Uni-Watch 2

If the previous post interested you at all, you should check out Paul Lukas' entire blog which he updates regulary. He calls it "Uniwatch: The Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics." It's all about uniforms in sports, past and present, but mostly baseball, and mostly past. So check it out.

Uni-Watch

Remember back in 1999 when 20 Major League Baseball teams participated in wearing ridiculous jerseys that were supposed to represent the "future" of baseball? Yea, that was pretty stupid. Read an account of it here.

Note: The author, ESPNs Paul Lukas puts a lot of work into the links he provides in his text, so click on them, they aren't ads, I promise!

Jaydiohead

And now for you fans of a more pretentious type of rock, there's a new Jay-Z mashup, this time mixing his Black album with various Radiohead samples by someone who goes by the moniker Minty Fresh Beats. You already know how I feel about Radiohead, but I will say that this is yet another entertaining mashup. It's just too bad that it came out 5 years after the Grey album, because it just doesn't stack up to any comparison. Some of the tracks just seem like a forced novelty that's been done before.

Compare this track, 99 Anthems, to the Beatles mashup from our previous post:

	Jaydiohead - 99 Anthems
	Found at skreemr.com

The Grey Album

When Jay-Z released an a-cappella version of his Black Album specifically for the purpose of remixes it set off a free-for-all of amateur mixes and mashups. The best mashup of all was also the one that caught the most attention of EMI and their copyright lawyers. This came as no surprise, of course, since the album in question pitted Jay-Z with none other than the Beatles and samples from their white album. The album's creator, Danger Mouse, came out of the project relatively unscathed by the legal system and with much more notoriety than he had previously. Now he's a famous producer and part of the Gnarls Barkley duo.

The mix itself is well worth a listen, even if you can't stand rap. One of the reasons Jay-Z's work is so widely used in mashups with rock music is his widespread appeal with white audience and his lyrics that tend to transcend the rap genre if only because they don't alienate anyone.

Here's a track that doesn't prove my point about the lyrics but does include a backing guitar track from Helter Skelter:

	Danger Mouse (Jay-Z & Beatles) - 99 Problems
	Found at skreemr.com

And here's the best track, since it samples primarily from "Piggies."

	DJ Dangermouse - Change Clothes
	Found at skreemr.com

Grey Album - Wikipedia (check out the professional review scores)

Get A Life

Since the beginning of time, zoo animals have sat patiently in their cages while we humans stared, pointed and threw candy at them. But oh what a magical day it would be if these confined beasts could leap from their cages free to see, free to frolic, free to ROLLER SKATE!

Speaking of Chris Elliott. I was only 5 when his sitcom Get A Life first aired on Fox, but I remember it fondly. The show lasted only 3 years, perhaps because it was a little too ahead of it's time or surreal for audiences. Chris played a 30 year old bumbling idiot who still lived with his parents and had a bicycle paper route. I've always thought of him as one of the best "idiots" in show business, including his work on David Letterman, etc.

I say the show was probably a little too surreal because Elliot's character dies in some of the episodes from such causes as opening the wrong door on an airplane and falling out, old age, getting stabbed, and getting shot. In today's clip Chris finally realizes his dream of producing and performing in a play about zoo animals on roller skates. CLICK THE PICTURE UP TOP TO VIEW. The episode was voted in 1999 as #17 in TV Guide's 50 Funniest Moments. Pay particular attention to the acting of his embarrassed parents in the audience, portrayed by Elinor Donahue and Chris' real life father Bob Elliot.

More clips from Get a Life

Abby Elliott

Hey! Did you know that there's a cast member currently on SNL named Abby Elliott? Neither did I! Nevertheless, Abby IS a cast member, which makes her father, Chris Elliott, the first ever Not Ready for Prime Time player to have a child who is also a cast member.

Here is proof.

I Want That:

Apple Airport Express Edition:


Apple's Airport Express is one of the most versatile pieces of wireless technology that I'm aware of . It can act as either the center of a wireless network or as an extension to the range of an existing network. But for me its best use is as a way to listen to your iTunes music on any stereo system in your house.

The Airport Express has an audio-out jack that can be connected to any set of powered speakers with an analong or optical-audio input. From there you just connect to iTunes and tell it which set of speakers to play your music out of (you can select multiple sets depending on their proximity to the AE). This could be especially useful for laptop users and anyone planning to have parties at their house, especially if you have a set of outdoor speakers. Just think of the possibilities.

Macworld: Inside Airport Express

Here Comes the Son

More news about the Beatles video game previously discussed here at the Cube. Turns out it was George Harrison's son, Dhani, who helped broker the deal with Apple that is making the game possible. From an article at billboard.com:

Harrison is also looking forward to another release this year -- "The Beatles: Rock Band" interactive game that's due out Sept. 9 and marks the Fab Four's first entry into the digital music distribution realm. He's been intimately involved in the project and promises it will feature "stuff that has never been heard, never been released," though he's not at liberty to reveal specifics.

"I took the project to Apple and sort of convinced everybody to have a presentation," says Harrison, who was used as a model for some of the game's characters. "My job description is...being enthusiastic. We've been working on it for the past two years. This is the first one that is going to be totally, historically accurate. It's been a real headache, but it's been the most enjoyable work I've done in my life."

In other news, Dhani Harrison looks exactly like George did when he was in his late twenties. The entire article is worth reading if you're interested in what else Dhani is doing these days. Check it out HERE.

The Postal Service

I've never liked Death Cab For Cutie. I keep them in an elite list of bands that people love but that I just can't get into like U2, Radiohead, Bright Eyes, and Coldplay. To me, "Death Cab" and their singer Ben Gibbard are just way too indie hipster and pretentious. Plus, Gibbard is apparently marrying Zooey Deschanel, which makes him even more of a bastard. (It's okay, I don't think I'm indie enough for her anyway).

That being said, I do have a soft spot for Gibbard's side project, The Postal Service, a sort of electric indie pop hybrid best known for their hit single "Such Great Heights." The band got its name from the way Gibbard and his partner Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel, Figurine) wrote the album. Tamborello would write and perform the instrumental tracks and then mail the DATs to Gibbard via the US Postal Service to be edited and to add vocals. The end result, 2003's Give Up, became one of the best selling records on the Sub-Pop label, second only to Nirvana's Bleach.

Interesting side note: The band was issued a cease and desist order by the real US Postal Service which was settled by the band playing at a conference and agreeing to allow sales of their album through the USPS website. In 2007 the band allowed UPS (a private competitor of USPS) to use their music in their whiteboard commercials. SLAM!

Here's that song you always hear:

	The Postal Service - Such Great Heights
	Found at skreemr.com

Got My Mind Set on You: George Harrison

Hardly anyone ever says that George was their favorite Beatle, a fact which is easy enough to understand given John and Paul's prevalance and Ringo's Ringoness. But what if you were only assessing their post-Beatles careers. Wouldn't George at least have a fighting chance? He was a guy who, aside from the sitar phase, could always just rock. Plus, as we learned last week he had an impressive circle of friends. And of course, there was always While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

As a kid I always loved the video for a song called Got My Mind Set On You from Harrison's "Cloud Nine" album. I had no idea that the guy singing it was a former Beatle, and it didn't matter because the song rocked. The video was pretty funny for it's time (1987), though the "effects" are pretty lame. Check out the 2:00 mark when "George" inexplicably gets up to dance, and then the 2:14 mark when poor editing can't help but reveal that the real George hasn't moved a damn inch. Click on the picture above to see the video.

"Also, too"

I don't like the phrase "also, too." It frankly doesn't make sense. Doesn't the "also" make the "too" unnecessary? Aren't both words being used to convey the same idea that you are adding something to your speech that hasn't been mentioned yet? Here's how it's commonly and incorrectly used:

I think the Eagles can use a younger running back. Also too they could use a stronger tight end.

Well if you're like me and can't stand this phrase, we can unite to blame just one person, and her name is Sarah Palin. The phrase was a mainstay in her speeches leading up to the election last November. Her folksy demeanor I'm sure made "also, too" an acceptable form of communication to millions. Let's all do our part and call other people out on this annoyance.

Other annoyed bloggers:
Mr.Verb
Frank
Dwyer/Huffington Post

Supergroups

Earlier this year my two favorite bands Saves the Day and Say Anything combined to form one entirely new band called Two Tongues. I discovered both bands years apart from one another and completely independently of their apparent friendship, which probably didn't even exist at the time. So it seemed out of sheer luck that the two would form a new "supergroup." The result was okay, not great. For me it was like adding 10 and 10 together and coming up with a sum of 8. This happens frequently with many a "supergroup," which we define as a rock group whose members are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups.

The first and possibly most successful supergroup of all time would have to be Cream (pictured above), followed by a few other successful groups(CSNY, Bad Company) many more mildly successful bands (Traveling Wilburys, Plastic Ono) and a whole heap of Supergroups that just never worked out. The best list of Supergroups is right HERE, from where else but wikipedia. Which ones did you like?

My personal favorites are the Wilburys, Mars Volta, and Dave Grohl's one-off attempt at metal, 2004's "Probot."

Here's "Handle With Care," arguably the greatest hit by the Traveling Wilburys. The band consisted of Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne (ELO), George Harrison, and Roy Orbison, which is at least 4/5 the greatest lineup of living people in 1988 that I can think of. I've always thought that Roy's vocals brought the band down (he sounded old). He died before the band recorded their second and final LP, but the album he was featured on went triple platinum, so what do I know?

	The Travelling Wilburys - Handle With Care
	Found at skreemr.com

The Legend of Neil

Having given it a bit more thought, it's entirely possible that the void I'm hoping Krod Mandoon will fill is the one left when The Legend of Neil wrapped up its 6 episode internet series. Neil was a crude, vulgar homage to The Legend of Zelda by the folks over at effinfunny.com, and all 6 episodes are worth watching.

Kröd Mändoon

On Thursday at 10pm Comedy Central will premier Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, a comedy series set in an ancient fantasy realm not unlike Robin Hood or the Legend of Zelda. For unknown reasons I'm rooting for the show to be funny. Maybe I'm trying to fill a long lost fantasy/comedy void or maybe I liked Robin Hood: Med in Tights a little bit too much, but I seriously think this show is filling a void of some kind on television and I hope it does well, even if the trailer and commercials have been underwhelming. Here's wishing it luck.

Matisyahu

Quick! What do you get when you combine a white dude with a crazy beard, orthodox judaism, reggae, rap, beatboxing, and guitar solos? There's probably only one answer to that and his name is Matisyahu, or Matthew Paul Miller as he was first known when he was born in West Chester, PA.

Matisyahu peforms a brand of music that's difficult to describe. To say that he combines a reggae sound with lyrics related to being a hasidic Jew is probably not enough, because sometimes his songs really rock. For me it's one song in particular called King Without A Crown. In fact, it's only a certain version of the song that I find to be fantastic. The live version. The studio version is not so good. So if you only ever hear one Matisyahu song, this would be it. In fact, check out the video too, just for the spectacle of a hasidic jew stage diving and getting really really amped up at a song about someone named "Hashem."

	Matisyahu - King Without A Crown
	Found at skreemr.com

Watchmen

I saw Watchmen last weekend and immediately joined the small legion of people who swear this was a better film than Dark Knight, although overall I felt they were both great films. For me it was probably because I never read the graphic novel , so I entered the experience with no expectations and allowed the director and writers to get me caught up, which they do a tremendous job of. For me, the performance (mostly voice) of Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach stole the show. We hadn't seen him act in anything significant since he played Kelly Leak in the Bad News Bears. I look forward to all of the Rorschach costumes I'm sure I'll be seeing next Halloween (I'll make one if nobody else does).

The film also starts and ends with a Bob Dylan song, one performed by the legend himself and the other a cover by a punkish type band I have mixed feelings about called My Chemical Romance. Here are both songs:

	Bob Dylan - The Times They Are A-Changin'
	Found at skreemr.com

Desolation Row - My Chemical Romance