I could not be more excited.
Phish, the greatest band to ever grace this Earth, just announced a 3 day festival over Halloween weekend (10/30-11/01) at a location to be announced (Vegas?).
Having just returned from 4 awesome nights of Phish and gearing up for another run in August, I was just starting to wonder when Phish would make their Halloween plans. Considering Michael Jackson's recent death, it wouldn't be that surprising if Phish covered "Thriller" in it's entirety on Halloween - but that might be a little too predictable. Personally, I would kill to hear them attempt Frank Zappa's "Joe's Garage" - but I doubt that as well.
What will they play? Who knows. I'm sure I'll revisit this topic. I'm just ecstatic that they're playing.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Review: Transformers 2
I couldn't have been more excited when I found a bootleg copy of Transformers 2 at www.surfthechannel.com last night. I've been a huge Transformers fan since I was a kid, and have been greatly anticipating the new movie.
Boring. Awful. Terrible. Insufferable. Zero stars.
Those are the only words that come to mind to describe this movie. Granted, the first Michael Bay Transformers movie wasn't the best movie I've ever seen by any means, but this was just unbearable. It was so bad that I'm just going to leave it at that without discussing in grueling detail how terrible each particular aspect of the movie was.
I will now re-watch the original, animated, perfect, 1986 Transformers movie until I forget that Transformers 2 ever existed.
Boring. Awful. Terrible. Insufferable. Zero stars.
Those are the only words that come to mind to describe this movie. Granted, the first Michael Bay Transformers movie wasn't the best movie I've ever seen by any means, but this was just unbearable. It was so bad that I'm just going to leave it at that without discussing in grueling detail how terrible each particular aspect of the movie was.
I will now re-watch the original, animated, perfect, 1986 Transformers movie until I forget that Transformers 2 ever existed.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Et tu, Mark Kirk?
I just came across this Chicago Tribune article that outlines Republican Illinois Congressman Mark Kirk's proposed legislation to allow 25 year prison sentences for first-time marijuana offenders who possess highly-potent strains of the plant.
Until today, I had always thought that, even though Kirk was a Republican, he wasn't one of your run-of-the-mill completely evil and insane Republicans. He always came off as better than that: economically conservative but socially liberal - I can live with that. In fact, Kirk's platform seemed way more in line with my own personal views than the generally bible-touting Kentucky Democrats who only really concentrate on bringing in more pork. When I was a senior in high school Kirk came and talked to my political science class and seemed rational enough. Or so I thought.
I don't know if I've been clear about my position on the issue yet: marijuana is a plant that should be legal and regulated no differently than grapes; there is no rational basis for marijiana's criminalization; and one cannot seriously advocate marijuana's continued prohibition without completely ignoring reality. Yet Kirk seems to believe that increasing penalties based on a distinction that is almost impossible to determine outside a laboratory will work, because, the drug war has been so successful?
Anyways, I was so angry upon reading about Kirk's proposal that I wrote my second-ever letter to Congress:
To: info@kirkforcongress.com
From: [10,000 talkers]
Re: Severely Disappointed
Congressman Kirk,
As a former constituent, I would like to express how truly shocked and
disappointed I am in your recent decision to propose legislation that
would permit "penalties of up to 25 years in prison for a first-time
[marijuana] offense" (Chicago Tribune 06/15).
For over 30 years this country has waged war against its own citizens
over a non-addictive plant whose effects are milder than alcohol. 30
years later and marijuana has never been more potent or more popular,
and our country now boasts the highest incarceration rate in the
world.
1 in 10 African-American males in this country is incarcerated or on
probation/parole, but you don't care about that because there are few
African-Americans in your district. But do you know who you have a
lot of in your district? Teenagers. Teenagers with money, who, one
way or another, find pot.
I attended Greenbriar Elementary, Northbrook Junior High, and
Glenbrook North High School (where I was a state champion in policy
debate): I can tell you that more 1/4 of my classmates had tried
marijuana before entering high school and that more than half of the
students at GBN had tried pot at least once. Is this something to
celebrate? Obviously not. But if 30 years of a failed war on drugs
has taught us anything, it is that increased prison sentences do not
deter drug use, especially in teenagers who in all probability don't
even know the potential sentences. I'm not even going to mention the
shockingly high number of parents in the north shore who could fall
victim to your proposed legislation.
Who do you think you're targeting with this law? Poor people can't
pay $600 for an ounce of marijuana when they only make $500 in a
month. The only people who can afford such high-priced marijuana are
your own constituents, the affluent students and parents of the north
shore.
I have never been arrested, but I have friends who have been arrested
for possession of marijuana in Northbrook. One went on to graduate
from Harvard and now is at the top of his class at [] Law School
working at a top law firm downtown, another is at [] Law
working for the prosecutor's office, and another who was in the
smoke-filled car with them actually worked for you. Their lives would
have been completely destroyed had they been sentenced to 25 years in
prison, and the community, while gaining nothing, would have lost
everything these individuals have to offer (and hundreds of thousands
in incarceration costs).
Maybe you don't realize this, but the only individuals capable of
measuring the marijuana's potency level are scientists in a lab. Your
average north shore teenager (or their parent) has no way of knowing
whether the marijuana that they got from another north shore student
or parent has a THC content of 14.9% or 15% - a potential difference
of 24 years in terms of the potential jail sentence. Your proposed
legislation has no hope of accomplishing its goals and will only serve
to destroy the lives of the hundreds of your constituents (and
thousands nationwide) who are arrested every year with absolutely no
way of knowing the THC level of their marijuana.
You once gave me hope in the Republican party. Sure, Mitch McConnell
might be a hack, but I always thought Mark Kirk was above all the
hysterics and partisan maneuvering that has alienated every segment of
the population from the Republican Party in recent years. If you've
ever seen the West Wing, I considered you to be the Alan Alda of
Republicans. I was clearly mistaken.
I cannot tell you how disappointed I am,
[10,000 talkers]
Until today, I had always thought that, even though Kirk was a Republican, he wasn't one of your run-of-the-mill completely evil and insane Republicans. He always came off as better than that: economically conservative but socially liberal - I can live with that. In fact, Kirk's platform seemed way more in line with my own personal views than the generally bible-touting Kentucky Democrats who only really concentrate on bringing in more pork. When I was a senior in high school Kirk came and talked to my political science class and seemed rational enough. Or so I thought.
I don't know if I've been clear about my position on the issue yet: marijuana is a plant that should be legal and regulated no differently than grapes; there is no rational basis for marijiana's criminalization; and one cannot seriously advocate marijuana's continued prohibition without completely ignoring reality. Yet Kirk seems to believe that increasing penalties based on a distinction that is almost impossible to determine outside a laboratory will work, because, the drug war has been so successful?
Anyways, I was so angry upon reading about Kirk's proposal that I wrote my second-ever letter to Congress:
To: info@kirkforcongress.com
From: [10,000 talkers]
Re: Severely Disappointed
Congressman Kirk,
As a former constituent, I would like to express how truly shocked and
disappointed I am in your recent decision to propose legislation that
would permit "penalties of up to 25 years in prison for a first-time
[marijuana] offense" (Chicago Tribune 06/15).
For over 30 years this country has waged war against its own citizens
over a non-addictive plant whose effects are milder than alcohol. 30
years later and marijuana has never been more potent or more popular,
and our country now boasts the highest incarceration rate in the
world.
1 in 10 African-American males in this country is incarcerated or on
probation/parole, but you don't care about that because there are few
African-Americans in your district. But do you know who you have a
lot of in your district? Teenagers. Teenagers with money, who, one
way or another, find pot.
I attended Greenbriar Elementary, Northbrook Junior High, and
Glenbrook North High School (where I was a state champion in policy
debate): I can tell you that more 1/4 of my classmates had tried
marijuana before entering high school and that more than half of the
students at GBN had tried pot at least once. Is this something to
celebrate? Obviously not. But if 30 years of a failed war on drugs
has taught us anything, it is that increased prison sentences do not
deter drug use, especially in teenagers who in all probability don't
even know the potential sentences. I'm not even going to mention the
shockingly high number of parents in the north shore who could fall
victim to your proposed legislation.
Who do you think you're targeting with this law? Poor people can't
pay $600 for an ounce of marijuana when they only make $500 in a
month. The only people who can afford such high-priced marijuana are
your own constituents, the affluent students and parents of the north
shore.
I have never been arrested, but I have friends who have been arrested
for possession of marijuana in Northbrook. One went on to graduate
from Harvard and now is at the top of his class at [] Law School
working at a top law firm downtown, another is at [] Law
working for the prosecutor's office, and another who was in the
smoke-filled car with them actually worked for you. Their lives would
have been completely destroyed had they been sentenced to 25 years in
prison, and the community, while gaining nothing, would have lost
everything these individuals have to offer (and hundreds of thousands
in incarceration costs).
Maybe you don't realize this, but the only individuals capable of
measuring the marijuana's potency level are scientists in a lab. Your
average north shore teenager (or their parent) has no way of knowing
whether the marijuana that they got from another north shore student
or parent has a THC content of 14.9% or 15% - a potential difference
of 24 years in terms of the potential jail sentence. Your proposed
legislation has no hope of accomplishing its goals and will only serve
to destroy the lives of the hundreds of your constituents (and
thousands nationwide) who are arrested every year with absolutely no
way of knowing the THC level of their marijuana.
You once gave me hope in the Republican party. Sure, Mitch McConnell
might be a hack, but I always thought Mark Kirk was above all the
hysterics and partisan maneuvering that has alienated every segment of
the population from the Republican Party in recent years. If you've
ever seen the West Wing, I considered you to be the Alan Alda of
Republicans. I was clearly mistaken.
I cannot tell you how disappointed I am,
[10,000 talkers]
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Phish Live From Some Guy's iPhone
This might be the greatest thing to ever happen to me, especially considering my recent plea to Phish to broadcast their shows live on the internet:
Phish. Streaming. Live. Free.
I just watched the opening notes of "Squirming Coil." I didn't have to wait for Twitter to tell me what's playing, nor will I have to wait until tomorrow to hear the show (though the next day's recordings will undoubtedly be higher quality).
This guy might single-handedly be responsible for pushing Phish into giving us live broadcasts in the near-future. There are 3,825 people watching through this guy's iPhone right now. In mathematical terms - 3,825 people x $10 a person = $38,250 (equivalent of 765 tickets) Phish isn't making. Who could say no to this much extra money? Even if just to give it all to some Charity like the Mockingbird Foundation or the NADCP, Phish's management would have to be complete eediots to pass this opportunity up.
Phish. Streaming. Live. Free.
I just watched the opening notes of "Squirming Coil." I didn't have to wait for Twitter to tell me what's playing, nor will I have to wait until tomorrow to hear the show (though the next day's recordings will undoubtedly be higher quality).
This guy might single-handedly be responsible for pushing Phish into giving us live broadcasts in the near-future. There are 3,825 people watching through this guy's iPhone right now. In mathematical terms - 3,825 people x $10 a person = $38,250 (equivalent of 765 tickets) Phish isn't making. Who could say no to this much extra money? Even if just to give it all to some Charity like the Mockingbird Foundation or the NADCP, Phish's management would have to be complete eediots to pass this opportunity up.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Dear Phish: Let Me Watch Live
I should preface this by stating for the record that I love Phish. For me, to say that Phish is merely the greatest band to come out of the 80s and 90s would be an understatement; they are probably the greatest single force to have ever graced this humble planet.
When Phish announced their imminent reunion last fall, I was beyond ecstatic. When my girlfriend scored tickets to all three reunion shows in Hampton through the Phish Ticketing Lottery, I started counting down the minutes. Fuck Christmas, is it March yet?
I knew that seeing every Phish show this Summer was probably not a realistic goal, considering my employment/educational/financial situations, not to mention tickets to Red Rocks and St. Louis being nearly impossible for less than $300 a pop.
It's nice and all that Phish is staying current with the latest techno-fads by posting live setlists on Twitter, but what I want to know is why I can't watch Phish streaming from Jones Beach right now. It's not as if the technology doesn't exist: Coventry was simulcast five years ago and The Allman Brothers recently raised the bar with Moogis.
I already have my tickets to all of next week's shows, but that's not enough for me. I want to see tonight's show right now. Over 13,000 people signed the petition for Phish to simulcast the Hampton shows, yet Phish has remained silent on the issue. It's not like simulcasting would hurt ticket sales: watching on the computer will always be second to the live experience.
If Phish cares enough about making Scotty B happy to bust out "Curtis Loew" at Fenway, then why can't they placate another couple thousand phans?
Not to mention that this would be a goldmine for the band. I would happily pay $10 to watch the show live on my computer; I would even be willing to pay more. In fact, Phish could potentially make more money from online simulcasts than from tickets for certain high-demand shows like Red Rocks and St. Louis, where ticket demand greatly exceeds supply.
When Phish announced their imminent reunion last fall, I was beyond ecstatic. When my girlfriend scored tickets to all three reunion shows in Hampton through the Phish Ticketing Lottery, I started counting down the minutes. Fuck Christmas, is it March yet?
I knew that seeing every Phish show this Summer was probably not a realistic goal, considering my employment/educational/financial situations, not to mention tickets to Red Rocks and St. Louis being nearly impossible for less than $300 a pop.
It's nice and all that Phish is staying current with the latest techno-fads by posting live setlists on Twitter, but what I want to know is why I can't watch Phish streaming from Jones Beach right now. It's not as if the technology doesn't exist: Coventry was simulcast five years ago and The Allman Brothers recently raised the bar with Moogis.
I already have my tickets to all of next week's shows, but that's not enough for me. I want to see tonight's show right now. Over 13,000 people signed the petition for Phish to simulcast the Hampton shows, yet Phish has remained silent on the issue. It's not like simulcasting would hurt ticket sales: watching on the computer will always be second to the live experience.
If Phish cares enough about making Scotty B happy to bust out "Curtis Loew" at Fenway, then why can't they placate another couple thousand phans?
Not to mention that this would be a goldmine for the band. I would happily pay $10 to watch the show live on my computer; I would even be willing to pay more. In fact, Phish could potentially make more money from online simulcasts than from tickets for certain high-demand shows like Red Rocks and St. Louis, where ticket demand greatly exceeds supply.
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