I brought Hole's "Live Through This" into work today for a colleague, and figured while I had the CD here, I may as well rip it to my itunes. I started listening to it and remembered just how great of an album it is.
I don't think it's necessarily underrated, as anyone who likes this kind of music seems to agree that the album is pretty good. From the ragged heaviness of Violet and Rock Star, to the cracked vunerability of Doll Parts, to the urgency of Plump and Gutless, there's a great range of music. It's surprisingly diverse for an album that doesn't differ a whole lot in terms of style, if that makes sense.
It's generally accepted that Kurt wrote most of the album, since it has almost nothing in common with the album that preceded it (the very dissonant "Pretty on the Inside") or the one that came next (the incredibly polished "Celebrity Skin", which was allegedly mainly written by Billy Corgan). I remember a great Dave Grohl quote, when an interviewer asked him which was his favourite Hole album, he replied "Pretty on the Inside, because I know Courtney wrote that one herself" in a not-so-subtle dig towards her. Even if Kurt did write most of the album, I actually think it's better and more consistent than anything Nirvana ever did.
Anyway, these days when we mostly remember Courtney as being certifiably-crazy, it's easy to forget how fantastic this album is.
For those of you who may have forgotten, a reminder . . . .
Violet
Doll Parts
Plump
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Tuesday Top 5 - Songs I'm listening to this week
AFI - Prelude 12/21
The Gutter Twins - All Misery Flowers
Guns n Roses - Better
The Hold Steady - One for the Cutters
Coldplay - Violet Hill
The Gutter Twins - All Misery Flowers
Guns n Roses - Better
The Hold Steady - One for the Cutters
Coldplay - Violet Hill
The Dark Whopper
Yesterday I gave my tick of approval to "The Dark Knight". Today I'm endorsing the affiliated hamburger.
It's basically just a Whopper, except they've replaced the ketchup with smoky barbecue sauce, but it's a worthwhile addition to the Hungry Jacks menu. Come to think of it, pretty much any special burger Hungry Jacks ever bring out is just a regular Whopper, with one or more of the following - barbecue sauce, bacon, or pineapple.
If I was in charge of HJ's, I'd make it so you could have these options right throughout the year. Why can I only get a Western Whopper once every twelve months?
The other thing I would do is target some of the young go-getters that McDonlalds employees and get them to work for me. Without getting too mean, the standard of kids they have working at Hungry Jacks these days is not real high. I swear I stood there for a full minute last night as some short pimply faced kid tried to explain "Four double whoppers, three of them with cheese" to the other kids making burgers out back. Come on guys, it's not that hard.
It's basically just a Whopper, except they've replaced the ketchup with smoky barbecue sauce, but it's a worthwhile addition to the Hungry Jacks menu. Come to think of it, pretty much any special burger Hungry Jacks ever bring out is just a regular Whopper, with one or more of the following - barbecue sauce, bacon, or pineapple.
If I was in charge of HJ's, I'd make it so you could have these options right throughout the year. Why can I only get a Western Whopper once every twelve months?
The other thing I would do is target some of the young go-getters that McDonlalds employees and get them to work for me. Without getting too mean, the standard of kids they have working at Hungry Jacks these days is not real high. I swear I stood there for a full minute last night as some short pimply faced kid tried to explain "Four double whoppers, three of them with cheese" to the other kids making burgers out back. Come on guys, it's not that hard.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Band practice . . .
Was never quite this good with my old band. Perhaps it's because we had to practice in Tim's mum and dad's basement, rather than an abandoned warehouse.
The Dark Knight
Friday night I saw "The Dark Night", aka the new Batman movie. It was really good.
Pretty much anything you read about the film talks about Heath Ledger, and how amazing he is in it, and that's spot on, he really did make the film. I'm not really a big Heath Ledger fan, I think the only thing I've liked that he's done was Two Hands. He's tremendous in this, and walks the line between psychotic and hilarious. He's really unrecognizable though, with his altered voice and all the makeup, I never would have picked him unless I was told who it was.
The movie is, of course, over the top, in terms of its stunts and action. It never feels like you're just watching a superhero movie though, because the writing, directing and acting are all so good. With guys like Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and the lovely Maggie Gyllenhaal in supporting roles, there's much more talent than you'd normally find in this genre.
It's funny, I've heard quite a few people say this movie is "better than the first one". Meaning "Batman Begins", which is at least the fifth Batman movie. It's almost as if, given how crap the movies became in the 90s, everyone has decided to agree that they never happened, and the series really began when Christopher Nolan became involved.
Highly recommended.
PS Also saw "Charlie Wilsons War" on Saturday night, and that was average. Not necessarily bad, just not good. Kind of bound to happen when you combine one actor who makes great movies (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) with two who make rather bad movies (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts).
Pretty much anything you read about the film talks about Heath Ledger, and how amazing he is in it, and that's spot on, he really did make the film. I'm not really a big Heath Ledger fan, I think the only thing I've liked that he's done was Two Hands. He's tremendous in this, and walks the line between psychotic and hilarious. He's really unrecognizable though, with his altered voice and all the makeup, I never would have picked him unless I was told who it was.
The movie is, of course, over the top, in terms of its stunts and action. It never feels like you're just watching a superhero movie though, because the writing, directing and acting are all so good. With guys like Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and the lovely Maggie Gyllenhaal in supporting roles, there's much more talent than you'd normally find in this genre.
It's funny, I've heard quite a few people say this movie is "better than the first one". Meaning "Batman Begins", which is at least the fifth Batman movie. It's almost as if, given how crap the movies became in the 90s, everyone has decided to agree that they never happened, and the series really began when Christopher Nolan became involved.
Highly recommended.
PS Also saw "Charlie Wilsons War" on Saturday night, and that was average. Not necessarily bad, just not good. Kind of bound to happen when you combine one actor who makes great movies (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) with two who make rather bad movies (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts).
Friday, July 25, 2008
How hard is it to put the bread on the right side?
You don't read a lot of reviews of fancy restaurants on this blog. Part of it is because my budget doesn't allow, part of it's because my tastes aren't that particular. Last night though we had a family dinner for my mum and sister's birthdays at Graduates Restaurant at Regency Tafe.
For those of you not aware of the place, it's a training restaurant for hospitality students, who are required to do some practical work as part of their course. The waiting staff are all students, and most of the kitchen staff are, although there is a head chef, who is presumably the only actual graduate of the group.
Anyway, I didn't think that being a waiter was something you needed a lot of training for, although talking to some colleagues today I've been told otherwise. However, these people were, in a word, terrible. I'd give them credit considering perhaps it was their first time, but the head student-waiter gave a little speech halfway through the night saying this was their seventh night, which I found hard to believe.
For example, they put our bread on the wrong side of the plate. A small thing, but something even I knew better than to do, and I have almost no formal training as a waiter. Also, I had to ask twice for Michella and I to be brought bread, as everyone else got theirs on arrival, and we didn't. Then when they brought it they dropped it on the way from the bread basket to my plate. They disappeared between courses, meaning we had to signal them when we were ready to order the next one. And then they forgot to get Dad his coffee he ordered. One mistake you might write off, but they really managed to screw up way more than you should.
The food itself was passable. I definitely ordered the most palatable food on offer - a mushroom risotto with steak strips for entree, pork wrapped in proscuttio for my main, and lemon pudding for desert. As you'd expect, the servings were rather small, but I didn't end up stopping off at Hungry Jacks on the way home, so it obviously did the job. I fared better than poor Ange, who ordered what she thought was chicken, but got a pie-like dish seemingly filled with soup. And then made Ash swap with her.
For those of you not aware of the place, it's a training restaurant for hospitality students, who are required to do some practical work as part of their course. The waiting staff are all students, and most of the kitchen staff are, although there is a head chef, who is presumably the only actual graduate of the group.
Anyway, I didn't think that being a waiter was something you needed a lot of training for, although talking to some colleagues today I've been told otherwise. However, these people were, in a word, terrible. I'd give them credit considering perhaps it was their first time, but the head student-waiter gave a little speech halfway through the night saying this was their seventh night, which I found hard to believe.
For example, they put our bread on the wrong side of the plate. A small thing, but something even I knew better than to do, and I have almost no formal training as a waiter. Also, I had to ask twice for Michella and I to be brought bread, as everyone else got theirs on arrival, and we didn't. Then when they brought it they dropped it on the way from the bread basket to my plate. They disappeared between courses, meaning we had to signal them when we were ready to order the next one. And then they forgot to get Dad his coffee he ordered. One mistake you might write off, but they really managed to screw up way more than you should.
The food itself was passable. I definitely ordered the most palatable food on offer - a mushroom risotto with steak strips for entree, pork wrapped in proscuttio for my main, and lemon pudding for desert. As you'd expect, the servings were rather small, but I didn't end up stopping off at Hungry Jacks on the way home, so it obviously did the job. I fared better than poor Ange, who ordered what she thought was chicken, but got a pie-like dish seemingly filled with soup. And then made Ash swap with her.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Poker
Last night I played poker at the Palais with Ando and Murray. Against a field of around 50, I finished 11th. And I did it with the best cards of my life.
On the first hand I got dealt pocket Aces, doubling up my chips against another player with Ace-King. Over the next two hours or so I got pocket pairs another six times. At one point, the player to my right made a comment about how many pocket pairs I had picked up, and I joked that the next time I got them, I would let him know by holding one of my pockets, and he could keep his chips. I then looked down to find myself with pocket Kings (or Cowboys, for those into the poker lingo), and picked up another few thousand in chips (I did not, as promised, hold my pocket).
After starting with 1,000 in chips, I peaked with 37,000 chips, at which point Murray and Ando assured me I was the chip leader for the tournament. At this point I lost half my chips in a bad beat though, and then the quickly rising blinds kind of necessitated another all in around 15 minutes later which I also lost.
I had a great time, since I got to play about 40-50% of the hands, and do some really agressive betting, but it made me wonder, if I couldn't win with the cards I had, would I ever? I think in those types of situations there really is the element of luck - the rising blinds mean you have to make moves, and even when you're the favourite pre-flop, you need everything to go your way on the all ins to get to a strong point on the final table. I went all-in on my final hand with King-Three for about 13,000 chips, which sounds like a dumb move, except next up I was going to be the big blind, and have to post a blind of 10,000 chips, which would have pretty much put me all in on whatever random hand I got dealt anyway . . .
On the first hand I got dealt pocket Aces, doubling up my chips against another player with Ace-King. Over the next two hours or so I got pocket pairs another six times. At one point, the player to my right made a comment about how many pocket pairs I had picked up, and I joked that the next time I got them, I would let him know by holding one of my pockets, and he could keep his chips. I then looked down to find myself with pocket Kings (or Cowboys, for those into the poker lingo), and picked up another few thousand in chips (I did not, as promised, hold my pocket).
After starting with 1,000 in chips, I peaked with 37,000 chips, at which point Murray and Ando assured me I was the chip leader for the tournament. At this point I lost half my chips in a bad beat though, and then the quickly rising blinds kind of necessitated another all in around 15 minutes later which I also lost.
I had a great time, since I got to play about 40-50% of the hands, and do some really agressive betting, but it made me wonder, if I couldn't win with the cards I had, would I ever? I think in those types of situations there really is the element of luck - the rising blinds mean you have to make moves, and even when you're the favourite pre-flop, you need everything to go your way on the all ins to get to a strong point on the final table. I went all-in on my final hand with King-Three for about 13,000 chips, which sounds like a dumb move, except next up I was going to be the big blind, and have to post a blind of 10,000 chips, which would have pretty much put me all in on whatever random hand I got dealt anyway . . .
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Brokeback Mountain
Nope, this isn't a metaphor for describing something gay that happened in my life. Last night I actually sat down and watched Brokeback Mountain.
It's one of those movies I'd been curious about for a while, and so when Michella told me she was going to hire it, I figured it couldn't hurt to pop round to her place and see what all the fuss was about. (My favourite part of this was that she asked for it at her video store, and was directed to the "Gay and Lesbian Section". What? They have their own section now?)
We sit down to watch it, and Michella remarked that she had heard that regardless of gender, it was just a great love story. So I'm thinking, I can appreciate that. I may be a little less of a romantic than some (eg Pretty Woman, to me, was just about some rich jerk and a hooker), but I'm not made of stone.
We start the movie, and Jake and Heath are cowboys of sorts, working together alone on Brokeback Mountain for the summer. Jake is a reasonably animated fella, whereas Heath plays the part of the brooding loner, who just mumbles incoherently every now and then. Obviously Jake was a bit of a fan of this, as one night in their tent, he makes his move. All prejudices aside, what happens next isnt particularly romantic or tender, but hey, each to their own.
After a few weeks of being gay together the summer ends and they go their separate ways. Heath marries Jen from Dawsons Creek and has two children, and Jake marries Agent 99 from Get Smart and has a kid too. Except they can't forget their wonderful summer together on Brokeback Mountain, and so four years on, Jake tracks down Heath and visits him.
Upon arrival, they hug, and then make out for a while, which is unfortunately witnessed by Heath's wife, who is somewhat disturbed. And so, for the next few years, they get together a couple of times a year to go away fishing ie have sex. Unfortunately for Heath, Jen leaves him messages in his fishing tackle box that he never gets because he's all over Jake, which confirms her fears that there's more than angling going on, so she divorces him.
Now that Heath is back on the market, Jake suggests they make things permanent, offering to leave his wife, but Heath isn't interested. He's too scared of repercussions, so he continues to live a double life, dating women, while spending a few weeks a year away in the woods with Jake. Jake, for his part, stays with his wife, but sometimes visits Mexico to employ the services of male prostitutes. It's quite a sweet story really.
Finally after 20 years or so, when one of Heath's letters is returned, he finds that Jake has died. Agent 99 tells Heath he died in an accident, but it's revealed some local kids beat him to death (presumably on account of his being gay).
Now, the movie wasn't particularly boring, so I can't say I hated it. What I can't understand is how people think this is a great love story. To start with, we don't get an insight into any type of meaningful relationship between the two of them, there's just a lot of Heath mumbling (so much so we had to turn the subtitles on). Secondly, with Jake consorting with hookers and all, it didn't seem like there was a lot of committment. Finally, there's all this talk about how they were really meant to be together, but they couldn't because of the era. Which was crap, because they could have, it's just they were too scared and/or lazy to leave their lives as cowboys in redneck central, and be together. I have no idea why this rubs me the wrong way, I couldn't have cared less if they ended up together, I just hated the pathetic excuses they made, and these are the type of things you hear when people discuss the film.
Anyway, I've spent way too much time analyzing this film - in conclusion, if you're a big fan of cowboys or homosexuality check this out, otherwise, perhaps give it a miss.
It's one of those movies I'd been curious about for a while, and so when Michella told me she was going to hire it, I figured it couldn't hurt to pop round to her place and see what all the fuss was about. (My favourite part of this was that she asked for it at her video store, and was directed to the "Gay and Lesbian Section". What? They have their own section now?)
We sit down to watch it, and Michella remarked that she had heard that regardless of gender, it was just a great love story. So I'm thinking, I can appreciate that. I may be a little less of a romantic than some (eg Pretty Woman, to me, was just about some rich jerk and a hooker), but I'm not made of stone.
We start the movie, and Jake and Heath are cowboys of sorts, working together alone on Brokeback Mountain for the summer. Jake is a reasonably animated fella, whereas Heath plays the part of the brooding loner, who just mumbles incoherently every now and then. Obviously Jake was a bit of a fan of this, as one night in their tent, he makes his move. All prejudices aside, what happens next isnt particularly romantic or tender, but hey, each to their own.
After a few weeks of being gay together the summer ends and they go their separate ways. Heath marries Jen from Dawsons Creek and has two children, and Jake marries Agent 99 from Get Smart and has a kid too. Except they can't forget their wonderful summer together on Brokeback Mountain, and so four years on, Jake tracks down Heath and visits him.
Upon arrival, they hug, and then make out for a while, which is unfortunately witnessed by Heath's wife, who is somewhat disturbed. And so, for the next few years, they get together a couple of times a year to go away fishing ie have sex. Unfortunately for Heath, Jen leaves him messages in his fishing tackle box that he never gets because he's all over Jake, which confirms her fears that there's more than angling going on, so she divorces him.
Now that Heath is back on the market, Jake suggests they make things permanent, offering to leave his wife, but Heath isn't interested. He's too scared of repercussions, so he continues to live a double life, dating women, while spending a few weeks a year away in the woods with Jake. Jake, for his part, stays with his wife, but sometimes visits Mexico to employ the services of male prostitutes. It's quite a sweet story really.
Finally after 20 years or so, when one of Heath's letters is returned, he finds that Jake has died. Agent 99 tells Heath he died in an accident, but it's revealed some local kids beat him to death (presumably on account of his being gay).
Now, the movie wasn't particularly boring, so I can't say I hated it. What I can't understand is how people think this is a great love story. To start with, we don't get an insight into any type of meaningful relationship between the two of them, there's just a lot of Heath mumbling (so much so we had to turn the subtitles on). Secondly, with Jake consorting with hookers and all, it didn't seem like there was a lot of committment. Finally, there's all this talk about how they were really meant to be together, but they couldn't because of the era. Which was crap, because they could have, it's just they were too scared and/or lazy to leave their lives as cowboys in redneck central, and be together. I have no idea why this rubs me the wrong way, I couldn't have cared less if they ended up together, I just hated the pathetic excuses they made, and these are the type of things you hear when people discuss the film.
Anyway, I've spent way too much time analyzing this film - in conclusion, if you're a big fan of cowboys or homosexuality check this out, otherwise, perhaps give it a miss.
Monday, July 21, 2008
What I discovered on the weekend
Nature
Or more specifically, the BBC series "Planet Earth". I borrowed it off of Ribar, and we knocked out six episodes over the weekend. I've never been particularly interested in our planet's untouched areas, but after watching some of the spectacular footage of mountain ranges, waterfalls, deserts, and undewater landscapes, I had the travelling bug pretty bad.
Not only was I entertained, I also managed to learn a few things. Like there are more ugly animals than you think there are. And there are more deadbeat dads in nature than in Salisbury, Elizabeth and Murray Bridge combined.
As someone who doesn't normally like this type of thing, I really recommend it. Especially if you can get it on Bluray, the images are spectacular, so much so that if you're annoyed by the pompous tones of narrator David Attenborough you can tune him out and just enjoy it on an aesthetic level.
I'm not as good at Mortal Kombat as I thought I was
I downloaded Mortal Kombat II on the Playstation store Friday night, and jumped right in with my old favourite Scorpion. Despite the fact that I had his patented harpoon attack in my arsenal, it took me three attempts to get past my first opponent. I never managed to defeat the second. I'm not sure if these little digital men got better at fighting in the last 15 years or I got worse, but I really suck at this game now.
The Hold Steady
I read a review of the band's new album "Stay Positive" and decided to try them out. I spent a good bit of the weekend listening to the album as I drove around and it's growing on me. They kind of sound like a more punk-ish Bruce Springsteen, and also a little like R.E.M. at their most electric. I'm not exactly sure what I like about this - the singer kind of talk-sings, and the band play reasobably straight forward rock and roll, it's not the type of music I'd think I'd be drawn to. Do I think this will be making my top 5 list for 2008? Of course not. Do I plan on keeping it in my immediate rotation though? Absolutely.
Zach de la Rocha has a solo album out. Finally.
I'd been waiting for Zach's solo album for years, so was more than a little pumped to find out that he'd finally put something out. The project is called "One Day as a Lion", and is a collaboration between him and the old drummer for The Mars Volta. Their debut, self titled EP is out later this week, although it's already on the net, and consequently, my ipod.
I think this is one of those pairings that sounds better on paper. The music is basically live drums and distorted bass with Zach rapping over the top, it's not a huge departure from Rage Against the Machine. If anything, it sounds like a sped-up version of "Mic Check" (so Murray should like it, at least).
The thing is, I've waited for this for so long that I think it's passed me by. There was a time when I would have been really pumped to hear this music, but I don't really care that much anymore. And I wonder if I'm the only one?
Or more specifically, the BBC series "Planet Earth". I borrowed it off of Ribar, and we knocked out six episodes over the weekend. I've never been particularly interested in our planet's untouched areas, but after watching some of the spectacular footage of mountain ranges, waterfalls, deserts, and undewater landscapes, I had the travelling bug pretty bad.
Not only was I entertained, I also managed to learn a few things. Like there are more ugly animals than you think there are. And there are more deadbeat dads in nature than in Salisbury, Elizabeth and Murray Bridge combined.
As someone who doesn't normally like this type of thing, I really recommend it. Especially if you can get it on Bluray, the images are spectacular, so much so that if you're annoyed by the pompous tones of narrator David Attenborough you can tune him out and just enjoy it on an aesthetic level.
I'm not as good at Mortal Kombat as I thought I was
I downloaded Mortal Kombat II on the Playstation store Friday night, and jumped right in with my old favourite Scorpion. Despite the fact that I had his patented harpoon attack in my arsenal, it took me three attempts to get past my first opponent. I never managed to defeat the second. I'm not sure if these little digital men got better at fighting in the last 15 years or I got worse, but I really suck at this game now.
The Hold Steady
I read a review of the band's new album "Stay Positive" and decided to try them out. I spent a good bit of the weekend listening to the album as I drove around and it's growing on me. They kind of sound like a more punk-ish Bruce Springsteen, and also a little like R.E.M. at their most electric. I'm not exactly sure what I like about this - the singer kind of talk-sings, and the band play reasobably straight forward rock and roll, it's not the type of music I'd think I'd be drawn to. Do I think this will be making my top 5 list for 2008? Of course not. Do I plan on keeping it in my immediate rotation though? Absolutely.
Zach de la Rocha has a solo album out. Finally.
I'd been waiting for Zach's solo album for years, so was more than a little pumped to find out that he'd finally put something out. The project is called "One Day as a Lion", and is a collaboration between him and the old drummer for The Mars Volta. Their debut, self titled EP is out later this week, although it's already on the net, and consequently, my ipod.
I think this is one of those pairings that sounds better on paper. The music is basically live drums and distorted bass with Zach rapping over the top, it's not a huge departure from Rage Against the Machine. If anything, it sounds like a sped-up version of "Mic Check" (so Murray should like it, at least).
The thing is, I've waited for this for so long that I think it's passed me by. There was a time when I would have been really pumped to hear this music, but I don't really care that much anymore. And I wonder if I'm the only one?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
An idea
I have to admit, I'm a bit of a fan of lists. In this month's Esquire magazine, there's a good one - 75 things every man should do. It's a list of things they suggest every man should try once, ranging from the general (start something that scares you) to the specific (drink mescal in Mexico). Some of them I've already done (build a fence, learn three or four chords and a song on the guitar), others I probably never will (have a threesome).
There were some good ideas in there though, and I think I'm going to come up with my own list at some point.
One of the things on their list (and probably mine) is live abroad. Which is quite timely because, given the strong Australian dollar, a colleague and I were browsing New York properties on the internet today, and found that it's not as expensive as you'd think. An (admittedly small) apartment in Greenwich Village was going for about $300k, bigger ones out in Brooklyn for less than $200k.
Of course, neither of us have $300k, or even $200k. We realised though that if we only wanted the place for a month a year, we could organise a coop with people from work and buy-in for about $20k each. Plus, the way the Australian dollar is going, in a few months it will be even cheaper . . .
There were some good ideas in there though, and I think I'm going to come up with my own list at some point.
One of the things on their list (and probably mine) is live abroad. Which is quite timely because, given the strong Australian dollar, a colleague and I were browsing New York properties on the internet today, and found that it's not as expensive as you'd think. An (admittedly small) apartment in Greenwich Village was going for about $300k, bigger ones out in Brooklyn for less than $200k.
Of course, neither of us have $300k, or even $200k. We realised though that if we only wanted the place for a month a year, we could organise a coop with people from work and buy-in for about $20k each. Plus, the way the Australian dollar is going, in a few months it will be even cheaper . . .
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday Top 5 - Old School Video Games
1. NBA Hangtime (Nintendo 64) - Based on the old NBA Jam arcade game, this still holds up today. Didn't really reach its peak till we discovered how to give the characters giant animal heads. I was always the psychotic looking clown. Ando used to be awesome at this, so much so that we once hacked into his character and downgraded all his attributes without his knowledge just to make it more of a level playing field. In recent years, Murray and his giant chicken "Cornelius" have become feared by other players.
2. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (Playstation One) - The first skating game I ever spent a lot of time playing, especially the Hangar Level. You could do ridculous things in this game that defied the laws of physics. One of the first times I can remember have really good music in a game, with music from bands like Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy.
3. Goldeneye (Nintendo 64) - Based on the James Bond movie, I reckon this was one of the first really good 3D shooters. The single player game wasn't all that great, but multiplayer was always fun, especially when you had four people playing at once. Sometimes people would choose to make their character a midget, meaning it was a smaller target, which I kind of thought was cheating.
4. Double Dragon - When we were kids Ash and I used to love this game, I have fond memories of playing it in the kids games room at the holiday resort we used to go to. I remember there were bad guys who looked like Mr T, and women with whips. The solution for dealing with all foes was almost always waiting for them with your back turned, then delivering a well timed backwards elbow. You would do this again, and again, and again, and never get bored.
5. Mortal Kombat (Sega Megadrive) - I was a big Scorpion fan. Loved that harpoon thing he had, although it took so long to recover after sending it that if you didn't hit your target, you left yourself wide open to a counter attack. You can now download this through the Playstation store to play on your PS3, despite the fact that the game is a good 15 years old I'm seriously considering it.
2. Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 (Playstation One) - The first skating game I ever spent a lot of time playing, especially the Hangar Level. You could do ridculous things in this game that defied the laws of physics. One of the first times I can remember have really good music in a game, with music from bands like Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy.
3. Goldeneye (Nintendo 64) - Based on the James Bond movie, I reckon this was one of the first really good 3D shooters. The single player game wasn't all that great, but multiplayer was always fun, especially when you had four people playing at once. Sometimes people would choose to make their character a midget, meaning it was a smaller target, which I kind of thought was cheating.
4. Double Dragon - When we were kids Ash and I used to love this game, I have fond memories of playing it in the kids games room at the holiday resort we used to go to. I remember there were bad guys who looked like Mr T, and women with whips. The solution for dealing with all foes was almost always waiting for them with your back turned, then delivering a well timed backwards elbow. You would do this again, and again, and again, and never get bored.
5. Mortal Kombat (Sega Megadrive) - I was a big Scorpion fan. Loved that harpoon thing he had, although it took so long to recover after sending it that if you didn't hit your target, you left yourself wide open to a counter attack. You can now download this through the Playstation store to play on your PS3, despite the fact that the game is a good 15 years old I'm seriously considering it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Morello
Found this video of the Boss and Morello doing Bruce's "The Ghost of Tom Joad" together.
I love the second solo Morello does, at about the 5.45 mark, when he starts making all of his crazy spaceship noises, and Bruce has a kind of "Hey, that's actually pretty cool" smile on his face.
I love the second solo Morello does, at about the 5.45 mark, when he starts making all of his crazy spaceship noises, and Bruce has a kind of "Hey, that's actually pretty cool" smile on his face.
Best of the weekend
Friday night we went to see Get Smart. I really liked the show when I was a kid, and I'm a pretty big Steve Carrell fan, so went along even though I knew it wasn't going to be brilliant. It was about as good as I thought it would be - a few bright spots, but not something you'd want to watch again.
Saturday morning I went to my new gym with my Dad. I signed up about a week or so ago, and it has two advantages from my old gym - my Dad and my mate from work are both members, so I have someone to go with; and it costs $285 a year (instead of about $800 for Zest).
After the gym I went to Marion with Michella to get her sister a birthday present. I was mad hungry at this point, so had Indian food in the food court (despite the fact that we were having dinner at an Indian restaurant that night). I finished this off with a delightful little vanilla slice from Gloria Jeanes, then went home for a nap. Actually I didn't have a a nap, I just started channeling Paul for a minute there.
For dinner we went to a delightful little place called Urban India. I went there with Mirjana about a year ago, and the waiter talked me into ordering something different to what had planned.
This time I was able to order what I wanted (the butter chicken of course), and I quite enjoyed it, although Michella not so much.
After dinner we went to the Hilton Hotel at Hilton for Rhianna's birthday. We sat in the bar for about two hours, until my head hurt and my throat was raw from screaming. Obviously I'm probably 10 years older than the target market of a place like this, but still, it baffled the mind - the "DJ" kept trying to keep people from sitting around the "dance floor" because "any minute now it's going to fill up." The whole time we were there, we saw two people dancing - a scary looking mother and daugher combo (you had to catch them in the right light to tell which was which). Despite the fact that there was NOBODY DANCING, this guy kept playing horrible, loud dance music, bobbing away in his little DJ-ing booth like he was working at a rave or something. We left at around 10pm to go home and watch the final episode of Underbelly (they all die or go to jail).
Sunday I decided to tackle a little home renovation project - knocking out the built in robe in my TV room. I smashed at it for a while with a crowbar until it collapsed around me, somewhat amazingly, I wasn't hurt. In the afternoon, I went round Peter and Karen's and saw most of the final Pirates of the Carribean movie on Foxtel. It made almost no sense to me, and I think i'm a somewhat educated, film-literate adult. I skipped dinner and just had an awesome apple crumble that Chella made. I think it was the right decision.
Saturday morning I went to my new gym with my Dad. I signed up about a week or so ago, and it has two advantages from my old gym - my Dad and my mate from work are both members, so I have someone to go with; and it costs $285 a year (instead of about $800 for Zest).
After the gym I went to Marion with Michella to get her sister a birthday present. I was mad hungry at this point, so had Indian food in the food court (despite the fact that we were having dinner at an Indian restaurant that night). I finished this off with a delightful little vanilla slice from Gloria Jeanes, then went home for a nap. Actually I didn't have a a nap, I just started channeling Paul for a minute there.
For dinner we went to a delightful little place called Urban India. I went there with Mirjana about a year ago, and the waiter talked me into ordering something different to what had planned.
This time I was able to order what I wanted (the butter chicken of course), and I quite enjoyed it, although Michella not so much.
After dinner we went to the Hilton Hotel at Hilton for Rhianna's birthday. We sat in the bar for about two hours, until my head hurt and my throat was raw from screaming. Obviously I'm probably 10 years older than the target market of a place like this, but still, it baffled the mind - the "DJ" kept trying to keep people from sitting around the "dance floor" because "any minute now it's going to fill up." The whole time we were there, we saw two people dancing - a scary looking mother and daugher combo (you had to catch them in the right light to tell which was which). Despite the fact that there was NOBODY DANCING, this guy kept playing horrible, loud dance music, bobbing away in his little DJ-ing booth like he was working at a rave or something. We left at around 10pm to go home and watch the final episode of Underbelly (they all die or go to jail).
Sunday I decided to tackle a little home renovation project - knocking out the built in robe in my TV room. I smashed at it for a while with a crowbar until it collapsed around me, somewhat amazingly, I wasn't hurt. In the afternoon, I went round Peter and Karen's and saw most of the final Pirates of the Carribean movie on Foxtel. It made almost no sense to me, and I think i'm a somewhat educated, film-literate adult. I skipped dinner and just had an awesome apple crumble that Chella made. I think it was the right decision.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Partying like it's 1999
So on Saturday we went to Hog's Breath Cafe at Glenelg for lunch with Alen and Jess and Paul and Tara. Over for a weekend visit, Paul had picked the venue, which led Alen to remark "What is this, the 1990's?". As it turns out, at Hog's Breath, it always is.
We quicky noticed that their playlist was almost entirely comprised of hits from that decade - Jeremy, November Rain, Loser, You Outta Know, Plush - it was like someone found one of my mixtapes from 1995. The lone exception was Kanye West's "Gold Digger" - I have no idea how that one made the cut. Everything else was alternative rock from the last millenium.
I presume it was intentional, and it was actually kind of cool - it was kind of like a themed 50's nostalgia diner, but updated for the 90's. Especially for a catchup lunch between three guys who became friends in the 90s, it brought back all kinds of memories of shared experiences.
After lunch we went across the road for hot chocolate at Bracegirdles. It was pretty amazing stuff, I'm definitely a convert.
We quicky noticed that their playlist was almost entirely comprised of hits from that decade - Jeremy, November Rain, Loser, You Outta Know, Plush - it was like someone found one of my mixtapes from 1995. The lone exception was Kanye West's "Gold Digger" - I have no idea how that one made the cut. Everything else was alternative rock from the last millenium.
I presume it was intentional, and it was actually kind of cool - it was kind of like a themed 50's nostalgia diner, but updated for the 90's. Especially for a catchup lunch between three guys who became friends in the 90s, it brought back all kinds of memories of shared experiences.
After lunch we went across the road for hot chocolate at Bracegirdles. It was pretty amazing stuff, I'm definitely a convert.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Chinese Democracy
Thanks to the power of the world wide internet, this week I got the chance to hear nine of the songs from Guns n' Roses' (allegedly) upcoming album "Chinese Democracy". You've kind of got to use the word allegedly, since Axl has been working on the album since 1994, and over the last 14 years has (once again, allegedly) spent $13 million on the process (making it the most expensive album ever recorded). You've got to wonder if it's ever going to see an official release.
Anyway, the nine tracks that now live on my ipod all sound finished. Actually, a little too finished. As is to be expected with an album that's been worked on for more than a decade, the whole thing is extremely overproduced. It sounds rather epic, along the lines of "November Rain", and that's not necessarily a good thing. The best GNR album (and probably the best debut by any band) is "Appetite for Destruction", which is also the rawest thing they ever did. As well as being polished, it's not especially heavy, with the exception of a few songs it's kind of got a pop feel to it.
Still after a week or so, I find myself listening to this a lot, so there must be something to that. I wonder if it's my GNR fandom - whether I would be quite so keen if this was new material from say Sebastian Bach. I don't think so though, I think there's some quality here.
Anyway, if you're curious as to what the new stuff sounds like, here's a clip someone has made for one of the leaked songs, "Madagascar". My favourite part comes at the 4:17 mark, when Axl samples Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech in the guitar solo, before going into the final chorus. Although you have to think that since this is the same guy who once wrote and sang the lyrics "Police and niggers, get out of my way", the good Doctor might not have approved . . .
Anyway, the nine tracks that now live on my ipod all sound finished. Actually, a little too finished. As is to be expected with an album that's been worked on for more than a decade, the whole thing is extremely overproduced. It sounds rather epic, along the lines of "November Rain", and that's not necessarily a good thing. The best GNR album (and probably the best debut by any band) is "Appetite for Destruction", which is also the rawest thing they ever did. As well as being polished, it's not especially heavy, with the exception of a few songs it's kind of got a pop feel to it.
Still after a week or so, I find myself listening to this a lot, so there must be something to that. I wonder if it's my GNR fandom - whether I would be quite so keen if this was new material from say Sebastian Bach. I don't think so though, I think there's some quality here.
Anyway, if you're curious as to what the new stuff sounds like, here's a clip someone has made for one of the leaked songs, "Madagascar". My favourite part comes at the 4:17 mark, when Axl samples Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech in the guitar solo, before going into the final chorus. Although you have to think that since this is the same guy who once wrote and sang the lyrics "Police and niggers, get out of my way", the good Doctor might not have approved . . .
Thursday, July 03, 2008
In the paper today . . .
THE American Family Association has a strict policy to replace the word "gay" with "homosexual" on its news website - but it created a problem with sprinter Tyson Gay.
The association's computers auto-corrected the US sprint star's name to Tyson Homosexual.
Here's an extract of an Associated Press story as it ran on the association's OneNewsNow Christian news website:
Tyson Homosexual was a blur in blue, sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.His time of 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday doesn't count as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind.
Here's what does matter: Homosexual qualified for his first Summer Games team and served notice he's certainly someone to watch in Beijing. . . . "It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old Homosexual said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me."
The association's computers auto-corrected the US sprint star's name to Tyson Homosexual.
Here's an extract of an Associated Press story as it ran on the association's OneNewsNow Christian news website:
Tyson Homosexual was a blur in blue, sprinting 100 meters faster than anyone ever has.His time of 9.68 seconds at the U.S. Olympic trials Sunday doesn't count as a world record, because it was run with the help of a too-strong tailwind.
Here's what does matter: Homosexual qualified for his first Summer Games team and served notice he's certainly someone to watch in Beijing. . . . "It means a lot to me," the 25-year-old Homosexual said. "I'm glad my body could do it, because now I know I have it in me."
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Tuesday Top 5 - Songs about Sailing
1. The Gallows - Abandon Ship
2. The Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping up to Boston
3. Placebo - Jackie
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Ship Song
5. Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell - The Seafarers Song
2. The Dropkick Murphys - I'm Shipping up to Boston
3. Placebo - Jackie
4. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Ship Song
5. Mark Lanegan and Isobel Campbell - The Seafarers Song
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