Angry and Sloppy

Liberals and their 9/11 truther-level conspiracy theories Re: Trump

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 06:02:00 +0000

cross posted at https://inkcloudthoughts.tumblr.com/post/176184958648/liberals-and-their-911-truther-level-conspiracy

POST-SCRIPT CAVEAT: I wrote the rough draft of this Thursday 19th, 2018 in the middle of the night, with absolute sleep deprivation and some Klonopin withdrawal kicking in. I couldn’t sleep because things were bothering me and this what follows sums up a big part of what was sticking in my craw. Partly: I am VERY uncomfortable about throwing the around the word “Treason”. I hopefully address that discomfort properly in this. I haven’t made a public blog in a long time, but this is very much a long the lines of my old blog Angry and Sloppy, except I’m 43, not 30 years old, and I will hence cross post it there. Ok, then, on to more caveats and apologies.

(START OF MAIN BLOG POST) I apologize for the title of the post. But I’m just fed up and have to rant. Not quite a manifesto, or a Danifesto, or a Rantifesto. But I’m seeing my liberal friends going OUT OF THEIR COLLECTIVE MINDS regarding Trump and the Russian Conspiracy to Destroy America. And I want to scream.

First, the requisite but ridiculous caveat: I think that Trump is a reprehensible human being. At the very least he is a woman-hating, serial sexual-abuser. If he is not clinically narcissistic*, at least he is effectively an absolutely self-centered person with no empathy--perhaps a borderline sociopath. His racism may not be totally conscious, but nonetheless he is racist. He’s scum and he surrounds himself with scum. That’s the most generous assessment I can give him giving him the benefit of the doubt. I think it’s quite possible he is an explicit racist with real white supremacist ideas and race theories, but, again, given his muddled, unsubtle mind, he may not be a full on crypto-fascist--but the distinction seems moot, given the love he’s earned by actual Neo-Nazis. He’s emboldening racists: so effectively we have an explicit white supremacist in the White House. Given this litany of execrable characteristics he’s most likely even worse than my most generous assessment. To top it off he’s probably senile! It’s hard to tell: His ego is so engorged that I doubt he can adequately think rationally beyond his furious pussy-grabbing impulses that have been cultivated and encouraged over the years that he’s relied upon: as a person of privilege, a self-promoting entertainer, capitalist frontman and professional bully. More on my requisite contempt for Trump later.

1. TREASON. Growing up I had not heard liberals throw this word around much. Treason is a nationalistic idea. It’s a militaristic idea. I think because in the past the overtones of that word are severely embedded in McCarthyism. To have a conception of treason, you have to have a pretty strong Nationalistic Fervor in the idea of America. You have to think that there’s something pretty special and great about America. So you will have to pardon my cynicism, but I don’t really think there’s anything that special or great about America. I love people in this country; I love certain aspects of America. I lived abroad for years, and I really missed it here. I love Film Noir, John Coltrane and the Ramones, but I am not going to pledge my beautiful mind nor put faith in a nation-state and proclaim it is all around a “good thing” more than a “bad thing”. A country founded on slavery and genocide; A country that systematically breaks up families (I’m just talking about the “legal” residents!) in the name of rule of law through its entirely unjust criminal justice system and prison-industrial complex; engages in the mass slaughter of people around the world; allies with murderous regimes around the world to maintain its empire. etc... all the Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Michelle Alexander stuff. You know the story. Republicans called Barack Obama a traitor the entirety of his presidency. They still call Hillary Clinton a traitor. So, in the name of all that is good, can you honestly tell me that the word “traitor” in the year 2018 means anything outside of reactionary nationalism or the context of The Cold War? What the hell? Is Trump a Rosenberg?

I think about treason in this way: For treason to be a thing, something that is as intangible as a geopolitical state must become a tangible thing that you can betray. As an example: betraying an individual, a person. The only way I can reify this abstract idea is by considering “America” the “American People.” [Thank you to Anthony for teaching me the word “reify”. Hope I used it correctly.] So, according to the majority of liberals and Democrats, and a few Republicans, Trump has committed treason. He has backstabbed the people of the United States of America. Lock him up! Put him in chains! Michael Moore proclaims. Why? Well he badmouthed our intelligence agencies.

SAY WHAT?

2. FUCK THE CIA AND THE FBI. One of the most surprising developments of the past two years, (to me, as I just might be totally naive), is the sudden faith of Democrats in the FBI and the CIA. I mean it’s not surprising that our worthless Democratic representatives decry Trump for being dismissive of our intel agencies. But for anyone who considers themselves educated and “progressive”, have you lost your mind? The CIA and FBI are some of the worst institutions in the history of humankind. The CIA illegally overthrows governments, conducts shadow wars, and... really, GOD KNOWS WHAT ELSE they have done, are doing, and are planning to do. The agency itself probably doesn’t even know because it compartamentalizes its operations and has long been the opaque vanguard tendril of American Imperialism. There is no oversight and transparency in our intelligence agencies. Honestly, I don’t know what they do, except spread misery. The FBI, since its inception has been the actual thought police of America. I don’t need to list the abuses of the FBI and the CIA here...IT’S NOT NEWS HOW HORRIBLE THESE AGENCIES ARE. And, astoundingly, Hillary Clinton probably lost the 2016 election because of actions of the FBI! And now liberals deferentially clutch to the words of former FBI DIRECTOR (READ: TOTAL SLIMEBALL) Robert Mueller, one of the pitchmen of the disastrous and genocidal Iraq war, to illuminate us with his special FBI-powers about traitorous Trump and the Russian plot to overthrow America.

3. ELECTION INTERFERENCE AND OUTSIDE AGITATORS. Using the word McCarthyism seems so anachronistic because there is no Soviet Union and hence only one superpower. It seems SO strange and anachronistic to me because both daddy McCarthy and daddy Stalin are long dead. I know the Crimea annexation, and the consolidation of Putin’s power is worrisome to all people who have hope for a better world. But the USA broke Russia in the 90s. Is Russia a contender on the world stage? Of course. But it does not threaten the American Empire. The GDP of Russia as of 2016 was about 1.3 billion USD. Seems like a lot. What’s the US GDP? Oh, ONLY 18.6 TRILLION USD. Russia might have more time zones and the Trans-Siberian Railroad, but our economy is 14 times bigger. (Unsurprisingly, California’s GDP is about twice that of Russia.) And anyway EVERYONE knows that China is the next contender for economic super heavyweight. Yet, all of this worry about Russian agents, spooks and cyber-agent provocateurs certainly echoes the paranoia of the Cold War. Except it’s not conservatives who have caught this McCarthyite paranoia bug. It’s LIBERALS. You know, the ones that are supposed to be for a free press, political and “lifestyle” freedom, enlightenment of the masses, peaceful protest, diversity of beliefs, cultures and backgrounds...LIBERALS are the ones that are paranoically screaming about outside agitators and extranational interference. So as strange as applying the term McCarthite to these liberals seems to me, it seems SO MUCH STRANGER that they are uncritically applying the term TREASON to Trump. Given the post-war activities of the US, from Vietnam to Operation Enduring Freedom, to Guantanamo Bay, to the 2008 financial crisis, I would almost consider it a badge of honor to be considered a traitor to the American Empire. Is Trump more or less a traitor than Chelsea Manning? It's a bizarre turn of events that is very frustrating for me to square. Perhaps the Trump-phenomenon has caught liberals off-guard so completely, that their hatred has blinded them of any reason beyond a fixed, paranoid idea that Trump is the cause of ALL ills. This is LITERALLY the only explanation I can come up with to explain the current, liberal mind-set. Just as for the Republicans idée fixe of Obama as an all powerful, mesmeratic apostate that loomed as a monolith in their perverse imaginations--so has Trump become to the liberal imagination. An asymmetrical paranoia, just as how Al-Qaeda, then Isis, then MS-13 looms in the American imagination. And the Russian collusion remains an extremely lopsided paranoia, given its actual sphere of influence.

To be sure, my humble and non-expert belief is that Russia hacked the US. But I’m looking for salience, sanity and what our attention should be focussed upon. What influence did the hacking have? There is NO EVIDENCE so far, despite Mueller’s investigation, that it pushed the election enough to have an effect on the outcome in a meaningful way. And even if it did, it probably was because the election was SO close. Comey’s November surprise likely had much more effect. And, ever more salient, the internal agitators--the usual suspects--Robert Mercer, The Koch Brothers, Sheldon Adelson, CITIZENS UNITED, voter suppression laws, gerrymandering had WAAAAAAAAY more impact. I will also mention the obvious, that Clinton’s campaign was nightmarishly incompetent. The refusal of the Democrats to adopt any populist policies--or even the basic ability to articulate policy agendas that are meaningful to the average citizen--did not help. I do partially blame sexism for the result. (We live in a white-supremacist, patriarchal society after all.) But the fact that the Clinton campaign seemed to “micro-target” white suburban voters who would have NEVER voted for her because they have ALWAYS INTENSELY hated her ever since she became a national figure in the 90s seems to be just absolutely blind and profoundly dumb. I grew up with these fuckers who hated her. I remember my Scoutmaster in the 90s telling me, “I don’t like that woman.” Why? One can only assume because she was a woman who did things. So why foolishly chase those no-chance votes? Pure incompetence.

In short, our internal agitators hacked the election in a far more salient and profound way than the Russians did. I could be proven wrong. But the obsessive, mental contortions of MSNBC liberals just reeks of minds tangled-up in conspiracy theories. Was 9/11 an inside job? There’s something about these sort of dramatic events that let the mind go wild into speculation because they are just so much larger than life. The election of Donald Trump is just another one of these events. How could a thing like this happen? It seems beyond reason. But it’s not. Can I imagine the Bushes and Cheney and the CIA or whomever staging a sinking of the USS Maine in a New Millenium architectural nightmare manifested in the twin collapses of the World Trade Center as pretext to go to war in the Middle East and as an excuse to expand our empire? I can imagine it. But I hope you would agree it certainly is a mental contortion. It seems more likely that the Bush administration's negligence, and the incompetence of our intelligence agencies created an opportunity out of an intel blunder and national tragedy for imperial expansion and wealth-creation for all their defense-contracting buddies. It gives less premeditated malevolence to Cheney and co., but enhances their banal evil and cynicism--which seems all the more realistic a scenario. And, more saliently, I think this simple, graspable, mundane reality is worth looking at. There’s never been any meaningful investigation, any transparency regarding our foray into the Middle East. Sending young people into combat to kill people in a far away country for the profit of the defense industry and Exxon...for no real meaningful purpose to the American People. Is that treason? As far as premeditation, raw cruelty, and exploitation of the common person, this seems a far greater crime than whatever Trump has done (so far.) And those who supported the disastrous war...are they treasonous? WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE FOCUSSED ON?

Indeed, when invoking TREASON, what IS the focus? It seems a blur of distinctions that is handy for opportunists to paint broad strokes out of a complex situation. Again, what does treason mean in this context? Whom is betraying whom? A government paid for by corporations and special interest groups--prima facie corrupt--a government that in effect is actually only beholden to the financial elite, a disaffected voting populace that believes, mostly correctly, (or at least given no reason to believe by the Democrats) that elections have no bearing on their day-to-day life. I saw one liberal say that what Trump said at Helsinki was "dangerous" in its treachery with regards to the US. But what could be more dangerous than using that favorite word of the Fascists, "TREASON", against anyone in a so-called open society? It's a broadstroke term that, for me, has no meaning in a true democratic movement. Ok, so Trump embodies a certain aspect of betrayal of democracy--even though he was democratically elected in our corrupt system. But given how compromised our system is, the very idea of a "traitor" seems absolutely frivolous, irrelevant given the compromised nature of our democracy by capital, and dizzyingly meaningless in the context of global capitalism and disaffection of the general populace. Plus, if you haven't figured it out, nationalism FUCKING sucks.

4. MEANWHILE THE OLIGARCHS. What about Paul Ryan? His life’s goal has been accomplished. The oligarchs are winning. The people are losing. Whinging about Trump is a liberal distraction. Liberals have lost their minds. Lucy has moved the football, while oligarchs consolidate their power and the country slumps by default, rightward. Paranoia is a mindkiller. You must focus on your sanity. You must focus on what is salient. The FBI is not your friend. The CIA is not your friend. Republicans are the enemy. All of them. You can’t make deals with them. There IS a conspiracy, but it is in plain sight and not complicated at all: The USUAL SUSPECTS want to keep their money, and make more money. Trump is the flashy, frontman. But don’t let the sleight of hand of the oligarchs make you lose your bearings! The transference of resources to the wealthy and consolidation of power of the oligarchs has manifested before our very eyes, and your rage towards Trump is not only irrelevant, it’s making you blind. Oh, and by the way, Trump and his devotees FEED on your rage. They fucking love it. The angrier you get, the more flustered you are, the more emboldened the racists and the suburban chickenhawks get. The angrier you get at Trump, the bigger those “Blue Lives Matters” Punisher skulls get, the bigger those “Don’t Tread on Me Flags” get on back of pick-up trucks.

Man they LOVE your hatred of Trump. They live for it. Why? I think it’s some sort of sickness. Some sort of nihilistic flagellation. (As my shrink says, the joy of self-flagellation is that YOU are the one who gets to hold the whip.) But at the bottom of it all is perception of power. They perceive Trump as an embodiment of power and as neo-liberal subjects they can vicariously live through that power. It’s a populist stance. It’s profoundly dumb. But nonetheless it works in its own sick way. But don’t be duped like dumb, coal-rolling Republicans. The Oligarchs have the power. And they are going to reduce the power of labor to collectively bargain to a nub of a nub. They are going to reduce women’s rights. They are going start more wars. They’re going to foment divisions among people and take away funding from education. They are going to make our miserable healthcare system worse. The most vulnerable people, ethnic minorities, trans people, immigrants, refugees and others will suffer profoundly. It is quite possible that abortion will be outlawed. Or virtually outlawed. And the implications for the habitability of this planet in the future is too depressing to contemplate. But hey, The Oligarchs don’t care because they will always have privileges beyond the rest of us. Silicon Valley and Wall Street will continue to collude with the CIA and the FBI and the whole surveillance state to keep you in your place. BECAUSE THEY DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT NOTHING EXCEPT THEIR MONEY.

5. TRUMP. As I must say again, I think the man is reprehensible. This seems so self-evident that saying this as a caveat seems absolutely ridiculous. But you must see that his reprehensible-ness--one could say his deplorable-ness--is the absolute key to his allure to both his fanatic base, and his donors. Right now is a PERFECT TIME to be an Oligarch. Everyone is mesmerized by the chaos, transfixed upon the car-wreck that is President Trump. There seems to be no time for self-reflection and sober thought. Even less than under Bush or Obama. I was hoping for sobriety under Obama. But no. America had just started its bender. The Republicans went from the party of cold cruelty to the party of nihilistic barbarism. There was no national meditation upon our bloody incursion into the Middle East. Operation Infinite Empire endured under Obama. Even expanded. The grand theft euphemistically called “the 2008 financial crisis” led to Occupy Wall Street, but seems not have had any lasting political effect except maybe even more political disaffection--if that is at all possible. That Guantanamo Bay remains open is seems like a personal betrayal to me. National Democrats obsess over third way bipartisanship. They are deer caught in the headlights of a Ford F150.

I would LOVE to see Trump strung up in chains. I know he’s corrupt, his friends are all corrupt, and all of them to a man are involved in who-knows-what kinds of pilfering and shady dealings. Every person in his cabinet is totally corrupt and awful and deserves the worst. But he’s a distraction. Focus on your sanity. I mean he’s the worst. He’s just all-around shitty. If you are ashamed of him and it makes you ashamed to be an American, I understand. But I really do think that there is a larger issue here. How did we get to this point?

* A note about narcissism and mental health. Blaming Trump’s awfulness on a mental disorder is a cheap shot and a disservice to those who actually suffer from mental illness. I do think his narcissism is cultivated by his privileged position in society (ie., rich white boy who could do no wrong), and the pathologically-reinforced by those who benefit from his crude brazenness. I’m sure a psychoanalyst would have a field day if they had the opportunity to actually examine him; but it would be academic, not therapeutic. Trump has always been rewarded for his behavior and he always will be.

Existential crisis/Moving Sale--Synths, Eurorack, Guitar Pedals!

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 21:13:00 +0000

I'm selling a large part of my studio as I reimagine my whole mode of being. (Either I'm going to become a mountain hermit or I'm going to buy a Serge Modular.) I'm not interested in trades. Cash only.
Analog Synths:
Moog Minitaur Recently serviced and in great shape $425
Arturia Minibrute w/ original box and documentation $325
Korg MS-20 mini w/ original box and documentation $425

Controllers:
Arturia Beatstep $65
Akai Max 49 USB/Midi/CV Keyboard Controller $375

Eurorack Modular: Some rack rash
Tiptop Happy Ending Kit (silver) w/ Flying Bus cables $90
Tiptop Tiptop Happy Ending Kit (silver) w/ Flying Bus cables $90
Pittsburgh Modular Envelope $115
Pittsburgh Modular Toolbox $100
Pittsburgh Modular LFO2 $70
Pittsburgh Modular VILFO $120
Pittsburgh Modular Mixer $45
Verbos Complex Oscillator $425 (It has a lot of rack rash--I'm the second owner, but works perfectly.)
Make Noise Optomix $190
Make Noise Function $110
Doepfer A-119 Envelope Follower $85
Doepfer A-143-9 VC Quadrature LFO Jacks are a little loose, but it works perfectly $60
Doepfer A-199 Spring Reverb $150
Doepfer A-112 Sampler $135
Intellijel Buffered Multiple $50
Intellijel Passive Multiple $20
Intellijel uVCF $145
Trogotronic M/177 Tube VCA $235
Frequency Central Continuum Phase Shifter I think there is a newer version; this is the older one. $160
STG Soundlabs .Mix $90
Malekko Wiard Boogie Filter $135
Malekko Xmix $100
Malekko 8nu8r $65
Malekko Envelator $140
Malekko Noisering $210
WMD Multimode VCA $185
WMD Triple Bipolar VCA $185
WMD Buffered Mult $50
Toppobrillo Quantimator $190
Oberheim SEM Patchpanel $675 (Actually a stand-alone analog synth module)
Koma Kommander $65

I also have a lot of cables. I'll sell Tiptop Stackables for five dollars each. Email me if you're interested!

Guitar Pedals and effects: Please note that I am not a guitarist, so that most of these pedals are in very good shape as my foot has never touched them!
Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man (new version) $265
Electro-Harmonix 8 Step Sequencer $95
Electro-Harmonix Superego $165
Moog Minifooger Drive $145
Moog Minifooger Ring Modulator $125
Death By Audio Total Sonic Annihilation $75
Voodoo Labs Superfuzz $60
Boss Compression/Sustainer $100
Idiotbox Blasteroid Fuzz Earlier version $50
Idiotbox Mad Doctor Stutterer $50
Idiotbox Dimension X $50
MXR Six Band Graphic EQ $50
Moog Expression Pedal unused in original box $30 (I have several of these if you're interested.)

If you are interested please email: tarkka at gmail dot com. My name is Dan and I'm located in Aurora, Colorado. If you want to come look at the items for sale, we can set up an appointment.

Snoop goes to GS25!

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:02:00 +0000

At my last job in Korea, I went to GS25 to pick up milk, cereal, packets of kimchi, ramen and maybe an icecream, almost every day. I lived in a rural area and my apartment building had a GS25; the nearest proper grocery store took some time to get to, via bus or taxi, so I only went there once a month or so. The Psy and Snoop Dog video is pretty great. It just seems they are having fun in Korea, doing some typical things in Korea. And that makes me happy.

BECAUSE FACEBOOK SUCKS AND I'M NOT WRITING A NOVEL AND I PROBABLY SHOULD DO SOME WRITING

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Sun, 25 May 2014 09:02:00 +0000

I've returned to this blog in hopes that it'll spurn me to write more and think more; why not? I'm not writing anything (creative-wise) and I'm on the internet all the time. I should be on my blog. Okay I was on my blog. CIAO.

New Korean Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 08:57:00 +0000

COUNTDOWN WEBSITE

Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 11:42:00 +0000

ONLINE COUNTDOWN

Countdown

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Sat, 26 Oct 2013 03:14:00 +0000

Herzog. Encounters with Remarkable Men.

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 21:52:00 +0000

Well I finally saw Herzog with my own very eyes. Thanks to my friends Lauren and Dave, (Babushka and Little Fyodor) who clued me into the international conference at the University of Colorado. I had been to this conference before as an undergraduate in the mid 90s. The highlight of the experience was always Roger Ebert's "interruptus" session of some movie he thought worth dissection. It is a "democracy in the dark." A movie is watched in a theater (The Mackie Auditorium) but anyone is allowed yell "stop!" to make a point or ask a question. In the past it was wholly moderated by Ebert. But the man can't talk anymore.

All I knew was that Herzog was going to be in Boulder, and therefore, so must I. The details trickled in, but I was in such an excitement that nothing really registered except that "Herzog was going to be in Boulder!" A quick glance at the panels excited me further. A talk on his "walking on foot." And then two two-hour sessions of Aguirre the Wrath of God in Interruptus form over two days.

To my extreme delight I found out when I arrived that not only would it be Herzog, but also Ramin Bahrani, director of the neo-realist film "Chop Shop.' A film that I think is one of the best movies of the past decade. The absolute anecdote to Avatar. (He also directed the cutesy "Plastic Bag" short that's been floating around, narrated by Herzog.) Bahrani, a young accomplished director, and a professor at Columbia, asked all the best questions. And the audience mostly allowed the two do the majority of the commentary. Still, even when some knucklehead would ask a stupid question, Herzog could ALWAYS transmute the banal into the profound. He is just spectacular to see speak. *

We went up to talk to him afterwards; Babushka in the vanguard. She slipped him a CD of Little Fyodor and Babushka's Peace is Boring. And as a delightful consequence, the CD is a prop in the video that Ebert shot of Herzog explaining his latest project; something to do with a cave in France. Petroglyphs and stalagtites filmed in 3-D, apparently!

Here's Ebert's blog post from the first day.

I'm off screen. But only just. Off to the left, standing with Dave and Lauren (Little Fyodor and Babushka.)

If only I had the courage to chime in with something substantive, instead of enduring stupid comments from aging, clueless Boulderites! (I'm positive that there could be a very small number of people in the audience that knew as much about the man as I did--if any.) But I was mortified, less than ten feet away, in the presence of the man I most idolize on this planet. So, I didn't get to speak to him directly. That will have to happen another time.

* The esctatic culmination of this effect was at the end of the second showing day of Interruptus. Because Herzog could not stay the whole week, there was a short question and answer segment at the end. There was time for one last question, and this older dude was annointed with the honor of the last question. This gent stood up and announced he was very particular about movies. He questioned the special effects, and how a cannon that fell from a cliff wouldn't explode this or that way. Some literalist bullshit. Herzog took this deflating, idiotic question and went on to explain that he was a storyteller, and the moment in the story was one of many that form a fabric that leads the viewer into stranger and stranger realities.

Aguirre the Wrath of God was the first Herzog film I saw. I watched it almost disinterestedly on my roommate's tiny crappy TV on VHS. By the end of the movie I had felt like something had changed in me. Beyond something like "a ride," or "an experience." But an actual change in the way I experience reality.

The dissection of the last two days showed me in many ways how this is accomplished by Herzog. Slowly, ever slowly, the reality of the movie evolves so that the unacceptable becomes the acceptable. And it is not a drug trip crescendo; quite the contrary. The film is rooted: in the environment, the circumstances of production, the physicality of the jungle, in the mud, Kinski's histrionics--all of it is crafted by the structure of the movie to slowly change the viewer's mind what is acceptable and what is not. By the end we are in El Dorado with a demented conquistador who talks to monkeys. Yes, it is a parallel experience to drug or dream reality. But it is a conscious, crafted reality chiseled by an artisan. It is the difference being in love with a cloud and in a human being.

In short, my faith has been affirmed. Inspired anew!

Happy New Year, Jet Pack Fans

noreply@blogger.com (Zentrout) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:55:00 +0000

New Podcast up: Sun Expert Alfred Epstein

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:20:00 +0000

This is one is a bit unorthodox. I have agreed to let the esteemed sun expert Alfred Epstein post a lecture. Alfred, I must let you know, is a puppet. In a series of email exchanges with Mr. Epstein I have learned much about the sun, puppets, and Canada. It must be mentioned that Alfred is a puppet and a Canadian. This information (both about Alfred and the information he provides) may or may not be interesting or relevant to you; regardless, it is to me. I had to put meltmaster's feet to the fire (metaphorically, of course) to get this one produced. But he did it.

Here is alink!

Some more information about this unusual podcast. We found Alfred through A&S contributor Sara Tarkka. She now blogs here, but is, of course, still in contact with Dan, as she is his sister. Sara has recently moved to Toronto to work on a PHD in something or other. Anyhow, she met a puppet and acquired it, I guess.

In other words, this is a very specialized interest podcast, and you may or may not appreciate it.

It matters little. As a troglodyte I am extremely interested in the sun phenomenon, owing to my primarily subterranean existence--I know little about these things! I find it quite fascinating. As far as this talk of parallel dimensions, inanimate revolutions and some talk of a mysterious character named "Mama X," I have no clue what Alfred means by this. I assume that Alfred's knowledge is a deep and esoteric, and thus beyond the domain of us laycreatures. We cannot but get a glimpse of the greater whole of this mysterious universe from hearing such learned puppets speak!

Oh yes, I hope to have an update on the dramatic events of my own life. Namely that of Gormo's insurrection, usurpation of my empire, and the subsequent events that led to his death; and my subsequent, sweet, intricate revenge on the brutish philistine. I have been out of touch, but I have returned!

In the meantime, I bid you happy listening.

592

noreply@blogger.com (meltmaster) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:22:00 +0000

This is the home I grew up in. At least since my second year in Kindergarten. You can't see in the house, but you can see into the garage. Wonder what's in all those boxes?

Dinosaur Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Ice Ice Baby

noreply@blogger.com (Subarashi Hinode) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:49:00 +0000

For centuries the mountain top where this body was embedded in was frequently visited by members of the ABM where stories were passed on from one generation to the next. Many members would stand next to the body, frozen in ice, pondering at the tattoos wondering if this was in fact the worlds oldest and possibly first alien murdered on Earth. However, after word got out about the Iceman's whereabouts it was only a matter of time before the scientists arrived, ripping him from his frozen bed in the mountain and sharing him with the world

In the hopes of getting a few words from the prehistoric man they realized that unlike everything they had ever witnessed in the movies that this man would stay dead, never waking up, attempt to escape the lab, and go out in search of his tribe. Instead the scientists in all their wisdom, and against the wishes of the iceman's descendants, decided to make their site more "interactive" in their odd tribute to 1950s horror movies by having a 3-D section of the Iceman's body.
The story is kind of cool as well. Perhaps he was murdered by aliens..?

So dig up those 3-D glasses (they are needed) and make sure you are not viewing this after eating.

What would Eugene O'Neill think?

Money in Space

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Wed, 20 May 2009 07:37:00 +0000

What's more than human?

noreply@blogger.com (Subarashi Hinode) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Seems like they dug out the left overs from Space 1999 and Star Wars....

I'm only in it for the money..or for laughs..

noreply@blogger.com (Subarashi Hinode) — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:20:00 +0000

What more needs to be said...

What are the best podcasts?

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:46:00 +0000

We've moved beyond the eclectic here. What are simply the best podcasts?

There are SO many of them. I have a few that I really like, and have assembled a top ten list:

1. In Our Time with Melvyn Bragg
This has to be the best podcast of all time. It's been going on for seven years. Every week an eminent, scholarly gentleman has a morning chat with a different triumvirate of brilliant men and women about "never knowingly relevant" subjects such as the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, Eliot's Wasteland, and the Pre-Cambrian Explosion. It is definitely anglo-centric, but Melvyn is sharp and witty, and tackles the more scientific and mathematical subjects pretty amazingly for a layman [which is good for the laypeople (like me) whom are listening.]

2. WFMU's aired podcasts
WFMU podcasts are in a class of their own (and thus occupy two places on this top ten list). Because I'm in Korea, I can't listen to my favorite shows live, such as The Best Show with Tom Scharpling and The Dusty Show with Clay Pigeon. The Best Show has a new podcast called the Best Show Gems which looks really promising. (It takes the funny bits from the shows' huge archive; it's a three hour program, so it's definitely an investment of your time. But worth it if you can spare it.) My other favorites include DJ/Rupture's eclectic mixes, Radio Freetown. Lest we not mention plagiartist People Like Us's numerous contributions to WFMU that are usually available in podcast form.

3. Philosophy and Ethics Bites
This is a British series that focuses on a huge array of philosophical subjects, interviewing various philosophers who are so smart it makes your brain hurt. It's good stuff; and you will probably have to listen to several of them repeatedly, as I have had to. Cause they are dense, cause they are brilliant. Speaking of which:

4. Density of Sound - Netlabelism! I found this podcast absolutely randomly. He plays all music that is legally podcastable, which is nice. And he has very good taste. [Full disclosure: he has played some of my tunes.] He tends towards electronic, electronic dub, dubstep and otherwise dubby types music--but mainly because there is just so much good stuff being made in those genres. He plays noise and melodies without discrimination, just with good taste. His shows are always an eclectic brew in the John Peel vein. I have found lots of great stuff through him. (All legal; all free!)

5. Vital Weekly
This is a quote "so-called pod cast" unquote that I haven't listened to very often, but it is definitely Vital. I don't listen often because it doesn't download automatically and it doesn't offer the pure listening pleasure that Density of Sound offers. It does, however, do humanity the service of sifting through piles of CDRs and independent releases to find things that are interesting. Vitally, it offers extensive reviews of the music--so this is a quote "so-called pod cast" unquote that you don't even have to listen to! Vital!

6. Broken Beat Radio
This great podcast has an (YES GLARGH!) eclectic (GREERSH!) brew of succulent, jerky yet smooth beats with an rnb tang. It works, and is perfect instant gratification. Sometimes it is jazzy, sometimes it is hip-hoppy, but it is almost always really good stuff. This is stuff I wouldn't normally listen to, but Argo and his crew's taste is impeccable. If I were ever to have a party where ladies whom wished for sophisticated beats to fashionably gyrate their sinuous forms about my property, with Dewar's and roaches in hand, this would be the first thing I'd head to get things bumping. Food for dreams...

7. Radio Lab
Leslie turned me on to this one. It really annoys me like with its preciousness, a la This American Life, but I have really learned a lot from it. It is still annoying, and I think the producers are smug. It's supposed to be science that is made palatable with interesting music and quirky personality. The science is already palatable, and they have incredible access to an amazing array of researchers and personalities like Oliver Sacks. I don't think the music is that interesting; mainly because it is all IDM-sounding cliche sounds. But it is very well produced. And there's so many smart people involved in it that it can't be ignored.

8. WFMU Podcasts, unaired.
Some podcasts on the WFMU website are purely podcasts, never aired. Some favorites include Cake and Polka Parade, and stuff that People Like Us and Ergo Phizmiz do.

9. The Journal with Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is one of the heroes of our time. I watch the show on my computer now. But last year when I didn't have a computer at home I'd download the podcast at work and listen to it while eating dinner on Monday nights.

10. Your podcast. It's pretty much my favorite. The most eclectic of the bunch.

Honor mentionables: The History of Rome. The Jesse Thorne empire, namely the Coyle and Sharpe Episodes (the inspiration for my werewolf phase).

Raaaargh!!!!

The Best of Angry and Sloppy

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:54:00 +0000

I've added a sidebar with links to posts that epitomize the best of my blog. It's been a strange five years. I've made a lot of friends, discovered some amazing music, literature and people. I have had some amazing travel experiences. Those who know me know that one of the great highlights of the past five years has been the birth of my nephew, and the friendship that I'm trying to nurture with him. Soon I hope to meet my new niece.

The "best of" are sort of the more wordy pieces I've done, but I'm also planning to do a set of links to some of the picture posts that I've done. And also include highlights from my co-bloggers. I plan to keep this site up, even as I try to branch out into some other projects. I consider myself a writer, but most any writing I've done that I have shared with people has been on this blog. I think when properly culled, there is something worthy to be found in this blog. I hope you think so too.

I plan to continue to be angry and sloopy. If you have a vote for the "best of" sloppy, let me know in the comments! Thanks for your continued support.

Velvet Underground's The Gift--Eyes in the Box--Self-mailing

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Self-mailing has always been one of the primary subjects of this blog. Or at least that was one of the aims of this blog in the foggy days of its creation.

The Velvet Underground has been an abiding interest of mine.

Now, how is it that I never made the connection between these two?

Lyrics from The Gift (off of White Light/White Heat):

It was a New York company. You could go anywhere in the mails. Then it struck
him. He didn't have enough money to go to Wisconsin in the accepted fashion,
true, but why not mail himself? It was absurdly simple. He would ship himself
parcel post, special delivery. The next day Waldo went to the supermarket to
purchase the necessary equipment. He bought masking tape, a staple gun and a
medium sized cardboard box just right for a person of his build. He judged that
with a minimum of jostling he could ride quite comfortably. A few airholes,
some water, perhaps some midnight snacks, and it would probably be as good as
going tourist.

How is it that I never made this connection before?

Notice that both subjects make it into this post. It's taken me four and a half years to make the connection. Sheesh.

I guess I never listened to it very carefully before. I just like grooving to it's funky noise jimjam. It's actually kind of annoying to listen to the words--it's distracting.

Stroyzek Ski Lift

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Stroyzek Ski Lift
Originally uploaded by antiresonance

It's spelled Stroszek, I think.

Sing the Body Eclectic

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 02:57:00 +0000

I use last.fm a lot and my new years resolution from 2004 was to be less full of shit, and my new years resolution from 2005 was to try to be nicer to be people--so with that preface, I'm pretty much showing how much of a hypocritical asshole I am. I think my new years resolution this year is to not be so hard on myself, but also not be full of shit and also be nicer to other people. This is all very difficult. But I've just befriended someone and I've cut and pasted their "about me" write-up here:

My Music Library (will be updated periodically): 01-26-2009

I created that HTML page using foobar 2000. It is the greatest media player of all time hands down.

My library consists of 41793 songs as of February 13th 2009. Only 0.6% of my music library is lossy. The remainder is composed of lossless formats, predominantly FLAC, but also wav, monkey's audio, and wavpack.

I take great pride in my tagging as I try my best to use official names for artists and albums. With english, I follow strict rules of capitalization with titles. Languages such as French use different title formats so i'm doing that as best as i can too.

I'm constantly fighting with last.fm's tagging. Artists like "Smashing Pumpkins", "Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra", "Queenadreena" etc. last.fm has "Smashing Pumpkins" as "The Smashing Pumpkins" and "Tommy Dorsey & Frank Sinatra" as "Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey" to name two examples. Forget about this new auto-correct thing. It's ridiculous. If they are going to auto-correct they need to figure out official names and stick to that.

We have some elitists, people who strategically scrobble and or a combination of both on last.fm. I am neither of those. I stay true to my musical taste. You might ask yourself why I have more than one profile. The answer to that is simply because I go through different musical moods every now and then so I like to scrobble artists that are new to me so I can have an accurate picture of what my mood is that week or month. I also do it for the recommendations.

As I'm sure you have noticed by looking at any one of my profiles, my musical taste is very eclectic to say the least. I like to think that I know a lot about any given genre or period of music, so don't be afraid to ask me questions if you have any. It annoys me when someone thinks they have eclectic taste or that they "listen to everything" when it really seems that they listen to different sub-genres of the same genre and maybe a classical music artist here and there.

Anyhow, I sent him a shout asking him what was the most eclectic thing he's ever listened to. That, of course, was a jerky thing to do. But at least I've recognized it as being a jerky thing. But reveling in the jerkiness of it goes against my 2005 new year's resolution of trying to be nicer to people. But, surely, one elitist is allowed to be jerky to another elitist about being elistist, are we not?

People always say that they have pretty eclectic taste in music, and, post 90s I think that is we live in the age of eclecticism. Napster and Limewire started making music exploring a lot easier. Actually, it was necessary. I remember looking for Waylon Jennings tracks and finding all sorts of stuff that I still don't know what it is. Most of it sucked. I remember searching for 'drone' and 'noise' and 'drum samples' and found some mic in stuff and other intriguing crap. Some of it was weird. I keep it all because I am a digital packrat. And now via piratebay.org you can download the AC/DC discography and everything Jack Johnson ever did; you buy Bitches's Brew and maybe Jack Johnson mentions Ali Farke Toure and now all of the sudden you have an eclectic selection of tunes in your iTunes library. Oh, and you listen to some Mozart (as my new fellow eclectic last.fm friend writes about), so you are a bonafide eclectic. Or you can just own everything Tom Waits did; and that's basically being eclectic right there because his style of music is basically like every style ever done. (That's the voice of the asshole that I'm supposed to be working on reducing pursuant the 2005 resolution.)

With last.fm you can get some idea of how eclectic your tastes are. Objectively. I've found an eclectic test and now there's even a SUPER eclectic meter. How do you measure eclecticism? From what I've gathered is that they measure how related (via the tags) the different artists you listen to most. If you have a big spread, your more eclectic. Firstly, I think you should have eclectic taste. Diversity is the seasoning of existence. Secondly, I think that the greater variety that your taste exhibits, the more likely you have a better idea of what is good and what isn't good. But I download a lot of stuff, and a lot of it is crap, and last.fm keeps track of it all. (You can erase your tracks, so to speak. And I sometimes erase my meltmaster leavings because I listen to it more often than I quite like to let others know. But who gives a damn? The digital life is strange.) Anyhow, the eclectic taste score can be taken here.

Take your top 20 artists. For each of these artists, collect the top 5 similar artists. The resulting number of unique artists is your [b]eclectic score[/b]. If the score is small (extreme = 5) your musical preferences are very limited, and if it is large (larger than 80, extreme = 100), then you have an eclectic musical preference. You can compute your own score at http://anthony.liekens.net/pub/scripts/last.fm/eclectic.php

My eclectic score is currently 83/100

And then here's the SECOND level of eclecticism. I'll dive right into it to see, quantitatively, objectively, just how SUPER-ECLECTIC I am. Here we go. Pray for my hipster soul:

meltmaster's super-eclectic score is

743/1000

As this number is larger, you have a more eclectic musical preference. People with scores over 700 have bragging rights. People whose score is below 400 should consider more musical styles!

The following are the artists with the most occurences in your list

* Magazine (8)
* Wire (8)
* Public Image Ltd. (7)
* The Sound (6)
* Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band (6)
* The Fall (6)
* Pere Ubu (5)
* Echo & the Bunnymen (5)
* Gang of Four (5)
* Mission of Burma (5)
* Silver Apples (5)
* Television (5)
* Amon Düül II (4)
* Harmonia (4)
* Neu! (4)
* Faust (4)
* Lou Reed (4)
* Can (4)
* Boredoms (4)
* Cluster (4)

UPDATE: Okay. I've got a response from my new last.fm friend. I feel like an ever greater asshole now. He responded to my jerky question with sincerity.

thats an interesting question. the thing about my listening habits is that im all over the place. my library and what i listen to is probably more eclectic than ur above average listener with eclectic taste. i dont listen to one genre more than the other and i listen to many different genres. so a question like "what is the most eclectic thing" couldn't really be answered as i listen to everything and anything equally. in my case u can call the most popular artist "eclectic" because i listen to that just as much as i listen to lesser known and or artists that are considered obscure by popular standards.

And thus the quantification and qualification of eclecticism becomes ever the more elusive! (And I'm still full of shit.)

Feel free to post in comments the most eclectic thing you've ever listened to.

The edge of the end: Herzog up for Oscar

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:34:00 +0000

Well, it's happened. He's been hobnobbing in Hollywood long enough; he's up for a nomination for best doc, along with Henry Kaiser. I haven't seen it yet.

I saw Henry Kaiser perform with Loren MazzaCane Connors, providing a live soundtrack to some crazy Japanese silent film (A Page of Madness).

I saw Mister Lonely. That isn't winning any awards. Nor should it. It should just be let be. Perhaps long down the road we'll see the genius in it.

My Favorite Picture of All Time

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 11:24:00 +0000

At least for the all time being for now. From here.

For the benefit of my father

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:11:00 +0000

About a week ago I twittered something like this:

I have decided that there is a fine line between sex tourist and English teacher in Korea. If there is a line.

I guess he didn't quite know how to take it. Yes, it is an overstatement. But it is the sad truth that the (male) expats in Korea can be divided into three categories:

1. Sleazy misogynistic pussyhounds. (Sorry for the tart language.)
2. Creepy pseoudo- or actual pedophiles.
3. Normal people, some of whom are cool.

No matter how you slice it, a lot of interesting people end up in Korea. But that has its good and bad points, obviously.

I like to say that the expat population is basically equally divided between the three groups. It's not fair to say it; but on the other hand, I don't have a high opinion of a large amount of the expats here. A lot of the Korean men are creepy too--there's a thriving sex industry here. Partly I think it is just that a lot of guys are creeps no matter where you are, but the white guys think they can get away with a lot more in Korea. And I guess they do.

Pavarotti can't sing worth a damn

noreply@blogger.com (sarcasmus) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 01:18:00 +0000

Why is this guy so famous? He's the Tom Waits of Opera. If Tom Waits is weird music for normal people, Pavarotti is opera for Tom Waits. Caruso, Callas and Bjorlings cough up and wipe little, mucus-bleeding asymmetrical Pavarotti's onto stagehands in between set changes.

Why do people like him so much? He's Tom Waits, in that he's so popular. If Tom Waits is weird music for normal people, Pavarotti is opera for for those with Kenny G CDs. Your Carusos, Callases and Rosa Pensalles have shat out little asymmetrical turds that could sing opera better than Luciano. Or should I say, Loser-iano.

Why is this guy so famous? He's like Tom Waits--universally lauded in the mainstream, when the people doing the real stuff stay on the margins. Tom Waits is a marginal talent; people send him their CDRs of shit and he just copies what these weirdos do. Maybe that makes him a genius in the Andy Warhol vein. But compared to Luciano Pavarotti, he's a nobody. And that's what Tom Waits would like you to think; I'm Tom Waits and I'm just a nobody singing my weirdo faux-hobo boho oboe. Yes you can polish a turd, and that turd's name is "Nobody" Waits. But his name is also Luciano Pavarotti. Rotting sewage. But perhaps I'm being a little harsh. But in the glare of the mind-bleeding talents--your Carusos, your Callases, your Melchiors--it's just impossible to consider Pavarottie as anything but pure garbage. Shellac for the soul.

I bet Tom Waits listens to Pavarotti to learn how to sing. That I believe. But I don't know why anyone else would listen to either of them. I understand that they both have pipes. For a fake-weird man, Tom Waits gots pipes. And for a man who fills opera houses, maybe Pavarotti's got the greatest pipes of all. But they are both so awful--it seems to me that only true weirdos would listen to either of them. Not weird people, but people with weird souls. Pavarotti and Tom Waits are music for normal people with weird souls. And your real talents, your Carusos, your Callases, your Beniamino Giglis, your Giovanni Martinellis, your what have you's, that's for people with normal souls. Not normal souls, but...well for the real people. You know, what Keats talked about when he talked about the only real things being clouds and lines of Shakespeare. The real things are the things that deranged weirdos (asymmetrical beings with symmetrical souls) who send things to Tom Waits (who turns the asymmetrical artifacts symmetrical); and then Tom Waits re-interprets the things he hears on the CDRs that weirdos have sent him the same way Pat Boone reinterpreted Little Richard, or Keith Richards reinterpreted the blues. But I believe Keith Richard and Pat Boone. I think they believe in what they do. They can't help it. They have symmetrical souls. I don't believe in the idea of the soul. But I believe they have pure, symmetrical souls. Tom Waits is an actor--and a very, very good one--that's his soul's symmetry--he's an actor; Pavarotti too--he's a fantastic actor. Neither men are musicians, they are actors. So they are winning actors. Losing singers.

The question remains--why are they so beloved? Unquestionably loved. Showered in the respective currencies of their respective homelands. The love for them is a veritable typhoon of overpowering esteem that I find baffling, asymmetrical. For one, Pavarotti can't sing worth a damn. I don't make this statement lightly; I realize how esteemed he is. And second, I find Tom Waits uninteresting, symmetrical. What am I missing? I listen to a lot of music, but I'm no encyclopedia. And what is taste? My own taste differs from those others whom taste I admire--how can I account for this, and even value my own taste in music? I used to like Tom Waits. I used to think Pavarotti was an amazing singer. But I (think I) know a lot more about so-called 'weird' music and opera. I can posit idea of 'taste' and the notion that certain types of music 'speak' to my so-called 'soul,' and certain types don't. Kenny G and Pat Boone are objectively awful--yet they are professionals. They make handsome livings from the things they do and the things they do are music-related. Their music fulfills some sort of function in society. In Italy they have music piping in the restaurants and cafes (or what passes for cafes--coffee joints or stops, I would call them) and they have awful pop music infecting the air and the same is in the country I reside in now: by and large there is nothing but really the most awful music peeing into our ear canals constantly. People celebrate this urine-for-music by singing it in karaoke-style booths. If you throw alcohol into the mix, I can see the appeal (and have experienced it first hand. I like to sing Lou Reed's Perfect Day.) It's just silly fun. But the music is awful. Lou Reed can't sing, but nobody can't sing like him. It's all about soul. No. It's all about being true. And not having a weird soul. Having a weird soul is not the same as being weird. I don't think Tom Waits has a weird soul. I think everybody has a soul that is a little weird; this is the wonder, the splendor of human diversity of opinion, appearance, phenotype and genotype. And those with truly weird souls (people who try to be weird but are normal, or people who try to be normal, but are weird) are not weird. But the true weirdos, those who radiate weird from the core can't but help being weird, the weirdos who send their homemade sound collages and freak songs that they make to scream away the boredom and what have you to Tom Waits. This is the reality; these loser weirdos are the reality. When Pavarotti screams away he is screaming away nothingness. He is acting as if he is screaming away from some center that has no core--he's hollow, that's why he's so resonant! But the real tenors sing as if they have swallowed something and it can never be dislodged, but nonetheless they sing because it feels better when they are singing because the thing that is lodged within them--this asymmetry--gets shaken around and doesn't cause them so much pain in the meantime. Of course, they have to stop otherwise their lungs would explode. And it's a release. The mind rewards the body for cathartic release, with endorphins, or what have you. The singers get trained, and the climate they are trained in and brought up in no doubt have something to do with it all--be them weirdos or straights. Regardless, your Carusos, your Callases, your Montserrat Caballés--they aren't singing from nothingness, they are singing something at the nothingness. The somebodies who have something are singing to the nobodies whom have nothing so we can have it too.