What if he's right?

I'm just like the rest of America, watching Charlie Sheen go nuts. I don't doubt that he is nuts. I think we watch him because he have no hope for his redemption, and we are amused by his fall. Maybe it's guilt, and maybe it's pseudo-intellectualism, but that makes me pull back a bit and wonder- what if he's right? What if he is that rare species that can do a mountain of drugs, party like a rock star, and then, sober up the next week, and never have a problem, again. I've known others that could, so it's not like such a thing is impossible. It's unlikely, and totally improbable, but there do exist those rare mutants who can dance the dance, and then, walk off the floor. ( It would still be a first, for me, in that of those who can do that, none also had histories of addiction in their nuclear family, and none had a history of violence- but I cannot rule out that such a thing is possible) So, let's take a few steps in that reality- what would it mean?
First, it would mean that the logic of the twelve step is wrong. There is some evidence both pro and con for the 12 step, so that wouldn't shock me- but still- the whole notion of the 12 step is based around us not having the power within ourselves to change our relationships with addictions, and someone being able to do exactly that refutes the whole thing. We would then need access to that power, not a way of dealing with our own powerlessness. Imagine how many industries would be out of business, overnight? No wonder therapists, and counsellors and lawyers and reporters are lining up to say he's crazy. He might be, and probably is, but his craziness points something out- that there is an industry that we have a huge amount of interest for, which is predicated upon telling us that we are powerless, helpless, and it's not our fault. I don't know if that's necessarily the worst message to get out. There are ways in which we all have power, and there are ways in which each of us is helpless, but what fits for each varies wildly person to person.
However, if Sheen is right, it would also mean that he is an embattled ubermensch. Is that possible? I suppose. That would make Neitzche correct, and Marx wrong- history would be a succession of great men, and the masses, simply dupes and stooges. That seems, again, highly unlikely, but of course it's possible. It's the battle cry of every dictator, king and warlord in history. We've proven, time and again, that many of us believe it- not only the leaders, but the led. What is the counter argument? That we're all interdependent? That no man is an island? That there is an equality and a brotherhood of man? That we're all equal before God? Are any of these arguments strong enough to counter the incredible will of an individual human spirit? I would say yes, but I'm a damn pinko, and outside the mainstream of American discourse. I should know my role, shouldn't I?
We've stepped through the mirror, though, and must follow it all the way- and that puts us in the realms of Gods, doesn't it? After all- it is a God that Charlie Sheen is describing, isn't it? Something that is more powerful than any man, that is blameless, that exists by will, and dominates all other by its will- sounds like a prime mover to me. How does that leave Charlie sheen out of our national discourse? Don't we view ourselves as gods, of a sort? Listen to a supposed Christian's prayer, and you'll often hear orders- give me this, make sure of that, grant us our will- it sounds more like ordering off a menu than supplication, doesn't it? Our signs of blessing are power and wealth, and our consecrations based upon the power that wealth provides- Sacred ground is entered by going through a metal detector.
So, is Charlie Sheen's crime not in being what we would term "wrong", but lacking in tact? Maybe he's simply expressing how we feel about ourselves, but in terms we aren't bold enough to express. What if his insanity is just Hamlet playing the fool? What if , rather than hopeless, he is our hope? What if he's right? Then, we're all screwed, pal.

Ketchup

I suppose I should catch up. That’s actually what I’ve been doing, so that’s what I’ll report.
Let’s get the easy stuff out of the way- I’m not a big fan of awards shows, so I don’t know much about the Grammys, Oscars, or Golden Moose Turd awards. I also can’t think of a TV show with new episodes that I can say much about. Most nights, I’m turning over control of the remote to my wife, who likes all kinds of “reality” shows- which aren’t really my cuppa, so, I can only say that Hawaii Five-O is still entertaining fluff, in a Burn Notice kind of way, and How I Met Your Mother has lost whatever spark it had- I suspect this is because they’ve chained up Jason Segal and I suspect Neil Patrick Harris wants “character growth” for Barney- which effectively neuters the show. What made it a great show was the almost Marx brothers level of absurdity chained into a “Friends” styled Romantic comedy, added with some experimental storytelling. Minus the absurdity, it’s just a romantic Comedy. Go ahead, and have the “Mother” be Jennifer Aniston, and end it, ok?
Books, though, I’ve been catching up on a pretty massive backlog. So, here’s a title list, with a few lines if I feel so moved:
Hella Nation- Evan Wright. I liked “Generation Kill”, this one is better because the vignettes are shorter, and therefore clearer.
In The Company of Heroes- Michael J Durant. Re-reading this. It’s still good.
The Age of American Unreason- Susan Jacoby. Just started, not sure yet, but I agree with the thesis.
Kids of the Black Hole- Dewar Macleod. Yeah, I talked about it already. I tried to re-read, and it just doesn’t quite hold my interest.
Whip it- Shauna Cross. I liked the movie. A lot. So, I’m giving the book a try. I’d like to point out that as a massive Naked Raygun fan, I was all over Roller Derby by 1985.
Zero History- William Gibson. Yes, I’m still reading it. I’m starting to realize that I’m just not utterly enthralled with it. It’s decent, at best, but is turning into a bit of a slog through that latter third.
We Never Learn- Eric Davidson. I have already proven that I’ll rip on my friends if they put out something bad. I don’t need to do that, here.
Dollar Store Décor- Mark Montano. I used to be a freak for “While You were Out”, ok?
Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Places- Maxwell Gillingham-ryan. Yes, a freak, ok?
Which brings us to music….
I’ve been listening to a LOT. I’m trying to find new inspiration, so I’ll dispense with going in too deep to stuff I’ve been re-listening to (that would be Dicks, DOA, 7 Seconds, Dag Nasty, Hawkwind, Motorhead, dEUS, and Youth Brigade).
A few stand outs with the newer stuff:
Seditius- Carne Da Macello. Wow! Ripping Italian Metal crossover. Imagine late seventies, early eighties underground metal, like Tru$t crossed with the more hardcore moments of experimental hardcore, like The Refused . If you speak Italian (which I don’t really. I just know enough Latin that I can get by in Spanish, Italian, French, etc) it’s fully satisfying. If you cannot make out the words, that might be the only fly in the ointment.
The Search- multiple releases. The Search are a Swedish new-wave, post punk gentle type band, very reminiscent of the Church. They’ve been around for awhile, and just re-released their discography. Good stuff for a rainy day, if you’re getting sick of post-rock.
The Poly Shores- S/T and White Lung- it’s the Evil. Two Riot Grrrlish noise punk bands from Canada. A bit Screechy, in a No Wave kinda way, but still the basslines tend to be catchy.
Ergo- ARE NOT. I’m pretty sure this is a one man band. It’s nice space-y Fuzz Electronica-shoegaze post punk that puts me in the mind of a more rock Autolux.
Karysun- Until the End. Two man side-project. I can describe it in two words- DOOOOM and THRASH. If that sounds like fun to you, like it does to me, there you go, enough said. If not, I’m not going to try to make it appealing to you.
Me You Us Them- Post-Data. Intriguing. I can’t quite get my head around it. There are noise elements that make it kinda “no wave” and noise elements that make it kinda “Shoegaze” and most of it has a punky kind of pop/rock drive. Good new music that I’m not quite fully processing, yet.

As for other stuff- Believe it or not, I'm not "anti-fashion", and I've been on a bit of a fashion kick. I recently got a throwback pair of black Converse one star mid tops, as well as some slim-fit levis- I'm going for a kind of retro take on the Skinny Tie revivalism of guys like Justin Timberlake and Kanye West, but with a more "classic Americana" version. To phrase that less self-consciously pretentious, I've been trying to dress like a Midwestern Preppy from 1983. Why not? I get all the stuff really cheaply- the converses, for example, were twenty bucks, and none of the Levis cost more than ten. As for Fine Art, I've been really digging THIS.

I think that just about catches us up. For the usual meta-data dump- I've been really busy. Work has missed the traditional slow season, and I've been campaigning for a different job in the company, not to mention I've been really pre-occupied with the Middle East (I have many, many friends in several of the countries you've been reading about in the news, and the whole thing is a bit personal for me) and my Car (KIA's are really, really lousy) is in the shop, again, and has been, recently, as well. Brakes and Transmission.)So, with all that on my plate, plus the usual, you get the point, right?

Negasonic Teenage Warhead

I try to stay positive, and I specifically avoid simple negative reviews because A) they're too easy. Tearing something apart is the natural order of things. B) apart from telling you that I don't think you should spend your money ( a dubious authority, there), what good does a negative review do? and C) On the off chance that somebody takes what I say seriously, I could curtail the career of someone with value. All that having said, negative reviews can be a lot of fun, if you don't take them too seriously. So, in that spirit here's a few:
Against Me!- White Crosses : Mike Peters called. He still has his haircut, and he'd like his sound back for his 40th anniversary tour.
The Decembrists- The King is Dead : Well, much like the Osprey, the Pinto, and emetics it performs exactly as it was designed; badly. Here's the idea on paper- a bunch librarianesque nerds condescend to play Country. The execution? Ever heard your college English professor sing? Yeah. This thing is just as much of a disaster as you might imagine it to be. Amazon wants to sell it to you with the new Iron & Wine, and Amos Lee CDs. I want the names of people who bought that package so I can avoid them.
Destroyer-Kaputt : I wonder sometimes. I mean, I can get behind some easy listening for kitschy reasons, and I can even understand how some folks are masters regardless of genre- Burt Bacharach is a really good songwriter, even if I can't always appreciate his songs. But who listens to a Kenny G record and says that's excellent, I want an indie rock version of that! I want underproduced smooth Jazz! I want the quiet storm to be mixed with Tape hiss! On top of that foundation, then, destroyer adds a hearty dose of the more laughable excesses of the New Wave pop sound. Then, the whole thing is overlaid with irony, so as to excuse it as "Lol/Jk". That just makes it a seven layer burrito of bad for me. See, the response that Dan Bejar wants is for me to play this turd for my friends, and then laugh while my friends wince. I'd prefer to play punk rock versions of gospel hymns and watch my friends wince at actually liking stuff they thought they hated. See how that changes things? The irony is that bad things can be made good, not that bad things are bad. That's just masochism.
Bob Mould- Life and Times : I've stayed pretty safe so far. If you read this blog at all, you're probably pretty much not interested in the Decembrists, anyway. Now, I'm cutting a bit closer to home. Bob Mould. St Bob. The guy who invented Alt-rock, and who spearheaded the return of accoustic solo performances. One third of Husker Du, which makes him pretty much the Lou Reed of the Hardcore nation (yes, that makes Grant Hart John Cale). I can hear people saying 'tread lightly grasshopper' already. On top of that, this is a year-old release. Doesn't matter to me. I still own every record the man put out, and yes they do vary in quality. I never hated a Bob Mould record enough to ditch it, until this one. I even like some of the Modulation and Loudbomb dance tracks. So, what broke? Maybe it's the Hootie-esque "tasteful' guitars. Maybe it's the Pete Townshend self-pity at maturation ( it's ok to get old. It's ok to have some self pity. It's not OK to have self-pity because you've finally accepted the reality that you're just going to get older). Maybe it's that I do really hate the straight use of Auto Tune (When Kanye does it as an effect, and even riffs out solos on it, it's pretty awesome. When Bob Mould does it because he cannot hit the notes anymore because his voice is shot, it's lame enough to give me a headache) I think it's because this is a Bob Mould record that is tailor made for the NPR "adult contemporary' market. As in- this is a straight business move sidling up to the demographic. This is rebranding- and the culmination will be the autobiographical book tour. I know Bob's shooting for Biopic, but he's too niche.
The Walkmen- Lisbon : No. Just No. No,no,no,no,no,no,no,NO,NO,NO! WRONG! Turn that crap off. Thank you.

Gang of Four Content?

I'm old. Like it was put in the not-quite-brilliant "Knocked up": I'm not old for the world, but I'm old for this club. That's fine with me. One day I'll be dead, and that will be the time for assessing my relative worth, but until then, I want to contribute whatever I can, even if that's easily dismissed, or rejected outright.
Likewise, much of my taste is old, and all of my aesthetics were set in granite, years ago. So, even if I like something new, my reasons for liking it are probably old. I'm good with that, even if you might not be.
All this brings me to the new Gang of Four release "C O N T E N T". I think it's brilliant, 5 stars, 10 out of 10, etc. I'm probably the exact target audience, though. See, the two core members are about 10 years older than me. The band dates to the late 1970's, and more than a decade separates this release from their last collection of newly penned material. That means that like me, though this release may be new, they are old, and it's coming from an old place. Again, for me, the relevancy of this is only in positing the relationship between us- you, the potential reader, and me and my tastes, aesthetics, and so on. I, personally, prefer the somewhat outmoded sensibility that informs this newest release. They're not making a dubstep record, here, nor would I want them to- even if that would have a better critical reception (not that it has a bad reception- just not quite as fawning).
There are those who would hear the mildly leftist lyrics, and conflate that with their fearsome reputation as hardcore Marxists, and dismiss them based upon that misunderstanding, and misinterpretation. First of all, they are simply a rock band. They aren't the propaganda arm of any people's liberation front. The band members probably do vote fairly left of center, and express their world view honestly- but just as it's unfair to view an artist as a republican or as a christian in that the art is the art, the man is the man, and the worldview is the setting- I don't think any political party would want these songs as anthems, because they express anxiety and self-doubt more so than any political platform.
Likewise, there are those who would blame them for not more fully embracing the new media models. Before release, they had toyed with some of this; they had a pledge site for a crowd-sourcing option for producing this release, but seem to have abandoned it. Further, on tracks like "Who Am I?" appear to be questioning new media models. I think, again, this is due to them being, like me, somewhat outmoded, but still trying to contribute to the discussion. Please note that other older artists, like Tony James and Mick Jones from Carbon/Silicon, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, and Anton Newcombe of the Brian Jonestown Massacre are contributing to various degrees to this same debate, and everyone appears to be trying to adjust their old-world sensibilities to the new world of media. I think some models are fairly doomed, like pledge sites. Sure, they will work for a limited time, while people are excited by the new model, but when it comes down to producing the finished art, it's an individual thing, and cannot be effectively crowdsourced. Someone has to have executive control- it's unsurprising to me that old guys like the Gang of Four would revert to the traditional model, but it doesn't have to end that way- I could see a modification to the model- maybe crowdsource the selection of producers to a limited pool- maybe crowdsource remixes- maybe competing releases- one traditional, the other crowdsourced, but still, I don't see ceding creative control, or ceding distribution rights as a fully workable model. Then again, I'm old. I'm excited by the new ideas, but I revert back to form- I got this as a download from a traditional site, and immediately burned it to CD/hard drive. I will admit that I even can see the allure in a major label, or in buying a physical CD at a chain store. So, even though I'm trying to adopt some of the new media, I cannot make the full journey.( at the same time, if they didn't deliver what they promised, people who donated should be compensated)
On a far less meta level- why do I think you should listen to this? Because even minus half the band, this stuff burns like no other "post punk". There are moments where you will be reminded of everything from David Bowie to Jello Biafra, and from Bloc Party to Zounds. All the while, they never give up sounding like the Gang of Four that you should remember. This is because their influence is huge, and their scope is deep. The lyrics still sting, and are full of multiple meanings. This really is top-notch stuff.

Just a random observation

In terms of the mainstream, there are few recording artists as intriguing to me as Kanye West. That has surprised me as much, or more than it may surprise anyone else. However, I recently explained it a bit more. I was going back and listening to some older stuff, and I was listening to Tones on Tail, the Daniel Ash side project band between Bauhaus and Love & Rockets. I must admit, I liked Bauhaus more, but I liked Love and Rockets less than Tones on Tail, and a big part of that was how experimental Tones on Tail was. What's interesting to me now, however is the relationship between what Daniel Ash was doing then, around the turn of the decade between the 1980's and the 1990's, and what Kanye is doing between 2010 and 2011. They're both trying to reinvent themselves, and they're both turning to much more "prog rock" sources in that process. Daniel Ash was referencing Roger Waters and Robert Fripp, and Brian Eno. Meanwhile, Kanye is referencing the same sources! Don't believe me? Here are some youtube clips- please play along, in order:
First, Robert Fripp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kcuqIqmIU
Second, Roger Waters:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSH22rJTZ_0&feature=related
Third, Brian Eno:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36B225lLvY4
Fourth, Tones on Tail:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gs4MJIcjx8
(warning- NsFW- nekkidness)
Fifth, Kanye West:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7_jYl8A73g
(and apologies that it's so censored)

I hope you can hear the continuity. It seems pretty clear to me that they're all mining the same territory. So, basically, I'm starting to think of Kanye of more or less an intellectual stoner, which is what the rest of them are, and I find such types interesting, always....

Doing a little reading

So, yes, I'm part of that 10% of the country that reads books, daily. Lately, I've been reading three books: Kids of the Black Hole by Dewar Macleod, Zero History by William Gibson, and X Films by Alex Cox. (Yes, I've read other books in the past month, these I've been reading in the past week- What I do, is start reading one book, get a little bored, and start another book, then, start another book when I get tired of the second, and so forth. I might come back to the first book, or the second. It's kind of like juggling)
Kids of the Black Hole is decent, but in trying to please two masters, Macleod lets both down. On the one hand, this is a serious book of sociology/cultural anthropology, but on the other hand it's a scene report for pop culture. Technically, it's an attempt to place the Punk rock subculture of Los Angeles in the late 1970's and early 1980's into a larger sociological context. I have points where I agree, and points where I disagree, but quite frankly, I'm not on his thesis committee, so that doesn't matter. The bigger problem is who his audience might be. I don't think the research is thorough enough to justify the thesis, if I were on his doctoral committee, and the rest of the world just wants to read more gossip about the key players. One good thing, though, despite the author's intent, it certainly brings out the elitism in the Hollywood Punk rock scene. See, Macleod writes as if he was analyzing his friends from the Masque, even though he takes most of his titles from the larger Hardcore scene. Just like one of those people at the Masque, he pooh-poohs the cultural or aesthetic intent and impact of the rest of the scene, all the while talking about what a misfit really is. In other words, it's a very erudite way of calling all us Hardcore animals a bunch of poseurs. That was very much the way things were. If I tried to get into the Masque, or the Zero, or Double Zero between 1978-1983- exactly the time that I did try- because I came in from South El Monte, because I wasn't dressed like a gothic John waters take on David Bowie's Ziggy Costumes, and because I did ok at sports, I would be denied, seeing as what a poseur I obviously was. Meanwhile, I could (and did) go and be accepted, easily at The Vex, and at the Fleetwood, and later, at Fender's ballroom, and so on. The fact is that the famous scene of X, the Weirdos, the Germs, and the Screamers was an invitation-only club. Meanwhile, Hardcore was open to most everyone. It was just as artistic a scene, and probably had more geniuses, but it wasn't a scene trying to be a vanguard. Every single description of the Los Angeles scene of that time I've read still reads like it was written by some fawning sycophant who was dying to get let in at the Masque, but was disappointed when they could go to Raji's, instead- and that just wasn't so for the majority of us. I had no desire to see some Slash Magazine-approved bunch, dressed like mimes, when I could go see TSOL, the Brat, The Bags, Los Illegals, the Adolescents, Agent Orange, Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, MIA, Shattered Faith, CH3, or The Minutemen, and I was hardly alone. So, I got over being called a Poseur by consoling myself with better music, in a better scene.
As for the William Gibson book, it's the third of a series of quasi-tech spy novels, as opposed to the straight Cyberpunk Gibson is noted for. I actually prefer this later incarnation of Gibson's work.I can relate to it better, and it's easier to dive into a world that I can recognize, rather than trying to peer into a half-imagined future. I still like stuff like Mona Lisa Overdrive, but I prefer Pattern Recognition. So, of these three latest- It's better than Spook Country, but not as good as Pattern Recognition, which was almost like a post-everything take on Pynchon. I don't care for the Character of Milgram, or Hollis Henry, so maybe it's a personal thing with me, but both Spook Country and Zero History have the feeling of a Television Spin off- it feels a little second rate. Milgram is coming around a bit, and becoming a more real person, and Bigend is less of an Enigma than in Spook Country, so it's a bit closer to me, and therefore better than Spook Country, but I still wish we could go back to Cayce pollard who was an infinitely more interesting person, with a much more interesting life.
Which leaves us with Alex Cox. This is by far the most lively, entertaining, and engrossing book I'm on. Basically, it's a memoir of the making of several of his films. He is a fine film-maker, and you can definitely see the artist at work, but what makes the book so good is that it's very much like having a conversation with an unpretentious intellect with omnivorous appetites for politics, philosophy, culture, and life experience. So, even if you're not a fan of film, and haven't seen any of his work, it's still quite engaging. He doesn't leave himself out, but it's clear that he understands- we'll get to know him by what he does a lot better than by him describing how he felt. Not to mention, he got to go to a lot of interesting places, meet a lot of interesting people, and do a lot of interesting things. Really, it's a great read....

New Year, Old Stuff

So, I'm still not inspired by the newer stuff I've heard coming out. But, that's why I've got a library of stuff. I can go back over things again and again, and if they're good, a few more times after that.
So, How about music? Lately I've been listening to two bands I haven't mentioned, or maybe just haven't mentioned a lot. First, there's the God Machine. They're long since gone. The bass player died more than 15 years ago. However, the music they made was a bit out of time anyway. I'm pretty sure they were going for a kind of Sabbath-y take on Alternative, but what they ended up with was music that referenced Jane's Addiction, and Black Sabbath, and some "industrial" sampling, but really prefigured post-rock, or at least post-metal. If you like Grunge, Stoner Rock, and/or post-metal, you probably already have come across the name, so why not check them out. I have the first Record "Scenes from the Second Storey", and a CD single with the song "Home" b/w a cover of "Fever". It's good stuff, and not dated, honestly, even if it's as old as my my son.
Much more recently, as part of my love for dEUS, I got into another band from Belgium called Ghinzu. Ghinzu play much more mainstream music, and I can't get nearly as excited about them as I can about dEUS, but if you could imagine dEUS, with a strong second influence of Muse, you wouldn't be far wrong. At the same time, this past september, the video they released for "Cold Love" is just phenomenal; I can't imagine a band with a more fearsome reputation coming up with something stronger. The release it comes from "Mirror Mirror" is decent, with some great moments, but really just watch that video.
As far as books go, I've been reading some other stuff, but I would like to draw your attention back to Lessig's Free Culture. It's heavily influential to the way I see media going, and worth your time to read.
Finally, for movies, I'm getting back into Alex Cox. I prefer Repo Man, but Walker is still worth watching...

Post Christmas Blues

I feel both good and bad for my son. I feel good for him in that he got a lot of presents for both his birthday and Christmas and he has the support of some good friends, and an extended family, but I feel bad for him because not only does he have the stress of trying to afford the lifestyle he has imagined for himself ( it requires a difficult amount of money to stay in a dorm at a second or third tier Elite private liberal arts College) he puts a lot of reliance upon things. By that, I mean, he's pretty leveraged to get what he needs, but to get what he wants, he's more prone to relying on social and artistic pursuits that are commercial, and hence cost money. So, if you're already over-leveraged, it sucks to have your Xbox crash on you, when one of your best outlets is playing Halo on Xbox Live with your friends. If you've spent too much to own a car, it sucks if you lose your bus pass. You get the idea?
So, it's in that kind of spirit that I've got a little post Christmas blues. I'm crustier than you might imagine. I'm not everybody's "bro", that much is obvious, but, in some ways, I'd be good on the proverbial desert island. If I yearn for something at work, it'd be to be left alone more often. It's not that I hate people, it's that sometimes, I'm best left alone. So, I'm not posting this stuff because I think it'll make me "cool" to someone; Pop Culture is my outlet. This is where I find a good part of my fulfillment in life. So, when there's not a lot of new Pop culture to digest, and incorporate into my little mental desert island, it's a pretty big let down.
I don't mean that people let me down- honestly, I truly love everyone in my life. I mean that the other part of my social fulfillment just ain't all that great, right now. Give me a few weeks, and maybe the new year will bring new treasures....

End of Year?

I've honestly been trying to think up a best of 2010 list, since everybody likes lists, and it seems like the thing to do.
Then, my wife burst into the room twice to blurt out complaints about social media, and about the lack of "legitimate news" online.
So, I was already wavering, and I don't just want to put up noise. Truthfully, I like and listen to the stuff I post. I don't put up anything I don't like at all.
So, to pick out a couple that I think are better than others? Well, no, I can't really do that. Some days I'm in the mood for Kylesa. On those days, The Twilight Sad will suck. Other days, the Twilight Sad suit me, and Kylesa will suck.
So, there's no real "best of" that would be honest.
All I can say is that there was some really good music. Lately, I've been gravitating towards Stoner/Doom bands, post-rock shoegaze bands, revival Techno, and dissonant New Wave/Post Punk bands. Lately, I've been gravitating away from reality TV, and traditional newspapers, and more towards epic dramas and online blog agregators.
But, that's me- how about you?

New-ish stuff

Please don't take the radio silence here for negativity. I've been monstrously busy, and will never catch up, so stuff like blogging and going online in general has taken a back seat to more immediate forms of stress relief- like watching TV, listening to music, reading, and playing video games.
So, as far as TV goes, I stick by my choices. I believe I've already stated them, but if not- I like Boardwalk Empire, The Walking Dead, and Burn Notice for my A-list shows. I'm OK with How I met Your Mother and Hawaii Five-Oh, but both are forgettable fluff the second the TV channel changes. I'm still a fan of TNA wrestling, but don't get a chance to watch very often due to two conflicts: my wife's vampire shows, and Burn Notice.
Musically, I've been listening to a LOT. I'm not going over all of it- no way, no time, not sufficient energy.
Here's just a few that are newish that come to mind:
Mankind is Obsolete- Fairly generic electro-metal Goth. However, two things- they don't mean to, but they come across as a more "rock", and more music-school version of Linkin Park, which is interesting given the female singer. Also, some of the drum patterns show real inventiveness, real talent.
Hypernova- musically, it's Franz Ferdinand crossed with Interpol, with an Iranian Mark Burgess singing. The back story is fascinating, probably more so than the music, but still, some songs are very,very catchy. I really like "Fairy Tales".
Hyperdump- Electro metal from a side project band, I think. Sometimes shows some death-metal-ish flourishes, sometimes veers into Nu metal territory. But over all pretty nice background for playing Halo...
Neurospecter- A very "rock" kind of DJ project of Retro Specter from Poland. Reminds me a bit of Jack Dangers and his awesome Meat Beat Manifesto, but less hyperkinetic, more robotic. Again, very nice for background music.
Have I mentioned The Bloody Beetroots? If not, I should. Forget Daft Punk and LCD soundsystem- these guys and Deadmau5 are making the dance electro pop I want to hear. You gotta hear their deconstruction on "New Noise", and "Domino" is great as a pop song, and, and- look, just give them a try!
Campaign- Fortunately, not all the good Pop punk is in the past. These guys continue the Hot water Music/Avail/Dillinger Four/Leatherface, etc, etc tradition of playing melodic music with more passion than blink 41 day could ever generate.
The Sleep Ins- ummm, I can't really defend this. It sounds like slacker college rock, of the type Pavement and Dinosaur perfected, but with some keyboards. Still, I like it.
Lungs for Gills- Sometimes dreamy-gentle pop is called for. This variation is pretty retro. I hear echoes of late 1980's 4AD and Creation records. So, I like it.
Speedy Rocky- On the other hand, sometimes you want butt rock. as in, late 1970's, early 1980's hard rock boogie. These guys could easily have opened for Fastway and UFO...
Inverness- I still am susceptible to exoticism. They're like a tropicalia version of the Cocteau Twins. Vocals are a weakness however, and I'd prefer an instrumental version. Still, very pleasant, dreamy music.
Other than that, I've been listening to what you'd expect of me- the new Killing Joke, the new You Am I, the new Kanye West, the new Robyn, the new-ish Torche, the new-ish Futureheads, the new Kylesa, etc etc....
Reading wise I really like Cowbell magazine. It seems fairly custom-made for me and my tastes. Also, the new William Gibson- Zero History. I'm a fan, what can I say?
I'm even more staid in video games- it's been nothing but Fallout, Oblivion, some Halo and some Destroy all Humans. Nothing new, really.
Feel caught up, yet?