Softy and Sony have their version of waggle and they are selling more consoles than the big N, this game comes along. So is Donkey Kong Country and a new and very pricey 3DS.

Todabor Day

In honor of Labor day, this will be short. Labor Day always makes me think of the start of fall and the autumns of yesteryear. Getting all of the new school gear and clothes and figuring out quickly that no matter how cool that backpack is, it will never turn into a jetpack and get you home under 2 minutes. Now my daughter is now stocking up for preschool and I am still looking for that elusive rocket powered pack-pack, (although it must have a Disney princess on it as well).

Also at this time of year, I start getting vivid dreams about being forced to go back to school. Also, many of those dreams include me being naked in the classroom. I never remember going to a porn school or being attacked by one of my a super hot high school teacher that is going to help me reach that "A" if I do "extra credit (thanks Naughty America for the best plots ever).

To all, enjoy the last few fleeting moments of summer. To help you do that, enjoy the best song of the summer.

Trailer Time

Game trailers are finally starting to get inventive. Yes, there have been some good ones in the past, but most are very straight forward and pretty dull. One of the best Batman properties is finally getting some VG love. The ad for Batman: The Brave and The Bold takes the best parts of the series and crams it into a few minutes of goodness.

Who woulda thunk that Oswald would have made a terrific Batman.

The Best Kissers Eva

I am diving back into some older stuff tonight and decided to throw in 10,000 HZ Legend by Air. The more I listen to these Frenchies, I get a bigger smile on my face. My favorite album of theirs is Talkie Walkie, but you cannot go wrong with anything that they do. C'mon, they are doing a song with Beck right now. You cannot go wrong with a French-Beck hook-up.

What are you listening to right now? Don't be shy.

The Sundance Era for Games

The video game industry is on the cusp of the most fruitful and creative period that it has ever experienced. It has been building for the last couple of years and it is about to explode because the perfect storm is on the horizon.

1. There is a lot of talent that has been laid off from the big studios, because these companies are trying to weather the economic downturn. Red Dead Redemption is one of the biggest hits (critically and commercially) this year and they laid off a big portion of the development team.

2. Game delivery systems are in place (XBox Live, iTunes) where companies do not need space on Game Stop and Best Buy shelves. I have downloaded more games this year than I have purchased at a big box store and I am not alone.

3. The games that are coming out are fun and inexpensive. The companies can take chances on stories and characters and they do not have to spend millions on a license and pass it along to the customers. Angry Birds and Words With Friends are 99 cents and free respectively.

The games that are getting most of my play these days are downloadable titles that do not break the bank. I no longer have to choose Mario over Huggies. By the way, Mario won. 

The Blue Bomber

Mega Man is a franchise that has always meant a lot to me ever since my father gave me the first couple of games in the series as a Christmas gift. The folks at Iam8bit brought out all of my nostalgic feelings with this stunning trailer. I have had the chance to work with Jon over at Iam8bit and he puts his passion in everything he does and this is some of his best work. Even if you are not a huge video game fan, you will enjoy this.

Cheap Cheap

Another reason why it is getting harder to think about buying the Nintendo 3-DS, is Angry Birds. Most people have been talking about this game for awhile and it truly is fantastic. However, the most interesting thing about that game is the price and the fact that for the 99 cent charge they keep updating the game with more levels for no additional cost. How does Nintendo counter that? 3-D seems to be a passing fad as the in-your face movies have been making less and less money since the blue folks went to DVD. The big N is throwing everything at launch with some evergreen properties, but they better be worth the $39 up-charge.

If anything, the Nintendo folks really need to take a hard long look at casual games. Especially ones that allow you to hurl birds at pigs.

The Unloved Guys

The summer guilty pleasure has been The Good Guys, but apparantly, I am the only one hooked on it. This is a show that is a throwback to the old buddy cop shows. There are a lot of explosions, great music and Bradley Whitford is fantastic as a washed-up Super Cop. The main reason to watch it, the 'stache.

Toon Time

I was excited about seeing some of the E3 trailers from Xbox live, however the sound is not working. Are they trying to get me to buy a slim? Sorry Balmer, you guys just got me a new console because my old one went RROD. As a result I am going to talk about a Steve Jobs Company.

Pixar is about to launch their next movie this week and I believe that I am more excited about Toy Story 3 than my kids are (and they are very excited). Even though I am excited, I am worried about TS3. Pixar has a lot to battle with this movie.

This is the third movie in the series and you will have a hard time telling me that the number three of any movie franchise that is good let alone the best in the series (Ewoks, put down your hands. Empire was the best and you know it). Godfather 3, Superman 3, Rambo 3 are prime examples.

Eleven blockbusters in a row will be what Pixar is shooting for with Woody et Trois. Pixar is bound to finally trip up and put up a massive stinking bomb with the third in any series. I do not care if my girl is the voice of a dinosaur in this or that Batman is the voice of Ken.

Dreamworks is catching up to Pixar and not just with the volume of animated films. Dreamworks may have 4 toons that will be released in 2010, but their first one (How to Train Your Dragon) proved that they can hang with Lasseter and company.

With all of this, Toy Story 3 will not only be another hit for the Mouse House, it will also be the number one movie of the summer. I say this because the Box Office has already been down and the entire industry is looking for something to hang their hat on and TS3 is the chosen one.

The marketing for this film has been epic. My kids watched a Toy Story celebration that was done very well. Not only did it show the first two films, but it had so many add ons, it would make a car salesman blush. As stodgy as Disney can be, they are some of the best marketers on the planet.

The main reason Toy Story 3 will be the hit of the summer is because it was created by Pixar. Good God, they are amazing. If you were not bawling your eyes out toward the beginning of Up, you have no soul. Monsters Inc. was one of the most inventive films ever and The Incredibles did a better job of the Fantastic Four than Marvel ever has.

This is another slurping of Pixar, but they earned it.

The Travails of a Traveler

My new life started in late January, because I got a new job. Although my previous gig was a good one, the new job let me do many more things that I wanted to do, including the perk of staying home more often. Last year, I was living out of a suitcase and it did get a bit tough after a while. However there were some upsides to the traveling and one of those things was learning to work the system.

I had been a Starwood whore for the previous few years, but I really learned how to get more out of the system. Since Four Points and Aloft hotels were on the lower end, I would frequent those establishments but even if I was staying for a few days, I would check in and check out every day. With Starwood, you get bumps in status by meeting certain thresholds and they are one of the few companies that allows you to qualify by number of stays or nights. To reach the top level it is either 50 nights or 25 stays and because of that, I hit Platinum in April or May. Also, every time you check in , you get bonus points.

Now that I am not traveling as much, I will lose my status and no more late nights staying up to watch Aqua Teen Hunger Force. However, staying at home is much better than Platinum except I don't get awesome shaving cream from Aloft anymore.

Truckin'

On a multi-day, multi-town business trip for the first time in a long while. I did the whole "wake-up-and-have-no-clue-where-I-am-panic" this morning. Always good to get the blood pumping. Another thing that gets the blood pumping are good workout tunes. Here are some of my favorites in no particular order:

Common People by Pulp


Bloodclot by Rancid


Don't Bring Me Down by E.L.O.


Timebomb by Beck


Anything by Troublemaker. His mixes were made for sweating your balls off.

Being 8 Again

Today, I got a familiar feeling that I haven't had in a while; bleary eyes. It was because I picked up Super Mario Galaxy 2 this afternoon. I have been playing Mario games for over 25 years now, however this is the first time that my son and daughter were sitting next to me and asking me where Yoshi was.

My biggest issue with big games like this, is the time factor. However, this game can be broken up in to bite size pieces and it may take me a while, but I will be able to finish most, if not all of it. #2 is very similar to the first Galaxy game and that is not a bad thing. The first one was fun, but c'mon you get to jump on your green buddy with the new version.

With this new game, maybe the boys in Redmond can help pay for their new digs.

The Adventures of Ryan and Alex

There were many games that sucked hours away from my life when I was a younger mammal. Several Zelda titles and the Diablo games were huge digital vampires, but one of the most overlooked titles of the 80's was River City Ransom. This was a brawler game with and RPG element and it also had great stylized graphics. I was all about getting Texas Boots and Dragon Feet and then I became pretty much unstoppable.

This is available as a download on the Wii now. If you missed it the first time, I suggest you bruise up your thumbs for a few hours. I know that my friend Mitch and I did and because of that we were single a lot longer in Jr. High.