Baley

It's more than just the moustache, man, it's the western theme and the big black gun. Now, I know what Freud would say, and he'd probably be right. 1965, got reissued in 2002. It's pretty good, some great songs, some filler, you know, the usual. I'm feeling like watching OUATITW or perhaps The Wild Bunch. High Noon? The Great Silence? Decisions, Decisions. Johnny Cash - Mean As Hell.

Yeah, but he sure does one great rendition of Sam Hall on that record. And, I mean, really can anything be more masculine than that album cover? Johnny Cash - The Streets of Loredo.

Maybe it's because most rappers today can't weave a good tale for [....] Off the top of my head, I can only think of two MCs who've done it well, Raekwon and Kool G Rap (maybe Scarface too), and these bastards practically invented it (Mafioso Rap). Sure, you've got a lot of guys like Biggie (personally, I think he suffered from the same "ailment" as Tupac, he just wasn't as good) and Jay-Z, they've got good delivery, but they look and sound as genuine as Cher after her 5th massive doc-tush-combo-surgery. I kid|exaggerate, sure, but I'd like to think there's a point to it all, and that goes something like this, while dudes like Jay make for good rappers, they make for pretty lousy "mafiosos". Ani DiFranca - Willing to Fight. I know. I'll try finding something more masculine, I swear. How about, Johnny Cash Sings The Ballads of the True West? (Manly enough?) I think it'll do.

Before I go on typing, I gotta warn you, my head's a mess, I'll just blame all subsequent linguistic errors on the Midday heat. Anyway, I don't disagree with a lot of that, but I gotta say, man, I've always enjoyed Crime Literature|Film|Music. There are a few rappers I listen to solely because of their delivery, Brotha Lynch Hung's one (he's a shock rapper, a good one, I guess, sometimes funny, sometimes tedious, great flow though, I could listen to it for hours), Snoop was one (hasn't released a good album in over 10 years, Doggystyle's one of the great party albums, I can keep on listening to it, easily, sometimes without even hearing or caring for the lyrics), E-40 (I'm not entirely sure about his latest, and his teaming-up with Lil Jon has gotta stop, his flow, on the other hand, is basically insane, really, I don't mean the hip-hop "insane" but that's good too), Chubb Rock? Guru? Biggie? I've always believed that beneath all the posturing Tupac had moments of absolute, genuine honesty. Dude definitely had a lot of filler though. At his best he was the most intense rapper on Earth (Overestimation, sic), thing is, he so often devolved into meaningless drivel and simplistic rhymes. Frankly, I find a lot of Gansta Rap funny (intentionally or unintentionally so). I like that. The one produced by DJ Shadow, eh? Now that's a team-up. I'm thinking I rather like his delivery, especially compared to most Indie rappers these days. (Cage, I mean.) + And maybe, But I'm not exactly in the mood.

Willie Nelson And Bob Dylan - Pancho And Lefty (Live) Van Zandt, The story behind the song.

Yeah, the guy definitely gets around. Man, I mean I was sure about bands like Tar, Tad, The Jesus Lizard or Melt Banana, but I hadn't realised how many of the albums I have the dude's engineered. Big Black - Precious Thing.

Hey, Drabs. The one with the nice lady emoting and crying tears of pleasure? Oh yes. Well, how much Steve Albini have you heard? Early noise|industrial|punk rock or something like that, I think it's bloody great. Major Touch and Go band. They're gonna be playing a few tracks at the Touch and Go 25th Anniversary. I've posted this before, but it should still make a lot of people wet. Shame I'm poor, eh? Have you ever read Our Band Could Be Your Life? I've been thinking about picking it up. And thanks for the tips, I'll go shop surfing tomorrow.

I think I have that RFTC record, I gotta go look for it though, to be sure, as for the Chisel, duly noted. To be honest, I was asking about Twilight Singers CDs. Big Black - He's A Whore.

Well, I'm totally burned out on Rap, in fact, I've been playing with my Punk CDs today, so hey, this might be a good time for musical taste evolution part 2. Recommend me a CD or something. NOFX - The Decline (It's just going round and round and never ever stopping.)

You're like that obsessed creepy old man, aren't you? You know which one, we all do, part of our lives, frankly, I think they've got themselves some sort of club, maybe a little company, delegating creeps all over the world with creepy never-ending, always-repeating questions. NOFX - The Decline.

I'm just teasing, lover. NOFX - The Decline.

Well, music itself can be a form of escapism, especially when Rap is concerned, for Rap at its purest is a form of storytelling. Great rap is universal because it deals with universal subjects or subjects we've universally been exposed to. Maybe without flicks like the Godfather or Goodfellas we (the world at large|not part of the "biz") wouldn't "get" Mafioso Rap, but we do, I think, at least I do, because we've been bombarded with such characters through art for decades. They're part of what we "know" and "understand" or perhaps we've been made to "know" or "understand", whatever. And I don't know many songs that deal solitary with taking weed or hating broads, though of course, I'm no expert and maybe you don't like these subjects, no biggie, we cool. There's plenty backpacker stuff for everyone. If this sounds like vapid pseudo-philosophical drivel, well, don't sweat you might just be right. I've always preferred not to intellectualise rap, or intellectually think about|analyse, uh, whatever that means. Though some musicians force it on you. I believe rap lyrics, like most poetry, should work on an emotional level first and foremost. Not in the context of Tupac's persona, in a way it's his miniature tour de force, a condensation of almost all his personal philosophy. That and his delivery is bloody intense. He's just a simple man talking about common Church morality in simple terms, terms which his fanbase can understand. I find it beautiful. We're gonna descend into subjective bickering, if we continue I mean, aren't we? Eek. And yeah, I sorta agree with you on Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, still there are a few rappers I rather like on that record. And Jarmusch. But you gotta understand, now that Hades has agreed with you, you're wrong by default. It's serious, he made the same choice as I earlier today and I've been contemplating suicide ever since. I'm not entirely certain I can go on living. Or something, anyway, interent bickering gets boring fast, and I think we're two opinionated bastards, thus, I'll wish you good luck and I'll go listen to some music. Actually I was thinking about watching that new Avengers movie. Incredibly nerdy, I know, but the inner child, stupid|ignorant as it may be, needs its daily walk.

Dudes, this is so obviously the work of violent Christian Anarchists, guided by their own intrinsic fundamentalism and desire for world|technological degradation. What?

Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx and (maybe) No Said Date, Ironman or Return To The 36 Chambers are probably better than anything the Wu ever did. Then again, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is pure Genius. Picking favorites when these guys are concerned is hard as hell. But, really, it's all about GZA (rap-wise, RZA's one of those guys the word brilliant was invented for, thing is, like most great producers, his rapping underwhelms me), he might just be in the same league as Rakim or Pac. By that I mean their stuff finds its way inside your head, their words have that "power", that "ability", yeah, it sounds dumb, but that's what great poetry does, it gets to you. I can still easily remember stuff like Tupac's Blasphemy, especially the "is God just another cop, waiting to beat my ass if I don't go pop" line or the whole, "I come from a place where they say, death comes too soon Where the hoods on the block, dance to a different tune Every night and every day, hotels of foul play Turns fatal, when this hostile land of AKs" From Destruction Of A Guard (GZA). They strike me as fully honest, no-bull[....] lyrics. That's what I like. Maybe it's just that I've never found a great poet in (Self-Identifying) Indie Hop-Hop. There's a lot of really good producers, sure. Of course, when you're looking at hip-hop, it's not like Punk, the concept of selling out ain't exactly as ever-present, frankly I don't mind Bling, most of those guys and girls were poor kids from poor neighbourhoods, of course they'd like some of that cash, hell, I would. Problem is when you don't release a good album in 10 years, well, Hun, you become a disappointment, however you spin it. That reminds me of a Jay-Z song, Moment Of Clarity, where he basically acknowledges dumbing-down to sell records and help his old neighborhood. Now, I don't know how true that is, and I don't really care, Jay-Z's a ****. Nice thought though. Have you ever listened to the Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture album? I can't really listen to Aesop Rock anymore. But dude, RZA & Doom. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - Antennas To Heaven. I know. I'm feeling pretentious, the mood's right and I can fully enjoy them.

Old-timers like E-40 and Too-$hort, well, they might just get big, I mean real big or at least real big again on this hyphy movement. Sorry mate, but a genre where a madman like Pharoahe Monch's preparing a new album and lyrical giants like The GZA are still roaming the Earth is far from dead. Frankly, I like Doom as a producer, but his Rapping sorta leaves me underwhelmed most of the time. Sure, this ain't 95, and that's a shame. Rap Albums are still ruling the charts (and thus easily surviving if money=life in your book, in mine, you just need a guy and a pair of cheap|repetitive beats, that's enough), they just ain't as good. Honestly though, I'm sure there's still plenty of kiddies rapping bout AKs, hoes and cash. That makes me happy, feels my heart with joy or whatever cliched expression you prefer, yeah, cause that means the future's in the making, music don't die no more, we've gone ultra-tech, thank you Jesus|Marx|Nozick|Pope Joan. I got this as a present on my 12th birthday.

I'd have voted for Churchill. I don't trust folks who don't drink (regularly)*. And hell, his daily schedule reminds of mine. Us lazy bums gotta stick together, know what I mean'? *And Vegetarians and Germans and Non-Smokers. Plus, cheating on your wife should be okay and she should understand if she's all eek and fat and gooey. I mean, it's not my fault she makes me barf uncontrollably, it's not my fault Mr. Pecker Jim prolapses like the SS Columbia on seeing her mug each morning. Women should be more understanding, that's what my Pa always said.

Okay, I'll bite, is there any actual rapping on this album and, like, who's rapping? I've only listened to One-Three and, well, I didn't hate it, not bad. Anyhow, 2006 wasn't that bad a year for Hip-Hop, Fishscale was okay and I rather like Made in Brooklyn (Masta Killa), Nas' Hip-Hop Is Dead has got some fantastic producers working on it, Outkast, well, I like the concept behind Idlewild, to be honest I'm more interested in the movie. I might lose my indie hater cred, but I liked the Aceyalone|RJD2 project as well. Which reminds me, 5 days till the new Roots album. Give it a listen - Myspace. The Roots - Don't Feel Right.

You're a very queer fellow, I do say. Jitters and Fidgets! My spine turns into must and tard before my eyes.

+ And maybe,

Citizen Kane? Pfft. Big Daddy Kane, Bitches. (Actually, I love that movie, man, but, you know, it's, like, well, Big Daddy.)

Well, I've read (or re-read) Junky, Slaughterhouse-Five and The Sun Also Rises. I'm not gonna admit I'm all gay for the writers, I'm not, not here anyway and surely not now, but there's a possibility, that's something, I guess. I've read about 180 pages of Valis on my way back home, and, man, I don't really care for, like, half of PKD's books, especially the early ones, insanity really really suited him. I mean,

The Cramps - The Most Exalted Potentate of Love I know. Shut up.

The Simple Art of Murder by Raymond Chandler, Wikipedia Full Text. they cut back sew much on th backs uv th poor by bill bisett, http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/bissett/poem2.htm

Dude, I mean, sure, Opeth are monstrously boring and dull by default, except Damnation which I sorta like, but come on. I hear the baying of the hounds In the distance, I hear them devouring Pest ridden jackals of the earth Diabolical beasts and roaming the forests In wait and constant protectors Calling you to sit by his side Your self loathing image in his flesh A revelation upon which you linger His words are flies Swarming towards the true insects Feasting on buried dreams And spreading decay upon your skin His eyes spew forth a darkness That cut through and paralyze Casts light upon your secrets Forced to confront your enemies That's a song I chose randomly, The Baying Of The Hounds, or something, anyway, that's the kind of poetry a 13 year old Goth bimbo writes when she's in love with the big bad jock and she's feeling all "Eww Eww I'll write some hurtful and personal poetry that exposes my true feelings for him and his infernal clique eww" Dude, face it, that's awful. Atheist has some decent lyrics, You say there's freedom Within our nature Well I don't think you understand Mother Earth has fallen to Mother Man The Air, the Sea, the Grass, the Trees, The nemesis is the major, Fearless leader Mother Man. Come on take a look At what's become Of the existence that leads Or so we think That's always a popular phrase It suits the laws written By dear Mother Man, Those heavy hands. Though they too often devolved into meaningless drivel and soulless, flowery dreg. And then there's Sleep, I'm sure we can both appreciate the following lyrics, Drop out of Life with Bong in Hand Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land Drop out of Life with Bong in Hand Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land Proceeds the Weedian, Nazareth Proceeds the Weedian, Nazareth Creedsmen roll out Across The Dying Down Sacred Israel Holy Mount Zion Sun Beams Down onto the SAndcean Reigns Caravan Migrates Through deep SandScape Lungsmen Unearth the creed of Hasheeshian LeBaNon Desert Legion Smoke Covenant is Complete HerB Bails Retied onto Backs of Beasts Stoner Caravan Emerge from Sandsea Earthling Inserts to Chalice the Green Cutchie GRoundation Soul Finds Trust Upon Smoking Hose Assemble Creedsmen Rises Prayerfilled Smoke GolGoTha Judgement Soon Come To Mankind Green Herbsmen SErve Rightful King HEMp SeeD Caravan CArries Rides out Believer with the spliff Aflame MAriJuanAut Escapes earth To Cultivate Grow Room Is Church TEmple of the new Stoner Breed Chants Loud RObeD Priest Down onto the Freedomseed Burnt Offering rEdeeMs Completes Smoked Deliverance Caravan StoneD Deliverants The CARAvan Holds to Eastern Creed NOw sMokEs Believer The Chronicle of the Sinsemillian Drop out of Life with Bong in Hand Follow the Smoke toward the Riff filled Land Drop out of Life with Bong in Hand Follow the Smoke JERUSALEM.... (I'm sure Kor does too.) Basically, you'd be hard pressed to find good-to-great metal lyrics because the genre ain't about that, man, and the musicians aren't into that either, you've got a bunch of amateurs who really couldn't care less about poetry spout "meaningless drivel". And I'm okay with that, we cool, as long they have some cool riffs and whatnot. Frankly, I'm not the greatest fan of Metal, I still like the pretentious Florida prog-Death, some Doom, some Stoner, but nah, I'd rather listen to a good punk or rap song any day. Judge Dread - Take Off Your Clothes. Judge Dread - Insane.