One Girl Revolution

1) Who is this Anthony Bourdain person I keep hearing about on my flist?

2) Do you think I'd like him (via his books/TV shows/whatever, if not personally)?

3) Should I start paying attention to him and his books/shows/whatever?

4) If I should start taking interest, where is a good place to start?

5) Anything else I should know about the man?

I bought myself the Trainspotting soundtrack on Friday, and I'm pleased to report that it's one of the better impulse buys I've made. (Technically, it wasn't an impulse buy - I'd been meaning to get it, and I came across it for $10 at FYE. That's not impulse, it's stalking the prey and waiting for the right opportunity to strike.) Anyway, I have become extremely enamored of one of the songs; it's called Mile End and it's by Pulp.

Anyone out there a Pulp fan? Anyone care to enlighten me? Are they a good band overall, or do they just have a few decent songs? Which are their best albums? Any albums I should stay away from?

The floor is officially open to discussion. Comment, discuss, and bicker away.

( In which kiji gets spritually contemplative and pleads for feedback. )

It's the first post of 2006! Guess I should make it a good one.

May anyone who stumbles across this message have a wonderful New Year, filled with all the hope and possibility in the cosmos. And let's not forget those who suffered during the many tragedies of 2005 - let's work together to help them recover and make 2006 a year for positive change on every front.

I'm going to sit down at some point and draw up some New Year's resolutions, concentrating on the areas of my life that are of greatest importance to me. Don't worry, I won't bore you all with them. (Unless you want me to.)

I can't wait to see what 2006 has in store for us. Actually, no. I'm excited to see what we, the citizens of this planet, have in store for 2006. I'm hoping it's all good!

Question: Does this make my butt look big?

Answer: If you're an American, then yes, probably. Of course, it could just be that you have a big butt to begin with.

St. Bob is at it again.

"Whether for 2006 or 2008, VoteYesMarriage.com is devoted to giving the people the chance to protect marriage from the clutches of the bureaucracy."

Wait, what? I'm confused. Are they...banning marriage in California? Why, that's shameful! People should be allowed to get married if they want to! Why would anyone want to ban marriage? It's an outrage! It's reprehensible! It's...

...not that way at all. In fact, it looks like the California Legislature actually passed a bill that makes the right to get married universal and accessible to all of the state's citizens, regardless of sexual orientation. (The Governator vetoed it, sadly.)

So...wait. Why does marriage need saving again?

ETA: "I told the police that I am an honorable father and I slaughtered my dishonored daughter and the three other girls," he said. "I wish that I get a chance to eliminate the boy she ran away with and set his home on fire." - The words of a Pakistani man who killed his four daughters - three of whom were under the age of 10 - in an "honor killing".


***

I'd like to know more about AFI. I only have one of their CDs, Sing the Sorrow, but I don't know anything about their work prior to the major label release. Can anyone out there recommend other AFI albums worth hearing?

Ok, so maybe this is a stupid question, but...

Am I missing something with regards to the band Fallout Boy?

I mean, they are everywhere. They are falling out of my music magazines. They are falling out of my television. They will, occasionally, fall out of my radio. They are ubiquitous. They are adored. They are hailed. They are, apparently, The Next Big Thing.

Which makes me wonder if I have something inherently wrong with me. Because I have heard Fallout Boy. And I wasn't all that impressed.

I'm not saying that they're a bad band. I'm just saying that to me, they were nothing to write home about. They were just kind of...I don't know. They were Fallout Boy, I suppose. Which is a good thing or a bad thing, depending.

Is it alright to say I'm not that crazy about them? Or will the LJ lynch mob come after me?

Is this going to jeopardize my attempts to be a rock journalist? Is liking Fallout Boy a requirement?

Feedback is appreciated. Thank you.

Some notes before we begin:

- Thanks to eponabast, I have decided that I must learn more about The Pogues. Yes, I know I can look them up on Wikipedia, but I want some opinions about their music, their best albums, which album I should start with, etc. Any help you can give me in this regard would be greatly appreciated.

- I am out of Darjeeling. How the hell can I be out of Darjeeling? I haven't had any in weeks, and now it's gone.

On the bright side, I suppose that this will just give me an opportunity to look around for Fair Trade Darjeeling, if it exists. That or visit the local tea store and do the whole, "Think global, buy local" thing. Thoughts?

***

And now, the news.

So, how do you translate, "Get your hands off me, you damn dirty ape!" into Russian?

Congress celebrates the holiday spirit by saluting the lower classes with a raised middle finger.

God dammit. Now Iran is banning Western music. Can't Freddie Mercury get a god damn break?


PETER, FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST! Didn't we have this conversation two weeks ago? I understand that you're an addict, but weren't you trying to get clean? I know it's hard, I know it's going to suck, but this is getting completely out of hand. You need to get help - real help, as whatever you did before obviously had no effect. Dying young isn't glamorous, Pete. This isn't me being a fan (in fact, I've never heard your music); this is me being genuinely concerned for the welfare of another human being.

***

Oh, and before I forget: What's up with Gogol Bordello? I keep hearing about them, but I haven't actually heard them. Worth a listen?

Secret Santa Meme

I'm so tired of all the hate memes during the holidays. Remember the days when people drank themselves brave on boxed wine, and took out their aggressions on their own families instead of strangers on the internets? Good times. Good times there.

Anyway, I of the hating memes, quizzes, and most internet lint have decided to host an anonymous meme. Yeah, I've lost my mind. But in a good way, because you and I are going to combat some of that hate going around with good old-fashioned holiday cheer before we all land on the naughty list.

This is how we're all going to become someone's Secret Santa: You comment to this post with your user name like so </a></b></a>yourusername, and then you make a post in your own journal telling people you've done it and what the Secret Santa Meme is about. After that, people will comment anonymously (or not) with things they love, cherish, and admire about you giving a surprise gift of an ego boost. Of course, being anonymous isn't mandatory and if you want to go all out under your real username, be my guest.

But make sure you go through and leave a few nice things to say about other people. It's all about spreading cheer and making someone's day a little better.

Right here. Spread the love!

I'm going to go ahead and do it. Why not?

ETA: Go here if you've nice things to say.