31.5.05
OH CANADA!
Something called Liquid Cocaine and a mountside accident has made me unable to give you a blow by blow account of the recent trip to Montreal with my friends, Sam, Roy, and Nick, so I will present it to you in phrases and descriptions:
Tandem Truckers
The Beard
Crossing the White Line
Satan Has the Fattouch!
Traveling Roy Chazy
“Have you ever heard of the Wallflowers?”
80’s clubs that play mostly 90’s music
Crepe and Spoon
Canadian Sign Language
And Now I’m crying Tears of Cum (loose translation of Canadian Sign Language)
Type O Negative’s “Unsuccessfully Coping with the Natural Beauty of Infidelity (I Know You're Fucking Someone Else)” officially declared the best song ever
“If I had heard this song when I was 16, my life would be a whole lot different”
YES!
Maple Leaves
“I hope that cat doesn’t fall off the roof”
Bar Roy
“It’s Sunday, get the fuck out of here!”
John Dannemora
WOW!
“And when he gets home he’ll not only realize he owns a Wallflowers album, but that he also loves cock!”
Chicks in Ramones shirts know where to eat.
“NICK MAXWELL! I was IN the Wallflowers! Google the name and see!!
Nurture your Alcoholism
Melanie the Waitress
Eiffel Tower (Pictured)
The Soft Goodbye
Shania!
Free Croissants delivered to your hotel
What Happens at Roys Stays At Roys
Bonsuir! Bonsuir! (French for HOME RUN)
If you take your girlfriend out for her birthday, make sure she pays.
Meat Sandwiches (Celine style)
Where the FUCK is your shirt?
The F.J. DeSanto Hotel Experience
Pantybomb
“Was She National Geographic?”
cumquats
There’s a bug in my beer
STOP ME!! (said as G almost fell down a mountain)
Dirty Hippies and their Tam Tam Jam
Medieval mass sword fighting in park
“Guy’s I really enjoyed climbing this mountain”
The most intimidating Crepe ever
“Danny, you could live in that crepe! You could use it as a sleeping bag”
Listen to me…NO PICKLES.
“LICK IT UP LICK IT UP AHHHHH AHHHH AHHH!” as sung by KISS
How do you get the floss out of your teeth? WITH FLOSS!
consider for a moment that this melon has been washed in lukewarm water.
I’m gonna need a few to stink
The Canadian Phil Collins
We are the toughest men in Montreal.
"Would you click it off or leave it on?"
"You have got a dirty, dirty ass."
"You're like a walking O.C. soundtrack"
"Newport Beach," or, how Mischa Barton is a better actress in
French.
Fingerbang, B-52's style
Lesbian French Canadian Dancing Girls Rule
The Nick Maxwell Quartet and their new album three fingers to heaven
Halfway in Shock
"My taste in women is impeccable."
"I wasn't disputing that...Anjeanette."
Nair on your nuts
Everybody wants to take a dip in Lake Chazy.
FLACCID PASS.
it's their bird.
"Canada is a nation of nerds"
"That's funny, coming from a guy who used to backyard wrestle"
24.5.05
Jack Bauer R.I.P...
...or so the President of the United States will be led to believe! In the end, 24 Season Four was 23 hours and 45 minutes of pure perfection and then an anticlimatic ending and 15 confusing minutes that supposedly have set up Season Five. Well what can I say, you can't win 'em all. Jack won, but now has had to fake his death in order to avoid being killed by his own government and go on the run. It's all a bit ALIAS for me, but nevertheless intruiging. Don't count this crew out, the people behind 24 are very savvy and they pulled off a near perfect season here. Still the Best Show on Television...possibly ever. And yes, Mandy the Naked Terrorist was pardoned but the beauty of DVR was our ability to rewind and watch over and over again the scene where Curtis punches her out. A classic 24 moment. Where will it go? Who knows, but it seemed like someone got an idea at the last minute and rushed it through. They are going to write it in advance like they did last season and present the show uniterrupted starting in January so they have the proper lead time to do something awesome. I expect nothing less.
Brief Notes:
*The aggression album REVISIONIST HISTORY is complete. I'm very excited about it and you should be too. It's going to be a full disc of extremely diverse remixes from all over the world over the last 8 years. Labelmates VTG have done something very unique with our song END in that really impressed the shit out of me. It will close the album. Cyanotic have also come through at the last minute with some industrial destruction.
*My small cousin, now 7, called me to say REVENGE OF THE SITH "WASNT EVEN THAT SCARY!!" and confirms the suspicion that we are clones when he announced that his favourite scene in the movie was the same as mine. This is scary and life affirming! Next week, we will be making plans to see the film together for the millionth time.
*Excellent speaking to my friend Jamie Duffy yesterday, who I miss quite a bit. Don't worry, he's on the new Hypefactor album. He sounds happy and in good form. He's hard at work on some new music and he's jazzed. Always a good sign.
*In continuing with the industrial old folks week, I was pranked over the weekend by my buddy Todd Ryan who was out boozing with my old friend Dan Neet. New Clay People? Bring that shit!
*The company of the Ladies from Internationalpoontang.com at a New York beer garden was good old school sloppy fun. Kudos to Liz for denying social time with Bono and inventing the phrase "I want you inside me" which is being used to hilarious effect even days later. Also revealed at this was that Brandt, he of Hypefactor, has never seen a woman naked. The only thing I have to say about that is MATT DAMON.
*On the wrestling front: Seeing Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr., Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff in the same ring last night shattered my already fragile mind. It surely must be a sign that the end of everything is near. However, i must say wrestling was pretty good for 2 weeks till HHH came back. I love the man, but its just tired and his absence from the screen for 2 weeks actually made things interesting. Go to Smackdown, guy!
*Rumours of the Stone Roses reuniting are beginning to heat up. Somehow this time its more "real" than usual. If you read this blog on any regular basis you'll know where I stand. However, after reading this today, http://www.nme.com/news/112446.htm, I started to daydream about this happening and coordinating a trip to the UK with G to see this cause I think this would actually get us across the pond. More on this when it develops.
BATMAN tomorrow.
F
Brief Notes:
*The aggression album REVISIONIST HISTORY is complete. I'm very excited about it and you should be too. It's going to be a full disc of extremely diverse remixes from all over the world over the last 8 years. Labelmates VTG have done something very unique with our song END in that really impressed the shit out of me. It will close the album. Cyanotic have also come through at the last minute with some industrial destruction.
*My small cousin, now 7, called me to say REVENGE OF THE SITH "WASNT EVEN THAT SCARY!!" and confirms the suspicion that we are clones when he announced that his favourite scene in the movie was the same as mine. This is scary and life affirming! Next week, we will be making plans to see the film together for the millionth time.
*Excellent speaking to my friend Jamie Duffy yesterday, who I miss quite a bit. Don't worry, he's on the new Hypefactor album. He sounds happy and in good form. He's hard at work on some new music and he's jazzed. Always a good sign.
*In continuing with the industrial old folks week, I was pranked over the weekend by my buddy Todd Ryan who was out boozing with my old friend Dan Neet. New Clay People? Bring that shit!
*The company of the Ladies from Internationalpoontang.com at a New York beer garden was good old school sloppy fun. Kudos to Liz for denying social time with Bono and inventing the phrase "I want you inside me" which is being used to hilarious effect even days later. Also revealed at this was that Brandt, he of Hypefactor, has never seen a woman naked. The only thing I have to say about that is MATT DAMON.
*On the wrestling front: Seeing Vincent Kennedy McMahon Jr., Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff in the same ring last night shattered my already fragile mind. It surely must be a sign that the end of everything is near. However, i must say wrestling was pretty good for 2 weeks till HHH came back. I love the man, but its just tired and his absence from the screen for 2 weeks actually made things interesting. Go to Smackdown, guy!
*Rumours of the Stone Roses reuniting are beginning to heat up. Somehow this time its more "real" than usual. If you read this blog on any regular basis you'll know where I stand. However, after reading this today, http://www.nme.com/news/112446.htm, I started to daydream about this happening and coordinating a trip to the UK with G to see this cause I think this would actually get us across the pond. More on this when it develops.
BATMAN tomorrow.
F
19.5.05
A Quick Peep
Out of respect for my signifcant other, who, because of certain deadlines, missed the second Kasabian show the other night, I will not comment on this fucking phenomenal gig. Don't cry for her, she is seeing them again in LA next month, which more than makes up for this.
Out of respect for my bandmate Brandt, who, because of certain deadlines, missed the U2 show last night, I will not comment on this fucking great night in which we were mere yards away from the band. However, he's in a band with me, which more than makes up for this.
The rough part of the week consisted of the U2 gig ending at 11:15 in New Jersey when we had to be back in in NY for the 12:01 SITH opening. To say we cut it close would be an understatement. G, Irene, and I ran for our lives and I'm happy to say, thanks to previews, commercials and chaos, we made it to our seats AT 12:01 and then had about 10 minutes to catch our breath. Kudos to Matt, Jax, and Ash (who noted that in our many years of friendship this was the first time we actually saw a film together, which I'm not sure I believe) for saving seats for us and going through the long haul of waiting on line and doing the general business people must go through on opening night. Thanks, guys. True Pac! For the record, SITH is just as enjoyable with repeated viewings.
Anyhow this is a photo from the recent Brandt/Dorg/Liz Bday bash that I DJ'd. As you can see, I don't travel without entourage and while Ash is missing from the photo, these blokes are the cream of the crop.
F
Out of respect for my bandmate Brandt, who, because of certain deadlines, missed the U2 show last night, I will not comment on this fucking great night in which we were mere yards away from the band. However, he's in a band with me, which more than makes up for this.
The rough part of the week consisted of the U2 gig ending at 11:15 in New Jersey when we had to be back in in NY for the 12:01 SITH opening. To say we cut it close would be an understatement. G, Irene, and I ran for our lives and I'm happy to say, thanks to previews, commercials and chaos, we made it to our seats AT 12:01 and then had about 10 minutes to catch our breath. Kudos to Matt, Jax, and Ash (who noted that in our many years of friendship this was the first time we actually saw a film together, which I'm not sure I believe) for saving seats for us and going through the long haul of waiting on line and doing the general business people must go through on opening night. Thanks, guys. True Pac! For the record, SITH is just as enjoyable with repeated viewings.
Anyhow this is a photo from the recent Brandt/Dorg/Liz Bday bash that I DJ'd. As you can see, I don't travel without entourage and while Ash is missing from the photo, these blokes are the cream of the crop.
F
17.5.05
KasabiON
I've written too much today and I've gushed too much about Kasabian on this blog, but last night, Kasabian, here in NY for the first of a two night stint at Bowery Ballroom, destroyed last year's Gig Of The Year (same band, same venue) by a million miles. I find it totally hard to believe, but they have actually gotten better since we last saw them (possibly because they have since graduated to playing arenas in the UK). The live arrangements of the songs from the current album are well thought out and the band is fierce as hell. The energy is real and nuclear hot. And while it was awesome to hear the "hits" like LSF and PROCESSED BEATS, it's the newer material, like 55, THE NIGHTWORKERS, and THE DUKE that really seep into your hears and make you move. The first album is GREAT, but the new songs, especially the eventual dancefloor classic STUNTMAN suggests a second album of WHAT'S THE STORY proportions. The new material displays the maturity of a band prepared and determined to not only top their first album but bring it to a whole new level. This must have been like seeing Oasis at Wetlands in 1994. I'm fucking TELLING you, this is the real shit. You'll thank me later. Until then, you're a citizen.
F
F
The Search for Ice Cream
I won’t bore you with an essay on “My History With Nine Inch Nails” and how I saw them open for Peter Murphy back in the day, saw all their tours etc., own all the CD’s etc. Probably all of you reading this know all of that. Let’s skip to 2005…
Trent Reznor returns to the world in 2005 without a home. The scene and sound he popularized with the masses has now gone the way of hair-metal and relegated to an almost internet only community. However, that leaves the millions of citizens, converted by later material such as CLOSER to bring this man his second consecutive number one album: WITH TEETH. While many are, I’m not a hater of the new album. I’ve written about it here I think. It lacks the epic quality of the previous stuff, and Brandt brought up a very good point recently: where’s the fucking programming! THAT’S what I realized hurt this album for me. Yes there’s some synth in there, but man, could the dude program back in the day. And the lyrics, well…Anyhow, on to the show…
Mattagement, being, well the fucking manager who is supposed to do these things, was able to secure some tickets for the first NY show and I honestly went into the gig with no expectations. I knew it was going to be a first class production, that was never an issue, but again, NIN in 2005 just feels weird. As Marc Heal said to me recently: F.J., you’re 32 years old, just how angry can you be to be in something called ‘the aggression’” (which, by the way is why we have Hypefactor). The point being, Trent, you’re going to be 40, how fucking angry can you be? Millions of dollars (actually not. Read here: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1502433/20050517/reznor_trent.jhtml?headlines=true), a number 1 album and 15 years of being in a an actually successful industrial band. How rough is that!
And so the lights came down and here was TR (clad in white shirt) and a group of guys and they started hard and strong, old-school with WISH, which I thought was smart. It’s obvious that this min-tour is to reintroduce this band to the masses (read: citizens) and for NYC, this was a good choice to start with. Riding the high of this tune, he then built the tension perfectly with the classic SIN. Good stuff. However, halfway through the song the backing track went out. Now, only a geek like me would notice this, but what made it a total positive in my mind were two things: 1. We got a rare glimpse of what these guys are really playing (quite a bit, I’m happy to say) 2. We got to see Trent REALLY get pissed off when they tried to do the next song and it was all off cue. ACES.
So he threw his bottle of water, took his band and left. he returns 5 minutes later in a wifebeater, thus showing he watches wrestling just as much as I do because this fucking guy is obviously on the Triple H diet. Irene suggested a new gimmick for Trent. ROID RAGE. Cause honestly, the guy is so jacked up, I half expect to see him do a run in on Batista tonight on Raw. Anyway, scary jacked.
So he comes back and cracks a great joke about how someone “knocked the plug out” and how “guys in the back won’t have jobs after the gig”, which I found to be brilliant. So now, determined to get momentum back, he’s legit pissed and starts to throw down some new tunes and oldies like TERRIBLE LIE, MARCH OF THE PIGS and SOMETHING I CAN NEVER HAVE. The band is tight and into it. There’s a new guitarist who is basically Trent at 25 who humps his amp and breaks things. You need that cause Trent at 40 should not be doing that kind of thing. Also, in his current Rambo phase, he would go bankrupt (and he might already be) just wrecking shit. The guy who used to be Tiwggy in Manson is on bass and is good. They’re all capable, they’re all well-rehearsed and all seem very happy to be there and give their all. Nothing more, nothing less
The middle of the set seemed to lack the energy of the start with songs like COLLECTOR, HOME and EVEN DEEPER from the last album slowing things down a bit. I think he should have done some weird stuff at some point and played stuff like HERESY and other older album tracks as opposed to the same hits he’s played every time. However, the additions of REPTILE, which was ferocious, and a revamped synth oriented version of BURN got things moving again. And even though he then went into the predictable closers STARFUCKERS and HEAD LIKE A HOLE, the performance was solid and we left the Ballroom satisfied in a nostalgic kinda way.
So while I would have preferred a gutsier set and there was nothing really super memorable, Nine Inch Nails exists in 2005 to maintain their reputation as a solid live show. Yes, you’ve grown up quite a bit, and yes, you can hate the new album, and yes he’s not pushing the boundaries he once was, but Trent has earned his spot in history. Sure, it’s nostalgia and a tad forced, and it doesn’t mean what it once did, but the man and his music has had a significant impact on our generation (especially for a grunge hating kid like myself), and I wouldn’t write the man off just yet.
F
Trent Reznor returns to the world in 2005 without a home. The scene and sound he popularized with the masses has now gone the way of hair-metal and relegated to an almost internet only community. However, that leaves the millions of citizens, converted by later material such as CLOSER to bring this man his second consecutive number one album: WITH TEETH. While many are, I’m not a hater of the new album. I’ve written about it here I think. It lacks the epic quality of the previous stuff, and Brandt brought up a very good point recently: where’s the fucking programming! THAT’S what I realized hurt this album for me. Yes there’s some synth in there, but man, could the dude program back in the day. And the lyrics, well…Anyhow, on to the show…
Mattagement, being, well the fucking manager who is supposed to do these things, was able to secure some tickets for the first NY show and I honestly went into the gig with no expectations. I knew it was going to be a first class production, that was never an issue, but again, NIN in 2005 just feels weird. As Marc Heal said to me recently: F.J., you’re 32 years old, just how angry can you be to be in something called ‘the aggression’” (which, by the way is why we have Hypefactor). The point being, Trent, you’re going to be 40, how fucking angry can you be? Millions of dollars (actually not. Read here: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1502433/20050517/reznor_trent.jhtml?headlines=true), a number 1 album and 15 years of being in a an actually successful industrial band. How rough is that!
And so the lights came down and here was TR (clad in white shirt) and a group of guys and they started hard and strong, old-school with WISH, which I thought was smart. It’s obvious that this min-tour is to reintroduce this band to the masses (read: citizens) and for NYC, this was a good choice to start with. Riding the high of this tune, he then built the tension perfectly with the classic SIN. Good stuff. However, halfway through the song the backing track went out. Now, only a geek like me would notice this, but what made it a total positive in my mind were two things: 1. We got a rare glimpse of what these guys are really playing (quite a bit, I’m happy to say) 2. We got to see Trent REALLY get pissed off when they tried to do the next song and it was all off cue. ACES.
So he threw his bottle of water, took his band and left. he returns 5 minutes later in a wifebeater, thus showing he watches wrestling just as much as I do because this fucking guy is obviously on the Triple H diet. Irene suggested a new gimmick for Trent. ROID RAGE. Cause honestly, the guy is so jacked up, I half expect to see him do a run in on Batista tonight on Raw. Anyway, scary jacked.
So he comes back and cracks a great joke about how someone “knocked the plug out” and how “guys in the back won’t have jobs after the gig”, which I found to be brilliant. So now, determined to get momentum back, he’s legit pissed and starts to throw down some new tunes and oldies like TERRIBLE LIE, MARCH OF THE PIGS and SOMETHING I CAN NEVER HAVE. The band is tight and into it. There’s a new guitarist who is basically Trent at 25 who humps his amp and breaks things. You need that cause Trent at 40 should not be doing that kind of thing. Also, in his current Rambo phase, he would go bankrupt (and he might already be) just wrecking shit. The guy who used to be Tiwggy in Manson is on bass and is good. They’re all capable, they’re all well-rehearsed and all seem very happy to be there and give their all. Nothing more, nothing less
The middle of the set seemed to lack the energy of the start with songs like COLLECTOR, HOME and EVEN DEEPER from the last album slowing things down a bit. I think he should have done some weird stuff at some point and played stuff like HERESY and other older album tracks as opposed to the same hits he’s played every time. However, the additions of REPTILE, which was ferocious, and a revamped synth oriented version of BURN got things moving again. And even though he then went into the predictable closers STARFUCKERS and HEAD LIKE A HOLE, the performance was solid and we left the Ballroom satisfied in a nostalgic kinda way.
So while I would have preferred a gutsier set and there was nothing really super memorable, Nine Inch Nails exists in 2005 to maintain their reputation as a solid live show. Yes, you’ve grown up quite a bit, and yes, you can hate the new album, and yes he’s not pushing the boundaries he once was, but Trent has earned his spot in history. Sure, it’s nostalgia and a tad forced, and it doesn’t mean what it once did, but the man and his music has had a significant impact on our generation (especially for a grunge hating kid like myself), and I wouldn’t write the man off just yet.
F