Edwin MacPhisto

SP, you left out the money shot. Boo.

The most exciting thing on there for me: the Beastie Boys. I don't know if they'll still have it after taking half a decade off, but I hope so. I love every damn album of theirs. Next up is Nine Inch Nails. It'll probably suck, but I'd like to hear what Reznor's been up to since '99. I stand by most of the music he's done, but since I'm not 15 anymore, he's going to have either go all-instrumental or stop being such an angsty ponce for me to get into it at all.

I don't get why people still remain excited about the Axl Rose Band. He hasn't written any songs worth noting in the past decade, and he's turned into a tubby little man with silly braids. "Oh My God" should be evidence enough that he's just plain awful without everyone else behind him.

Modest Mouse, "Medication." Ambientalicious.

C'mon, it's the franchise's first Super Bowl, and one of the biggest non-UNC sports events to come out of North Carolina. OF COURSE they're going to have parades, pep rallies, and hype up the local fans. Let the guys have some fun.

"Sexual High," a mash-up of Marvin Gaye on "Sexual Healing" and the instrumental of Radiohead's "High and Dry" by Go Home Productions. Strangely soothing.

Nay, the "goodbye" is good, but it's the "You claimed all this time..." part wherein the majority of the accompaniment drops out. Slick. R.E.M., "Losing My Religion," 2:57-3:03. "That was just a dream." Kills me every damn time. One of my ultimates is definitely in the Pixies' "Debaser," right after the first chorus. It wiggles.

MTV also thinks 50 Cent is a gangsta rapper, and Linkin Park metal But, but, but 50 Cent has been shot 5 Times and his posse beat up Ja Rule and stole his bling bling... ...Why wouldn't you call 50-Cent a gangsta rapper? I mean, not because of the getting shot or anything - he IS one of the guys who raps heavily about guns, money, and living large. Someone looking for a gangsta rapper would be much better off turning to 50 than to Talib Kweli.

Man, I would say the exact opposite of what you guys are suggesting with the "sink into the character/inner self" thing. I mean, I guess it's okay for a first draft, but if you get into a situation like that, you're going to give almost zero attention to any supporting characters or story elements, and you'll end up with a character study that's regrettably shallow outside of one good portrayal. Getting into a character's mindset is fine, I guess, as long as you remember that not everything in the narrative is going to be in line with his mindset. Unless you're specifically writing this as a sort of post-modern "character controls the narrative/strictly through his POV" thing a la most of American Psycho, which is a really, really difficult task to pull off well, especially if you haven't written a lot before.

Eh. He looks a lot less ridiculous hyping up the crowd when you realize that he's pointing at supporters and that the whole thing has the atmosphere of a rambunctious pep rally. The rebel yell is still brutally retarded, but I think he can be forgiven for a two-second transgression.

Thanks, metroman. It certainly gives it a lot more context.

I care about this. Deeply.

I write fiction, usually short stories. I usually just get hit with an interesting idea or relationship sometime during the day, sit down, and start typing. If I'm in a class or out somewhere, I'll write a note on my hand. The first few pages of stuff I write on any project is uniformly awful, but very quickly I can get the good ideas out of it and really go to town. As long as you don't mind writing trash and then pushing it aside when you get to what it is you really want to write about, it's not too tough. Once I'm already into it, I generally read. A lot. And while reading other people's books, an image resonates, or sometimes just a word. Then I toss down the book, run to the computer, and write whatever I can until I get tired. On a tight schedule, I'll listen to music instead of read - it's not as good as reading for inspiration, but it works a lot faster, since you have sounds, words, and the blend of the two all at once. The more you read (and the more styles of writing you read), the better a writer you'll become. Period. Basically, you just have to be patient. And be ready to throw out a huge amount of what you've done once you get to revising. You can't really write a great story in a few days, unless you've got either an all-time amazing concept, incredible first-draft skills, or enough cocaine to stay awake for 168 hours. Or you could be Ernest Hemingway.

Overall I don't think I'd fight you on that, but there really are some incredible producers out there who make music out of nothing, or out of the most obscure and wonderful sources. Timbaland, for example, doesn't really use samples - he makes all the sounds himself, be they keyboards, beatbox, or whatever. Then you've got people like DJ Shadow, Rjd2, and the Dust Brothers (the guys behind the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique) who created nutball sound collages from literally hundreds of sources apiece. You're right, though - rock is more "musical" in most cases. The most important thing about music in rap is how it complements the lyrics. In the best efforts, I really appreciate the balance it creates in the overall song.

Kerry: 100% (Weird.) Edwards: 93% Dean: 90% Kucinich: 87% Clark: 82% Lieberman: 82% Sharpton: 78% Bush: 45% Really, any of the non-joke Dems remaining (Kerry, Edwards, Dean, Clark) still have my consideration.

Give it time. The songwriting is a bit cheesy, particularly during some of the raps, but it's a careful-listening album sonically. The textures aren't as immediately accessible as those first four incredible tracks on Mezzanine, but I don't think much else in the music world is. I think I probably like it better than Mezzanine overall, but it did take me a long time to warm up to it. Start by listening to "Safe From Harm," "Hymn of the Big Wheel," "One Love," and "Unfinished Sympathy" (from where I sit, the best song they've ever done) over and over again. I recommend headphones or big-time loudness. I'd be really surprised if, within a few weeks, something doesn't flip the "enchanting" switch for you.

I love, love, these episodes. The City Of references were golden. Eve was foxy. ANDREW AND CORDY. Life is good in Joss country. Guess Andrew's been out helping find slayers...and, uh, dressing like a Hogwarts prefect.

So what do you do with Public Enemy, Mos Def, Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, Rakim, and a million others? Would they just be "general rap," like you put Maiden as general metal? I don't think rap really needs many classification beyond a few particular aesthetic labels, but strictly classifying as gangsta or East Coast/Dirty South/etc. leaves a lot out. I mean, I'd put Dr. Dre down as both West Coast style and gangsta. Run-DMC couldn't really be called either, unless you want to call them East Coast just cause they live there.

I was trying to figure out who on the board this could possibly be, but I can't think of anyone who would keep this up for so long when it's stopped being funny long ago. Wake me up when you go anal.

...what money? I'm so lost here. Anyway, I watched the speech. Well-delivered. Funniest moment was the Democratic applause on "Provisions of the Patriot Act expire next year." Didn't appreciate the return to weapons of mass destruction blather, thought Bush's criticism of "activist judges" going against American opinion was well-juxtaposed with a shot of a black couple, and thought he blew over a shitty economy/job situation well enough that most viewers will go along with it. I felt a bit disgusted when he implied the potential necessity of the Ban Gay Marriage amendment if a judicial push for it continues, then immediately went on to discuss the importance of religious beliefs as sacrosanct. I also don't like his push to add funding specifically to abstinence programs in schools, but that's nothing new. Overall, didn't really change my opinion too much. A good Democratic ticket in November will probably have me voting to revoke current Republican social policies more than anything else.

::drops a monster deuce on Silent::

A long time ago - a good year or so ago - most people I talked to thought either Edwards or Dean would be the big name. And now, after a year of one being the Number One Guy and another doing nothing, they're in the same spot. Wild. I guess I should get my Florida absentee ballot, since it might actually be necessary after all.

Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna." Goddamn, I can't stop listening to this remaster. The sound's so good, and I know this is going to end with me going out and buying every damn one of them. Later, checking account.

Most recently: finally, an actual copy of Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, and all the Smiths' proper albums thanks to a beautiful Half.com deal. Also got the remastered Blonde on Blonde for $15. It's spread across two CDs, which is kinda fruity, but the sound quality is great. Also, my roommate found a used copy of MC Hammer's post-9/11 album for $3, so we've been giggling at that. I encourage anyone looking to shit himself with giddiness to download "No Stoppin' Us (USA)" or "A Soldier's Letter," if you can somehow find them.

No, it won't play in any CD player. It's just a data storage thing. There are a few out there that will play MP3 data CDs, though when MP3 players and iPods started to become the big thing, the market on those thinned. I have something around 4000 mp3s, but don't use Kazaa. A good chunk of those are actually CDs I own and have just ripped to get on my iPod. Also, let it be said that, if you don't have an iPod yet, just get one. Save up some cash, work an extra shift - the 15 gig one is only $299 now. As long as you've got firewire or USB2, it's totally worth it.