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Ian MacKaye: Incredibly Accurate

I saw Ian MacKaye (Fugazi / Dischord) speak in college and have always respected his insight into the music industry but this interview takes my respect to an entirely new level. His somewhat lofty metaphors comparing record execs to people pillaging fertile soil is surprisingly solid, as his take on "drinking from the river of music." My description is making it all sound a bit absurd but his mentality on it all is refreshing - he doesn't see the music industry as in trouble at all, he sees it as finally getting a breath of fresh air from the corporate twisting of artistic expression.

...So in my mind with the sales of records, the industry has done their best to claim ownership of music but they don't-- they only own the things that they sell [CD's, vinyl, etc], so when people who are songwriters say, "That's my property and if you give it away for free then I lose my incentive," then, well, good riddance.

Friday Videos - Sept 19th, 2008

This embed style will probably not become the norm but sometimes it's nice to try something different out - keep in mind there are seven videos in the above youtube player, not just one. Obviously I don't want to be restricted to only YouTube videos but this does give a nice big viewport and contains it all in one embed - better for everyone. You can view the individual videos here - consists of Animation Mix, Prison Prison Break, Bear vs Ike, Escape de Sofia, George Takei on Homophobia, Brainscan and Political Dance-Off.

Have a great weekend.

Terrifying Sweaters

Jessica had me check out this Henkel ad campaign featuring a series of individuals in contorted sweaters doing a variety of mundane tasks. Sitting on the couch watching TV has never been more terrifying than when done inside of an overly stretched sweater. Seriously.. it creeps me out.

Six Weird Videos - May 16th, 2008

A few notes:

• The MUTO short is beyond impressive.
• Batman on Drugs - you just need about 15 seconds of this one but the head bopping is mesmerizing.
• Not Today... courtesy of CMikesell. Best 9 seconds of video existing on the Internet today.
• O'Reilly Remix: Don't watch this if you're not into vulgarity, over reactions and hot dance beatz. If you've not seen the original, please go here. Mayor of Jerkville, USA. But I did die laughing at the remix.
• Treadmill Kittens: Please let this be the next Internet meme.. I could watch it all day. Watch it here since the owners disabled embedding (lame).
• Baby Fight - good concept, average execution.

Also, if you've not seen this video from The Bird and The Bee you are missing out - just from a technical standpoint it's impressive. Musically... they are destined for the next Zach Braff helmed project soundtrack.

Have a great weekend.

If you're still reading, this video is too crazy for words.

Green Porno

Green Porno is a series of shorts by Isabella Rossellini where she explains what life would be like if she were any number of different species of bugs. The lo-fi production values and "do it yourself" special effects are perfectly done. Some of the content is probably NSFW if you're boss isn't into things that happen in nature constantly but seeing her explain the way a bee colony works is completely worth the risk.

The Wolfcast

Michael Madrid has no less than 20 projects running around in his head at any given moment. This leads to an ebb and flow of content through his many venues but, if you're patient, results in some great output. The latest of his treats unleashed upon the world is the Gay Werewolf sponsored Wolfcast - a new iTunes available podcast.

The tracklisting lets you know right off that this is a dance mix in the truest sense - so if you're not into the idea of an hour long escapade featuring Jensen Sportag, Klaxons, Calvin Harris, Herbie Hancock and a bunch more you may want to skip this. Otherwise, snag this now.

Friday Videos - April 4th, 2008

Enjoy your weekend! I am off to NYC tomorrow to live / work / experience the city for a month (at least). It may take me a few days to get acclimated once I'm up there but once I do, mostly-regular posting will continue.

IFC: Relaunched!

Looks like IFC has redesigned and relaunched their site. Honestly, the previous design isn't something that stuck out in my mind and I don't recall it being that easy to use. Fortunately the powers that be seem to have noticed that as well and made the new site a lot easier to navigate and enjoy. I found myself watching a number of videos with minimal effort.

There are a few hiccups in the site (like these eMusic vids not loading) but that is all par for the course when transferring a giant content-filled site into a new design. They'll get worked out. I'm always pleased to see a company that I enjoy get themselves a better web presence and it appears that IFC has finally come through on that.

Friday Videos - January 25, 2008

That's it! Have a great weekend.. and if you're thinking of seeing the new Rambo, please consider these stats.

Friday Videos Holiday Spectacular - Dec 7th, 2007

The top two videos are full episodes and 110% worth watching. I realize not everyone has a spare 45 minutes lying around but please take time to watch them both at some point during the weekend. The GUBA video player controls are insane non-intuitive but it's the only place I could find the full episode.. turns out if you right-click the video you can play / pause at your leisure.

The Tyson clip is very NSFW but you have to see all the clips together.

The Vader Redux is a hilarious concept but waay too long. Do yourself a favor and stop watching it after about 30 - 40 seconds, you'll have the taste you need.

Enjoy your weekend.

Apes & Androids - Blood Moon

I've been following Apes & Androids for awhile now in hopes that they could fill the void of their previous project, Call Florence Pow. The band just announced that they'll be releasing Blood Moon "soon" and have put the first track up on their site for download. The music is dance-y, extremely layered and a bit crazed - a great combination. Personally I think "Golden Prize" isn't the best representation of what the band is capable of but I'm hoping it ends up being a nice tease for the forthcoming full length.