Hitchhiker’s Guide Chapter 25
By Avery | June 24, 2008
As I mentioned last week, I’m hitting up the Hitchhiker’s Guide again. Of course it’s online, although I’m reading my yellow-paged compendium. At any rate, here’s a link to Chapter 25, which explains Deep Thought.
Topics: Everwhatever | No Comments »
A Matter of Preference
By Avery | June 24, 2008
A question I’ve been forced to ask myself over the past few years is this: is Rakim overrated? My initial reaction to this question would be to shoot the half-closed eye Wu-Tang look. It’s a legit question, though. If you go lyric for lyric, line for line, is Rakim THAT much better than Kane or Kool G Rap? I can’t say for sure. Not only can I not say that he’s far superior, I can’t even necessarily always say that he’s superior. Not anymore, at least.
I came into my awe of Rakim honestly. I wasn’t one of those people who had been all hyped up on the legend before I heard him. I don’t even remember hearing people talk about him before I heard My Melody. It was a song on a dubbed tape I had jacked from a friend. I didn’t know who was on it. Just songs dude liked. But I remember that I was crossing Roosevelt Boulevard the first time I heard, “I’ll take seven MCs and put ‘em in a line…” That moment is frozen in time. It’s also a big part of the reason that I revere Rakim in a way that I never did with Kane. Rakim was somebody I listened to, not for the songs themselves, but strictly for the lyrics. Songs like Chinese Arithmetic and the other instrumentals on Paid In Full actually made me not wanna listen to the tape. It was only the lyrics that got me. But even then, it wasn’t like I was walking around quoting Rakim. I was just in awe of his skill.
Kane, on the other hand, had lines that I just couldn’t help walking down the street quoting. Put a quarter in your ass cuz you played yourself? When I clear my throat, that’s AWWWLLLL she wrote? Come on. Where Rakim was that calm, laid-back, seemingly silent killer, while Kane was all bluster, swagger, and skill. And let me emphasize ’skill.’ Kane was that dude in a way that Rakim wasn’t. In a way, it’s kinda like Marvin Harrison versus Randy Moss. There’s Harrison’s quiet, efficient excellence and there’s Moss’s showy, braggadocios excellence. I don’t know that it’s fair to say that one is better, it’s just a matter of preference.
Topics: Everwhatever | 1 Comment »
Wha’chu Gon’ Play Now?
By Avery | June 23, 2008
Disco To Go - Brides of Funkenstein
Oops Upside Your Head - GAP Band
Holy Calamity (Bear Witness II) - Handsome Boy Modeling School
Jack The Ripper - LL Cool J
Live At Union Square - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
Miuzi Weighs A Ton - Public Enemy
Buck Whylin’ - Terminator X
Gold Digger - EPMD
My Part of Town - Tuff Crew
My Melody - Eric B & Rakim
Superbad - The Beatnuts
Daytona 500 - Ghostface Killa
Brothers On My Jock - EPMD, f. Redman
You Can’t Stop The Prophet - Jeru Tha Damaja
Get Me Back On Time Engine #9 - Wilson Pickett
The Bristol Hotel - LL Cool J
Sister Sanctified - Stanley Turrentine
My Philosophy - BDP
Topics: Music, Playlists | 1 Comment »
What’s the Point?
By Avery | June 22, 2008
The Washington Post reports that 3 in 10 Americans admits to race bias. Is that supposed to be surprising? I mean, I guess the question that I’m asking is which part is supposed to be an attention grabber: that THIRTY PERCENT of Americans admit to being prejudiced, or is it that thirty percent of Americans ADMIT to being prejudiced? Personally, I don’t find it surprising no matter where the emphasis is placed, but I am curious as to how people read it. Even before I read the article, I knew that the thirty percent figure is supposed to represent a significant portion, but “racial prejudice” is such a nebulous term, who can know what that actually means? I’ll tell you flat-out that I’m prejudiced, although that basically amounts to me rooting for Black folks in sporting events and on television game shows, provided I have no overriding interest. Meanwhile, I’m sure that there are people who wouldn’t let their child date a person of a different race who, only because they’ve never actually had to confront the issue, wouldn’t think of themselves as being prejudiced. So it’s a loaded term that actually means nothing. Kinda like race itself, in some ways.
Besides, with a sample size of under 2000, I’m not sure how valid any extrapolations are, anyway.
Topics: Everwhatever | 4 Comments »
Who Bit Whom?
By Avery | June 22, 2008
Listening to the Disco to Go by The Brides of Funkenstein, on the uncut version, the song starts out with this tremendously interesting horn lick. Totally different from the rest of the song - it almost sounds unrelated to the song, but it’s quite, quite funky. Later, I’m listening to Oops Upside Your Head by The Gap Band, and I hear the exact. same. lick.
Similarly, there’s this joke I’ve heard from both Redd Foxx and Flip Wilson. The only difference is the setup and the percentage. The joke is this:
Recently, doctors have reported that 75% of breast cancer can be attributed to men who smoke.
Topics: Everwhatever | 8 Comments »
Random Notes
By Avery | June 21, 2008
I never commented on the R. Kelly fiasco because, quite frankly, I’ve been avoiding it. BUt suffice it to say that no matter what we want to believe, if the girl says it wasn’t her, and her people say it wasn’t her, then it’s just about impossible to get a conviction based on video evidence. Not that the state necessarily put on the best case, and it certainly didn’t help that the trial was SIX YEARS after the discovery of the tape. Given his track record, I wonder how much of his money Kelly has spent on keeping young girls and their families hushed up.
Got a Canon digital point and shoot? CHDK is for you.
Could the word “okay” actually have African origins? I know all that “oll korrect” stuff I’ve read as the source of the term never really made sense to me.
Some grandmothers still don’t play.
A 61-year-old city woman was arrested by Reading police for beating her granddaughter with a cane and belt after finding the girl in bed with another female teenager from the neighborhood, investigators said Saturday.
My Favorite Liar (jacked from Overcoming Bias)
What made Dr. K memorable was a gimmick he employed that began with his introduction at the beginning of his first class:
“Now I know some of you have already heard of me, but for the benefit of those who are unfamiliar, let me explain how I teach. Between today until the class right before finals, it is my intention to work into each of my lectures … one lie. Your job, as students, among other things, is to try and catch me in the Lie of the Day.” And thus began our ten-week course
I might try that.
Topics: Everwhatever | 3 Comments »
Bolt Bus
By Avery | June 20, 2008
I don’t know how long I’m gonna live in the NY-DC megalopolis - for some reason, I’m thinking those days may be numbered - but while I do, I’m absolutely lovin’ this new Bolt Bus service from Greyhound. Since I’ve been in DC, I’ve spent scads of unnecessary cash because I wanted to be able to use my laptop when I traveled back and forth to Philly. Amtrak kept goin up, but I kept ridin, all because they had plugs. Then I started drivin’ all the time. But with gas prices all ridiculous, I was kinda wantin an alternative. The Chinatown bus was an option, but that basically had the same problems as the regular Greyhound - overcrowded and no amenities. Enter Bolt Bus 2008.
This is travelin right here. I’m writing this post live from the bus. Plugs in the seat and wireless internet ON THE BUS. And it’s pretty cheap. The tickets vary in price depending on how far in advance you buy them, but the other day, I was able to cop a ticket from DC-NY, buying the same day, for $15. Cannot beat it. Absolutely can’t. Especially since I’m on vacation and really don’t have anywhere I’m supposed to be. Bet I’ll be on here at least 2 more times before the summer’s out.
UPDATE
Young! If it wasn’t for the electricity and the wireless, this trip to DC from New York would be murderous. We left at 1500. It’s now 1641 and we’re not even out of the 732 area code. If I was drivin, I’d be beside myself. But since I’m sittin here on the bus coolin out, all wireless’d up, groovin to the i-peezy (have I mentioned that i’m closin in on 16k songs? We gonna hafta revisit that ‘how much is too many’ post) it’s only mildly peeving. Hooray Bolt Bus.
Topics: Everwhatever | 2 Comments »
Nerdology
By Avery | June 19, 2008
Commenter White English Teacher at Booker Rising took me way back, subtly mentioning the supercomputer Deep Thought, which was constructed to figure an the answer to the Ultimate Question, which turned out to be 42. The Earth, then, was the program which was constructed to ask the Question to the Ultimate Answer. The whole story is recorded in the five-part trilogy (or is it six parts?), kicked off with The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy. That was the first science fiction book that I ever read, but being that it was amazingly off-kilter, it didn’t really feel like reading sci-fi. And I loved it. Immensely. Being that it’s science fiction, it’s mad dense, but I think it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had reading. And that’s saying a lot.
Being on summer vacation has also meant that I’ve had the chance to so some reading for pleasure. In this case, I made a trip to the comic book store and actually bought something. When I first started reading comics it was for the art, but now it’s just as much for the stories. Espeically when a philosophical question is raised. Enter Marvel’s Civil War. Because I’m not still of the mindset to go to the comic store every month, I just sat down and bought the trade paperback. But it’s good reading, and it raises some interesting questions. Of course, the first question I hafta ask is…why the brother had to die? Still. Always. Dag.
At any rate, I’m not gonna go all into the whole details of the series, but suffice it to say that it’s been nice to let the nerd out for a while. I don’t know if he’s gonna be out all summer, or if my trips to the comic store are done for the year. But I know I enjoyed it today.
Topics: Everwhatever | 4 Comments »
Certified
By Avery | June 18, 2008
KG got his ring.
Like I said before, I was halfheartedly hoping for the Lakers, but I’m not at all mad that the Celtics won. In fact, I actually had the opportunity to go to Boston last night, although I didn’t think of it at the time. That would’ve been off the hook.
But thinking about it, does a championship really validate a career? Like, you take all the great players who had the misfortune of playing in the 80’s. In the entire decade, only three teams went to The Finals from the Western Conference: the Lakers, the Rockets, and the Trailblazers. That’s it. And the Lakers were the only WC team to actually win a title in the 80’s. Not like the Eastern Conference was too much more forgiving. Boston, Philly, Detroit. At least each of those teams actually won a title during the decade, though. The point is, there were many, many great players who passed through the league during that time, but only the players on four teams actually got to bring home titles. That doesn’t make them any less great.
Looking at it with players from the 90’s, is Patrick or Barkley any less of a great player than he would’ve been had the Knicks or the Suns won the title? Honestly, in Patrick’s case, I can’t necessarily say it wouldn’t have been. I think that for him, a title would have validated his career in a way that it wouldn’t have for Barkley or Malone, because Patrick’s trip to the Finals (the first one, the one that really counted) came against his only true rival as the greatest center of his generation: The Dream. If Ewing had beaten Dream, all those top-10 lists would hafta be revised. I mean, yeah, the blame for the Knicks’ loss usually goes to Starks for his miserable game 7 performance, and rightfully so, but the truth is that Dream put in the work on Patrick too. So in Patrick’s case, yeah, the title would make a big difference. For most of the rest of those cats, like Barkley and Malone, not so much. They lost to Jordan, Pippen, and the Bulls, but not to direct rivals at their positions. Like, if the Sixers and the Jazz had met in the finals one year, where Barkley and Malone were essentially going head-up, then yeah, the title would make a difference for one or the other. But they were already great players at that point.
Winning a title doesn’t make a player great - Starks would still be streaky, he’d just be streaky with a ring. What it does certify the great ones. And as KG said last night, he is now certified.
Topics: Everwhatever | 4 Comments »
Sonny Rollins on Hip-Hop
By Avery | June 17, 2008
From an interview with Ishmael Reed
Reed: Let me ask you about gangsta rap.
Rollins: I like the content of rap because it’s the black experience; what they’re saying is the truth. Not everything—I’m talking about the political stuff, of course. We have to accept that ‘cause that’s what’s happening.
Reed: What about the style, all this mixing and sampling and stuff they do?
Rollins: Well, they sampled some of my stuff. This group Digable Planets did some of my stuff. I heard it in a store. I heard somebody playing some of my stuff.
Reed: How do you feel about that?
Rollins: It’s okay, it’s alright. I just don’t want to be ripped off. I need my money. So I like the political thing and I like some of the rhythms them cats are playing. I can use it. I’m not an old fogy. I think jazz has done so much to bring people together, but jazz is only an art form. You can’t change a society with jazz. The society is still backward on racial matters. I like to be democratic; I have a white boy playing in my band right at the moment. But it’s not a personal thing. I find people personally who are great, but the oppressive society just makes it impossible to be real with people. It always fucks everything up.
Topics: Everwhatever | 2 Comments »