Edwin MacPhisto

I'm about to commit to paying somewhere around $900-1000/month to share a townhouse with two other people in a suburb of D.C. Take your California whinin' outta here! ...And send me a few bucks while you're at it.

I've only heard the big three Replacements albums. I suppose I'll branch out into the other ones at some point, but everyone tells me I'll be disappointed. I've been listening to tons of Roy Orbison and Sam Cooke lately. I could probably fudge a list just between those two guys. These lists are impossible for people like us that gobble up music incessantly, I think. Honestly, the only two songs on my list that I don't think could ever be bumped off by something greater/just different are "Temptation" and "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man." Oh, music!

Widmore. What was he in the show before this? I've forgotten entirely.

I saw the new MacBooks at an Apple Store this weekend. Very cool. They're much thinner than the old ones, and the 13" widescreen makes them look much more sophisticated. It's also more functional, considering the fact that they got a resolution bump. I love my Powerbook, but I'd definitely consider a MacBook if I was in the market for a good, relatively inexpensive laptop. That you can grab these things, which I think are a big improvement over the iBooks, for about $1100, is remarkable. The only weird thing is the glossy screen--it's kind of odd, and gets a bit of glare.

I'll consistently defend Eminem's first two albums (especially the first), which are funny, unique, and hold up very well. Funny, great wordplay. He's not the slouch Eric thinks he is--or wasn't, at least--nor is he even approaching "top 5 MCs" level, in my estimation. One great album, another very good album, and then an uninteresting career to follow. Whoever said Outkast is probably the closest so far, or Radiohead. In the case of Outkast, I'm not sure they've been prolific enough, or, more appropriately, stayed in the public consciousness for more than a year or so after the release of each album.

Same happened with me and 'My Favourite Dress'. The one other guy there who knew what it was clearly wanted to fuck me as well, which was awkward. Also, as Edwin named 'Left of the Dial', am I the only one who prefers 'Little Mascara'? From that album, I'll take "Hold My Life," "Bastards of Young" and "Here Comes a Regular" before either of those, but it's all good, so whatever. "I Will Dare" will always be my favorite 'mats song, though, It's really hard with them, because I love all the aforementioned songs. And "Androgynous." And "Kiss Me On the Bus." And "Alex Chilton." And "Can't Hardly Wait." And "Skyway." And a whole ton more. "Little Mascara" is probably a better song and goddamn it I'm listening to it now, and you might be right. I mean, "You and I sleep alone" and the "take care of ya"/mascara rhyme are just great. No, I think "Left of the Dial" might still be my favorite--it has the most visceral, instinctual impact for me--but fuck, they are so good. Can't believe I had heard almost nothing of this band just a year ago.

Baltimore is definitely bustling. The most big-college atmosphere place on that list is definitely UT. Across the board academically, it's California and UVA. If you're looking for a radio program, however, as in a broadcast journalism type program, I know UVA doesn't have one. I'm an alum who loves the school, but the closest they come to that is WTJU 91.1, a student-run radio station that's pretty cool and pretty fun, but that doesn't really do anything that you could get course credit for. The girls are quite hot, your accent will get you laid, and the football is good, if not great. Admission to games is free, and we play Miami next year if you want to see a big game. Beautiful town, very convenient, decent music scene, pretty affordable, and lots of different types of great parties. I don't really follow wrestling, but I know that WWE is coming here in July, and that there are always advertisements for a few small feds scattered around Virginia. If you want the east coast and academics, UVA is probably a good fit. I'm really fond of the whole mid-Atlantic region, so Towson might also be good, though I don't really know anything about them. If you have any UVA questions, you can PM me. I know more than is healthy about this place.

"Promiscuous" (or "Promiscuous Girl," depending on who's sourcing it) is great. You guys are fuddyduddies.

Awesome. As you might guess, "Vapour Trail" might make my top 15 or 20. Fucking great.

Prince - I Could Never Take The Place of Your Man New Order - Temptation Sam Cooke - You Send Me/Bring it on Home to Me (from Live at the the Harlem Square Club 1963) The Wrens - Rest Your Head Tom Waits - Downtown Train The Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck Pixies - Debaser Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945 The Replacements - Left of the Dial

Terrible accident, fantastic album. You, sir, dislike fun. Or shoddy production. I've actually listened to this three times in the last week, I think.

Very good live. I saw them on a whim and they sounded lots better than they do on most of the album tracks. The aforementioned really, really good tracks were still the best live, but everything else stepped up a lot more. They just played loud and weird, and it was pretty cool.

"Some L.A. Niggaz" and "Murder Ink" are really good tracks on the second half. Three fucking mics? You can say Obie Trice had fantastic singles, but the rest of the album was a three. I can accept that. But 2001 had like... 6 singles on it. All of them great. Personally, I would give 2001 a 5, The Source initially gave it a 4.5 because they weren't sure it deserved a 5 because of all the guest MCs that Dre had. They went back and gave it a 5. Why is one album with great singles and a so-so to decent remainder different from another album with the same qualifications? I don't care one way or another about Obie Trice, but I don't think Dre gets a pass just cause he's Dre. Hitman and Knockturnal take up way too much space; the singles are great, but the rest of the album doesn't measure up, and those awful guest spots kill it. I don't really consider a 3 out of 5 a bad rating for the album when you consider all that, and I freely admit that I still listen to about half of that album all the damn time. I'm with you on Kanye West, I think. His first two albums I loved for a month or two, and I still like both quite a bit, even when the beats weren't surprising me any more. They hold up pretty well, they're varied and fun, and you're right about his career arc; if he can filter out a little more of the "I'm the best" posturing, which really doesn't suit him, and stop doing pretentious crap like the "Diamonds" video, he's going to build a bona fide classic sooner rather than later.

Albums that don't belong on there at all: Chronic 2001 - Fantastic singles. "The Watcher" is very good too. And that's it. There is nothing special about the entire second half of the album. 3 at best. Licensed to Ill - Fair enough if it was given at the time of release. Otherwise, Paul's Boutique is way better. The Beasties' debut is fun, but just silly, really, and not doing much different technically than Run DMC was. I think Check Your Head is their best album, but I bet it's not hip-hop enough for the Source. (I echo comments to the effect of "the Source is retarded," by the by. Dumbass magazine.) People's Instinctive Travels... - Good album, but not perfect enough to warrant this. Midnight Marauders would have been a better choice. I agree that Slim Shady deserves a spot, and probably Liquid Swords as well. Eminem Show, though? I know we've talked about Eminem's albums a lot on here, but I'll say it again: that album is boring, contrived, and the culmination of everything lame about Marshall Mathers' shtick. Slim Shady still sounds fresh; The Eminem Show sounds terrible.

Yesterday I downloaded Red, Discipline, Three of a Perfect Pair, Lark's Tongue in Aspic, and Starless and Bible Black. We'll see how I like these boys.

I dunno how that trade works for Minnesota. I'd think they'd be more inclined to take a deal with Chicago, i.e. one with better draft picks and no uncomfortably oversized Lamar Odom contract. Though if they're looking to rebuild, you could do worse than grooming Bynum for a few years.

I missed the game, but check out this stat line: Rip Hamilton, 1/7 from the field...for 17 points. 15/18 from the foul line. I guess they smacked him every time it looked like he was going to make a shot.

You can't resist the lure of Men's Express. Someday I'll actually buy White Light White Heat, even though it's my least favorite VU album (cue outrage). It's only $10, everywhere. Maybe that day will be today.

I hadn't thought of the Bulls dealing both of their picks, but it makes sense. The team's so young that they don't really need any more 20-21 year-old guys for the time being, especially if it means keeping most of the Nocioni/Hinrich/Deng/Gordon/Duhon collective.

I've never heard Songs for Drella (and will now attempt to), but that's kind of a strange comparison, since Cale had nothing to do with the Velvet Underground by the time they were making Loaded.

Neither team is playing a lick of defense in Suns/Clippers. This is gonna be a fun series. Also: how huge was signing Tim Thomas for the Suns? What did they have to pay him, a million bucks? He's been tremendous in the post-season, and is pretty much the epitome of a great, cheap, late-season addition.

Two of those guys--at least one of which would likely have to be Hinrich or Gordon--and the pick from the Knicks would probably be enough, if Minnesota's looking to unload him. Though I'm not really sure what the rules are as far contracts matching when you've got a draft pick included.

One reason I like Boogie Nights is that it's full of fantastic scenes like the Molina/firecrackers/80s hits scene. The porn scene between Julianne Moore and Marky Mark, which is actually really sweet; the hilarious Brock Landers & Chest Rockwell adventures; the long tracking shots and countdown to the 80s on New Year's; everything Don Cheadle does; and all the pathetic collapses of the characters towards the end of the film, when they're brought lowest. And rollerskating dance party, yeah! It all flows together really well for me; the editing is organic and natural, and the whole production does a great job of balancing joy and total despair. Really cool, really fun movie. And since we're in the music folder, it's worth noting that the soundtrack is over-the-top great, and functions like a song-based soundtrack should, providing context, mood, and a sense of time. Don't get enough of that.

Four Square was the shit. Sometime last year, a few of my friends and I got extremely substance-addled and spontaneously started a game for nostalgia's sake. I think I was better at it when I was 10.

4-2 was funny. So was "Raja Bell? I don't know this kid." Great series on and off the court, except for a disappointing game tonight. Great blowout to watch if you dig the Suns, though.