I don’t have cable. I haven’t had it for over a year now and I love my life as a result. I do watch quite a few cable shows, but it is usually cause I download them or stream them from some fly-by-night website. However during this past weekends Hurrical Storm Irene, I went to my buddies Ross, Sal, and Naomi’s place to experience the beast up close. We ate snacks, drank and put our bodies through the ringer all while watching tons of TV.
Which brings me to the point of my post. Last night we watched MTV on a wall sized 1080p projector, so it was super HD. I watched Jersey Shore, The VMA’s, and I Just Want My Pants Back. I haven’t watched MTV in like a good year or so, so watching it was like a P.O.W. eating real food for the first time.
Jersey Shore: Is brain poison that I stopped watching season 2. However, it’s still pretty entertaining. It disgusts me that I even like it.
The VMA’s: on the whole they are pretty terrible and a reminder that I have no idea what the kids are up to these days. Who is Demi Lovato, Victoria Justice, Jessie J, Selena Gomez, Kreashawn, and why are they relevant enough to be on tv? As always tho Beyonce crushed her performance and I’ve never been happier for a pregnancy in my life other than hers. Seeing Tyler The Creator win was also pretty cool considering, his audience consists of dickhead pitchfork writers, angry teens who hate shit that is mainstream, and me.
I Just Want My Pants Back: This was the most offensive show to my sensibilities I have ever seen. The lead lives in a pretty nice one bedder in williamsburg, but only has $100 in his bank account. He gets laid twice in the pilot, still plays the Wii, and wants to go to a Waaves show. I have been called a hipster for quite some time, and the glamourized life they live, but this show is only going to add fuel to the hating hipsters fire. I don’t believe in classifying people as one thing or another (unless they are “bro’s), but this show is going to do a lot of sociocultural harm. It also has ushered “Kevin Williamson Speak” (the writer of Scream and D-Creek) where the subjects of the show speak in an almost completely unrealistic fashion. All this being said, I read Pitchfork almost regularly to get angry, and IJWMPB will fit right into niche for me of Shit I Hate So Bad I Have To Watch.
I would just like to say to MTV, purveyors of their own culture, just play videos again (unless it’s Jersey Shore, The Real World, or The Challenge). It makes everyones life a lot easier.
Best earthquake meme/joke I’ve seen
Fox Fall Promo 1994. I would legitimately KILL to have fall tv promos like this one again. Fox was always so ahead of it’s time. Also almost every football clip is now some type of illegal football move.
The Dark Knight Rises teaser poster. God I can’t wait. I’m willing to shell out 15 bucks too this weekend if the rumor that they’ll be a TDKR teaser attached to Harry Potter is true.
Now that we’re hitting that hazy-ass midsummer period, it’s time to break out the summer jamz! I really haven’t been listening to a lot of summertime bangers, because I haven’t found very many this summer that really stand out. But I have been listening to a TON of the new wave R&B and a few choice rock bands:
Frank Ocean - The guy is the only part of Odd Future that will ever really get mainstream radio play, and he is arguably the most talented member of the collective. His album doesn’t really have a bad song.
The Weeknd - This is probably my favorite album on a whole to listen to this summer while driving or riding my bike. It’s sexy, fun, and reminds me that good R&B can still exist
Lana Del Rey - She only has like 2-3 songs you can even find, but her track “Video Games” is hypnotic. She feels like she belongs in the 60’s, but I think she has that ability to crossover into being a super popular young ingenue because she actually has A) a voice and B) one that sounds different that mostly everything out.
Beach Fossils - I didn’t ride the lo-fi surf pop wave as strongly as most did last year because I started to notice people were saying EVERYTHING was great, which was not true. That said, these guys dropped an EP that I definitely think is worth picking up for anyone who can get down with that sound.
Portugal. The Man - The Satanic Satanist is a phenomenal BBQ album to blast while you grill. Fact.
MyNameIsJohnMichael - The new track “Orphan” off the unreleased second album is a great song with a really big sound. It’s the type of song I’d want to turn into my morning alarm so that I attack the day!
I highly recommend giving all these bands/artists a listen this summer as they have been killing it for me.
Lana Del Rey - Video Games.
I hate words like enchanting, but that is exactly what this song is to me. Lana reminds me of a cross between Nancy Sinatra and Coco Rosie, with some extra nerd. Her other song I found is called “Diet Mtn Dew” so you know she’s probably the most awesome.
2011 Daft Punk video or 1980’s Cartoon? You Decide.
Is Tropical - The Greeks. I like most of what I’ve heard from this band in the last few months, but it all pales in comparison to this video. I’ve seen it posted in a few places, but never bothered to watch it cause I don’t like the song all that much, but now because the video is so well done, the song is getting better!
Happy Hotdog Man. Really America? We just can’t eat a hotdog the regular fucking way?
This is the best terrible thing I have ever seen.
