Wednesday, February 28, 2018
the last couple of days have been pretty brutal.
i've been unable to sleep for something like a week. an hour or two here and there. i've spent most of the last 15+ hours trying to sleep with no success...
this has left me with a headache and a stomach ache, both of which are being compounded by a large amount of second hand smoke coming up through a hole in the floor, which is going to need to stay open until i can get the plumbing fixed, and it is unclear when that will happen.
i feel like death.
in the mean time, i've been forced to leave every window open in the apartment, and i have no intention of closing them until i can fix the hole in the floor that's exacerbating the headache.
back at the old apartment, i pointed out repeatedly that there was no solution in moving to a different apartment, as i'd just recreate the same problems. up until last week or so, this place legitimately seemed a lot better, but there appears to be a lot of marijuana coming up from the floors all of a sudden. i think i can fix this by taping over it. but, i have to wait until the plumbing is fixed.
i don't expect to be able to do much of anything useful until this problem is resolved, and it's unclear how long this is going to take.
but, as was the case before, there is no solution in changing apartments- as i've just demonstrated.
i really wish there was a law against smoking inside of apartment buildings...
as it is, i have no recourse but to slowly seal off all of the cracks, until they're all gone.
i've been unable to sleep for something like a week. an hour or two here and there. i've spent most of the last 15+ hours trying to sleep with no success...
this has left me with a headache and a stomach ache, both of which are being compounded by a large amount of second hand smoke coming up through a hole in the floor, which is going to need to stay open until i can get the plumbing fixed, and it is unclear when that will happen.
i feel like death.
in the mean time, i've been forced to leave every window open in the apartment, and i have no intention of closing them until i can fix the hole in the floor that's exacerbating the headache.
back at the old apartment, i pointed out repeatedly that there was no solution in moving to a different apartment, as i'd just recreate the same problems. up until last week or so, this place legitimately seemed a lot better, but there appears to be a lot of marijuana coming up from the floors all of a sudden. i think i can fix this by taping over it. but, i have to wait until the plumbing is fixed.
i don't expect to be able to do much of anything useful until this problem is resolved, and it's unclear how long this is going to take.
but, as was the case before, there is no solution in changing apartments- as i've just demonstrated.
i really wish there was a law against smoking inside of apartment buildings...
as it is, i have no recourse but to slowly seal off all of the cracks, until they're all gone.
Monday, February 26, 2018
on being beautiful, once
perhaps what this intends to illustrate is the connection between religious fundamentalism, mental illness and irrational behaviour?
i don't understand how you can relate with the male character here, at all. this is is just insane behaviour, all around. and, this man needs to speak with a mental health professional.
you seem to be mostly coming from jewish or christian backgrounds. but, this story is more important in the muslim tradition, where it informs one of the eid festivals. the narrative in the muslim tradition is a little different as well: in the muslim tradition, this is meant to celebrate abraham's faith - which, in context, presents the idea that he might actually do it as the most supreme act of righteousness possible. abraham is presented as a hero, here, and his faith as something to emulate.
i've never been able to interpret this as anything more or less than simple crazy talk. and, the only lesson i get from the story or ever did get from it when i read it as a child is about the dangers of faith, and how it can lead to poor decision making.
when i first heard the song, it reminded me of trump's campaign slogan: make america great again. but, i remember thinking that the irony wasn't cognizant in his mind. he didn't realize he was making the exact same error, or that that kind of thinking would have the exact same outcome. this is common in people of faith, that can't see through this two-way mirror, and often don't realize it's there.
after watching the video, i'm not so sure anymore. because, this can be seen as an indictment as easily as it can be seen as anything else. and, i guess that kind of ambiguity is what defines a lot of art as what it is.
i don't understand how you can relate with the male character here, at all. this is is just insane behaviour, all around. and, this man needs to speak with a mental health professional.
you seem to be mostly coming from jewish or christian backgrounds. but, this story is more important in the muslim tradition, where it informs one of the eid festivals. the narrative in the muslim tradition is a little different as well: in the muslim tradition, this is meant to celebrate abraham's faith - which, in context, presents the idea that he might actually do it as the most supreme act of righteousness possible. abraham is presented as a hero, here, and his faith as something to emulate.
i've never been able to interpret this as anything more or less than simple crazy talk. and, the only lesson i get from the story or ever did get from it when i read it as a child is about the dangers of faith, and how it can lead to poor decision making.
when i first heard the song, it reminded me of trump's campaign slogan: make america great again. but, i remember thinking that the irony wasn't cognizant in his mind. he didn't realize he was making the exact same error, or that that kind of thinking would have the exact same outcome. this is common in people of faith, that can't see through this two-way mirror, and often don't realize it's there.
after watching the video, i'm not so sure anymore. because, this can be seen as an indictment as easily as it can be seen as anything else. and, i guess that kind of ambiguity is what defines a lot of art as what it is.
Friday, February 23, 2018
the dso is doing la mer (+ more) this morning, but i'm just not feeling up to leaving the house in the rain.
the neighbour on the one side is smoking skunk weed like incense. it's not every day, but it's annoying when it happens. if it was just an odour issue, i'd spray something back, but the effects of second hand marijuana smoke are not enjoyable: headache and tiredness, without any hint of inebriation.
i will be agitating to have the laws changed so that you're only allowed to smoke outside. this is two nights in a row where i feel like shit in the morning, and am crashing early because of it. and, it's no doubt the ultimate reason why i'd rather go to sleep than go to the symphony.
but, this is one of the most important pieces of music in the history of western civilization. i hope they do it justice...
marijuana is fun once in a while. but, i've never been and will never be a daily smoker. i would rather be sober. and, it's really a crime to take that choice of sobriety away from people by smoking inside.
just go outside with it, people.
the neighbour on the one side is smoking skunk weed like incense. it's not every day, but it's annoying when it happens. if it was just an odour issue, i'd spray something back, but the effects of second hand marijuana smoke are not enjoyable: headache and tiredness, without any hint of inebriation.
i will be agitating to have the laws changed so that you're only allowed to smoke outside. this is two nights in a row where i feel like shit in the morning, and am crashing early because of it. and, it's no doubt the ultimate reason why i'd rather go to sleep than go to the symphony.
but, this is one of the most important pieces of music in the history of western civilization. i hope they do it justice...
marijuana is fun once in a while. but, i've never been and will never be a daily smoker. i would rather be sober. and, it's really a crime to take that choice of sobriety away from people by smoking inside.
just go outside with it, people.
Thursday, February 22, 2018
black origami is the rare critic's choice that i'm in agreement with
it's probably an absolute fluke, but they got this one right. of course, though, the reviews don't make any sense at all...
first, there isn't anything on this record that i haven't heard before. it's very good, but it's not particularly novel.
this record is fundamentally different than anything in the warp canon, for the reason that it is so much more organic. not even tom jenkinson really got to this level of just absolute jazz. but, i'm not going to point to black american jazz musicians, either, as tempting as it is.
the two biggest influences i hear on the record are very early skinny puppy (voltaire never brapped) and mid-to-late boredoms, both masters of the abstract jam session, to be cut up for better use, later. adrian sherwood would be a key rec, if you like this. and, i'm going to present the record in this way: this is some kind of unholy alliance between industrial music (in the original sense) and japanoise, and it works precisely because of how organic and spontaneous it is, rather than because of how meticulous and written it is.
and, i'll attack things for not being written, yes, but that doesn't apply here, because the improvisation is so musical. this may have never been written down anywhere, but it never gets aimless or meandering, even if it does get a little repetitive at points.
that said, i don't feel that this is much more than an introduction. and, as such, i'm going to hold off from getting too deep into it without context.
at the least, the critics got something right, for once. give yourselves a collective pat on the back.
first, there isn't anything on this record that i haven't heard before. it's very good, but it's not particularly novel.
this record is fundamentally different than anything in the warp canon, for the reason that it is so much more organic. not even tom jenkinson really got to this level of just absolute jazz. but, i'm not going to point to black american jazz musicians, either, as tempting as it is.
the two biggest influences i hear on the record are very early skinny puppy (voltaire never brapped) and mid-to-late boredoms, both masters of the abstract jam session, to be cut up for better use, later. adrian sherwood would be a key rec, if you like this. and, i'm going to present the record in this way: this is some kind of unholy alliance between industrial music (in the original sense) and japanoise, and it works precisely because of how organic and spontaneous it is, rather than because of how meticulous and written it is.
and, i'll attack things for not being written, yes, but that doesn't apply here, because the improvisation is so musical. this may have never been written down anywhere, but it never gets aimless or meandering, even if it does get a little repetitive at points.
that said, i don't feel that this is much more than an introduction. and, as such, i'm going to hold off from getting too deep into it without context.
at the least, the critics got something right, for once. give yourselves a collective pat on the back.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
i will say this, though: detroit is perhaps unique amongst major cities in it's absolute contempt for people coming from outside of it to spend money in it.
most cities do everything they can to encourage people from outside the city to come and spend money there.
detroit is dead set on erecting bylaws and regulations that prevent people in the outlying areas from coming into the city to have a good time. detroiters seem to interpret this as some kind of threat to their community, rather than as the economic engine to revive it. and, they don't seem to understand that the root cause of the problems they have, in the first place, is capital flight as a consequence of these regulations.
if detroit city council had it's way, it would erect some good old city walls to keep all of the outsiders out.
it's all identity politics. but, it's self-defeating to the point that it might very well strangle the city to death.
this is why i'd support amalgamation in the counties around detroit, despite opposing it almost everywhere else.
most cities do everything they can to encourage people from outside the city to come and spend money there.
detroit is dead set on erecting bylaws and regulations that prevent people in the outlying areas from coming into the city to have a good time. detroiters seem to interpret this as some kind of threat to their community, rather than as the economic engine to revive it. and, they don't seem to understand that the root cause of the problems they have, in the first place, is capital flight as a consequence of these regulations.
if detroit city council had it's way, it would erect some good old city walls to keep all of the outsiders out.
it's all identity politics. but, it's self-defeating to the point that it might very well strangle the city to death.
this is why i'd support amalgamation in the counties around detroit, despite opposing it almost everywhere else.
i want to be clear about detroit.
there's a market. a huge one, in fact.
(it's detroit!)
and, there are venues.
but, the people that own the venues want to cater to markets that don't exist, rather than ones that do.
so, we have empty venues, as we get skipped.
and, i'm not getting into the identity politics around a lot of it.
there's a market. a huge one, in fact.
(it's detroit!)
and, there are venues.
but, the people that own the venues want to cater to markets that don't exist, rather than ones that do.
so, we have empty venues, as we get skipped.
and, i'm not getting into the identity politics around a lot of it.
thoughts on the new chelsea wolfe record
so, am i a chelsea wolfe fan, yet?
i missed her in the fall in detroit (after catching her in 2016) because the venue (which had recently been shut down for overbooking a melvins concert) was sold out; the truth is that she could have probably filled a venue twice the size, but there wasn't one here for her to fill. this is actually becoming a problem in detroit, as we're down to one serious venue, here ('el club') and while it is great for what it is, it is also simply too small for a lot of what gets booked at it - including both the melvins and chelsea wolfe.
believe it or not, there is nowhere in detroit for a rock band that can fill a 2,000-3,000 seat arena. you can go smaller. you can go bigger. but, about 2,000 people is really the sweet spot for a solid concert and it just doesn't exist.
she probably should have played the majestic theatre, but it's been taken over by a management team that appears to be hostile to good music. to put it another way, the venue seems to be actively attempting to discourage anybody older than 30 from ever hanging out there ever again. this is the famous bowling alley in detroit...
i mean, i wasn't in on the call, but i promise you they wouldn't book the show. yeah. chelsea wolfe. this is the new detroit, folks....
anyways, how's the record?
well, i'm getting the same basic feel that i have from the last few: this is meant to see live. even the vocals are mixed in the distance, which is meant to facilitate extreme volume. i'm finding it enjoyable enough to listen to in the background. but, with all of the fancy headphone music out there nowadays, it's hard to see me coming back to this or really getting lost in it.
i bet the show was great, though.
i'm sure i'll get to see her play again, and that will be the best way to enjoy these songs.
i missed her in the fall in detroit (after catching her in 2016) because the venue (which had recently been shut down for overbooking a melvins concert) was sold out; the truth is that she could have probably filled a venue twice the size, but there wasn't one here for her to fill. this is actually becoming a problem in detroit, as we're down to one serious venue, here ('el club') and while it is great for what it is, it is also simply too small for a lot of what gets booked at it - including both the melvins and chelsea wolfe.
believe it or not, there is nowhere in detroit for a rock band that can fill a 2,000-3,000 seat arena. you can go smaller. you can go bigger. but, about 2,000 people is really the sweet spot for a solid concert and it just doesn't exist.
she probably should have played the majestic theatre, but it's been taken over by a management team that appears to be hostile to good music. to put it another way, the venue seems to be actively attempting to discourage anybody older than 30 from ever hanging out there ever again. this is the famous bowling alley in detroit...
i mean, i wasn't in on the call, but i promise you they wouldn't book the show. yeah. chelsea wolfe. this is the new detroit, folks....
anyways, how's the record?
well, i'm getting the same basic feel that i have from the last few: this is meant to see live. even the vocals are mixed in the distance, which is meant to facilitate extreme volume. i'm finding it enjoyable enough to listen to in the background. but, with all of the fancy headphone music out there nowadays, it's hard to see me coming back to this or really getting lost in it.
i bet the show was great, though.
i'm sure i'll get to see her play again, and that will be the best way to enjoy these songs.
i am sometimes indecisive, but i do not bluff.
you could say i'm ideologically opposed to bluffing. or, i can just tell you that i simply don't have time for that kind of fucking bullshit. i want full transparency and total honesty, and i'm more likely to just treat you like an insect than i am to "make a deal" if i conclude you're not trustworthy.
and, don't call my bluff, at least not to me. if you think you're calling my bluff, what you're actually doing is increasing the chances that i pull the trigger, because i'm likely to spend less time thinking something through once my sovereignty as an individual is challenged. the act of telling me that you don't think i'll do something is pretty much guaranteeing that i will actually do it.
but, i'm not interested in erecting elaborate plans for self-interest or world domination. i project myself as honestly and as plainly as i can, and i will very quickly escalate to treating you as a non-person if i don't get the same respect in return.
liars aren't people
you could say i'm ideologically opposed to bluffing. or, i can just tell you that i simply don't have time for that kind of fucking bullshit. i want full transparency and total honesty, and i'm more likely to just treat you like an insect than i am to "make a deal" if i conclude you're not trustworthy.
and, don't call my bluff, at least not to me. if you think you're calling my bluff, what you're actually doing is increasing the chances that i pull the trigger, because i'm likely to spend less time thinking something through once my sovereignty as an individual is challenged. the act of telling me that you don't think i'll do something is pretty much guaranteeing that i will actually do it.
but, i'm not interested in erecting elaborate plans for self-interest or world domination. i project myself as honestly and as plainly as i can, and i will very quickly escalate to treating you as a non-person if i don't get the same respect in return.
liars aren't people
the temperature outside has fallen, and the heat is working, but i don't understand what happened well enough to react.
the next time that happens, i'll have to hit the heaters in the hallways immediately in order to do some further testing.
i mean, there's three possibilities:
1) the heat was turned off, building-wide.
2) management turned the heat off in the hallways, and that in turn turned my heat off.
3) a tenant did (2), rather than management.
i had initially assumed (1). but i'm currently leaning towards (3).
what i will say is that i fully expect this to happen again in mid-march or early april, and while i'd rather not wait, i feel like i must.
the next time that happens, i'll have to hit the heaters in the hallways immediately in order to do some further testing.
i mean, there's three possibilities:
1) the heat was turned off, building-wide.
2) management turned the heat off in the hallways, and that in turn turned my heat off.
3) a tenant did (2), rather than management.
i had initially assumed (1). but i'm currently leaning towards (3).
what i will say is that i fully expect this to happen again in mid-march or early april, and while i'd rather not wait, i feel like i must.
no, i need to wait - because i need to experiment.
there's four floors in the building, stairways at opposite ends and a heater on each floor at each stairway, which is how many heaters?
i bet 30% of you can't figure that out.
but, i went around and turned them all on. then, the heat comes on in here about a half hour later.
it might be a coincidence. or it might be cause and effect. but, if i can just turn the heat back on in here by flipping the switch in the hallway, that's a lot easier than taking somebody to court.
i overheard somebody talking about their heater being connected to the ones in the hallway.
it also proves wrongdoing on behalf of somebody in the building. but, it expands the number of suspects to everybody in the building. i mean, i could be undoing what another tenant did.
if that's the case, and we can figure out who it is, i could maybe get the building on my side in coming down on them.
as before, this isn't about money. i just want the heat to work...
what i need to figure out is if my heater is connected to the ones in the hallway or not; if it isn't, i'll have to push back. if it is, i guess i have a fight with another tenant on my hands - one i intend to win, but one that is very different in scope.
there's four floors in the building, stairways at opposite ends and a heater on each floor at each stairway, which is how many heaters?
i bet 30% of you can't figure that out.
but, i went around and turned them all on. then, the heat comes on in here about a half hour later.
it might be a coincidence. or it might be cause and effect. but, if i can just turn the heat back on in here by flipping the switch in the hallway, that's a lot easier than taking somebody to court.
i overheard somebody talking about their heater being connected to the ones in the hallway.
it also proves wrongdoing on behalf of somebody in the building. but, it expands the number of suspects to everybody in the building. i mean, i could be undoing what another tenant did.
if that's the case, and we can figure out who it is, i could maybe get the building on my side in coming down on them.
as before, this isn't about money. i just want the heat to work...
what i need to figure out is if my heater is connected to the ones in the hallway or not; if it isn't, i'll have to push back. if it is, i guess i have a fight with another tenant on my hands - one i intend to win, but one that is very different in scope.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Feb 21, 2017
To The Management of ===================,
On the day of February 20th, 2017, some time between 7:00 am and 2:00 pm, the heat at =============== was apparently completely shut off, building wide. As of the morning of February 21st, there is neither heat in my apartment on the fourth floor nor is there any heat in the foyer.
As you are no doubt aware, provincial legislation on this topic states that heat is an essential service that must be provided from Sept 1 to June 1. As a tenant, I consequently expect to be able to access the heat in my apartment, at will, over this period, as that is what I am legally entitled to.
I do not believe that this was an accident, but rather a cost-saving mechanism.
As such, you have 24 hours to obey the provincial law before I file the appropriate paperwork at the Landlord and Tenant Board, seeking an order that you obey the law along with a pro-ration of my february rent for services not rendered.
Should the situation arise again, I will jump immediately to litigation.
While I do not seek conflict, I cannot accept a management decision to turn the heat off when it is barely 15 degrees outside, given that this is causing me great discomfort and it is simply blatantly illegal to do so. I am concerned about the implications of this policy in the spring and fall. To avoid further conflict, please simply obey the law, moving forwards.
To The Management of ===================,
On the day of February 20th, 2017, some time between 7:00 am and 2:00 pm, the heat at =============== was apparently completely shut off, building wide. As of the morning of February 21st, there is neither heat in my apartment on the fourth floor nor is there any heat in the foyer.
As you are no doubt aware, provincial legislation on this topic states that heat is an essential service that must be provided from Sept 1 to June 1. As a tenant, I consequently expect to be able to access the heat in my apartment, at will, over this period, as that is what I am legally entitled to.
I do not believe that this was an accident, but rather a cost-saving mechanism.
As such, you have 24 hours to obey the provincial law before I file the appropriate paperwork at the Landlord and Tenant Board, seeking an order that you obey the law along with a pro-ration of my february rent for services not rendered.
Should the situation arise again, I will jump immediately to litigation.
While I do not seek conflict, I cannot accept a management decision to turn the heat off when it is barely 15 degrees outside, given that this is causing me great discomfort and it is simply blatantly illegal to do so. I am concerned about the implications of this policy in the spring and fall. To avoid further conflict, please simply obey the law, moving forwards.
still no heat.
this is what i'm going to do...
i'm going to write a letter to the landlord accusing the building of turning the heat off in february - which is never legal - and explaining that i expect to be able to access the heat in the apartment, at will, between sept 1 and june 1, which is what the law says.
if the heat turns on overnight, this letter will also state that i will file the appropriate grievances to the landlord and tenant board the day of noticing the heat being turned off a second time.
however, if the heat does not turn on overnight, the letter will explain that they have 24 hours to turn it on, or the complaint will be filed on the next day.
this is what i'm going to do...
i'm going to write a letter to the landlord accusing the building of turning the heat off in february - which is never legal - and explaining that i expect to be able to access the heat in the apartment, at will, between sept 1 and june 1, which is what the law says.
if the heat turns on overnight, this letter will also state that i will file the appropriate grievances to the landlord and tenant board the day of noticing the heat being turned off a second time.
however, if the heat does not turn on overnight, the letter will explain that they have 24 hours to turn it on, or the complaint will be filed on the next day.
on second thought, i'm going to need a thermometer - which i don't have - before i can fill this out.
i don't what the temperature is inside.
i just know that i'm cold and the heat isn't turning on to address it.
and, i know that if i can't get the head on by the morning, i'm going to get a thermometer first thing tomorrow.
i don't what the temperature is inside.
i just know that i'm cold and the heat isn't turning on to address it.
and, i know that if i can't get the head on by the morning, i'm going to get a thermometer first thing tomorrow.
i mean, it's only 15 degrees today.
will i not have access to heat on an average 15 degree day?
i could see if it was 25 degrees, because then you can open the windows, but 15 degrees is simply not warm enough to turn the heat off.
what i've been doing is running the shower on full blast, full heat every twenty minutes.
i'm not going to argue with anybody about this. this place is not rock bottom cheap like the last one. i'm paying for heat, and i will receive it on demand.
will i not have access to heat on an average 15 degree day?
i could see if it was 25 degrees, because then you can open the windows, but 15 degrees is simply not warm enough to turn the heat off.
what i've been doing is running the shower on full blast, full heat every twenty minutes.
i'm not going to argue with anybody about this. this place is not rock bottom cheap like the last one. i'm paying for heat, and i will receive it on demand.
so, what am i doing?
well, first - it's cold in here.
and i'm very angry about it.
the law does not say that if you have an unseasonably warm day in february, you can turn the heat off. what the law says is that you have to provide heat.
and, i'm not going to pester the landlord about it. i'm going to sue her for two things:
1) an injunction forcing them to turn the heat on.
2) pro-ration of the rent compensating me for the heat that i paid for and did not receive.
yes, i think that litigation is the way to solve problems.
no, i don't care what the neighbours think.
that said, i'm going to wait a little bit because i recognize that i made an error: i knew it was going to be warm today, so i turned the heat down.
the lesson i've learned is that i should never, ever turn the heat down.
however, if the heat does not turn on before midnight, i will mail the documents in the morning; after talking with some tenants, i've learned that the landlord is quite negligent, and i simply don't have patience for dealing with negligence of this sort.
the law is not ambiguous, and i do not feel like i have the obligation to be patient about this.
second, it took me a little longer to do some cleaning and whatnot this week, but it's done now, and i'll be focusing on finishing up 7/15 tonight - so long as the heat turns on.
well, first - it's cold in here.
and i'm very angry about it.
the law does not say that if you have an unseasonably warm day in february, you can turn the heat off. what the law says is that you have to provide heat.
and, i'm not going to pester the landlord about it. i'm going to sue her for two things:
1) an injunction forcing them to turn the heat on.
2) pro-ration of the rent compensating me for the heat that i paid for and did not receive.
yes, i think that litigation is the way to solve problems.
no, i don't care what the neighbours think.
that said, i'm going to wait a little bit because i recognize that i made an error: i knew it was going to be warm today, so i turned the heat down.
the lesson i've learned is that i should never, ever turn the heat down.
however, if the heat does not turn on before midnight, i will mail the documents in the morning; after talking with some tenants, i've learned that the landlord is quite negligent, and i simply don't have patience for dealing with negligence of this sort.
the law is not ambiguous, and i do not feel like i have the obligation to be patient about this.
second, it took me a little longer to do some cleaning and whatnot this week, but it's done now, and i'll be focusing on finishing up 7/15 tonight - so long as the heat turns on.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Saturday, February 17, 2018
to clarify: i'm broadly opposed to capital punishment, on the "what if we're wrong?" foundation of legal liberalism.
but, all rules require exceptions.
and, god's crimes are literally beyond parallel in scope and documentation.
could god receive a fair trial? certainly not. doesn't matter...
if we can prove a god exists, then we can find a way to stop it from existing, further; to an extent, proving that god exists is the same thing as disproving that what we're labelling god is actually immortal.
the only open question in my mind is "how do we actually physically end god's existence?".
of course, killing god will not put an end to faith. but, at least we can point to the historical record, label them flat-earthers and move on.
but, all rules require exceptions.
and, god's crimes are literally beyond parallel in scope and documentation.
could god receive a fair trial? certainly not. doesn't matter...
if we can prove a god exists, then we can find a way to stop it from existing, further; to an extent, proving that god exists is the same thing as disproving that what we're labelling god is actually immortal.
the only open question in my mind is "how do we actually physically end god's existence?".
of course, killing god will not put an end to faith. but, at least we can point to the historical record, label them flat-earthers and move on.
there will be almost no mention of manson in the alter-reality, because i am not and never have been a fan of his.
i was 15 when antichrist superstar was released, a fan of nin and corgan, and deeply anti-conformist, but i don't think i've ever listened to it all the way through. if i ever have, it was by accident, at a party.
first of all, the music is just not very interesting.
but, i don't think the fan base cares much about how boring the actual music actually is.
the flat truth is that i just thought marilyn manson was stupid. i didn't find him interesting or challenging on any level, and what he said was less thought provoking to me and struck me more as just flat out daft.
my opinion hasn't changed at all over the years.
i probably wouldn't have been able to articulate this at the time, but this is the difference: i was an atheist from a very, very young age. not a satanist. an atheist. so, he actually struck me as just promoting another ideology that needed to be broken down. and, if you want to tell me that satanism is not a religion, i'm going to have to take the opposite position in a debate on it.
like, i need to be clear: when i heard him speak, i heard an ideological enemy rather than somebody on my side of things. he wasn't telling people to think for themselves and rely on empiricism and science, he was just giving them an alternate means of brainwashing and trying to work them into another kind of ideology.
i was as opposed to manson's views as i was opposed to any other religionist's views.
i guess i was smart enough to see through it from the start.
i was 15 when antichrist superstar was released, a fan of nin and corgan, and deeply anti-conformist, but i don't think i've ever listened to it all the way through. if i ever have, it was by accident, at a party.
first of all, the music is just not very interesting.
but, i don't think the fan base cares much about how boring the actual music actually is.
the flat truth is that i just thought marilyn manson was stupid. i didn't find him interesting or challenging on any level, and what he said was less thought provoking to me and struck me more as just flat out daft.
my opinion hasn't changed at all over the years.
i probably wouldn't have been able to articulate this at the time, but this is the difference: i was an atheist from a very, very young age. not a satanist. an atheist. so, he actually struck me as just promoting another ideology that needed to be broken down. and, if you want to tell me that satanism is not a religion, i'm going to have to take the opposite position in a debate on it.
like, i need to be clear: when i heard him speak, i heard an ideological enemy rather than somebody on my side of things. he wasn't telling people to think for themselves and rely on empiricism and science, he was just giving them an alternate means of brainwashing and trying to work them into another kind of ideology.
i was as opposed to manson's views as i was opposed to any other religionist's views.
i guess i was smart enough to see through it from the start.
Friday, February 16, 2018
i think the claim that i lack ambition is pretty obviously false.
rather, my argument is that a market-driven, competitive society makes actual ambition virtually impossible to actualize. i mean, look around you. it's a constant. in order to be successful, you have to throw your ambitions away, first.
there's room at the top, they're telling you still
but first you must learn to smile as you kill...
all that ambition is ever going to get you in this society is a one way ticket to permanent poverty.
and that is what you see in front of you when you look at me.
rather, my argument is that a market-driven, competitive society makes actual ambition virtually impossible to actualize. i mean, look around you. it's a constant. in order to be successful, you have to throw your ambitions away, first.
there's room at the top, they're telling you still
but first you must learn to smile as you kill...
all that ambition is ever going to get you in this society is a one way ticket to permanent poverty.
and that is what you see in front of you when you look at me.
so, what am i even doing?
well, i've just been sitting here ranting for a long time. i'm kind of feeling in limbo, between things.
i keep trying to do the cleaning i need to do in here, so i can sit down and get back to work, but i keep getting distracted. and, i've actually barely slept in days.
i think i'm going to get some work done for the night, and try to focus on the prep for the week tomorrow. the end point is doing laundry & tucking myself into bed to finish the rest of the rebuild, but it will have to wait yet another day before i get that in motion.
well, i've just been sitting here ranting for a long time. i'm kind of feeling in limbo, between things.
i keep trying to do the cleaning i need to do in here, so i can sit down and get back to work, but i keep getting distracted. and, i've actually barely slept in days.
i think i'm going to get some work done for the night, and try to focus on the prep for the week tomorrow. the end point is doing laundry & tucking myself into bed to finish the rest of the rebuild, but it will have to wait yet another day before i get that in motion.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
"but she didn't say anything about the millennials' music".
well, i'm not a millennial.
sorry.
as though every other critic didn't focus on millennial music, right?
i don't care how old an artist is. if it's good, it's good. but, if it's bad, it's bad - and i'm not going to follow trends or kowtow to the market to fit in or be 'cool'. i'm an adult, and i'm broadly going to be disinterested in music that is being mass marketed to children.
well, i'm not a millennial.
sorry.
as though every other critic didn't focus on millennial music, right?
i don't care how old an artist is. if it's good, it's good. but, if it's bad, it's bad - and i'm not going to follow trends or kowtow to the market to fit in or be 'cool'. i'm an adult, and i'm broadly going to be disinterested in music that is being mass marketed to children.
the new dmst disc is my record of the year
in fact, the only new record i spent any substantive amount of time with in 2017 was the new do make say think record and, by default, it consequently wins record of the year.
and, it's a strong record - it's going to deserve somewhere in the low 90s, out of 100. it deserves mention, at least.
if there were stronger records released last year, i'm not the person to look to for elucidation, at this point. broadly speaking, i need to dig hard to find what i want; i'm not going to find much of value in these year end lists, and, for me, 2017 was a 'me' year, where i focused mostly on my own music, while restricting my exploration to acts i already had a high confidence in. i don't expect to spend much time digging over 2018, either. rather, i'll probably end up cycling back over 2019 or 2020.
when i get to the process of digging, you will no doubt be surprised by what i pull out - and much of it will be obscure or forgotten.
i've added a few new acts to my core list over the last few years, and they've mostly run the course, at this point. cloud nothings & la dispute are done. annie clark has gone full junkie retard. i'm going to give touche amore one more, at most - but they're going to sell out, not break up. but, in truth, i wasn't even really keeping up with that, and that's something i'm going to be doing as i finish what i'm doing over the next few weeks.
and, it's a strong record - it's going to deserve somewhere in the low 90s, out of 100. it deserves mention, at least.
if there were stronger records released last year, i'm not the person to look to for elucidation, at this point. broadly speaking, i need to dig hard to find what i want; i'm not going to find much of value in these year end lists, and, for me, 2017 was a 'me' year, where i focused mostly on my own music, while restricting my exploration to acts i already had a high confidence in. i don't expect to spend much time digging over 2018, either. rather, i'll probably end up cycling back over 2019 or 2020.
when i get to the process of digging, you will no doubt be surprised by what i pull out - and much of it will be obscure or forgotten.
i've added a few new acts to my core list over the last few years, and they've mostly run the course, at this point. cloud nothings & la dispute are done. annie clark has gone full junkie retard. i'm going to give touche amore one more, at most - but they're going to sell out, not break up. but, in truth, i wasn't even really keeping up with that, and that's something i'm going to be doing as i finish what i'm doing over the next few weeks.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
actually, i have absolutely no idea at all what a "cara delavigne" is.
sorry.
but, it would be nice if, whatever it is, it would return what was once one of the most promising electronic musicians out there back to the home planet.
in the end, nobody is saved. i know better.
but, i'm not interested in the corporate rock mythology. annie clark wasn't some throwaway junkie like kurt cobain or amy winehouse; she had a lot of talent, and it's sad to see it be pulverized under whatever combination of addiction and greed that it got pulverized under...
sorry.
but, it would be nice if, whatever it is, it would return what was once one of the most promising electronic musicians out there back to the home planet.
in the end, nobody is saved. i know better.
but, i'm not interested in the corporate rock mythology. annie clark wasn't some throwaway junkie like kurt cobain or amy winehouse; she had a lot of talent, and it's sad to see it be pulverized under whatever combination of addiction and greed that it got pulverized under...
and, then, bjork.
my expectations with bjork have been dramatically lowered over the last
fifteen years, to the point that i'll consider this a successful release
if i deduce it's worth listening to a second time.
it's starting off relatively well. let's see where it goes.
i'm at track two, and this currently sounds like every other time that bjork has tried to be serious since vespertine, which wouldn't be such a tragedy if it were more dynamic. it's less that it's the same thing over and over again, and more that it's the same meandering aimlessness, yet again.
i caught the mt zion sample. did you?
i'm going to let this play, because it's bjork and i can still enjoy what is really brutal stagnation from her on a kind of basic level. and, i might listen to it a second time, too. but, she really needs somebody to challenge her, to take her out of these patterns she's built up around herself, to smash whatever mental chains are keeping her running on the spot and prevent her from going over what is really the same song over and over and over.
it's starting off relatively well. let's see where it goes.
i'm at track two, and this currently sounds like every other time that bjork has tried to be serious since vespertine, which wouldn't be such a tragedy if it were more dynamic. it's less that it's the same thing over and over again, and more that it's the same meandering aimlessness, yet again.
i caught the mt zion sample. did you?
i'm going to let this play, because it's bjork and i can still enjoy what is really brutal stagnation from her on a kind of basic level. and, i might listen to it a second time, too. but, she really needs somebody to challenge her, to take her out of these patterns she's built up around herself, to smash whatever mental chains are keeping her running on the spot and prevent her from going over what is really the same song over and over and over.
thoughts on the new st. vincent record.
i skipped st vincent, who i've still yet to see play an actual set, a
few months ago after giving the record a very brief listen and finding
essentially nothing of value in it at all. i'm coming back to it now as a
last chance, and it's just really not remotely in my sphere of
interest, at this point.
hopefully, she finds a way to put the pills away and get her brain back. but, that's not how this usually works.
that is my takeaway from this record: annie clark's talent has apparently evaporated due to drug use.
hopefully, she finds a way to put the pills away and get her brain back. but, that's not how this usually works.
that is my takeaway from this record: annie clark's talent has apparently evaporated due to drug use.
first impressions of the new son lux record
i've been waiting for this one for what seems like forever, and it's actually been a while since i found myself doing anything like that; i've become used to disappointment after a few records, and, in the process, just stumbling upon things, sometimes months after the fact.
the lead singles had me worried, but not too worried, because i went through this with the last record, too - the singles seemed flat when separated out from the record. but, i don't 'get' singles, anyways, unless they're epics. they're just too short. i have a very hard time focusing on pieces of music for less than five minutes at a time...it's done before it starts...and, as an ad, which is all a single can ever really be, artistically, the process of releasing singles seems incapable of hooking me, and may have even turned me off of records i would have otherwise liked.
so, fuck singles. i should really just not bother, and ritually wait for the records. easier said than done, right?
but, any perceived lack of depth that the singles projected when separated from the record evaporates upon a few listens. and i need to stress the necessity to listen. at least five times. son lux has always been a little difficult, that's half of why i'm attracted to it, but it's also always been very rewarding, as pop, once you disentangle it, which is the other half of the reason i'm attracted to it. this record is, at times, just kind of opaque, on immediate first impression. the sound is saturated over the spectrum, and it needs to be disentangled, but it's the syncopation that you need to really get used to before you can mentally decode the songs into something coherent.
if you're not going to give this some time, you're going to get bored quickly enough, and i'll tell you that this will unfortunately happen to quite a few people. but, if you spend the time with it, you're going to uncover a record that is simultaneously a little bit of a throwback to the outsider music of the first record and a kind of a step towards glossier pop, at the same time. the record also reuses a number of themes on the records in between. this makes the project seem somewhat like a summary of ryan lott's career, and i might question his motives in doing that.
if the band pivots after this record into less abstract material, this will likely end up as the normal way into son lux' comparably deeper and more difficult back catalogue. backwards.
as a contained record, this pull between what i'm projecting as a poppier future for the band and the more artistic past that already exists leaves something that is almost existential in scope. while this is where the music i listen to normally lives, i actually kind of liked the sheltered and somewhat neurotic vocals that i'm used to from this band and hope that, at the least, we get to keep this moving forward. but, you can hear that he's interpreted the present moment as some kind of pivot, some kind of paradigmatic shift, some kind of epiphany: weren't we beautiful once?
sure, ryan. back when america was great, right? but, make sure you're careful getting off the cross, because there's another martyr in line behind you.
i don't expect this band to go full boring. if anything, he's projecting a strong palette of pop influences; on this record, the very obvious nods are to freddie mercury and david bowie, and if these are the pop icons he's throwing out in front of him, what's coming is likely to be both ambitious and tasteful.
but, i wouldn't expect another record like this.
http://music.sonluxmusic.com/album/brighter-wounds
the lead singles had me worried, but not too worried, because i went through this with the last record, too - the singles seemed flat when separated out from the record. but, i don't 'get' singles, anyways, unless they're epics. they're just too short. i have a very hard time focusing on pieces of music for less than five minutes at a time...it's done before it starts...and, as an ad, which is all a single can ever really be, artistically, the process of releasing singles seems incapable of hooking me, and may have even turned me off of records i would have otherwise liked.
so, fuck singles. i should really just not bother, and ritually wait for the records. easier said than done, right?
but, any perceived lack of depth that the singles projected when separated from the record evaporates upon a few listens. and i need to stress the necessity to listen. at least five times. son lux has always been a little difficult, that's half of why i'm attracted to it, but it's also always been very rewarding, as pop, once you disentangle it, which is the other half of the reason i'm attracted to it. this record is, at times, just kind of opaque, on immediate first impression. the sound is saturated over the spectrum, and it needs to be disentangled, but it's the syncopation that you need to really get used to before you can mentally decode the songs into something coherent.
if you're not going to give this some time, you're going to get bored quickly enough, and i'll tell you that this will unfortunately happen to quite a few people. but, if you spend the time with it, you're going to uncover a record that is simultaneously a little bit of a throwback to the outsider music of the first record and a kind of a step towards glossier pop, at the same time. the record also reuses a number of themes on the records in between. this makes the project seem somewhat like a summary of ryan lott's career, and i might question his motives in doing that.
if the band pivots after this record into less abstract material, this will likely end up as the normal way into son lux' comparably deeper and more difficult back catalogue. backwards.
as a contained record, this pull between what i'm projecting as a poppier future for the band and the more artistic past that already exists leaves something that is almost existential in scope. while this is where the music i listen to normally lives, i actually kind of liked the sheltered and somewhat neurotic vocals that i'm used to from this band and hope that, at the least, we get to keep this moving forward. but, you can hear that he's interpreted the present moment as some kind of pivot, some kind of paradigmatic shift, some kind of epiphany: weren't we beautiful once?
sure, ryan. back when america was great, right? but, make sure you're careful getting off the cross, because there's another martyr in line behind you.
i don't expect this band to go full boring. if anything, he's projecting a strong palette of pop influences; on this record, the very obvious nods are to freddie mercury and david bowie, and if these are the pop icons he's throwing out in front of him, what's coming is likely to be both ambitious and tasteful.
but, i wouldn't expect another record like this.
http://music.sonluxmusic.com/album/brighter-wounds
Sunday, February 11, 2018
so, i'm still plugging away at this.
i've now reached the point where i've caught up to where i left the master document, in late june of 2015, when i finished the initial version of the period one disc. remaining data for the master music document is either in the combined everything document or waiting to be pulled down from the blog itself (after mid 2016). i'll have about a year worth of facebook, youtube & google+ posts to pull out of the combined document before the blog asserts itself as an end point.
what happened was that i realized that the period one disc was not going to be comprehensive, unless i went back to remix the inri/inriched period from scratch. this is when everything started to go wrong, culminating in an eviction at the end of 2017. and, it took me until late 2016 to actually finish the remixes.
as it is, i'm going to have to carry the document on, now, through the rebuild & re-release process that follows. there will be quiet periods in the rebuild, but i'm sure i'll find some distractions to post, include an increase in numbers of concerts attended, starting in late 2015.
the next section runs from late june to late october of 2015 and documents a combination of the gear difficulty and my increasing absorption by the canadian election. it ends when i get a vlog camera. i'm hoping it's a little bit faster than the last period, because there aren't any actual releases.
i'm just past 900 pages, fwiw.
i've now reached the point where i've caught up to where i left the master document, in late june of 2015, when i finished the initial version of the period one disc. remaining data for the master music document is either in the combined everything document or waiting to be pulled down from the blog itself (after mid 2016). i'll have about a year worth of facebook, youtube & google+ posts to pull out of the combined document before the blog asserts itself as an end point.
what happened was that i realized that the period one disc was not going to be comprehensive, unless i went back to remix the inri/inriched period from scratch. this is when everything started to go wrong, culminating in an eviction at the end of 2017. and, it took me until late 2016 to actually finish the remixes.
as it is, i'm going to have to carry the document on, now, through the rebuild & re-release process that follows. there will be quiet periods in the rebuild, but i'm sure i'll find some distractions to post, include an increase in numbers of concerts attended, starting in late 2015.
the next section runs from late june to late october of 2015 and documents a combination of the gear difficulty and my increasing absorption by the canadian election. it ends when i get a vlog camera. i'm hoping it's a little bit faster than the last period, because there aren't any actual releases.
i'm just past 900 pages, fwiw.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
thoughts on the new gybe! record
i'm actually interpreting the general feel of the record to be somewhat of a throwback to a component of their first record; one could suggest that this record lacks the variety of emotion that the first record did, but that might be missing the point - they clearly wanted to key in on a specific sound.
but, it sort of misfires.
on the first record, it came off as defiantly hopeful, that is, hopeful in the face of certain defeat; and, considering what the band was at that time, how could they have expected anything besides failure? this is a specific kind of optimism, in that it is understood by all to be futile. what it is is delusion and for that reason was so effective as escape - it was absurd to be hopeful, and that's why it was fun, for a few minutes. the expanded melodic percussion, the xylophones, really aided in this general feeling.
here, it is coming off as an order. BE HOPEFUL, DAMMIT. NOW. HOPE. NOW.
and, here's the thing: that might work better for a lot of people. it really might.
but, i liked the hope better without the coercion.
i'll probably still go seem them play next month.
but, it sort of misfires.
on the first record, it came off as defiantly hopeful, that is, hopeful in the face of certain defeat; and, considering what the band was at that time, how could they have expected anything besides failure? this is a specific kind of optimism, in that it is understood by all to be futile. what it is is delusion and for that reason was so effective as escape - it was absurd to be hopeful, and that's why it was fun, for a few minutes. the expanded melodic percussion, the xylophones, really aided in this general feeling.
here, it is coming off as an order. BE HOPEFUL, DAMMIT. NOW. HOPE. NOW.
and, here's the thing: that might work better for a lot of people. it really might.
but, i liked the hope better without the coercion.
i'll probably still go seem them play next month.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
so, where am i?
i'm in march, 2015.
i'm also filling in a bit of the politics archive, so that's going to slow me down a bit, but i think it's a good idea, because i've been referencing myself in a way that nobody can verify.
this remains a lengthy process and i want to be clear that it's a distant eta.
i'm in march, 2015.
i'm also filling in a bit of the politics archive, so that's going to slow me down a bit, but i think it's a good idea, because i've been referencing myself in a way that nobody can verify.
this remains a lengthy process and i want to be clear that it's a distant eta.
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