July, 2009

Banksy vs. the Bristol Museum


This is definitely is a classic clip that I find myself going back to quite often. Its a show/display of Banksy's work in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery.

There are many artists out there that can express a message or statement effectively using a variety of media. But Banksy is one of the very few that makes the medium interact with the message to the extent that even McLuhan would be left with his head spinning.

Enjoy - if you haven't already.



Rock the Bells 2009


Thanks to the dude who gave us the wristbands to get to the floor. Performances of the day:

K'naan - i couldn't get there in time for his whole set, but from the sound of it, i definitely should have. highlight: seeing 'waving flag' live on a bright summer afternoon. it's an experience.

Reflection Eternal - someone was fuckin with his mic levels, but talib and hi tek threw it down. highlights: move somethin, back again (who was the singer that came on for the chorus?)

RZA - on his 40th birthday (he made the crowd wish him, it was pretty funny), he entered on the kill bill tip, and threw down all the wu bangers. highlight: wu tang clan ain't nottin to fuck wit.

EPMD - after what happened with EPMD in Toronto for the last rock the bells, i'm pretty surprised they showed up. felt like toronto wasn't ready for them. highlights: 'the crossover', 'rugged n raw'.

Big Boi - wow. pretty much his entire set was wild. the highlight: atliens + rosa parks.

Mos Def - looked like he was having more fun than anyone there. auditorium + casa bey were amazing. talib stepped in for 'definition' and had the crowd going stupid.

Nas+Damian - each individual puts on an amazing show on their own. although they didn't preview the new album as much as i would have liked, it was really cool to see them on stage together. nas rapped over some dancehall, and damian marley did the same over some old nas beats. looking forward to the album, and seeing them on tour together.

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58 'til infinity


My favorite MJ moments, in no particular order:
  • Trying to do the Smooth Criminal lean and falling on my face. Don't lie - I know you tried it
  • Being amazed at the CGI in all of the videos from Dangerous - especially "Remember the time"
  • Watching the Bad and Beat it videos for the first time
  • Switching between MJ and Boney M cassette tapes during birthday parties when I was a kid
  • Watching him redefine what "celebrity" means. Few artists cause mass fainting during their shows.
  • Playing Jackson 5's ABC's during my wedding slideshow
The scandals, lawsuits and other general fuckery mean nothing to me, and probably won't to most fans.

Rest in Peace.
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Michael Jackson, 1958-2009.