Today happens once in four years! I should go watch a DVD.
28/2/2004
'Corporate Sponsored Cool'
I was recently mentioned on www.spacehijackers.co.uk;
something about the Puma/Banksy fiasco, which I never really had a
full idea about until I read it on the website. It comes as a bit
of a coincidence too, cos I've been meaning to vent my frustration
at some similar bullshit that's been happening in KL.
You might not have noticed, but I'm a bit of a Futura 2000
fan. Not too much, just enough to create a mini-site
dedicated to his London book signing back in 2001. It was a nice experience,
you know, found out about it by word of mouth, brought a couple of
things for him to autograph, took a couple of pictures. The best part
was that all you needed to do to attend the event was to know
about it.
Futura actually made a visit to KL a couple of month's back. In Kay-fucking-El!
Where I live! Did I get to see him? No! Why? Cos it was a swanky,
invite-only event for upmarket pseudo-creative types, the local lifestyle
press and neighbourhood graf kids. I only found out about it when
I stumbled upon pictures of the event in a local nightlife mag. Just
thinking about how I missed out on the whole thing still gives me
a bitter taste in my mouth. Doesn't help that the sponsor was a major
cigarette company trying very hard to pass off as a relevant lifestyle
icon.
I'm angry, yes, but I don't really know what at. I mean, who's fault
is it? Futura? All he did was get paid to attend the thing, autograph
whatever's given to him, tag a couple of things. That's not wrong.
The cigarette company? Not at all, if you think about it. They are
the ones with the money after all, and I actually give them credit,
based solely on the fact that they were willing to bring Futura over
here in the first place. The rest of the people who were there? Well
... I'm tempted to blame them for making the event the pretentious
socialite gathering that it is, but, again, it's never wrong to be
in the creative industry, to write for a lifestyle mag or to want
to spray things on walls.
Perhaps it's my fault then. For not being cool enough to be invited.
For not knowing the right people so that I could tag along and bring
my Psyence Fiction gatefold double-LP and Vecta sleeves to
be signed. For not being creative enough to be involved in the design
world, which is probably why I'm relegated
to writing about RAM, megabytes and ending product reviews with
ambiguous statements aimed at satisfying advertisers like 'this (boring
PC product) is certainly a worthy addition to the (boring PC product)
market'.
But, is that wrong too?
I got a call from a friend yesterday about a similar event, sponsored
by the same cigarette company, attended by the same people and –
guess who they've brought in now? HAZE.
Great! Someone actually told me about it! And I have a HAZE T-shirt
to boot! Surely I'm cool enough to go this time! But did I? No. Cos
the only person who could get me in is that friend of mine.
And he's got exams.
I won't start.
14/2/2004
HOLY S**T! If you haven't heard about what happened to Danger
Mouse's Grey Album, well, hear this now. THIS IS CRAZY
S**T! I kid you not. The album's widely available on the net, so please,
go download it. If you're a fan of glitch-hop (Push Button
Objects, Prefuse 73, Four Tet),
you will, as my colleague at work would say, cream yourself over this.
Or even if you're simply a fan of good music. Listen to what he did
to 'December
4th'!
6/2/2004
In case you haven't noticed, I've updated Aural Prostitution with
a new download. It's the Madlib set recorded off BBC Radio 1's internet
broadcast. Available while stocks last, so get at it.
1/2/2004
I remember asking my mum when I was younger if God carries a spoon,
since the Devil has his fork.
So yeah. Chinese New Year is almost over. Lots of good food, lots
of money, nothing much else in between. Fireworks keep me awake at
night and wakes me up when I don't need to work. I got a pay rise
so that's cool as well. Work's fine, not that it's great, but it's
just, well, like that. It's unbelievable though, the amount of shit
that goes on in the publishing world. Underhand tactics, lawsuits,
bad-mouthing of other publications in the industry, supposed spies
who leak info from one magazine to another. For Christopher's sake,
we're talking about computers and hard drives here. Awful.
Thanks to No Doubt I'm actually hearing Talk
Talk being name-checked on the local airwaves as 'an 80's
new wave band'. Ooh ... hate hate. I'm protective of my favourite
bands like that and it's just terrible listening to all these hipsters
go, "Yeah yeah, that song's a remake of an old 80's hit, you
should check out the original version though, beats the new one anytime!"
Bastards.
Just finished Lost In Translation on pirated DVD (piracy
rocks). Nice movie, great use of music, Scarlett Johansson
has tasty lips. Bill Murray's a riot as usual. 'Suntory
time' ... hehe. Cracks me up just thinking about it.
What is a blog entry from me without a current playlist? The soundtrack
to Lost In Translation, the new Air, Nina
NastasiaRun To Ruin, Dizzee RascalBoy In Da Corner, MenomenaI Am The
Fun Blame Monster, The BooksThe Lemon Of
Pink, MuAfro Finger And Gel. When
the fuck's Madvillain gonna drop?!
I'm trying to save up for a trip to London. I still have that working
holiday visa of mine that I totally wasted, which lasts till next
year actually. If I could get my act together and, like, buy less
CDs (which I already do, albeit not by choice) and open less bottles
of Johnnie Walker on weekends, I might just be able to do so. If any
of you out there can offer me a place to crash, you have my eternal
gratitude. Nick, David, Jo ... hello?
