The Cultured Hooligan

REVIEW: GYPSY GENTLEMAN - EPISODE 1: NEW YORK

2011-10-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

A new internet based tattoo/travel show that showcases "the world’s greatest tattooers and the world’s most fascinating places." Kind of like a tattoo version of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.

I really like this show. The Cultured Hooligan approves of the Gentleman Gypsy. Had to write that, sorry.

Check it, enjoy it, and in donate so they can make more episodes.

The Gypsy Gentleman - Episode 01: New York City from Marcus Kuhn on Vimeo.

Check out the official page

STEVIE TOMBSTONE OCT. 14, 2011 8PM

2011-09-27T12:24:00.000-04:00

First show I've helped book in probably a decade.

Friday October 14, 2011 8PM
Stevie Tombstone
with Special Guest Gabe Zander
Calabrese's Barber Shop
33 West Front St., Keyport, NJ

REVIEW: ST. GEORGE ABSINTHE VERTE

2011-07-30T02:59:00.000-04:00

Hands down my favorite all around Absinthe. I don't know if it's the different herbs used than with other Absinthe's, but this drink is a thing of beauty. It's warm yet cooling, with a little spice/bite, but without the heavy licorice flavor. It's still there, but not as strong and Good and Plenty-esque as some other Absinthe brands. I've found with all the other Absinthe's I've tried it was either sickly licoricey, or licorice and with a bitter aftertaste, or just a faint licorice/peppermint flavor - like watered down Scope.

St. George Absinthe Verte has a whole other level flavor. It's a glass of nothing but goodness. Maybe it's because the base spirit is brandy and I'm a brown liquor kind of guy (whiskey/bourbon, aged rum, cognac/brandy). I have no idea, but what I do know is that I now have a go to Absinthe and after testing the waters (5 brands down - Lucid, Pacifique, Sirene, Kubler, Vieux Carre) I'm pretty much done searching. I'm so sad it took me so long to get to try St. George.

From now on I won't be chasing the green fairy, I'll be following the Monkey!

Get more info. from the official website.

Watch this enjoyable interview with Mr. Lance Winters of St. George Spirits:

THE ZIG ZAG CAFÉ, SEATTLE, WA

2011-07-30T00:02:00.002-04:00

Bar at the Zig Zag Café. Photo from Good Spirits News via Google Images

Hemingway may have had Sloppy Joe's in Key West and La Bodeguita del Medio and La Floridita in Havana, but I've got him beat because I've got the Zig Zag Café when I'm in Seattle.

This is the bar I've always been looking for. An old school vibe, comfortable, dimly lit, yet classy at the same time.

I loved this place so much that I went every night I could, six nights in a row. Erik and Ben are not just amazing "mixologists", but the best of old school bartenders. I can't explain it, but think about every fantasy you had about going to a bar and meeting the best bartender ever, and you'd know how I feel. Sort of felt like I went through some alternate universe where the cocktail culture of the roaring 20's never ended. Kind of like a cocktail version of Steampunk, if that makes any sense to you.

Ben of Zig Zag Cafe

The Zig Zag Café

1501 Western Avenue

Seattle, WA

206-625-1146

Open 5 PM to 2 AM every day

Read my entire review (and follow me) on Yelp here.

TATTOO AGE

2011-07-01T10:34:00.000-04:00

A new tattoo documentary series featuring a series of interviews/profiles of what they're calling "the most interesting and sought-after [tattoo] artists in the world." It debuts July 13, 2011 on VBS.TV with a profile of a buddy of mine, Dan Santoro. Although I don't have any tattoos by Dan (yet?), he's a legit artist of all sorts (needle, spray paint, acrylics, etc.) and it's good to see him getting recognized for his talents. If you like what you see, book an appointment with him at Smith Street Tattoo at (718) 643-0463. You won't be disappointed.

From the official page:

Tattoo Age is the new series that takes an inside look at the craft of tattooing through a series of profiles on some of the most interesting and sought-after artists in the world. The series kicks off on July 13th with Dan Santoro, and new episodes featuring such artists as Troy Denning, Mike Rubendall, Freddy Corbin, and Grime will air through November.

REVIEW: TRANSCENDENT MAN

2011-06-19T20:30:00.001-04:00

A documentary about "futurist", scientist, genius Ray Kurzweil. Not nearly as boring as that sounds. This is one of the few documentaries that I've seen recently that actually made me feel optimistic about the future. This movie delivers some of Kurzweil's predictions for the future of technology while also telling his life's story, his life's goal (bringing his father back from the dead), and gives some scientific theory/proof on how humans will live forever as part machine, or maybe even part of the machine. This movie makes me happy about this world, and longing for the future (soon to be the present). Check out the trailer below.

From the official site:

The compelling feature-length documentary film, by director Barry Ptolemy, chronicles the life and controversial ideas of luminary Ray Kurzweil. For more than three decades, inventor, futures, and New York Times best-selling author Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future.

In Transcendent Man, Ptolemy follows Kurzweil around the globe as he presents the daring arguments from his best-selling book, The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. Kurzweil predicts that with the ever-accelerating rate of technological change, humanity is fast approaching an era in which our intelligence will become increasingly non-biological and millions of times more powerful. This will be the dawning of a new civilization enabling us to transcend our biological limitations. In Kurzweil's post-biological world, boundaries blur between human and machine, real and virtual. Human aging and illness are reversed, world hunger and poverty are solved, and we cure death.

Ptolemy explores the social and philosophical implications of these changes and the potential threats they pose to human civilization in dialogues with world leader Colin Powell; technologists Hugo deGaris, Peter Diamandis, Kevin Warwick, and Dean Kamen; journalist Kevin Kelly; actor William Shatner; and musician Stevie Wonder. Kurzweil maintains a radically optimistic view of the future, while acknowledging new dangers. Award-winning American composer Philip Glass contributes original theme music that mirrors the depth and intensity of the film.

ARTIST PROFILE: KINGZILLA (MATTY KING)

2011-06-04T01:08:00.001-04:00

KINGZILLA is one of my favorite artists (and people) living today. His style is unlike any other I've seen. Old school cut-and-paste to a level of brilliance. He takes images we see everyday, co-opts them and then morphs them into something new that invokes feelings of anxiety, happiness, depression, beauty, anger...sometimes all at the same time. Like a cut-and-paste Van Gogh he is. Brilliance like this comes around only once in while. Enjoy it while you can.

Check out more images here, and pick up a print before you have to sell your entire record collection just to get a print.

REVIEW: NOT JUST A GAME

2011-05-19T22:51:00.001-04:00

A great documentary showing the inherent existence and use of politics in sports, even while sports decries politics. Great even for non sports fans. While I don't buy all of the arguments made in this documentary, I do appreciate Dave Zirin's arguments and explanations.

I really recommend watching this movie (available on DVD or watch a low res version in it's entirety here).

From the official site:

Not Just a Game: Power, Politics & American Sports
We've been told again and again that sports and politics don't mix, that games are just games and athletes should just "shut up and play." But according to Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin, this notion is just flat-out wrong. In Not Just a Game, the powerful new documentary based on his bestselling book The People's History of Sports in the United States, Zirin argues that far from providing merely escapist entertainment, American sports have long been at the center of some of the major political debates and struggles of our time. In a fascinating tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of American sports culture, Zirin first traces how American sports have glamorized militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, then excavates a largely forgotten history of rebel athletes who stood up to power and fought for social justice beyond the field of play. The result is as deeply moving as it is exhilarating: nothing less than an alternative history of political struggle in the United States as seen through the games its people have played.

REALITY 86'D - BLACK FLAG DOCUMENTARY

2011-05-15T00:56:00.001-04:00

A Black Flag Documentary covering their last tour. Never released, but due to the power of the internet, now available. Watch the teaser below, or watch it in it's entirety here.

From the official site:

REALITY '86'D

(Shot in 1986 and completed by director David Markey in 1991 for We Got Power Films, approx. 62 min., Super 8 film)

Three bands and crew (a combined total of 13 individuals), 2 Dodge Ram extended cab vans, one equipment truck, one PA system traverse the continental US for six months. A road documentary shot from the inside of the last Black Flag tour ever (the 1986 "In My Head" US tour.) Greg Ginn along with Henry Rollins, Cel Revulta, and Anthony Martinez comprise the final line up of the band. Featuring behind the scenes proceedings and live performances from Black Flag, Painted Willie, and Gone (Ginn's side project, then featuring Sim Cain and Andrew Weiss (later of the Rollins Band) . David Markey was along for the entire trip as the drummer / singer for Painted Willie (with Phil Newman & Vic Makauskas), documenting the six month tour with his Super-8 camera as it happened. Also features roadie Joe ("Planet Joe") Cole, soundmen Davo Claasen and Dave "Ratman" Levine, and the tour manager who kept it all together, Mitch Bury. A crucial turning point in American underground rock. The end of the line for a trail blazing American band.

RANT: OPEN LETTER TO RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISTS

2011-05-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Dear Religious Fundamentalists,

If I'm going to "pay for my sins" by going to hell in the afterlife, then please let me enjoy what I'm already paying for and let me sin in peace.

Thank you.

HOWL

2011-05-04T06:00:00.002-04:00

Decent indie movie about Ginsberg and the Howl trial.

For fans of the Beats. Not sure if you'll enjoy this if you're not.

Check out the official page here and the trailer below.

UFC 129

2011-05-02T09:55:00.003-04:00

Why is Steven Segal getting credit for Mr. Miyagi's crane kick? #ufc129

RANT: WELFARE KINGS & QUEENS

2011-04-26T20:05:00.003-04:00

I'm so sick of these people on welfare living lavish lives with the people's tax money, but not doing any work to earn it. Then they have children and the people have to support them too.

Yes, I'm talking about you Prince William...

THE SPORT OF KINGS

2011-04-20T09:47:00.017-04:00

My major sports championship season is a few weeks away. Unlike most championships, mine starts in the beginning of the season. It's almost time for THE TRIPLE CROWN. It all starts with the Kentucky Derby (May 7, 2011 6PM), followed by the Preakness Stakes (Saturday May 21, 2011 6PM), and lastly, the Belmont Stakes (Saturday June 11, 2011 6PM).

If you want to learn how to bet on horses, check this out. I was going to explain it here, but the internet beat me to the punch.

RANT: POKER SITES SHUT DOWN BY US GOV

2011-04-16T22:01:00.008-04:00

The FBI shut down Pokerstars.com, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker. What happened to due process? So I guess now the government can just take your business (i.e. your website) just by charging you with a crime, not proving it. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? On top of this nonsense, they're not even sure if poker is really illegal gambling or a game of skill.

2.5 wars, 9.2% unemployment, $3.80/gal avg. gas price, US deficit over $14 trillion, Osama Bin Laden is still free, but the US government goes after online poker.

RANT: TCH POLITICAL IDEOLOGY

2011-04-16T20:58:00.005-04:00

The Cultured Hooligan official political ideology:

I'm socially liberal, and fiscally broke.

RANT: SORRY CLEAR CHANNEL, PANDORA IS THE NEW RADIO

2011-03-10T11:16:00.007-05:00

Bob Pittman spells out why Pandora is not Radio

While I can agree that a good DJ with the power to choose his own playlist is great, it's rarely if ever done these days. The last time I heard a DJ with playlist power it was on an independent "public" station (e.g. WFMU, WXPN, WBJB, WRSU, WSOU) not those that Mr. Pittman represents.

Clear Channel and national playlists killed radio with their fast-food-restaurant approach to radio programming and sent the music listeners away to the internet. If someone wants to hear the same tired and over-played 10 songs every hour then they should continue to listen to the corporate radio drivel that Mr. Pittman and Clear Channel represent. Services like Pandora while not perfect at least allow for discovery of new (or new to me) music, where corporate radio really doesn’t. So maybe Mr. Pittman should be saying Pandora is not CURRENT radio, it’s what radio used to be when it was good.

THE GREAT GATSBY IN 8-BIT

2011-02-18T09:15:00.010-05:00

My newest time waster and addiction, The Great Gatsby as a pseudo Nintendo Entertainment System game. If you thought snapping a whip in Castlevania was cool, imagine throwing a fedora in 1920's era New York. I wonder if F. Scott Fitzgerald would sit and get drunk while playing this.

Play it here.

PREPARING FOR THE APOCOLYPSE WITH CLASS: BELT

2010-11-18T09:24:00.012-05:00

I've been going through a "I should be prepared for a unexpected event" fad as of late. Maybe it's from the impending doom of the American Dollar crashing, reading too many Every Day Carry blogs, or maybe it's the new AMC show The Walking Dead that's got me all freaked out. The problem with "being prepared" is walking around like a dork wearing tactical gear with too many pockets. I've also tried to minimize carrying my bookbag around. So when I see things that can allow me to be prepared, but defy the tactical gear look I'll post it here. Here's product Number 1, the 686 Original Snow Toolbelt. It has a built in bottle opener in the buckle, 2 prongs in the buckle made up of a flathead screwdriver and a phillipshead screwdriver, a belt loop with 3 wrenches (8mm, 10mm, and 11mm). Available in Punk Rock studded belt (Rocker Stud Snow Toolbelt) and Work friendly (Original Snow Toolbelt) versions. Get it for $40 at 686.

(Source: Cool Materials)

RANT: STEVE JOBS IS AN ASSHOLE/FUCK APPLE

2010-10-29T12:51:00.010-04:00

I've been in the market for a new mobile phone and have been checking out the Android OS phones, but rumor has it that the iPhone in coming to Verizon (January 2011). I like the specs on the iPhone and that there are so many companies making 3rd party accessories (meaning more choice, cheaper prices), but I can't stand Apple's "walled garden" aka dictatorship mentality.

I find it pretty ironic that some the most lefty "free thinking" people I know have such an allegiance to Apple products, namely the iPhone. The company is against the freedom of speech and ideas. They must approve whatever program/app that is available in the app store, and only those apps approved can be put on the iPhone because they lock down their device (unless you choose to Jailbreak it). Apple has a policy against adult content applications. That is unless you're Playboy. For some reason an independent producer/app maker can't make an adult app, but if you're Playboy you'll be accepted by the app store. Fucking bullshit.

I don't need a new daddy Mr. Jobs. I'm an adult and will make my decision on what I would like to surround my life with, what I want to view, and what I want to put on my portable media products. Jobs even went on the record stating that "we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone". Who the fuck do you think you are? It's not that I have some need to have porn on my phone, but I don't like someone telling me I can't do something, especially with a product that I buy. Apple also blocked a cartoonist's app due to a political cartoon because Apple said applications that ridicule public figures are not allowed. What the fuck? Fight the oppressor of information. Support Free Speech.

STEVE JOBS IS AN ASSHOLE. FUCK APPLE.

JAILBREAK YOUR IPHONE (OR BUY ANDROID?)

WHO CARES: THE DUANE PETERS STORY

2010-10-19T00:18:00.004-04:00

A documentary (from 2005) with a shitload of skateboarding and a decent soundtrack. Tells the story Mr. Duane Peters, old school skateboard legend and punk rocker. This movie made me pine for my time as a member of the 4-wheel, 7-ply-maple militia. There's some pretty killer pool sessions that made me want to get a pool built and learn how to skate all over again...

The official(?) trailer:

THIS IS ENGLAND '86

2010-09-15T00:50:00.007-04:00

This is England '86 is a sequel of sorts to the movie This is England, except instead of being a feature film, this one is made for TV as a 4 part mini-series. Currently airing on Channel 4 in the U.K., but will be available on DVD on October 11, 2010.

From the Channel 4 site:

It's 1986 - the year Chris de Burgh is at number one, Top Gun is filling the cinemas, VHS is trumping Betamax, the World Cup is raging in Mexico and over 3.4 million Brits are unemployed.

As Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) sits his last school exam, the realisation dawns that adulthood beckons and in mid-80s England he's going to have to find his own way in the world. Luckily life has dealt a surprise hand to his friends too and no one is quite where they thought they would be. Woody, Lol, Smell, Gadget, Milky - they are all looking for love, a laugh, a job and something that resembles a future.

This Is England '86 is a brand new drama coming to Channel 4 this September. It revisits the gang from the hit film This Is England three years on.

"When I finished This Is England I had a wealth of material and unused ideas that I felt very keen to take further audiences seemed to really respond to the characters we created and out of my long standing relationship with Film4 and Channel 4 the idea for a television serial developed. Not only did I want to take the story of the gang broader and deeper, I also saw in the experiences of the young in 1986 many resonances to now recession, lack of jobs, sense of the world at a turning point. Whereas the film told part of the story, the TV serial will tell the rest." - Shane Meadows, Director

DRINK RECIPE: 2 TONE (A Cultured Hooligan Exclusive)

2010-09-14T22:44:00.011-04:00

The 2 Tone, a Cultured Hooligan exclusive. This is a quick and easy drink recipe that I created* when I had Guinness and Red Stripe in the fridge. Based on the classic Black and Tan.

What you'll need:

1 can of Guinness Draught (these also come in bottles now, but I prefer the can)

1 bottle of Red Stripe

1 Pint Glass

1 Spoon

Directions:

1. Grab the pint glass and hold it at about a 45 degree angle.

2. Pour the Red Stripe along the side of the glass about half way up.

3. Put the pint glass on the table, grab the spoon and hold it with back of the spoon facing up over the opening of the glass. Makes it easier if you have a black and tan spoon, but not necessary.

4. Slowly pour the Guinness over the spoon. Do it slowly and you'll see the Guinnes laying on top of the Red Stripe.

5. Let the Guinness settle, drink up, and enjoy.

6. When done repeat steps 1-5 with the remaining beer.

*No, I'm not so delusional that I think I was the first to come up with this. As I was doing this a quick Google search came up with the name Black and Red, but the 2 Tone is such a better name.

REVIEW: LA MISSION

2010-08-18T20:57:00.004-04:00

Well, I wasn't disappointed. This was an enjoyable film (pronounced fil-em) that deals with the issue of a machismo father and his acceptance (or lack thereof) of his "best friend", his son, who is gay. Add to that a few lowrider cruising scenes, some obligatory "hood" elements, an OK 1970's influenced soundtrack, and it made for an overall pretty enjoyable movie. Keep in mind it's an independent film, and looks and acts like one and you'll be happy. One of the few movies that you can watch with your chick (or with your dude if you go that way). Check this previous post for the trailer and more info.

LA MISSION

2010-08-15T19:39:00.007-04:00

A movie featuring low riders, tattoos, and struggle of a tough hood dad accepting his son. Enough of the stuff that I like mixed with an intriguing premise to make me check it out.

I'll follow up with a review. I really hope this doesn't turn out like when I was waiting for Deuces Wild to come out, and then regretted it when actually did.

From the official website http://www.lamissionthemovie.com/:

Growing up in the Mission district of San Francisco, Che Rivera (Benjamin Bratt) has always had to be tough to survive. Hes a powerful man respected throughout the Mission barrio for his masculinity and his strength, as well as for his hobby building beautiful lowrider cars. At the same time hes also a man feared for his street-tough ways and violent temper.

A reformed inmate and recovering alcoholic, Che has worked hard to redeem his life and do right by his pride and joy: his only son, Jes, whom he has raised on his own after the death of his wife. Ches path to redemption is tested, however, when he discovers Jes is gay. In a rage, Che violently beats Jes, disowning him. He loses his son and loses himself in the process. Isolated and alone, Che comes to realize that his patriarchal pride is meaningless to him, and to maintain his idea of masculinity, hes sacrificed the one thing that he cherishes most the love of his son.

To survive his neighborhood, Che has always lived with his fists. To survive as a complete man, hell have to embrace a side of himself hes never shown.

From writer/director Peter Bratt comes La MISSION, a 5 Stick Films, Inc. and TomKat Films production. Produced by Benjamin Bratt, Peter Bratt, and Alpita Patel and executive produced by Tom Steyer, Kat Taylor, and Dan Nelson, La MISSION stars Benjamin Bratt, Erika Alexander, Jeremy Ray Valdez, Jesse Borrego, and Talisa Soto Bratt. The supporting cast includes Kevin Michael Richardson, Patrick D. Shining-Elk, René A. Quiñonez, Ruben Gonzalez, and Max Rosenak.

The talented behind-the-scenes crew includes director of photography Hiro Narita, production designer Keith Neely, editor Stan Webb, costume designer Aggie Rodgers, composer Mark Kilian, and casting director Victoria Thomas.