• I’m not a museum or gallery person. I have never found myself at all intrigued by a new local or national art exhibit. Obviously I have an appreciation for art, but the process of walking through buildings looking at things hanging from walls can be rather boring. Records (PS1), 1987-2009 on the other hand, looks amazing. It is a site-specific floor-based installation of vinyl records by Christian Marclay. Marclay is known for his musical deconstruction and experimentation. He recorded the sounds of a guitar being dragged behind a truck. He’s broken and glued records back together in order to create stunning “improvements” in the sound. I wish I could get to the P.S. 1 MoMA in New York before the exhibit closes, but I think it opens the day after I make my return to Los Angeles. [story]

• You all know I have a secret man-crush on Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione. So you should not be surprised to hear that I am itching to try his latest concoction, a batch of chicha using traditional Peruvian brewing methods: the corn will be milled and moistened in the maker’s mouth. Before you get all grossed out and wonder why the hell a germaphobe like me would want to drink beer with spit in it, keep in mind that the moistening happens before the brewing process, so it will inevitably become sterilized. I’ve never had a Dogfish Head beer I haven’t liked. Even their malt liquor was tasty. I’m sure the chicha, if they even mass produce bottles, will be delightful. [story]

• Speaking of beers, Swan Fungus reader/contributor Bennett (aka Burrito Esquire) keyed me into a website where you can buy your friends beer online! I’ve put a link to the website just below the donation button on the upper-left corner of this page. So if you’re feeling compelled to see how (and if) the beer-buying service works, by all means, buy me a beer!

• “At 18 heavy-drinking U.S. [college] campuses, students’ alcohol habits showed little change over a dozen years.” And if the people who researched and published studies like this one had also grown up with Baby Boomer parents while in the midst of a recession, they too might understand why so many young people these days turn to alcohol. It’s not like they’re going to turn to religion — that shit is vilified by the media. Drugs and alcohol are seen as way cooler, as glorified through countless television shows and movies. It seems like the logical choice for a lost soul trying to cope with annoying, self-centered parents and no job prospects to look forward to. [story]

• I know a number of people who have tried their hand at growing pot, but I don’t think any of them were so adventurous as to plant their seeds in a city-owned flower basket located in an urban “Arts District.” That shit takes balls. Only in Jersey… [story]

• Last night Landon, Nate, and I were given free tickets to see Sinbad at the Nokia Theater downtown. We went with Erin, her roommate, and some of her friends. None of us knew what to expect, but we were hoping for some unintentionally unfunny lose-your-shit moments. As it turned out, they were filming the performance for a Comedy Central special. Since we had General Admission tickets, we were asked if we wanted to be seat fillers. They stuck us in VIP seats in the front row of the balcony. I’ll make sure to point it out when I find out the air date for the show, but if you keep your eyes on the crowd and spot a dude in a bright green t-shirt fake laughing and pointing while mouthing the words, “He’s right, that’s so true!” you’re be seeing me. I remember laughing at a joke about glasses and a couple of his comments towards women about how to understand men. When speaking about his wife/ex-wife/wife (they divorced then got remarried) he joked that when they remarried, he knew she was crazy, but she was crazy in a way he could deal with. Of course, this is almost identical to the mantra I learned from Ken, “Every woman is crazy, you just have to find one that’s crazy how you like.” Other than that, he was all over the place, made some really bad transitions between jokes, and generally spoke about getting old, which is not something to which I can relate. As far as I could tell, he made zero references to Jingle All The Way.

Whitehouse – To Die
Thin White Rope – Not Your Fault
Oasis – D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman

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